DIY Valentine's Day Cards for Kids from Kat French Design

We have a really fun DIY Valentine tutorial for you courtesy of Kat French Design. Be sure to check out her smart, hilarious and spot-on stationery in her shop and follow her on Instagram for lots of fun posts. Thank you for letting us share your post with our readers, Kat! ...

As a lover of cards and all things handmade I decided that I wanted my son to make his own Valentine’s Day cards this year.

He is five years old and is at the stage where he loves coloring and cutting with scissors. He needed to be able to make 16 cards to give to his preschool classmates and, at first, I thought that would be way too many cards for a kid that age to make…until I realized that he could make 1 or 2 BIG CARDS and then cut them (which he loves doing) into smaller cards. BINGO.

So here's the process:

 1. Print two of these Valentine’s Day card sheets (8.5″ x 11″). They are double-sided so make sure to print the fronts then run them back through the printer again to print the back sides. I printed on watercolor paper that I trimmed down to size, but it’s not necessary. You can use regular printer paper or card stock.

2. Gather watercolor supplies and let your child go to town. We talked about what colors typically symbolize love (reds, pinks, purples) and I encouraged him to use those…but any bright colors will be just fine. Let dry and flatten with by placing a heavy book on top of them overnight

3. Sign name on card backs.

4. GLITTER! (optional) Apply glue with a cotton swab then sprinkle on glitter. My son got to do the glue and I handled the glitter because that stuff is just a hot mess otherwise. Let dry.

5. Cut cards out along dashed lines.

6. (optional) If your child goes to a school that allows candy or gifts to be attached you can go ahead and use some washi tape to attach a small treat. My son’s class wasn’t allowed to do this (which I am totally thankful for).

This was a fun project that spanned several days for us which was great because it was basically three afternoons worth of crafting. Hallelujah! It also incorporated a ton of fine motor skill builders with painting, cutting and writing.

The only thing I might do differently next time would be to possibly skip the glitter step because I’m pretty sure his teachers and classmates’ parents might hate me after he brings the cards to school and gets glitter on everything. Oops…

Feel free to download the card sheets and make your own. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Join us for Love Letters for Meals on Wheels + how to host your own Love Letters party

We are so excited to see y’all at our Love Letters Challenge event. Every year we team up with Meals on Wheels in Dallas to make Valentine’s Day cards for homebound seniors. This year, we have created a public event so everyone can join us to spread the love around.

Join us at noon on January 27 at Café Izmir in Plano. Food and drink will be available for purchase. Crafts are supplied. Please keep in mind that although this is a family-friendly event, there are a limited number of volunteers to help out so your kids will need your help.

If you can’t attend our event, here are some quick tips to get your own Love Letter Challenge going:

1. Set the date. You’ll want to get your tribe together before Valentine’s Day so the cards make it to Meals on Wheels (or your chosen destination such as a retirement home, hospital, etc.) on time.

2. Get some supplies together.

The fun thing about Valentine’s Day cards is the sky is the limit with creativity and you don’t have to be shy about your abilities. They can be simple and sweet and heartfelt or fancy and flowery!

Ingredients for a nice card:
Assorted construction paper or scrapbooking paper
Ribbon
Scissors
Pencils

Optional:
Glitter
Paper doilies
Stickers
Washi tape
Lace
Stamps

3. Grab some wine and get your friends together. Make it fun! Maybe host a kids party or a mom meet-up. Or host a craft night with your friends. Still need some creative inspiration? Check out this DIY Valentine’s Day card tutorial from The Pig and the Peacock.

4. Spread the love around! Once the cards are finished, deliver them to your chosen destination or mail them to your local Meals on Wheels.

Dallas’ local Meals on Wheels:
VNA Haggerty Center
1440 W. Mockingbird Lane
Dallas, Texas  75247
214-689-2639

DIY: Valentine's Day Cards

Want to make a thoughtful handmade Valentine's Day card for someone special (or you waited till the last minute and there are zero cards left at the store?) We have a fun and easy tutorial for you today!

Materials needed:

Cardstock - folded in half

Heart cut out of a piece of paper

Embroidery needle

Embroidery floss in your choice of color (or go crazy with several!)

