Flourishes Birthday

Flourishes is turning 5 & they're about to have a new release, so there's a challenge HERE.  To enter, you just need to make a birthday card & I love having one ready ahead of time.  Decided this would be a good chance to try out the wonderful technique Rosemary showed HERE.  Isn't this gorgeous?!
You start by sponging the white cardstock with 2 medium intensity inks & I chose Distress Inks victorian velvet & weathered wood.  Then you stamp a background with dark ink.  I don't have a Flourishes bg stamp, so I made my bg using an image from the Lace Edges set stamped over & over in rows.  I actually got them lined up first try which might be a record for me--LOL!  Next step is to clear emboss a solid image & I used the heart from the Fanciful Flourishes set (one of my favs!).  Next is the unexpected step:  cover the entire piece with a dark ink--I used Distress Ink dusty concord--& wipe off the excess.  Voila--isn't it amazing?!  I used a sentiment from the same set & it stamped perfectly on the textured cardstock using VersaFine with steady pressure. Flourishes stamps are just wonderful to use, so if you don't have any I'd recommend checking them out.  The border punch is MS.  Love seeing your comments--thanks for all the encouragement!