Hit the Beach (Again)

 

I was looking through some of my older cards on the weekend and found this one from 2012.  Normally when I look back that far I cringe but I rather admired the plaid background and wondered if I could do even better now that I have a stamping platform.  Maybe it's because my ink pads are a little dry but it was hard yakka (that's Aussie for work).  For a start there were 2 stamps, 5 colours and 12 stampings (with cleaning required in between), but each stamping took 5 or 6 goes to get a clean image.  Even now there are patchy bits and I could have done better with my stamp aligning (don't look too close).  I still love it though!  It reminds me of a picnic rug!  And I thought it would be a perfect backdrop for these beach huts.  I cut the hut bodies, roofs, doors, windows and pylons (Alexandra Renke) in three colours and then set about swapping the elements.  The surfboard was also in the set so I cut one in blue and propped it against the pink hut.

I love these summer colours and this cute little scene!  The thongs (sorry) flip-flops (Alexandra Renke Summer Items) must have felt the same way because I found them taking tentative steps towards the beach huts for a closer look!

The sentiment is from a WMS set (WMS My Island) from about the same time as the plaid builder (WMS Picnic Patterns).  I loved Waltzing Mouse Stamps and couldn't wait for the new releases to come out each month!  Based in Northern Ireland, there were no duties and very reasonable postage (usually free) and absolutely brilliantly designed sets that worked well with each other!  I was devastated when Claire closed the shop - such a talented artist!  Still, at least I have most of her sets and will make more of an effort to use them!

I'm entering the following challenges

Fab'n'Funky Challenge #522 - Summer Colours

Allsorts Challenge #623 - Create a Scene

The Male Room Challenge #150 - Water/Beach

NBUS Challenge #26 - Huts and Summer Items are NBUS

Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies May Challenge

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I’ll be over the moon!  I’ll also know you were here, so I can check out what you’ve been up to and we can get better acquainted!

Kate

To the Lighthouse

This card is for someone who loves the sea but is stuck in a landlocked country!  

I used a very old sizzlit decorative strip die for the foreshore.  It creates a three-part border so I cut it from blue, brown and green card stocks, reassembled them and distressed the edges a little for some depth.   

I used Frantic Stamper Village Sky to create the partially cloudy sky.

The sentiment is from Crafty Individuals.

The lighthouse (from an unnamed set I bought at a craft fair last year just before the world stopped) was cut from brown and white card stocks.  I cut the lighthouse away from the brown one and replaced it with a white version.  I cut a second white light house because I wasn't happy with the way it looked and laid it over the first, which made it look like it was in the foreground.  I coloured the white "windows" yellow for the house and light grey for the lighthouse then reinserted them.  Then applied glossy accents for shine and dimension.  The sailiboat is from an unnamed set I bought online a few months ago.

I'm entering the following challenges

Addicted to CAS Challenge #196

 

Always Fun Challenge #212 - Combine some old and new elements

The Male Room Challenge #150

Use Your Stuff Challenge #421 - Book Title To the Lighthouse by Virgina Woolf

NBUS Challenge #26 - The sailboat was NBUS

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I’ll be over the moon!  I’ll also know you were here, so I can check out what you’ve been up to and we can get better acquainted!

Kate

By the Sea

I finally finished this mini album I made to celebrate a significant birthday my hubby just celebrated - it actually started out as a card but I got a bit carried away.  The photos were taken on our last family holiday when we went over to Scotland for our eldest son's graduation ceremony.  We spent a day at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Hartlepool on the way back which is where most of the photos were taken.  I'd like to emphasise that that musket is not functional!

I started with a "porthole" cut from a woodgrain patterned paper and his favourite bird - the Pelican (Cottage Cutz) and a few scraps of fishing net (Amy Design).  At that point I thought it might be nice to insert a photo rather than create a seascape inside the porthole and the idea for the mini album took hold!  Here's a closeup of the pelican - I cut him from white card stock, coloured the feet orange and used distress ink on the wing and beak.

Inside are photos of our three boys and one of me (pretty rare as I'm usually trip photographer).  I cut some sea gulls (Frantic Stamper) and a golden sun (Village Sky also from Frantic Stamper) and some other maritime themed die cuts which were from a die set I picked up in Dortmund at a craft fair.  My husband is an old sea dog - the son of an officer of the Royal Australian Navy - so I'm always on the lookout for anything nautical.

On the back cover I framed a photo of my hubby and our youngest son in front of some pretty impressive rigging. 

 I'm entering the following challenges

The Male Room - Water/Beach

Pixie's Snippets Playground Challenge #402 - those little nautical  die cuts were all cut from snippets

NBUS Challenge #26 - the Pelican and the Seagulls were NBUS

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I’ll be over the moon!  I’ll also know you were here, so I can check out what you’ve been up to and we can get better acquainted!

Kate