A Whale of a Tale!

Whale Hello!

I'm so excited to share my creation using i-crafter's Box Pops, Whale Done Add-On die set! I have been a sucker for whales since Free Willy came out when I was young, but for my project, instead of an Orca, I modified my whale to create a Minke Whale instead. 

I started my project by using a 3" x 5" Gel Press, 4 shades of blue acrylic paints, and Sassy & Crafty's Mermaid Tails Stencil to create a pretty ocean for my whale to swim in. After I was happy with my print, I used the i-crafter Animalopes die set and cut out the gift card envelope base.

They are similar enough to Orcas that I felt I could use the die, but their dorsal fin sits a bit further back so after I cut my whale out of watercolor paper, I carefully cut the fin off the top. 

 Next, I watercolored the two pieces, being careful to change the pattern of the markings from what is cut with the die to be more in line with what a Minke looks like. Once My watercoloring came out a bit darker than I was wanting, but the light spots are perfect for the dark silvery color that these whales are typically colored. After they finished drying, I glued the dorsal fin on towards the back half of the whale.

For the back of the gift card envelope, there was a bit of a gap where my print ended and the center of the envelope. I used a sponge to fill that space in with the darkest blue. I used another print attempt for the back top flap of the gift card envelope. This was a lighter blue but also used the Sassy & Crafty's Mermaid Tails Stencil. From i-crafter's Box Pops, Whale Done Add-On die set, I also cut out the "Whale Done!" sentiment out of scrap silver mirrored cardstock.

This was my first time using either of these die sets, but I am SO pleased with the results! A gift card fits in perfectly, and I can easily add this into a card or package without adding a bunch of weight.

I hope that you enjoy this project as much as I enjoyed creating it! 

If you’d like to follow me, here is my blog, Instagram, and Facebook page. Be sure to join the i-crafter Facebook Fan Club, then follow us on Instagram, and Pinterest too! We love seeing all of your creations using the i-crafter products so don't forget to tag us or use #icrafter when you share!

Until next time,

Rachel Winn

Koi Pillow Boxes by Rachel Winn

 Hello friends,

I am excited to be joining the i-crafter Inspiration Team! Today, I am showing you my take on the new i-crafter Koi Pillow Box die set! I spent some time researching what different colors meant in Japanese culture, and used that as the inspiration in the colors I used. I settled on creating fish that were blue, black, and gold.

I started with the blue Koi Pillow Box, blue representing peace and tranquility, seemed like an excellent hidden meaning to a gift. I decided on using a combination of patterned papers, and a pretty shiny metallic paper. For the body, I used a 6"x6" dotted patterned paper. I decided that I wasn't a fan of the gills being open, so I backed the gills with a piece of the metallic paper. I used the same metallic paper for the back of the face and the tail fin. For the top fin and front, kinda frilly piece of the face, I used a paper that looked like waves to me. I finished with plain white paper for the eyeball, and plain black for the pupil.

My next Koi Pillow Box is black, which represents overcoming an obstacle, which is another excellent time to receive a gift. I started with a black chalkboard cardstock, this cardstock has a bit of a smooth, soft texture to it, and is really nice and thick. Next, I used a cardstock that was black on kraft paper for behind the gills, the top of the face, and the tail fin. The back of the face and the top fin, I used a black and white diamond patterned paper, I chose this to break up the black a touch since I didn't have 3 different shades of black papers to use. I used the same white for the eyeball and black for the pupil as on the first fish.

My final Koi Pillow Box is gold, which represents wealth and fortune. For this, I used a metallic gold cardstock for this one, it is thicker and would handle a little more weight than the regular cardstock fishies! I found a gold lace/floral patterned paper to use behind the gills, top face piece, and tail fin. For the bottom face piece and top fin, I used a white glitter paper. I finished this one up with the same white eyeball and back pupil.

I hope you've enjoyed my take on this fantastic die set and look forward to seeing how you create some fishes! If you'd like to follow me, here is my blog, Instagram, and Facebook page. Be sure to join the i-crafter Facebook Fan Club, then follow us on Instagram, and Pinterest too! We love to see your creations using the i-crafter products.

Until next time,

Rachel