Valentine Embossing and Hyancinths

I can't seem to say No to a Valentine Swap. It started many years ago in grade school making Valentines. We also made a Valentine box to put them in. I went to a rural community elementary school in the late fifties. We celebrated each and every holiday with lots of food and lots of parents, grandparents, and caregivers. This is a jewelry charm swap. The outside of the swap is just as important as the jewelry.

I purchased these bags at Michaels. The rubber stamp came from Hobby Lobby. The white pigment stamp pad from Color Box has been with many for several years and continues to consistently give good ink. The embossing powder is from Ranger. It is Bridal and shimmers.
Here's how I created the bags.
I inked up the stamp. I stamped on a sheet of paper to check the image. I inked up the stamp again checking to make sure ink was everywhere on the stamp. Then, I breathed on the stamp. Somehow the moisture helps the image.
After creating the stamped image, I poured embossing powder on the inked image. Well, I did this over a sheet of paper. I poured the excess embossing powder onto the sheet. I creased the sheet and poured the embossing powder back into the container.
I turned on the heat gun, careful not to come too close to the image or my fingers. I continued using the heat gun until the heart image became embossed. It is a little like magic, you see the powder melting into the paper.
Viola, embossed shimmery heart. Then, I created lots of head pins out of red wire.

It is a foggy day here in the mountains. The hyacinths began blooming this weekend. The red flowers are trying to pop out. The smell of spring arrived in my kitchen! I bought bulbs. Put them in a sealed container. Marked six weeks on the calendar. Set the bulbs into water after six weeks in a sunny location. Then, wait. That can be the hardest part of all.