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!