This card is perfect for anyone who loves ocean themes. It has several layers and elements, so it takes some time. Be sure to set aside a good hour or two to complete it.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Supply List:
All Supplies used here are Stampin' Up! brand. You can order these materials at www.stampinup.com. If you need a demonstrator, choose H. Jane Harrington from Pinson, AL when you check out.
1 piece Very Vanilla cardstock
1 piece Pool Party cardstock
Tranquil Textures Designer Series paper
Wood Textures Designer Series paper
Big Shot circle dies (or other circle cutting method)
Paper piercing tool & Stampin' Pierce mat
6 small brads
Pinewood Planks 3D embossing folder (opt)
Window sheet (or scrap piece of acrylic packaging)
Stampin' Dimensionals
Foam Adhesive Strips (opt)
Mono Adhesive tape runner or Tear and Tape
Tranquil Textures stamp set
Under the Sea Big Shot dies (opt)
Daubers and ink pads (colors of your choosing)
Scrap of glimmer paper (opt)
Burlap ribbon
Tranquil Tide ribbon (or other color of your choosing)
I was inspired by this card I made years ago. It used the Stampin' Up! set called Fishy Friends, and it always made me smile.
This time, I decided to take it a step further and upgrade it with some extra elements.
Here's how I did it.
Instructions:
Cut a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock to
6" x 8-1/2". Score at the 4-1/4" mark to make your card base. Fold it on the score mark to make the card.
Using a piece of Tranquil Textures Designer Series paper (now retired, but you can substitute Rich Razzleberry cardstock), cut a piece slightly smaller, to fit on the card front.
Using a piece of 6x6 Wood Textures Designer Series paper (now retired, but you can substitute with a piece of Soft Suede that has been embossed in your Big Shot with the Pinewood Planks 3D embossing folder), cut a slightly smaller piece than the Rich Razzleberry paper.
Note: to save paper, you may want to use your Big Shot to cut out a rectangle in the center of the Razzleberry paper.
You will need three circle dies.
Use the medium sized circle die to cut a window in the wood paper layer. This makes the hull that goes over the Rich Razzleberry.
Line the big and small circles over a separate piece of wood paper to make the portal piece. Cut them out.
Now you have two wood pieces that look like this.
One portal, and one hull with a window.
Note: For added texture, you can run the wood hull through your Big Shot with a wood 3D embossing folder. This step is optional, but it adds more dimension to the hull.
Using your paper piercing tool and the Stampin' Pierce mat, make six tiny hole evenly around the portal piece. Insert your small brads into the holes and fix. This creates the rivets in the portal.
This is what it should look like.
Note: I miscounted when I was punching and added extra holes, so I just used extra brads. You can make 8 rivets instead of 6 if you'd like to.
Using a window sheet, cut a circle to fit inside the portal. Adhere it to the back using whatever kind of glue you prefer.
Note: If you don't have a window sheet handy, grab some acrylic packaging. I always save packages from things I buy so I can use them in my crafts.
Adhere Stampin' Dimensionals all around the back of the portal. Adhere to the front of the hull.
Cut a piece of Pool Party (or other ocean-like color) cardstock. The dimensions should be approximately
3-1/2" x 3-3/4".
This piece will represent the ocean.
The ocean piece will go behind the wood hull piece like this. But first, we have to get our stamps out.
Grab your daubers, a piece of Whisper White cardstock, and several colors of ink pads. Fix the octopus stamp from Tranquil Textures to an acrylic block.
Dauber on ink in random patterns until the entire octopus stamp is covered.
Stamp the octopus on Whisper White cardstock and cut it out (either using scissors or the corresponding Big Shot die).
Note: You can use a Wink of Stella brush on the octopus to make it shimmery if you want to.
Stamp your ocean scene on the Pool Party cardstock piece. I drew a rough circle so I would know generally where the portal window would be.
Don't overdo it, but try to fill in the background a bit so it looks like an underwater scene.
Add different textures for the background.
Note: Some inks may be too dark, so you can stamp off one or two times on scratch paper or grid paper to get a light application when you stamp.
Here are the elements I used for my portal window. I stamped and die cut several elements from the Tranquil Textures set and Under the Sea dies.
This is an optional step, but one I really like. I used the school of fish die from the Under the Sea framelits to cut out the fish right into the ocean scene. I adhered a scrap of glimmer paper to the back of the cardstock, to make it look like the fish are shimmery.
Arrange all your underwater elements, using the portal as a guide. Adhere them in place using Mono Adhesive tape runner, glue, or Stampin' Dimensionals. It's ok if they are not all completely adhered--you want a little bit of dimension so they seem closer to you than the ocean backdrop.
Layer all your pieces together, and it should look like this. Use foam adhesive strips or Stampin' Dimensionals to make the hull pop off the Rich Razzleberry. Adhere everything to the card front.
Stamp your sentiment or greeting. I used a scrap from the Tranquil Textures Designer Series paper, but you can substitute Mint Macaron or other color cardstock. Using scissors, cut two triangles at the bottom to make it look like a flag banner.
For added texure, run the edges along a stamp pad (I used Tranquil Tide, but you can substitute another green). Add an optional frame behind it for some extra color.
Cut a strip of burlap ribbon to approximately 7". Cut the ends at an angle.
Fold the ribbon and adhere using a strong tape (like Tear and Tape) or ribbon glue.
Cut a small piece of ribbon (I used Tranquil Tide, but you can substitute what you have) and glue at an angle on top of the burlap ribbon.
Adhere the greeting on top of the ribbon, and your card is complete!
If you want to take this project a step further, you can adjust your measurements and make a wall hanging. I made this one as a tribute to The Little Mermaid. I cut Flounder using Big Shot oval and circle dies, and I drew on the features by hand. The Make a Difference stamp set provided the lettering, and I used punches to cut them out. Be creative and let your imagination whisk you away!