I {Heart} These Cards

Weddings have been springing up in my life lately, so I've cooked up a fresh batch of wedding cards.

The design features a pair of hearts, cut from painted papers. I used a variety of textures and white-to-light-tan colors for the papers, and acrylic craft paint in white and several shades of gold. Painting was fun because each page was different. I painted stripes, used bottle caps to print circles, created solid blocks of color, and splashed on the splattery dots. Sometimes I kept the application neat and simple, like the solid gold page used to cut out the bottom left heart. Other times, I built up layers of pattern, allowing time in between for the layers to dry. Or not. Sometimes I get impatient. And in art, sometimes impatience can be a virtue.

Once the painted pages dried, I cut out a simple heart, sized to fit properly on my card. I also measured out a good size for the tan background piece too, leaving just enough of the border on the white card to look balanced.

But the tan background piece serves a practical purpose too. I sewed the hearts to that piece, using a plain ol' needle and thread, and a single gold bead for an accent. Just a few quick stitches does the trick. Then, when I glued the tan background piece to the card, the slightly messy bit of thread on the backside was hidden away, and nothing remained but good, clean craftsmanship.

Because I had the painted pages left over from last year's wedding cards, this whole construction process was quick, easy and neat. It took me less than a half hour to whip these babies together, and I am pleased with the end result. I <3 them.