1. Take your heart cutout and trace it lightly on the front of your card - use a pencil for this part
2. Using your embroidery needle poke holes around the heart tracing - be sure to space them out. For the heart on the left you will also need to poke a hole in the center of the heart.
3. Once all the holes have been made, erase the pencil tracing. Select your embroidery floss color.
4. Starting from the top of the heart start making big stitches from each hole to the center.
5. Keep working your way around the heart. You can change colors part way through too.
6. Once complete, tie a knot on the back side of the card to secure the floss and write a message of your choice!

Instead of making stitches through the center you can randomly make stitches all around the hear for a more abstract look, or do lines straight across for a clean look.

Happy Valentine's Day!

#LoveLetters

This month, our team joined DoDomething.org's Love Letter campaign to make Valentines Day cards for senior citizens in our community that are home bound and face isolation due to disability, location, and language barriers. It was a really fun project that family and friends participated in and we got cards from all over Dallas and Austin too!

In total we made over 100 handmade cards that Meals on Wheels will deliver over the next few days, and we hope it will put smiles on many faces!

Valentine Finds

Here's a little roundup of sweet finds for all your valentines. Here's hoping you can get yourself something lovely too.

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/55063355/lychee-red-tea-soap-handmade-olive-oil

https://www.etsy.com/listing/266537869/gold-plater-arrowhead-necklace

https://www.etsy.com/listing/206714638/horizons-limited-edition-8x10-silkscreen

https://www.etsy.com/listing/253563158/the-mercedes-geometric-table-lamp-red

https://www.etsy.com/listing/257528511/limited-edition-coral-arrow-travel

{Be Mine} Valentine finds from Etsy Dallas

If you want to really impress your Valentine this year, find them something extra special. These pretty finds from Etsy Dallas are perfect ways to spread a little love. These lovelies will last much longer than flowers and chocolate so go ahead and treat yourself while you're at it.

 

P.S. If you're a local maker and want to join the best team ever, find out how to join the 2015 Etsy Dallas Team. Applications are available through January 31, 2015.

Gift Guide: Loveliest Wishes

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and it's time to think about your sweeties. Today, Regina from Regal Cottage shares her loveliest wish list from the Etsy Dallas team. Hope her lovey dovey is tuned in...

Cotton and Linen Clutch by K8made

Love Parasol by DCimaginations

Heart Pocket Planter by Both Hands Studio

Violet Geode Slice Necklace by estieMade

V-day #craftchallenge winner

Yesterday, Jenni of Jenni20 Designs challenged her fellow Etsy Dallas members and Etsy Dallas lovers to a craft challenge: create an artistic interpretation of e.e. cummings "i carry your heart with me" by the end of Valentine's evening.  

A handful of intrepid crafters were up to the flash craft challenge and tweeted pictures of their entries. 

As they were all pretty darn awesome, Jenni was unable to pick a favorite, so she had to resort to the random number generator. 

And the winner of a $15 gift card of her choice is..... @CocoandCocoa

@CocoandCocoa

The runners up, in no particular order:



@woowoo76

@cheesivore

@mrserinjewell

Etsy Dallas Member @ferrochie

Check out the poem if you haven't and follow Etsy Dallas on Twitter to keep up with our daily shenanigans and our special events! 

--Jenni

A Valentine's Day Contest and Giveaway

Whether you have a sweetie or not, let's celebrate l-o-v-e today with a classic poem and a fun giveaway!

Jenni, our sometimes blogger and Etsy Dallas Tweetheart, is an admitted word nerd and today she issues the following craft challenge to all crafters, lovers, and lovers of craft out there: 

By 6pm 8pm CST tonight, February 14th, create an artistic interpretation of e.e. cummings "i carry your heart with me" (click on the link to find the full text of this poem). 

Tweet a photo of your doodle, illustration, creative photo, yarn art, pasta necklace, or any other original craft project; make sure you at reply @etsydallas so we see it.

The winner will be selected by an algorithm that takes into consideration such things as: use of poem, interpretation of the poem, random phases of the moon, how much do you make Jenni and her friends smile when viewing the picture, and possibly a random number generator.   (If you don't tweet, email jenni20designs at att dot net with your submission.)

The prize will be your choice of $15 gift card to retailer of your choice: Starbucks, Barnes and Noble, or Target--three mass-market establishments that Jenni loves and frequents, and, since she is donating the prize, these are the choices she names for you. 

