Love Ya with all my Texas HEART - The evolution

I had fun putting this "Love" card together.  But it didn't start our smoothly. 

Try #1

 I really wanted to heat emboss the stamp on my Texas Silhouette Studio File that I traced from an impression of the Texana Designs Texas outline stamp.  I got out my heat gun, Versamark, and embossing powder.  I decided to emboss it with gold embossing powder and go a completely different direction with this card.

So I cut out some Texas die-cuts and completed the embossing.  NOTE: my heat gun worked just fine.

Try #2

The next morning I was looking through my patterned paper scraps and found a piece of damask that matched my Kraft card stock, but it had a little red distressing on it. I believe it was from Karen Foster Designs. I really liked the paper so I decided to change from Gold embossing to Red embossing. 

 I decided to get an early start before the grandboys arrived.  I stamped the versamark on the first die-cut and got it crooked.  OOPS.  I will start over, but about that time their daddy's Jeep pulled into the driveway so I went to meet them.

Try #3

Later in the day, I had a break when the boys were occupied with cartoons, so I snuck into my studio to try again.  I got several diecuts stamped with the Versamark and was successful.  About that time Adler came into the room and said, "I wanna stamp Gammi."  

We got out a BIG piece of butcher paper, some soccer stamps, and a GREEN ink pad because GREEN is Adler's favorite color.  Tate joined us and we stamped.  We stamped on the paper and we stamped on our BODIES.

Busy Stamping

Tate liked to stamp upside down

Adler liked to stamp his fingerprints

And his handprints

And his toeprints

And then we had to take a BATH. And Adler was excited about the GREEN water.

NOW Back to the card making.....

As I mentioned before, I had already sucessfully stamped the Versamark on the cards, so I went ahead and put on the embossing powder. When I flicked the paper to get the excess sprinkles off, most of the stamped image came off.  The ink was just too dry.  What was I thinking?  :)

Try Number 4:

I cut new die-cuts, stamped with Versamark, sprinkled on the Red embossing powder, and turned on the heat gun.  I said I turned on the heat gun....WHAT!!!!  I looked at the switch and yes it was on....but no heat, no air.  I have a dedicated plug in my studio for things like heat guns and irons so I thought maybe I had thrown the breaker.  Went and checked it....all was fine.  I plugged the heat gun into another outlet.  Still no heat, no air.  Well I guess I will walk away for awhile.

Try #5 - Sucess

Heat embossing was out....so I got out my red pigment ink and used it to stamp.  I used pigment ink because it gives a richer color that dye based inks or distress inks.  I stamped the image and was pleased with the outcome.  I laid the stamped diecut on the

Sandwich for Cuttlebug -  A PLATE, Ten Seconds Studio Texture Plate, Kraft Card  stock, Spellbinders Tan Embossing Mat, and B Plate

Perfectly Embossed image

Red pigment Ink Pad to Color raised areas of embossing

After creating all the elements I searched through my sentiment stamps and found TX044 Love ya with all my Texas heart.  I liked it so I stamped it on white card stock with the same red pigment ink.  I trimmed the card stock and inked the edges with the same red ink.

In laying out all the elements of the card Texana Designs Mini Barbed Wire Heart came to mind.  I held it up to the Texas outline and it fit perfectly in the center.  How appropriate for the Sentiment I chose.

THE FINISHED CARD

SUPPLIES USED:
TX023m BW Heart mini
TX033 Texas (Medium)
TX044 Love ya with all my Texas heart.
Red Pigment Ink
Scrap of patterned Paper
Kraft Card Stock
4 1/4 x 5 1/2 card blank
Ten Seconds Studio Texture Plate
Cuttlebug
Silhouette Studio Cutting File (KALDesign TX033 Texas (Medium).studio) Click on this link.  All my silhouete files are available by following the link on the sidebar.
Spellbinders Tan Embossing Mat.