Card Clubhouse IG Hop - Week 3 - Unexpected Valentine

Good morning friends; I'm back to share my card for the new Card Clubhouse IG hop organised by my lovely friend Kelly. We are on Week 3 and our theme is 'unexpected Valentine'. This could mean using unusual/bizarre colours, making a card for someone you wouldn't normally such as your boss/pet or even using an image not normally associated with Valentine; whatever it is we can't wait to see it. There are going to be so many awesome creations along the hop this week and I can't wait to see what sparks your imagination.

I decided to make a loved themed card for my bff using colours I wouldn't normally use for a Valentine/Galentine's card.  I went with shades of blue for something different.  The card is really shimmery in real life as I spritzed my card with a perfect pearls & water mixture before die-cutting my leafery.  I hope you like it.

Here is my card:

A closer look at the die cuts:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I decided to make a square card for a change so cut my card 11" x 5 1/2" and scored on the long side at 5 1/2".  I cut a white panel 5" square and using a dark blue ink lightly ink blended around the edges leaving the centre white.  I die cut a large heart from navy card and a smaller heart from white card x 4 times so that I could layer it up using liquid glue.  I ink blended some dark blue and light blue ink onto a scrap of white card, spritzed it with a perfect pearls and water mixture and also added some white gouache spatter.  Once dry I die cut my leafery and also die cut some extras from white card.  I stamped the sentiment onto the smaller heart using navy ink and then adhered the hearts together with liquid glue.  I placed the heart into the centre of my blended panel with liquid glue.  I added the white leaf die cuts with liquid glue around the outside of the heart and then adhered the ink blended leaves with foam squares.  I die cut some tiny hearts from the leftover ink blended pieces and added them with liquid glue.  I added some scrap white card behind the panel for some dimension and adhered it to my card base with double sided tape.  For the inside I cut another 5" square panel from white card and ink blended around the outside.  I stamped the sentiment in the centre with navy ink and added one of the leaf die cuts to the bottom left corner with liquid glue (I actually took half of the dark blended and half of the light blended leaf and stuck them together).   I also added a few hearts around the leafery.  I added the panel to the card base with double sided tape.  I love this colour combo and I think the card turned out really pretty. 

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Aud Sentiments challenge - dies and/or love, anniversary, wedding + sentiment

Crafts Galore Encore challenge - ATG

If You Give A Crafter A Cookie challenge - happy hearts

The Paper Funday challenge - ATG optional twist pastel colours

I hope you will pop over to Instagram and check out the hop; please use the hashtag #cardclubhousehop2026 to see all the gorgeous creations and also if you want to participate we will be able to find you.

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Love and hugs,

card supplies:

*Gina K Designs - foliage fillers die set

Gina K Designs - we go together stamp (for sentiments)

Gina K Designs - ink pads - in the navy & blue sky

Time For Tea Designs - heart nesting die set

MFT - tag builder blueprints 6 (for tiny hearts)

Limetree Craft - 280gsm silky smooth white card (not available currently but other options can be found here and here)

navy card from my scraps bin

*I now have an Affiliate Link for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my link as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Thank you x

ATC Scrap Makes IG Hop - January 2026

Hello friends, I hope you're doing great and you've had a great start to your week. I'm sharing my creations for this month's ATC Scrap Makes IG Hop. We challenge you to use leftover die cuts, sentiments and card stock to create Artist Trading Cards (ATC's). You can send them in happy mail, save them on a ring to highlight your favorite creations, swap them with friends or add sweet notes to a lunchbox. Join us if you like; the only rules are to use scraps and create cards that are 2.5” x 3.5” in size. We share our little snippets of happiness on the third Tuesday of the month.

I only had time to make 3 ATC's this month and as Valentine's Day is just around the corner I thought I would go with a 'love' theme.  I had some ink smooshed backgrounds in my stash from previous projects and I think they make the perfect base for ATC's as they are colourful and interesting.  I hope you like them.

Here are my ATC's:

A closer look at one of the ATC's:

Plus I decorated the backs:

I began by cutting down my backgrounds to 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" and adhered them to a white ATC for stability plus the ink smooshing can sometimes make the paper warp a little so this helps flatten them out as well.  I die cut lots of hearts from coloured card from my scraps bin; I went with reds/pinks for the grey background and yellow/blue/green to match the other backgrounds.  I also cut some hearts from white card.  I wanted it to look like the hearts representing flowers in a plantar so cut a small piece of brown card 1 3/8" x 1 1/8" and also cut some strips with a sentiment strips die and added them on top with liquid glue.  I adhered all the hearts together with liquid glue.  I stamped the sentiments onto white card with black ink and used the same sentiments strip die to cut them out.  I adhered the 'planter' onto the ATC with liquid glue and then arranged the hearts using a mix of foam squares and liquid glue.  I added the sentiment over the planter with foam squares and a small heart in the bottom corner also with a foam square.  I finished off with some black spatter.  For the backs of the ATC I decided to replicate the front.  I again cut some hearts and a strip of the brown card.  I ink blended around the edge of the ATC with coordinating inks and then added the brown card at the bottom with liquid glue.  I arranged the hearts in a similar grouping to the front and again adhered them with liquid glue.  I also added some spatter to the backs too.  

I would like to enter my ATC's into the following challenges:

Crafts Galore Encore challenge - ATG

Crafty Gals Corner challenge - ATG optional twist snowman 

Just Add Ink challenge - just add something seasonal (chose hearts as it's almost Valentine's Day)

Papercraft challenges - ATG

Shopping Our Stash challenge - out with the old, in with the new (old stamps, new dies)

Tag-along (& ATC's) challenge - love, romance or ATG 

I hope you will pop over to Instagram and check out the hop; please use the hashtag #ATCscrapmakes2026 or #ATCscrapmakesJan26 to see all the gorgeous creations and also if you want to participate we will be able to find you. 

I really appreciate you stopping by today. 

Love and hugs,

ATC supplies:

Time for Tea Designs - happy mail gift card holder add-on dies (for the hearts)

Gina K Designs - bold blooms mini stamp (for the love you friend sentiment)

Gina K Designs - all at once - all occasion stamp (for love & hugs sentiment)

Gina K Designs - sentiment strips dies

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

Limetree Craft - 280gsm silky smooth white card

MFT - extreme black hybrid ink pad (for spatters)

*I now have an Affiliate Link for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my link as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Thank you x