Show us the love, people!

xxoo
Jenni and all the Etsy Dallas crew

Visual Recap from +Cool Art

(a repost from Dowdy Studio blog)

It was a couple weeks ago, there was snow on the ground, it was quiet outside and a few of us Etsy Dallas artists decided to hold an intimate trunk show called All You Need is Love + Cool Art. Here's some pics of what happened.


A view from our front window the day before the + Cool Art show.

Outside Larry's house, where the show was. Luckily the snow melted a bit that day. You know Texas shuts down when it snows, so we're really excited that we were able to make it.


It was warm and cozy inside where we set up out handmade goodies all over Larry's house. Larry, the Kessler Craftsman, and Tefi took over the dining room.

A close up of Tefi's pretty fabric yo-yo necklaces.

This was our set up. We shared the living room with Cut Out and Collect. We blocked the TV with our ginormous display.

That's okay, because Cut Out and Collect blocked the fireplace. We joked about turning it on....but we're too nice for that. Plus we heart her handmade bags and like them better not on fire.


posted by Pamela/Dowdy Studio

The Couples of Etsy Dallas

Aw, February... Etsy Dallas is by no means immune to the month of LOVE. In fact, many of us believe our significant others are a part of Etsy Dallas, too (and in some cases, they really are team members themselves). We'd love to take some time to introduce you to a few couples of Etsy Dallas.

Erin, of Haute Hardware, and her husband Rod have been together for four years (top left). Erin swears she knew he was a keeper when he helped her at her first craft show, which just so happened to be an outdoor, weekend-long event in the cold of December. And wanna know a secret? Turns out Rod is pretty talented in jewelry making, helping Erin however he can. We're always thrilled to see this pair at our parties and events.

Shay and Jeff (top right) make up Bee Things, one of our most recent additions to the team. The name "Bee Things" comes from Jeff's nickname for Shay - he used to tease her about her things around the house, saying they were her "bee things." They work very closely, dreaming up ideas and then executing each one. Welcome to the team, love birds!

Laura of laura davis/ design lab has been with Etsy Dallas since the First Annual Spring Bash and we feel like we've seen just as much of her boyfriend, Jeff, as we've seen of her! This super cute couple (seen second left) met in a woodworking & metals shop. Jeff comes from an architecture background and you can see some of his diagrams pop up in a few of Laura's drool-worthy embroidery. Although she loves to use super-snarky anti-love phrases, I'd bet there aren't too many of those phrases thrown around their home.

Stephanie, of XY Factory, has been married to her husband Aaron for six years. They work back to back in their little studio - Aaron just recently opened an etsy shop of his own, called Berserk Shirts. Check them out in the second right photo.

James and Carrie (third left), of OneUpDesigns, met in Portland and have been together thirteen (they swear it's lucky) years! They were very sneaky in their interview - it seems they have some top secret colloborative work to unveil at the upcoming Spring Bash. A lucky year indeed!

Our Etsy Dallas founder, Stephanie Hindall of TefiDesigns, has been with her boyfriend Jason since May 23, 2001 (which Stephanie points out is Bonnie & Clyde's death anniversary). Jason has continued to be hugely supportive of Stephanie at shows, when she's working on her jewelry, and of the team. I don't even think he minds us calling him "Tefi's Baby Daddy." Did you see cute baby Ian in the third right photo?

PamelaMichelle and Dylan of DowdyStudio (seen bottom left) are both Leadership Team Members of Etsy Dallas. You can find them sharing a booth and displaying together at local shows. Pamela has even worked a bit on using some of Dylan's art for her jewelry. We can't wait to see all the collaborations to come out of this pairing... 'cause they're totally gettin' hitched in October!!

If you've ever purchased from Harrilu at an event, there's a good chance you met both artist Megan and her husband Michael. It's fairly obvious that she's proud to have such great support: turns out he's pretty handy when a screen need re-stretching or some paperwork needs attention. They stand as proof: you can actually meet the love of your life at a bar on New Years. Who knew!

Jenna, of Wrap Couture, and her husband Justin are always the life of an Etsy Dallas party. Justin helps Jenna out at shows and she returns the favor by helping him out in his photography business. They just celebrated their third wedding anniversary!

We hope you have some special plans for Valentine's Day - whether it's going out, staying in, being with the one you love, or just treating yourself. And if you don't have a Valentine this year, we hope you'll be ours!

