What's a Valentine's Mini?
OK, a number of people have asked me what the Valentine's Minis are that I've been talking about in my workshop posts. They've not only asked "what" they are, but "why" they are - in other words, what do you do with them.
So, here's my explanation!
First, the "What!"
As shown above, Valentine's minis are cards that measure 2.75" x 4.25" and can be created either vertically (portrait-mode, as with the "cup of tea" one), or horizontally (landscape-mode, as in the "truck" and the "bee" ones). They are half the size of the most of the regular greeting cards we create.
These cards can be made "as-is" in this size, or can be adapted to a full-size card. I did some mock-ups for the three minis shown above, so this is what their "full-size" companions look like.
I Wheelie Like You
For the "I wheelie like you" card, you'll see that I mounted the basic front design from the mini card, onto a grey mat, and then onto a larger, green mat that is the card front.
I added metal brads, to add to the "mechanical" look of the card, and, viola, a full-size version is created.
One in a Buzzillion!
For this greeting, I added another strip of the same honeycomb paper to the black cardstock panel and mounted the entire mini-card onto a red mat to add to the Valentine's colour theme.
As above, this creates a full-sized (4.25" x 5.5") card, ready to deliver!
My Cup of Tea
What goes better with a cup of tea than some goodies served on a decorative doily?
To enlarge this fun mini-card, I embossed some pink cardstock with a tiny floral design (which matches the flowers on the tea cup paper) and then mounted a strip of the purple cardstock across the front of the pink panel, added a doily, and mounted the mini-card panel onto the card front.
Now, for the "Why?"
So, with the "what are they" covered off, I will now address the "what to do with them" or, in other words, "why make them?"
Not only are these little mini-cards fun to make, they're also so much fun to give.
As a mini-card, you can slip them into a lunch-box for a mealtime giggle, add them to a briefcase for a mid-day surprise, or drop them off to a neighbour or friend as a gift enclosure with some Valentine's goodies (cookies or chocolates), or just slip one under the door to brighten someone's day.
Some of the minis will be Valentine's-specific, but you can also leave the inside blank, and use these for hostess-gift-cards anytime of the year, or to deliver a pick-me-up greeting when a loved one needs a lift.
If you don't see yourself using the mini-card version, then, as you can see above, you can easily adapt these into full-sized cards which you can mail or hand-deliver as usual.
And, finally, "When?"
With that all covered off, you likely now want to know when and where you can make these!
The photos above are for just three of the ten designs that will be available to create.
The Valentine's Workshop is scheduled for Sunday, February 3 between 2 and 4 p.m. (enough in advance to have them ready for the 14th!).
As usual, if you can't make that time, but want to pull together some of these greetings, just drop me an email and we can coordinate a time.
The original plan for this workshop was to create either 10 mini-cards or six regular-sized cards from the selected options. But, some people have mentioned they'd love to do the workshop, but don't need 10 designs. So, I've added the option of a 1/2 workshop, which means 5 minis or 3 full-sized greetings.
The cost for the full workshop is $30 including taxes and all coordinating envelopes (I even have envelops for the mini-cards).
If you'd like to do a half-workshop, the cost will simply be half - $15 including all taxes and envelopes and you can choose between making 5 minis or 3 full-sized cards.
To sign up, just drop me an email and I'll save you a spot!
Happy Crafting!
