My Free Valentine Gift to You

I've been pretty busy this past week working on a number of drawings to incorporate as Valentine Day cards.  I've managed to create 5 separate designs that I feel pretty pleased with.


Surrounding myself with all this pink and red has brought back some very old memories of my own childhood and I wondered just how many of you remember being sent home with the dreaded "CLASS LIST" of names and pressure to create your own unique Valentine Box that had to serve both as a card receptacle and a juried art piece on the day of the highly anticipated "Valentine Day Party."  Using only materials around the house, which mainly consisted of magazine clippings, construction paper and of course an old shoe box. Oh the stress that was put on kids in those days.  I mean do they still do "Valentine Boxes" in school?  I doubt not.  It has been phased out right along with cursive writing and math that makes sense.


There were always a couple of kids on the list that you just didn't want to give a card to but your mother insisted that you must.  I know I was guilty of sorting out the cards into piles; the cute cards in one pile for kids I liked or wanted to be friends with and then the not so pretty cards in a pile for those kids I didn't so much care for.  My friends might get two candied hearts and the rest would only get one in their envelope. I know you know what I'm talking about.

Then on the day of the party, there would be awards given to the best decorated box.  I guess because I already had the artist gene in my DNA, for me this was a serious competition.  Even at a young age I wasn't playing around with my Valentine Box.  I don't really recall off hand if I ever won any awards but I always gave it my best.

If only there had been Pinterest back in the stone ages of the 60's & 70's.  That would have been a game changer I'm sure.  So much creativity and awesome ideas just a few clicks of a keyboard away. I just typed in Valentine Card Shoe Box ideas and all I can say is "WOW".  I don't remember any of our boxes looking like those.

Now that I have strolled through memory lane, I guess it is time to return to 2017 and my studio.  Here is just a stack of cards I managed to put together just the other day.  I want to have a good supply for the different galleries that I have my art represented in.  I also made a number of the designs into 4 x 6 art magnets with they hope that they too will be a popular item for sale.  We shall see.


I ran a really fun contest this past week on my own personal Facebook page just to see which of the 5 designs would get the most votes.  I announced that I was planning on making a free Valentine gift of the most popular design as a printable download on my blog.  I was very happy with the number of friends that actually participated.  The design that I thought would win was that of the pig but to my pleasant surprise, the "Puppy Love" design got the most votes.  This is actually a drawing I did of my granddaughter and her giant doberman Odin.  So I was equally pleased that was the design that won.

So here is my Valentine Gift to You- My original artwork in a Downloadable format.  I just ask that you drop me a thank you comment if you decided to print it out.  I would love to hear from you.


A Free Printable Valentine Postcard

Scraps of RED & PINK Fun all Over the Kitchen Table

Last night I got a chance to EMBRACE MY CREATIVE SIDE and put together a couple of Valentine Cards using my own design that I sketched out this week.  I've never been a "Crafty" person or a "Card" giving or receiving kind of person, but I do LOVE making my own cards.  I've seen some really elaborate homemade cards and mind don't really rise to that level yet, I still have fun making them.

I use the package of blank white cards and envelopes that are 5 x 6.5 inches.  The package contains 50 cards and envelopes and can be bought at both Michaels or Hobby Lobby for $9.99.  Yesterday, I was so happy to find them on 50% off at Hobby Lobby.  I stocked up my studio supply.

I also spotted the cutest little metal ant decoration that has a bobble head and giant buggy eyes.  I couldn't resist adding him as a permanent resident in my entryway candy dish.  He is so grandchild friendly this little guy makes a  perfect addition to my Valentine Decorations this year.

So today I'm planning studio time to work on finishing up a number of cards so that I can take them with my next week to add to my gallery inventory at Boulder City Art Gallery and at City of the World Gallery in Las Vegas.  I have one more design I'm hoping to complete and add to my card selection this weekend that features a cute little bee.  Like my Studio Facebook Page if you want to keep up with my latest artwork. JULIE TOWNSEND STUDIO FACEBOOK PAGE






Making these cards turned out to be so much fun and so I decided that I would use Valentine Cards as a good next art project to do with my preschool grandchildren.  I found a cute Valentine Craft  kit with 12 ladybugs while shopping at Hobby Lobby and so I decided that I could handle a 2 and 4 year old with a glue stick.  I let them put together one ladybug each and attach it to my blank greeting card stock.  I cut out a background piece from a sheet of red and white polka dot card stock that I had on hand and a package of valentine stamps made up all the supplies I needed.  I did any cutting that was necessary and the rest was just guidance.  They turned out really cute and my tiny granddaughter was so pleased to be included this time in "DOING ART" with grandma.




With Grandpas help, I let these two little darlings make 2 cards each.  After all the pieces were attached they both could stamp as many ink Kissy Lips and Hearts as they wanted on their card to decorate them even more.  I think by looking at the smiling faces of these two love bugs you can see that this Grandma activity was a success BIG hit!

DISCLAIMER:
(No ladybugs were actually harmed in the execution of this art project)