Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge 168 - Sweethearts and Design Team

 This card is for the weekly challenge as well as for the Design Team selection. 

I had a lot of fun but spent loads of time thinking about the next steps for each square.  Normally, I don't spend this much time on a card but occasionally, I enjoy spending a lot of time thinking about the person and what I want to express in my card to them and taking my time to create it. 

This Valentine's Explosion Box card will go to my son and his girl friend who might get married this year.

I make a lot of my cards and flowers using shimmer paper.  This card was using the cream color of the Recollection Shimmer Champagne paper and sponging it with Stampin Up Pink Pirquettie for the doily and heart. I keep sponging until I get the color that I want.  It still shimmer after applying the ink.
The following dies used:
Cherry Lynn B154 Medium Rose 
Cherry Lynn B304 Ivy Strip
Cherry Lynn DL102 French Pastry
Cherry Lynn B144 Celtic Heart 
Behind the Celtic Heart was the Spellbinder Heart.  I made the heart box using the CL flower Cutie Four  inside of my heart and be able to glue the lids together.  

 The left square was using the Recollection Shimmer Champagne paper and sponging it with Stampin Up Sage Shadow on the Cherry Lynn DL218 Manon's Wedding Garland.  I added the smallest flowers from the  Cherry Lynn B264 Baby's Breath Flower Kit die set.

The couple is from the Tattered Lace dies and sponged with Stampin Up Pink Pinquette and the made is sponged with Stampin Up Going Gray.

 The top square is using the Recollection Shimmer Champagne paper and sponging the Cherry Lynn B152 Miniature Rose and B154 Medium Rose.  I didn't sponge each petal to give it some dimension.  I sponged the Cherry Lynn Celtic Heart with Stampin Up Pink Pinquette and them used the Versa Mark embossing.  I used the Ranger Melt Art Ultra Thick clear embossing powder for the heart.  It gives the heart a glassy 3-B look.  I have lately been using the Ranger Melt Art Ultra Thick clear embossing powder more most of my cards.

 The right side was using the Tattered Lace rose and Impression Obsession cupids.  There is a Cherry Lynn butterfly from the B266 Tiny Things With Wing set.  I used pink vellum paper for the cupids and then applied the Ranger Melt Art Ultra Thick embossing powder and added some glitter to the wings.  I did the same for the Cherry Lynn butterfly and the pink flowers.  Again, notice the glassy look.

 The bottom side was using the Spellbinder die.  The cupid is from the same set of Impression Obsession.  Again, I applied Ranger Melt Art Ultra Thick embossing powder to the cupid and the arrow.

 The lid is created using the
Cherry Lynn DL102 French Pastry
Cherry Lynn B144 Celtic Heart
Cherry Lynn Happy Valentines
I applied the Ranger  Melt Art Ultra Thick embossing powder to the Happy Valentines as well as to the top of the rose along with glitter to the rose and double heart. 

I often use organza ribbon since I can apply the hot embossing gun to the ribbon (applied to this ribbon) and it crinkles giving it a vintage look.  Also, one can apply different colored ink to organza ribbon and let dry before forming the ribbon to give it a vintage look.

The heart was using the Cherry Lynn heart set and the Cherry Lynn B333 Sophie Heart Border.  I applied the Ranger Melt Art Ultra Thick to the letters after sponging the letters with the pink ink.