by Penny Bearcroft
The free plate of stamps that should be dropping through your letterbox in the next few days has Valentine’s in mind, although the main heart image could be used for any occasion. Also included on the plate are a cluster of stars, a couple of tiny texts, and some squiggly accents to complement your projects. We have made up a special kit, so that you can get started on these gorgeous cards right away.
We used:
Hearts and stars
 Step by step: - Cut and fold a C6 card from the pearlescent lavender card.
- Cut a piece of mirror card to cover half the front of the C6 card and trim the edge with deckle scissors.
- Cut a piece of pink vellum slightly narrower, deckle trim the edge and stamp with the ‘Treasured Heart ‘ text, using the Pretty Petunia ink. Add some stars and swirls, using both inks.
- Attach the mirror card as shown and then add the vellum, using tiny dots of glue behind the images. Add pink pearls to the corners.
- Stamp the heart on to lilac card and also onto clear shrink plastic using the Eggplant ink. Cut out both hearts and punch a small hole in the top of each one. Shrink the clear heart using a heat tool.
- Dip the lilac heart edges into the surface of the embossing ink pad and then into silver embossing powder and heat to melt the powder.
 - Thread some fibres through the hearts and secure to the card with a brad.
Love Hearts
 - Cut and fold a C6 card from the pearlescent lavender card.
- Tear a strip of pink vellum to go across the card as shown.
 Tear a thinner strip of cream hammered card and stamp this with the Stars, using the Eggplant ink. Sponge the edges with the Pretty Petunia ink pad. - Stamp and silver emboss a line of Squiggles above and below the space where the vellum will sit. You can tear a piece of scrap paper to use as a mask if you like.
- Attach the pink vellum to the card with silver brads and glue the cream strip on top of this.
- Stamp and silver emboss a heart on to violet card, then cut out the image.
- Stamp Hearts on to shrink plastic, using the Eggplant ink pad on the clear shrink and Petunia ink on the black shrink. Cut out the images, being careful not to smudge the ink, and punch a hole in each. Heat to shrink.
- Wrap two lengths of silver wire around a cocktail stick or similar and attach one to each heart with pliers or tweezers. Stick the other ends to the back of the violet heart with sticky foam pads and fix onto the main card.
Mirror Heart
1. Cut and fold a tall lilac car by cutting an A4 sheet in half along the longest side, then fold this in half lengthways to form the card.
2. Stamp and silver emboss the Heart on a scrap of lilac card and cut out.
3. Stamp and emboss the Heart image again, on to the mirror card. You may find that rubbing the card surface with an anti-static pad, or dusting the card with anti-static powder, first will limit the amount of embossing powder that sticks to it.
4. Mount the cut out heart on to the mirror heart with sticky foam pads. Layer this on to black card and mount the panel on to the main card, again with sticky foam pads. Add the pearls.
5. Cut a random wiggly strip from the mirror card and snip it in two.
6. Stamp the Stars in Eggplant across the bottom of the card and add the strips of mirror card.
Heart Hanger
 - Cut a panel of cream hammered card approximately 7 x 10 cm, using deckle edge scissors. Stamp with the Heart and Text, using Eggplant ink and a few squiggles with the Petunia ink.
 - Heat set all the inks with a heat tool, then stamp and silver emboss with Stars. Sponge the panel with both inks.
- Mount onto a violet panel and then a black panel. Add silver brads to the bottom two corners.
- Punch two holes in the top and thread with fibres.
- Stamp and cut out two Hearts, one on clear and one on black shrink plastic. Rub off the inks and re-stamp with the Text and Squiggles. Punch a hole in each and shrink.
- Thread a heart on to each end of a piece of silver wire and twist to secure. Spiral the ends with pliers and bend the wire along the length.
- Secure to the hanger with a silver brad in the middle.
ATCs
 Now to use up some of those leftover bits and pieces! - Cut two ATCs (2.5 x 3.5 inches or 64 x 89 mm) from leftover card – we’ve used Pink Mirror and Hammered cream. Cut smaller panels for layering, from the same two types of card.
 - Stamp and silver emboss the Heart on to each of the smaller panels. Sponge the cream one with Eggplant ink and sprinkle the other with more silver embossing powder. Heat to melt.
 - Cut two random strips of black shrink plastic and stamp with various images. Punch a hole in each and heat to shrink.
- Attach each shrink plastic tile to an ATC with silver brads.
- Finally decorate with pearls.
- The finished artwork! 
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Japanese Lace Paper Set
