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Esther Howland, know as the "The Mother of the American Valentine," was a Victorian era artist responsible for popularizing Valentine greeting cards in the US. Her work featured delicate layers of doilies, scrap images and paper cuttings. Her exquisite pieces are the inspiration for this Valentine card tutorial.
Supplies: Valentine + Flower Scraps, Cards, Dresden Frames + Doilies + Hearts, Paper Glue, Scissors
Step 1: Prepare your supplies: Cut apart a mix of Dresden pieces in varying sizes. Do the same for the scrap images.
Step 2: Begin assembling a mix of Dresden pieces and scraps: matching frames to scraps and choosing which pieces overlay others well. Lay them over your card before beginning to glue to check placement.
Step 3: Glue pieces in place. We glued corner pieces first and worked our way toward the center of the card. Let dry.
Step 4: Repeat to make more cards.
Tips: Don't be afraid to cut Dresden pieces apart to fit your card. For the rose bouquet card (below left) we cut the pillars and corner pieces to better fit the dimensions of the card.
Dresdens look good layered on scraps. Each card below features a Dresden element on top of a scrap: golden bird on rose bouquet, golden heart on heart wreath held by couple, golden bird over heart.
We built on cards from sets that include Italian paper-lined envelopes for an extra special touch.
Specific Supplies Used:
Pink Rose Bouquet, below left top: Dresden flourishes DFW320-G-B + bow DFW782P + dove DF8534AG + rose bouquet scrap S7232
Red Rose Bouquet, below left bottom: Dresden corners DFW309G + frame DF7906G + corners DFW61G + blue flower frame scrap S7352 + rose scrap S7344
Valentine Couple, below right top: Dresden corners DFW67G + bow DFW782P + heart DF7601AG + couple scrap S7177 + flower swag scrap S7352
Fancy Dove on Heart, below right bottom: Dresden doily DFD003-G + dove DF8534AG + corner flourishes DFW320-G-B + bird on heart scrap S7232 + flower swag scrap S7352
Item No. DFW320-SB-B
Mixed sheet of Dresden frames and embellishments. Steel blue foil on front, white paper on reverse. Made in Germany. Overall sheet measures 3.75" by 7.5".
Item No. DFW320-S-B
Mixed sheet of Dresden frames and embellishments. Silver foil on front and reverse. Made in Germany. Overall sheet measures 3.75" by 7.5".
Item No. DFW320-R-B
Mixed sheet of Dresden frames and embellishments. Red foil on front, white paper on reverse. Made in Germany. Overall sheet measures 3.75" by 7.5".
Item No. DFW320-P-B
Mixed sheet of Dresden frames and embellishments. Pink foil on front and reverse. Made in Germany. Overall sheet measures 3.75" by 7.5".
Item No. DFW320-G-B
Mixed sheet of Dresden frames and embellishments. Gold foil on front, white paper on reverse. Made in Germany. Overall sheet measures 3.75" by 7.5".
Item No. DFW320-AG-B
Mixed sheet of Dresden frames and embellishments. Antique gold foil on front, white paper on reverse. Made in Germany. Overall sheet measures 3.75" by 7.5".
Item No. DFW309SF
Sheet of 3 Dresden medallions, each measuring 2.5" x 2.5". Aqua foil on the front, white paper on the back. Made in Germany.
Item No. DFW309SB
Sheet of 3 Dresden medallions, each measuring 2.5" x 2.5". Steel blue foil on the front and white paper on back. Made in Germany.
Item No. DFW309S
Sheet of 3 Dresden medallions, each measuring 2.5" x 2.5". Silver foil on the front and back. Made in Germany.
Item No. DFW309P
Sheet of 3 Dresden medallions, each measuring 2.5" x 2.5". Pink foil on the front and back. Made in Germany.
Item No. DFW309G
Sheet of 3 Dresden medallions, each measuring 2.5" x 2.5". Gold foil on the front, white paper on the back. Made in Germany.
Item No. DFW309AG
Sheet of 3 Dresden medallions, each measuring 2.5" x 2.5". Antique gold foil on the front, white paper on the back. Made in Germany.