- With love from Etsy Dallas
(post written by Cheyne of Cut Out and Collect, who can be seen kissing fellow Etsy Dallas member Thomas, of DowntownRoasters in the bottom right photo).

Valentine's Day Gift Guide: For Him

Picking out a gift for that special guy can be a tricky adventure. Etsy Dallas to the rescue with some suggestions to help you make a fab handmade gift-y decision this Valentine's Day.


For the band guy (or wannabe), this great bracelet by eye on the sparrow is made from recycled guitar and bass strings from local bands. While it looks cool & is eco-friendly, it also helps support local musicians.


Check out this cool tee from Dowdy Studio. It features an original illustration of the "Rocker Hand" done by Dylan and is hand silk screened onto a 100% cotton prewashed v-neck tee . After you see how good it looks on your man, you may want to kidnap it from his closet to wear yourself! (Maybe you should get two?)


This Black Leather Glycerin Soap from The Pig and the Peacock has a beautiful mock crock texture that is a must see and touch. The fragrance is like soft leather that's like "buttah" with a bit of sensual and sexy thrown in for good measure.

Consider giving all three -- he'll look good and smell good! Happy Shopping and Happy Valentine's Day a little early!

Valentine Day Gift Guide: For Her

Thinking about everyday chocolate and flowers for that special gal this Valentine's Day? Why not go one step further and give her something lovely and handmade? Here are some girly gifties from the Etsy Dallas Team that are sure to please.


This pretty soap from Where Water Comes Down smells sweet like strawberry and baby powder. The sweetness will linger longer than just Valentine's Day. Be sure to check out her other available soaps as well.


This whimsical 8" x 10" print of an original painting from The Miscellany was inspired by the feeling of the artist's first date with her now husband.


This sweet valentine letterpress card from Color Box Design + Letterpress is tied with a velvet ribbon. Cupid is helping deliver the message "Be Mine" -- who wouldn't be thrilled to receive this?

This cute and fun fabric plant for Jane Joss is perfect and thoughtful gift even for those with a brown thumb. This 5" tall beauty made with Moda's Ambrosia in Rose fabric and is sure to brighten any decor– green thumb not required.

On your mark, get set, go shopping! While you're at it, check out great items from the rest of the Etsy Dallas team.

DIY Valentine: Love Letter Tutorial

You, as a crafter extraordinaire, have the card covered, but when it comes to putting pen to paper, you end up with a giant ink blob. If you have trouble writing the actual love letter that goes inside your intricately cut paper heart card, this is the DIY tutorial for you. Think of it as a “Choose Your Own Adventure” meets “Mad Libs” for love. You can customize and make it as quirky-funny or as romantic as you want.

Let’s start with deciding what kind of relationship you’re in.

A. Serious – hubby/wifey-type relationship

B. Semi-serious – boyfriend/girlfriend

C. New love – puppy love beginnings

Option A. Serious

Dearest (nickname),

Ever since I first met you (date and where), I knew that you were the one for me.

I think back to our first date at (location and year) and our first kiss (location and year).

This time of year reminds me how much I (favorite loving word, ex: treasure, cherish, value) your love, friendship and support.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love Always,

(Your nickname)

Option B. Semi-Serious

Dearest (nickname),

I can’t believe that it’s been (length of time) since we first started dating.

When I look into your (color) eyes, I see such kindness and warmth.

All the (favorite candy or food, ex: chocolate filled heart-shaped boxes) in the world couldn’t express how much you mean to me.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love,

(Your nickname)

Option C. New Love

Dearest (nickname),

I’m so excited about spending more time getting to know you and going (what do you have in common that you do together? ex: biking) with you!

Thank you for making our (first or second) Valentine’s special by spending it with me.

You are as sweet as (favorite candy) to me!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Heart,

(Your nickname)

Written and illustrated by Anne/modestambition

Eco•Ideas: "Green" Valentines Day

Each year at Valentine's Day there are millions of cards bought, given, mailed and received. That’s a heck of a lot of virgin paper that eventually goes to the land fill. Instead, read the back of cards before purchasing -- look for cards that are FSC certified or that contain post consumer paper. By doing this, you are purchasing paper products that are recycled or made from trees harvested by entities that have a tree replanting program. This helps us all be a little easier on the earth.

