When the thermometer shows MINUS 15C outside, it’s safe to say that it’s cold! Unfortunately I have things that need to be done so I won’t be able to hunker down in my craft studio. But if I clear that to do list, a full day of crafting tomorrow will be my reward. I don’t really do cold, so today’s thank you card project has a more tropical vibe. It’s the first outing for the new Seas The Day Stamp Set and coordinating Sea Dies and I love the result.

SEA FRAME

This project all began when I decided to play with the new Sea Dies. There’s ten dies in the set but the main one is this gorgeous sea-themed frame. I immediately knew that I wanted to give it a washed look so I cut it from some Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper. I also cut two more pieces from Thick Very Vanilla Card but set those aside for later.

Next I chose Coastal Cabana and Bermuda Bay ink pads and pressed onto the lids of the closed pads. This caused the foam pad to release some of the ink onto the inside of the lid so when it was opened I had a ready-made palette to work from. Finally, with the watercolour paper on a Silicone Craft Sheet, I set to work.

Using the largest brush in the pack of three Water Painters, I first wet the watercolour paper. Then I added a drop of water to the ink in the lid of the Coastal Cabana ink pad and mixed it with the brush. With that done I simply tapped the brush round the opening of the wet die-cut piece and allowed the ink to spread naturally. Then I repeated this a couple of times so almost all the piece had a light layer of colour.

To speed things up I decided to use my Heat Tool set on 1 (low) to help dry the ink before moving on to the next stage. All I did was repeat the process using Bermuda Bay ink but keeping this darker colour nearer the opening. Once again I sped up the drying with my Heat Tool on the back and front of the paper, then set it aside.

SEAS THE DAY

Now I was ready for the coordinating 11 piece stamp set called Seas The Day. This has a collection of sea-themed images (6 of the 7 coordinate with the dies) and 3 sentiments. I chose the two fish images from the set and a Magenta Madness ink pad.

On some scraps of Thick Very Vanilla Card I stamped one of each fish. Then I cut them out using the coordinating dies and set them aside.

Next I cut two 4″ x 5-1/4″ pieces of Very Vanilla Card. In the centre at the top of one piece I stamped the slightly larger fish using Magenta Madness ink. Then I stamped the same fish in the centre of the flap on a Very Vanilla Medium Envelope.

That just left the sentiment and I chose “thanks from the depths of my heart” from the Seas The Day Stamp Set. This time I used Bermuda Bay ink and stamped it in the centre of the second piece of Very Vanilla Card.

It was time to start putting everything together.

Using my Paper Trimmer I cut and scored some Coastal Cabana Card for my card base. Then I folded it along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder.

Next, using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow), I attached the sentiment layer to the front of the card base. After that I glued the other Very Vanilla layer on the inside.

I still had the three die-cut frames and that was where I turned my attention. Using liquid glue I stuck the two Very Vanilla frames on top of each other. Then I glued the watercoloured piece on top of them. Now my frame was much thicker and wouldn’t need to be popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals to add depth. With more glue on the back of the frame I placed it onto the sentiment layer on the card front. However before pressing everything down I slid one of the small die-cut fish underneath the weed on the left.

Finally with a single Stampin’ Dimensional I added the second die-cut fish and my project was complete.

I love how this card turned out, it’s everything I hoped it would be, and easier to make than I’d imagined. I know I’m going to have a lot more fun using this stamp set and dies, so watch out for more projects in the future!

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Seas The Day Stamp Set and coordinating Sea Dies using a single ‘bundle’ item number. This meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the two items separately. I’ve included links to both options so you can compare these if you wish.