It’s Sunday and time to reveal this week’s The Paper Players challenge. The talented Nance Leedy has prepared a sketch challenge for you. The moment I saw the sketch I thought it would be perfect for one of my favorite sets from the new Idea Book and Catalog, Valentine Love. Although this stamp would be lovely in a clean and simple style, I could not resist taking the vintage route with it. So out came the spritzer, the daubers, the seven-sided tool, as well as lace and pearls. I hope you enjoy “Love for the Players”. The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips: Easy Vintage
Achieving a vintage look is NOT difficult. It just takes time. But you will be surprised at how quickly you can master the steps!
Pearls, Curls, and Lace! The right embellishments can give any card the vintage touch! My favorite three are adding Basic Pearls, Crochet Lace Trim, and curling up a corner. How do I achieve those curls? I use the Round File from the Distressing Kit, and repeatedly roll and unroll the paper around it. This breaks down the fibers, allowing me to separate the layers.
- Distress! The Seven-Sided Tool, from the Cutter Kit is perfect for roughing up the edges of the paper. Finish with a quick zip-zip-zip using a Sponge Dauber and Soft Suede ink.
- Water spots and speckles! The Water Spot stamp from French Foliage is perfect for aging. I ink mine in either Crumb Cake or Soft Suede and stamp off a couple of times before stamping on the actual image. Of course, the Color Spritzer, combined with a Soft Suede Stampin’ Write Marker, is the work horse in the stable of vintage tools.
Emboss resist! This Cupid is a cutie-patootie when heat embossed with White Stampin’ Emboss Powder. A light watercoloring with a Blender Pen and Pink Pirouette ink, gives the look of an old hand-tinted photo. Dazzling Diamonds are the perfect finishing touches for wings, bow and sash.
Flag your sentiment! Just a snip is all it takes to transform your sentiment from “ho-hum” to “yum-yum”! Don’t you love the “love”? Score lines, 1/8th inch apart on both sides of the word, are folded to “pop” up the sentiment!
The Valentine Love set isn’t just for Valentine’s Day! I think you could make lovely wedding and anniversary cards with it, too. What do you think of today’s card? It could be headed your way if your comment is randomly selected. And remember, if you ever have a question about the cards that I create or the techniques I use, I am only am email away! Until next time…
Stamp Set: Valentine Love (W 122695, C 122697), French Foliage (W 120845, C 121166); Ink: VersaMark (102283), Soft Suede (115657), Pink Pirouette (111838), Crumb Cake (121030), Soft Suede Stampin’ Write Marker (120973); Designer Series Paper: Beau Chateau (122357); Card Stock: Naturals Ivory (101849), Pink Pirouette (111351); Tools: Distressing Kit (118762), Heat Tool (100005), Cutter Kit (106958), Sponge Dauber (102892), Stamping Sponges (101610), Paper Snips (103579), White Stampin’ Emboss Powder (109132), Big Shot (113439), Perfect Polk Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (117335), Brayer (102395), Color Spritzer Tool (107066); Glitz and Glam: Basic Pearls (119247), Chantilly Lace Crochet Trim (118480), Dazzling Diamonds (102023);
