Friday

DIY - I love you because... Scratch & Win Valentines

So... this year for Valentines Day I was trying to find something fun and creative to do for my Mister.  I searched all over Pinterest - which provided many fun ideas - but I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.  Another fabulous website that I love is The Dating Divas ... they provide super fun date/gift ideas for your significant other.  One of the Divas posted a fabulous idea that I thought would be perfect to kick off this romantic month... and I decided I'd post a tutorial on how to do this.  You can view the original post here.


Step One: Gather Your Supplies
  • "I Love You Because..." cards printed on cardstock
  • Paper cutter (if you print your cards at home)
  • Pen/Marker
  • Packing tape (or you can laminate your cards... but that's too much work!)
  • Dish Soap
  • Metallic Acrylic Paint
  • Paint brush
Step Two: Print and Cut Cards

** I designed my own cards (if you'd like to use my cards, you can email me at stewart.kandice@gmail.com) and printed and cut them at a local print shop here in town.  It cost me about $3.50 to print and cut my cards. **


Step Three: Write on your Cards
Make your list of things you LOVE about that special someone.  I had a lot of fun making my list.  Some things were sentimental, some funny, and some were memories I had that became reasons I fell in love with him.  Be creative - make it personal.  Once you've made your list, transfer them onto your 14 cards.

**Note about writing on the cards** - you can use a sharpie if you'd like - HOWEVER, it is much harder to cover it up.  It tends to show through the paint more than a normal pen does.  But... do what you wish! :) 


Step Four: "Laminate" Your Message

Once you've made your list and written on all of your cards, cover what you've written with packing tape.  This makes it so the message doesn't get scratched off with the paint.


Step Five: Time to Paint :)

Mix 1 part dish soap to 2 parts paint.  Stir it together until it is well mixed.  Just an FYI - it will make a LOT of paint... so I'd start by making a very small amount.  You'd be surprised how far it will go!  (I made WAY too much!)

When you have it mixed you are ready to paint.  You can either do a thin coat, let it dry, and then do another coat... or you can do a thick layer to begin with (which is what I did).  Make sure when you paint it to move the card around in the light to be sure the message cannot be seen through it.


Once they are dried they are ready to go.  

Step Six: Display Your Work
Have fun giving them to your special someone.  

You can leave them in little envelopes and put one out each day somewhere you are sure he will find it... or you can do what I did and string them across a window, wall, or doorway.   I just used some yarn, thumb tacks and clothes pins to display mine.  It makes for a rather cute decoration if I do say so myself! :)  My sister-in-law made these with me and strung hers across a shelf in their kitchen - another cute idea! 



Step Seven: Be sure to leave them a Penny so they can reveal the hidden messages


Hope this has been helpful and sparked some ideas for this Season of Love.


Happy Blogging! :)