doily valentines

We've never done much with Valentine's Day as a couple (especially now that we have an anniversary so close - now we can go out ahead of time and avoid the restaurant crowds!), but I've always loved Valentine's Day and treated it more like a friendship holiday. My mom still gives us little gifts, and I still like baking treats and handing out cards to friends like I did in elementary school. These days I make and mail cards; it's a perfect excuse to send a little note to friends and family.
Last year, inspired by these cards, I made Valentines using doilies as stencils.

Supplies:

• Variety of paper doilies
• Acrylic paints
• Fine paintbrush
• Cards/envelopes

This is really easy - all you need to do is use the doily as a stencil and stipple on the paint a little bit at a time (you may need to use a toothpick to punch out some of the doily shapes if the holes aren't entirely opened). Remove the doily while the paint is still wet so it doesn't stick.

You can make a variety of designs by using the whole doily or picking out pretty details. I also decorated a few of the envelopes.

And here's an idea for a different card, cutting up and using parts of the leftover doilies (of which I had a bunch after this project - so I might have this year's card design!); these envelopes are also pretty.