Key To My Heart {Maker Forte}

 Hello crafty friends! I will be sharing a couple of masculine Valentine cards today. I used one of the new stamp releases called “Under Lock and Key".

I love this stamp set. It is fabulous for masculine or vintage cards. Do you ever get stuck making masculine anniversary or birthday cards? Valentine’s Day you can get away with reds and pinks, but if you are looking for a more vintage card, this tutorial will help you out.

I began by smooshing Frayed Burlap Distress ink on my glass mat. I spritzed it and the watercolor paper with water. 

Next, I smooshed the cardstock into the ink. I dried it completely with my heat gun and did the same thing with Speckled Egg Distress ink, drying it well after smooshing. ( The picture shows Antique Linen, but I skipped that color.)

Then, using my Misti Stamp Platform and Smoosher Tool, I stamped the Under Lock and Key stamp on the cardstock using the new Flat White Color Hive ink. 

As you can see, I do not have my cardstock against the side. I used Sticky Grid sheets to keep the cardstock in place. This is a time when using a Misti is really important. After I stamped the image with the Flat White Color Hive ink, I cleaned the stamp and stamped it again with Clear Embossing Color Hive ink. Then, I embossed it using clear embossing powder.

Once I embossed the panel, I blended Flat White ink around the outer edges to darken it a little. Then, using layered heart dies from my stash, I cut the heart out of the panel. Because I wanted to have the “Key to My Heart” theme to my card, I made sure I lined it up so the word ‘Key’ was in the top of the heart. Then, I cut out Eclipse Black cardstock using the next size up in the layered heart die. 

I adhered the panels to card bases using Eclipse Black cardstock and I also adhered the layered hearts. Then, I added foam tape to the back of the hearts. I stamped the sentiment “All my Love” from the “Grateful To You” stamp set on a strip of cardstock that was extra from ink smooshing. Next, I punched a hole in one end of the sentiment and cut a flag in the other. Using twine from my stash, I made a bow and attached it to a key charm and the sentiment. To finish off the card, I adhered the bow and trinkets to the card panel. One of the cards, I added a few enamel dots to the bottom as well.

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial today! Thank you for stopping by and I will see you next time! 

Kimberly