Welcome to the Stamping Sunday Blog Hop for July 2024. This month, our theme is Kaleidoscopic Depths — colors from under the sea. Our focus is on color and where we draw inspiration.
When I think of the sea, I think of snorkeling and scuba diving. Some of my fondest memories are from trips to Hawaii, Tahiti, Turks & Caicos, and Cancun swimming in the ocean depths with brightly colored fish and gorgeous coral formations. But the water itself really strikes me as the most beautiful. I love all the variations of blue, from the deepest, darkest navy to the brilliant hues of turquoise. I especially love how the sun shines through the water illuminating the colors. The ocean has a calming effect on me, like time stands still; I just love it.
My inspiration comes from these beautiful memories. I picked three of my favorite blues for my card, including Blueberry Bushel, Azure Afternoon, and Summer Splash.
My card features the Friends For Life Bundle. I love the large die-cuts with insets. The leaves even remind me of seaweed flowing in the current. I also love the “paint swipe” die used on the left side, because it’s fun and different.
To create the watercolored leaves, I started by pre-painting a sheet of Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper with the three ink colors. I tried to get lots of variation in color with both lights and darks. Then, I die-cut the three leaves from that paper, keeping track of the inside pieces.
Tip: To make it easier to build the leaves, I started by gluing the outline die-cuts onto cardstock and then fussy cutting around them. That way, I had a solid piece underneath giving me something to use to glue the inside pieces. Once I had the three leaves constructed, it made it a lot easier to lay out the leaves and complete the card.
Also, when I glued the inside pieces into the outline die-cuts, I placed them inside different ones, so they’d contrast.
In the background, I dry embossed a layer of Basic White Cardstock with the So Swirly Embossing Folder, and then I added splatter with a Blueberry Bushel Stampin’ Blend Marker.
The final touch was some Linen Thread and white sequins.
Be sure to continue on through the entire Stamping Sunday Blog Hop for lots of color combinations inspired by the sea. I’m excited to see what the other designers create! (If you are looking at this in your email, you may need to click on my header above to switch over to my blog and see the links.)
Stamping Sunday Blog Hop Designers:
Use Host Code 9ZEM4RAE for purchases at my online store to qualify to receive free exclusive project tutorials. This month’s PDF includes 12 fantastic tutorials designed by my demonstrator friends and I to inspire your creativity! The projects feature products from the 2024 Annual Catalog, Online Exclusives, and new January-April Mini and Sale-A-Bration Catalogs. Enjoy!
Thank you so much Laura!
I love the colors you chose to make this lovely card with!