Then a few days ago I came across a stamp by an Etsy seller called Emililies on the Martha Stewart website.

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Then I got nervous and started worrying that the stamp wouldn’t arrive in time for us to send out our invitations, so I started looking for other sellers.

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Now I’m stuck wondering when anyone will get back to me and trying to figure out which one I like best. Which one would you choose? If you want to complicate the decision, go to their websites and look at all the other styles. Excuse me while I go check my mail–again.

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So, I went to the craft store and bought a heart shaped paper punch and some thick red, gray, and cream card stock.

Luckily, just about everything I bought was on sale. Don’t you just love that about craft stores?!

When I came home I started punching little red hearts. My heart punch is different than the one used by Sarah and Bendrix. Mine has a more defined point, but I like that about it. I also love that it lets you see what you’re punching before you do it.

Fold several of the hearts in half, positioning them in straight lines on the paper. Leave space for one (or more) different colored hearts and a few that have not been folded.

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I spaced the hearts further apart then they were in the original piece, but this choice is just personal preference. I carefully glued the hearts into place, making sure that the lines seemed organized. In my opinion the concept is interesting because it is a balance of order (the rows of hearts) and disorder (the apparently random nature of the folds). If both aspects were disorganized, then it would probably look like a giant mess.

Here’s the end result leaning against a wall:

We assembled ours using Yes Paste and an IKEA 9×9 Ribba (Shadow Bow). The total expense was less than $20 and now that we own a heart punch I could make a second one for the price of the frame plus an extra $0.50 for the card stock. For the next one I may try putting the hearts closer together and using a larger frame that would allow a border the size a a photo mat. Thoughts?

Meg over at House Notes is currently having an Anthropologie Inspired Craft Off. I didn’t manage to participate on this round, but head over to her blog to see some pretty amazing stuff.

{Sarah and Bendrix}

{Paper Finger}

{Sew, Mama, Sew!}

{Pretty Peonies}

No, definitely not boy gifts, but they would be great for a friend and several of them could easily be reproduced. Head over to Sew, Mama, Sew! for a tutorial on how to make the hand-stitched valentine.

What are you giving your significant other for Valentine’s Day?

The samples that I ordered in September lasted me all the way until January, but when it came time to order more, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. My biggest qualm with the makeup is that it doesn’t wear well throughout the day. The eye shadow creases even if you apply the primer, the eye liner gets under your eyes, and the foundation and concealer vanish so that skin looks that same as it did when you first get out of the shower.  I tend not to wear very much makeup so when I put something on in the morning I want it to last until I go to bed without needing to cake it on before I leave the house. I always think of Becky from Full House telling D.J. that the trick to applying make-up was to look like you’re not wearing any at all. I would love to wear this makeup all the time because of how affordable it is and how great it is to work with The All Natural Face, but since I want products that don’t require me to reapply, I’m afraid that I’m going to have to go back to Bare Essentials.

Has anyone else tried The All Natural Face? What was your experience?

Images courtesy of B Poetic on Etsy.