It’s pretty easy to tell what inspired this card, isn’t it?
Yep, the beautiful beaches of Esperance that are right on my doorstep.
The beach was definitely calling my name over the weekend thanks to the stunning weather we were having. Winter? What winter? This is one of my absolute favourite times of the year. One day we can be battling cold southern fronts, and the next we’re enjoying crisp, clear, calm days with brilliant blue skies.
Perfect weather for beach combing.
And, of course, perfect weather for taking Doug down to the beach for a walk, frisbee in hand. I’m pretty sure he enjoys these outings even more than I do!
One of the things I love most about living here is observing the ever-changing colours of the ocean. Sometimes it is deep blue, sometimes turquoise, sometimes a mix of greens and aquas that almost don’t seem real. The colours can change throughout the day and from one day to the next. There is always something new to admire and, for a card maker, there is always something new to inspire creativity.
That inspiration definitely found its way into today’s project.
This card was created using a fun fold design known as an accordion fold with a smaller reverse-opening card. It is one of those folds that looks impressive when you first open it, but is surprisingly easy to create. I love how the different panels give you extra space to showcase stamps, colours and embellishments while creating a card that feels a little extra special.
For the focal images, I used the Shell Collecting stamp set. Well… I did.
As I was writing this post, I popped over to the online store to double-check the details and discovered that it has now officially retired and is no longer available. Sad face!
The good news is that the gorgeous jar featured on the card comes from the Filled With Sweetness stamp and die bundle, which is still available. I absolutely love using this jar as a focal point because it can be filled with so many different images and themes throughout the year.
For this card, I filled the jar with beach-inspired treasures to capture that relaxed coastal feeling that Esperance does so beautifully.
Tip of the Day:
If you’re creating projects with the Filled With Sweetness jar, try this simple embossing technique.
Using a stamp positioning tool, stamp the jar image in your chosen colour. Without moving your cardstock, stamp the jar outline again using Versamark ink. Sprinkle clear embossing powder over the image and heat set.
Trust me on this one—you will be so happy with the result!
The clear embossing creates a gorgeous glass-like appearance that really brings the jar to life. Even better, the embossed lines resist ink, making it incredibly easy to stamp and colour images inside the jar without worrying about muddying the outline.
It’s one of those techniques that looks fancy but is actually very easy to achieve. My favourite kind!
Have fun everyone!
Papery hugs,
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