What do puppies and Valentine's Day have to do with "The Best of 25 Years"?  Puppy Love You Much, of course!  Still confused?  Read on.

Just in case you haven't heard, "The Best of 25 Years" by Stampin'Up! is a year-long celebration in honor of Stampin'Up!'s 25th year.  Happy Birthday Stampin'Up!   At the beginning of every month, beginning January 2013, a new stamp set will introduced. This new monthly set will be a combination of three to five favorite stamps from the last 25 years plus a new, never before seen stamp. The price?  Only $14.95!  And for added fun, collect 6 sets and you'll earn a free stamp set of your choice valued up to $14.95.  Wow!

Here's February's "Best of 25 Years" set.  Can you guess which image is the "New Never Before Seen" stamp?

Best of Love #132987

Stampin'Up! Best of 25 Years

Have you figured out what the relationship is between The Best of 25 Years, Puppies & Valentine's Day is yet?  Read on…..

Let's get started on our Puppy Love You Much project. This cute puppy was inspired by fellow demonstrator, Dee Slater.  Thank you Dee!  I changed a few things like colors and tools but credit for the basic project goes to her.

First of all, making a shaped card is super easy.  Look at the die to find a good edge for the "hinge" or fold.  Sometimes your fold will be a the top, sometimes the side.  It really depends on the shape and end result.  For this project, the point or bottom of the heart will be our fold.

One of the things I changed from the original project was the tongue.  To eliminate the need for so many punches, I used the smallest Framelit Heart for the tongue instead of the Oval Punch.  Added bonus?  The heart on the inside adds personality.  Now, have you figured out the relationship between "The Best of 25 Years", Puppies & Valentine's Day?

Framelits Hearts Set #125599

Another change I made was to the nose.  The original design call for using the Full Heart Punch.  I found that the second to smallest heart in the Framelits Hearts Set was the perfect size.  Now, I've eliminated two punches.  Yipee! 

Lastly, I gave my puppy a little more dimension by popping up the nose with Dimensionals.

Don't have any little boys on your Valentine list?  No problem.  Change your color scheme and add a bow.  Voila!  Problem solved.

The little girl puppy was my first attempt using all of the original tools.  Can you see the difference between the tongue and the nose?  Here's a side-by-side shot.

 
Size: 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" (A2 Envelope)

Supplies:

• Stamps: Best of Love (#132987 clear mount only) 
• Card Stock: Crumb Cake (#120953), Chocolate Chip (#102128); Real Red (#102482)
• Ink & Coloring: Classic Inks (Basic Black #126980 or Real Red #126949); Stampin' Write Marker
  (Black #100082)

Tools:

• Die-Cutting & Embossing: Big Shot™ & Standard Cutting Pads (#113439); Textured Impressions
  Embossing Folder (Perfect Polka Dots #117335); Framelits (Hearts #125599)
• Punches: 1" Circle (#119868); Small Heart (#117193); Standard 1/4" Handheld Punch (non-
  Stampin'Up!)
• Trimming & Cutting: Paper Snips (#103579); Stampin' Trimmer (#126889)

Adhesives:

• 2-Way Glue Pen (#100425)
• Glue Dots (#103683)
• SNAIL Adhesive® (#104332)
• Stampin' Dimensionals® (#104430)

Click here  or the Nuts & Bolts graphic above, for a downloadable list of Supplies, Tips & Tricks for your very own Puppy Love You Much project. 

Click here to order 24/7!

One more thing before you go.  Make sure you're signed up to be a V.I.P. (See top right column of this page).  I'll be sending complete instructions in the Wild West Gazette on Sunday, February 10th.

 Thank you for stopping by today.