Queen of Hearts

My, how time flies!  This tag was supposed to be for the Simon Says Stamp and Show Kings & Queens challenge, but alas, it's past the deadline.  I think if I had 4-6 more hours in each day I might actually get some things accomplished...maybe even caught up!  LOL!

Anyway, I'm thinking of using this Queen of Hearts tag as a Valentine.  I know plenty of people who appreciate  an artistic tag!

Some Details:

• I had a heck of a time figuring out how to color our royal highness to match the papers without looking garish.  Finally, I realized the key is to keep it simple.  Instead of starting with neutral card stock, I used Stampin' Up! Ruby Red and highlighted the embossed areas with Barn Door and Black Soot Distress Inks.  For some crown "jewels", I added some Fired Brick Distress Stickles and a stamped crown colored with Distress Stain and accented with Rock Candy Distress Stickles.

• "Love" is part of the patterned paper, but to make it stand out against the background, I added Glossy Accents to the letters and Walnut Stain Distress Stickles to the border.

• Glossy Accents and some foam tape really make these hearts "pop"!

• Who says that doilies always have to be white?  I really wanted to incorporate a doily into this tag, but obviously, a bright white one was not working with my distressed color palette.  So, I experimented.  I used Pumice Stone Distress Stain as the base color, then applied layers of various neutral Distress Inks, then finally, some Black Soot Distress Ink with a foam ink blending tool.  I didn't think I needed another black ink pad, but my sister convinced me that she uses Black Soot all the time and so I finally purchased this color a few months ago.  She was right (don't tell her!), I use it much more than I thought I would.

Challenges:

Catered Crop: Hearts

Come and Get it Challenges: Love

Crafting When We Can Challenges: #11 - Valentine / Love

Supplies:
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up! ‘Ruby Red’; manila tag
Pattern Paper: My Mind’s Eye Lost & Found ‘Union Square’, ‘Market Street’
Stamps: My Mind’s Eye Lost & Found Rosy ‘Everything’, Breeze ‘Dream’
Inks: Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’, ‘Black Soot’, ‘Tea Dye’, ‘Barn Door’; StazOn ‘Jet Black’; Distress Stain ‘Brushed Corduroy’, ‘Pumice Stone’; SU! craft ‘Ruby Red’, ‘Creamy Caramel’
Embellishments: paper baking doily; Distress Stickles ‘Rock Candy’, ‘Walnut Stain’, ‘Fired Brick’; Papertrey Ink baker’s twine; Tim Holtz texture fade ‘Queen of Hearts’; Glossy Accents
Tools: scallop scissors; TH paper distresser; Wondertape; Sizzix Texture Boutique; foam tape