Rainbow Fish

As you may have noticed I have not used the fish image in the By the Tide stamps set yet.
I left this for later as I really intended to play with different finishes.

I remember when I was little and my dad took me fishing it was my job to help clean the fish we caught. Growing up in BC this consisted of many salmon. I remember being rather fascinated by the pearlescent rainbow colours of the salmon scales.

I think I achieved a rather lovely shimmering finish on these little fish, although be it they are not salmon and I did take some rather large liberties with these rainbow colours.

The background was created by sponging the cardstock using light blue ink. I then stamped the "bubbles" with a matching darker shade and SU Gorgeous Grunge stamp and the sandy ground in Sahara Dessert using a stamp from Timeless textures. Next I stamped the coral using Calypso Coral and the grass using Old Olive and Mossy Meadows ink. I repeated the same to create the card interior.

 Next I the jelly fish (up-side-down) on the card front only using Versamark and white embossing powder.

The fish were stamped on a separate piece of white cardstock in black ink and coloured using alcohol markers. I then went over them with my Versamark pen and embossed with SU's Iridescent Ice embossing powder. I hand cut the fish from the cardstock, shaped them from the back using a stylus and attached to the card front using foam tape.
it is rather difficult to catch the shimmer on photos, but here is a close up so you can see it a little better.

The card front was trimmed to 3.75" x 5" and double matted on dark teal and sand coloured cardstock. A off white piece of twine was tied along the right edge and then the card front was attached to a white card front (A2 size) with foam tape.

The envelope flap was stamped to match the scene on the card front; sand, bubbles and coral using the same ink colours.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections white and sand, Bazzill teal
Stamps: By the Tide, From Land to Sea, Gorgeous Grunge, Timeless Texture,
              Remebering Your Birthday - all SU
Ink: Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, Sahara Sand, Mossy Meadow, Olive Green - SU
        Tuxedo Black - Memento, Versamark,
Alcohol markers: BG10, BG13, BG15, BG18, BG70, BG72, G00, G02, R11, R22 - All Copic
Misc.: hite embossing powder, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, Versamarker, foam tape/mounting squares, twine

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

CAS Seahorse Card

I just love playing with these seaside themed stamps and can't seem to get enough of them.
This fats and simple CAS card was created in a mere few minutes and looks rather nice if I do say so myself.

I started by masking the card panel on either side using re-positionable adhesive tape and copier paper. I then created the background using the ink on stamp block technique as described in my previous posts. next I  stamped the coral using Cajun Craze, the bubbles using Gorgeous grunge and white ink and the jelly fish (up-side-down) in Versamark and white embossed powder.

The seahorse was a leftover image stamped on scrap white card in black from a previous card. I coloured it using alcohol markers, fussy cut it from the cardstock and glued it to the card front.

I then removed the mask and cut the strip leaving a 3/8" white edge on either side.  I drew a black line about 1/8" from the background and using my SU piercing tool and guide template I pierced a straight border one either side. A small piece of coloured twine was tied near the bottom and then the strip was attached to my card front using foam tape.

Lastly added a few little pearls above the seahorse and stamped my greeting to the right of the border strip directly onto the card base.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections white
Stamps: By the Tide, From Land to Sea, Vertical Greetings, Gorgeous Grunge - all SU
Ink: Bermuda Bay, lost Lagoon, Island Indigo, Craft White - SU, Memento - Tuxedo Black,            
        Versamark
Alcohol markers: Copic: YR04, YR02, YR24
Misc.: white embossing powder, white gel pen, black marker, pearls, foam tape/mounting squares, twine, paper for masking

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Seahorses and Seashells

Keeping to the sea life theme I have created a third card, this time focusing on the By the Tide stamp set. This one features the seashells and adorable little seahorses. I changed the colour up a little and used more warm greens and orange hues vs the cool aqua and turquoise shades in my two previous cards.

