THE HANDMADE VALENTINE

Years ago I received a care package in the mail from my late Grandma Van. In it was a handwritten letter about her adventures, a handful of photos she found of my sister and I as children, a few lotto scratch tickets and this sweet treasure... a handmade Valentine I made for her and my Grandpa many years ago. In her letter she wrote, "Brooke Leigh, you were destined to make greeting cards." It brought tears to my eyes then, and it does now as I write this post.

As a graphic designer and paper artist, I often hear my family and friends express anxiety at the thought of making a paper project for me for fear they will suffer in comparison. The thing is, I don't compare... I just love that they took the time to make something for me and express their love from the heart.

This valentine is the perfect example of sweet love. So my message here today is it's not too late, don't hold back, grab some paper, pens, paints, scissors, glue, glitter, pictures, the works... and make your loved one a one-of-a-kind, Original, valentine. And while you're at it, tell them in your own handwriting just how much you love them. It feels fabulous to give such a card, not to mention, receive such a card.

FOR THE LOVE OF PAPER Happy Valentine's Day!

MOMMY-TO-BEE STATIONERY

A while back I designed this logo for B MOHR Creative with an adorable little bumble bee... do you remember it?

Fast forward a few years... B MOHR Creative is expecting a baby in December, congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Mohr. I was invited to design thank you notes to match the baby shower invitations which incorporated the B MOHR Creative bumble bee. You gotta love when your design is loved so much they want to use it in other elements of their life.

We switched the bee to blue for symbolic reasons {hint hint}, chose chocolate brown envelopes (with white gel pen), and added a custom sticker seal for the return address and it was a good excuse to use the bee just one more time. I absolutely love the vertical stripes—good call Kim!

We printed half in yellow to match the invitations and the other half in blue... I absolutely love them both and couldn't pick a favorite if you asked!

FOR THE LOVE OF PAPER Originals Paper Art

"O" IS FOR ORIGINALS PAPER ART

SURPRISE! Did you think "O" would stand for anything but ORIGINALS PAPER ART!? I spent last week finishing a marketing campaign for my invitation business that has been in the works for months. This is the greeting card I designed to introduce myself and Originals.

"O" IS FOR ORIGINALS PAPER ART

Inside the greeting card is a vellum sheet of paper, clipped in with a swirl clip that holds two of my business cards, and it reads:

ORIGINALS is a quaint invitation studio that indulges clients who want a professional graphic designer on their team, have a passion for fine paper and the desire to be different. No matter what type of event you're planning: wedding or anniversary, birth or birthday, graduation or retirement, ORIGINALS is the perfect choice for designer invitations and calligraphy services.

FOR THE LOVE OF PAPER: Please spread the word about Originals Paper Art!

VALENTINES – ORIGINALS STYLE!

If you haven't purchased your Valentine's Day cards yet, or simply need a few more, here you go! Happy Valentine's Day from Originals Paper Art.

Click.  Print.  Cut.  Fold.  Write and Send.  XOXO

These cards look yummy tucked into a Chocolate A2 Envelope and sealed with a Red Sticker Seal from Paper Source.

The perfect card to accompany a box of chocolates and Starbucks gift card!  Hint. Hint.

FOR THE LOVE OF PAPER. XOXOX

THE RECYCLED VALENTINE

I'm a paper and packaging junkie and when I come across cool stuff that feeds my addiction it's hard to throw away or even recycle for that matter. So I established a recycle bin in my studio where I collect things for a rainy day. Sunday morning was quiet around the house so I ventured into my craft room and made a recycled Valentine using these select treasures: cardboard, glassine sleeve, coffee sleeve and apparel tag.

I created an over-sized tag by recycling the cardboard and string. First I measured the glassine sleeve and A7 envelope to ensure the tag would fit. I carefully aligned the eyelet with the notch in the glassine sleeve for an appealing presentation.

I cut out a heart from the coffee sleeve and embellished the rest of the card using a rubber stamp, heart punch and my own original Valentine fortunes. I love how it turned out!

Wanna join the fun? Post a picture of your Recycled Valentine on the Originals Paper Art Facebook page. I'd love to see what you're doing with your recycled treasures!