Under the sea

After the tropical vibe of my last two posts, I'm going to segue into a little ocean theme and share a few cards featuring animals and scenes from under the sea.

These first two clean and simple cards both use masking stencils from Taylored Expressions and the Seaside Notions stamp set from Stampin' Up!, and it was my first time playing with both of these products.

Supplies:
Stamps: Seaside Notions (Stampin' Up!)
Paper: 110-lb Solar White card stock (Neenah); Sea Glass, Key Lime, Tangerine Twist, Sandy Beach card stock (Gina K Designs)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Sea Glass, Key Lime, Tangerine Twist, Sandy Beach (Gina K Designs)
Accessories: Circle masking stencils (Taylored Expressions), blender brushes (Taylored Expressions), clear droplets (Pretty Pink Posh), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute), foam tape (3M)
 
This is a fun layout, and I think it would work with just about any type of image: flowers or foliage (ooh - four different leaves with rich autumn colors), animals, crafty-themed images, etc.

For this card I started by choosing four images from the stamp set and four colors of coordinating ink and card stock. I stamped each image on one color card stock using the same color ink, trimmed them using a paper snips, and set them aside.

For the background, I used circle masking stencils and blender brushes to create one circle for each ink color on a panel of white card stock. (Note: Be sure to wipe off the stencil after each circle so the colors don't get muddied.) I used a random placement for the circles, letting some of them go off the edge of the card stock and/or overlap with another color.

I stamped a birthday sentiment in the lower right corner and then adhered the panel to a black card base. Using foam tape, I adhered each of the stamped, cut-out images over the corresponding circle. I finished the card with three bubble-y clear droplets.

Supplies:
Stamps: Seaside Notions (Stampin' Up!)
Paper: 110-lb Solar White card stock (Neenah); Coral Reef, Sandy Beach card stock (Gina K Designs)
Ink: Coral Reef, Sandy Beach, Turquoise Sea, Sea Glass (Gina K Designs)
Accessories: Rectangle masking stencils (Taylored Expressions), blender brushes (Taylored Expressions), clear droplets (Pretty Pink Posh), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute), Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!)

For this card I used the rectangle masking stencil to create a subtle background scene. With the stencil attached to a white card base (use removable tape on the back so the card doesn't shift), I applied Sandy Beach ink near the bottom of the opening and then blended Turquoise Sea and Sea Glass inks to cover the rest of the stencil opening. After I removed the stencil -- look at that perfectly even chunky white border! -- I stamped dot clusters over the sand and one coral image in the water.

For the main images, I  used Coral Reef ink and card stock for the seahorse and Sandy Beach ink and card stock for the seashell. I stamped and cut out the images and attached them to the card base using Dimensionals, placing them so they extended past the borders of the ink-blended rectangle. Again, three clear droplets finish the card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Whale Done

Paper: Whisper White, Shaded Spruce, Pretty Peacock, Pool Party card stock; Whale of a Time Designer Series Paper (DSP)

Ink: Pretty Peacock

Accessories: Whale punch, Seabed 3D embossing folder, foam tape (3M)

These are two very simple cards that I put together just to try out some new Stampin Up! goodies. I embossed the card bases with the Seabed 3D embossing folder (Pretty Peacock on the left, Shaded Spruce on the right), and I have to say that I love all the texture and detail! For the focal layer on each card, I cut a 6" x 6" piece of DSP into 3" x 3" pieces and matted two of the pieces with Pool Party card stock. Using foam tape I adhered one square to each card base.

I tried two different styles for the whales. For the card on the left I stamped the whale using Pretty Peacock ink on white card stock and then punched out the image with the main part of the Whale Punch. For the card on the right, I used the punch with Pretty Peacock and white card stock and then glued the pieces together to make the whale. (I made the eye with a dot of black marker.) I added the whales to the DSP squares and finished each card with the sentiment "Thanks a ton" stamped on a little card stock banner.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have a "swimmingly" good weekend!