Not every valentine can or should be mushy. For example, I have teenagers that certainly don’t want to send their godparents mushy valentines. I have to get creative with these valentine greetings and tend to lean toward a more humorous valentine. This year, I got a little “cheesy” (literally) with the kids’ valentines. I also added an interactive feature in the design for a little fun and surprise. My son will be giving the yellow one to his godmother and my daughter will give the brie cheese to her godmother. She’s okay with a few hearts and a sweeter or should I say more “cheesy” message! Now I’m from Wisconsin so let me just say, I know that brie does not look like holey swiss, nor is swiss cheese bright yellow. I definitely took some liberties when making my cheesy cards. 🙂

Honey Bee Stamps, Mae the Mouse stamp set was the perfect fit for my valentine needs. Mae is ready to go with all sorts of cheesy stuff including the words “brie,” “cheesy” and “valentine” in her coordinating phrase set called Brie Mine  and dies.  I own the Brie Mine stamp set and coordinating dies, but I borrowed Mae from my friend. Tonight I’m ordering the Mae the Mouse stamp set and her matching dies because this set is just too cute to pass up! After working with it, I realized that Mae can hold all these fun things in her hands and arms which makes her really fun to use. Because I didn’t have the coordinating die, I had to hand cut her arms from her body to hold the envie. With the dies (a must!) it’s a breeze to make these difficult cuts, allowing a layered, realistic look.  

The element of surprise in this card is that Mae pops up in the cheese hole when the recipient pulls on the tab at the bottom. Using a double slider loop mechanism behind the scenes, the mouse pops up when the tab is pulled at the bottom. This is not hard to do, but it does take a little time to make. I photographed the steps I took to create the behind-the-scenes mechanism.  This mechanism was not my original idea. I actually learned about it on YouTube. I don’t know where the idea originated, but there are a number of videos that show how to make it. Here are the steps I took for this particular card.

  1. I created the card front by die-cutting and punching out holes along the side and in the interior spaces to mimic a block of cheese to a 5″ X 7″ size. I also cut another yellow piece the same size. I sponged on Mustard Seed distressed ink on the two pieces to add a little varied color to the front. I also added a little darker shade using a Copic W3 to the edges of the cutouts and around the edges. I added a 1/2 circle cutout to the bottom of both pieces. These two must match up identically. 
  2. I stamped and die cut the words Valentine and Cheesy from the stamp set, Brie Mine and attached them to the card front as well as the stamped words “for you” from the same set and the word, “a” from the Honey Bee stamp set, Bee-You-tiful.  The lettering in this set and Brie Mine happen to be the same size and font so this worked out well! 
  3. Next, I added two slots stretching between the largest circle and the 1/2 circle at the bottom for the pull tab. This is will be the location and length of the slider mechanism. 
  4. I added a 1/2″ plastic loop (cut from any heavier plastic) through the slot punches and cut and adhere the ends together. Allow the circular loop to have a little give in it. I stapled my ends together, leaving some room. 
  1. Next, I cut a piece of cardstock to act as the pull tab. I adhered the tab to the loop mechanism on the back. I used mini staples to adhere mine.
  2. I created a channel for the pull tab by adhering two pieces of double-sided dimensional cushion to both sides of the pull tab. This will keep the tab in the channel. 
  3. I turned the card front over and added dimensional cushion strips to allow space for the image on the slider mechanism to move freely. 
  4. Using double sided tape and a small piece of clear acrylic, I added the image to the plastic loop. The small acrylic strip allows the design to extend beyond the loop at the top of the sliding mechanism. This is important to allow the image to come up far enough to see. 
  1. Next, I attached the card front piece to the backside piece and add more dimensional foam strips to the back of the backside piece and attached it to the card base. Adding the dimension to both sides allows the mechanism to move freely and allow the image to pop up, in the circular opening. 
  2. I also stamped a few hearts inside the large circular area to add a touch of pink to the front. I used the tiny heart design from the Little Pickup stamp set.  In the brie cheese sample, I stamped hearts in all the holes to add a little more color. I also added a few of these adorable hearts called Crystal Clear Acrylic Hearts Mix in strawberry to the card front. I could be a little more sparkly on this one since my daughter was giving it to her godmother! 

These were fun to make and I think both of my sister will enjoy getting them on Valentine’s day from the twins. Thanks for visiting! 

Create joy for the soul and shine! Bobbi