I Heart Mermaids

A HUMP Day Hello! I was planning to do a second post yesterday... but a card never got made as Honey had other plans for me. (Yes, think your naughty HUMP thoughts, all true! Hehehe) So, I woke up early and very refreshed this morning ready to play at some card art.

I have a card to share today featuring a Stamplorations stencil and a Paper Nest Dolls mermaid (Mermaid Ellie in Clam Shell) which makes me happy because I am a Pisces. I HEART Mermaids, they and Fish are my Spirit Animals! And while I have several rubber, clear and digi stamp Mermaids, Ellie was already printed out so I used her. 

I purposefully kept HER colors a bit muted in order for that gorgeous stenciled heart to stand out against my turquoise Stampin' Up card stock base.

WOWZERS. I'm thinking I will use this stencil again! Holy Moly, I had to take a pic because I almost left it as is and called it a day card! I love how crisp the inside lines are and I have to tell you right now how I got them so crisp!

I had ordered some of that Pixie Spray temp adhesive for stencils everyone has been talking about and this was my very first use of it. OhMyGosh, I am a BELIEVER now. The stencil came off and washed up so easily, too. I want to note how well this spray worked on card stock, because I used finger daubers with Distress Inks and I worked worked worked the colors into the corners. I'm trying spray inks next, then watercolors, on watercolor paper. I'm betting Pixie Spray can handle it all, but even if it works only on card stock, I'm sold. LOVE IT when a product lives up to the hype, don't you? Let me know if you've used it and what your experience has been.

  

At any rate, as teachers say, back on task! lol I used the current Sketch Saturday sketch. I have to say that when I first saw it, I thought the element shape was a tough one. I kept seeing a Japanese lantern. Then I turned it 90 degrees to the left and I kid you not, I thought my stenciled heart fits that. I did try putting the two enamel dots at the bottom left like the sketch, but they looked better to me anchoring the ribbon.

So, both the gorgeous turquioise card base and bottom dry-embossed layer is Stampin' Up card stock. Other than that, all other card stock and papers used were scraps from my stash. The bubbles embossing folder is by Scruffy Little Cat for Crafters Companion.  As I mentioned above, the stencil is Stamplorations and I used Distress Inks on scrap white Springhill 110# index card stock (that had something stamped on the other side I never used).

On the back of the card, I used a Sheena Douglass for Crafters Companion embossing folder called Water Ripple, a scrap of fishies paper and my Lawn Fawn siggie on another scrap of the white index card.

Inside the card, I put down some tiled Flair patterned paper scraps and then stamped on some Spellbinders die cuts I'd never used. The sea floor scene is by Our Daily Bread Designs and the sentiments are all My Favorite Things stamps. I used a CC Designs fish and some shells to shadow stamp on the sentiments.

I printed Ellie out on the white index stock and colored her with ProMarkers. I added a bit of clear Sparkle Pen to her huge pearl she is leaning against and added some Sakura metallic gel pen to it and to the clam shell edging. I stamped the CC Designs and My Favorite Things sentiments on deli paper with VersaMark ink and heat-embossed using white powder. I used the last of some glittery sheer ribbon in my stash and added some white iridescent enamel dots.

Close-ups....

And a final look. I'm happy to have been able to color something other than barnyard animals, lol, although I'll miss them soon enough. Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a good rest of week. XOX

CHALLENGES:
1.   Sketch Saturday #597 -- sketch is shown above
2.   The Crafters Cafe' Challenge #236: Use Pink or Red -- PINK
3.   Stamping Sensations Feb. Challenge: Feminine
4.   MIUCB #34: AG + Opt. Twist Stenciling -- I have played the twist, the stained glass heart is stenciled
5.   Stamplorations Never-Ending Anything Goes Challenge -- I used the ARTplorations Glass Heart Stencil on the background.

6.    Colour Crazy Week 5: AG with Colouring -- I used ProMarkers to color my mermaid and Distress Inks to stencil the heart
7.   Through the Craft Room Door Feb. 18th Challenge: AG
8.   Time Out Challenge #155: Birthday Quote

9.    AAA Birthday Card Challenge Game #10: Cute

10. Outlawz Paper Saturdays Feb. 15-28: Here's to Girls