A Blog Named Hero

Welcome back, crafty friends! We continue this month’s monochromatic theme to challenge your creativity. This card idea came easily but was one of the most time consuming cards I have ever created. But, it is also the one I am most proud of, so challenge yourself! It will be worth it and you’ll probably learn something new.

I have always wanted to make a see-through card but didn’t have dies large enough to do the job. When Hero Arts came out with these Seashells Fancy Dies, I knew exactly how I wanted to use them. The monochromatic part was easy peasy; I used antique ivory, and sand Hero Hues cardstock. I started by die cutting lots of seashells from antique ivory. I die cut each shell 6-8 times and then adhered them using precision glue. I ended up with  3-4 of each shell. 

Then I took each shell and ink blended the edges with cup o’ joe, cocoa, and sand stone ink. Cocoa and stone came in a previous My Monthly Hero kit but you could use any neutral brown tones. After adding some variation with ink I added some texture with sand embossing powder! I swiped embossing and watermark ink on the edges of some of the shells and embossed with the sand embossing powder. Have you tried this embossing powder yet? It is magical! Maria Willis, from the Hero Arts creative team, is the queen of sand embossing powder. Go check her out!

Now the most time consuming part, placing the shells in a way that made the card stable, gave variation and looked pleasing. I probably laid them out 6 different ways before I landed on the final placement. I used washi tape to hold things in place while I glued everything in place. I will definitely be purchasing some Press N Seal, it would make the process much easier. I stacked my Misti on that seashell panel and out a heavy cup on it while it dried, I did not want it to warp.

While the front card panel was drying, I started working on the back and sentiment. I made a card base from sand Hero Hue cardstock and cut off the front leaving a 1/2 inch tab so I had something to attach the seashell panel to. I made a double mat with antique white and sand cardstock so the back panel would be nice and thick. 

I used a sentiment from the May My Monthly Hero kit, which is surprisingly still available today. You could use any sentiment you have on hand though, the card could be given for any occasion. I heat embossed the “sending you a little vitamin sea” sentiment with white detail embossing powder. 

After everything had plenty of time to dry I attached the seashell panel to the flap using precision glue. I put a thicker layer down and then put something heavy on it while it dried. The glue dries clear and holds strong! Lastly, I glued the sentiment on to complete the card. 

This is one of my favorite cards I have ever made. I love walking along the beach looking for even the smallest seashell. I am thinking about doing this project on a larger scale and framing in a 5×7 shadow box. What do you think, should I give that a try? 

Don’t forget to enter this month’s monochromatic challenge, there are only a few days left to enter. There are 2 Hero Arts gift vouchers up for grabs so get your monochro-magic on! Don’t forget to follow me at Pocketful of Rosie in Instagram and visit my blog.