Sunday, February 3, 2008

The Valentine Papers

That title sounds like it's a suspense novel title or a government report. But I really am just referring to my recent search for nice Valentine's Day scrapbook papers. February 14th is approaching and it's time to make Valentine scrapbooks!

I found some papers I really didn’t expect to find (with racy names). There are two scrapbook papers that are called “Strip Tease” made by two different scrapbook paper companies. It looks like the pole-dancing craze has had an effect on the scrapbook world! Will there be any papers named pole dancing next? For all I know, there might be some - I just haven't seen any.

Actually, those "Strip Tease" papers are pretty nice. One is from the Cosmo Cricket line called Hey Sugar. The other is from Scrapworks' Valentine's Day Collection - Love in Bloom.



Cosmo Cricket Sugar Collection - Valentines Day

Cosmo Cricket
Hey Sugar -
Valentine's Day -
Strip Tease




Scrapworks - Valentine's Day Collection - Love in Bloom - Strip Tease


Scrapworks had some of the nicer paper designs that I found. Their Love in Bloom papers are all well-coordinated, and with some careful thought, they could be combined in a scrapbook. I like that line's softer colors with more reds than pinks.

Other Valentine-themed paper collections (most of which have coordinated stickers and other embellishments) include:

Also, there are some beautiful designs from Karen Foster's Love and Valentine designs. If you like pink, you will love the papers from Paper Adventures, designed by Marna Hill.

There are some scrapbook kits or paper packs that are pretty good for Valentine scrappin' too. If you want all the embellishments and papers in one package, Doodlebug Designs has their Love Spell 12" x 12" scrapbook collection kit. It can save you the time it takes to search for all the embellishments, stickers, etc. you need by buying one package with all of this in it:

  • One Cupcake Loopy Lou alphabet cardstock sticker sheet
  • One Love Spell Collection cardstock sticker sheet
  • One love jewel assortment
  • One package of Bon Bon stitched grosgrain ribbon
  • One package of Cupcake Paper Posies
  • One package of Bubblegum brads
  • One 12” x 12” sheet of Very Cherry Paisley Accent Paper
  • One 12” x 12” sheet of Neapolitan Stripe Accent Paper
  • One 12” x 12” sheet of Cherry Blossoms Accent Paper
  • One 12” x 12” sheet of Cherry Chocolate Paisley Accent Paper
  • Six sheets of assorted cardstock

That seems like it would easily make a complete scrapbook. If you prefer to make a smaller-sized scrapbook, Daisy D's has an 8" x 8" Maybe Baby Valentine scrapbook pad. The kit includes 12 paper designs - 2 pages of each, so you get 25 papers in all. And any of these papers could be used for Valentine card making, too.

For Digital scrapbooking, there are Digikits, such as Romantic Roses 2 and the Romantic Roses 3 digital elements kit. Another digital scrapbook kit I like is called Amore by Sande Krieger. It's fairly complete, with the 11 background papers, 8 brushes, 4 word art, 3 flowers, 2 hearts and 2 ribbons that are all coordinated.

So, whether you like to print your own papers using digital scrapbook kits, or if you buy 12 x 12 or 8 x 8 papers, you have some good choices for Valentine's Day scrapbooks.

Don't forget to look at some binders, too. A bright red 3-ring (D ring) binder might work well for this celebrated occasion! This is a popular customizable d-ring binder from American Crafts:

Other really popular binders are the 3-ring faux leather or linen covered albums made by We R Memory Keepers. For those who prefer postbound albums, We R Memory Keepers has linen postbound albums, too. And, there are many more choices. An album that allows for a photo to be inserted on the cover would be an excellent choice for Valentine's Day, such as this Kolo Newport scrapbook album or the Making Memories Leather window album in apple red.

You know, you don't have to have a traditional "sweetheart" to make a Valentine's Day scrapbook. You could make one about your kids, parents, or anyone who is dear to you!

Whatever you do, I hope you have a wonderful day on February 14th!