You're never too old to hand out Valentine's! If you'd like to give something extra lovely to your Valentine this year, May from @craftwithmay has the perfect tutorial. Her embroidered Valentine card is simple, stylish, and oh so sweet!

One of my favorite ways to send a special person a card is to create a hand stitched felt decoration to be the star of my card. While this takes a bit of time and effort, the results are always so lovely, and the handmade card always so appreciated.  You can get fancy with cut files and intricate designs – or keep it simple, as I did, and see what you can do with just a pair of scissors!

Skill Level: Beginner

Time: 1-2 hours

Additional Supplies:

White and Pink Cardstock
Stamps or Stickers

Directions:

1. Cut the shapes for your felt pieces - I freehand cut hearts and an arrow. If needed, you could print clip art shapes to trace or use an electronic cutting machine to cut shapes.

2. Using white thread, stitch the three hearts together utilizing any decorative stitches desired. I did simple straight stitches to add contrast and hold things together. You can use a wide variety of stitches from intricate to simple – it all depends on the look you are going for.

3. Add decoration (and additional stability/stitches) with sequins and beads by stitching them onto your hearts. This has the added bonus of adding flare and detail! 

Tip: Go for a truly random look here or decide on a pattern, as I did, and rotate clear and pink.

4. Once the pieces are stitched to your satisfaction, it’s time to assemble! I used 4 ¼ x 5 ½” (standard card size) folded pink paper topped with 3 ¾ x 5” white cardstock. I glued these two together as well as stitching around the edge of the white to add contrast and a pop of color.

5. Utilizing the adhesive of your choice, adhere the arrow to the hearts, and the hearts to your paper. 

6. Time to add the finishing touches! I glued some sequins and beads to my finished card, as well as stamping some hearts and ‘love’ to finish it off.

This design could be made into an ornament or pin or tacked to a card with temporary adhesive. I have also created embellishments like this heart cluster for my scrapbooks. The possibilities for blending stitching and felt with handmade cards and paper crafts? Endless! I hope that you have enjoyed this tutorial and use these tips to get creative!

Thanks to May for designing and writing this tutorial! You can follow her on Instagram @craftwithmay or visit her website. Stay tuned for more tutorials from the Benzie Design Maker Team!