Saturday, April 9, 2016

At the Sea-Side

4/19/2016 Update: This card was a Ruby Award winner at Color Dare Challenge #188.







A favorite poem from childhood by Robert Louis Stevenson:

At the Sea-Side
When I was down beside the sea
A wooden spade they gave to me
To dig the sandy shore.
My holes were empty like a cup.
In every hole the sea came up
Till it could come no more.

As a child, my mother and I spent a great deal of time at the shore, digging in the sand, watching the Fiddler crabs dart about, collecting shells and exploring the array of items that washed ashore among the tangled strands of seaweed.

My love of the sea is probably the reason I bought this collection of DSP and now this whimsical paper has inspired my card. How many times have you seen an octopus with a smile?

The fold technique has been around for a while and is simple to make. I like the way it ties together when it's closed. The technique can be viewed HERE. Various panels of DSP and cardstock were applied to decorate the card and as an extra bonus, the porthole was die cut through the front and framed in order to see the octopus on the inside. The starfish and sentiment were popped up on foam tape for dimension. On the inner flap is a place for a personal note. Thick twine was used for the tie instead of ribbon in keeping with the nautical theme and to avoid looking too feminine.


My card is being submitted to the color challenge at Color My Heart: Color Dare #188. Visit the blog for some creative ideas and consider joining in the challenges!
Techniques: Stamping, die cutting, fussy cutting, punch cutting, fun fold
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

CTMH Materials
Cardstock: Sapphire, Pomegranate, Glacier, Flaxen
DSP: Flaxen scrap from friend's stash (porthole)

Stampin' Up! Materials
Stamps: "Remembering Your Birthday"
Inks: Not Quite Navy
Cardstock: Whisper White
DSP: Maritime Collection
Punch: Scalloped Tag Topper
Misc.: Dimensionals, Thick Baker's Twine (Coastal Cabana)

Other Materials
Dies: Gina K Designs stacking and nesting circles

9 comments:

  1. What a fantastic card, love the porthole with the smiley octopus, he's adorable, truly a whimsical card inside and out...a lot to look at.

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  2. Wow! So many details working together perfectly! Great card! Thanks for joining us at Color My Heart.

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  3. LOVING the changes :) This is a terrific card with so many great little details to find! The colour scheme works wonderfully together and the little porthole adds the perfect touch to a whimsical card. Simply awesome!

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  4. I love this! Your little octopus peeking through the hole is fantastic, great layering and mixing of the DSP too! Awesome card. :)

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  5. Fabulous card, Melanie! I love how your smiling octopus is peeking out of the porthole window. You've combined a great card layout with a wonderful splash of Regatta colors. Thanks so much for sharing this adorable card with us at the Color Dare blog.
    :) Marie

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  6. What a fun card! Love that octopus peeking through and the fun fold of this card is fabulous. Thank you for inspiring us at Color My Heart Challenge Blog.

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  7. Melanie, I've been having a look at your recent makes and they all make me smile, but the one about chocolate made me giggle out loud! Thank you for leaving your sweet comment on my blog about my retro hippie girls! You made my day! Hugs!

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  8. This is just fabulous! I love the way the octopus is peeking from the porthole. Thanks for joining us this week at Color Dare.

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  9. omg... LOVE LOVE LOVE! This is fantastic..love the card fold...love the papers and LOVE the octopus!!

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