Happy Valentines!

Create a class set of Valentines in 30 minutes! Really! It will take you less time to create these Valentines than to run out to the store and purchase a box of ordinary ones. All you need is cardstock, a stamp set, paper scraps and your tools. (And this is a great way to use up your stash!)

For these Valentines, I started with the Centre Focus pattern (from Originals, pg. 111) as the basic layout. However, I made it my own, by adding a patterned paper background and changing the size of the centre piece to accommodate the sentiment.

Here's my recipe:

* Start with a 3" x 3" card with the fold at the top. (To make the card, cut a 3" x 6" piece from cardstock and fold in half.)

* Trim a 2 1/2" square from patterned paper and adhere to card face.

* Tear a 2" piece of washi tape or trim a 1/2" x 2" piece of paper or trim a 2" zip strip and adhere to middle of card, flush on the left side.

* Trim a 1" x 1 1/2" piece from cardstock and stamp sentiment. Adhere sentiment to right side of card, in the middle, overlapping washi tape.

* Stamp or write sentiment, Happy Valentine's Day, on inside.

For these cards, I used the sentiment from the Live Out Loud stamp set and the sentiment "Happy Valentine's Day" from the Whoo's Your Valentine stamp set on the inside. (Not shown.) I used the scraps from my Dotty For You papers.

It's easy to create multiple Valentine's quickly with this pattern. Get your little Valentine involved too! Assembling and stamping are easy and fun tasks for little hands.

Don't forget teacher! Use your school-themed papers and stamps to whip up cute Valentines for your child's teacher.

For these Valentines I followed the Sunset pattern (Originals, pg. 66).

* Use a 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" card with the fold on the tops as your base. (To make the card, cut a 3 1/2" x 5" piece from cardstock and fold in half.)

* Trim a 1 3/4" x 3 1/2" piece from patterned paper and adhere it to the card front, placing it 1/4" from the top, keeping the edges flush.

* Trim a 1 1/4" x 1 1/2" piece from cardstock and adhere it 1/4" from the right and top edges of the patterned paper.

* Stamp embellishments and adhere to card face.

For these cards, I used the ticket stamps from Blue Ribbon and Victory Workshop stamp sets and the large heart from Whoo's Your Valentine stamp set. I used the scraps from my Scholastic paper packet.

You've got 2 days left! Take a few minutes to show your love by creating your own special Valentines!