Whimsy Stamps ~ Mermaid Dreams

Hey crafty pals, it's been another wet day today, it's making me pine for the sunshine, so creating these gorgeous nautical themed cards (I've another to share soon) has put me in a very happy mood. Ah, the Magnolia's are already blooming here, Spring will come soon.  

I loved this set when it was first released by Whimsy and it has never gone out of style. What's not to love about a sweet nautical set that includes a mermaid? This one has two and I will show you a make with the second mermaid shortly too. They're both just as enchanting. I've had the best time creating this scene and pulling together some new to me items like the gorgeous Slimline Connected Bubbles Die from Whimsy. This is such a fun die and can be used in so many different ways, but lends itself rather perfectly to nautical makes like this. 

I started with a panel of paper that I ink blended with Distress Oxide Inks in Salvaged Patina, Peacock Feathers and the new colour Uncharted Mariner. Ooh I just LOVE this new oxide ink colour, SO me! It's a deep greeny blue and it's beautiful. Worked perfectly for an underwater palette. I inked in a gradient of colour from the lighter Salvaged Patina, with Peacock Feathers in the Middle and then finished with a lovely deep sea hue with Uncharted Mariner. I used my Ink Stand of course to make the inking process seamless. I splattered the panel liberally with water and was very happy with the effect, so didn't use any other sprays over this. The card base I used was a lovely dark teal colour which set the scene nicely for the deep sea scenes in the bubbles. The cardstock is Bazzill Basics Mysterious Teal in a Canvas Texture. I've added some stamping details here and there and added some of the little sea creatures in place both inside the bubble windows and some on top of the acetate to vary the depth of the scenes. 

I cut the ink blended panel with the Slimline Connected Bubbles Die and then cut again from a lovely iridescent silver cardstock from my stash. I kept the ink blended pieces to use for another creation, keeping only the main outer frame for this creation. I glued in place the pretty iridescent silver bubbles over the acetate once I'd glued that to the back of the ink blended panel. Then I set about choosing which elements to add to the base of the design and which on top of the acetate. I forgot for a couple of them inside the windows, to allow for the silver frame, so they're a bit obscured, but as with 'off the page' stamping, I think it kind of adds to the 'behind the scenes' depth of the piece. I filled the shaker well with a mix of loose sparkly sequins which I've had in my stash for ever and a day, but also added some special sparkly elements which I very carefully extracted from a 'This Calls For Confetti' mix, to really add some special sparkle. I wanted the flat really sparkly confetti of different sizes that came in the Confetti Mix - Squeeze the Day. It's a really fun mix and I've been a bit naughty and pulled bits out here and there to fit the theme of my recent makes. But I find mixes like this a really great way to get a variety of confetti elements. I don't always use them in their complete mix, but you absolutely can, they're gorgeous.

The sweet mermaid was so quick to colour and such a joy, she's a real cutie! I went for violet hues in her hair and teal for her tail. I wanted to keep the colours quite toning for this make, with a very simple palette of colours. So the wee sea creatures where stamped in a mix of the three inks I used to ink blend the main panel, I then covered that with clear embossing powder before colouring them up with my Copic Markers. I did use some Rusty Hinge Oxide ink for some of the sea creatures to add a bit of contrast in the mix. 

I hope you've enjoyed seeing this fun nautical shaker card today, I'm in a bit of a shaker mood lately. I've bought so many of the lovely 'This Calls For Confetti' mixes recently, that I've really wanted to play with them, hence my shaker addiction! I had such fun creating this card and the card I created with the 'waste' elements too, which I'll share, soon, so watch for that. I wish you a beautiful week and if you've not yet seen the latest release at Whimsy, you can click through on the banner above. We have a new mini release, that's just about to go live, so the full July release will be in the store by the time most folks read this post. Hugs and happy crafting xoxo

 

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