Lots of Love Letters

Have you tried the Letterpres Plates yet?  They made their debut in the Holiday Mini last year, and a few more were introduced in the Occasions Mini Catalog--including the Lots of Love letterpress plate which I used here.  

I ran watercolor paper through the Big Shot with the Lots of Love plate.  For this card I didn't ink the plate before we ran it through--although you can do that.  For an example of what that looks like see THIS post. Unfortunately it's hard to have a photo pick up the texture and detail of the card, but you should be able to click on the picture to get a closer look. 

I gathered the 1 1/4" Real Red Striped Grosgrain ribbon and wrapped the prongs of the Antique Brad around to keep it in place.  The tag was made using the stamp set Tiny Tags.  For this card and sentiment I had a wedding card in mind, but I thought the design could also lend itself to an anniversary, wedding shower, or valentine's card.  I punched out the sentiment using the Medium Jewelry Tag punch and layered that on a heart from the Heart to Heart punch. 

A couple of hints when using the letterpress plates:  Although I didn't use any ink on this card with the letterpress plate, if you do want to add color craft inks do work better than the classic inks.  I needed to use a shim with my Big Shot (you may not need to with yours).  Also, a thicker paper gives you a crisper image and a deeper impression--Whisper White works ok, but water color paper or textured paper works better.  

Thanks for stopping by!  Check back tomorrow to see the new Stampin' Celebration challenge!  

Stamps:  Tiny Tags

Ink:  Real Red

Paper:  Watercolor Paper (p 170), Real Red, and Naturals White

Accessories:  1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Antique Brads, Heart to Heart Punch, Medium Jewelry Tag Punch, Lots of Love Letterpress plate, Big Shot, Linen Thread, dimensionals