... How to art....?

If you remember, please let me know, I have forgotten. I need a Valentines card. I really, nearly, I mean it was in my hand, bought a card for DH last week at the grocery shop. January has been a helluva month - EU law compliance, tax month, the WMS sale, school visits, (my middle chick is moving to big school this year) but I baulked at the idea of paying an actual 5 pound note for a mass produced card, I mean I have every craft tool under the sun, I have cardstock by the acre, what the hell was I thinking? (btw for your information, NO handmade Christmas cards escaped Casa Brennan this year, not one.)

I don't know if it was embarrassment that kicked in, I can't claim that it was artistic pride, but I couldn't do it. I have to make DH a card.

Thing is, I sometimes forget how to art. Six years ago I'd a stamped myself a bit of patterned paper, cut out a label shape, slid a bit of ribbon across the centre, popped a sentiment on the label and stuck it right smack dab in the centre. Job done.

Card making has evolved a little since then and there's a move towards what I like to call 'Art cards' folks all over the planet are watercolouring, zentanglng, hand lettering, foiling - it looks fabulous and I'll be right out to join you, soon as I finish my homework. In the meantime, here's a little number it only took me 3 days to put together....  in between Tax returns and other glamorous admin tasks..... bet you envy me...

So for my 6.5 by 4.5 inch card, I used the Zig Zag Bacgrounder - I swiped a teal coloured ink pad rather randomly across it and then spritzed with green inky water, I smoothed some watercolour paper down on that and peeled it off to reveal a suitably arty background. I used the My Heart dies to cut the heart shapes and coloured two of them with watercolours. The smaller heart at the top was also stamped with a knitted texture from Faux Fun and the middle heart was clear embossed with a stamp from My Heart Stamp set before being watercoloured. I added some vellum into the bottom heart, and mounted all over some sequins that I just glued on randomly. The wooden word was from a pack of wooden words I found at a 'The Works' store last week. Their budget crafting items are quite good sometimes. The wee shiny gold heart at the top was die cut from a larger sequin using the heart grommet die from Folding tags die set.