Valentines For Friends ATC Swap

   Valentine's Day comes this time every year. I never send or make valentines for anyone. I just hope that hubby doesn't forget my box of chocolates. The bigger the better. This year I joined a Valentine themed ATC swap. I have so many heart shaped stickers. I thought it would be easy. Just grab some of them and stick them down on some card stock. It wasn't easy. I'm not one for gushy sentiments. It's hard to send them to those I love. Sending hearts to a stranger is even harder!

    I painted the edge of white card stock with a mix of Espresso and Bronze acrylic paint. While it was drying I downloaded and re-sized the picture of the coffee cup with the heart. I have had this picture for a long time. I have just been waiting for the chance to use it. I used Glossy Accents on the coffee heart. After it was dry I went back in and covered the whole coffee including the foam in the cup. Before the foam was dry I textured it using a brush to make it bumpy. I put Glossy Accents over the chocolate heart. I then used red glitter glue on top of the red foil wrapped heart candies. Using a heart punch I punched a heart out of red glittered craft foam. I punched 4U from a red glittered gift bag and glued them all in place. I added crystal glitter glue to the bead fob lying next to the saucer. I finished this ATC by matting it on top of the white card stock that I had previously painted.

   For this ATC I scanned and re-sized a sheet of scrapbook paper. I do a lot of scanning and re-sizing because the print on most scrapbook paper is too large to use for ATC's.  I mounted it on white card stock. Then with my Wizard I cut from pink vellum the heart and the letters BFF and glued them in place. I cut another heart from red card stock and glued it in place. I then layered the paper flower and set a rhinestone in the center and glued it in place.

    Once again I scanned and re-sized the scrapbook paper for the background. I glued it to white card stock. I once again cut some hearts with my Wizard out of vellum. I then cut out some hearts from tin foil. Then I arranged the hearts along with some Angelina Fibers inside of a Thermal Laminating pouch and ran it through my heat laminator. I trimmed them to size. Then I laid one over the other and using a punch I put a hole through them. I put an eyelet in the transparent one and then tied the two together with a silver ribbon. This ATC was kind of fun. I have been wanting to play with my laminator for quite some time.
   Well so much for the heart shaped stickers. I put them away without ever using one. No wonder that I have had them forever!



                                                                 THESE ARE THE ATC'S THAT I RECEIVED

                                                                           Brenda Shields
       

                                                                        Sharon L. Bakke

                                                                         Sandie Hamel
                                        
 

   The first card didn't photograph well. It has a little bear holograph on it that tricked my camera. One way it says " Miss Ya' and the other way it says "Text Me".  I liked the way that someone other than me played with the theme. I love these cards, each is special in their own way.

Take Care
Kathy