Simon Says Stamp - Summer Cuddly Critters

Happy Sunday, blog friends! Just dropping in today with another card using some of the products from the Good Vibes new release from Simon Says Stamp!

Here's the thing - I'm not the best at coloring. My skills are basic at best, so critter stamps always make me a bit nervous. BUT...this one is SO cute. And I'm not even a CAT person. But seriously...how adorable is that mer-kitty?!! I knew I had to look my coloring skills straight in the face, and just do my best. And you know what...I can tell that I am improving! Even just a month ago, this kitty would have looked very different. I just love when you see progress in something that you are trying to get better at!

This card came about because I had that blue watery background just laying on my desk, unused. I had created it for a different card, but this background hadn't turned out quite the way I had wanted it. But, it was still pretty...so I hung on to it. I'm so glad I did, because it had the perfect water feel that I wanted for the background of this card! The stamp & die set that I am using today from the Good Vibes release is called Summer Cuddly Critters, and I think you are going to have SO much fun creating with it!

To start I created an A2 top folding card from heavyweight white cardstock and set aside. Then I cut another white cardstock block slightly smaller, and blended Distress Oxide ink in Salty Ocean to it. Then I sprayed water on it coming at it from the right side, and picked it up rather quickly with a paper towel. Then I spritzed it with shimmer spray. {My background was already done when I started this card - but you will want to make sure to let the background fully dry before doing anything else with it.}

Next I stamped & colored the mer-kitty and starfish. I used my set of Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers to color them, and blended using a size 2 round watercolor brush & just tiny amounts of water. Here is a list of the colors I used for each section:

Kitty: light gray, pale pink (ears)

Star: yellow

Shell top: light carmine

Mermaid tail: emerald green, turquoise green, persian blue

Starfish: brown, light brown

Once they were colored & dry, I added little white dots with a Uniball Signo pen just to give them a little more interest, and then added some clear Wink of Stella here & there. Then I diecut them using their coordinating dies, and added some prisma glitter to the mermaid tail to finish.

Next I put the completely dry background into my MISTI, and arranged the sentiment & first set of bubbles to the top. I generously used my powder tool, and then stamped & heat embossed the images in white to the front. I did this again in order to add a few more bubbles, then mounted the entire background to the card front with foam adhesive.

Finally, I adhered the kitty & starfish to the front, popping all but 1 of them up with foam dots. And then I accented with my signature iridescent jewels tucked here & there.

This card is super shimmer, but aside from the glitter on the mermaid tail, it is pretty subtle. I tried to capture it in this image, but I still think you can just see it better in real life. Anyone want a mer-kitty card for their birthday? ;)

I just wanted to drop in & share this cutie card with you today! I really hope that you like it! You can find a ton of inspiration using this stamp/die set & more in the Good Vibes project gallery. Be sure to link up your creations as well once you have your Good Vibes goodies in hand!

Before you move along, I wanted to invite you to follow me on social media. I hang out on Instagram a lot, and share my work in progress in my stories...along with REALLY cute photos of my dogs! :) Plus, I just started a YouTube channel, and while there are only a few videos right now...I will be adding new content consistently!

INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE

Have a wonderful rest of your day, and enjoy the blog hop!!

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