Stitch Love Valentine

Happy almost Valentine's day! Whether you love or dread this holiday, stitching up this cute frog card will make your week happier, and I bet you can think of someone special to give it to.

Valentine froggy pattern is from Wild Olive Valentine Blog Hop,

you can click here to download her pattern for free! 

and be sure to check out all the other fun posts this week!

Stitching on paper is unique and fun, but there are a few tricks to make it easier.

First, gather your supplies. You'll need:

1. Heavy Paper, cut to 5x7 inches, folded in the middle

(I used 140 lb cold press watercolor paper since I used watercolors to add color, but any heavy cardstock will work.)

2. Paint, Colored Pencils or Crayons

3. Embroidery floss and needle

4. Decorative Scissors (optional)

Step 1. Print the pattern and trace it onto your card paper. I just positioned the pattern under the paper, held it up on a sunny window, and traced it with a pencil. If you have a light table, that works great too.

Step 2. Fill in the drawing with color. I used watercolors, but colored pencils, crayons or acrylics work fine too. If you use acrylics, just keep your paint thin so it doesn't crack when you stitch over it. Keep your colors fairly light, and then use darker floss colors to make the line work stand out.

Step 3. Start Stitching! The Back Stitch works best for stitching on paper. Use 3 of the 6 threads of embroidery floss and keep stitches about 1/8 inch long. It can be difficult to judge where your needle will come up through the paper from the back, so just poke holes along the lines from the front first. A thimble will come in handy here!

Step 4. Cut 1/2 inch off of the right front edge with decorative scissors and paint a stripe on the inside that will show through at the front when the card is closed. 

Don't forget to add a cheesy Valentine pun! Now sign your card and give it to someone you love.

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial! Be sure to stop by Wild Olive and tell her thanks for the fun pattern! (Several more will be available this week through the Blog Hop as well.) And definitely check out her new book, Stitch Love, it's full of all kinds are super cute creatures to stitch up, you'll love it.

xoxo aimee