Happy Valentine’s Day everyone. Today’s project does include a little heart but I was actually more focused on the stitched pieces. I find going back to older but still available stamp sets and dies so rewarding and had such fun creating today’s project.

SIMPLE BACKGROUND LAYER

I began by using my Paper Trimmer to cut and score a piece of Thick Whisper White Card. Then I folded it along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder to create my card base.

Next I chose a delicate Petal Pink pattern from the Parisian Blossoms 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper (DSP) pack for the background. Instead of leaving a border around the DSP, today I decided to cover the whole front of the card base, attaching it using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow).

Then I cut a piece of the DSP and fixed it to the flap of a Whisper White Medium Envelope with more liquid glue. To shape the DSP I used Paper Snips, following the edge of the flap as I cut.

Finally I cut a 3/4″ strip of the DSP to attach to a layer of Whisper White Card, but then I had an idea. Instead of leaving it straight, I decided to add a stitched line and scalloped edge using the long die from the Stitched Be Mine Dies.

Once I’d die-cut the strip I mounted it down the right-hand edge of the Whisper White layer with liquid glue before adding it to the inside of the card base.

STITCHED ACCENTS

For my sentiment I turned to the Meant To Be Stamp Set and the large “Just for You”. I stamped it onto some Whisper White Card with Tuxedo Black ink, and then went looking for a die to cut it out. Initially I’d planned to use one of the Stitched Shapes Dies but as I looked at my options something else caught my eye, the Stitched Labels Dies. Inside the set was the perfect large die with lovely fancy edges so I chose that instead.

Now I just needed to bring everything together, but despite its size, the sentiment looked lost. It was then I remembered a colour challenge from the Paper Players, #PP477 red+pink+black+white. I already had the pink, black and white so all I needed to add was red.

Going through my scraps I found a 1″ strip of Real Red Card. Nice, but boring. So I used the long die from the Stitched Be Mine Dies to cut both sides. It was better with the scalloped edges and stitching, but still lacked the wow factor I was hoping for.

Going back to my card scraps I then found a 1/2″ strip of Basic Black Card, and it was my eureka moment. I used liquid glue to layer the two strips together, then I added it down the centre of the background layer on my card. The sentiment came next fixed over the stop with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Finally, to finish I used a dark Real Red Stampin’ Blends Marker to colour a small Heart Epoxy Drop and added it to the bottom of the sentiment. It is Valentine’s Day after all…

PRODUCT LIST

UPDATED 2020: Sadly the following products have retired and are no longer available from Stampin’ Up!

• Parisian Blossoms Designer Series Paper
• Heart Epoxy Droplets
• Stitched Labels Dies