We’re already halfway through February and today is Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day in North America is celebrated very differently to the UK where I grew up. Over there a Valentine’s card is sent to your significant other or, anonymously to someone you’d like to be your significant other. Here Valentine’s cards and gifts are given more widely, even by young children to all their classmates.

I’ve no doubt you’ll see lots of red and/or hearts today so I thought I’d do something a little different.

COLOURFUL AND SHINY

This project started after I decided to experiment yesterday with Stampin’ Blends and Foil Sheet.

First I attached a 1″ strip of some Multipurpose Adhesive Sheet to the back of some Silver Foil Sheet. Next I placed the trellis die from the Wonderful Floral Framelits onto the foil so the trellis was over the adhesive but the leaves were not. Then I cut it out using my Big Shot and Magnetic Platform. Now I could colour the trellis with the dark Blackberry Bliss Stampin’ Blends marker, followed by the leaves in dark Granny Apple Green and Dark Mossy Meadow.

Against the Silver Foil the Blackberry Bliss looked much lighter so I chose Berry Burst ink for my sentiment.

I placed the sentiment from the Wonderful Romance Stamp Set onto my Stamparatus and added a piece of Thick Whisper White Card that I’d wiped with an Embossing Buddy. I inked up the sentiment and stamped the card. Then I inked and stamped three more times so it was really crisp and clear. Leaving the stamp in place I cleaned it with my Simply Shammy and then inked it up with VersaMark ink before stamping it it one final time.

With the sentiment stamped I took the card and sprinkled it with Clear Stampin’ Emboss Powder. I tapped off the excess and removed a few stray specks then melted the rest with my Heat Tool set on 2 (high). I now had a Berry Burst embossed sentiment.

SUBTLE TOUCHES

Now for the card base. Using my Stampin’ Trimmer I cut and scored some Thick Whisper White Card. Then I folded it along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder. At this point I thought I’d adapt my usual card base just a little, and trimmed a 3/4″ strip off the front.

Next I spritzed the front of the card with some clean water and placed it inside the Subtle Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. I put this directly onto the multipurpose platform and closed the folder with a cutting pad on top. Then I ran the embossing folder forwards and backwards through the Big Shot.

The texture would be my coordinating element, so next I spritzed the back of the card base down the right-hand edge. I placed about 1″ of the card inside the embossing folder and embossed that that same way.

Finally I decided to emboss the flap and a 1/2″ strip along the top of a Whisper White Medium Envelope. I didn’t spritz the envelope with water as the paper is quite thin. Plus the water would have activated the glue on the flap!

The Big Shot was needed one last time before I was ready to assemble the cards. So I used the oval die from the Wonderful Floral Framelits to cut out my embossed sentiment.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Now I was ready to start putting everything together. I peeled the backing sheet off the adhesive on the back of the trellis and attached it to the front of the card base, carefully lining up the right-hand edge of the trellis with the edge of the card.

Then with Tear & Tape Adhesive I attached a 1″ strip of Window Sheet to the back of the card front to protect the leafy edge. Now my card front was 4-1/4″ wide again.

The sentiment came next, attached to the card very simply with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Finally I added a small bow tied from Berry Burst 3/8″ Metallic-Edge Ribbon and attached with Mini Glue Dots.

NOT YOUR USUAL VALENTINE

I’m really pleased with how this card turned out. The way the textured strip down the back edge of the card base peeks through the Window Sheet and matches the texture on the front of the card. The custom-coloured embossed sentiment that coordinates with the ribbon and, bizarrely, the Blackberry Bliss trellis. The way the colours are accentuated by the simple white base. There’s so many things.

OK, so it’s not your usual Valentine’s card. There’s no red, or hearts (unless you look really, really closely at the left edge of the trellis), but perhaps this is one you could give at any time of year.

It’s probably fitting that I tell you that it wasn’t love at first sight with the Wonderful Romance bundle. I quite liked it when I saw it in the 2019 Occasions Catalogue, but not enough for it to be on my first order. Or my second order, come to that. But I have to say that sometimes love takes a while to develop, and now I couldn’t imagine not having this bundle in my craft studio.

So here’s some links to other projects I’ve made using the stamp set and/or the Framelits. I can promise you there’s more to come.

• Wonderful New Stamp Set
• Strong & Beautiful (and Unstoppable)
• Too Much Tufted Fun

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Wonderful Romance Stamp Set and coordinating Wonderful Floral Framelits using the single bundle item number. This meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the two items separately. I’ve included both options in my product list so you can compare the options if you wish.