Elegant Blue Valentine

Elegant Blue Valentine (February Challenge)

by Lis Whiting

I've been using a lot of suede paper in my work lately.  Today's challenge card uses a royal blue suede paper and gold accents for a dramatic and elegant card.

I started with my base card which was white card stock. I thought this would really show off the blue suede paper.  Since I am working with an A2 card, I cut my suede paper to 4 inches x 4 3/4 inches. Then I used the Dazzling Diamond Border die from Frantic Stamper to die cut the border design at the bottom.  Then I used another die (also Frantic Stamper) to cut the window.  I really love this die!  I don't have to worry about making sure everything is straight because this one die cuts out all four windows with no problem! 

First, I turned over my blue suede paper and used Red Line Tape in 1/8 inch thickness (it fits perfectly between the window panes) to adhere a 3 inch x 3 inch piece of transparency to the back of the suede.

I used Bo Bunny and Carta Bella papers and punched 1 inch pieces (four) that I then glued to the back of the transparency - the pieces show through the front window. (I used the red line tape again). 

I attached the blue suede paper to my card and embellished with gold Dazzles stickers and a fleur de lis punch in gold foil.

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Products used:

• Frantic Stamper Dies
• Dazzling Diamond Border
• Precision Die - Series 1 (1 inch base) Four Up Square
• Martha Stewart Medium Punch Fleur de Lis
• SEI Suede Paper Ocean Blue
• Hot off the Press Dazzles Lacy Borders - Gold
• Bo Bunny Love Letters
  
• Carta Bella Beautiful Moments

Pink and White Punched Hearts Card

Pretty Spring Valentine

by Lis Whiting

This month;s challenge is a shape challenge!  And the shape is a heart!  I love making cards so I decided to make some 3-d embellishments in the shape of hearts for my card.  The embellishments are very easy to make.  Choose any heart shaped punch.  Choose your paper and make four (4) punches with it.  This technique works best if the right and left sides are about the same (lop-sided or unbalanced punch-outs will work but it will take a little but more fussiness to put them together).  Take your four punches and put them one on top of the other in a pile.  Fold them in half. You can fold vertically (which is most popular for hearts) but you CAN fold them horizontally or even diagonally if you want to.  Experiment!  Remember that the thicker your paper the more you want to fold carefully.  The goal is to have all folded exactly the same. 

• Now take the first two punches. Put glue stick on the back side of ONLY HALF of the one punch and match it to the same back side of the second punch.  Glue together.   
• Take the glued piece in your left hand, and place glue stick on the back of the second punch. Take the third punch and match the back of this to the second one. Glue together.
• Do the same for the third and fourth punch.

You should now have four punches glued together with half the back of punch one and four without glue. Lay these flat where you want them on your card and fan out.  Add glue to the back and attache to card.

I also used a Frantic Stamper lattice die and die cut the edge or my card and laced some ribbons through it to finish.

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Products used:

• Frantic Stamper Dies
• Dazzling Diamond Border
• Martha Stewart Punch Enchanted
• Anna Griffin Papers