Laurel Tree Design Co: Copper Valentine!

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, I've been working on a variety of cards celebrating love and friendship. This is one of my favorites so far, so I thought I'd share how I made it.

Materials:

Not all materials for this card are from Stampin' Up! If they are, you'll see SU beside it and you'll find links below the instructions to purchase them. If they're not from Stampin' Up!, I've mentioned the manufacturer here; stores like Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Joann's, or Walmart or online at Amazon, Scrapbook.com, Maymaymadeit.com, etc. carry these items.

Card Base (SU): Whisper White (heavy) – 8 ½” x 5 1/2”

First Layer (SU): Basic Black – 5 ¼” x 4”

Top Layer (SU): Copper Foil – 3 ¾” x 3”

Sentiment (SU): Basic Black – 3 ½” x 2”

Inside First Layer (SU): Basic Black – 5 ¼” x 4”

Inside Top Layer (SU: Whisper White – 5” x 3 ¾”

Ink (SU): VersaMark Embossing Ink

Stamp Set (SU): Sealed with Love

Embossing Folder: Cricut Cuttlebug Cross my Heart

Thinlet Die: Hero Arts Stamp and Cuts Love

Embossing Powder: Ranger Super Fine Copper

Ribbon (SU): Metallic 3/8" Ribbon - Gold

Other Supplies (SU): Snail adhesive, Tear and Tape adhesive, Embossing Buddy

Other Supplies: Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares, Flatback Pearls (black 3mm), and Ranger Stickles glitter glue (Cinnamon)

Instructions:

1. Create the card base by scoring the 8 ½” x 5 1/2” whisper white cardstock at 4 ¼” (A2 size card).

2. Run the copper foil cardstock through your die-cutting/embossing machine (Big Shot, Cuttlebug, etc) using the Cross my Heart embossing folder.

3. Place the embossed piece in the center of the 5 ¼” x 4” black cardstock and adhere it using snail adhesive.

4. Cut a piece of the metallic ribbon long enough to lay horizontally along the black cardstock with enough extra to be able to tuck it around the underside of the black cardstock (approx. 6”).

Attach it to the back of that cardstock with tear and tape adhesive. Once attached, adhere the entire layered stack to the card base using snail adhesive.

5. Create a simple bow by cutting another small piece of the metallic ribbon and tying it around the ribbon already adhered to the base. Keep it to the left side of the card. Trim the edges at an angle.

6. Create the sentiment using the ‘love’ die from the Hero Arts Stamp and Cuts Love set.

Be sure to run it through the Big Shot several times and use a shim if it’s not cutting all the way through. Punch out all the cut pieces from the die-cut piece.

7. Using the Stickles glitter glue like a pen, ‘write’ along the surface of the die cut sentiment. You can make the Stickles as thick or as thin as you like. Depending on the thickness, it could take quite a while to dry (I let mine dry overnight before adhering it to the card).

Use 3d foam adhesive squares cut into very small pieces to adhere the sentiment onto the copper piece. Place it over the ribbon. I used black 3D foam squares so they blended more; if you use the Stampin' Up! white ones, you can always color them black with a marker before sticking them on the die-cut.

8. To finish off the card front, glue a black flatback pearl at each corner of the copper embossed piece.

Now for the inside…

8. Run your embossing buddy over the 5” x 3 ¾” white cardstock, this will prevent stray embossing powder from sticking when you heat set the embossing powder. Using VersaMark ink, stamp the ‘Happy Valentines Day’ stamp from the Sealed with Love stamp set in the middle of the cardstock.

9. Sprinkle copper embossing powder over the stamped sentiment and set it using a heat gun. If you put scrap paper underneath the cardstock when you sprinkle the embossing powder, you can easily tap the excess powder onto the scrap and then back into the container. This keeps you from wasting the powder. I used Ranger brand embossing powder here, but Stampin' Up! makes a fantastic copper powder, too!

10. Finally, attach the paper with the sentiment to the remaining black cardstock with snail adhesive; then adhere those layers to the inside of the card base.