Valentine-Rock the Red at Emerald Creek Dares

Welcome friends and visitors! It's time for a new challenge at Emerald Creek Dares, and this month we would love to see you 'Rock the Red'! I think that leaves you wide open--just be sure you rock your red! Valentine's Day immediately comes to mind when I think of the color red. Rarely do I use red in my work any other time of the year except at Christmas. When I first saw Emerald Creek Craft Supplies' Fresh Picked Rose, I knew it would adorn my first Valentine's card this year!

The beautiful Fresh Picked Rose image was inked with Olive Archival ink on Mixed Media card one time and a second time with Vesamark embossing ink and heat embossed with Candy Red Embossing Powder. I colored the blossom of the embossed image with Distress Candy Apple ink and a water pen coloring outside the line on purpose. The rose inked in Olive was colored with Distress inks and a water pen (Candy Apple, Peeled Paint and Mowed Lawn), again coloring outside the lines on purpose. I swiped on Distress Glaze leaving areas that I wanted to look like blue sky free of the glaze. Lastly I blended on Broken China ink and dried with a heat tool. I loosely fussy cut the entire rose inked in Olive and just the blossom of the heat embossed image, and layered the blossom with foam adhesive tape. I like the vintage water color look  achieved by using the glaze and coloring outside the lines.

Three  Antique copper Heart brads (also available in silver or as a mix of the two) were enameled using Ranger Emboss It Dabber and the Candy Red embossing powder. Love these! I nipped off the prongs and adhered the hearts to my card. I added some die cuts to complete my focal image.

I colored the Linked Hearts Charm with Watermelon alcohol ink, and adhered. The seam binding I got from my Mom's stash last weekend (this is really old!) was dyed with Tumbled Glass Distress stain and got a touch of pink from my inky red hands! A Chit Chat sticker saves the day with a simple sentiment backed with red card.

To make the backmost panel, I inked the Kimilese stamp with Fired Brick and Barn Red Distress inks and misted with water. I stamped this onto my card and dried it partially. I spritzed the stamped card with water to loosen up the color even more in random areas and dried thoroughly. I applied Distress Glaze randomly in areas I knew would show around the focal panel, and inked with Distress Broken China, and spritzed and dried again for those little water spots I love. It's looks a little bit of a mess here, but it's mostly covered up anyway.

Here's the how-to:

To make the hearts background, I started by tracing the large Hearts Layering stencil on a piece of Mixed Media card and cut it out. (In retrospect, I should have used this kind of paper on the back panel, too--it takes the water much better.) I do this so I can easily replace my stencil in the proper position for additional steps. I taped my stencil in place on the paper and brayered  Distress Picket Fence paint on the Kimilese stamp. I stamped the image two times down the length of the stencil, re-applying the paint on the stamp each time. I removed the stencil and set the tag aside to dry thoroughly. Be sure to wash your stamp and stencil immediately. 

When the paint is dry, I replaced the stencil and blended Distress Candy Apple ink through it. (You can see why cutting your paper to the size of your stencil makes it easier to realign the stencil. The paint is white, making it difficult to see where you stamped.) I remove the stencil and dry, then wipe the ink away from the hearts with a paper towel.  This leaves a little bit of a ghost image behind on the hearts.

Next, I spritzed the still inked stencil, flip it over and re-apply it to the panel, pressing down with a clean paper towel to transfer what's left of the ink to the tag. Remove the stencil and dry the panel immediately with a heat tool. Please forgive my bad photo below. I had to jump back into my Closet to do the messy part, but Blogger also added that line down the middle of the photo and will not let me make proper margins on this text either.

Last, I trimmed the tag to fit my card, edged with Distress Candy Apple ink and heat embossed with Red Sparkle embossing powder.

 Here are the products used that are available at Emerald Creek Craft Supplies:

Emerald Creek Supplies

Freshly Picked Rose Stamp

Kimilese Stamp

Candy Red Embossing Powder

Red Sparkle Embossing Powder

Linked Hearts Charms

Heart Brads

Other products used also available at Emerald Creek

Distress Inks, Paint and Stain

Ranger Emboss It Dabber

Tim Holtz Hearts Layering Stencil

That about does it for today! I hope this card inspires you in some little way to get red and inky and join our 'Rock the Red'  Dare at Emerald Creek Dares! Please stop by the blog if you get a minute to see all the amazing ways my teamies have rocked the red! Remember to join in the fun--you have an entire month and there is an generous Emerald Creek gift voucher for the winner and a generous shop discount to the runners up!

I would like to add my card to the following challenges:

Frilly and Funkie-Be My Valentine?

-Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge #156-Red and/or Pink with Ribbon or Trim

DL Art Thankful Thursday Challenge #197-"Anything Goes"

-As You Like It- Your Favorite Flower and Why Roses are my favorite flower because of their beautiful shape and elegant look. They come in many colors and some have the most fabulous perfume! I don't like their thorns or how difficult they are to grow, so I prefer mine from the flower shop and on paper!

Southern Girls Retro Challenge-Smash That Stash-Buttons and/or Brads-brads

-Crafty Cardmakers #181-Love, Love, Love

Love to Scrap Challenge LTSCB #94- Who Loves You, Baby!

Fashionable Stamping Challenge #119- Winter or Spring

Allsorts Week 400-Let's Celebrate! I'm celebrating Valentine's Day!

Your Next Stamp #56 Sketch and Color Challenge I used red, pink and green.

Thank you for stopping by today, and for all your amazing comments!

Hugs and Blessings!

Sara Emily