Graphic 45 Steampunk Valentine

And the season of love is upon us!  I am not all that much of a card maker, but I am always up for the challenge of designing for Graphic 45.  

I have even made a snapguide outlining how I made this card if you are looking for a little more in depth inspiration.

Check out How to Make an Altered Masculine Valentine Card by Rhea Freitag on Snapguide.

One of my favorite elements was using my Dymo labeler.  I had forgotten I even had the thing!

Another secret in this card was my use of the Graphic 45 washi tape, see the snapguide for how I put this to use to make the card nice and sturdy to hold all the metal elements.

Cheers to you this Valentine's Day!

Rhea

Sweet Sentiments Valentine Wreath

This project started out with a wooden wreath base I picked up at a local garage sale. I am always on the hunt for things with flat surfaces which can be easily altered or adorned with paper.   With the heart motif, it was destined to be altered with Graphic 45's Sweet Sentiments just in time for Valentines Day.  

Sweet Sentiments Heart Wreath

Sweet Sentiments 12x12 paper

May Arts Ribbon

Petaloo Flowers

Distress Ink and Stain in Tea Dye

Adhesive

Wooden Heart Wreath Base

Gesso

To create a nice base I painted on a layer of gesso and once it was dry, I aged it with Distress Stain in Tea Dye.  The paper was added in layers that were stitched together on a sewing machine.  I am not a seamstress by any means, but I do like to add thread as a design element from time to time. 

In order to make the edges of my central image disappear, I fussy cut small elements and camoflagued the edge.  This little trick makes such a huge difference.

Another trick used in this project was to age my ribbons from May Arts.  The ribbon was pink and white to start out.  I thought it was a bit too stark, so I simply wet the ribbon and then added some distress stain.  I love how the aged look really pulls it all together! 

So the next time your shopping around a garage sale or estate sale, be sure to keep your mind open to finding fun things to alter. 

Cheers, 

Rhea

Steampunk Valentine

I was inspired to make this card because of my new design team appointment with Xyron.  With the Valentine holiday right upon us, I decided to go with that theme.  Of course I had to put a bit of a steampunk twist on it, and here is what I came up with. I used 1/4 inch (6mm) Double Sided Tape and it worked like a dream, getting the edges perfectly.

My chosen paper was Steampunk Spells paper by Graphic 45, how cool that this Halloween paper can double for an edgy valentine.  I embossed some foil card stock I had on hand and altered it with Vintaj Patina, Liquid Pearls and a black acrylic paint wash.

Inside I added some of the Kraft Reflections paper along with some stickers and layered paper from the 6x6 patterns and solids, also from the Steampunk Spells line.

On the front I also added some stampings from Graphic 45 along with some of Tim Holtz's numeral rub ons. Metal corners I found in my stash help to ground and frame the card.

Another little secret, I actually used the back of the paper pack that is printed with the awesome gears and flowers, as a layer in this matte.  I just could not let that awesome imagery go to waste. Thanks for stopping by!  I truly hope you found at least tid bit of inspiration.

Cheers, 

Rhea