To The One I LoveCompleted by Pamela Horton The whispering Platypus

This is a beautiful Valentine greeting for any age. The colours are bright, the message is clear, and there is an air of cuteness, with the bear still trying to make sure all the balloons are blown up in time. I copied the sheet supplied 3 times. I used 200gsm white card and used one copy of the main element, which measures 12.5cm x 12cm, as the main backing sheet. I coloured the edges of this main element, with a black permanent pen. I used an ivory coloured 10cm doily, to fold in half, wrap the left hand half around the left hand side of the main element, 0.5cm up from the bottom of the spotted frame, and attach with tiny spots of glue. I attached an 18cm length of a dark red 2.5cm wide satin ribbon, horizontally across, and 3.25cm up from the very bottom edge, of the spotted frame. I used one copy, minus the spotted frames, but keeping the overhanging flowers and leaves intact, to use as the central theme for the topper. The third copy I used to make a decoupage. I cut out the balloons as a group, the pink flowers, some of the leaves, the bear with the balloon and the hose from the tank. I curved the edges of the flowers, leaves and balloons, and used tiny padded squares to attach these elements to the topper. I coloured the edges of the topper with a plum coloured permanent pen and attached it to the main element, using double sided padded tape. I made a rose print backing sheet, which measures, 13.5 x 13cm, and I coloured the edges with a bright pink permanent pen. I attached the topper to this using D.S. padded tape. I made a black backing sheet which measures 14.5 x 14cm. I used silver peel off strips to attach to the edges just inside the border and tiny red hearts for each corner. I attached the rose backing sheet to this with D.S. padded tape. I then wrapped the red ribbon around this group of 4, and attached it behind the black backing sheet with D.S. tape. I made a very pale soft green card, which I cut at 29cm x 15.5 cm. I scored and folded it and attached the completed topper to the card front with padded D.S. tape. I threaded a length of the satin ribbon through the exposed horizontal section, on the left hand side and tied a simple bow, which I secured with D.S. tape. I used a black backing sheet behind the sentiment, and cut it 2mm wider than the sentiment supplied, and then made a 3 step concertina fold in the green card, which measures, 3.5cm wide and 5.25cm wide. I scored and folded it, into 3, and used D.S. tape to attach the sentiment, to the front of the mountain fold. I used D.S. tape to attach the valley fold to the top of the card. As the concertina fold is smaller than the sentiment, the concertina fold is now hidden, and made the sentiment appear as more of a feature. For the insert, I used some pale green and white striped paper to cut to size 28x 14.5cm, and attached the coloured peel off greeting, a rose and some hearts. I added the small image of the main element, to the right hand page, leaving enough room for a personal message. I will be able to use the other small images of the main element to make gift cards.

Thank you Ceredwyn, this is an absolutely beautiful card, to make as a quick topper, or one to fuss over, as I love to do. Pamela Horton