First card for the Purple Team!

As mentioned late in 2014, I am now on the Purple Team for Eclectic Ellapu! We had January off, but the first challenge for 2015 starts on the 1st February! My team's theme is

Hearts and Roses

Now I don't personally celebrate Valentine's Day (nor does the Hubby) as it is not part of our traditions but I do love to see the work's of art created, and it is certainly now becoming a definite part of our marketing world, and therefore of the younger people.

So, I threw myself into the challenge!

I was influenced greatly by the work of Joanne Allison in Craft Stamper (Feb 2015) - the Big Reveal

In this technique (which Joanne says she saw in Splitcoast Stampers) there is a reveal where you take away the top paint layer to reveal what lies beneath in a mixed-media technique

I added an overprint with a mask into the wet paint as well

Firstly, I took a piece of white SU (Whisper White) card and stamped it using StaYZon black ink with a script stamp I have had for 5 years called EK Success - Image Tree.  I then used TH Brick Red distress ink and and covered the card with this over the ink. I then painted it over with Modge Podge and let it dry in the sun.  Yes, it was sunny - finally!

I die cut out some letters to spell the word,and put them on the card.Then I mixed up some green, white and gold acyrlic paints, and painted a layer reasonably thickly over the Modge Podge and the letters.  Again I let it dry in the sun! The gold paint gives it a shimmer.

Using an old plastic stencil of a heart, and some Dettol Instant Hand Sanatizer - in otherwise alcohol - and a tissue I wiped away the paint showing through the stencil. I probably rubbed it a bit hard - try to do it gently to keep the shine of the previous layer intact. I could have done this with the letters also except they were green anyway, so they got a final layer at the end in Wink of Stella - red. 

While the paint was a bit tacky, I laid a stencil on top and used a sheet of paper and a brayer to lightly press this into the paint. It was a Crafters Workshop mini piechart one.

The edges of the heart are not straight which is what I wanted - and the colour and writing show through. The texture from the stencil looks good too. I highlighted some of this later with some gold  Perfect Pearls. 

I used an SU stamp set called Happy Wanderer with TH black soot ink for the sentiment and an SU heart embossing folder for the base - SU card too. The card base is a commercial blank from Regal Press. The roses are from Prima, and the die cut is a freebie from a magazine. The reveal card is layered up also on some red card and gold mirror card. 

So why not go and see what is happening over at Electic Ellapu and start thinking creatively. 

You have a month to get an entry in!