Je t'aime, Valentine...

I have a beautiful 11-year-old granddaughter who speaks French quite fluently, having attended a French Immersion School since Kindergarten. I decided I should pull out my "Best Images of 2009" cartridge and make her a special French-themed valentine.

This image of the Eiffel Tower had also contained the word "Paris" in a smaller rectangle right below the tower. I decided to cut that part off and then add "Je t'aime," which I cut out using the Gypsy Font cartridge.

The red glitter paper behind the image really adds a rich sparkle to the card, and I added the gem heart for good measure.

The inside was kept very simple. I used my Lawn Fawn sentiment set to stamp "happy valentine's day" on a simple white mat. The heart punched from the same red glitter paper adds a touch of sparkle to the inside.

I hope you don't mind if I share a little story about my recent visit with another granddaughter who just turned 7. We traveled to Portland, OR, where she lives to celebrate her birthday, which was on January 30. We were all pleased when my son - her uncle - and his wife gave my granddaughter a Betta fish in a little tank, all set up with some cute decorative items to help the fish feel "at home." My granddaughter named her new fish Steve, and was absolutely delighted with her gift. She kept saying, "I can't believe I got a fish for my birthday!"

Well, Steve happened to be a star athlete kind of fish, and sometime during his second night in his new home, he jumped out of his tank - through a hole that was only about 1/2" X 1 1/2"!!!  He was in a tank made especially for Betta fish. It was a covered tank that had a small hole so that the fish could be fed without taking the cover off. Bettas are known to be jumpers, but through holes THAT SMALL?

My granddaughter was devastated and couldn't understand why Steve had jumped to his death just one day after her birthday party. She tearfully cried, "My F-I-S-H is D-E-D!" She wouldn't let any of us say the word "dead," as it was too upsetting for her.

To make a long story short, she was consoled when a new fish was purchased and she quickly named him Mars. My daughter put a couple narrow strips of tape over the feeding hole to make sure Mars stayed IN his tank. I teased my daughter that we all had to hope and pray she didn't find Mars sticking to those little strips of tape in the morning. We couldn't help but giggle at the absurdity of this mental picture.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.
Cheryl