Crabby Card

Hello again friends,

I am so excited to show you my card for today! I played with Sassy and Crafty's Sassy but Sweet Stamp set. This set features an adorable mermaid and fantastic "king" crab along with some amazing sentiments.

I decided to stamp the crab from Sassy but Sweet for my card today. I stamped him using Ink On 3's Fade Out Ink and colored him with Copics. To add a bit of extra fun, for the gems on his crown, I used clear rhinestones colored red using a Copic. I also stamped each of the shells from Sassy but Sweet a few times to color in different fun bright shades, again using Copic markers.

Once I had finished coloring, I focused on the background next. I used black cardstock and the Mermaid Tails Stencil for this. I used my i-Brush Blender Brushes and Distress Oxide inks in various shades of blue and one purple to create a watery feel. I added a few spritzes of watered down Ink on 3 Liquid Pixie Dust to add some shimmer to the background.

Next, I cut out Kindred Stamps "Sorry" word die. For the bottom layer I used a purple scrap with a kind of watercolor or bubbled look to it, and for the top layer I used a blue glitter cardstock scrap. The sentiment I stamped on to a silver cardstock scrap and heat embossed it with a metallic light purple WOW embossing powder. I trimmed this down.

When it came time to build my card, I layered my dark watery sheet over a light purple card base. TIP: I like to buy card bases and envelopes in bulk from box stores when I find them on sale, this saves my energy so I'm not constantly cutting and scoring card bases. Once the card front was adhered to the card base, I glued the "sorry" layers toward the top center of the card. I added a strip of Thin Double Thick Foam Tape to the back of my "I've been crabby" sentiment strip and positioned it under but crossing into the "sorry" layers.

I added my king crab to a mini wobbler to give him a fun little interactive element and positioned him towards the center(ish) of the card. To finish the card, I added the shells that I had previously colored up and a few clear sequins.

Here is a short video of the crab in action!

Well, I hope that I've inspired you to check out Sassy and Crafty for yourself and look forward to seeing what you create next! 

Until next time,

R. Winn

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

Kindred Stamps and Sassy & Crafty Under Water

Hello friends!

I'm excited to show off a few projects using Kindred Stamps "Seas The Day" stamp set and Sassy and Crafty's "Salty but Sweet" stamp set. 

I started by stamping out each of the seahorses from "Seas The Day" and the mermaid from "Salty but Sweet" and then several of the seashells from each set. I colored them up with Copic Markers. For the mermaid, I covered her tail in Liquid Pixie Dust from Ink on 3 to give her an extra magical finish.

For the background, I used a Gel Press and alcohol inks with Sassy and Crafty's Mermaid Tails Stencil.  It took me a few times to get be happy with the results, this was really only the second time I've used my Gel Press! When I was happy, I used the Kindred Stamps Waves Craft Die on two of my prints and a light blue scrap paper to create 3 layers of waves for my seahorses and mermaid to swim in.

Next, I used a combination of DecoArt Texture Sand, Picket Fence Studios Brown Dahlia Paper Glaze, and Deco Foil White Pearl Metallix Gel on the bottom layer of the waves to create an ocean floor. I added a ton of  my colored up shells and included just a few starfish from an old embellishment pack. 

The end result is fun, and makes me happy to just look at!

I did manage a second "bonus card" using the Kindred Stamps "Seas The Day" stamp set and the Sassy and Crafty's "Salty but Sweet" stamp set too! I took the left over shells, and a Sassy and Crafty's Mermaid Tails Stencil "mess" up Gel Press print, and created a 3"x3" card. 

"Salty but Sweet" has these fun sentiments that can be build-able, or stand-alone. I stamped the "what the shell" sentiment on to the Gel Press print using Stazon Pigment ink to start the card. 

Then I added my shells that I had covered in Ink On 3's Liquid Pixie Dust and topped with Nuvo Crystal Glaze to add extra dimension to the shells. I sprinkled them across the card front, and mixing them with the shellfish embellishments. 

Again, the end result makes me smile, and they both could be used for a variety of occasions!

Be sure to head over to the Kindred Stamps blog to see the rest of the projects created by these two talented teams! Follow these links to grab the awesome stamp sets, (and lots of other goodies too): 

Kindred Stamps "Seas The Day" stamp set 

Sassy and Crafty's "Salty but Sweet" stamp set

Until next time,

~R. Winn