CCC #7: You Hold the Key

Happy New Year!
We're back from holiday break and the theme for our seventh two-week Creative Cutting Challenge is "Valentine's Day - Not a Card".  Click here to check out the creative inspiration from our Design Team and join the challenge.  Even if you don't use SVG files yet, you will find some great ideas from these talented ladies!

I love making Valentine's Day crafts.  Something about all the red and pink and hearts and glitter takes me back to making my Valentine "mail box" out of a shoe box or paper bag back in elementary school...those were the days!

I went a little "grungy" with this heart locket.  There was so much ink involved, I actually snapped on the ol' latex gloves.

The Details:

• I started by cutting the heart locket from The Creative Pointe's "Valentine Hearts" SVG set out of cereal box cardboard.  It measures approximately 5" high.

• For the base, I used metallic Distress Stains, a little Starburst Spray, and some Walnut Stain Distress Ink to create a rustic metal look.  For a little more interest, and to keep up my resolution to include stamping on my projects whenever possible, I also added some French script in clear embossing over the top of the first inky layer.  For an even more corroded appearance, I used Tim Holtz's technique of flicking water onto the inked surface...this reactivates the Distress Inks and gives it a really cool effect.

• I sprayed the center inset piece with Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst Spray in Tiger Lily Red Orange.  I used Barn Door Distress Ink to deepen the red, then added a layer of Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint.  The crackle paint adds such depth to the color!
• Once the CP was dry, I antiqued the surface with a little Walnut Stain DI and added the "you hold the key" sections.
• I layered a sheet music image from The Graphics Fairy in the key hole and then glued the center inset piece to the base.

• Some hand-dyed seam binding in a crinkly, fluffy bow and a K&Co. key finish things off nicely.

Challenges:

The Graphics Fairy: Brag Monday #169

The Paper Players: Challenge #127 - Love Is in the Air

Simon Says Stamp & Show: Embrace the Old

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Papertrey Ink ‘Pure Poppy’ (backing)
SVG:	The Creative Pointe ‘Valentine Hearts’
Image:	The Graphics Fairy ‘Sheet Music Postcard’
Stamps:	Stampin’ Up! ‘French Script’
Inks:	Distress Stain ‘Brushed Pewter’, ‘Tarnished Brass’, ‘Aged Mahogany’; Lindy’s Stamp Gang Starburst Spray ‘Tiger Lily Red Orange’; Distress Ink ‘Barn Door’, ‘Walnut Stain’, ‘Festive Berries’; Top Boss embossing ink
Embellishments:	Zing embossing powder ‘Clear’; Distress Crackle Paint ‘Clear Rock Candy’; K&Co. metal art ‘Life’s Journey’; Hug Snug seam binding
Tools:	3M spray adhesive; Glossy Accents; Mister; heat gun; SCAL; Cricut Expression; foam brush; foam ink blending tool; tweezers
Misc:	Recycled cereal box