Valentines Amongst Friends

Sometimes I think the romance and beauty

of Valentines

is wasted on romantic couples.

At least when it comes to the crafting

of frilly, soft, Victorian style valentines.

That is best saved for exchanging

with like-minded

artisan friends!

I recently hosted a swap in my flickr group

where we each created a decorative box, 

ribbon doll, tag

and other assorted goodies for our partner.

 I simply adore working with these images and materials!

 The image is a beautifully embossed

German scrap die cut.

 After covering the box with gesso, 

I embellished with all kinds of floral trims,

a battenberg lace heart

more flowers and more hearts.

 I used a German scrap lady for the body of

my ribbon doll.

 The paper lace doily backdrop

is enhanced with copper ink

for a rosy glow.

It's all about the details

and adding a paper flower,

velvet leaf and tiny puffy heart

finished off her ensemble perfectly.

Her dress is made of sari silk, laces, seam binding,

leaf trim and torn fabric.

 I added some extra goodies to the package.

(The heart pincushion 

was a great

last minute find at an estate sale.)

 No Valentine is complete

without a personal message.

I hope all of you

are able to share some Valentines

with friends!

XO