I again made the background paper using inks applied directly to a clear stamping block; spritzed with a bit of water and then stamped off onto white cardstock. Any bare spots were filled in with lighter shades of ink using a sponge. Note I made two background pieces 9 approx. 4" x 5" in size so the inside can be finished to match the card front.

Next I stamped the coral in Versamark and embossed with white embossing powder. To highlight the embossed area I added a little Brown Sugar to the centers of each coral with a sponge. I then stamped the two seahorses towards the right of the card directly onto the background and coloured them using Copic markers. I added shadow shading to create a little depth and white gel pen highlights for added definition.

I didn't plan the layout of the card ahead of time, so when I decided I needed a third seahorse to the left, on top of the coral, I opted to stamp this on a scrap piece of cardstock, along with the seashells. Once these were coloured they were cut out/fussy cut. The sea horse was glued directly onto the card front where as the seashells were formed using a stylus on the back and then attached with a bit of foam tape to keep the 3D effect in tact.

The card front was trimmed to 4.75" x 5" and attached with foam tape onto a coral coloured mat measuring 4" x 5.25". My card base is ivory this time, not bright white. Finishing touches consist of several randomly placed pearls and little bit of twine tide to the right side of the card.

The inside was finished to match with a personalized message using several different sentiment stamps, choosing only the words I needed.

I had a strip of leftover background paper which I attached to the envelope flap for a cohesive finish.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections ivory and white, Bazzill peach/coral
Stamps: By the Tide, Handbill Headlines, Edgy Eloquence, feeling Sentimental - all SU
Ink: Pistachio Pudding, Mint Macaron, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Crumb Cake,
        Baked Brown Sugar, Tangerine Tango - all SU, Versamark, Memento - Tuxedo Black
Alcohol markers: YR04, YR02, YR24 (sea horses), YR000, YR00, YR02, BG10, BG13 (seashells)
                             C1, C3, C5, C7 (shadows) - All Copic
Misc.: white embossing powder, twine, various sizes of pearls 1/16", 1/8", 3/48"),
           foam mounting tape, sponge, water spritzer

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Under the Sea Shaker Card

If you recall, the card I shared in my previous post was finish on the inside to match the front of the card. In order to create the writable white/negative space I masked my cardstock when I created the background. Well the mask turned out rather lovely and would have been a great waste to throw away. I decided to use it for the background of a seaside shaker card instead.

To recap, the background was crated by using plain white cardstock and 5 ink pads in teal and turquoise shades. I inked up my largest clear stamping block. Applying the ink pads direct to the stamping block. I then gave it a little spritz with a little water mister and then randomly stamped onto my white cardstock until no ink remained on the block. The areas not fully filled in where finished by sponging with a little of the two lightest ink colours.

Next I stamped the coral image in Cajun Craze and embossed using iridescent ice embossing powder. using Versamark I stamped the jellyfish (upside down) and embossed with white embossing powder.

On a scrap of white card I stamped the turtle image and coloured it using Copic alcohol markers. The image was then fussy cut and attached to the background with foam mounting tape.
I then cut clear plastic to slightly larger than my background. Next I cut 4 strips of 1/4" thick foam mounting squares from a full sheet to create the edging on the shaker. II added my filler and attached the clear plastic to seal in the contents.

Using Cajun Craze I stamped a textured image all over brown cardstock and then cut an opening slightly smaller than my shake in the center to create a frame. the frame was trimmed to 4" x 5.25" size and adhered over top of the shaker, which was then glued to the card front.

I had a little piece of coral (tree die cut) left over from the last project so decided to add it to the card front along (and inside) with a few randomly placed pearls.

