Message in a Bottle

When I first saw the 2017 - 18 Stampin' Up! annual catalog back in April, one of the stamp sets I immediately fell in love with was Message in a Bottle. I love the different images that fit perfectly inside the bottle as well as the cute, punny sentiments. Here are the first few cards I've created with this fun set:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Message in a Bottle
Paper: Whisper White, thick Whisper White, Lemon Lime Twist, Tempting Turquoise card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Tempting Turquoise, Lemon Lime Twist, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Tide embossing folder (Lifestyle Crafts), burlap trim, Tiny Attacher (Tim Holtz), die-cut swirl (left over from an old Paper Pumpkin kit), 4 mm clear droplets (Pretty Pink Posh), Glue Dots, Dimensionals, Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter)

This card was the perfect opportunity to use a couple of colors I don't reach for very often: Tempting Turquoise and Lemon Lime Twist. I know Lemon Lime Twist is a new InColor, and it may grow on me, but right now it still seems really bright. Like scream-at-me, glow-in-the-dark bright. Especially when I look at a full sheet of the card stock. But I really like the small pops of it on this card.

To make the focal image, I stamped the bottle then the water inside the bottle. I also stamped the water on a sticky note, cut that one out and placed it over the image on the card stock. Then I stamped the octopus over the mask. I also used the mask to add the waves by tracing along the scalloped top edge.

Since the focal image was a little on the small side, I wanted to give it a bit more oomph. I found a die-cut swirl accent left over from an old Paper Pumpkin kit and glued it to the embossed background. I stapled a piece of wide burlap trim over the swirl and then used Dimensionals (placed at the top and bottom of the bottle) to adhere the focal image to the card. The finishing detail was three clear droplet, which make me think that the octopus has splashed some water out of the bottle.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Message in a Bottle
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Flirty Flamingo, Lemon Lime Twist, Tempting Turquoise
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Flirty Flamingo, Lemon Lime Twist, Tempting Turquoise, Crum Cake, Crushed Curry, Chocolate Chip, Blush Blossom
Accessories: Tide embossing folders (Lifestyle Crafts), Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, 4 mm clear droplets (Pretty Pink Posh), Beachfront Ribbon Originals, clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen, Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter), Dimensionals

I stuck with Tempting Turquoise and Lemon Lime Twist for these cards and added in some lively Flirty Flamingo. You'll notice that I used the same layout for both of these cards, but I just flipped the colors: Where I used Lemon Lime Twist on one card, I switched to Flirty Flamingo on the other (and vice versa). The layout is also very similar to the octopus card -- if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

I added a little sparkle to these cards by painting clear Wink of Stella on the mermaid tails, seashell tops and hats. And three clear droplets found their way onto each of these cards, too.

That's it for me tonight. I had wanted to do a couple of blog posts this week, but my allergies have been kicking my butt for the past couple of days. (I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes open as I type!)

Thanks for stopping by!