What is better for a seashell motif than watercolor painting?

My head is still by the ocean, I’m afraid.  And so, I am exploring the Stampin’ Up! Friends are like Seashells bundle more than I should be.  I do love this bundle, though, and it offers so many possibilities.

I decided to play around with watercolor.  I am not a particularly good painter – sort of a one-trick pony there.  I do love Wine and Paint nights, though – but that is another post for another day.

I saw a video from several years back about using ink and water on embossing folders to achieve an abstract, watercolor look.  So, I applied it to the 3D embossing folder from Friends are like Seashells to see what would happen.

Using the 8-1/2” x 11” version of the Stampin’ Up! Basic White cardstock, I cut a couple of sheets into quarters.  These will be trimmed later for the card face – but I wanted to have the opportunity to trim them in a way that would feature any cool watercolor effect that happened.

I chose two ink pad colors – Bermuda Bay and Granny Apple Green – and smooshed them on to the top of the Friends are like Seashells 3D embossing folder.

Then I sprayed with about 5 or 6 squirts of water and spritzed the paper panel itself with a bit more water.  (I use the Stampin’ Spritzers a lot!  Do you know that they are great to carry in your purse with hand sanitizer?  LOVE!!)

I used the 3D Embossing Folder plate that comes with the Stampin’ Cut and Emboss Machine to emboss the panel.  (Remember to send an embossing plate through a die cut machine with the folded edge first.  This will preserve the folder.  If the open end goes through the machine first, it could shift on its way through and the folded edge could break.)

Wait ‘til you see the magic!

The panel will need to dry.  I air-dried a number of the panels that I made – but I tried using the Heat Tool on a low setting and found that to be an even better way to get the panels to dry with less warping.

Once they were dry, I mounted them on Adhesive Sheets because of the warping.  The sheets helped to flatten the sheets that were warped and allowed a good amount of adhesive on the panel to assure that I would not have any run-away seashells!

But I must admit that I was a little disappointed with how plain they were.  The colors are beautiful.  But there was no zhoosh.  So, I exhumed a retired product that I had fallen in love with:  Shimmer Paint.

Although Stampin’ Up! used to carry this product, we no longer do.  However, if you have been an SU stamper for a while, you may have a bottle of this liquid magic in your craft stash.  If not, it is available from Amazon here and many other vendors as well.  (Please know that I am NOT an Amazon affiliate currently – although achieving that status is definitely on my bucket list!)

Using Stampin’ Up! Blender Brushes, I brushed a small amount of the Frost White shimmer paint all over each of the panels that I made.  (Did you think that I would only make 1 panel???)  Voila, it is the exact right effect for the water coloring on these beautiful, embossed panels!

The rest was easy.  I matted each panel and decorated each card front with Baker’s Twine Essential Pack and a die cut sand dollar.  The sentiments on both the card front and the inside come from the Sale-a-bration set – Special Moments. I have listed the cardstock cuts below, which are standard fare.  What is not standard fare are these pearlescent seashells and seaweed grasses and the message that they deliver to their recipients!  I love these cards and will probably make a bunch more when I need to find my Zen…

The colors that I used were Highland Heather, Blushing Bride, and Misty Moonlight – accompanied by Granny Apple Green in all four panels. And do not forget to embellish these panels with pearls!  They do come from the sea, of course! I used Stampin’ Up! Pearl Basic Jewels.

Thanks so much for stopping in to take a look at this project.  This is definitely one of those techniques that could and should be demonstrated in a video.  That will be my next challenge – making technique videos!!  I teach accounting on video – why not stamping techniques? 

I have assembled a list of the supplies that I have used for these cards to help if you need anything.  Remember, though, that this technique would work very well with many of Stampin’ Up! 3D embossing folders as well!