Ahoy, mateys!

Now that I'm done with all the October family birthdays, I was excited to be able to sit down yesterday and spend some time making whatever my little heart desired. I wanted to work on Christmas cards, since A) it's almost November already, and B) I have some fun new Christmas stamping goodies that I haven't even had a chance to use yet.

Sadly, my back decided to be achy yesterday, and I discovered that it wasn't very comfortable to sit for prolonged periods of time at my dining room/crafting table. Drats and double drats. I did, however, manage to make one card, and it's an idea that's been in my head for a few weeks:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®, unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Under the Sea set, Pirate Chickie, Small Solid Palm Trees (all DeNami Design)
Card stock: Cool Caribbean, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake
Ink pad: Jet Black StazOn
Markers: Daffodil Delight, Bermuda Bay, Garden Green, Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso, Going Gray, Close to Cocoa, Real Red, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Cupcake Builder punch, 1" circle punch, hemp twine, wave pattern scissors (Provo Craft), Crystal Effects, Champagne Glass Glitter, Dimensionals

I suppose if I could only finish a single card, there's some consolation in the fact that it's a cute one (at least in my humble opinion). I bought the little Pirate Chickie stamp at the Rubber Stamp & Scrapbook Expo about a month ago. I already had the palm tree, boat and treasure chest stamps, so as soon as I saw the pirate, I knew I had to buy it so I could make this card.

I started out with the Cool Caribbean card base and added a layer of Bermuda Bay for the water. I tore a piece of Creamy Caramel into an island-y shape and adhered it on the "water." Then I added another layer of Bermuda Bay (with the hemp twine for embellishment) in front of the island and popped it up with Dimensionals to create some depth.

I stamped the boat, trees, pirate and treasure chest on white card stock, colored them and cut them out. I tucked the boat behind one of the waves and played around with the placement of the other pieces until I had an arrangement I liked. To create the "treasure" in the chest, I put a small amount of Crystal Effects on the chest and then sprinkled on some Champagne Glass Glitter -- it has just the right sparkle. Then I used markers to add some sand and wave details.

For the sky, I used the Cupcake Builder punch to create clouds and a circle punch to make the sun. I left some open space in the upper right corner of the card in case I decide to stamp a greeting later. I'm pretty happy with how this card turned out. And I think it was easier than it looks; the only part that took some time was cutting out the little pieces, but I actually enjoy that.

Thanks for stopping by! Arrgh!