Mermaid Card

Here's something mystical and pretty, a mermaid!  I really wanted some gorgeous mermaid images and decided to get Under The Sea Mae by Some Odd Girl.

I colored her using some Copics.
Here's the color list:
Hair: RV09, RV06, RV02
Seashell: E35, E33
Skin:E33, E11 with RV02 on her cheeks
Eyes: BG32
Top:V09, V17
Main part of Tail: YG09, YG07, YG05
Side fin on Tail: BG18

After she was all colored I fussy cut her out.  I did my favorite trick afterwards.  I used a Copic Multi-liner around all the cut edges.  This covers up any white parts on the edges, and adds a little black anywhere you might have cut the line too narrow.  It really gives a great finish!!!

To finish her off I used Fruit Punch Stickles in her hair.  Crystal Effects on her eyes.  Glitz Stickles in the color Mermaid on her side fin and her tail.  I created all the scales and lines in the end of her tail myself, they were not part of the original image.

Then I moved on to the water.  Below is a close up shot so you can see a little bit of the detail.

I started with some white cardstock much larger than what I needed.

I began by dragging across the Distress Ink colors Peacock Feathers and Broken China.  I did this in waving motions to make sure I didn't get defined lines anywhere.

After these were applied I used a foam brush to drag some water across the surface.

Then I moved on to the next step with the cardstock still wet.  I started dragging Stamping Up inks in Marina Mist and Soft Sky across the paper.  Because it was still wet these only left little dots in random areas instead of any streaks or lines.  Giving a different texture and layering effect to the colors.

For the last bit of color I sprayed Glimmer Mist in Blue Skies.  You can't see the glimmer in the photo, but of course in person you can.

I cut this down to size 4 by 5 and 1/4 and embossed it with the paper still damp using the Darice embossing folder Beach Waves.

I let it dry and then adhered it to a card base made with Papertrey Ink's Smokey Slate.

For a finishing touch I added some My Craft Spot sequins.

Wa-lah!  Magical mermaid wonderland :)

Sorry for the long explanation, this card took a few hours and I wanted to explain all the steps.

Happy Friday!

Amber

I Made a Purse!

I've been doing a lot of sewing lately.  Hemming new jeans I bought, working on my daughter's Halloween costume, and now this purse!  I just LOVE this fabric and it's just my style.

The bag is lined with pink satin and I created a pocket.  The pocket has stitches down a portion near the center.  This divides the pocket into 2 sections, so that one part is the perfect size for my cell phone and the other part can hold other odds and ends.

The bag closes with magnetic snaps.

I'm so excited to start carrying it!!!!

If you'd like to make one of your own you can use this FANTASTIC video tutorial by the very talented Debbie Shore.  Her instructions are so clear that I was never confused.  That might not sound like much, but I assure you that when it comes to sewing it doesn't take much to have me totally lost and scratching my head instead of making progress.

All I did differently was add the pocket and the snaps.  I added the pocket as soon as that lining piece was attached to the black top.  I added the snap closure right before putting the handles on.  The decoration was added at the very end when the rest of the bag was constructed.

I'm so grateful for people like Debbie that help the rest of us figure these things out :)

Thanks for visiting!

Amber

Sequin Hello Card

I just love the sequin trend and I wanted to do something fun and different.

I cut the word hello with my Silhouette and then went over it with some sequin trim.  I worked slowly so the glue didn't dry before I could push down the sequins.  The trim was easy to work with and curved beautifully.  In a few spots I cut the trim to avoid too much overlapping, like in the bottom of the H.  I was fine with the spots that overlapped only a little bit, like in the L's.

Now I had a die cut totally covered in sequins and ready to apply to my card.  I took some Smokey Slate cardstock from Papertrey ink for a card base and adhered my sequined word.

To finish off the card I cut some of the sequins loose from the trim and scattered them around.

Thanks for visiting!

Amber

Rainbow Washi Wonder Card

I used a stamp set from Close to My Heart called Washi Wonder.  I fell in love with this set and just HAD to have it.  It's a hostess set and I didn't feel like placing a big order right now, so I just got one on Ebay :)

The white layer is 2 and 3/4 by 4 inches.  I stamped various "tapes" from the set using all Stampin' Up inks.  The colors I used were Rose Red, Only Orange, Summer Sun, Glorious Green, Ballet Blue, Brilliant Blue, and Elegant Eggplant.  I stamped all the tapes off the edge so one side would look more "clean" and the other would have the torn edge look with varying lengths.  I figured having one side with the edge more defined would keep it from getting too "busy."

I mounted this piece on a dark navy piece of cardstock.  I actually cut it down after the white piece was mounted on it, by eyeballing, but it seems to be showing about 1/16th of an inch on all sides.  That layer was mounted to the one below with pop dots.

The grey piece measures 4 by 5 and 1/4.  It's embossed with the Darice folder Circle Interlock.

The card base is a simple black A2 size.

Thanks for visiting!