Summer Inspirations

Good morning, friends, and welcome back to the second group post in this month's Papertrey Ink countdown. Today we're celebrating summer!

The summer themed sets that we're introducing this morning are so much fun! And you'll be amazed at how versatile they can be. You can create for everything from bon voyage to birthday with these fantastic new stamps.

My first card today features Heather's new Keep Swimming set, Betsy's What The Doodle: Waves, and Erin's Colorful Words. There's also another set hiding in there, but it's very sneaky. Whales are supposed to be a symbol of safe passage over water, so I made this card for a friend heading out on a seafaring vacation soon.

I began by watercoloring the blue/green background onto watercolor paper using my Gansai Tambi paints. While that was drying I sponged a white card base with a bit of Harvest Gold ink (I was working on this card one morning during a sunrise and got inspired). I added a sun with the urchin base image from Nichole's Simple Seashells set (see...sneaky) before adding the sentiment in Enchanted Evening. Next, I stamped the whale from Keep Swimming in Stormy Sea and Enchanted Evening inks and trimmed that out (again, there are dies but they haven't made it to me yet).

Once the watercolored background was dry, I heat embossed the What The Doodle: Waves image in white powder and trimmed out three strips of waves. I adhered the strips to the card base with flat and foam adhesives, each adhesive layer a bit thicker than the last. I tucked my whale into place and embellished the sea spray with fine glitter. I'm really loving those waves!

My next project is a bit more somber. I had the "Footprints In The Sand" poem in mind while I was making this card. I thought it would work perfectly for a loved one in need of support.

I began by masking off a rectangle on a Rustic White card base. I sponged Spring Rain and Enchanted Evening inks and then dripped on water droplets. When that had dried, I heat embossed the sentiment from Walk By Faith using white powder. Next, I created a sandy bank by stamping the Sand Swatch images in Fine Linen and Classic Kraft inks. I trimmed that out and adhered it to the card front with foam tape.

Then, I stamped three of the seashells from Simple Seashells onto Rustic White cardstock before trimming them out and adhering them to the card front. I stamped the urchin in Mint Julep, Ocean Tides, and Pinefeather inks. The tulip shell was stamped in Winter Wisteria, Plum Pudding, and Royal Velvet. The scallop was stamped in Lovely Lady, Autumn Rose, and Scarlet Jewel. This card could very easily be adapted to be more masculine with just a few simple ink substitutions.

And last but not least today I have a card featuring Betsy's new Dress Up Dolls: Summer. We have several summer birthdays in our family and I thought this set would make a really cute birthday card.

I began by sponging the sun using Betsy's new Sun & Surf Stencil Collection. I used Harvest Gold with just a touch of Summer Sunrise to give dimension. Next, I set about making my waves. I sponged Aqua Mist and Tropical Teal inks onto white cardstock and splattered that with water and Tropical Teal reinker. Then, I die cut the panel with the Cover Plate: Waves die. I stamped the sentiment, from Birthday Classics: June, onto the largest piece using Tropical Teal ink. I adhered that to the card base using foam tape and then wove several of the other pieces together to create a textured pool. Some pieces are adhered with foam tape, some with flat adhesive, and some have both.

Next, I die cut and colored the Dress Up Dolls: Basics girl. I stamped and colored the Dress Up Dolls: Summer accessories (sunnies, bathing suit, and ice cream cone) and trimmed them out. I adhered the accessories to the girl and embellished with glitter on her bathing suit and glasses. I tucked her into the pool where she looks mighty happy enjoying her birthday treat!

Aren't these new sets so much fun?! And I absolutely love that they're great for a broad variety of uses. Thanks so much for joining me today. Make sure to check in with Nichole, Amy, Ashley, Betsy, Danielle, Dawn, Heather, Kay, Laurie, and Melissa for more summertime inspiration. Erin and Maile are also sharing more of their new designs, so make sure to visit them, too! Have a great day, everyone!

Recipes:
Safe Travels Card
Stamps: Keep Swimming, Colorful Words, What The Doodle: Waves, Simple Seashells - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Watercolor Paper - Strathmore; white
Ink: Harvest Gold, Enchanted Evening, Stormy Sea - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: White Embossing Powder - Filigree; Carerra Marble Glitter - Martha Stewart Crafts; Foam Tape - Scotch; Watercolor Paints - Gansai Tambi

Walk By Faith Card
Stamps: Simple Seashells, Sand Swatch, Walk By Faith - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Spring Rain, Enchanted Evening, Mint Julep, Ocean Tides, Pinefeather, Winter Wisteria, Plum Pudding, Royal Velvet, Lovely Lady, Autumn Rose, Scarlet Jewel - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; White Embossing Powder - Filigree

Summer Birthdays Card
Stamps: Dress Up Dolls: Basics, Dress Up Dolls: Summer, Birthday Classics: June - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: white
Ink: Aqua Mist, Tropical Teal, Harvest Gold, Summer Sunrise - Papertrey Ink; Tuxedo Black - Memento
Other: Sun & Surf Stencil Collection, Dress Up Dolls: Basics Die, Cover Plate: Waves Die - Papertrey Ink; Crystal, Onyx Glitter - Martha Stewart Crafts; Foam Tape - Scotch; Colored Pencils - PrismaColor