Penny Black Tokens of Love Valentine

Good afternoon, and in Upstate South Carolina, we have sunshine, whistling wind and dropping temperatures. I just read on MSN about our northern & midwest states expecting this ferocious storm that apparently is moving fast enough that evening commuters may have a difficult trip home tonight. If you're in the path of this extreme weather, I hope you will be safe & warm. We were out about 2 hours earlier & the temperature had dropped about 10 degrees from when we left home just before noon, until we drove back in our garage.

Let me welcome some new followers:  Andrea of Andrea's Work;  sheharper and PippaP.   I'm sorry I can't provide a name or link for sheharper (if you would, please let me know this info, so I can provide your link so my readers can get to your site) and also PippaP, for whom I don't have a link. Saw the numbers in the followers listing change, so went looking for names not on my database list. If you sweet followers will leave a comment and provide the information, I'll list it. Everyone likes to visit new sites and enjoy the blogger's work.

Here's the card for today, and I was inspired by this card at Susie's My Little Sanctuary. I loved her neutrals on this card and wanted to try the look. I have the stamp Susie used, but {ahem} couldn't put my hands on it, and the one I used on this card was where I could grab it fast.

http://susiestacey.blogspot.com/

- PB Tokens of Love wooden stamp, copic coloring, Oval S/B diecut. Clear Wink of Stella on balloons & tiny heart on the letter. DI Antique Linen smudged around the edges, with a light touch of Spun Sugar over top of the Antique Linen.

 

- VOS from the paper stash - & I mean this was really VOS! - to diecut with one of the fancy S/B rectangle shapes, then another S/B on the darker piece for the mat under the rectangle. If anyone wants the die specifics, please let me know, & I'll provide it.The mats are each on dimensional foam.

 

White cardbase sprayed with Copics E35 & 55 using (1)piece of lace which didn't give enough color; (2)then used a plastic small heart stencil to add some heart shapes. Still didn't like the look that was happening, so (3) finally used a heavy paper border stencil that had found its way into the stencil box...just moving it around vertically, horizontally & diagonally until I got a look that pleased me. Then embossed the front with a tiny heart EF* (*that should have been debossed, 'cause I had the folder wrong way round when I ran it through the Big Shot!)

 

Why did I go to all this spraying bother? I didn't have any papers that looked 'right' with the colors of the other tans/beiges. Can you believe that? I couldn't, but I fiddled for a long time trying to find something that pleased my eye & decided that's why I have sprays & airbrush supplies.

 

Nylon seam binding dyed with E35 copic reinker to get a 'matchy' color. Thought about going for the pink-y/brown in the balloons, but I was working hard to stay in the fairly neutral-tan colors. Susie, thank you for the fantastic inspiration!

 

The Penny Black and More January Challenge of Love Is In the Air is still open, so I'm going to link up this card. It says "Love" to me!

 

Thanks for visiting this afternoon, stay warm & cozy if possible, and big Hugs from me.

 

PS:  I have a sweet blogger who is trying to become a follower through Google Friend connect. She is not seeing the block of faces at the top of my blog, just a big white space. She's not seeing the icon above the Follower list either. Does anyone have any idea what causes this? She has tried different computers, I'm not sure what her browser is, but I don't know a fix. Thought maybe some of you blogger & computer experts might have some suggestions for her to try. Thanks!