We are so excited to have a week of LOVE headed your way—it’s Love Week here on the SCT blog! All week long we’re showing off projects—from cards to pocket pages—that celebrate and share love. And we can all use more love in our lives! We are happy to kick off this week with Susan R. Opel, our talented Editor-in-Chief! Let’s take a look at the creative idea Susan is sharing with us today!

Happy first Monday of February! I hope you are feeling the LOVE!

I recently finished writing the first issue of 2024, and I’ve been feasting my eyes on all sorts of fun spring and summer celebrations, but today I’m stopping in with some sweet Valentine’s Day inspiration!

The Simple Stories Flea Market collection isn’t Valentine’s Day themed, but the soft pinks and yellows caught my eye! Die cut them into a heart shape, and you’ve got some lovely, shaped tags perfect for sharing the love. 

Recently, I saw my friend Bibi Cameron create a beautiful picture frame with die cut florals. To make the flowers durable, she cut them from balsa wood (often used for creating model airplanes). What a cool idea! I immediately found a package of 3mm thick balsa wood sheets on Amazon, and I couldn’t wait for them to arrive.

The package arrived, and I die cut my first heart out of balsa wood. Oh my, it cut like a dream! I die cut two more and proceeded to create heart-shaped tags with balsa wood as the base. It was such a fun alternative to cardstock. 

Writing the magazine keeps me busy this time of year, so I decided to keep things simple. I decoupaged patterned paper on each heart, punched a hole with my Crop-A-Dile (so smooth!), and then I added a heat-embossed sentiment, ribbon, and an enamel heart. I just adore how they turned out!

Supplies | Patterned Paper: Simple Stories; Stamps: My Favorite Things; Ink, Dies, Embossing Powder: Simon Says Stamp; Enamel Shapes: Doodlebug Design; Decoupage Medium: Plaid; Other: Balsa wood, trim

I’ve added these tags to my purse, and I plan to share them with folks as a random act of crafty kindness!

Here’s to a month of sharing love and inspiration!

Find more of Susan’s work here: Instagram | Facebook

We hope that Susan’s lovely tags inspire you to share a random act of kindness this week! Be sure to stop back tomorrow to see how Wendy Sue Anderson uses our Winter 2023 Issue cut file to create a beautiful layout!