Elegant Fish Easel Card with a Message in a Bottle Shaker Element

I'm still having fun with fish/aquatic images, so I made two more cards. These are easel cards, so they stand up for display, with a shaker element: a message in a bottle, with sand, that reads "just keep swimming."

Here are the two cards, propped up:

And here are just the card fronts, so you can see the details. I painted the metallic "arch" with silver and copper alcohol inks, which gives it a worn, antique look. I stacked both the arch and white swirl frame die cuts 5 times, so they're thick and substantial, like chipboard.

The leaves are die cuts from the Heartfelt Creations "Jars and Vines" die set, without using the matching stamps. I colored the fish, leaves, and bottle cork with Copic markers, and I filled the MFT Bottle Shaker Pouch with Whimsy's Hoourglass Sand Sprinkles. The pop-up element that holds the easel up consists of two more die-cut pieces, and I painted the bottom one with more metallic alcohol inks.

Here's a video, showing the shaker element and how to prop up the easel:

List of all stamps/dies/paper/etc. used on this card:

• Heartfelt Creations "Elegant Swirl Gateway" die
• Heartfelt Creations "Rectangle Filigree Frame" die
• Heartfelt Creations "Under the Sea" stamp and die sets
• Heartfelt Creations "Under the Sea Coral" stamp and die sets
• Heartfelt Creations "Coral Reef Collage" stamp and die sets
• Heartfelt Creations "Under the Sea" paper pad
• March 2019 Hero Arts Monthly Kit
• My Favorite Things "Mermazing" stamp set
• My Favorite Things "Message in a Bottle" Die-Namics
• My Favorite Things Bottle Pouch
• Whimsy Hourglass Sand Sprinkles

Other products used:

• Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad
• Copic XPress-It Blending Card
• Copic markers
• Glue
• Foam dots

Hope you have a great weekend!

Pirates and Mermaid Tall Slimline Box Card (intended for MFT Card Design Superstar contest)

I spent a week and a half on my box card for the MFT 2023 Card Design Superstar: Box Card Master contest... and misread the deadline, missing it by less than an hour. I feel crushed, but the lesson is: ALWAYS READ CAREFULLY. (Smacks forehead). Ah, well. I still love the card and would've created it anyway!

I've been crazy about pirates and mermaids lately, so I had to include both in my card. The pirates are doing their swashbuckling on land above, while the mermaid is playing (and guarding the treasure!) in her aquatic wonderland below. There are a few skulls near the treasure, so it looks like some intrepid explorers have tried to claim the coins... and failed. Mwahahaha.

I started with MFT's Outside the Box die set, and cut the main die while overlapping the bottom edge over the end of the die plate, so it would cut everything but the bottom. After that, I scored the lines down the blank page to extend the length of the box. My final box measures 5.5" x 2".

Next, I spent more than a week stamping my images and coloring them with Copics. (I spent about a week coloring.) Once they were colored, I used my scissors to fussy cut them. It took SO. DARNED. LONG. to fussy cut everything. I've never longed for a matching die set so much! I also cut pieces from Under the Sea, Petite Clouds, Outside the Box Snow Drifts, Shady Palm, Beach Scenes Builder, and Outside the Box Waves.

After cutting everything out, I used Distress Oxide inks and the Perfect Pool Water stencil to create the inside/background pieces. I also used Distress Oxides on the sandy layers. I cut the sentiment with a die from the Outside the Box Low Profile set and a circle of ocean from the Slimline Slide-In die set. I spent hours arranging and gluing everything together. For the torn-paper edges on the back of the card, I used the Torn Paper Edges die set to make a custom shape. Here's a photo of the back of the card and a video of the final card.

List of all stamps/dies/stencils used on this card - ALL BY MY FAVORITE THINGS:

• Party Like a Pirate stamp set
• Gill Friends stamp set
• Polynesian Paradise stamp set
  
• Mermazing stamp set
• Outside the Box Die-Namics
• Outside the Box Low Profile Die-Namics
• Slimline Slide-In Die-Namics
• Outside the Box Waves Die-Namics
• Outside the Box Snow Drifts Die-Namics
• Shady Palm Die-Namics
• Beach Scene Builder Die-Namics
• Torn Edges Die-Namics
• Under the Sea Die-Namics
• Petite Clouds Die-Namics
• Perfect Pool Water stencil
• Fun in the Sun Paper Pad
• MFT cardstock: Smooth White

Other products used:

• Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad
• Copic XPress-It Blending Card
• Copic markers
• Glue
• Distress Oxide inks
• Foam dots

Hope you have a great week!

A Rainbow of Butterflies Card (MFT 2023 Card Design Superstar: Clean and Simple Genius)

I've started coloring and creating again in the past few weeks, after not coloring or making any cards in nearly a year. I'm a bit rusty, but I decided to jump back in with the MFT 2023 Card Design Superstar: Clean and Simple Genius contest. I felt like coloring something bright and happy, and what's brighter or happier than a rainbow?

I decided to use the butterflies from MFT's "Spread Your Wings" and a flower from MFT's "Magnolia Blossoms" to create a gentle arc, then color them as I would a rainbow (ROYGBIV colors). I used Post-It Tape to mask off the parts of the flower stamp that I didn't want to stamp (since I only wanted a single flower from the bunch), inked the stamp, removed the tape, and stamped the single flower image. I then stamped one of each of the butterflies, gently staggering them in an arc. I colored all of the images with Copic markers, then stamped the sentiment from MFT's "Magnolia Blossoms" set. I mounted the colored layer on MFT's Lemon Drop and Smooth White cardstock.

I cut more Lemon Drop and Smooth White layers for inside the card, then stamped and colored one of the smaller butterflies twice more. I cut them out with the "Spread Your Wings" Die-Namics, stamped a sentiment from MFT's "Thoughtful Greetings" stamp set, and glued the two butterflies to the stamped panel.

List of all stamps/dies/stencils used on this card - ALL BY MY FAVORITE THINGS:

• Spread Your Wings stamp set
• Spread Your Wings Die-Namics die set
• Magnolia Blossoms stamp set
  
• Thoughtful Greetings stamp set
• MFT cardstock: Lemon Drop and Smooth White

Other products used:

• Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad
• Copic XPress-It Blending Card
• Copic markers
• Glue

Hope you have a great week!