I finished the inside to match the theme, by sponging the edges of my white cardstock in the teal/turquoise colours, adding a second frame and another piece of coral.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections white, Bazzill coral
Stamps: From Land to Sea, By the Tide, Timeless Textures, Remembering Your Birthday - all SU
Ink: Tuxedo black - Memento, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Lost Lagoon, Island indigo,
       Tempting turquoise (all for the for background), Cajun Craze - SU, Versamark
Alcohol markers: Old olive, light and medium - SU Blendabilities,
                             YG25, Y21, Y32, Y35, YR24, 100 - Copic
Die: Beautiful Branches Thinlits - SU
Shaker filler: peal blue, pearlescent pink and pearl sequins, clear micro beads, pale blue sea glass
Misc.: white embossing power, iridescent ice (SU) embossing powder,clear plastic sheet, foam mounting tape, 1/4" foam squares, water spritzer, sponges

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Under the Sea

Do you ever have buyers remorse when it comes to stamping supplies? I don't often because I generally procrastinate quite a long time before committing to buy. And honestly I haven't bought many supplies that I regretted buying later on. what I am referring to is more the kind of guilt you develop over buying stamps and then having them sit on a shelf for a very long time without ever seeing ink. The kind I had an abundance of this weekend.

I am lucky enough to have a a great husband who fully supports my creative en devours. So much so he gave me card Blanche this past week to spend whatever I thought was sufficient on SU supplies for my birthday. After placing my order I went to my craft room and started tidying so I could have a clean work surface for when my new treasures arrive.

To my utter dismay I discovered quite  a few stamps sets from my last order, about 4-5 month ago, that haven't been touched. So in order to rectify this situation I have challenged myself to use each and every one of these sets before I can touch my birthday order.

This lovely under water card and matching envelope is the first creation of this self-challenge.

I started by creating the water background using plain white cardstock. I gathered 5 ink pads in teal and turquoise shades. Using my largest clear stamping block as my canvas I randomly stamped each color directly onto the block and then gave it a little spritz with a little water mister. I randomly stamped onto my white cardstock until no ink remained on the block. The areas not fully filled in where finished by sponging with a little of the two lightest ink colours.

I repeated this on a second piece of cardstock to create my envelop liner and also masked a 1" wide strip on the flap of my envelop to create a matching border.

Next I stamped the jelly fish image (upside down to mimick plant life) several times using Veramark and white embossing powder. I then added the coral image once for a bit of texture. The turtles were stamped three times onto a scrap piece of white card and coloured using Copic alcohol markers. All three turtles were fussy cut. Two turtles were shaped a little from the back using a stylus and then attached to the card front with foam tape. I cut 2 trees with the die from coral coloured card and trimmed them to fit into the comers of the card front, reserving the scraps. Note for added dimension the coral was attached by trimming foam tape into very thin strips

Using the same technique as for the background I coloured another piece of cardstock 5.25"x4" in size , masking the center area (approx. 4.5" x 3") to keep it white for a personal greeting. I then attached the third turtle and left over scrap of coral and stamped the birthday greeting in black.

Lastly I trimmed the second piece of cardstock I had coloured to create the card liner and glue it into the envelope.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections white, Bazzill coral
Stamps: From Land to Sea, By the Tide, Remembering Your Birthday - all SU
Ink: Tuxedo black - Memento, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Lost Lagoon, Island indigo,
       Tempting turquoise (all for the for background), Calypso Coral - SU, Versamark
Alcohol markers: Old olive, light and medium - SU Blendabilities,
                             YG25, Y21, Y32, Y35, YR24, 100 - Copic
Die: Beautiful Branches Thinlits - SU
Misc.: white embossing power, foam mounting tape, water spritzer, sponges

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Hello Friend Frog

I had planned to upload this card much earlier this week, but free time seems to have been an issue for me.

I fell in love with all the adorable little critters in the Love You lots SU Hostess set, but have to say that the frog is my favorite by far.

I started by stamping the frog on a scrap white piece of cardstock and then adding the jar. Using Copics I coloured the frog and added shading below him and around the jar edges. The jar was then die cut using the matching jar die and a little bakers twine was tide around the top.

