Summer Love Letters

 Hello!  (Chris here)

One of the most iconic things about the beach are the seashells.  There is just something about them that fills our hearts with wonder.  We all bring them home and put them in a special place.  Every time we see them the sea calls us.  They tie our hearts to a happier place.  They are love letters in the sand. 

To create my background I started wtih kraft cardstock.  I sponged two different shades of brown ink onto the kraft.  I tried to make it uneven.  I was trying to create a sandy look.   I then splattered the background with both shades of brown and then white pigment ink to add some contrast.   Then I set this aside to dry.  I used Seashell Dies to cut the shells out a variety of specialized paper.  They all have a pearl or glitter finish to them. I sponged on a touch of brown ink (just whatever was left on the brush from creating the background).   I arranged the shells and stamped the sentiment.  I hope you love this card.   I wish the camera could capture the shine.   You will just have to trust me. :) 

Materials:

STAMPS: use code TJ10Chris to save 10%:

Seashells

Paper:

paper from Stampin' Up

Ink:

Versa clair: Amazon

Memento Ink: Amazon or Scrapbook

White gel pen:  Scrapbook or Amazon

Other:

Bearly Art Glue:(detail glue)

Tacky Glue

Seashell Dies

no copics today

Hang 10 and Learn To Surf

 

Hello everyone and Happy Saturday!  Even though I have never surfed in my life, I love to watch the surfers at the beach here.  And, surfing is huge here in Brasil.  When I saw the new Hang 10 stamp I knew that I would love to color all those boards and, it would be perfect to use with the Learn to Surf stamp.  

So, let's go make a card.  

• First, I stamped Hang 10 on white cardstock and used my Scan N Cut to cut the surfboards with a small border.  You can also fussy cut then if that is your thing.  
• I colored in a few of them and then applied glossy accents to each surfboard so they would have a glossy when dry.  Then I set them aside to dry for a few hours. 
• While they were drying, I made a top-folding card using blue cardstock.
• I die-cut a piece of light blue cardstock using a 4" x 5.25" stitched rectangle die, embossed it with the Waves 3D Embossing Folder from Memory Box, and adhered it to the card front.
• I stamped Learn to Surf on white cardstock, die-cut it with a rectangle die, layered it on a piece of blue cardstock, adhered a piece of fun foam to the back, and then adhered it to the card front higher up to make room for the surfboards.
• I adhered the surfboards to the bottom of the sentiment using wet glue and foam squares.  
• Lastly, I die-cut another piece of white cardstock using the 4" x 5.25" stitched rectangle die and adhered this to the inside for a message.  

Done!

I really love this card if I do say so myself.  LOL.  The glossy accents on the surfboards really make them pop.  What do you think?  I'd love to know...leave a comment below! 

If you want a more detailed step-by-step, with photos, on how to make this card, head over to my personal blog.  Just click HERE if you want to see that.  

Until next time...

Hugs from Brasil.

~Michael

A Zen Pirate or Mermaid?

 Good morning! Am I the only one that thinks it’s crazy that June is coming to a close soon?

For my creation, I used our new Pirate or Mermaid stamp. I stamped, colored and then used a bookmark die cut to cut it out. Next, I added a bit of embroidery thread. The background was done with the Flowing Zen background stamp. A few dew drops added and we will call it good.

Find all of your crafty needs met here and if yuo’re so inclined, use my code TJ10Pam for a discount!