A Mermazing Birthday

 Hello, there! Hope you are all doing well. With Feedburner going away, I've been adding to follow.it all the blogs I subscribe to via email and then unsubbing from Feedburner. (It's over 100 so far and counting.) Plus, I chose now to computerize my 7 pages of challenge spreadsheets I'd been keeping manually. So, I feel like I'm in the middle of a big old mess! lol I'll get through it fine and can actually see light at the tunnel's end, but because of all this paperwork I haven't made anything in almost a week! So, I thought I'd take time out to post a card I made using The Paper Shelter's Enchanted Ocean mermaid. I started it intending to enter it in their challenge last week, but the deadline slipped right past me and I got lucky that it qualifies for this week's challenge.

This is a birthday card for a very special person: our darling daughter! Her birthday is today, July 7th. As a child, she loved Disney's The Little Mermaid and I thought I'd do something reminiscent of that  this year, but using a more grown-up mermaid. I was gifted the adorable Inkadinkado fish stamps and have finally used for first time now. I think they are perfect for my underwater scene. 

   

First things first: layout design courtesy of SplitCoastStampers Sketch SC744, which I resized in PSE to half-sheet size (5.5x8.5"). I wanted to go big this year, lol. 

My card really began with this focal background piece on black card using Carabelle's Sea Floor art mask stencil and Distress Oxides. I used Pixie stencil spray to adhere the stencil and as I may have mentioned before it sometimes leaves the surface sticky where it was adhered. So, really without thinking, I quickly removed the stencil once I'd laid down several layers of Oxides and covered the entire surface with clear embossing powder and melted it. I love the glossy look of the water and the black silhouette! I rounded the bottom corners using my Cropadile Chomper tool but I ended up covering them up with other elements. 😁

I built the card on a Recollections 110# heavyweight card base, a navy SU card base mat and a piece of very old Flair 12x12" patterned scrapbook paper. I added the DCWV dotted foil card (using an MFT Making Waves die on the top piece) and printed out sentiments from Digi Doodle Studios Mermaid Sentiments digital set. The top sentiment's second line is hand-stamped using Avery Elle and unknown stash stamps. I colored the mermaid, fish and sentiments with Promarkers and did some pointillism doodling on the sentiments; fussy cut them all out, outlined them and adhered, arranging a few leftover Whimsy Build An Ocean die cuts I'd previously colored with Smooch inks (which give off a nice shimmer). I added a few touches here and there with a metallic gel pen.

On the inside, I wanted to decorate as well since it was our daughter's card. So on the left side, I hand-stamped a circular Inkylicious Splatter Background with Versafine Clair Warm Breeze ink. Over that I added a hand-stamped Sheena Sea View mermaid scene and sentiment in Clair Nocturne,  colored with Promarkers and cut with deco scissors. On the right side, I printed out more Digi Doodle mermaid sentiments in a black frame, adding some doodled tails around it and adding some color to the words. The bottom sentiment was hand stamped and was in a gifted stamp set in unmarked packaging, so I'd love to know who made it.

For the back I pulled out more of my Scrapworks fish patterned paper that I have several sheets of. It had the blues I was working with. It's matted with more navy SU card and a Lawn Fawn siggie stamped directly on the pattern.

 

Close-ups to show the shimmer, shine, doodles and dots. Love how the embossed stenciling shines. Also love that fish paper!

And a final view. I thank you for visiting and hope you are having a great week. My thoughts and prayers are with all those who are and will be impacted by Tropical Storm Elsa, XOX 🙏🙏🙏

MY CHALLENGES PLAYLIST:

1.   SplitCoastStampers Sketch SC744

2.   The Paper Shelter Challenge #477: Going Digital  -- #1/3  Used a digi image from TPS Enchanted Ocean

3.   AllSorts Wk 631: Sun Sea Sand -- #1/3

4.   TTCRD 7/6-7/13: AG -- #1/2

5.   MAWTT #132: Cool It Down -- #1/3  

6.   Passion for Markers Week 599: Animals -- Fish

7.   Happy Little Stampers July Stencil Challenge: AG -- Used Carabelle's Sea Floor stencil  

8.   Country View July Challenge: Use A Stencil (or Two) -- Used Carabelle's Sea Floor stencil

9.   The Sisterhood of Crafters: Anything Goes -- #2/3

10. 2 Crafty Critter Crazies July: AG with a Critter -- #1/5  Fish

11. Cute Card Thursday #690: AG + Opt. Summer -- Option played! And used Whimsy Build An Ocean dies

12. Classic Design Challenge #7 July 2021: AAG  

13. Scrapping4Fun #195: AG + Opt. Doodling -- #1/3 I doodle-dotted on the front sentiments

14. Colour Crazy Craft Challenge Week 25: AAG with Colouring -- #1/2  Coloured imgs and sentiments with Promarkers; ocean life die cuts with Smooch Ink

15. We Love 2 Create #7: Anything Mixed Media Goes -- I used different (alcohol, pigment, archival inks, embossing powder, stenciled, painted 3D elements and different paper textures.

16. ABMTTC #142: AAG

17. ABMTTC Xtra July: AAG

18. More Mixed Media July: AAG + Opt. Pastels -- AG (I used some pastels but not strictly) 

19. Outlawz Saturday Paper A La Mode 7/3-7/16: Fur, Feathers or Fins

20. Daisy Chain Challenge #54: Use Dies and/or Stencils -- I've used both: Carabelle stencil and Whimsy dies