I trimmed my green card front to 5.25 x 4", embossed it, inked the edges and attached to the card front slightly skew. the brown cardstock is approx. 4" x 3.25". The edges were also inked before attaching to the card. A coordinating strip of patterned paper was dded and then I attached the jar using foam tape. The "Hello"  sentiment was cut from pink and the "friend" was stamped in black on scrap white that was trimmed into a banner shape.

I finished the inside of the card to match using scrap appertained paper in the corners and stamping a couple of little frogs int eh opposite corners.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections, Bazzill
Pattern paper: Momenta 6 x 6" textured cardstock pad
Stamps: Love You Lots - SU, Jar of Love - SU
Dies: Everyday Jar Thinblits - SU, Hello Thinlits - SU
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip - SU
Alcohol markers: YG03, YG25, W1, W3, W5, BG13, BG15 - Copic
Embossing folder: Forest Branches - Provocraft - Cuttlebug
Misc.: bakers twine, foam mounting tape/squares

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Gold Fish Jar Birthday

I don't know about you, but I've been enjoying a few previews of the upcoming SU Holiday catty through viewing pre-order videos shared by several SU demos.

I love the two new stamp sets that will work with the Everyday Jar Framelits; which I already own but just realized I have not used yet.
Feeling inspired I sat down the other day and made three cards with this set.

First, a birthday card for a dear friend.

 

I quite enjoyed using the matching stamps.  The card base consists of a general, tall tent fold A2 base in white. I added a card front in a pale sage green. A scrap of patterned paper cut on an angle was added for a touch of colour to the top left.

I then stamped the jar in black on white card. Added the fish using orange ink and the water (double stamped, second image stamped half way up the jar to raise the water level) in light blue. The sand was stamped using one of the stamps from the Timeless Textures set and the algae is the grass from In the Meadow, stamped 2-3 times in green.

Note, I create a mask by die cutting the jar from a scrap piece of cardstock. Then after stamping the jar I placed the mask over the image and then stamped the sand and algae.

I then cut the white cardstock with my image using the Window Framelit. With a Copic marker I added the shadow below the jar. Next I stamped the lid and bow on a scrap piece of cardstock and cut the shapes using the matching dies and glued them into position.

I found some blue pearls in my stash of embellishments that seem to fit the theme (thinking of bubbles) and added them to right of my image and stamped the greeting in the bottom right corner.

I also finished the inside of the card with some matching cardstock scraps to match the cover.
I left enough so I can add a personal message to the card.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections
Pattern paper: Momenta Textured cardstock 6x6" pad (48 sheets)
Stamps: Jar of Love, in the Meadow, Timeless Textures, Sunshine Sayings - all SU
Ink:  Tuxedo black - Memento, Soft Suede, Soft Sky, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, Basic Gray - All SU
Dies: Everyday Jar Thinlits, Window Framelits - SU
Misc.: Copic markers: W1, W3, W5, blue pearls

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Welcome Puppy Punch Art card

A good friend of mine recently became the proud owner of an absolutely adorable little Springer Spaniel puppy. I couldn't resist and had to make a card to commemorate the special occasion.

This of course involved my trademark of creativity - punch art.
I used the amazing new Fox Builder  punch for the bulk of this little fellow; the instructions can be found at the end of the post.

My card base and card front are both white cardstock.  card is basic 5.5 x 4.25" in size. Card front trimmed down to 5.25 x 4".
a heart die was sued to cut a center window. A small piece of tan cardstock was torn to resemble ground and attached to the card based making sure it fit into the bottom of the heart window area.
the puppy punch art was assembled (ears and head were popped with foam, and attached to the card suing another piece of 1/16" thick foam tape.

The heart was outlined in a dot border using a brown marker and the card front was then attached to the base with 1/8" thick foam (or just double layer the thinner tape).

The sentiment is a die cut from red card, and the heart was punched from the same colour.
The greeting was pieces together from 2 separate sets of sentiment stamps. i used makers on the stamps to isolate only the words I needed.

