card: homemade valentines and the resumption of basic mark making

I signed up this year for a handmade card event called the 4th Annual Lars Valentine Exchange. What drew me to it was their Instagram post on how to emboss metal to make ornaments. I loved that video so much that I even stepped into a Hobby Lobby (none at Michael's)to buy the metal and searched the internet for patterns to emboss. Googled myself into the rabbit hole of Valentine crafts and have decided to throw a small galentine party a week before February 14th.

And because I discovered the craft of Danish woven hearts, I am leaning into Scandinavia by offering to teach the craft and serving Swedish meatballs as an appetizer. However, no aquavit. Instead I'll be mixing a passionfruit Bellini, either alcoholic or not. Maybe I'll even have time to bake heart-shaped sugar cookies with pink frosting. Below is my valentine for the Lars exchange.

Yah, I just love the Galentine episode of Parks and Recreation and all of Leslie Knope's quotes ("You know my code: hoes before bros.")

The work week was a whirlwind of cutting, weaving, and gluing. And now it's the weekend.

This photo popped up in my Facebook memories.

And so I dug up this sketchbook which I last drew in two years ago and aim to get back to basics and taken pencil to paper.