Handmade Valentines

So I have been sick for the past week or so. I missed a few days of work and found some idle time on my hands. So I finally finished patching the jeans for Cindy and the boys. It was a really durable way to patch jeans, but not all that quick or easy on the fingers. I have developed calluses on my fingertips, which is good, I suppose.

My next project was to make some handmade valentines for my cutie-pie nieces and nephews. Leave it to me to think paper valentines were not enough. I scoured the internet for a unique and fun project. I found this card and envelope project. Viola! I had my next project.

So the tutorial is perfect. I had no problems following the directions at all. I think my problem has been the quantity and my own embellishments. I have to do 5 of them. Actually, I have 6 nieces and nephews and 1 vicarious nephew (my boyfriend's nephew.) The 2 youngest are 9 months old . . . they won't miss having a valentine . . . leaving 5. And of course, I HAD to make them all unique. I do have quite an assembly line going now and it was all going well. UNTIL . . . I decided to embroider their names on the outside of each of the envelops . . . OUCHIE. I thought my fingers hurt before.

Anyway, I now have 5 envelopes done and embroidered with each of their names. I still need to add buttons and button holes to 4 of them. And, I have to make the cards still. Eeek, more embroidery. I am getting better at it, but it is still a lot of work.

Well, I still have a few days . . .

Be.Loved.

::UPDATE:: So doing the "cards" for the inside of these envelopes was NOT nearly as hard as I thought it would be. The trick appears to be number of layers of fabric to sew through! (DUH!!) I started embroidering them without interfacing or backing. This could backfire with centering when I go to sew and turn them, but handmade, quirky things make them unique, right?

Pictures soon . . .