Happy Valentine's Day!

d. sharp card

Hey hey! Happy Valentine's everyone! We're dropping in to tell you we think you're all neat! And thank you for dropping by here everyday. We're always stoked to see our visitors and read your comments! Here's wishing you a lovely day whatever you may be doing! Oh and psssssst! If you missed getting a card we found a treasure of e-cards over at Kate Spade! Click here to visit. (Via Happy Mundane).

Valentine Ephemera

Just found a stash of Valentine Ephemera (free to use) also from the photostream of Suzee Que (see other post below). Bonus!

i believe in love

A sweet idea for a book, illustrator, Marisa Haedike of Creative Thursday let love be the inspiration behind this first collection of her favorite paintings from 2005 - 2009 called "I Believe In Love". Marisa makes the most adorable characters, so many of them holding hands, snuggling and simply standing together in support of one another. Such a lovely book for Valentines. The first 100 copies will be numbered and signed. Click here to see more.

Giveaway! Handwritten Valentine from Hello Handmade

In January we posted about Hello Handmade's beautiful hand written customized valentines. Taking their cue from Jane Austen, then adding their own modern twist, the valentine's are handwritten, handpainted and elaborately folded in the regency style of Austen's time, then sealed with black and white striped washi tape and a wax seal.

And today we along with artists Shanna Murray + Betsy Dunlap are offering one custom regency valentine to giveaway!

Please leave a comment (at this post) with a favorite quote, from a poem or lyric, that speaks to you most regarding matters of the heart. Shanna + Betsy can't wait to read your comments and choose their favorite! Be sure to leave your email address!

As their valentine's are only available for purchase until Friday, the 5th of February in order to ensure they arrive to you in time to give to your Valentine, this giveaway will end Tuesday, February 2nd at 5pm Pacific with the winner being announced on Wednesday the 3rd. Good luck!

Be Mine Gifts

Wood personalized guitar picks from Bliss in a Tea Cup


B Mine Tags from Olivemanna



Message Pencils by Olivemanna


Courting Wooden Bookmark by Bliss in a Tea Cup


Love Hearts by Artmind


Sachet Book by Erinzam



Heart Tea Strainer by Beehive Kitchenware

Lovebird Rings

Love Birds - An ancient symbol of love, fidelity, and freedom. These colourful rings are instantly recognizable as a special symbol, held aloft and proud for all to see. The wearing of rings to signify commitment of various types dates back thousands of years; commitment to spouse, family, friend, country, religion or political organization. One does not need to wear a ring in order to remember or signify one's commitment; the ring exists as a celebratory reminder, not an obligatory device. Each ring is handfabricated in Toronto, Canada at TANK Jewelry & Beads.

Stay tuned later this morning for our last voting poll for The Poppies, and one of my favourites, Papergoods!

This Week from Lisa Congdon: Will You Be Mine?

Contributor post by Lisa Congdon



I think the idea of giving a book for Valentines day is very romantic. I'd love to make a list of fiction for the occasion or an entire list of art books that make my heart swoon. Last month, at the flea market, I saw an antiquarian books vendor who'd made a display that said "Books make sexy Valentines gifts" or something like that. He'd set aside all of his romantically-themed novels and picture books, all of them old and browned and beautiful. Today, I went to the site of one of my favorite book publishers, Chronicle Books , and selected some of what they offer that might make a really nice Valentines gift for someone you love.

This list is in no particular order but I must say one of my favorite romantically-themed books of the last year is This is For You by artist Rob Ryan, pictured above.

Here are some others that I found that I thought were beautiful:

I Love Macarons :



For the pastry lover in your life; renowned Japanese pastry-maker Hisako Ogita shows us the art of baking macarons in full color.

Hearts for Madelene :



Hearts for Madalene is a beautiful and heart-wrenching project that has been chronicled into a set of gorgeous cards: "Every Monday, in honor her beloved partner Madalene Rodriguez, whom she lost to ovarian cancer, Page Hodel photographs a one-of-a-kind valentine crafted from every day objects. She then emails them to friends and family as a reminder and celebration of this remarkable soul and their magnificent love. This set of notecards collects her most beautiful and creative images. A portion of the proceeds from each sale of this collection will be donated to The Women's Cancer Resource Center in Oakland, California."

