Illustrator: Hearts & Shamrocks: Using Shape Objects to Create Other Shapes

To create the "Happy Valentines Day!" image I used the ellipse & rectangle shape tools to create the shape of a heart. I filled the heart with a radial gradient to give it a 3D effect and then used the filters to add a drop-shadow. I duplicated the heart, changing the opacity and gradient color each time, and scattered each replicate heart across the document. I used the type tool to add the "Happy Valentines Day!" text layer and gave it both a drop-shadow and outer glow.

To create the "Luck of the Irish" image I took the heart template I created earlier and then added the stem by combining the ellipse and rectangle shape tools. I duplicated the object multiple times adding different gradient effects, inner glows, and strokes to give the object a 3D appearance. I used the pencil tool with a brushed stroke to create the texture behind the shamrock and used the same stroke style to create the border.

To create the "Card Suits" image I imported the heart and shamrock objects I created earlier. I used the heart and shamrock to create the spade object and the rectangle shape tool to create the diamond.