Coffee and "LOVE" With Debra and Celeste (Mini Blog Hop)

Hello...Hello...Hello...everyone!!  Today is a special post for me.  I was invited by my friend Debra (Meticulosity), and her friend Celeste (Crafting Junky), to join them for some cyber coffee and to talk about "love" or, more specifically, what we "love".  Let's call this a "mini blog hop".  

First off...the coffee I am drinking this beautiful morning is a cup (or 3) of Extra Strong Coffee by Melitta.  It's a brasilian coffee that is just super tasty.  Not bitter with just a hint of a chocolate taste (at least to me).  

Yes, I save the box to use as a mini album cover!

OK...back story.  I met Debra in a Facebook group. We both have a lot in common - making cards, coffee, donuts, zombies!  I know....crazy!  Deb asked me to pick the subject for this mini blog hop and I chose the word "love".  Love means many things to different people so I tried to make a card that included traditional love, with the XOs and the word love, as well as some other things I love - like the coffee and the donut.  

I had a boatload of fun making this card and step by step and hope you "love" it too.  

I started with a white chipboard tag heart (retired/Bazzill) I found in my stash, that I covered with gesso.

Next I sprayed some of the Gilded and Pressed Petal Color Bloom Spray Mists (Prima) on the heart until I got the look I wanted.  I also applied Candied Apple Distress Ink around the edges of the heart.

Next, I die cut a piece of white cardstock with the Hugs & Kisses Coverup die (MFT Stamps/retired) to make a stencil.  I then placed the stencil over the heart and applied candied apple and mustard seed distress inks to achieve the design.  I also applied the candied apple around the edges of the heart.

Because I never know when to stop....I grabbed my Versamarker pen, heat tool, and aged gold embossing enamel (Stampendous) and embossed the edges of the heart.  Gold...red....works with "love".  Right?

I made my card base with white cardstock and then adhered a piece of red metallic cardstock to the front.  I was liking how the XO stencil looked so I applied some more of the inks and then I adhered it on top of the red cardstock.

Now for the fun stuff.  I stamped, die cut, and colored - two coffee cups from the Coffee Cup set and die cut them with the matching Coffee Cup die set (Prickley Pear), and the donut from the Donut Worry....Be Happy set and die cut it with the matching Donut Worry Coordinating die (Brutus Monroe). 

I also die cut the Little Luxe die (Poppy Stamps) - once out of the red metallic cardstock and a few times out of red fun foam.

After I colored in the donut I applied some glossy accents over the pink so it would shine like frosting and allowed it to dry.

Then I adhered the pieces to the card front.  I started with the heart - 

Then the two coffee cups and the donut -

Then I adhered the red metallic word to the fun foam layers and adhered that over the coffee cups.  

Done!  Here's a close up of all the pieces on the card.

This is not really a typical card for me but it was fun to use products I don't usually think about and it was fun to think a bit out of the box.  I would love to know what you think of this card so feel free to leave me a comment below!  

And don't forget to head over to Deb's blog {HERE} and to Celeste's blog {HERE} to see what they "love" and to show them some "love"!  As always...thanks for stopping by the blog and....until next time....

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael