Beach Day

For this week's Stamp Class, I took out the set Beach Day to give the cards a summer beachy kind of feel.  I paired it with the dies from Paradise Palms.  

For the first card, I used Cloud Cover cardstock and embossed the white with a dotted folder.  Then I cut out a circle from Celebratory Sips designer papers for the focal point.  I added some palm tree and grass dies, and 3 cut-out surfboards.   I cut  out the sun in Pale Papaya and added some seagulls and the saying.  (One card has two palm trees and the second card only has one.)  

I got the idea from Narelle Farrugia.  This card reminds me of the beach on a hazy warm day.  :)

The second card is a little scene along the beach with two chairs and an umbrella.  I didn't buy the dies for this set, so we cut them out.  I used a Blend marker in Crumb Cake for the sand and then some sponging in Pool Party to create the sea.  

The designer papers are from Country Woods designer papers.  I got the idea for this card from Heidi Collins.  I love the rustic beach look of this card.  

For this final card, I used Stampin Up watercolor crayons (remember them?) to make the beach and ocean waves.  I just love how this turned out; it looks like the foam from the top of waves crashing onto the beach!  I could be sitting right there.  Wait - do I hear the sound of the waves and the seagull?  

I thought the card needed a bow to look complete.  I had fun making this card and want to make more.  It was fun painting the ocean.  All of the ladies who come to class loved painting the ocean, too.  

 

Landscape Cards - Like Taking a Trip to the Ocean

The closest ocean from where I live in upstate NY is about 3.5 or 4 hours away, depending on which direction you head, towards Boston or to Maine.  I usually try to make the trek at least once a year, but because of covid I haven't been to the ocean in close to three years.

However, this week I worked on these amazing ocean cards that I copied from another demonstrator, Gail Ellis.  Each of the three cards uses transparent sheets to add another layer to the ocean landscape and were so much fun to make.  Thank you, Gail for your creativity.

For the first card, the transparency is added onto the top layer, under the clouds.  The fence, rocks, palm tree and pebbles are on the clear sheet.  The stamping is done on a white layer, which is also attached to the top of the card and stands free.

In this photo, you can see the clear layer better.  Using the transparencies on these cards gives them more dimension and interest.  They take a bit longer to make, but the final result is awesome.  :)

Card #2 also attaches the clear sheet at the top of the page, hidden under the one inch flap.  Another cut off piece is at the bottom of the clear sheet, giving this card more of a "ground."  The palm tree is on the clear sheet of this card.  

This card opens vertically and here is what the inside looks like.  

For this card, the transparency is part of the front of the card.  It is attached on the inside of the front.  I added another white layer to the inside on top of the clear sheet to create a space to write the greeting.  If you look closely, you can see a layer of "sand" that extends to the end of the clear sheet on the front of the card.  

Here is the inside of the card (before I added the white layer).  I put a sailboat in the water and added some birds from another stamp set.  

For all three of my cards, I kept the basic stamping colors the same.  I used Pool Party for the sky, Misty Moonlight for the sea and Crumb Cake for the sand.  This gives the cards a more uniform look to them and makes it easier to keep the colors straight for the ladies in my stamping class.

Although I've used transparencies in my cards before, I love the creative use of the clear sheets on these cards.   I used Oceanfront and Paradise Palms stamp sets, Horizon and Palm dies and to really make them special, the Pebbles Enamel Shapes for the stones.