Tipsy Hearts Valentine

Happy Tuesday!  It's Teapot Tuesday time at Splitcoast Stampers, and this week's challenge asks us to make a card using a black-and-white combination on a Valentine in the form of spots, dots, patterns, etc.  I love using black and white, but find myself always wanting to sneak in a pop of red!  

Here's my card:

I think I'm on a Clean and Simple (CAS) kick this week!  I really like the uncluttered look of this style.  I started by die cutting my hearts from patterned paper.  The patterned paper is pretty thin, so I also die cut some chipboard and adhered it to the paper.  Using a black marker, I colored the edges so the "kraft" color of the chipboard wouldn't be seen on the card.  I covered the patterned paper with Versamark using the direct-to-paper method, added clear embossing powder and heat embossed it to give the hearts a shiny finish.  I die cut another heart from a piece of heavyweight white card stock, stamped my sentiment, then inked around the heart with the black marker.

I used my Big Shot to emboss a piece of red card stock with a Texturz plate, then wrapped my ribbon around the red panel.  I attached the red panel to the card base and adhered my hearts using foam tape to add dimension.  For extra support, I added a white liner to the inside panel and stamped it with two small hearts.

Here's a closer look at the hearts and textured background:

I'd like to share a couple of money-saving tips that helped with this card:

Sentiment: I needed a sentiment that would fit inside the small heart on this card but had difficulty finding one.  The "for you" sentiment I found is actually part of a larger stamp that has an image beneath the words. To use just the words, I covered the rest of the stamp with a piece of paper and inked up just the words I wanted to use, then removed the paper "mask" and stamped my sentiment.  This is a great way to get extra use out of stamps (and avoid having to buy extra sentiments).  

Chipboad: You can buy chipboard at craft stores, but you can also find a lot of it around your home.  Since I knew I'd be covering up the chipboard with paper, I used a cereal box for my chipboard.  Once you start looking for it, you can find chipboard all over the place!   Another "free" source of chipboard is the piece that's often inserted into your shopping bag (to keep your paper from bending) when you purchase patterned paper at craft stores and hobby stores. 

I'm also entering two other challenges with this card:  'ABC' Challenges asks us to make Valentine's Day cards, and Addicted to CAS gave us the code word "heart".  If you want to play along with these challenges, click on the links to join in the fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

Products Used:

Stamp: Fun Filled (Stampin' Up!)
Paper: Small Black Dots (Recollections); Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb. card stock (Neenah); 
black card stock, red card stock (unknown)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Versamark (Tsukineko)

Tools and Accessories: Big Shot (Sizzix); Hearts, Tipsy (Sizzix); Crush On You Texturz Texture Plate (Sizzix); clear embossing powder (Mrs. O'Leary's); ribbon (Celebrate It Basic-Basic 1 1/2 inch)