A Love Story… and Valentines, too!

Welcome to more Valentine loveliness on the Penny Black blog. Amy Sheffer’s work this past week has been a splendiferous treat!

Once I arrived here at the blog, I started right in coloring, cutting, pasting, spritzing and decorating a few Valentines of my own. I hardly had time to notice the weather has been cold, rainy and gloomy. Valentine’s Day takes place at just the right time of the year: a reward for surviving January.

The Hearts in Circle die is fun to use with the wonderful side effect of producing many little hearts! Just gather them up and use them as embellishments. I stamped the hedgie from the Furry Affection transparent set on patterned paper and added a little Copic marker shading. I love a reason to use red, white and a touch of gingham!

Well, if I run out of gingham, there’s always polka dots! This cutie is Mimi from the Mimi’s Love transparent set. The images in this stamp set are versatile enough to use for birthdays, thinking of you and encouragement cards.

The Tree of Love die doesn’t have to be just for making valentines! This could be a birthday or anniversary card. Or enclose it with a thank you gift. Love comes in all colors, not just red.

I have joined the shaker card revival! This kitty from the Share a Hug set looks like he’s having a party in a card. You will notice some of the little red hearts from the Heart Circle die, along with an assortment of sequins. A couple of the hearts are glued to the outside of the acetate, to make sure there’s always some love showing.

I’m glad in this digital age that we have managed to maintain the custom of sending valentines to let the people in our lives know we love them.

A Love Letter Story:

There was a day when people expressed their love by exchanging letters, writing of their feelings, expressing their dreams for the future, and committing to paper their promise of unending love. I’m certain there are still bundles of letters tied with satin ribbon stored in attics all over the world.

There have been books published containing the love letters exchanged by couples separated by war. President Reagan’s letters to his wife Nancy have been compiled into a book. Imagine! Enough love letters to fill a book.

Last fall I wrote the most important love letter of my life. It was more than an eight page letter; it was also a packet of thirty or more photos.

Who would merit such a project?

One of my sons is adopted (I never remember which one). As he grew closer to adulthood I shared with him that I would be supportive and helpful if he ever chose to seek out his birth mother. However, that was not something he seemed interested in doing.

Life has a way of changing minds, however. One day he received an official looking letter from an official state agency that included an updated health history of his birth mother. These had arrived several times over the years, but this is the first time she stated she would be open to contact. She left contact information with the agency and he was free to make his choice.

When he called me with this news, my heart started pounding; was I going to have the chance, finally, to thank this woman for the wonderful gift that is my son? I had prayed for years that I would some day have this opportunity.

They did make contact and I was given permission to write and send photos. As hard as I tried, I could not imagine what it would be like for her to receive the photos and, at long last, see the child she had placed for adoption and learn his life’s story.

I shared from my heart, including the funny little things toddlers do and say; his experiences as a school child; prom, sports, graduations, college. I had copies made of photos taken throughout his life, up to his wedding. Those, I felt, should come from my son.

What an absolute gift and blessing to finally thank the woman who loved her baby enough to place him for adoption. It was so important to me to let her know about the joy and love he brought to our family.

I treasure the letter she sent in return and I suspect the letter I wrote has been read more than once. The very best kind of love letters, indeed.

Ahh, at last… a bit of romance! I’ve used the emboss resist technique here, using various shades of distress inks applied with the distressing tool. I then spritzed lightly with water to blend the colors. This heart stamp from the transparent set So Very Much makes a lovely focal point; just add a pretty bow and some sweet flowers.

Did someone mention love?

This white bundle of fur continues to love us in spite of baths, trips to the groomer’s, daily teeth brushing and visits to the vet. It’s like all these bad things haven’t happened when he wags his tail in greeting and shares his favorite toys. This is a recent photo of him looking slightly confused because there is SNOW in his yard! Didn’t last long, but it was the real thing.

Speaking of bad things: it’s time to clean up and put away. My scissors have been confiscated; the glue has been scraped; and the tiny little scraps are safely inside the tiny little vacuum.

And good things: I am delighted to share time with you on the Penny Black blog. And I love and appreciate that Penny Black shares their stamps and dies with me (as long as I put everything back where it belongs).

I can’t wait to see your valentines in the Penny Circle Flickr Gallery. Thank you for spending time with me today; I love you for it!

Shop for today’s featured Penny Black supplies:



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