Item No. DFD003-S
One (1) Dresden foil doily with ornate scrolled design. Silver foil on front and reverse. Made in Germany. Measures 2-3/8" x 3-3/4" overall; center measures 2-1/4" x 1-1/4". Doily is semi-sturdy and perfect for card making, embellishing and any project where you need a fancy accent.
Item No. DFD003-G
One (1) Dresden foil doily with ornate scrolled design. Gold foil on front and reverse. Made in Germany. Measures 2-3/8" x 3-3/4" overall; center measures 2-1/4" x 1-1/4". Doily is semi-sturdy and perfect for card making, embellishing and any project where you need a fancy accent.
Item No. DFA713R
Each sheet has 12 pieces -- 6 heart frames and 6 floral hearts. The heart frame measures 1-5/8" across by 1-1/2" tall. Red foil on front, kraft paper on reverse. Made in Germany.
Item No. DFA707G
These are the prettiest Dresden foil frames we've seen! Each sheet has 16 pieces broken up as follows: 3 sets of 3 frames plus floral centerpiece 4 Art Nouveau swirled flourishes. Gold foil on front, ivory paper on reverse. Largest frame measures 3 5/8" by 2 3/4"; floral centerpiece measures 1 1/2" by 7/8"; Art Nouveau flourishes measure 1 3/8" by 3/4". Made in Germany.
Item No. DF8534SB
Sheet of 8 Dresden doves and 3 tiny floral sprigs, largest dove measures 1 1/2" x 1 1/2". Steel blue foil on front, white paper on reverse. Made in Germany.
Item No. DF8534-S
Sheet of 8 Dresden doves and 3 tiny floral sprigs, largest dove measures 1 1/2" x 1 1/2". Silver foil on front, white paper on reverse. Made in Germany.
Item No. DF8534-AG
Sheet of 8 Dresden doves and 3 tiny floral sprigs, largest dove measures 1 1/2" x 1 1/2". Antique gold foil on front, white paper on reverse. Made in Germany.
Item No. DF7906S
Set of four Dresden frames and one embellishment. Silver foil on front, white paper on reverse. Made in Germany. Largest frame measures 3.25" by 4.25".
Item No. DF7906AG
Set of four Dresden frames and one embellishment. Antique gold foil on front, white paper on reverse. Made in Germany. Largest frame measures 3.25" by 4.25".
Item No. DF7601SF
Sheet of 20 Dresden floral hearts, each measuring 3/8" x 1/2". Aqua foil on both sides. Made in Germany.
Item No. DF7601S
Sheet of 20 Dresden floral hearts, each measuring 3/8" x 1/2". Silver foil on front and back. Made in Germany.
Item No. DF7601R
Sheet of 20 Dresden floral hearts, each measuring 3/8" x 1/2". Red foil on both sides. Made in Germany.
Item No. DF7601P
Sheet of 20 Dresden floral hearts, each measuring 3/8" x 1/2". Pink foil on both sides. Made in Germany.
Item No. DF7601LB
Sheet of 20 Dresden floral hearts, each measuring 3/8" x 1/2". Light blue foil on both sides. Made in Germany.
Item No. DF7601AG
Sheet of 20 Dresden floral hearts, each measuring 3/8" x 1/2". Antique gold foil on front, white paper on reverse. Made in Germany.
Item No. COC40
This large glue stick holds 40 grams of specialty glue. Made famous by its delicious marzipan almond scent, this iconic Italian glue is non-toxic and solvent-free. Closed tube measures 5" tall and about 1-1/8" wide. Clean up with water. Made in Italy.
Item No. COC20
This medium glue stick holds 20 grams of specialty glue. Made famous by its delicious marzipan almond scent, this iconic Italian glue is non-toxic and solvent-free. Closed tube measures 3 3/4" tall and about 1" wide. Clean up with water. Made in Italy.
Item No. COC125
This tin holds 125 grams of specialty paste. Made famous by its delicious marzipan almond scent, this iconic Italian glue is non-toxic and solvent-free. It will take you from the craft room to the classroom and the office. It works beautifully on paper, cloth and photographs. Ideal for card making, scrapbooking and paper arts. Made in Italy.