Finally the bottom of the card was finished with a brown border cut  with a border die.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: White. red - Recollection, tan and brown - Bazzill
Stamps: Stacks of Wishes (bay) - SU, Botanicals for You - SU
Markers: Chocolate Chip - SU, Cherry Cobbler - SU
Dies: Heart Thinlits - SU, finishing Touches Thinlits - SU, Sunshine Wishes Thinlits - Su
Punch: Posh heart - Posh impressions, for punch art see below instructions
Misc.; black marker, white gel pen, foam mounting tape

Punch art instructions:

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Foxy Bookmarks

I have two small creations to share today, both made with the Fox Builder punch.
These can be used for cards or even scrapbook pages but I chose to make little tag style bookmarks with them instead.

The little chick would be great for a spring or Easter theme and the ice cream cone is perfect summer and celebrations.

   

The tags were die cut from teal green cardstock and the edges inked in a coordinating colour.
The top was reinforced with a little oval punch shape folded in half over the top edge. Then a 3/16 (or use 1 1/4") eyelet was added and a tassel tied through the eyelet.

The punch art pieces were attached to the tag with foam tape for a little added dimension. I sued a 1/16" thickness so as not to add too much bulk.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Bazzill
Die: Two Tags - SU
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Yellow, Tangerine Tango, Sahara Sand, So Saffron, Watermelon Wonder - All SU
Punches: small oval - SU, Fox Builder - SU, Petite Pennants - SU
Misc.: mini tassels, 3/16 or 1/4" eyelet, black marker, white gel pen, foam tape/mounting squares

Punch art instructions:

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon.

Foxy Turtles

I am so sorry it's taken me this long to come back and post more of my Fox Builder punch art.
Life has been really busy as of late and I have not had much time to write instructions.
I did manage to get all the photos taken (4 more creation after today's).

So today I am sharing this lovely little pair of turtles.

The card is a little uninspired, I know. I had the punch art completed weeks ago but was stumped at how to use it. They looked like a pair  in love so that;s where the theme came from.

I kept this card very simple and used several scrap pieces of coordinating patterned paper.
the punch shapes and dies were cut form sienna cardstock.
I do really like the Sunshine Wishes Thinlits and they worked very well for this card.

the turtles were mounted using foam onto cream cardstock cut with the label die. I added a little bit of ribbon and some scattered rhinestones for my finishing touches.

Aren't these two just adorable?

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Bazzill, Recollections
Patterned paper: MME Reunion paper pad, 6 x 6"
Dies: Sunshine Wishes Thinlits - SU, Labels Framelits - SU
Ink: Sahara Sand, Wild Wasabi, Crushed Curry - all SU
Punches: tiny heart (1/4") - PB, posh heart - Posh Impressions,
               for punch art turtles see below instruction sheet
Misc.: Always artichoke ribbon, white gel pen, black marker, foam mounting squares/tape, rhinstones, rose/red chalk

Punch art instructions:

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Foxy lion punch art

I sure hope you didn't think I was done with the Fox Builder punch, because I have more than six further creations already done and just need to create a finished project with a few more.

The first one of this second set of creations that is complete is this adorable little lion.

Admittedly I didn't use just the Fox Builder Punch. I thought the lion looked so much better with the addition of two shapes from different punches.

This is a really simple card. The base is black cardstock. Next I added two pieces cut with the banner dies. Then I cut a white circle from white cardstock, attached the little lion and attached it to the card front using foam squares.

Both the sentiment and little accent at the top are also die cut from white card. For finishing touches I randomly added several sizes of clear rhinestones.

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Recollections

Patterned paper: MME Reunion 6 x 6" paper pad

Ink: Early Espresso, Crushed Curry, Crumb Cake - All SU

Dies: Banner Thinlits - SU, Circle Framelits - SU, Sunshine Wishes - SU

Punches; Fox Builder, 1 3/4" Scallop circle, Owl builder - all SU

Misc.: foam mounting squares, black marker, white gel pen, rhinestones.

