Here’s a Valentine’s Day-themed card.

I created it for a Simon Says Stamp (SSS) flickr group challenge. I just recently joined this group after seeing so many wonderful cards made by its members. Challenges are held regularly with this group and this was the first time I entered a challenge. There are rules for submissions to the group.

My card was made using a really bold cling background stamp from Hero Arts called Pebble Pattern. I bought it sometime ago but never really used to its full-on bold potential. I always used the background stamp to create a tone-on-tone effect.

The patterned background was fairly straightforward to make:

1. Cut a piece of white card stock (Neenah Solar White 80lb.) to 4” x 5.25”.
2. Ink up the Hero Art background stamp with Versamark ink and take the paper face-side down and place it on top of the inked background stamp. Rub your hand evenly and firmly over the backside of the cardstock so that you get a really good impression.
3. Sprinkle white embossing powder over the inked image and heat emboss.
4. Use the emboss resist technique on the heat embossed image. For this card I used Distress inks in 3 colors, from darkest to lightest: Fired Brick, Barn Door, and Worn Lipstick. I used the Ranger mini round ink blending tool to blend the colors working from the top of the cardstock down to the bottom to achieve a blended ombre look.

Next, I die cut the following:

1. A circle using SSS Stitched Circle die set (the largest one in the set) from vellum paper.
2. “Love You” sentiment from Stampin’ Up cardstock in Real Red. This was cut 3 times and then adhered on top of each other to give the sentiment dimension.
3. Different-size small hearts from the SSS Mini Hearts die set were cut 3 times as well and adhered on top of each for dimension.

The rest of the card was assembled as follows:

1. I glued the “love you” sentiment onto the vellum circle using my Zig glue pen.
2. The hearts and sequins were added around the sentiment using the Zig glue pen.
3. I glued the vellum circle to the dotted-background piece with small glue dots. The glue dots were placed on the back of the vellum, behind the hearts and sequins so they wouldn’t show through the vellum.
4. The finished card front piece was mounted on a 4.25” x 5.5” piece of red cardstock in the same color as that used for the sentiment and hearts.
5. This card front was then mounted onto and A2 top-folding, portrait-oriented card base.

Hope you like the card and hope you’ll want to join the SSS group on flickr as well.

Summary of Supplies used in making this card: Stamps: Hero Arts Pebble Pattern cling background stamp; Inks: Distress Ink in Fired Brick, Barn Door and Worn Lipstick; Dies: SSS Small Love You die, SSS Mini Hearts die set, SSS Stitched Circle die set; Cardstock: Neenah Solar white 110lb for card base; Bazzill 40lb Vellum; Stampin’ Up’s Real Red cardstock (used for matting, die-cut sentiment, and die cut tiny hearts); Other: Ranger Round Mini Ink Blending ; Hero Arts White Embossing Powder, Pretty Pink Posh Sequins (Sweetheart Blend), ZIG Two Way Fine Tip Glue Pen, Glue dots