Valentine Card and....I Wonder....

I picked up an old copy of Cardmaker magazine a few days ago. I was just browsing the pages and wasting some time when I ran across an article on wheels. Remember when those were all the rage? I have a whole shoebox, some I've never even used. I had ordered extra empty cartridges and bottles of ink so I could 'wheel' in gold and silver. Like many of my plans, I never got around to it and the clear shoebox which is nicely labeled "Rollers & Handles" has been collecting dust on a high shelf in my craft room. So, back to the article. Someone had used a wheel with embossing ink and heat embossed a background. I was so stoked (anyone remember that word? stoked (stkt) adj. Slang 1. Exhilarated or excited. 2. Being or feeling high or intoxicated, especially from a drug) (no drugs were involved in the making of this card, though - lol). I got out my shoebox full, found an empty cartridge, filled it with VersaMark Embossing Ink and created this background with my new Zing Rouge Embossing Powder. I've told you before just how great this stuff is. This is the opaque type, it's got a great shine and embosses cleanly and quickly. After the powder dried, I airbrushed it with Copics R46 and was very pleased with the way it turned out.

The Spellbinder heart was dry embossed with a Sizzix embossing plate. These work really well in the new Grand Calibur - I used the A Base Plate, the Sizzix Folder, cardstock, the large GC brown mat, and a Cuttlebug B plate. It was a snug fit but embossed beautifully and I didn't use anything to moisten the paper. A plus was the brown mat picked all the pieces of paper out of the cuts on my Cuttlebug B plate so I had to throughly wipe down my brown mat, but the embossing was worth it. It's every bit as deep as a Cuttlebug or Sizzix Folder. Since I was really trying to focus on the background, I colored Tilda in pastels. I was pretty pleased with this card.

Paper: Stash; Stamps: Magnolia Singing Tilda, JustRite Times New Roman 25 pt, Roller Stampin Around Love; Spellbinder Classic Heart; Zing Red Embossing Powder; Sizzix Retro Hearts Embossing Plate; Tim Holtz Elegant Flourishes Die; Copics: [Skin E01, E00, E000, R20, Sharpie Poster Paint White][Hair E35, E33, E31, E30][Microphone T4, T2][Dress R0000, R000, R00, Sakura Glaze White]

I wonder....I happened to be watching Animal Precinct on the Animal Planet last week. Actually, I had been watching Dogs 101 which I love as much as I love Cats 101; you learn such interesting things about dogs and cats if you watch this show. Anyway, they were talking about an ASPCA officer who often works undercover so they couldn't show his face. But he was wearing a short sleeved shirt and had very distinctive tattoos over his arms and hands. I'm guessing anyone watching that show would be able to pick him out with no problems - just a note for the producers of these shows. On a related note: when I was in the Marine Corps I was told that a tatoo is just another way for the police to identify you. I never planned to get arrested, but the thought stuck with me so I am tatooless.