DIY cover Plates

Not sure why the sentiment looks fuzzy - it is clear as a bell in "real life".

This week for the  PTI Make it Monday challenge the very talented! Betsy Veldman challenged readers to create a background for a card in the style of a PTI cover plate.  Check out Betsy's video tutorial HERE.  I naturally wanted to use a PTI die but in looking at my small, but growing, stash of PTI dies there was very little that I felt would make a nice card. But desperately wanting to join the challenge I decided on the Heart - 2 - Heart #1 Die.

I cut nine coffee cup shaped dies from SU Chocolate Chip cs.  Then I attached it to my SU Kraft cs.  Next I stamped the outline of the coffee cup from the coordinating PTI stamp set in each opening and further decorated it with the ... the... what do you call those sleeves you sip on the paper cups to protect your hands?? LOL

I then cut three cup dies from my Kraft cs - two for the front of my card and one for the inside. Next I put some of those brown cup shapes to use by gluing three of them together and then gluing a kraft cup shape on the top and bottom to make my own cup about the thickness of chipboard.  I circled up a length of Baker's Twine (trying to make it look like a coffee stain" LOL I do try!

I wanted to give the card some "coffee" splatters and here I failed miserably!! As good fortune would have it the same day I created this card I ran across this talented paper crafter's blog and just take a look at these amazing splatters!! Nora, the blog owner has graciously given me some tips for creating splatters:

"As for my splattering-there is really no trick to it. First I mask my images. Then I have a large box where I put my card so that my work space will be safe from any ink. Next I take the misters out of the sprays and flick the part that is usually inside the bottle over the card. Sometimes I have to put the nozzles back in, mist on the side of the box to fill up the little tube inside, and then take them out again to flick. That is all there is too it!! Sometimes I get too much but the stage I am going through right now, I don't card. I love the look!"

I really wanted to try this great information on this card but as it was all completely finished by then and  I was afraid I would get too much ink on my sentiment and cup/string.  I will be trying this new obtained wisdom very soon though! : )

I do need to go back to Nora and ask her, or if any of you know... do you dilute the ink before you put it in the mister?  I diluted the Chocolate Chip reinker that I used with the mister and it looks icky watered down and PINK!

This post has been a bit confusing as my thoughts were all over the place and I had several interruptions but I hope you will be at least a little bit inspired at how a die can make a pretty cover plate style background for your card.  Please stop by the Make it Monday post and have a look at what other paper crafters have done with this challenge.  And perhaps you would consider joining?! ther is a nice prize!!

Thanks so much for looking!

Patti

Supplies:

SU cs
PTI Heart 2 Heart #1 Die and stamp set
Sentiment CTMH Chairs To You # D1456
American Crafts Baker's Twine