Seaside Notions & Peacock Foil

Hello lovely stampers, dedicated followers and all my random lurkers,

Welcome to my Wednesday blog. Every Wednesday, at 9:00 am, I will have a new project waiting here for you to try. I always list the supplies and their order numbers at the end of my post (other than tools & adhesives.) If you have any questions, please let me know. I'm happy to help.

Since I've always loved seahorses the Seaside Notions, from the new catalogue, was a shoo-in to my collection. In this post, I'm going to do something a little different - I'm going to go through my creative process while explaining how to make the card. To start, all I knew was I just wanted to use this particular stamp set. (For me, this is how it often begins.)

After looking at the set for a couple minutes, I knew I wanted to feature the stunning new Noble Peacock Foil in my project. It comes in 3 incredible colours: Old Olive, Blueberry Bushel and Pretty Peacock - also know as the colour of happiness in my world. And what's better than a stunning foil? One that looks even more incredible once it's embossed. For that, I used the new High Seas 3D Embossing Folder. (The foil measured 4" x 5 1/4".) I was on a roll. Once I had this piece, I decided on a scored Whisper White card base (8 1/2" x 4 1/4".) I did try the foil against the Pretty Peacock cardstock but preferred the contrast with the Whisper White.

Since the foil was Pretty Peacock, I stamped my first seahorse in that colour (onto a scrap of Whisper White Cardstock.) Here, I used my Stamparatus, because I then heat embossed them with Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder. Tip - using your Stamparatus takes out any guess work when double stamping. Stamp with your ink. Leave the stamp in the same position on your Stamparatus, clean it with the Simply Shammy, then stamp again in VersaMark. Remember to use your Embossing Buddy.) I cleaned the stamp, and then tried it with Bermuda Bay, which appears closer in tone to the foil. Hmm. Which to choose? What to do? Then it struck me - ombré! I grabbed my Coastal Cabana and created a third seahorse. (All embossed with clear. My reason for this is the foil is so bright I want my images to to stick out as well.)

Again, using my Stamparatus, I stamped the greeting in Bermuda Bay (the middle colour in my ombré colour scheme). I actually tried it on Vellum first but didn't like the look. Trial and error is part of the creative process. But having the Vellum Cardstock out on the table gave me another idea. I wanted a ribbon underneath the sentiment and none of mine seemed to work so I cut a thin vellum strip  and ta-da! (It measures 3/8" x 4 3/4") I folded it over the edges of the foil and attached it with a small piece of cello tape. I used the Stitched Shapes Dies (2 1/4") to cut out the greeting. Now that all that was ready, it was time for the fussy cutting frenzy. (My monthly Blog Hop, this coming Saturday, explains how I feel about fussy cutting.) Three seahorses later, I was ready and no seahorses were harmed in the process.

Assembly was a breeze (or not). I used my "go to" Multipurpose Liquid Glue to attach the embossed foil to the card base. Disaster! The glue showed through. I've never had this happen before but may have just been lucky. After a few carefully chosen expletives escaped my mouth and my crafting cat provided solace, I cut out another piece of the precious foil.

 This time I used the Tear & Tape around the edges of the foil and that worked like a charm. Whew! I won't make that mistake again.

I tried several different scenarios for the seahorses: 3 across and even, the outside ones up with the middle one down, the middle one down with the outside ones up, ascending or descending. After much humming and hawing, and deep discussion with my crafting cat, I decided I like them in descending order. I did try light to dark but liked the dark to light better. The sea horses were attached using Mini Stampin' Dimensionals. The weren't quite mini enough in some places so I cut them even smaller. I attached the Pretty Peacock one first and then the Coastal Cabana one. The middle was was saved for last to ensure it fit nicely in between the 2 others. The greeting was attached with the Mini Stampin' Dimensionals as well and I added a large Basic Rhinestone Jewel in the centre. And there you have it. 

If you need any supplies, my store is here.

On orders under 100, be sure to use this month's host code. It's located to the right of this post under the image of the catalogue. If your order is around the 100 dollar mark, we currently have an incredible new promotion. For 135, you get to pick 205 worth of Stampin' Up! product of your choice! And then, the following month you will receive 14 dollar coupon code. This offer is available until August 31, 2019. As long as you're in Canada, you too can JOIN THE FUN!

Until next time.

Cheers,

Adrienne

Supplies: Seaside Notions Stamp Set #149278; Noble Peacock Foil #149495; High Seas 3D Embossing Folder #149577; Vellum Cardstock #101856; Whisper White Cardstock #100730; Pretty Peacock Classic Stampin' Pad #150083; Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad #147096; Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad #147097; VersaMark #102283; Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder #109130; Stitched Shaped Dies #145372; and Basic Rhinestone Jewels #144220.