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.

Spin the wheel #2 + Color Cube Card: octopus

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 Hi friends!

Today I spun the spinner to prompt me on a subject and I got: octopus. I also pulled a card from the Color Cube. 

The card I pulled from the Color Cube is: 

Now, this color palette is absolutely nowhere near what I would have picked had I just used any colors that I wanted but let me show you how I made it work!

I chose to use a die set from Spellbinders. This was the Small Die of the Month for June 2022. Yes, I know it's old but I encourage you to use products you have in every project. You might not have this set but you also might have something similar. 

 I pulled a bunch of scrap papers from my collection that went along with the Color Cube. I knew that I would pick gray for the octopus. Now to assign the other colors and create a scene. 

I chose the red and yellow would be jellyfish and I would add a layer of vellum on top to give it more of a jellyfish look. 

There is one die for the 3 pieces of the jellyfish. This is nice because it's 2 less little dies to lose but it requires the user to cut using one color or type of paper. Since I just wanted the top layer of the jellyfish to be vellum and laid the die on the vellum in a way to just cut that layer and not so much of the rest. I didn't want to waste the vellum by cutting pieces I didn't want. 

I glued them with a glue that will dry clear. I'm pretty happy with the look. 

My table can get messy during a project but I clean up after each one!

I chose to use both greens from the Color Cube to make some vegetation for the scene. Here I am using reverse tweezers to handle the little pieces. Reverse tweezers stay closed when not in use which makes tasks like this real easy. It's also great for tying bows when you might need an extra finger!

I used another shade of gray paper for the background. I cut with a deckled rectangle frame. I stenciled schools of fish for the background. I shaded the edges with Frayed Burlap Distress Oxide. I added clear sequins to represent bubbles. 

I think I used the Color Cube card well. What do you think?

~Paula

~Paula

Supplies:

I used papers from my collection. I normally don't keep track of where they came from. 

The octopus, vegetation, and jelly fish are Spellbinders Small Die of the Month for June 2023. It is currently sold out. You may find one through used sources. 

The clear sequins are:  Amore by 28 Lilac Lane. I couldn't find them in stock. They are just clear sequins.

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.