Valentine Easel Card

I made this for Valentine's Day as well as Sweet Stamps (http://sweetstampsblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/monthly-technique-challenge-easel-card.html). Their challenge ends in about 7 hours and I just saw it on Donna K's blog (http://createdbydonnak.blogspot.com/2014/01/ss-winter-blues-challenge-152.html) this morning after she posted it on Facebook! It has taken me since 11AM until 4PM to finish this card! I did stop to eat for about 15 minutes while I watched my soap, Days Of Our Lives, it's got a crazy storyline going on right now! Anyway, I didn't think I'd ever get this card right, but I finally had to use typing paper to test it out after messing up twice! I watched the tutorial on Split Coast Stampers (http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/easelcard/) several times until I finally had my AHA! moment and got it! I'm still sitting here and looking at my pattern and can't figure out the pattern! Anyway, here's what I used to make it. The Brown polka-dot paper is Recollections Printed 8.5x11 Cardstock Cupcake Cuties cut at 4 1/4x4 1/4, the card base is 4 1/4x8.5 1/2 and is the cupcakes paper. The red/pink hearts are Martha Stewart, the heart in the caption sticker is K&Company Emma Rose Word Embossed Stickers, the hot pink background paper behind the vellum is Recollections Butterfly Wings 4.5x6.5 in (all measurements are inches) Cardstock that I punched with my We R Memory Keepers Lucky8 Floral Burst Die-cut Punch. It's the inside cut. The vellum "i love you not only for what you are, but what I am when I am with you. Elizabeth Barrett Browning." is from a vellum stack that Mrs.Gloria gave me. The blue rick rack ribbon is Martha Stewart Crafts Blue & Green Playful Ribbon Pack (there's 5 other spools in the pack) and I adhered it with my Xyron 1.5' Create A Sticker Maker. I used the 3 hearts stickers to adhere the vellum to the card, so I wouldn't have a mess under the vellum. I used ZOTS to adhere the Recollections background to the card as well as on the inside 4 1/4x 4 1/4 blue w/ black ribbons and the 4 1/2x 4 1/4 pink strip on the bottom. I used a Craft Smart glue stick to adhere the brown polk-a-dotted front to the cupcake base since I don't have any Scor-tape. I also folded it instead of scoring it since I don't have a ScorPad. Now for the inside spread:

The 2 stickers at the top XO & For Keeps are K&Company Poppy Seed Words Embossed Stickers and the heart is Kraft Stickers that I bought from Michaels. I know you are all wondering who this card is going to. It's going to Robert, a guy I met online in a Christian chatroom about 10 years ago maybe a little more. He lives in Wisconsin and I've spoke to him on the phone, but have never met him in person. We chat on Facebook almost everyday and have both developed feelings for one another. We've agreed to take it one step at a time, one day at a time, since he just came out of an engagement in October, a sad situation, but wasn't meant to be. He still brings her up from time to time, but I just listen. I used to use Manda Panda as my text signature and he still calls me that from time to time that's why I signed my name that way.

He just finished his doctrine degree, but is Assemblies of God, so I'm not sure what it's called in that division of Christianity. He wants to be a minister one day, maybe overseas or maybe here in the states wherever the Lord leads him. So, I added a vellum quote to give him some encouragement, "Take pride in how far you've come, have faith in how far you can go." and that vellum is also from a vellum stack that Mrs. Gloria gave me.

Here's a close-up of the bottom 3 stickers at the base of the easel card. The Be Mine and the XO's stickers are Martha Stewart Crafts and the What a Pair is K&Company Emma Rose Word Embossed Stickers.

I finally found a signature stamp from JoAnn's Crafts & Fabrics! It's Hero Arts and I stamped it with Studio G Lavender Acid Dye Ink. The 2014 as well as my little note inside was written in American Crafts Chromatix Grape 3 Alcohol Blending Marker. I can't wait to mail it to him! He knows I like to scrap and I share everything I make with him up until this in pictures. I mailed him a Christmas card and everything else I make I take pictures of to share with him. We are upfront with each other about everything so it's like we are sitting in front of each other when we chat, but we're miles apart. TFL and have a great day! :)