Valentine Wreath Gate-fold Card and Sweet Wishes Storybook Frame by Diane Mason

 Hello, and welcome back for Watercolor Weekend! 

Hello all my Ai watercolor friends and fans, and Happy 2026! This is my first post of the year, and January 1st is always special to me—not only does it mark the start of a new year, but it’s also my Art Impressions Watercolor Design Team anniversary. I can’t believe it’s already been three years!

Today I’m excited to share two Valentine’s Day projects with you: a Valentine Wreath Gate‑fold Card and a cute little Valentine’s Storybook Frame.

Valentine Wreath Gate-fold Card:

This soft, romantic gate‑fold card features images from the recently released Bible Journaling Set 6150 – His Love. Although it’s designed for Bible journaling, it’s also perfect for all kinds of love‑themed projects. I always enjoy sharing ideas for stretching your stamp collection and using sets in unexpected ways.

Using my stamp platform, I inked the wreath image with Memento Desert Sand and stamped it onto Canson XL watercolor paper. This light ink keeps the lines soft while still preserving the details. (You can ink the flowers and foliage separately in pink and green, but this particular stamp is quite detailed.)

I began by adding a light wash of 703 to each rose, leaving white space for highlights. To deepen the petals, I layered additional 703 into the shadowed areas until I was happy with the value. The hearts on the vine were also painted with 703.

For the rose centers, I dotted in a touch of TwinTone Chrome Yellow and softened it with a damp brush. The leaves were painted with 177, deepening the bases for contrast.

To create a soft, ethereal glow, I brushed a watery mix of 403 around both the inside and outside edges of the wreath. Once dry, I used a fine #0 brush to scatter tiny hearts in 703—just two simple strokes forming a little “V” shape. I also used the #0 brush to add 177 to the vines and refine the leaf details.

Where needed, I added definition to the roses with a Fuchsia Pink TwinTone and blended lightly with water. A touch of Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White restored any missing highlights.

I cut a piece of blue shimmer cardstock to 8½” x 5½”, scored at 1½” and 5¾”, and folded in the sides.

• Left panel: pink patterned paper from 5892 – Easter S2 Paper Pack, cut to 1¼” x 5¼”
• Right panel: blue‑green vine pattern from the same pack, cut to 2½” x 5¼”

Both panels were adhered with double‑sided tape.

The watercolor panel and its mat were die‑cut using 5725 – Nested Square Dies (3” x 3” and 3¼” x 3¼”). I mounted the finished piece to the card front, applying adhesive only to the left side so the gate‑fold can open properly.

Inside the card, I added a 4” x 5¼” pink mat and a 3¾” x 5” white panel.

• The Valentine sentiment from 4848 – Sweet Wishes MTF was inked in 703.
• The heart stems from 6150 were inked in 703 and 401.
• The small heart border was stamped repeatedly along the bottom in 401.

Sweet Wishes Storybook Frame:

Late last year, Art Impressions released the Storybook Template Die along with two coordinating stamp sets for creating adorable Christmas ornaments. The template forms a 3D box where you can build a little scene inside. At the time, Bonnie hinted that more coordinating sets might be coming—I can’t wait to see what she dreams up next!

That got me thinking: why not use the Valentine images from the Sweet Wishes Mini TryFold to create a little Valentine storybook scene?

For this sweet frame, I combined the 4848 – Sweet Wishes MTF set with the 6121 – Storybook Template. The tag was created using a banner die from 5902 – Mini Scalloped Frame Dies. The box is cut from white shimmer cardstock, and the heart patterned paper is from the 5741 – Valentines Paper Pack.

All images were stamped in Memento Desert Sand onto Canson XL Mix Media Paper.

Here’s the color palette I used for each element:

Rose Wreath

• 177 (vine and leaves)
• 856 (roses)
• Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White

Mailbox

• 256 (mailbox and interior lid)
• 565 (post, flag clips, slot, knob)
• 856 (ribbon, flag)
• N52 (flag post)
• 403 (sky)

Bird with Letters & Candy

• 856 (heart and letter)
• 703 (letter)
• 403 (letter)
• 703 + 565 (bird, mailbox interior)

      

Once everything was painted, I die‑cut the center from the wreath and die-cut the opening for the mailbox lid. The mailbox piece was trimmed to match the die size of the die with the oval opening (approximately 2⅝” x 3”). I cut a second piece the same size to mount the bird image on.

The included die cuts the interior of the wreath, but not the outer edge, so I fussy‑cut the wreath with fine detail scissors, leaving a small white border. Mix Media paper cuts easily, so this step went quickly.

The oval opening on the Storybook die was slightly too large for the wreath to sit neatly on top. To fix this, I cut the heart patterned paper again at 2⅝” x 3” and used a smaller oval from 5902 – Mini Scalloped Frame Dies to create a better‑sized opening. The wreath was then adhered to the box front with double‑sided tape.

      

To assemble the layers, I used foam squares to pop up each piece, starting with the bird layer and working forward. I positioned the bird so it peeks out when the mailbox lid is opened—such a fun little surprise for the recipient. Once all the layers were in place, I glued the box closed.

I die‑cut an ornament topper from white shimmer cardstock and attached it to the top of the box to hold the ribbon and tag. I folded and glued the topper about two‑thirds of the way down, then folded out small tabs on each side so it could be secured to the box.

For the tag, I stamped a sentiment from 4848, die‑cut it with the banner die from 5902, and tied it on with red baker’s twine. A double bow of red ribbon was added with a glue dot.

To finish the back, I layered more red heart paper with Mix Media paper. The Valentine sentiment and heart border from 6150 were stamped in 856, and the rose was painted using the same colors as the wreath.

Just look at that cute little guy peeping at you from the mailbox! I think it will be fun for the recipient to open the mailbox lid and get a sweet little surprise.

That’s all for now—thanks so much for stopping by for Watercolor Weekend! I hope these ideas inspire you to experiment with some “out of the box thinking” and create something fun for Valentine’s Day with your stamp collection.

Until next time, Happy Painting!