G’day everyone — it’s Joey here!
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I’ve put together a romantic Edwardian love story in the shape of a keepsake album. This month’s Take & Make is all about soft garden tones, gentle storytelling, and the quiet sweetness of two people finding each other 💗.
The project follows Miss Cicely Hawley and her beau through a series of illustrated journal cards — Cicely waiting in the garden🌿, her beau arriving with flowers 💐, and two tender scenes of them together. There’s a tiny Valentine envelope addressed to her, a writing pad with a locket illustration, pockets, butterflies 🦋, and plenty of coordinating ephemera to bring the whole story to life.
It’s a lovely one to sit with — slow, sentimental, and full of little discoveries as you build each fold.
📺 The accompanying video on YouTube walks you through the assembly and offers ideas for decorating and personalising your own version.
📥 Where to Find It
The complete kit is waiting for you as a freebie in my Ko‑fi shop — ready to download, print, and bring to life with your own romantic touch ..
⭐What’s Coming Next?
I’m not quite sure what the March Take & Make theme will be just yet, but with Easter arriving in early April this year, we may need a little Easter Special tucked into March as well. Plenty to plan and plenty of fun on the horizon — it’s shaping up to be a wonderfully creative season.
✂️What’s Happening in the Studio
Well, the year has started off with a bang. The Take & Makes are in full flow, and I’m being challenged with grunginess in the form of Lori @pilesofparagraphs’ Grungy Tag Challenge. You may have caught my first attempt with January’s “Corrugated” prompt, where I went back to the Industrial Lancashire landscape of 1890.
For February’s “Folded” prompt, I’m determined to do something feminine and grungy — a bit of lace, a bit of soot, a bit of softness, with a bit of misplaced romance thrown in. I’ve also started a journal where I can keep and showcase all the grungy tags I make. It’ll be a work in progress, but I’ll try to remember to show you what I’ve done so far in the February Grungy Tag challenge video.
So there’s been lots of brainstorming, planning, digital work, and hands‑on crafting going on. Life is good 😃.
⭐Thanks again for being part of this little creative corner. I hope the Valentine Garden brings you as much joy as it brought me while designing it. Until next time — happy crafting, and may your February be full of gentle moments and beautiful paper.
— Joey 😃🦘❤️💐
Joey Cardmaker 