VALENTINE’S FLATLAY WATERCOLOR COLLECTION
I don’t know about you, but I love a good flatlay picture on Instagram. Numbers suggest that a whole lot of people do, too! There are over 6 million pictures tagged #flatlay!! There’s something about them that feels so personal, even though they don’t feature a person in the image. The colors, flowers, and other beautiful add-ons shown in most flatlays are all so visually appealing! How does this fit into a Valentine’s printable?
Since I’ve been painting a lot more lately, I wanted to create something for Valentine’s Day. My aim was to make it a little unexpected, but also cute and fun. I drew some inspiration in different ways from a couple of my favorite watercolor artists on Instagram. One artist (@cestriley) creates most of her artwork from Insta pics that inspire her and the other (@camimonet) creates precious holiday artwork based on animal puns.
These cards are my inspirations from them with a twist that makes them my own. I saw this simple but pretty flatlay of breakfast on a marble table with lots of pink and some coffee. Pink and coffee get me every time!! I found a few more pictures that I love and thus the Valentine’s Flatlay Watercolor Collection was born! I love that these are both a Valentine’s Card and a piece of art. They would be great framed or just pinned on a bulletin board in a dorm or cubicle!
THE DESIGNS
Each card is also available to purchase as a larger art print for anyone who wants to display this on a larger scale. My personal favorite is the “Love You Brunches” card featuring croissants, coffee, and pink flowers on a marble tabletop. My aunt almost always ends her texts with “Love you bunches”. That phrase came to mind when I saw the food and coffee. Perfect for the girlfriend who is always down to grab some mimosas and flaky pastries!
Once I decided on the flatlay theme, I obviously had to find the perfect macaron flatlay! I’m now searching for my new best friend* who springs for the 48 pack of Ladurée macarons because holy moly that ain’t cheap! (disclaimer: this is not an attack on any of my dear friends or sweet husband who have been so generous to ever get me ANY Ladurée macarons because they are the greatest!!!). “Love you to the macaron and back” was the perfect choice for the greeting on the back because in my family, we also always say “Love you to the moon and back”.
Our third card is the “Matcha Made in Heaven” card. Perfect for your friend who is always hip to the latest trends or your beautiful yoga health and wellness expert friend. I found a bit more simple flatlay for this print to showcase the matcha and have a pleasant floral repeating background.
The last print is “You Fleur Me” for our Francophile friends. We are currently in the process of learning conversational French for an upcoming trip to Paris and I just love the way the word fleur rolls off your tongue. It is oh so perfect for Valentine’s Day. I chose a more bold color way for this one and ended up loving it. Oh, and ferns are more difficult to draw than you’d think!
PRINT INSTRUCTIONS
To print this, I recommend getting a pack of 8 x 10 Hot Press Watercolor Sheets. The exact ones I use are available here. Another option to keep this lower cost are these. I like both options, but the second will be a bit more see-through. You could then either take these to your local printer or print at home with a full ink cartridge for best results.
Each printer is different but my all-in-one printer has both the input and output trays on the front. Once the first page came out, I put the top left picture side (croissant and coffee Love You Brunches) face up and back in first so it came out with the proper greeting on the back. You should do a test print in grayscale first to ensure you are inserting your sheets the proper way for print.
USES
If you’re attaching these to a gift bag of sorts, I’d suggest just punching a hole at the top (maybe even with a cute heart hole punch found at most craft stores and most likely Target) and tying it on with your favorite twine or ribbon.
You could also just sign these and hand them to your friends! If you want to send them via snail mail or just prefer using an envelope, grab any A2 envelopes (4 3/8 x 5 3/4) from a craft store or a card set from the dollar spot at Target (just save the cards that come in the pack for something else).
Which of the four prints is your favorite?? Let me know in the comments. Make sure to tag @macaronandwhite so I can see exactly how you use the cards! They are great for yourself or your kiddos to have a unique and fun greeting to share!
Flatlay Watercolor Valentines Set- Front
Flatlay Watercolor Valentines Set – Back
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