Tropical Fish (new die)

Hello Scrapping Cottage friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with us today. It's Mary Marsh here bringing you the Saturday edition of the Blog.

We have a brand new release of dies in the online store. This one is all about the sea with Pirates and undersea creatures.  There are 14 new whimsical designs and each one is cuter than the next. These cards would be ideal for so many occasions.  The entire bundle is currently 60% off and you can pick it up for less than $100. Each individual die is also 25% off.  The DT will begin showing more samples next week. So stay tuned and let your imagination soar.

For my card today, I am featuring the new tropical fish die and I created a non-traditional graduation card for my niece. She just graduated high school and is planning to go to college in the fall as an elementary education major. So let's get started with some details on how I created my card. 

Design Steps:
Since I knew what die I was going to use, I started my card by selecting a designer paper that had an undersea vibe to me. The color gradient from a light to a darker green works well for an under the sea scene. And, by choosing my paper first, I could coordinate the colors of my fish, sea grass and clamshell.

Green card base: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" 
Designer paper layer: 4 1/8" x 5 3/8"

Next, I cut the undersea elements in a variety of colored cardstock. You could use white cardstock and then color with alcohol markers, pencils or distress inks. I just prefer using colored cardstock.

I stamped the sentiment in the darker green ink that matches the cardstock. This sentiment ties in with the clam that produced a pearl. I just thought it would work for a graduation card. I think it sends a message of encouragement to my niece that even the smallest thing can be a gateway to experience  the extraordinary.

Now that all my elements are prepared, I am ready to start card assembly. I attached the fish with dimensional adhesive. I wanted them lifted slightly off the background. The sea grass and clamshell were attached with Ranger multi medium matte. I like this adhesive for die cuts because it dries clear.

There are air bubbles that come with this die. I first cut them in clear acetate but I didn't like the look. So I used a very light seafoam green and cut the air bubbles in that color. I did a double layer just for added dimension. Then I thought I needed something else on the bottom of my card. So I added some additional sea greenery. This greenery is part of the new mermaid die. And she is super cute, by the way. I also used  some clear Nuvo drops just for added interest on my card.

To complete my card I attached the image panel to the green card base. I decided I needed one more layer and change the card base to white. The base is 4 1/2" x 5 3/4"

And, that's a wrap on this card and post. See you next Saturday! Also in addition to the new dies being on an introductory sale there is also a big rth of July sale going on with savings of up to 60%. It's time to go shopping.

die I used to create card: