All this hot and sunny weather makes me glad I live overlooking the bay. There’s a nice cooling breeze coming off the water and I can see for miles. This was the excuse I needed to finally get to work on a seaside-themed frame that I’ve been thinking about. Mostly I’ve used products from the Come Sail Away suite, but there’s some other seaside extras too.

BASIC BACKGROUND

The display area of the frame is a little under 12″ x 12″, so I could simply trim some 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper (DSP) for the background. I found the perfect subtle Sahara Sand pattern in the Woven Threads DSP pack.

From the Come Sail Away DSP pack I then cut a strip of rope design, opting to use just the Crumb Cake one. This strip was attached to the bottom of the background layer with Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow).

I completed the background with some little seagull images from the Sailing Home Stamp Set. These were stamped randomly using Night of Navy ink after stamping-off onto scrap paper.

AHOY

For the top left of the frame I created a bold “ahoy” panel.

The Whisper White Base was cut using the #C8 (largest) dies from the Stitched Rectangles. Then the striped layer was cut from some Come Sail Away DSP with the #C7 Stitched Rectangle Die.

Next came the ahoy” title cut from Night of Navy Card using individual letters from the Hand-Lettered Prose Dies.

I used liquid glue to layer the two die-cut rectangles and then added the letters on top.

For the accent piece I cut the net from Night of Navy Card using a die from the Seasonal Layers. To add texture I rolled the die-cut piece into a tight ball in my hands, then flattened it out a little.

Next I tapped the scrunched net onto a VersaMark ink pad and sprinkled it with White Stampin’ Emboss Powder. I tapped off the excess and melted the remaining powder using my Heat Tool set on 2 (high). With that done I used liquid glue to fix the net to the “ahoy panel.

All that was left for this section was the anchor from the Come Sail Away Stamp Set stamped onto Very Vanilla Card using Balmy Blue ink. I cut out the anchor using the coordinating die from the Smooth Sailing Dies and then tied some Night of Navy / Sahara Sand Twine through the hole. Finally I fixed the anchor onto the net with Stampin’ Dimensionals, then twisted the twine into a loop and fixed the loose end to the back of the panel with sellotape.

OCEAN WAVES

I decided to work on the second large panel next, starting with the background and Stitched Rectangle Dies.

From Whisper White Card I cut one piece with the #C8 (largest) die, then from Balmy Blue Card one of the #C7 die. Then I lightly spritzed the back of the Balmy Blue piece with clean water to dampen it a little.

Next I opened up the High Seas 3D Embossing Folder and gently wiped the inside using a Whisper White Craft Stampin’ ink pad. Then I placed the Balmy Blue piece inside the embossing folder and ran it through my machine. When I opened the folder my card was not only embossed by had some subtle white tops to the waves.

Now it was time to create the yachts for the scene. These come from the Come Sail Away Stamp Set and I stamped them onto Very Vanilla Card using Balmy Blue ink. Then I coloured in the bottom of each yacht using light and dark Smoky State Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers.

THE RIGHT DIRECTION

The compass image also comes from the Come Sail Away Stamp Set and I stamped this onto Very Vanilla Card using Night of Navy ink after stamping-off onto scrap paper. This meant that my very juicy ink pad didn’t obscure the fine detail in the image. Now I was ready to do another round of die-cutting.

First I cut out the two yachts using coordinating dies from the Smooth Sailing Dies. Then from some Copper Foil Sheet I cut out the smaller of the two pointers. Finally, I cut out the compass image using the #1 (smallest) circle die from the Stitched Shapes Dies.

Using liquid glue I mounted the two background rectangles together, then added the smaller yacht image. Then I added the larger yacht with Stampin’ Dimensionals, slightly overlapping the first. The assembled layers were then set aside.

To complete the compass I used the piercing attachment on my Take Your Pick Took and a Stampin’ Pierce Mat to poke a hole on the centre. Then I attached the copper pointer using a small copper brad from the Metallic Brads. With that done I set the compass side.

SEASIDE CHAIRS

For the bottom left of the frame I wanted to use the chairs from the Seasonal Layers Dies. I cut one from Very Vanilla Card and one from Night of Navy.

While I was at the machine I cut some Whisper White Card using the #C6 Stitched Rectangle Dies. Then I used the slightly smaller #C5 die to cut a piece of the newsprint design from the Come Sail Away DSP.

These layers were simple to put together using just liquid glue.

TOP RIGHT

One last main arrangement remained, for the top right corner.

I began by cutting some Whisper White Card with the #C4 Stitched Rectangles Dies. Then I cut two more designs from the Come Sail Away DSP using the slightly smaller #C3 Stitched Rectangles Dies. I mounted the DSP onto the white layers with liquid glue and set them aside.

Next I needed the lighthouse image from the Sailing Home Stamp Set. I stamped this onto Very Vanilla Card using Smoky Slate ink then cut it out using the coordinating die.

While I was there I also cut out the ships wheel in the Smooth Sailing Dies from Copper Foil Sheet. Finally I used the two sand dollar dies from the Under The Sea Dies to cut some Very Vanilla Card.

Using a Sponge Dauber I sponged a little Crumb Cake ink around the edges of the sand dollars and glued them to the 12″ x 12″ background. Then I added the copper wheel to the striped layer. Finally with Stampin’ Dimensionals I attached the lighthouse to the yacht DSP. I found a scrap of the same DSP and cut out one small yacht with Paper Snips and added that beside the lighthouse with a Stampin’ Dimensional.

READY TO SET SAIL

One last element remained, the “set sail” sentiment for the centre of the frame from the Come Sail Away Stamp Set. Using Night of Navy ink I stamped the sentiment onto Whisper White Card. Then I cut it out using the #2 square die from the Stitched Shapes (counting from the smallest up). This time I used Night of Navy Card for the mat layer, cutting it using the slightly larger #3 square die. I used liquid glue to mount the sentiment onto the mat and I was ready for the final assembly.

I had originally planned to use Stampin’ Dimensionals to mount the panels onto the 12″ x 12″ background, but realised this would need a lot of Dimensionals to avoid buckling. Instead I used my dies to cut layers of white fun foam the same size as the patterned piece on each panel.

Once I had everything cut I used liquid glue to attach the fun foam to the back of the rectangles. Under the lighthouse I actually stacked two pieces of fun foam to make it even higher. Similarly I stacked two pieces of fun foam under the compass and the “Set sail…” sentiment.

Now I really was ready to complete the frame and used liquid glue to fix each assembled piece in to place.

Phew! I won’t lie, this frame did take me quite a while to put together, not least because I didn’t start with a definite plan. I’d make a section, place it on the background, and then walk away. Then when I went back I’d tweak it a little, place it somewhere else, or add a little touch. In spite of this, or perhaps because of it, I’m really happy with how my seaside frame turned out. I hope you like it too.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I purchased the Sailing Home Stamp Set and coordinating Smooth Sailing Dies using the bundle item number. This meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the two items separately. I’ve included both options in my product list so you can explore both options if you wish. Also available as part of a discounted bundle is the Hand-Lettered Prose Dies. The Praiseworthy Prose bundle includes the Praiseworthy Prose Stamp Set (not used today).