Die Cuts with Team Lou at the Southern Girls

1st of two posts today

It's time for another challenge with us at the Southern Girls.

This fortnight Team Lou have created projects to inspire you for the new challenge

Die Cuts with Team Lou

Our generous sponsors for this challenge are

Krafters Cart

All Dressed Up

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Today I have used the Mermaid Kisses digital stamp by All Dressed Up, one of our generous sponsors this fortnight, to make a pair of birthday cards.

This post is to focus on the elegant oval framed mermaid.

I printed two of the mermaid images (one flipped horizontally so that she was facing the opposite direction) on X-Press It blending card, heat set, then coloured with Copic markers.  I had the perfect patterned papers in my stash, so chose my colours to coordinate with the Mermaid Tails paper pad.  After blending the tail, I went around each scale with a Zig Wink Of Stella glitter pen.  

I also added some white dot accents to the shells with a white gel pen.

I used several nesting dies (details below) to cut frames to go around the mermaids.  I also used my Silhouette Cameo to cut internal scallops in a circle to make an "opposite" design to stitched oval frame, adding bling to the scallops on both frames.  I trimmed the image panels down to fit inside the frames and adhered them together.

Next came the card base.  The designs of the patterned papers are so pretty and it was such a shame to cut much off them, so I just trimmed off 1/4" then matted them with several layers of textured cardstock, ending up with large 7 1/4" square panels.  To make each card base, I took two sheets of heavy white cardstock trimmed down to 7 1/4" square.  I scored one sheet 1" from the top to make the top fold on the back panel, using liquid adhesive to secure the front panel in place.

I adhered the framed mermaids to each card then decided to add some fish.  I punched out a bundle of fish and coloured them with the same shades as the mermaid tails and adhered them in place around the mermaid and frame.  I had planned on adding bling bubbles around each fish but when I tested some out it was too "busy", so quickly removed them.

I matted the inside of each card, adding some fish to make it extra pretty when I write the birthday greetings filled with mermaid kisses.

I have to confess that I am thrilled how wonderfully the
BG11-15-18 Copic markers blend together.

Here are some of the tools I used, full details in the ingredients.

*** INGREDIENTS ***

All Dressed Up - digital stamp - Mermaid Kisses
X-Press It A4 Blending Card
X-Press It A5 Blending Card

Copic markers - skin - E0000-000-00-93
Copic markers - hair - E30-31-33-35-37
Copic markers - tail & fish - BG10-11-13-15-18
Copic markers - top & shells - BV01-02-04
Zig Wink Of Stella glitter pen (scales on mermaid tail)
white gel pen (dots on shells)
American Crafts - 12x12 textured cardstock - white
Kaisercraft - 12x12 weave cardstock - Sea Foam
Kaisercraft - 12x12 weave cardstock - Island

Kaisercraft - 6 1/2" paper pad - Mermaid Tails
Sizzix Big Shot
Kaisercraft - decorative dies - Nesting Scalloped Stitched Ovals
Kaisercraft - decorative dies - Nesting Ovals
Silhouette Cameo
Silhouette Design Store - Design ID #64556
Stepped Inner Scallop Circle Border Set by Deborah Stine
clear rhinestones
Perfect Layers Rulers
Fiskars - fish squeeze punch
Fiskars - fish cartridge punch
Helmar Acid Free Professional Glue - to adhere the top fold
Helmar 450 Quick Dry adhesive - to adhere the layers

Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Adhesive - to adhere the fish

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Sending a big Thank You to All Dressed Up for supplying the image I have used today and for sponsoring the Die Cuts with Team Lou Challenge with us at the Southern Girls.

I hope I have inspired you to get creative and look forward to seeing your work shared in the challenge gallery.  Remember we are not just a card blog, we love to see scrapbook layouts, artjournal pages and all types of papercraft.

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I am going to enter my card in the following challenges (alphabetical order):

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2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Challenge #12 - Anything With A Critter Goes
My critter is a mermaid surrounded by schools of fish
A Bit More Time To Craft - Challenge #64 - Anything Goes
A Bit More Time To Craft Extra Challenge - EXTRA Challenge March – Anything Goes
All Dressed Up - March Challenge - Anything Goes
using All Dressed Up
Allsorts Challenge Blog - Week 459 – Bring On The Bling
My mermaid is surrounded by sparkling bling
Crafty Catz - Challenge #409 – Anything Goes option of Easter
Crafty Creations Challenges - Challenge #362 - Anything Goes
Die Cut Diva's Challenge Blog - March Challenge – Monochrome In Color
Digi Choosday Craft Challenge - Wk 12 – Anything Goes
Get Creative Challenges - Challenge #67 - Fantasy / Mythological

Happy Little Stampers - HLS March Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

Love To Scrap Challenge Blog - LTSCB #107 – Anything Goes
Pammie's Inky Pinkies - PIP Challenge 1811 – Anything Goes
Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog - Penny's Challenge 372 - Anything Goes
Pile It On - Pile It On #140 – Circles - bonus theme - Squares
my card is square with lots of square layers, my first circle got squashed to make the oval and there are lots of circles in gazillion tiny rhinestones dotted around the scallops
QKR Stampede - Challenge #288 - Anything Goes
Scrapbook Stamp Society - Challenge #136 – Anything Goes option Birthday
Sketch Saturday - Week #505
I have used an oval and round bling frame for each mermaid and I have used
schools of fish instead of the banner bits at each side

Through The Craft Room Door - TTCRD Anything Goes Challenge March 20th