Gothic Valentine

Yesterday I brought you a Sweet Valentine, and today it's something very different - my Gothic Valentine! It's a similar design, with a heart and some lettering, but it couldn't be more different!

I don't know what it says about my attitude to love, that I really enjoyed making a card with a heart dripping blood, and tangled thorny rose branches. I even contemplated putting a skull on there too, but I couldn't draw one that I liked!

I based my design on a couple of things I'd done before, a card with a winged heart, and a book for my old love letters that has hearts, flowers, thorns and drips. In turn, I think that some of the inspiration for these came from a book and playing card set I have, The Key to the Kingdom by Tony Weeuwissen.

1. Draw out your design roughly, then draw over it more carefully and boldly.

2. Cut a background from patterned paper of your choice, and glue this to the card.

3. Use the drawing to cut out the heart shape, wings, and branches. Run a black ink pad around the edges of the red heart.

4. Cut or punch the letters from black card.

5. Glue the heart, wings, branches and letters to the card. It helps if you stick down the branches first, then the wings, then the heart, rather than trying to slide them under what you've already stuck down like I did!

6. Punch some flower shapes from red card, and glue them on.

7. Cut some drip shapes from red card, and glue them on. You can cut them from punched hearts or flowers.

8. Using a white pen, add highlights to the heart, flowers and drips.