Floating by... with Paper Smooches

Birthday Fishes

Paper Smooches Challenge!

A good friend's birthday is coming up and, traditionally, every year I give him a card with fish on it.  This all started when we used to work out at the gym together.  There was a comment about him looking pretty, he cursed at me, and a card was born.

This year I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and design a card not only for him, but also for the Paper Smooches Challenge.

This was another occasion of me having only one stamp set to choose from, but it's one that I adore.  The Birthday Buddies, which I bought with him in mind.

I chose a 4-1/4 x 5-1/2 side folding card this time.  It's another favourite card size for me.  I usually opt for a top folding layout, but I wanted enough space to have a good amount of "water" for my fish to be swimming in.  

I cut a base from Neenah Solar White 110 lb card stock measuring 4-1/4 x 11 and scored at 5-1/2.  Another 80 lb card from Neenah, and I was all set to go.

Using Ranger Distress Inks and Ranger ink blending tools, I used Peacock Feathers and Shabby Shutters to create my water.  I knew I wanted three layers.  The layers were cut using Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Borders in three slightly different shapes with the Cuttlebug.  Once the ink had dried, I spritzed some water onto my fingers and then shook some on the card to create some little water marks and give it a more of a watery feel.

During the process of cutting, I made a happy mistake, and ended up with a skinny, little stitched piece.  I almost threw it out, but after a moment of thought I decided to keep it and work it into my design as almost a fourth layer of water.  I think it worked out really well.

I cut the fish out using the Cuttlebug and matching dies for this set.  I used Copics for the colour, and then decided that I didn't like the white border, so I cut them out.  I was much happier with the result. The white against the water just didn't work well.

I stamped the sentiment "Birthday Fishes" with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and because they're clear stamps, I was able to bend them to match the curve of the water.  I used The Alley Way Stamps set Gabfest to create the "floating by", but I really didn't like it in black.  So, out came the Hillside Borders once again, and I cut the entire thing, taking all of the black text off.

I ended up with a matching curve in the card which I liked, and adhered it to the base, using the space on the base to stamp the same words over again, but this time in Wild Hare grey ink from ColorBox, which I like a lot better.

I added air bubbles from the stamp set in black and grey and used a turquoise glitter Sakura Gelly Roll pen to fill in some of the air bubbles and the topped them off with Glossy Accents.  The birthday hats on the fish were finished with a white Sakura Gelly Roll pen to add some festive details, and then I added a little glitter with clear Wink of Stella to make them extra special.

This was another fun card to make.  I've got some ideas for the other stamps in the set, and I'm hoping to set aside some time to get my hands dirty.

Hope you enjoyed it!  I have to apologize for the quality of some of the photos.  I made this card at night and took pictures on my cell phone, so the light wasn't the best.

List of Tools

Copics
Fish: B00, B02, BG49, B66, YR02, YR04, YR07, R27, Y08

Paper Smooches - Birthday Buddies
SSS - Ranger Distress Ink - Peacock Feathers
SSS - Ranger Distress Ink - Shabby Shutters
Ellen Hutsen - Momento Tuxedo Black Ink
Ellen Hutsen - Neenah Solar White 80 lb Card Stock
Simon Says Stamp - Neenah Solar White 80 lb Card Stock
Ellen Hutsen - Neenah Solar White 110 lb Card Stock
Simon Says Stamp - Neenah Solar White 110 lb Card Stock
Tombo Mono Multi Glue
Scotch Tape Runner
Fiskars SureCut Paper Trimmer
Martha Stewart Score Board