Valentine's Day is Coming....

If you've been out in the stores doing any after Christmas shopping, then you know that Valentine's Day isn't far away. Already, the shelves that held boxes of twinkling lights and wrapping paper are being filled with sweet chocolates and lacy cards.

Luckily, you won't have to venture out into that cold January air to purchase your goodies though! Stampin' Up has a new Occasions catalog coming out January 5. It is chock full of beautiful papers and luscious stamps, many of which will make beautiful Valentine's Day cards.

I have created 3 cards myself to whet your appetite for some of these items.

Card 1:
This is my first attempt at a gate fold card. The greeting on the front is tucked behind the glittered heart to hold the card closed, but when you open it, both panels fold out to reveal a nice open card. You can't tell from the photo, but the designer papers are actually glittered! This "Sending Love" specialty paper is available in the new Occasions mini. One side of each patterned paper is glittered while the other side is not. Both sides are, however, simply wonderful! The greeting is from "Well Scripted", one of the new stamp sets, and the hearts are from the "I {Heart} Hearts set. Both of these sets are very versatile and are sure to be a favorite of many! I used Dazzling Diamonds to add some shine to the heart that holds the flap closed. Oh, I almost forgot---That border punch around the greeting panel is also from Stampin' Up! The Scallop Trim corner punch is available in the Occasions Mini and, even better.... you can earn the Scallop Trim border punch FREE during the upcoming Sale-a-bration. (More about that later in the week.)

Card 2:

This card is meant for teenagers and children. I used two of my favorite sets from the Idea Book: Circle Circus and Friends Rock! These two combined very well to create this fun card using the In Colors, Melon Mambo and Rich Razzleberry.

Card 3:My final card uses another stamp set from the Occasions mini, "Vintage Vogue". I combined it with a couple of other stamp sets from the Idea Book: Priceless and Teeny Tiny Wishes. More of that luscious glittered paper, plus a touch of Iridescent Ice on the "F".

Hopefully, this has given you an appetite for what is new in the upcoming mini and Sale-a-bration mini. I will be posting details about those later in the week. You are sure to love them!