Happy Hearts Day

Back again, playing along with more challenges! This time, I've combined this month's CASEplorations and Happy Little Stampers mixed media challenges. 

       

I feel more than a bit unworthy to CASE (copy and share everything) a card by Laura Bassen... but I went ahead and tried anyway. ;) I was inspired by her multicoloured stencil embossing and the bold central sentiment. 

At first, I was disappointed that my colours didn't blend into one another as smoothly as Laura's do on her cards (she shows a few using this technique), but as I looked at it more, I decided I was okay with it. I kind of like how some of the hearts look highlighted. I die cut the "happy" out of both pink and black cardstock so I could set the pink letters in the black banner. "Have a" and "day" are both from a Paper Smooches stamp set. The small stamped hearts are Basic Grey. I decided I wanted a little something more, so I coated a wood veneer heart with gesso, and then added a second coat, tinting the gesso with distress ink first. Laura finishes her card with dots of Glossy Accents. I really like that look, but felt sure I'd mess it up, so went with the purple half-pearls instead. Here's a close-up: 

As far as mixed media — I have embossing paste stencilling, stamping with heat embossing, painting with gesso... and I'm not sure if die cutting counts. ;) 

Supplies: white & Stampin' Up melon mambo & basic black cardstock, vellum, Paper Smooches Blossoming Buds & Basic Grey Tweet stamps, Versafine onyx black, Colorbox orchid & festive berries, picked raspberries, seedless preserves & blueprint sketch distress inks, Zing clear embossing powder, Little B blackout line art & Mama Elephant femme frame dies, ARTplorations hearts all over stencil, Dreamweavers translucent embossing paste, Claudine Hellmusth Studio gesso, Studio Calico heart veneer, Queen & Co lavender half-pearls