The Envelope Please

Okay, you have a week to get your heart-shaped cookies baked and your Valentines made. Better get going...

Let's start with the envelope. If you're making handmade valentines, you must start with the envelope. Believe me when I tell you it's easier to adjust the size of what goes in than to hunt high and low for the perfect size envelope. And I speak from experience! Remember you can always click on the picture to enlarge.

You'll need a waterproof, permanent pen to letter with if you use watercolors, but if you don't have one and don't want to make a run to your nearest Michael's or Hobby Lobby, just use colored pencils. Pretty much the same look, if you don't look too closely. Draw your letters in a block fashion as I did with "Kenzie" or add a little flourish as I did with "Liz." Then go back and color in the letters with blocks, polka dots, or the animal prints. If it makes you more comfortable or if you have a limited number of envelopes and you can't waste any, lightly outline in pencil what you want to do. Then, as you can tell, I use lots of dots and lines to make it pop.

On the one for St. Wayne, the first thing I did was watercolor a big heart or at least part of a heart. Or you could do lots of tiny hearts in the background. The key is to let it dry. Take a walk or take a nap, but let it dry (that's hard part for me!) Just have fun with it and don't be afraid. You can do it and be so proud, and the recipient will be really impressed. Everyone likes to see his/her name in "fancy letters."

And then to further embellish this vessel of delivery for your innermost heartfelt romantic thoughts...line your envelope. The possibilities are endless here. You can use decorative scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, or a picture from a magazine. Open the flap and put it face down. Roughly measure from just below the adhesive on the inside of the flap to about and inch or so below the opening and across for the width. Cut your liner paper accordingly and add a line from a glue stick across the top, to be placed just below the adhesive on the envelope flap, let it dry, and you're good to go!

Okay, the pressure's on...7 days left!