Valentine – The Art of Cobwebs

Well now that Valentines Day has been done and dusted I can finally share the ‘card‘ I made and has now been given and proudly on display.

It’s not actually a card though. This year I thought I’d start a new ‘thing’ for us. A new Chez Cobs tradition. A Memory Book for each Valentines Day – and this is the first one.

It’s made in the same tried and trusted way I make mini Albums – but with just a few ‘pages’, as it’s meant to be a Valentines Card/Memory Book. so it has to cover the dual aspect – if you get what I mean.

Rather than try to explain how I made it, I took photo’s of each step of the making so that you can see how it comes together…

Using 12″x 12″ Chipboard, I cut three sections – measurements for my ‘book’ are as in the photo above – but you can make an album/memory book in any size you want.

Pieces cut, and placed in position so you can see how they go together. I’ve written on the individual parts in pencil so that it just makes everything doubly easy.

Cover the front and back in your chosen papers. All the papers used here are from the First Edition Papers, by Trim Craft, in the Love Story 12″x12″ pad and cut to size.

The ‘spine’ is covered in Card – by Anna Marie, and some plain red papers which I had in my stash. Each of these were decoratively cut using 2 different Spellbinders Dies, which work together and come in the same set.

Fixing the ‘spine’ to the book covers. I’d fix the spine chipboard to the papers/card first, once in place, you can then fix that whole spine section to the covers. Make sure that you leave enough space for the book to open and close.

Outside done …. now for the inside.

For my Card/Memory Book I took three 6×6″ ready scored and folded card blanks, then fixed them together using red tape and glue. I then fixed the very back page of those now glued cards to the back, inside cover (which I’d already fixed decorative papers to in readiness).

Then basically, you’ve got your ‘book’. Now you just have to go to town and make it pretty and put into it what you visioned it was going to be!

I decorated each ‘set’ of pages in pairs. Each page which faced another page was decorated in the same paper. That way they kind of ‘spoke’ to each other. BUT … you can decorate you pages in any way you want to. Different colours, looks, designs etc on each page if you wish. It’s your book.

On some pages I just had a sentiment and some decoration. On others, as in the above photo, I fixed a little envelope which had a little ‘billet doux’ (love letter) hidden inside it. I made sure that there was plenty of blank space on the envelope for it to be addressed to the receiver.

There are hidden tags (see the page on the left as you look at the above picture); places for a photograph – either one already taken, or one taken on *that* day; and tags fixed into place which held their own message, but one which could be added to in order to personalise that particular message in some way or another.

A Blackboard, in the shape of a heart, on which a personalised message could be written. Bunting ‘strung’ across two pages saying: ‘HAPPY ❤ DAY’ (happy hearts day – or happy valentines day) … and a set of golden keys.

As you can see in the above photo, there are places all over the Memory Book where you can write little messages.

There are hidden tags, and tags which show you where they are. The tags are of a size that you can write messages or memories on them, and also fix photographs to them – so that all the messages and memories all come together inside the Memory Book.

And finally … I decorated the outside. I knew exactly what I wanted the front to look like, and because of that, I left it till last so that I didn’t crush the roses or accidentally pull something off! (I’m such a klutz and knew I’d do it, so took precautions and decorated it last of all).

I was so thrilled at how this came together and so pleased that, although filled with love, it wasn’t ‘mushy’, but had a charm and clearly showed a true friendship, which spoke volumes. Oh… and I can happily tell you that the Memory Book/Valentines Card was very well received and is being proudly displayed on the dresser. 😀

I hope your Tuesday was a lovely day – whether you celebrated Valentines Day or not. It was just a day which happened to be the 14th February.

Did you know: That academic studies have shown similarities between falling in love and obsessive compulsive disorder, taking cocaine or eating chocolate?

And …. Research (in 2012) showed that when a loving couple stare into each other’s eyes for three minutes, their heart rates synchronise.

oh … and: Research also suggests that the average person will fall in love seven times before marriage.

Also: A recent survey reported that two per cent of couples have fallen in love in a supermarket.

And finally ….. Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary defined love as, “A temporary insanity curable by marriage”.

See? You didn’t know that you didn’t know that did you? And there you are again! PROOF … as if proof were needed, … that The Cobweborium Emporium (i.e. this ‘ere blog) is very much an educational tool. You get educationalmalised every time you pay a visit! Bit like reading a book while you’re on the loo! LOL

And now we’ve reached the depths of my sense of humour, I shall send you love and plenty of happy squidges.