StampNation Weekend Challenge: By the Sea

This weekend’s StampNation Challenge is taking us “By the Sea!” For this challenge, create a project inspired by the ocean, the beach, seaside vegetation, ocean animals, or anything connected to water. You could even incorporate water into your creative process by watercoloring with inks!

For my card, I created a playful underwater birthday scene featuring the adorable sailor otter from the “Ahoy Matey” stamp set. I surrounded him with colourful fish, coral, seaweed, bubbles, and other fun treasures from beneath the waves.

 

The “Under the Sea Cover Plate Die” was used to create the fabulous ocean frame. Behind it, I blended Blue Raspberry, Boardwalk, Mardi Gras, and Uptown inks to make my own vibrant, ocean-inspired background. I love how all those beautiful blues and aquas bring the underwater scene to life!

I also added some pretty "Party Blues" enamel dots for a few darker ocean bubbles! Everything image and piece of the scene was colored using Copic Markers.

Now it’s your turn to dive into your crafty supplies and create something inspired by the sea. We cannot wait to see your “By the Sea” projects in the StampNation gallery!

~ Ally ~ 

Start Every Day with a Splash!

Hello, crafty friends!

I'm back today with another card featuring one of the beautiful new SN Gals, and this time it's the stunning SN Gal Oceanne from Sweet November Stamps! Isn't she gorgeous? I just love her flowing hair and graceful pose—it makes her the perfect centerpiece for a tall, slimline-style design.

To create her underwater world, I paired Oceanne with the seafloor image from the Mermee #3 stamp set. The detailed coral and ocean floor make such a fun backdrop while still allowing our lovely mermaid to shine.

Everything was colored with Copic Markers, but one of my favorite parts of this card is how I created the background. I colored all of the corals and the seafloor first, then used my Copic Airbrush System to softly spray shades of blue over the entire scene. This ties everything together beautifully and gives the illusion that all of the elements are sitting beneath the water's surface.

Once the background was complete, I popped Oceanne up on foam adhesive to give her a little extra dimension. I love how she almost looks like she's floating through the ocean! I finished the card with the sentiment, "Start every day with a splash!", which perfectly captures the fun, carefree feel of this design.

This was such a fun scene to create, and I can't wait to color up Oceanne again in even more underwater adventures!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy crafting! 💙🧜‍♀️

~ Ally ~