ODBD May 2018 Release-Turtle Love

Hi Friends!

I am so thrilled to be guest designing for Our Daily Bread Designs in May and June. It is a major treat for me when my love for Scripture and my creativity can hang out together! The May 2018 release brings us beach, tortoises, and coffee (another beautiful creation, don’t you think?)! I am sharing two cards today. My cards were created with this beautiful Turtle Love stamp and die set. The first Scripture stamp reads: “So God created the great creatures of the sea.” Genesis 1:21. This particular sentiment stamp takes us back to the beginning, the Genesis of creation. One only has to look to nature, animal and sea life to see the creativity and awesomeness of our God. If you are in search of Christian stamps you should check out ODBD here.

Card #1

I started with a piece of craft cardstock (5 x 6.5). I shaded the edges with Distress Oxide Vintage Brown and gave it some watermarks to add interest and the appearance of bubbles.
Layered a sheet of dark green designer paper and distressed the edges with my scissors and also shaded the underside of the areas that would show (with the same ink mentioned above).
Atop the green paper I added this beautiful lighter green, damask print panel with stitched edges and again shaded the edges to keep everything visually tied together.
I stamped the sentiment on a strip of woodgrain paper, distressed the edges (see a pattern happening here?) and then added hemp cord on the side and secured in a knot. I popped this up on foam and adhered to the upper left corner.
I took a final 1/2 inch strip of the woodgrain paper, shaded the edges and underside, curled the edges like a scroll, and popped it up on foam tape. I set this entire panel aside.
Now it was time to work on my turtle. I stamped the turtle on white card and colored with alcohol markers. I covered his shell with clear glaze in an uneven manner to give a more realistic ‘bumpy’ effect. I covered his eye with a mini dot of black Nuvo Drops. And because I couldn’t help myself I added Wink of Stella to his body.
I glued him to a vellum stitched circle and popped the entire piece onto my completed panel.

Using the same techniques throughout the project gives the finished card a cohesive look.

Card #2

The second card is a birthday card. My daughters thought this was cute, they love the pun-y sentiment-“Have a turtley awesome birthday!”. Using ODBD’s Birthday Brights paper pad along with clear glaze drops, I created an under-the-sea look.

Using a stitched rectangle die I cut the blue paper panel. Using the turtle matching die I then cut the turtle image several times randomly throughout the sheet. I cut the image again several times from one of the green sheets in the paper pad and set those aside.
I then adhered the plaid sheet to my base and the blue sheet on top of the plaid.
Next I stamped the turtle image onto the green cut-outs and with foam tape put them back in their spots like puzzle pieces. The foam tape gave the turtles dimension and so they stand off the page.
I brought my turtles “to life” by coloring them with alcohol markers and placing the tiniest black Nuvo drop to the eyes. You can see what a difference all this detail makes in the following picture.

All that was left to do was stamp and adhere the sentiment. For a final touch I used a nest of hemp cord under the sentiment and clear glaze drops give the illusion of bubbles.