Love Hotels :



Japan is famous for many things, and among them is its quirky theme-roomed "Love Hotels" designed for short romantic interludes. This book is packed with stunning photos.

I WIll Never Forget You :



An homage to Frida Kahlo by photographer Nickolas Muray, who was Frida Kahlo's friend, lover and confidante, this book chronicles their relationship in pictures and words, through his stunning portraits and their heart-felt correspondence.

Affordable Art: Weekend Edition

A super romantic way to say to send a valentine. Grow With Me Print by Lisa Congdon. Print of original ink drawing on vintage paper with digital lettering. $25 USD.

Love Notes

12 Things I Love About You (mini book) by Cori Kindred

Vintage Valentine Gift Tags by Sweet Harvey

Calligraphy, hand lettering, envelopes by Primele

Heart Personalized Recipe Cards from The Petite Press

Set of the Ten Worst Pickup Lines by Farouche

I Love You Gift Bags by Humunuku


HTML Valentine Card by Dingbat Press


Hand-embroidered hand-painted card by Pink Mist Industry


I Miss You (Letterpressed Card) by Pistachio Press

Eye Love You Letterpress Card by d. Sharp

Chakra P. Tutorial 2 : Vintage Valentines

by Rikkianne of Chakra Pennywhistle


Not long ago I inherited a box of love letters and Valentine’s Day cards from my great aunt. The box is full of beautiful stationary and cards all from the 1940’s and 50’s. When I was planning these tutorials, I knew that I wanted to use these in one way or another. The more I went through the box the more in awe I was with each and every one. The Valentines are especially wonderful with their vintage graphics and quite humorous and straightforward sayings. I quickly realized that I couldn’t alter them in any way. I think that they should be celebrated for what they are. They should be showcased in a way that they are fully visible yet still protected.

So I wanted to share this extremely simple tutorial of sorts. Basically, all that I did was take the Valentines and frame them. Short and simple with a lasting outcome. I wanted to share this with you so I arranged this tutorial as a way to encourage you to find your very own vintage Valentines. I actually took a trip to my local antique store and photographed a couple of the booths that offer vintage postcards and such. Most antique shops have at least vendor who specializes in vintage paper goods. I encourage you to take a trip to your local shop! It will be fun to see what you can find! After finding a couple of Valentines that speak to you, frame and give them to someone special.

Supplies:

If there are no antique shops in your area, don’t worry. Below is a link to an Etsy search for Vintage Valentine’s.

Vintage Valentines on Etsy

Float Frames: I picked a couple up at Michaels.
Michaels.com

Online Source: Another online source.
PhotoFrames

Process:

Gather your Valentine’s and place them in the frames. Give to a loved one and display. Sweet and simple!

Here are a few of my vintage Valentines.


Float Frames:

Note: If you decide to use frames like the ones below, be aware that they do have a plastic mounting piece on the back. A lot of the Valentine’s are too small to cover it entirely. I combined a Valentine with an envelope to hide the piece.


Magnetic Acrylic Frames:


I hope that you enjoy this and have fun searching for your own vintage love note.

Hello Handmade Valentines

Shanna + Betsy = Hello Handmade

Romantics unite! Hello Handmade is offering for the second hear in a row, handwritten valentines! This year they've taken their cue from Jane Austen, then added their own modern twist! The handwritten, hand-painted valentines are elaborately folded in the regency style of Austen's time, then sealed with black and white striped washi tape and a wax seal.

Each valentine features Shanna's illustrated swallows-which have been off - set printed and then watercolored by hand in persimmon and a subtle silver - as well as a personalized, customizable note penned with jet-black sumi ink in Betsy's uniquely romantic calligraphy.

They will be donating 10% of each sale to American Red Cross relief for Haiti.

They valentines will only be offered for a short time, from January 19th until February 5th, so don't delay! All valentines will be shipped out on February 8th to arrive in time for Valentines Day.

Love Transforms Launches Today!

Today we launch "Love Transforms" our Valentine's and Wedding online market at Poppytalk Handmade! Always a favourite, we are honoured to represent an amazing roster of talent once again from charming valentine's, stunning jewelry pieces, bridal accessories, wedding invitations, cake toppers, hair pieces, wedding and valentine's gifts and much much more! Visit the artists from today through to February 12th! Click here to see more.