Flower giving is wide spread tradition on Valentine's Day. Check out the beautiful organic flowers available at Organic Bouquet and be sure to compost them after you've enjoyed them. Their flowers are sustainably grown and certified organic. They have several bouquets available that donate 5% of the purchase price to charity. A definite win-win. Chocolate is another popular gift for Valentine's Day. This year try giving Endagered Species chocolates which are ethically traded, kosher and come in a reusable box not to mention delicious.

article by Alicia of Alicia Colina-Ashby

Valentine's Trunk Show Recap

Regina of Little Cookie

Wow and wow again! We had a great time selling our handmade wares at South Side on Lamar this past Saturday. There was a ton of traffic, lots of smiles, and some great networking going on.


Carrie of Atom-In

With over 40 artists and crafters selling handmade items ranging from jewelry to soap to artwork to stationery, there was a great showing of talent. Compliments and positive energy was bouncing off the walls!


Cari of Good Scents


Pam (and Dylan) of Pamela Michelle

Etsy Dallas was so thrilled to receive great press from The Dallas Morning News and Quick (print versions). Did you see it? Fabulous!


Kathy of Kathy D. Keith

Please stay tuned for upcoming trunk shows and events hosted by Etsy Dallas. In the meantime, check out all the great members' Etsy shops here: www.etsydallas.com/Members.html.

- Stephanie/Tefi Designs
photography by Christi/Jewelry Junkies

Show Your Love

This Saturday, spend an afternoon with the crafty and creative artists of Etsy Dallas! This is the perfect chance to get one-of-a-kind, locally-handmade gifts for all the special Valentines in your life: your spouse, significant other, mother, daughter, pet, and even your boss! (Now, who can't use a raise?)

Just check out the talent! Many of these artists cross over into other categories, so come by and see the goods in person:

Jewelry
Atom-In
Bijoujuju
Cherry's Creations
Designing Diva
Jewelry by Ashley Hope
Jewelry Junkies
Lena Marie Echelle Designs
Sadie's Things
Tefi Designs
Une Promesse

Accessories
Binge & Purge
Knit Sisters
Little Cookie
Mary's Madness
Tara to the T
Treasured Trinketts

Purses & Clothing
B.Liscious
Harrilu

Art & Photography
Kathy D. Keith
Pamela Michelle
Patti Haskins
Squoog Design
TP Design

Bath & Body
Good Scents
Moon's Harvest
The Plaid Mushroom

Kids & Pets
Everything But the Dog!
Poisoned Creations
SugarLoveHoney

Paper Goods, Etc.
colortheory
Express Yourself! Creations
Scribbles Beaded Pens

Housewares & Home Art
Menagerie
Kessler Craftsman
One Up Designs
Pulp Reality
TigerBee Boxes

A Shout Out!

This past Saturday, Carrie/Atom-In and Stephanie/Tefi Designs combed the East Dallas and Knox-Henderson area in search of places to post our flyer for the upcoming trunk show. Overall, we got a very warm reception from some of the coolest, hippest shops in Dallas. If you haven't stopped by, get yourself over to these great havens for art, vintage finds, and handmade goods and show your love and support for local businesses!

Again & Again - consignment furniture, vintage and antique pieces, they refinish and reupholster
Armhole - custom T-shirts, stylin' clothes and accessories
Dolly Python - consignment vintage and antique goods with a flair for the kitsch
The House of Dang - handmade and vintage goods galore
Pandemonium - vintage clothes, shoes, wigs, jewelry, etc.

A special thank you to Julie at Make for including our trunk show in her recent newsletter!

And here are the super fabulous flyers for our trunk show - designed by our own ubertalented members!


designed by Pam/Pamela Michelle


designed by James/One-Up Designs


designed by Tamara/TP Design


designed by Maeve/colortheory

Valentine's Day Trunk Show

Show your love for handmade!

Over 40 local artists and artisans featuring: jewelry, soap, bags & purses, home decor, fashion accessories, art, dog goodies, baby items, journals & stationery, and so much more!



WHEN: Saturday, February 9th
TIME: 11am-4pm
WHERE: South Side on Lamar, Artists' Quarter
ADDRESS: 1409 S. Lamar, Dallas 75215 (across from DPD headquarters)
Click here for a map!