An Unconventional Valentine's Day Card

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2012 - a dramatically different color scheme

When you think of Valentine's Day, you think of pink and red hearts, right? Yeah, me too, but this year I wanted to do something a little different for my seniors. Our Valentine's Day projects for the past two years, as seen below, have included the mandatory red and pink hearts. This time I wanted to give an unexpected twist to our craft project. While this year's card sports the obligatory hearts and flowers my ladies know and love, the color scheme is anything but conventional. Inspired by a beautiful piece of specialty paper in shades of turquoise and purple , I designed a card that really played up those colors. I will admit that, at first, I wasn't too thrilled with the way this card was turning out but the more I worked on it, the more it grew on me and now I'm very pleased with the final outcome.

Our very first project from 2010

2011's hanging ornament

The colors are not the only things different about this card. You can't really tell from the photo but this is not a foldover card, it's an insertion card. What I mean is that there is only a front and a back to this card, like a postcard. It doesn't open up. You have to turn it around to see what is written on the other side. This will be a bit of a departure for these ladies accustomed to the more conventional type of card.

For this project I had my DrawPlus graphic software and my eCraft electronic cutter working overtime. The heart is crafted of four different layers stacked upon one another. Each of these layers had to be designed and cut separately. It took quite a few attempts to get the lighter blue trellis-like layer to cut correctly, after which I had to manually poke out all the little holes in between the mesh. Once the heart was completed, cutting the rest of the card elements was a piece of cake. The tiny tag was just the perfect size for a kiss print rubber stamp that I've had for the longest time. I deliberately left off any overt references to Valentine's Day because I wanted this project to convey the universal aspect of love over the celebration of one calendar day. This card could just as easily be used to congratulate a newly engaged couple or be sent as a quick hello to a cherished grandchild. Although I admit that the swirls and flowers lend a very feminine air, the color scheme would suit a young man. I'm sure the ladies will love it.

Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

My Creative Inspiration

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I come from a big family with lots and lots of aunts, uncles and cousins as far as the eye can see. When we were young, there was little room to move around at family gatherings and privacy was a foreign concept. Family was the center of everything for us as we grew up so it should come as no surprise that my primary source of creative inspiration is my family. I always do my best work for them. They get the cream of the crop. I would have it no other way.

When my children were very young, I remembered moments of my own childhood and the details that made them special. All over my house there are items that evoke special memories of my life and the people in it. I knew I wanted to give my children something tangible that they could carry with them, hold onto and tell stories about. Two of the greatest gifts my mother gave me were to teach me to sew and crochet. It has given me untold joy in the hours I have labored and in the items I have made. Although my mother never quilted herself, with the foundation she gave me, I taught myself and used this skill to create heirlooms for my children.

I had once seen a picture of a quilt created of denim squares and decided that I wanted to create one someday, but it had to be special since it would be for one of my children. While my son was still in grade school, I began saving all the old jeans he had outgrown or worn out. I saved about 10 years worth of jeans with rips, tears, patches and history. Then one day in late 2006 I sat down, cut out the squares and started on my first quilt. You would think 10 years worth of jeans would be enough for a small quilt but it wasn't, and I ended up using denim from old jeans worn by everyone in the household. It turned out beautifully as you can see in the photo above left. Every patch has a story to tell about the person who wore it and my son, who absolutely loves it, guards it jealously.


Of course, I couldn't make a quilt for my son and not have something as special for my daughter so I immediately had to make one for her as well but I didn't have 10 years worth of jeans to work with. For her, my budding marine biologist, I created a quilt in the blue and turquoise colors of the Caribbean Sea. It is not only a symbol of her childhood dream, it is also a reminder of Puerto Rico, my ancestral homeland nestled in the Caribbean. This quilt, which my daughter promptly called her toasty, also gave us an opportunity to bond when I hand-crocheted the edging. Every Sunday night the two of us would sit in my bed watching our favorite television shows while I trimmed the toasty. The time she and I and that quilt spent together will not soon be forgotten.

My family inspires me. The gifts I make for them are a lasting expression of my love. It is art from my heart.

Ballo ergo sum,
Always and all ways,
- Gitana, the Creative Diva