Let's be mermaids!

A few months ago I "discovered" the Essentials by Ellen products on ellenhutson.com. So far I've only purchased stamps and dies from the product line, but I've really enjoyed using them. I think my favorite is the Mermaid's Tail stamp set. It has a large detailed mermaid tail image that you can use for a variety of different techniques, as well as some really great sentiments. I used that set to make a couple of fun mermaid cards during my birthday craft retreat.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Mermaid's Tail (Essentials by Ellen)
Paper: Thick Whisper White card stock
Ink: Lemon Lime Twist, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay
Accessories: Mermaid Mix sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen, Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter)

This card has a really clean, one-layer design and uses limited supplies, but I absolutely love the way it turned out. To create the multicolored mermaid tails, I carefully tapped my Bermuda Bay ink pad on just the fin part of the stamp, Pool Party on the lower part of the tail and Lemon Lime Twist on the top part of the tail. I stamped the image in the upper left corner of the card, re-applied the ink, rotated the block and stamped the image again in the bottom right corner.

I stamped the sentiment (which I love and heartily agree with!) using Bermuda Bay ink and scattered a few sequins around the mermaid tails. I wanted to add a little more sparkle, so I used my clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen to paint over the fins scallop shapes on the tails. It's hard to see when you look at the card straight on, but it has all kinds of sparkle when you tilt the card to catch the light.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless noted):
Stamps: Mermaid's Tail, Otter Ware (both Essentials by Ellen)
Paper: Thick Whisper White card stock
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Claypso Coral, Lemon Lime Twist, Tranquil Tide, Stardust Gelly Roll pen (Sakura)
Accessories: 4mm and 6mm sparkling clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), Aqua Painter, Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter), Dimensionals

For this card I used just one color for the mermaid tail stamp: Bermuda Bay. I stamped the image at the top of a panel of white card stock, and to add more color to the card, I stamped some seaweed and a seashell along the bottom of the panel using Lemon Lime Twist, Tranquil Tide and Calypso Coral. (The inner parts of the Calypso Coral images were colored with an Aqua Painter brush.)

Naturally, the card needed some sparkle, so I added three clear sequins. I also gave some shine to the mermaid's tail, this time with a Gelly Roll pen. It has a bit more of a silvery look than the Wink of Stella, but it still adds a fun detail and finishing touch.




Thanks for stopping by -- and let's be mermaids!