Art From the Heart

Hi everyone, today I would like to share the results of a little playtime I had with some recently purchased AALL & Create stamps, incorporating a couple of techniques from recent Tracy Evans snippets videos, but with no specific outcome in mind.  This design just sort of developed organically as I was going along, and isn't for any particular occasion but hopefully will be suitable to enclose some ATC's when I trade them!

I wanted to do something with my Elongated Hearts stencil, and originally wanted to try Tracy's technique of masking with the gelli plate; but that wouldn't work for me as my gel plate is 6" square and this heart is too big for that ... it needs to go onto a 7" x 5" card. Therefore I created a paper heart stencil template and mask for the largest stencil heart, and used the stencil to blend Distress Oxide to create a soft smudgy heart. I stamped some flowers through the paper template (to enable me to stamp to the edge of the stencil shape, as a mylar stencil is too thick to allow that). At that point I had a lot of white space on the card, so I filled it with two stamped heart/flower images, and coloured the flowers on each one with Distress watercolor pencil and Spectrum Noir sparkle pen. I added a little grey background stamping in the corners, then stamped my wording onto separate card, coloured with DOX, edged in black and attached. Still I couldn't leave it alone, so I added a little background splodginess with grey DOX on acetate, replacing my heart mask beforehand but still managing to get some on my sentiment - all part of the grungy effect, right?? Finally I matted the finished piece simply onto black linen card stock and a 7" x 5" card blank.

Stamps: AALL & Create #896 Forget Me Not, #304 Heartfelt, #906 Art Notes; sentiment - Indigo Blu Sarah's Choice;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Picked Raspberry, Lost Shadow, Hickory Smoke); Distress Watercolor Pencils (Picked Raspberry); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist); Spectum Noir Sparkle pen (clear); white gel pen;

Tools: AALL & Create stencil #156 Elongated Hearts.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Crafting Happiness #143 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Creatalicious #261 - Anything Goes

DL.Art (June) - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Lost Coast Portal to Creativity #169 - Use Some Words - WINNER

Love to Craft #74 - Anything Goes

Paper Funday #54 - Anything Goes with option No Squares Allowed

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Lots of Layers

Sweet Stampin' - Pretty in Pink - TOP 3

Use Your Stuff #486 - Flowers (2nd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #599/600 - Anything Goes (4th entry)

I'm also entering this project into Tracy Evans' FB group challenge "Use a Heart".

Hope everyone is coping ok with the heatwave we are having. Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,