Summer is Coming...

Hey guys!  It may be only the second week of May, but I can't wait for the warm temperatures, sunny breezes and days at the lake to get here.  I am enjoying the sounds of spring, the heady scents of Lilacs, Hyacinths and Apple Blossom trees, as well as the welcome colors of Tulips, Daffodils and Crocuses.  Todays project has a summer theme and utilizes chipboard die cuts to add dimension and color.

Obviously, this card was inspired by the ocean versus the lake, but you get the idea.  Relaxing warmth and sunshine!  Lets get started...
Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb Watercolor paper (technique linked here)
Avery Elle Wonky Stitches
Neenah Solar White 110 lb cardstock
iStencil wave
Studio 490 Translucent embossing paste
Glitter Ritz Stardust glitter
Nuvo Clear Crystal Drops
Seahorse and Conch chipboard die cuts from Infinity Engraving
Conch Shell: Dylusions Spray Ink in White Linen and Bubblegum Pink Mica
Seahorse: Dylusions Crushed Grape Regular and Mica, and Lindys Stamp Gang Royal Amethyst Fire
Distress Inks: Mermaid Lagoon, Blueprint Sketch, and Chipped Sapphire
Prima White Sand Texture Paste
Black Fun Foam
1/2" Scor-tape
Doodlebug Shin-dig Cardstock stickers in Swimming Pool
Doodlebug Jewels

Using the technique linked above, I make large 11" by 14" sheets of the background.  In this case, I used blues and turquoise shades.  I cut it down to size to use for backgrounds in my projects.  Starting with a 4.25 by 5.5 inch piece, I ran it through my Big Shot with the largest of the Wonky Stitches frame.  My next step was to lay my stencil over my background, tape it down with washi tape (or any low tack tape) and get ready to add my embossing paste.  I added the glitter to about 1/2 tsp of embossing paste and mixed together.  I smoothed it over the stencil, removed the stencil, set it aside to dry, and washed my stencil and palette knife.  If the paste is allowed to dry on the stencil or knife, it can ruin them.

While my background dried, I colored my chipboard die cuts.  I wanted a purple seahorse, so I started with Crushed Grape Dylusions and added the Mica version as well as the LSG.  Lindy's gives the most incredible shimmer you've ever seen.  For the Conch shell, I tried to go a little more natural, so I started with White Linen Dylusions spray and added Bubblegum Pink Mica; when that was dry, I topped it with Nuvo Clear Crystal Drops to give it a shiny, underwater look.  It did take over an hour for the shell to dry.

While the shell hung out and dried, I continued to build my card.  I wanted to add some depth, so I blended some Blueprint Sketch around the edges; from the halfway point down and along the bottom, without completely covering the white areas.  I was even more careful with the Chipped Sapphire because it's such a dark navy blue.  I added it to the bottom edge and corners.  To further create the ocean feel, I added Prima white sand texture paste along the bottom edge.

 I let the background dry overnight.  The watercolor paper had warped quite a bit, so I cut a piece of fun foam just smaller than the paper.  It's rigid enough to flatten out the panel.  I added scor-tape to both sides of the foam and attached it to the watercolor panel.  Next, I added Mermaid Lagoon to the top half of the cardbase and Blueprint Sketch to the bottom half and attached the foamed panel to the base.  The last thing to do was attach the die cuts, letter stickers and gems.  I used foam squares to attach the die cuts and liquid glue to attach the letter stickers.  The gems completed the card.

I had so much fun designing and creating this project and I hope you enjoyed it to.  Thanks for stopping by and hanging out with me today! Feel free to ask questions and let me know what you think.

Much love,
Jasmine