Whimsy Stamps ~ Valentine's Hop ~ Second Card

Hey crafty friends, we're having a Valentine's Day Hop over at Whimsy Stamps. We are celebrating all things 'LOVE' in this Valentine inspired hop. So I've done a card for my hubby, which I think is super cute. I've used an adorable image from the Gnome One Like You Clear Stamps Set by Crissy Armstrong. Her gnomes are my favourite. They look SO like the Swedish Tomte and I absolutely adore them. 

I've just celebrated my 31st Anniversary with my Silver Fox hubby and this past year he's grown a beard not too dissimilar to this Tomte! So I thought this was such a fun image to use for his card this year. It's Summer here in New Zealand and it's been such a lovely and hot Summer, the Hibiscus are in bloom everywhere, so I wanted to use this fun tropical background from Whimsy Stamps for this card too. The tropical background was inked with one of the Tsukineko Kaleidacolor Ink Pads from my stash. This particular multicoloured ink pad is called Bouquet.

The image I was quite brave with, as I stamped it in a lighter colour to try my hand at some 'no lines' colouring. I used Memento London Fog to stamp the image. I added back details here and there with either a light brown or grey fineliner pen, something I'm always nervous to do in case I mess up the artist lines, but I'm really happy with how this one came out! I'm trying to be a bit braver with different colouring mediums and different approaches, so yay for a fun finish on this one.

Did you spot the 'xoxo'? I use this shortform of 'hugs and kisses' everyday in most comments I leave and messages I send to friends and family, so of course I had to add this to the card for my hubby! I inked the diecut with an ombré application of Copic Markers in hues of orange. I like the way it sits over the section of the background that has orange hues. It nestles in there very nicely. My hubby wears quite a lot of orange and looks great in it, which is why I used that colour as the focus. 

If you'd like to come hop along with us, you can click through to my stop in the hop on the banner above. This hop will run from February 14th to February 24th. Winners will be announced on or soon after February 27th on Whimsy’s IG account. There's a fabulous $50 Whimsy Stamps Prize up for grabs too! I will be back to share another of the cards from this hop very soon. Until then, happy hopping! Hugs, Wends xoxo

(I share thumbnails to the elements I design with in order to make your search for them easier, in case you like something I've used. I do use affiliate links where possible, which gives me a tiny commission but costs you no extra whatsoever. It helps the companies I design for to improve their marketing practice and track my contributions. I am deeply grateful if you use them for these reasons. I am proud to design for the companies I do and always feel happy to share where my inspiration and where my crafty stash comes from. I am occasionally gifted products to use, but I only design for companies whose products I absolutely love and buy for myself. My opinions are always my own. If you use my Whimsy Stamps links and it's your first time shopping with my links, you'll be offered a 10% discount, which is a cool treat. So my links cost you nothing, but may also save you a few pennies. This is a 'one time' benefit, great if planning a bigger purchase.)

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