From The Heart

With Valentine's Day just around the corner Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is all about love letters. Will you make a card with a heart? Create a journal entry about someone (or something) you love? Perhaps use vintage postage as your latest inspiration. Whatever inspires you we cannot wait to see your love letters.

I love using hearts in my artwork so I knew this wee I wanted to incorporate hearts in some way and I also wanted to use colours I have not used in a long while.

I began my card by stamping the background piece with the Wallpaper background stamp using Magenta Hue Archival Ink. I distressed the edges and then applied Picked Raspberry around the edges.

I then coloured White Embossing Paste with a touch of Picked Raspberry Distress Paint to give me a pale pink chalky colour.

I placed the Heidi Swapp Heart Cluster Stencil over my decorated piece and then applied the coloured paste over three of the hearts.

Whilst the paste was still wet I stamped the background stamp from the Classics 9 stamp set gently into the paste to add further texture and interest.

To create two further hearts I applied Picked Raspberry Distress Ink through the Heidi Swapp stencil using Cut 'n' Dry Foam.

I then added background stamping to each heart using Potting Soil Archival Ink and then cut out each heart.

I added the decorated piece to brown and pink coordinated card. I also applied Treasure Silver Wax over the embossed hearts to highlight the texture, along with touches of Magenta Hue Archival Ink. I poured Platinum UTEE into a Martha Stewart Key Mould and added two keys to my artwork for added interest and dimension.

I love the Wallpaper background against the textural hearts, something I will definitely be using again in my artwork. I also added some spirals of silver wire behind the hearts.

To complete I added 'From The Heart' stamped onto white card using Magenta Hue Archival Ink and Tim Holtz Simple Sayings Stamp Set.

Whilst I had all the products to hand I created a second coordinated card again using the same products but changing the design.

I added hearts to the background once again using the Heidi Swapp stencil and White Embossing Paste and I also stamped into the paste using the background stamp. Once the paste was dry, I then applied Picked Raspberry Distress Paint over the piece of embossed card. I have also added a sentiment 'with love' using the Simple Sayings stamp set.

Background stamping has been added using Potting Soil Archival Ink and I have cut out three hearts using the stencil and stamped with the Wallpaper background stamp.

From this picture you can see the detail that the stamping into the Embossing Paste gives to the design, I love this touch. Again I applied Treasure Silver to highlight the detail.

I have added wooden bird embellishments coloured with Black Soot Distress Ink for added interest.

For more great ideas please pop over to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog and take a look at my fellow team members artwork, they have created some inspirational projects. Remember there is also the chance to win a $50 prize from Simon Says Stamp.  I always look forward to seeing your creations each week.

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment, much appreciated. Tracy x x

Products Used:

Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Wallpaper and Wood CMS 126
Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Classics 9 Stamp Set
Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Simple Sayings
Archival Inks - Magenta Hue, Potting Soil
Distress Inks - Picked Raspberry, Black Soot
Distress Paint - Picked Raspberry
Wendy Vecchi White Embossing Paste
Paper Distresser
Heidi Swapp Heart Cluster Stencil
Cut 'n' Dry Foam
PaperArtsy Treasure Silver Wax
Ranger Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel Platinum
Melt Pot
Studio Calico Bird Wood Veneers
Silver Wire