Love Notes Distress Mixed Media Valentine Cards

Hello Everyone! Are you watching the Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Pencil LIVE right now?!! I am, and will surely watch the replay. I always learn so much more from watching the demo. I decided to make some Valentine Cards using the new stamp set Love Notes from Tim and Stamper's Anonymous in all Mixed Media style with a bunch of Ranger Tim Distress goodies, and finished them off with the ever important new Distress Watercolor Pencils as the icing on the Love Cake! Despite all the mediums used, without the Pencils these Valentine's would just be blah...you'll see what I mean below in the step outs. AND...I discovered how good the Pencils are with my favorite substrate Specialty Stamping Paper. Enjoy, and Happy Love Day to all of you! 

I intended to make a 12 x 12" masterboard at first, but I figured I could only make twelve 3 x 4" cards, so I opted for two sheets of 8.5 x 11" Specialty Stamping Paper to yield 18 cards (six of which are smaller in size due to me using all that I could). It can handle all the wet and heat you can pretty much give it and the stamping always looks so nice on it. I began by lightly misting both sheets with water and then alternating colors of Distress Spray Stain in Tattered Rose and Saltwater Taffy. Then I splatter on Lumberjack Plaid. I let this all dry naturally for a bit. 

I cut the two sheets into twelve 3 x 4" pieces and six 3 x 3". Placing the largest solid heart from the Love Notes set first into the middle of a card, I stamped with the new Scorched Timber Distress Ink on a stamp platform, and added half hearts on the sides, doing two cards at a time so that one half of a heart stamped on one and the other heart on the another to save time. (NOTE: Kept in mind that ink stays wet on SSP for a while, so let these dry overnight or hit them with a heat tool, and be careful touching them before.) Then I stamped the two little solid hearts using Picked Raspberry and Dusty Concord Distress Archival Ink. I also stamped the little XO in the Scorched Timber.

(I pounced over all the cards with an Anti-Static Pouch before embossing so that none of the powder would stick where I didn't want it. ) I stamped the large heart outline image in the Scorched Timber and poured Gold Embossing Powder over and heat embossed. Then I did the sentiment the same. 

The card bases I used precut and folded red cards and envelopes from the craft store that I had on hand in 4 x 5.5" size. I mounted Red Kraftstock to the front, inked with Scorched Timber. Then I cut Gold Kraftstock to go on next, but since the two card sizes are obviously different I tried to bridge the gap with Dina Wakley Washi Tape. I added one strip to the bottom of the gold for the long cards of the multi color dotted one, and two strips of the same for the 6 shorter ones. Then on the 6 shorter I cut a heart from the another design and added those. I cut brown Kraftstock that each card front will be mounted to. I inked the edges of everything in Scorched Timber as well. Using a Marvy Liquid Gold Fine Tip Marker, I outlined all the other hearts as well. 

Here is where the Distress Watercolor Pencils come into the mix. If you look at the left side of this picture, the two cards along the left side do not have colored in hearts. Although nice, they are boring and really needed color. I used Festive Berries and Lumberjack Plaid Distress Watercolor Pencils only to color in the hearts as well as shade around the large heart using a Detail Waterbrush. Then I flicked some of the wet red color over for some dots of color. See close ups below to see the difference the Pencils made. Also, I discovered that the Pencils just glide over the SSP and absorb so well. You get a gorgeous soft suede matte look and I love that. I cannot think of any other Distress medium that would have worked as well as these Pencils to color in the hearts and over the Distress Ink on the middle large heart.

Left side no Distress Watercolor Pencils and the right side colored and flicked on. So much better, right?!!

And just to show you more....the left side large heart does not have the filled in red color or flicks of color and the right side does. A tremendous difference in appearance to me, with just two colors of Pencils!

Supplies:

(Water Mister, Splatter Brush, Stamping Platform, Paper Trimmer, Anti-Static Pouch, Heat Tool, Ink Blending Tool, Scissors, Two Sided Tape, Detail Water Brush)

 -Ranger Specialty Stamping Paper

 -Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain: Tattered Rose, Lumberjack Plaid, Saltwater Taffy

 -Stamper's Anonymous Tim Holtz Stamp Set: Love Notes

 -Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink:  Scorched Timber

 -Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Archival Ink: Picked Raspberry, Dusty Concord

 -Ranger Embossing Powder: Gold

 -Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Gold Kraftstock, Classic Kraftstock

 -Ranger Dina Wakley Media: Washi Tape Set 1, Set 1

 -Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Pencils: Festive Berries (Set 6), Lumberjack Plaid (Set 4)

 -Red Cards and Envelopes (3.5 x 5")

 -Marvy Uchida Deco Color Liquid Gold Extra Fine Marker 

 

Thank you so much for stopping by today, and for all the comments! I wish you all a wonderful Love filled day! Until next time, I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

Tim Holtz Sizzix Vault Series 1 2024 - Industrial Lovebirds Valentines in Pillow Boxes

Hello Everyone and Happy February! Time is flying by! Today, I have  two Valentine makes, made with the new Tim Holtz Sizzix Vault Series of Dies, the Pillow Box & Bag, Rosettes, Hippity Hop, and Lovebirds, all in a steamy industrial style. Enjoy!

