Greetings friends. We have already started to introduce you to the latest release, but this week there is a chance to win prizes. We hope you will join us each day through Sunday to see new samples and for a chance to win a daily prize.
The latest release has many new nautical items, so I wanted to use a watercolor technique that would pair well with them. I first saw the technique over on Splitcoaststampers, and you can see the original tutorial here. To make the background, you will need watercolor powders (I used Color Burst), coffee filters and some inkjet photo paper (glossy paper won't work).
Place a coffee filter onto a nonstick craft sheet and sprinkle it with powders. You won't need a lot!
Spritz the filter with water
Place the filter on top of the photo paper
Check on the paper. My first attempt had missing spots of ink. Keep pressing the filter onto the paper till you get the background you want.
This is what my finished paper looked like. It is hard to tell from the photo, but the glossiness of the photo paper really makes the watercolor "pop" and become really vibrant. You can use the paper for backgrounds or use your favorite parts for diecutting. Another hint...I have tried using the liquid metallic watercolors, but they never dry on the paper. Stick to the regular colors.
These are the two papers I used for my card. The blue/green for the background and the yellow/orange for cutting out my fish. I didn't like that paper very much for a background, but it was a great paper to cut out fish that would be speckled or striped. Never throw away paper that isn't your favorite. I guarantee there are parts that will work great for diecutting.
Now, let's talk about assembling your card.
When you cut out the Underwater Scene, this is what you get:
I cut out the coral part from white cardstock and cut out multiple fish using the orange paper I had made.
I wanted my finished card to have a dimensional look to it, so I used some foam sheets you can buy in a craft store kid section and cut out a circle. I did this a second time and then glued the two together for extra depth. The fish were added to the background at different heights. The biggest fish was glued down with a glue stick, the long fish used thin foam tape, and the small fish used thick foam tape. I liked the look of different heights so that it looked like some were "deeper" in the ocean.
Here is a side view. I glued a piece of acetate behind the coral/seeweed and then layered all the pieces of the card.
To finish the card, I used a sentiment from the Oceanside Typewriter Sentiment clear set. If you make many ocean/seaside cards, you are going to want this set. It has the best "punny" sentiments to pair with your dies and stamps.
Want to win your own Underwater Scene die? Leave a comment to this post by Sunday, March 3rd at 11:59pm EST. One comment at random will be selected to win the die. There will be a chance to win one of the new release items each day this week through Sunday. Winners will be announced on the blog on Monday, March 4th at 6pm EST. Good luck!
Supplies
Laura ~ Your cards are AWESOME!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the backgrounds you created and can't thank you enough for providing some tips with pictures for making them!! I already LOVE the new release ... can't wait to get even more inspiration for using these fabulous dies!!
Posted by: Judy Rowland | 02/25/2019 at 06:01 AM
Thanks for the tutorial, Laura... and for the chance to win this awesome prize.
Hugs.
Posted by: Donna | 02/25/2019 at 06:26 AM
So beautiful and a clever use of coffee filters! Thank you.
Posted by: Jacky | 02/25/2019 at 07:42 AM
It’s so much fun to play with techniques. Yours are perfect for the theme.
Posted by: Sandra W | 02/25/2019 at 08:11 AM
Such a cute card! My grandson has a fish tank and would love this idea for his birthday card. Thanks for the background tutorial, as well.
Posted by: JoAnne Davies | 02/25/2019 at 08:15 AM
Beautiful card and love the sentiment! Thanks for the great info on the background, will have to try it!
Posted by: karenajo | 02/25/2019 at 08:56 AM
Gorgeous background and an awesome die set! Love your underwater scene!
Posted by: Denise Bryant | 02/25/2019 at 09:15 AM
What a wonderful card...love the background!
Posted by: Kathleen | 02/25/2019 at 09:19 AM
Love the watercolour technique!
Posted by: Kristen | 02/25/2019 at 11:10 AM
Awesome card! Thanks for the technique tips and the chance to win!
Posted by: Janice | 02/25/2019 at 11:19 AM
Love the background you created for this great card! The watercolor gave more interest to the fish as well. Both work perfect with this awesome die. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Michele W | 02/25/2019 at 11:27 AM
Love this one,Laura! I have Color Burst powders & have not used them.lately so thanks for the great inspiration! Also for the chance to win the awesome die!
Posted by: Patt H. | 02/25/2019 at 11:31 AM
The background colours are gorgeous and popping up the fishes is a great idea, it adds depth to the scene. I love the Underwater scene die!
Posted by: Chrissie | 02/25/2019 at 11:36 AM
Love that beautiful die. The background is amazing. I have tried brusho's directly on photo paper but your transfer technique is interesting. Might have to give it a go. Thanks for sharing. Hugz
Posted by: ionabunny | 02/25/2019 at 12:08 PM
Your background is great! Thanks so much for the tutorial on how to do it. I will definitely be trying it. This new die is awesome too!
Posted by: Beth | 02/25/2019 at 01:30 PM
What a clever technique. The water and the goldfish look great! I like this die even more now that I know what you can do with it. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Melanie Allen | 02/25/2019 at 01:35 PM
Super card! like all the details you told us about, Laura!
Posted by: Barbara-Jean | 02/25/2019 at 01:58 PM
Stunning die and stamps. I just love your card. Thanks for sharing all your tips and hints for each different layer. Amazing!
Posted by: Ali | 02/25/2019 at 02:20 PM
Beautiful colors achieved with this medium and the sentiment is just lovely.
Posted by: Andre M. | 02/25/2019 at 02:24 PM
This is gorgeous! I am a great fan of underwater cards and have some of the awesome Memory Box dies from previous releases. This would pair so well with those. Thanks for the chance to win :)
Posted by: Lynn Hardy | 02/25/2019 at 04:03 PM
Love this underwater scene and how you used Color Bursts powders.
Posted by: Sue D | 02/25/2019 at 04:39 PM
Absolutely beautiful ! Thanks for the wonderful technique.
Posted by: Mimi r | 02/25/2019 at 07:16 PM
Wow!!! Your card is fabulous. The background is amazing. And I love the Underwater Scene die. "Water are you up to?" Who can resist a fun pun, just gotta smile.
Posted by: Vivian C. | 02/25/2019 at 10:18 PM
Wow, this underwater scene is gorgeous and I really love the Color Burst watercolor technique. The colors blend beautifully to make the perfect ocean background. Love how you die cut the fish from paper with the same coloring technique.
Posted by: karenladd | 02/25/2019 at 10:33 PM
I am in awe of this beautiful card and I love underwater scenes. The watercolor background is fantastic and is such a great way to add lots of color. I would love to win this die set!
Posted by: shartl | 02/25/2019 at 11:28 PM