Monochromatic Seascape

Hi there everybody.  I started this card over a week ago intending to enter the then current Simon Says Challenge - Tag It, but as I ended up being too late to enter, I put it to one side and made another card instead.   Anyway, there is a male birthday coming up soon so I decided to carry on and finish it.  I had already decided to keep the colours monochrome as there was another challenge for which I thought this would fit, and as this is still running I decided to keep it that way.  This uses a couple of sets of stamps from Sheena Douglass called A Little Bit Scenic - Sea Scape and Sea Shells.  I love Sheena's stamps, and I have already used the puffin and some of the shells, but I thought it was time to give some of the others an airing.

I started with the topper/tag fashioned myself using a scrap/snippet of white stamping card, and placed the puffin which I stamped using Memento Nautical Blue.  I stamped it again on a piece of copy paper to use as a mask, which after cutting out I sprayed with Crafter's Companion Stick & Spray to fix temporarily whilst I stamped the boat behind.  The boat surround is actually dual purpose so it could be water or sand.  I did intend it to be on the beach, but as it is coloured blue it does look like water, but anyway I decided this is a bit of artistic licence.  I then placed the sea thrift to the left and the sentiment above with three gulls.  I coloured the scene using the Memento Nautical Blue and Distress Ink in Peacock Feathers and a waterbrush.  I then decided it would look better with a few random clouds, so I cut a shape from copy paper and blended carefully with blending foam using Adirondack Stonewashed .  If you work outwards from the paper it minimises the risk of getting dark blobs, and you can always add more ink if necessary.  I finished the tag with some baker's twine.

For the background I used two of the shells and a crackle stamp.  I stamped the large conch shell randomly over a snippet of light blue card using the Memento Nautical Blue, second generation ink, to give it a softer look.  When perfectly dry I glazed them using WOW Clear EP and a Versamark Pen.  I then stamped in between with the Crafty Individuals - Crackle Background using Adirondack Stonewashed ink.  The beauty of glazing the shells is that any excess ink will wipe off.  I finished the background by stamping the small cockle shell in the gaps over the crackle background just to add a little more interest.

I mounted the background on to a snippet of mid blue colour card, and then on to a white square card.  After placing the tag I stamped two of the small cockle shells on a snippet of white card and coloured with the Nautical Blue and Peacock Feathers ink and a waterbrush.  I cut these out and mounted them, using Pinflair Glue Gel to give them more shape, on either side of the sentiment which is on another snippet of light blue card.

Thank you for looking and leaving me such lovely comments which I always enjoy reading.

 I am entering this in the following challenges:

Pixie's Crafty Workshop where we use our snippets/scraps of paper and card, and I have used snippets of white, light blue and mid blue card.
Crafter's Companion - Monochromatic.
Everybody Art Challenge - Non Cute Cards.