Be my Valentine with a Pretty Medallion

Although it is hard to believe that I have transitioned away from Christmas and on to Valentine’s Day, voila!!  I cannot believe it either…

But here is the confession…this is a lucky accident that turned into a process.  I first saw this card idea on June Dunn Pinterest post and it was just beautiful.   She used the Pretty Medallion background stamp, which is truly one of my favorites.  CASing it seemed like a good idea – so I did. 

But as I was working on the Blushing Bride version, it occurred to me that it could be a Valentine just as easily as it could be a Christmas card…which was the track I was stuck in.  Voila, my seasonal transition completed in record time (for me anyway).

I photographed the card and started the blog post, when I was interrupted by an email from Color Hues – the Color Challenge reminding me that I could submit a Light Pink and Gold card for the current competition that ends on January 14^th.

I love a good challenge – but color combinations are always a problem for me.  I just cannot see how to do them…until I realized that this beautiful Real Red Valentine could be a Blushing Bride Valentine just as well!  And that would be a wonderful way to CAS June’s original card!

The card cuts are few for this 5” x 7” card and here they are:

I like to get the heat embossing done first.  Using the Happiness Abounds stamp set, I embossed a rose on the Blushing Bride cardstock using Versamark Ink and the gold embossing powder from the Stampin’ Up! Metallics Embossing Powders collection.  (These are a great quality embossing powder, btw.)  I fussy cut the rose out but there is a die in the Happiness Abounds bundle.

I stamped the Pretty Medallion image on the Basic White Cardstock and heat embossed it in gold as well.  Once embossed, I used a Stampin’ Up! Blending Brush and Blushing Bride ink and lightly brushed the color on.  I started in the center of the medallion and brushed in a circular motion.  Ultimately the middle of the image was darker and the color became lighter and lighter as I reached the edges.

Of course, you could decide to stamp the Pretty Medallion on Blushing Bride cardstock and add highlights and low lights with the Blending Brushes just as well as my method.  Both will offer a soft texture to the design.

I then tore a strip out of the center of the Pretty Medallion.  The dimensions of the tear is a judgment call but my strip was approximately 1” – 1-1/4” wide.  I glued the top and bottom of the image to the Basic White Card Stock mat so that there is a white gap in the middle of the card.  Using the “Be my Valentine” sentiment from the Share a Milkshake stamp set in Blushing Bride ink, I placed the sentiment on the white field in the middle of the card.

The flower arrangement was started with the sprigs punched from the Bough Punch using some of the Gold Foil stock.  (BTW, I punched the gold sprigs from the Gold Foil mat.  The punched areas will never be noticed!)  I also decided to add some dimension on these sprigs by using my thumb nail to create a “vein” in each leaf.  It is very subtle but it really makes a huge difference in the look because of the way the light falls on these leaves.  Oh, and the Color Challenge allows the use of neutrals such as Kraft in the design.  So, I glued some of the Gold Foil sprigs face down so that the Kraft color backing would show – just for a bit of contrast.

I arranged the leaves and then placed the embossed rose image on top.  Take a look at the rose, though.  I used a very small blending brush – it is actually a tiny make up brush now repurposed – and Blushing Bride ink.  The ink color is a bit darker than the cardstock color and creates a shadowing effect.  It is an awesome trick!

I layered all of the pieces together and mounted the design to the Blushing Bride Card Base.  With Blushing Bride ink and a couple of stamps from the Happiness Abounds, I stamped the inside of the card and then mounted it inside.

But here’s the important part of the process.  I started the day without a plan for this blog post.  I actually had too many ideas and could not get started.  CASing June’s card got me started and focused.  But the real inspiration came from the Color Hues – the Color Challenge for this 2-week period.  I usually do not use only 2 colors.  I almost never use Kraft cardstock on anything.  Yet, answering this challenge with June’s inspiration did it for me!

The challenge may be found here:

I am so appreciative of these creative artists who come up with these challenges – and especially for this one as it got me “unstuck”.

Feeling like you just cannot complete a card?  Or that you are stuck making the same card over and over?  Try a challenge.  They will help create some boundaries to get your focus back.  Freedom is awesome – but sometimes it is just overwhelming!

Thanks for stopping in today!  If you are awed and impressed with my unbelievable ability to transition away from the Christmas season, please give me a high-five!  In this new, artistic venture of mine, that is always the place where I derail.  What else would you expect of a CPA – we’re lateral thinkers…

I will list the supplies that I used for this pretty Valentine – and hope that you might give it a try or at least find some inspiration from today’s post!