Moving away from Christmas

Except for a few Thanksgiving cards and one or two Hallowe'en cards, it seems that I've been totally immersed in Christmas-related cards and projects for months.  It was so much fun!  And then we get a new Spring 2013 catalogue and, of course, samples have to be made from all those wonderful products.  That, I found, was easier thinking about than doing.  My instinct, apparently, was to reach for Christmas papers and to think in terms of Christmas.  No wonder!  My small Christmas tree is only perhaps four feet away from me here in my crafts room.  (Yes, all the decorations and the large tree are still very evident in other parts of the house!)

So I took myself in hand and searched through my paper for the colours that did not even whisper Christmas to me.  And I decided that another holiday would provide me with a different mind-set.  What better choice than Valentine's Day?  Yes, there is still love involved (for me Christmas is and always will be a time of love, family and fellowship), but it's more of a straight-out "I love you", "I really like you", "Be my Friend", etc.  And Valentine's Day, even though it's right smack in the middle of winter, doesn't make me think of sleds, decorated trees, or snowflakes.

What better choice in Designer Paper for this card than More Amore?  The laser-cut hearts on two of the sheets can be cut apart and used singly.  And they are gorgeous!  I decided on the ones in Primrose Petals.  I could have chosen the Real Red, but since I wanted to use the Pool Party and Tempting Turquoise, I felt that Primrose Petals was my better choice (isn't it wonderful that Stampin' Up! gave us those choices???)

Sometimes I look at my pile of paper and embellishments and am amazed that this is going to be a card.  That's the fun---the magic---of card-making.

A bit of cutting, a bit of stamping, a bit of gluing, and the card takes shape.  That single stamp, "Love", that Stampin' Up! is offering for a limited time is the perfect fit for the second size in the Heart framelits.  I find that exciting!  There haven't been any stamp sets to co-ordinate with these framelits since the last Valentine set in Spring 2012!

I love how this card turned out!  I can see myself turning to these laser-cut hearts frequently.  And the single stamp is perfect for that heart in the centre, isn't it?  Hmmm...  Maybe it won't be so hard to move away from Christmas cards after all.