It’s the first Challenge for the Create with Connie & Julie – Occasions Edition class.  Our challenge this week is a theme challenge – Valentines Day Cards.  During our preview week we are featuring the following products from the new Stampin’ Up! Occasions Mini Catalog: I (Heart) Hearts stamp set, I (Love) Love Wheel, and the Corduroy buttons. Here is my entry for this weeks challenge:

I used the I (Love) Love Jumbo Wheel – it was wheeled on the background of the card using VersaMark ink and covered with clear embossing powder and heat set with the heat tool.  This card features a heart shaped “window” that I made using sticky strip and clear micro beads.  You need the love bird image (from Love You Much stamp set) stamped in Black StazOn ink (except the heart color with a Real Red Stampin’ Write marker) and colored with an Aquapainter and Real Red ink on a piece of Whisper White card stock. To get the two shades of color – color the birds once with the  aquapainter and Real Red ink – let it dry and then go back over the wings again with more color until you have the desired shade.   Then you need the front of the window which is made with Basic Black card stock and the Heart from the Stampin’ Up! Punch Windows Magnetic Movers & Shapers die for the Big Shot.  I used the Movers & Shapers Curly Label Die and instead of cutting a full card I placed the Heart in the open area and covered it with the Black card stock.  The edges of the black square are distressed with the tool from the cutter kit.  Once you have these two pieces then you can create the window.

On the Whisper White card stock use Sticky Strip to cover the image – place the strips right next to each other to cover the entire image that will show through the punch out window.  Next place the Basic Black card stock piece on top of the white piece position so the image shows through the cut out as desired.  Place this inside a Powder Pal tray and sprinkle Clear Micro Beads on the window – pressing them into the sticky strip until it is completely covered.  Shake off any extra beads that didn’t stick.

To finish the outside of the card I added small dots with a White Gel Pen around the heart and in the corners.  In the top left corner of the black square I punched out with the Horizontal Slot punch and then tied a piece of the Red Polka Dot Ribbon through it.  Attach the square to the front of the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

To finish the inside of the card cut a piece of Whisper White card stock and punch with the Full Heart punch from the bottom corner.  While it looks like I stamped directly on the back of the card I actually stamped on an extra piece of Real Red card stock and glued it behind the window.  It was much easier to get it in the right place that way.  I added the dots with the Real Red Stampin’ Write marker.  The “love you much” is from the new Well Scripted stamp set and the small “LOVE” heart is from the I (Heart) Hearts stamp set both are stamped with Real Red ink.

To see what the rest of the team did with this challenge visit the Create with Connie & Julie site.  If you haven’t signed up for the class do it right away so that you’ll continue to have access to more wonderful ideas.

Thanks for stopping by today.  And you may have noticed I highlighted all the supplies in red instead of re-writing them as a list – I hope that’s ok.