Often I know where the inspiration for my projects comes from, or at least have a vague idea.  Today is not one of those days.  I’m not even sure what made me pull out the Graceful Glass Designer Vellum.  But once I’d created the water background, the rest of the project seemed to happen all by itself.

WATER BACKGROUND

This water background was so easy to do.  I began with the Graceful Glass Designer Vellum with the embossed side up and I used a Dark Pool Party Stampin’ Blends alcohol marker to colour the whole piece.

I wanted the colouring to be a bit ‘raw’ so that it added to the feeling of movement on the water.  So then I randomly coloured some of the sections with light and dark Bermuda Bay and light Night of Navy Stampin’ Blends.  With that done I set is aside.

SAIL BOATS

Next came the sailboats image from the Lilypad Lake Stamp Set.  This was stamped onto Whisper White Card with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured with Stampin’ Blends.  This time I chose light and dark Smoky Slate, light and dark Real Red, dark Daffodil Delight and dark Night of Navy.

Once the colouring was complete I turned to my Big Shot and Magnetic Platform to cut out the boats.  The stamp image is actually three boats, and the coordinating die from the Lakeside Framelits separates them in to two pieces.  I kept the overlapping pair of boats for this project, and put the single boat aside for another day.

THE SENTIMENT

The sentiment ‘with faith all things are possible’ comes from the Ribbon of Courage Stamp Set.  I haven’t used this set in ages but this sentiment really seemed to fit the feel of the project.

I began with a piece of Whisper White Card that had been wiped with an Embossing Buddy to remove any oils and static.  Then the sentiment was stamped using VersaMark ink.  Next the sticky ink was sprinkled with Black Stampin’ Emboss Powder and the excess tapped off.  Even though I’d used the Embossing Buddy there were a few stray specks of powder that needed to be removed.  With that done I could melt the rest of the sentiment using my Heat Tool on 2 (high).

I liked the general shape of the sentiment and decided to cut it out using my Big Shot and Magnetic Platform with the Layering Ovals Framelits.  Using the #3 plain-edge die for the sentiment (counting from the smallest up), I then cut out a piece of Bermuda Bay Card with the #4 plain-edge die.

I used Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) to attach the sentiment to the larger oval and set it aside.

THE LAYERS

Vellum can be a challenge to fix to projects so that the adhesive doesn’t show, but I have a process that works well.

Here’s a video I made a little while ago to explain my method.  The images I used are different from today’s project but the basic technique is the same.

I started with some Stampin’ Dimensionals behind the left side of the layered sentiment and fixed it to the vellum.  Then pieces of Stampin’ Dimensionals were used to add the die-cut sailboats.

Next I flipped the vellum over and put liquid glue on the back, but only where it would be hidden by the pieces already attached to the other side.  Then I placed the vellum onto a strip of Whisper White Card.  Finally, more liquid glue was used to attach the layered vellum to a strip of Bermuda Bay Card.

NEARLY DONE

I decided on a base of Thick Whisper White Card, cut and scored using my Stampin’ Trimmer.  I folded the card along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder before adding the layered vellum with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

The brightly coloured sailboats would provide the project coordination.  I inked up the image using Tuxedo Black ink, and stamped the end with the pair of boats on the right side of a layer of Whisper White Card.  Then I repeated this on the front of a Whisper White Medium Envelope..

STAMPIN’ BLENDS TIP

Alcohol markers like Stampin’ Blends are designed to saturate the paper with colour.  Unfortunately that means that it can often leak through to the other side.  So when I use them on an envelope I put a piece of scrap paper inside to absorb any excess ink.  Then once I’ve finished colouring I simply remove and discard the paper.

Using the same Stampin’ Blends markers as before I coloured the boats to match the front of the card.  The Whisper White layer was fixed inside the card base with liquid glue and my project was complete.

What can I say about this card?  I love the colours on the boats and how they contrast with the blues on the background.  I also love the feeling of movement provided by the Graceful Glass Designer Vellum.  The sentiment is definitely the dominant feature though, and embossed in black it complements the vellum beautifully.  I hope you like it.

BUNDLE BONUS – I purchased the Lilypad Lake Stamp Set and coordinating Lakeside Framelits together using the bundle item number.  This saved me 10% off the cost of buying the same two items separately.  In my product list I’ve included both options so you can look at this in more detail if you’re interested.

Product List