Banner Heart Hugs | by Colleen Balija

Hi friends,

I’m back today to share a fun and endearing card for someone who may need a hug during Valentine’s Day (or any day). This card is cheerful but comforting!

I started by creating a card base of white and gold using Flora Plate Layering dies. The bottom layer is a gold card base. Then I added a gold layer over it that is slightly smaller and was embossed using the new Pinpoint Contour Plate die. This cover plate is perfect to add texture and interest! I added a mirrored white card panel over the gold. I used my handy Deckled Paper Trimmer to cut the layers, adding a bit more detail to the card base. I am all about the details! I set the background aside and worked on the Banner Heart.

I chose the colors for my heart using a color mood board. I love to use color mood boards because the colors are coordinated for you, so all you have to do is put them together! Here is the mood board that I used for my heart.

Feel free to use this if you feel so inspired to do so! Anyway, getting back to my card, I found Memory Box glitter paper and a few other pieces of colored cardstock in shades of pink, red, and green, similar to the color mood board. I die cut all 3 layers of the Banner Heart using those colors and adhered the layers together, going from darkest to lightest in color. Hint: I used a variety of color card panels to add detailed interest to the heart, such as an alcohol base card panel, a gelli plate card panel, and a glitter card panel. Can you see the detail in the photo below? It makes a big difference!

Once my heart was finished, I staged it over my background that I had made earlier, and decided it needed something more! That’s where the flowers and Hugs sentiment come in to play!

I had foiled the Hugs Sugar Script sentiment awhile back (I like to do mass foiling so that it’s ready when I need it), so I grabbed that foiled sentiment and placed it over the heart. Then I die cut Wispy Blooms Contour Layers using the same card panels from my heart and tucked those behind the heart and sentiment.

I tucked everything to the left of the sentiment because I wanted the heart to clearly show up on the card. The Hugs sentiment was propped up using foam tape.

What I love about this card is that the only source of color comes from the heart and flowers. Everything else is neutral, which helps the focal point pop even more! And I love all the tiny details in this card that come together beautifully!

Thanks for stopping by today!