lauralooloo: Seashells By the Seashore: A Summer Card With Impression Obsession Stamps

I'm crafting up all the fun, summer cards as I soak up all the hot summer sunshine these days. Today's card combines some stamps from Impression Obsession, along with a textured and embossed background that's oh-so-simple to make. Plus, it goes along with the latest Theme Day on the IO blog! Ready to take a look?

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Where to begin? There are a few simple layers to bring this card together. First, the embossed background, second the torn cardstock layer and twine, and third the stamped elements. So let's begin with the bottom and talk about the embossed background first.

Textured Ocean Background

I wanted to create an ocean themed background, but one that wouldn't distract from the seashell images on my card. Here's how to pull this together.

Start with a dark color of cardstock. I chose a shade of navy blue. Mist it slightly with water to make it pliable and then crumble it up. Yep, you heard me right. Crumble it into a ball.
Next, choose an embossing folder, and smooth out your cardstock enough to run it through your machine. I went with this one because it felt like bubbles.
Running it through your die-cutting machine in an embossing folder, will smooth out your cardstock enough that it lays flat, but it will still have the folds and wrinkles from when you crumbled it up. Choose an ink color lighter than your cardstock, and gently rub it across the cardstock, or use a sponge to apply, and bring out all that gorgeous texture.

The next layer of my card is the sandy shore. I simply tore one edge of the cardstock, and then sponged a similar shade of ink on the piece, mainly focusing on the edges. Once the card was assembled, I added the twine and bow to finish it off.

And last, but certainly not least - the star of the show, the seashells! This lovely clear stamp set from Impression Obsession, called Seahorse & Shells, includes a variety of seashells plus a sweet seahorse. I paired these beauties with a sentiment from IO's June limited edition kit of the month.

I can't wait to see what the other designers have created for this month's theme. . .SUMMER! Stop by the Impression Obsession blog for links to all of the designers participating, and then I hope you'll be inspired to craft up some summer cards of your own!

Shop the Supplies on Today's Card:

Seahorse & Shells clear stamp set from Impression Obsession

Seahorse & Shells Stamp Set

(plus grab the coordinating dies)

Distress Oxide Inks

I get these inks from Spellbinders, because the shades are color-matched to Spellbinders cardstock. You can also find Distress Oxide Inks at scrapbook.com and Simon Says Stamp.