Send a message to your loved one this Valentine's Day made by hand, using Carolyn Letten's palette of red, blue, tea-stained cream and pearlescents to create more than a hint of nostalgia. Design your cards with a Victorian scrapbook feel using remnants of lace trimmings and a heart-shaped doily. Alternatively, to make a first class impression, why not create a patchwork inspired token to show a loved one how much you care.

be mine card

1 Cover a white blank with thin blue card edged across the top and bottom using the doily heart punch. Fix the red heart doily onto the middle of the card.

2 Stick lace to both sides of the doily about a third of the way down. Top with a heart trim. Fix a pre-cut floral printed heart in the centre using the button punch, make three hearts from pearlescent paper and arrange as shown.

3 Push a pearlheaded decorative pin through the back of a red felt heart and stick down securely. Arrange the gems around the heart. Finally add the letter tiles to the two hearts at the base.

first class post

1 Mark out a grid on a 13.5cm square card blank, so that you have nine equal squares, each 4.5cm. Cut out three from cream script paper and two from blue, arrange as shown using your pencil lines as a guide. Fix in place with glue.

2 Cover the bottom three horizontal squares with blue card. Stick red ditzy fabric into the middle square. Punch out two button hearts from red paper and glue onto the top two blue squares.

3 Mount onto these two embossed pearl hearts using glue dots. Position two stamps onto card and back with 3-D foam pads. Arrange as shown and stick in place.

4 Take a mini tag and fix two blue vellum printed paper strips across the bottom two thirds of the way up. In between these, stick a red punched heart and a finish with a mini decorative keyhole.

5 Tie red organza ribbon through the hole at the top of the tag, and mount on the card as shown. Using a glue dot, stick a mini key charm to hang down from the ribbon. Add wording with the letter tiles and rub a silver ink-pad across the edges.

gift tag

1 Cover a white luggage tag with cream script paper. Stick a strip of heart paper across the bottom. Add a length of spotty ribbon. Set aside.

2 Take a separate mini card tag and fix blue vellum across the middle. Stick ‘love’ letter tiles at the base as shown. Thread the string that came with the large tag through the smaller one, then add a metal key. Embellish as shown.