Lion punch art instructions:

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Fox Builder Frog Punch Art

It's been a wonderful spring so far. Rather surprisingly hot for Calgary actually. Our garden is coming to life with both colourful plants and wildlife. One of the things I however still miss form our BC home is the little green frogs we used to have in our yard. The kids always found them inside their little pool. Sometimes even hiding in the hot tub. I remember Rai used to have the boys walk in front of him when he was mowing the lawn to ensure the frogs got out of the way before they could be run over.

This little critter was made in memory of these little frogs.

I kept the card simple this time.
My scene was attached directly t my card front and covered with the white frame overlay.
The little frog is sitting on a stamped wood stump around which I stamped several blades/strands of grass. The little purple flower was also created using the Fox punch and attached with foam squares.

The window in the frame overly was created by die cutting an oval form the trimmed 4" x 5.25" cardstock. I then stamped the vine border around the cut-out edges and added my sentiment to one side.
The frame was attached over-top of the card front, ensuring my frog scene was centered, using foam squares/mounting tape.

Instructions for both punch art pieces can be found below.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections, Bazzill
Stamps: Foxy Friends - SU, Vertical Greetings - SU, In the Meadow - SU
Die: Oval Thinlits - SU
Punches: see below instructions
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Elegant Eggplant, Crushed Curry, Chocolate Chip - all SU
Misc.: White gel pen, Black marker, rose/red chalk, foam mounting squares/tape

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Fox Builder Garden Punch Art Scene

As of late I have had fairy gardens on my mind a lot. See, my girls group gets together once a month and while chatting, enjoying a bite to eat (and a possibly glass of wine) we try to get some crafting done. For our next get-together we are planning on making terrariums. While looking at various plant choices and containers we found so many adorable little fairy garden decorations that we are having a hard time deciding what to use.

So while making the toad stool used on my last card the idea of making a fairy garden scene was foremost in my mind and this fun card came to life.

For the cloudy background the same brayer technique was used as with the woodlands embossing folder; brayer blue ink onto the raised side before embossing.

I love the Swirly Scribbles border and it definitely lends itself well for grassy grounds.
The mushroom was created the same way as the toadstool from my last card. Punchart instructions for all pieces are below.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections white, misc. scraps of Bazzill and Recollections
Ink: Marina Mist, Chocolate Chip, Mossy Meadows, Tangerine Tango, Sahara Sand - all SU
Embossing folder: Cloudy Day - SU
Dies: Greetings Thinlits - SU, Swirly Scribbles Thinlits - SU
Misc.: White gel pen, foam tape/mounting squares

Punch art instructions:

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Fox Builder Rabbit and Toadstool Punch Art Card

Without further ado let me introduce Mr. Rabbit and his little toadstool friend who where both made using the new SU Fox Builder punch.

The background was made with the woodland embossing folder by brayering the raised side with blue ink prior to embossing the white cardstock. I then coloured the tree detail using a dark brown marker.

The ground was created with the border strip from the new Swirly Scribbles Thinlits which was mounted on top of darker shaded cardstock trimmed at the top to match the curve of the die.

The ground was attached to the card background with foam tape/mounting squares; as were both my little punch art creations. The card was finished with a die cut "hello".

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Recollections white, colours - various Bazzill and Recollection scraps

Stamp: Foxy Friends - SU

Ink: Marina Mist, Chocolate Chip, Cherry Cobbler, Wild Wasabi - all SU

Punches: Fox Builder - SU, Bow Builder - SU

Dies: Hello Thinlits - SU, Swirly Scribbles Thinlits - SU

Embossing folder: oodland - SU

Markers: white gel pen, Chocolate Chip - SU

Misc.: red/rose chalk, foam tape/mounting squares

Punch art instructions:

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon for more fun creations using the new SU Fox Builder punch.