Hello fellow stampers! Looks like our rainy cooler weather will be gone for another day or two. Or maybe even a week or more! We're back in the mid 90's and I gotta tell ya, that's just too dog-gone hot to be hanging outside for this ole lady! So that means more stamping! Woo Hoo! This is the time of month I usually start planning for the cards being sent to the shut-ins from church for the next month. This gives me a little time to think and plan, and throw out ideas that just won't work, you know? I decided on an idea that I loved and wanted to share it with you too.
This idea hit me as pure summer. What could be more fun than spending time at the beach or the pool on a summer day? The stamp and die bundle used is called Splash & Relax, and it's found in the Online Exclusive section of the SU! store. Isn't this perfect for a summer idea? I started with a Thick Basic White cardstock piece for my base which measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2". It's scored and folded in half. Next, a 5 1/2" x 2 1/4" piece of Lemon Lime Twist cardstock was ripped in half along the full length. These two pieces were attached to the top and bottom edges of the white card base. I used "green glue" to adhere them. This way I'd have a little "wiggle time" to get them exactly at the edges.
I'm not sure what these "water rings" are actually called. I've really not spent much time playing in the water because I burn so badly, so my terminology is sadly lacking concerning beach/water toys.
Whatever they're called, I stamped three of them using Coastal Cabana, Granny Apple Green, and Lemon Lolly inks. The two darker colors were off-stamped before stamping the solid ring. Then full strength in the same color was stamped over with the detail stamp. I was concerned about how easy it would be to line up the detail stamp, but it was surprisingly quite easy. Which was a really good thing considering I was prepping for 23 cards! (What was I thinking?!?) I only had a little problem with the Lemon Lolly rings because the color was so light it was hard to see through the stamp. Note to self: Use slightly darker colors to see them better.
After stamping them, it was easy to die-cut them with the coordinating die in the set. At this point, I added three Dimensionals on the back of the rings but didn't take off the backing. This way I could position them and get an idea of how it looked.
The card looked a little bare at this point, so maybe a cool pair of sunglasses would work. The main color on these glasses is Shy Shamrock from a year ago. It was a good contrast to the other colors, but it didn't overpower them. The lens for the sunglasses was cut from Basic Black cardstock and then attached with adhesive to the glasses.
The rings were attached with their Dimensionals. Then the sunglasses and sentiment were attached with Mini Dimensionals.
For a bit of splashy bling, the pale blue glitter dots from the Traditional Sparkling Sequins that were around either last Christmas or the year before. I thought they were the perfect accent.
You would think that this is all I have for you today. But no, you would be wrong. Trying to figure out what color sunglasses to add to the card, I tried several different colors to go with the design. So, what do you do with those extra sunglasses? Ta-da...
For this card, start with a Balmy Blue card base that is 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".
Next, a layer of Vellum was added. It's cut at 5 1/4" x 4". To give it a look of a swirly water background, it was embossed with the retired So Swirly Embossing Folder. It was attached to the card base by adding adhesive under the covered area.
I've got a die that looks like a film strip that isn't SU!. Yep, it's contraband. Shh, don't tell anybody! But I thought it would be a good way to display my pile of sunglasses. It's die-cut from Basic White.
It's stamped at the bottom with a sentiment from the Splash & Relax set. It's stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. Then this was attached to the vellum with "green glue".
The sunglasses shown are all the colors I tried for the previous card. The top one is Coastal Cabana. The middle one is Granny Apple Green. The bottom one is Pool Party. Each of them has two coats of Wink of Stella on them to make them sparkly. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a decent picture of them. Take my word for it, they're cute!
The perfect accent for this card seemed to be some iridescent gems. They're called Flat Adhesive-backed Pearls from several years ago. Yes, I always hang on to my gems after they retire. You never know when it will be just what is needed.
Ok, that's it for my bout of sharing for today. I hope you get in a summery frame of mind seeming these ideas. I've got several more summer birthdays coming up yet, so this one just might end up as a birthday card.
Be sure and leave a comment so I know you've visited here. Have fun in the sun if you can handle it. I wish it was 10 years ago when I was outside playing with my grandsons in whatever scenario their little minds could think up. It was always so much fun. Tiring, but absolutely never boring! Enjoy your summer in whatever way puts a smile on your face! (like stamping!)
Happy stamping and creating,
Sharon
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