Boy it's been a crazy few days around here. We've had no decent internet connection since Saturday evening. Every once in awhile it would reconnect, but then 5 minutes later it would be out again. You don't realize how many times you want to check something on the internet, but there is none! It was a real wake-up call that maybe I spend too much time checking on the Stampin'Up! website or Pinterest and other such places. I'll have to rein that in and be more productive I guess.
I've had a few things I wanted to share with you, so I better get going here. My card today is so pretty and right on the mark with some warmer weather and thinking ahead to beach time. The stamp set Friends are Like Seashells and the Seaside Dies that match are still going to be in the up-coming Annual Catalog that will go live on May 4th. I'm so happy they will be returning. I haven't done nearly enough with these beach themed products. Just now gearing up for those summery cards I'll need. But if you love the Sand & Sea Designer Series Paper like I do, better hop on it now while it's still available. It will not be in the next catalog. Stock up now while you can. As you can see, this card takes advantage of one of the pretty prints. The layer in front uses the back-side of the pastel sea urchin print that is used on the tall middle layer.
Ok, let's get to the nuts and bolts of the card so you can make one too.
The card starts with a base of Thick Basic White cardstock cut to 4 1/4" x 11". This is scored at the 5 1/2" mark and folded in half.
The next layer is Seaside Spray cut to 4" x 10 1/2". This was scored at 2 3/8" and 5 1/4". It was then attached to the folded Thick Basic White cardstock base using adhesive leaving the scored half free. Fold this up and then down to end up with a small 'mountain' in front.
The next item up was cutting the pieces of Sand & Sea DSP. I cut a strip of paper at 3 3/4" wide. This was trimmed at 5" to fit the longer middle section of the card. The next piece was cut at 2 1/8" and attached to the front section with adhesive.
Next come all the pretty shells and the sentiment. The dies for the 2 sentiment layers are from the Painted Labels Dies. They have nice clean lines with a tailored looking border that is embossed while cutting. The first layer is Seaside Spray cut with the larger die. The next is Crumb Cake cut with the smaller die. I stamped the sentiment (from the Friends are Like Seashells set) using Soft Suede ink before die-cutting. They are attached together using Dimensionals.
On to the seashells, and the sand dollar too! These were all stamped onto Basic White cardstock using Crumb Cake ink. Then an extra layer of ink was added by using either Flirty Flamingo or Seaside Spray inks and the 'scribbly' stamps that coordinate in size to the shells. Once I used the ink full strength, the other two times I off-stamped first to give a lighter, less intense color. All of these were then die-cut. When I had all the pieces ready to go, it was just a matter of playing around to see how I liked the layout. The sand dollar and two of the shells were attached directly to the Seaside Spray die-cut layer using adhesive. The last shell was attached to the sentiment layer with a Mini Dimensional off to the side to keep it held up from the rest. A double bow of Linen Thread was attached to the side with a Mini Glue Dot. Lastly I added several Pearls Basic Jewels because we're talking underwater here!
To continue the seaside effect, I ripped a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock that was 4 1/4" by 2 1/2" to give the look of a sandy beach. Then I stamped the speckles stamp several times over this using Crumb Cake ink.
I had originally die-cut a Seaside Spray starfish, but didn't like it on the card front. When I tried it here, it just seemed to work. So that's where it landed. Hope you like this card idea. It was fun doing a different fold for a change. I admit I have my favorite card layouts that I keep going back to all the time. But we have to keep trying new things so we don't get stuck in a rut. And this was a fun change of pace for me.
Happy stamping and hope you will have some lovely beach weather in the near future!
Sharon
Beautiful card! I just started working with Friends Are Like Seashells - I like this set! And you're right about going to our same old "default" lay-outs. New tools and techniques help to keep us fresh.
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