 

Using Red Metallic Kraftstock I die cut two of the Faceted Hearts first and folded and attached them using two sided tape, then set them aside. I also die cut two medium flat hearts and four of the small flat hearts, then set them aside. I die cut the perching bird from Gold Kraftstock, and the other perching bird from Silver Kraftstock, and set those aside. Using more Red Kraftstock, I die cut four of the Pillow Box pieces but turned the red to the inside so that the Kraft would be showing on the outside of the boxes. Using the card die from the Pillow Box set, I centered it on the front of a Pillow Box and die cut it to make a window, and did the same with the another box. I saved the the two red/kraft pieces for another project. Then taking a piece of Gold and Silver Kraftstock about 3 x 4 inches, I die cut the centers of each with the same card die, and this time saved the outer frame parts for the next part.

I cut a piece of Red Kraftstock and die cut just one Pillow Box from it, and trimmed off the folded parts to create just the center shape, times two.  I lightly misted with water, and placed this into the larger Mechanics 3D Texture Fade and embossed, and repeated with the other.  I used the smaller Mechanics Fade to emboss both birds and both frames. I used the small Foundry 3D Texture Fade to emboss both card pieces. Then I took all the flat hearts, faceted hearts, birds, frames, card pieces, and center Pillow Box pieces, and coated all these with Black Soot Distress Paint, waited about a minute, and then rubbed the paint off with a paper towel, leaving the paint in the recessed areas and borders to really reveal the embossed images. I let all these pieces dry.

Once all the pieces were dry, I inked the edges of everything with Vintage Photo Archival Ink. Using Collage Medium I adhered the small hearts to the corners of each card to look like a playing card, then punch tiny holes in the center of each, and placed a Tiny Fastener in each and secured them in place. I mounted the cards on slightly bigger Metallic Kraftstock (gold for the silver and silver for the gold), rounded the corners, and mounted these on Black Kraftstock, rounding those corners. I adhered the faceted hearts on with Collage Medium, and then the birds with foam tape. I selected Metallic Stickers for the sayings and added those. Then I set the cards aside.

I adhered the red gear pillow box backs to the back of the back side of the pillow box pieces. I inked the edges of all four of the pillow boxes with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink, and lightly misted them with water for a more distressed look. I cut two pieces of clear packaging (from a stamp set) just a little bigger than the window openings. I flipped the pieces with the openings over and added very then skor tape around the border of the opening, removed the backing and adhered the packaging piece to create the window. I flipped the front piece over, and secured the frame in place around the opening with more skor tape. I die cut the letters from more Metallic Kraftstock with skor tape already behind and secure those in place (one going horizontal and one vertical). I punched a tiny hole in the middle of the medium heart and added the gear to it with a Tiny Fastener and then secured it in place with the Collage Medium. Then using wider skor tape, I affixed the two pillow box pieces together, and propped them open to make the gentle folds on the opening pieces, and placed the cards inside. 

Supplies:

(Paper Trimmer, Die Cut Machine, Die Pick, Ink Blending Tool, Scissors, Two Sided Tape, Corner Rounder, Water Mister, Mini Hole Punch, Foam Tape)

-Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Metallic Colors Kraftstock, Metallic Classics Kraftstock, Black Kraftstock, Tiny Fasteners, Mini Gears, Metallic Sticker Book

-Sizzix Tim Holtz Thinlits (Vault Series 2024): Vault Pillow Box & Bag, Vault Rosettes, Vault Lovebirds, Vault Hippity Hop

-Sizzix Tim Holtz 3D Texture Fade: Mechanics, Mini Mechanics, Mini Foundry

-Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Paint: Black Soot

-Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink:  Gathered Twigs

-Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Archival Ink: Vintage Photo

-Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Collage Medium: Matte

-Clear Plastic Packaging

 

I'll be back again soonish, as I'm in full Valentine mode. Thank you so much for stopping by. Until next time, I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!