Love card with blue and yellow seahorses

Hello everyone, I have just returned from my nearly 3 weeks holiday from Nice (France) so I can show you my new project that I created for the Country View Challenges.

In June I made a love card with seahorses that my friend liked very much so she asked it for her hubby. And since our September challenge is Under the sea, I decided to make another one, a little different version.

This is a little smaller and a little different than my earlier card. And now, it's time for a tutorial.

I took a white paper and I inked the top with Cracked Pistachio and the bottom with Broken China. Then I inked the whole surface with Antique Linen. After this, I decided to give it a pearl shine so I covered it with diluted White Pearl acrylic paint.

After I embossed it with an old Sizzix embossing folder, the Swirls from the Burlap&Swirls Texture Fades set by Tim Holtz. But silly me, I put my cardstock with the wrong side into the embossing folder but actually I like it. 

After I inked the edges with Ranger Archival ink, Coffee.

The next layer was a silver paper from Tim Holtz Metallic Paper Stash 8x8 that was inked with the same Archival ink.

I used the same metallic paper to cut out a strip and to make the text. For this, I used the Sentiment Words Thinlits dies.

The seahorses (Sand&Sea Bigz die) were painted with DecoArt Americana paints (Toffee Cream-Melon, Spa Blu-Primary Blue). The edges were inked with Coffee ink. Then I took my new favourite, the Resist spray and I covered the surface of the seahorses with this magic product. It gives everything a restrained shine and protection.

The flower was from the Tropical Thinlits die set and was coloured with Abandoned Coral and Squeezed Lemonade Distress markers, then covered with Resist spray.

Not to forget to tell you, I don't spray directly to the cutouts. I spray an amount of Resist liquid to a plastic sheet or tray, then I apply it with a sponge.

The seashell (Seashells Bigz die) was painted with Light Buttermilk paint. 

What I used:

Sizzix Bigz die, Sand&Sea by Tim Holtz (659576)

Sizzix Bigz die and Texture Fades, Seashells by Tim Holtz (662706)

Sizzix Thinlits die, Tropical by Tim Holtz (661207)

Sizzix Thinlits die, Sentiment Words by Tim Holtz (661799)

Sizzix Texture Fades, Burlap&Swirls by Tim Holtz

Idea-Ology Kraft Stock, Metallic Paper Stash 8x8 by Tim Holtz

Idea-ology, Long Fasteners by Tim Holtz

DecoArt Americana paints

Ranger Distress ink pads (Cracked Pistachio, Antique Linen, Broken China)

Ranger Archival ink (Coffee)

Ranger Distress markers (Squeezed Lemonade, Abandoned Coral)

I hope you like it!

If you have a project with an Under the sea theme, please don't hesitate to join our September challenge where you can win a £20 voucher!

With my card, I would like to join the:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: "S" is for - seahorses and seashell

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes

Love card with seahorses

Hello everyone, let me show you my love card which can be perfect for a wedding as a congratulations card or for an anniversary. The summer is the period of weddings and wedding anniversaries, for us as well, so maybe I will give it to my hubby. 

For the background, I took a 300gsm watercolour paper and inked with Distress inks (Faded Jeans, Broken China, Tumbled Glass, Cracked Pistachio) then I made the whole surface vintage with watered Antique Linen ink. After I spattered with diluted white acrylic paint. The edges were inked with Antique Linen and Gathered Twigs ink.

The seahorses were cut out from chipboard and painted with DecoArt Americana paints. The blue with Primary Blue, White Wash and Indian Turquoise, the pink one with Melon, White Wash and Bright Orange. The edges were inked with Ranger Archival ink (Potting Soil).

What I used:

Sizzix Bigz XL die, Deco by Tim Holtz

Sizzix Bigz die, Sand&Sea by Tim Holtz

Sizzix Bigz die, Seashells by Tim Holtz

Sizzix Thinlits die, Garden Greens by Tim Holtz

Sizzix Thinlits die, Mini Holiday Greens by Tim Holtz

Idea-Ology, Hex Fasteners

Idea-Ology, Baubles

Ranger Distress ink pads

DecoArt Americana paints

gold glitter paper

With my card, I would like to join the:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Wedding/Anniversary

Frilly and Funkie: Embellishments, Trinkets and Trims

I hope you like it!!! Thank you for stopping by!!!

Canvas with a huge real shell

I was looking for the ideas how to keep our summer treasures - especially our huge (more than 12cm) seashell - where they are not hidden in a box, where we can see them in their full beauty, where they can be emphasized. 

So I made this 20x20 cm canvas.

Thank so much for stopping by!!!

Mini canvas with sea, beach huts and seagull

The August challenge of the Country View Challenges is: Hot summer days and it was the lovely Jane who gave us this fabulous theme.

For this challenge I prepared a mini canvas (13x18 cm) with sea, beach huts and seagull.

And now, here's my tutorial.


I took a mini canvas and with palette knife I put a layer of modelling paste on it.

For the sandy part I used structure paste with big grains (Marabu Structure Paste), then I painted with some kind of beige acrylic paint (Marabu Sahara). 

The sea and the sky was a combination of DecoArt Americana Paints (Bahama Blue, Salem Blue and Indian Turquoise). 

I made the sky with white acrylic paint and a piece of sponge.

I also put some extra modelling paste next to the shore. 

The beach huts were made with Sizzix Movers&Shapers Die, Artful Dwellings by Tim Holtz (657218) from chipboard.

I gessoed and drew 1 cm lines on the houses.

I cut out the windows with two different sizes circle dies. 

With acrylic paints I coloured the huts.

The roofs and the doors were embossed with the Stripe Embossing Folder from Tim Holtz Texture Fade Harlequin&Stripes Set (657849).

The fence were cut out with Sizzix On The Edge Die, On The Fence by Tim Holtz (657030).


When all pieces were ready I glued them on the canvas. Actually I had a first version, but I wasn't satisfied with it, so I changed some shells and I put more sand to achieve better composition. At least, better for my taste :-)

Here is the first version:

Here is another photo of the final version to show you the side:

For the seagull I used a Signature die (Seagulls - SD232).

The shells were picked up form a "plage" of France last summer.

I hope you like it! Happy crafting!

And don't forget to join our August Challenge at Country View Challenges where you can win a £20 voucher!



With this canvas I would like to enter the Summertime Fun! challenge of the Anything But Cute blog.

ATC with Tim Holtz seahorses

The last week Eszter was in a one week camp with her class. Most of the kids enjoyed this camp but not Eszter. She cried sometimes because this was the first time that she was away from us for such a long time. I was restless too. Anyway, it's over, we have survived it and luckily this is the past now. 

But this ATC is a very special one because I used those tiny shells that Eszter has brought home from the sea. And besides, this is the smaller version of my mixed media canvas with seahorses, so you can find the supply list there.

With this ATC I would like to enter the April Challenge of the Anything but cute blog: Earth Day.