Preview:
<style> body { padding:20px; } h3:before { content: ":before "; } h3:after { content: " :after"; } div { width: 200px; height: 150px; position: relative; background: yellow; } div:before { content: ":before"; position: absolute; right: -10px; top: 20px; height: 30px; width: 60px; background: lightblue; } div:after { content: ":after"; position: absolute; left: 20px; bottom: 10px; height: 30px; width: 60px; background: lightgreen; } </style>
html:
<h3>simple header</h3> <div>simple div</div>
css :before and :after support - supported by all modern browsers and ie8+.