Can you think of anyone who wouldn’t appreciate a card filled with oceans of love? There’s something so calming about creating ocean-themed cards. From the soothing shades of blue to the bright pops of color on tropical fish, it’s hard not to smile while putting a scene like this together.
I’m playing along with a couple of card challenges:
- The Card Concept Challenge #228a, Summer by the Sea.
- Time Out Challenge #318, Mother Nature
Create an ocean scene with layered stencils
For today’s “Oceans of Love” card, I started with the Waffle Flower Under the Sea Background Stencils, blending layers of Distress Oxide Inks to create a soft underwater backdrop. The stencils do all the hard work, adding coral, sea plants, and plenty of ocean texture while leaving lots of room for the focal images.
I began with a white card base measuring 5 1/4″ x 4″. The entire panel was inked with Stormy Sky Distress Oxide Ink. After placing the first stencil over the panel, I then proceeded to ink blend with Broken China. Finally with the second stencil, I blended with Uncharted Mariner. The result was a subtle yet detailed picture from under the sea.
In addition to the stencils, I added some plant life along the bottom of the panel using stamps from Coral Reef Silhouettes. I placed the panel into my MISTI on top of my Grip Mat, so that the images could be re-stamped several times to ensure good coverage. The Grip Map holds the paper in place really well, preventing any blurring. I used a black ink pad for this step. I also added some jelly fish and a small school of fish with these stamps. 🙂
Splatter Some Paint (it’s fun!)
In order to add a bit more texture and visual interest, I splattered the panel first with water, then black and white paint. I love how Distress Oxide Inks react to water, leaving spots wherever they end up, but it’s important to dab them with a paper towel so that the spots don’t grow too big!
Once the splatters were dry, this panel was adhered to a 5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ panel cut from Lawn Fawn’s Really Rainbow 6 x 6 pack. I love the diagonal rainbow-colored stripes as a frame around my ocean scene.
Let’s die-cut some playful fish
To bring the scene to life, I added a school of colorful fish from the Postage Collage Fish Die. I had so much fun mixing bright colors for each fish that I ended up with a whole pile! I’ll save the extras for a future project.
I played around with various fish on the card front until I was happy, then glued them into place. The fish really added movement to the scene!
Ocean themed sentiments work great!
The sentiment on the front, “Oceans of Love,” from the Coastal Greetings stamp set, is simple and heartfelt. It works beautifully for birthdays, but it would also be perfect for thinking-of-you, encouragement, or just because. I stamped it on white paper with black ink and then fussy cut (with scissors) around it. Waffle Flower does sell the coordinating dies, but I haven’t splurged on them yet!
Inside the card, I continued the ocean theme with a sentiment from Postage Collage Beach Days. It reads, “Another year older, but you’re still making waves.”
I couldn’t resist pairing these two sentiments together. They’re sweet, a little playful, and just right for someone who embraces every birthday with confidence and a sense of adventure. I know a few people like that!!
I had a strip of the diagonally striped paper left over from the front of the card. Adding it across the bottom of the inside panel gave it a little splash of color and helped coordinate the front of the card.
Final thoughts:
This card is a great reminder that a layered stencil background is a great place to start when cardmaking. Add a handful of colorful die cuts, a coordinating sentiment, and you have a bright, cheerful card that’s surprisingly quick to make. In the end, I added some dual-toned pearls around the scene, which gave a bit of glimmer to the card. Wouldn’t you agree that bling makes everything better?
If you’re looking for a relaxing afternoon in your craft room, this combination of the Under the Sea Background Stencils and Postage Collage Fish Die is a wonderful place to start. Grab your favorite shades of blue, add a rainbow of fish, and have fun creating your own underwater scene.
For more ideas on sending oceans of love, here’s a previous post: Swimming Beneath the Blue.
Happy crafting!
~Krista
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