Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge - SSC138

Hi there! I'm so happy you stopped by today! We Stamping 411 operators were given a marvelous sketch to work with this week and I can't wait for you to see my card! I loved the layout so much that I also used it yesterday for my daughter's valentine card. You can see that post here.

For today's card, I turned the sketch on it's side - here is the original way:

And here is my card:

I got a little carried away with all the details on this one, but it was so fun to make and I just love how it turned out! It's funny, I don't know if I have a particular 'stamping style' - I seem to go from super vintage to very clean and simple, but most of the time, I really love what I make and I hope you do too!

Here are the details on this one, ok?
Kraft cardstock base, cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", folded to make an A2 card (4 1/4" x 5 1/2")
*Layer 1 - Naturals White cardstock - 1 3/4" x 5 1/4", torn and sponged with Close to Cocoa ink
*Layer 2 - Shades of Spring DSP - 1 3/4" x 5 1/4", edged with the Spiral Notebook punch, crumpled and sponged with Close to Cocoa ink
*2 pieces of Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, wrapped around the card front and secured under the focal point layer
*Kraft cardstock - 2 1/4" x 2 1/2"
*Certainly Celery cardstock - 2" x 2 1/4"
*Naturals White cardstock - 1 3/4" x 2"
*"F" letter is on Naturals White cardstock - details below

I used my Vintage Vogue stamp set for this card and started by stamping the vine randomly on the folded Kraft card base with Whisper White Craft ink. It was heat embossed with White Embossing Powder and my Heat Tool. I then lightly sponged Close to Cocoa ink all over.

For my focal image, I stamped the 'F' with Certainly Celery ink onto the Naturals White cardstock, then sponged and distressed that piece and the layers. Then I stamped it again using Whisper White Craft on Naturals White and heat embossed it with more White EP. I then brayered over it with Certainly Celery ink for an emboss resist effect, trimmed it out with my Paper Snips and sponged on a bit of Close to Cocoa before mounting it with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Next came the ribbon bow....

I've wanted to try this technique for ages and I finally got around to it here. I made my bow first then frayed the ends enough to find a string in the middle and pulled gently, creating the ruffle. When I first saw Shelli demo this from stage at convention, I thought "No way I'm going to ever do that!" but the more I saw it on other projects, the more I liked it and I think it's perfect for this particular card. Very frilly and feminine.
After I got the ruffle done, I just trimmed the ragged ends and attached the bow with Mini Glue Dots to the card.
For my final touch, I used my Color Spritzer and the Close to Cocoa marker to add speckles to the whole thing, ribbon and all. It may be a little over the top, but sometimes that's a good thing - like chocolate! :)

We at Stamping 411 would love it if you played along with us this week! The sketch is super accomodating for many different styles and images - so give it a try! Be sure to upload your project using the Mr. Linky widget provided on the Stamping 411 blog so we can see your artwork. We have a Stampers Showcase each Friday and you never know if you might be chosen for it - now wouldn't that be exciting?

Have a wonderful Valentine's weekend with your loved ones - be sure and tell them how much you love them and love having them in your life.
And don't forget the greatest love of all time - the love that Christ showed for us all when He gave himself as a sacrifice so that we might have eternal life. That is true love my friends - He loves you and so do I!

Blessings,
~~Robin