I Sea it's your Birthday

Hi Crafty Friends,

It's challenge time with my friends over on the CCEE Stampers challenge blog.Being a brand new month, it's time to introduce our new challenge hostess which is Liz Williams.

Liz tells us to .... Let’s celebrate “NO HOUSEWORK DAY” by spending the day in our stamp rooms celebrating by doing a “Free for All” card theme of your choice. Have fun!! 

I recently purchased Sam Calcott's Made to Surprise Slide N Reveal Collection. This collection consists of two die sets to create the Slide N Reveal base card in both 5 x 7 or 6 x 6 sizes; a die set with an underwater theme; two underwater themed stamped sets; a sentiment set; ocean themed paper pad and two stencils. I remember making this style of card not long after I started stamping about 30 years ago, having dies to make the card base makes it so much easier. I did purchase another die set last year to create this style of card, but I found it fairly flimsy, I am very happy with how these die sets work.

As I wasn't sure what stamps or dies I wanted to use to create this card when I began, I decided to die cut all the accessories included in the Treasure Trove die set and all the animals in both stamp sets ...Under the Sea and Riding the Waves. I spent a very happy day just die cutting, stamping, colouring and assembling. The next day I worked on die cutting and assembling the card base and decorating my card. I still have plenty of images left from making this card, that I will be able to make at least 2 or 3 more cards. It didn't have to take as long as it did, I just wanted to spend that time to make it.

I used two of the pattern papers from the Under the Sea Paper Pad to decorate the very back panel of my card and the two side panels which are featured on the front when the card is closed.

There are a lot of things to see on this card, on the front frame I included the fishing net with the anchor and star fish; a crab and seaweed on the left hand side. On the right side I included the seal, rocks and more seaweed. I also stamped a sentiment along the top of the frame using one of the stamps from the Under the Sea sentiments set.

If you look into the card when the side panels are pulled open, you can see a puffer fish, a small octopus and dolphin. These images are all attached to acetate strips to give them the look of floating in the water. 

At the very back of the card I you can see a shipwreck in the rocks which is also from the die set. I have also adhered a few stamped fish to the left side of the background above the shipwreck.

Here is one more photo of the front of my card, this time taken at a different angle so you can see the 3D effect this card has. You can also see the diver on the top right hand corner, another of the dies included in the accessory die set.

Here is a look at the back of my card. I cut a piece of white cardstock slightly smaller than the size of my card. I added some rocks and seaweed to the lower right hand corner, and the sting ray to the top left corner. 

In the centre of my card I added the "Hugs and Fishes" sentiment from the Under the Sea Sentiments stamp set.

Don't forget to check out the CCEE Stampers blog (goes live 12 AM EST) to see the rest of the creations the CCEE Stampers created this week. You can also see more details of their creations on their individual blogs:

Anne Harmon

Liz Williams

Lois Bak

Lynn McAuley

Maryann Einam

Kelly McKown-Santi