A Mermazing Birthday Card with Polkadoodle Digi Chooseday Challenge

 Hi there friends! Today I am sharing this mermaid easel card made for the new Digi ChooseDay Challenge with Polkadoodles.

Don’t forget to join the Digi Choosday Anything Goes challenge over at Polkadoodles - we’d love to see what you create! You can use my coupon code for 10% off: PAULAPORTELLI at: Polkadoodles 

 

The design team was prompted to use a fantasy theme and I really wanted a mermaid. I always think of bright colors and a lot of sparkle with mermaids and I love it all! I made an easel card using a mermaid digital design with printable papers and sentiments to make a birthday card any mermaid lover will adore. I added texture and sparkle with a chunky embossing powder and sequins in various colors.

General Supplies:

• Digital designs (see supply list below) 
• White cardstock for printing
• A2 top folding card base
• alcohol makers
• sequins or gems
• liquid adhesive
• foam adhesive
• corner rounder or scissors 
• brown embossing powder (I used Stampendous Chunky Metallic Seasonings. One that looks like sand in a similar color that you color the rocks will work.)
• heat gun for embossing
• embossing ink, dauber is easiest 
• electronic cutting machine and software

 Please note: I use Silhouette Studio with a Silhouette Cameo. My instruction may include names of features found in Silhouette Studio but should work on the software you use. You can change design elements as you please and this will work on other brands of electronic cutters. My specific supply list is at the bottom including the links to the design files used.

 Instruction

1. Download and unzip the digital files. 
2. Fold the top flap of the A2 card base inward at the halfway mark, 2.75 inches.
3. In the design software for your machine, draw a rectangle 4 x 5.25 inches. Fill this with a wave pattern from the digital files.
4. Draw a rectangle 4.25 x 5.5 inches and fill it with a coral pattern from the digital files. 
5. Bring in the mermaid file and size it to fit the width and height of the rectangle drawn in step 4.
6. Using the print and cut feature print the rectangles and mermaid and cut it with the cutting machine.
   
   
   
7. Print the full page of sentiments from the sentiment file. 
8. Color the mermaid design with alcohol markers. I used Ohuhu markers - colors used: B21, B27, B28, E66, E612, G012, G210, R013, R16, RV08, RV35, RV111, RV314, Y14, Y27, YR00, YR06, YR33, YR34
   
   
   
9. Fold the coral patterned rectangle in half to match the fold in the card base. Adhere it to the card base.
10. Adhere the colored mermaid to only the bottom part of the front of the card base. She should fit but I scooted mine up and will use a bigger envelope for the finished card.
    
    
    
11. Using embossing ink and powder to cover the edge of the mermaid design to the card. This is really optional but I wanted to add some texture and sort of hide it. It was NOT perfect and the sentiment is later put over a part I wasn't excited with the results.
    
    
    
12. Cut out an outside and inside sentiment.
13. Use scissors or a corner rounder to round the corners. Add color with alcohol markers.
14. Adhere the wave patterned rectangle to the inside of the card. 
    
    
    
15. Using adhesive foam add the sentiments. It is important to use adhesive foam for the inside greeting as it is used to hold the card in the easel position.  
    
    
    
16. Add sequins to the front and inside of the card for extra sparkle. 

 ~Paula
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Please Note: I am a big advocate of using supplies you already own but I understand that readers might be interested in specific products that they might not already own. This post contains product links so you can easily find any supplies and/or tools you may be interested in. As an affiliate, I may be compensated for a purchase made using my links. However, no additional cost is extended to you. The other links are just to help guide you in the right direction. I am not affiliated with all companies but I encourage you to shop small businesses as much as possible. I may even include eBay listings for products that are available there at the time this is posted. I only share product information of products I am familiar with and use in my own studio. Papers are just from my collection. I always grab from my scraps first and I don’t keep track of where they came from. Use what you have!

Mermaid birthday card using Sparkleberry Ink vinyl

 Hi friends!

Today I am making this lovely mermaid card using Sparkleberry Ink adhesive vinyl. Sparkleberry Ink is a small USA business based in Georgia. They recently changed owners and the new owner is not at all new to Sparkleberry Ink. To celebrate the return of them I am making one card a week using products that highlight their patterns.

Throughout Sparkleberry history this pattern used in the background has been often used in mermaid themed projects and I decided to do that too. 

The elements of mermaid, turtle, and vegetation are from Creative Fabrica (link found in supply list) and I laid them out on the screen within Silhouette Studio.

The red lines represent my card panel and the oval that I intend to cut the vinyl with. I do this so that I can adjust the size of all the elements and decide if I want to add or delete any. 

I used green glitter paper for the sea vegetation but the mermaid and turtle are silhouettes in black. This way that Sparklberry Ink pattern will be highlighted more.

I actually cut the mermaid out 4 times. I only cut the turtle once but it is a slightly more gray shade of black. This slight coloring change adds a sense of depth which works well for an underwater scene. The mermaid pieces get glued as a stack to make them thicker. This gives it more depth and all the dainty parts are more stable.

I cut the card panel with a deckled edge die. 

I use Mermaid Lagoon (of course!) Distress Oxide to color the edges of the paper. I don't need to do the center as it will be covered. This will help those tile colors to pop.

I colored a small piece of white cardstock that I will cut and stamp for the sentiment. I am doing this with the same color but using the ink that is already on my brush and pulling any off my Glassboard Mat too. I don't want this to be a blaring white or take away from that background either.

I used a small oval die from the same set as the bigger one I use on the background.

Cleaning up the remaining ink off the Glassboard Mat is as quick and easy as a baby wipe. I always have some nearby to keep my surfaces clean. 

I knew when I picked this die that the sentiment would reach the stitched edges. I'm okay with that as it is better than choosing a bigger oval. I adhered the oval to my stamp positioner base with magnets. I use the same ink for this.

Now it's time to start assembly. First I remove the backing off the vinyl piece and attach it to the card panel. 

I want to add these sequins for more sparkle and faux bubbles. I always dump sequins in these little jars and attach the label to the jar. 

It is just easier to work with when I can pick sequins out of the jar with tweezers.

All the elements are glued to the card panel. I used foam adhesive for the sentiment oval to pop it up too. 

~Paula

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Please Note: This post contains product links so you can easily find any supplies and/or tools you may be interested in. I am affiliates with Amazon and Creative Fabrica. I may be compensated for a purchase made using my link. However, no additional cost is extended to you. The other links are just to help guide you in the right direction. I am not affiliated with those companies but I encourage you to shop small businesses as much as possible. 

 Papers are just from my collection. I always grab from my scraps first and I don’t keep track of where they came from.

You are mermazing! Diamond Press and marbled paper

 Hi friends!

Today I made this sparkly beautiful card using a stamp and die set by Diamond Press called Mermiad. It is discontinued but it is great set and you can still replicate with other elements you may already have in your collection. 

If you don't know Diamond Press -- let me tell you... Diamond Press primarily sells their products on HSN (Home Shopping Network) and secondarily on their own website: Diamond Press They have new products released just about every month and have such a good variety of products and themes. I wish I could have them all!

Here is how I made this card:

I started with paper that I marbled myself. This piece made me think of a mermaid wave and I really wanted to use it for that and Diamond Press's set has the perfect mermaid for the job. 

I had cut the marbled paper with a rectangle stitched die and choice some stamps and dies that I might want to use with it. 

I stamped a jelly fish and a mermaid with Oxide Inks.

I used my heat gun to heat set the ink so that it was less likely to smear while coloring them. 

Every mermaid needs some sparkle. This one gets glittery embossed fins.

I wanted this mermaid to have pink hair to contrast the blues and purples around her. I colored her hair and the jelly fish with Diamond Press Acrylic Paint Pens. They are wonderful. 

I then used their coordinating dies to cut them out. Dies often leave a white border around an image. Some of the time I am okay with that but I didn't like it for my scene. I am using an oxide ink as a watercolor to help them blend into the scene better. I do this by smearing a spot on my Glassboard and added water to get the shade I wanted. 

Then I decided to add a 2nd pink to the mermaid's hair. 

I also wanted her skin color to be a light pink. 

For the sentiment, part will be inked, then embossed and the other part is made by using a die. I cut that part 3 times and glued them together to give a raised texture. 

The stamped part gets stamped in clear embossing ink and then embossing in a purple color directly on my background. 

I glue that on and also the jelly fish. Here is he under my fishy paperweight so he dries flat to the background. In the set was also a stamp of a school of fish. I added that twice in a faint color to give the illusion that they are further back from the mermaid.

I add the mermaid, popped up with foam strips. I added some glittery bubbles too. Finally, I added splatter of light and white gold to add to the watery and magical scene. 

I really adore how this came out and love that I was able to find the perfect scene for my marbled paper.

Let me know in the comments if you like it too!

~Paula

Please Note: This post contains product links so you can easily find any supplies and/or tools you may be interested in. As an Amazon Associate, I may be compensated for a purchase made using my link. However, no additional cost is extended to you. The other links are just to help guide you in the right direction. I am not affiliated with those companies but I encourage you to shop small businesses as much as possible.