My Vellum Valentine

Hello friends. Today I'm sharing a Valentine's Day card I made based on a sketch with a sentiment stamped on vellum. I admit, I was really afraid to try stamping on vellum. I've seen so many beautiful cards using vellum, and I wanted to make one too! I overcame my fear and did it, but not without doing some research on how to do it.

First of all, vellum has some wonderful qualities. It's durable and it's very elegant. It adds a touch of class to your projects. Vellum is quite often used on wedding invitations. When I see vellum on a project, I automatically think "Oooh, this must be special."

Vellum also has a down side. It's not a porous, which means it doesn't absorb the ink. As a result it takes longer to dry, making it more vulnerable to smudging. Because of this, the most important thing to consider when stamping on vellum is choosing the appropriate ink.

Enter Staz-On. This stuff is hardcore. It is a solvent-based ink that can be used on materials like metal, plastic and even glass. It's not easy to clean, which is why Stazon makes a special cleaner. You don't have to use it, but if you don't, it will stain your stamps. It will not ruin your stamps, you'll still be able to use them, but they will be stained. Just sayin'!

Another characteristic of vellum is that it is translucent, which is what gives it its elegance, but it also means you can see anything behind it, including adhesive. There are some clear adhesives that are not supposed to show through vellum. However, I wanted to use a dimensional sticker to give it some pop. How did I hide the dimensional stickers? Simple. I covered them up with some beautiful gems!! Easy peasy.

Here is the card and the sketch I used to create it. The sketch is from a current challenge going on at Frosted Designs. In fact, you can still enter it if you're interested!! The deadline is this Sunday, Feb. 9.