Heart of Gold – My Time To Craft Challenge & ALOTA4 - Valentines Challenge

Hi di hi folks,
Here’s my entry into the My Time To Craft Challenge and The alota rubber Stamp Valentine challenge over on Paper Craft Planet. I really enjoyed making this card, mainly because I’d had this idea using the alota Ruffled Heart stamp and with this challenge I was able to try my idea out…

1. Base card is Stardream pearlescent
2. DP – K & Co Vintage Collage Flat Paper
3. The heart was made using alota Ruffled Heart stamp – First I stamped the inner heart onto vellum with Encore Metallic Gold ink pad and heat embossed with Stamp-n-Stuff Detail Gold EP. Then cut it out and then stamped it with Rubber Stampede Signature Background stamp using the same inkpad and EP. I found it easier to ink up the stamp, lie it face up on the table then put the cut out heart onto the stamp. This way I could choose which part of the stamp I wanted to use (it’s a large stamp) and because it’s vellum I could see that the image stamped properly. Second I stamped up the inner heart with the lacy border using a white inkpad (ColorBox cats eye ink pad) and heat embossed with Stamp-n-Stuff White Detail EP, again cut it out. Lastly I stamped the whole stamp with the same gold inkpad and EP as before. After cutting this one out it was then glued together. I started with the inner heart, making sure I only put glue where the embossed image was, so as not to have glue showing. Then I glued up the white heart making sure not to glue the lacy bit as I wanted to lift that part a little to make it look like a lace. Then last but not least when I glued the whole heart to stick to the DP, again I didn’t put glue on the ruffle bit.
4. The photo comes from Joanna Sheen’s Fashion Boutique CD ROM, and was printed on Ilford Gallerie smooth pearl photo paper. I cut it out with a small border to make it look like a real photo and then mounted it onto brown Bazzil cardstock with just a 1mm border just to “lift” the photo so as it didn’t get “lost” on the DP. The picture is one of those that have had colour added but through my graphics program I change it first to B&W then added a brown tint.
5. The gold swirl/flourish was made using Sizzlets Decorative Strip die and gold silk Mirri card.
6. The embellishments used where – cream cotton lace, cream lace flowers with yellow jeweled brads in the middle, white mulberry roses, a gold butterfly charm that I bent the wings back slightly and photo corners that where made with a Sizzlits die. The flower part of the die cut can be removed if you want to, but I left it in.
I LOVE the alota heart stamp, it turned out just as I wanted it to (makes a change for me) and I bought an extra one to put in a nice package I’m putting together, which I’ll be giving away on my birthday. OOOoooops didn’t mean to tell you that :P Forget I mentioned it, my birthday isn’t until April and I’m not just going to give it away to a left comment, NO NO NO, you’re going to have to earn it. HE HE HE, (evil laugh), but I’ll let you know more nearer the time. Thanks for taking a peek.
Take care & keep smiling