A Day at the Beach

Hello Monday my friends! Welcome back to this week's challenge at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - A Day at the Beach. I love when I get to go to the beach...I explore, I wade, I wonder, I soak, I renew, and I imagine. I imagine what life is like under those waves, I imagine the stories and myths about the ocean...are there mermaids swimming under those waves? are they coming out to sun themselves on the beach when we aren't there? Is there a kraken lurking in the deeps? How long has that beautifully polished rock been rolling back and forth in the waves? ...and so my imagination goes.

I've included tiny polished pebbles from the beach at Cape May, New Jersey that I picked up a few years back. There are also some tiny Cape May Diamonds in there - polished bits of quartz. I was with a bus group and apparently I got so caught up in finding these beautiful beach stones, they almost left me there...made it back just in time, thanks to my sisters making them wait!

BE A MERMAID, SEAS THE DAY!

I started out with some wonderful new stencils from Simon's Send Happiness release, and texture paste on a large chipboard tag. Here's the thing about summer, you need lots more drying time when it is humid.

So in the meantime, I stamped my images in gold ink on black and black ink on watercolor paper.  I planned to use that cool gold seahorse, until the end when I changed my mind. Oh, well, he is ready for another project. I added watercolor to my images stamped in white, and once dry, went over the mermaids and seahorse with gold ink to give them a shimmer. 

By the next day, the texture paste was dry, so I blended in my colors, working from darker at the bottom to lighter at the top. I love adding touches of purple and green to my water. 

Detail...

I rubbed a bit of Gold Bullion Squid ink over the texture.

Detail...

Then, I remembered I had these chipboard shapes from Dina Wakley. I thought it would be fun to do them in bright gloss sprays. 

At this point, I've laid everything out, glued and popped up each piece. I wanted to be sure I had some dimension. 

Here's a tip I have to pass along to you: In art, repetition is a good thing - repeat colors, shapes,  and use an odd number of objects. Also, many artists use a visual triangle to draw the eye to certain elements. Here, the bright yellows and oranges catch the eye against the darker background, and when choosing to place items, think about a triangle shape and put these at each corner. It makes for a pleasing composition. Try it out and let me know how it worked for you! 

Then, I added tiny glue blobs and adhered these gorgeous mica flakes from Emerald Creek. They remind me of mermaid scales. 

...a fun play on words...

Here you can see the some of the sea creatures, and the tiny pebbles I added.

Head to the beach and be a mermaid for the day!

I hope you are inspired to join us "at the beach" this week! I am looking forward to seeing your creative take on our challenge. One lucky participant will be drawn for a $25 shopping voucher from our generous friends at Simon Says Stamp! 

SUPPLIES:

Simon Says Stamp Clear Stamps BE A MERMAID Send Happiness Release	Stamperia SEA WORLD SEAHORSE cling stamped	Simon Says Stamp Stencil MERMAID SCALES Send Happiness Release	Simon Says Stamp Stencil IN THE ROUND Send Happiness Release	Dina Wakley Ranger LIME Media Gloss Spray
Dina Wakley Ranger FUCHSIA Media Gloss Spray	Dina Wakley Ocean Gloss Spray	Dina Wakley Ranger LEMON Gloss Spray	Dina Wakley Ranger LAPIS 1 oz Media Acrylic Paint	Dina Wakley Turquoise paint
Dina Wakley Ocean Paint	Dina Wakley Lime paint	Dina Wakley Ranger BLACKBERRY 1OZ Media Acrylic Paints MDQ53958	Tim-Holtz-Etcetera-MEDIUM-TAG-Thickboards	Dina Wakley Ranger OCEAN Chipboard Shapes Media
Emerald Creek JADED Magical Minings	Emerald Creek OCEANIA Magical Minings	Jane Davenport Spellbinders SQUID INK PAD GOLD BULLION	Brutus Monroe Gilded Metallic Aqua Pigments	Spellbinders MERMAID MARKERS Jane Davenport
Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100# BLACK Black8	Canson XL WATERCOLOR PAPER	simon intense black premium dye ink pad	Dina Wakley Palette Knife	Dina Wakley Ranger Media Brushes
Simon Says Stamp CRAFT TACKY GLUE	3M Scotch DOUBLE-SIDED FOAM TAPE Permanent	Darice 400 Adhesive 3/16 inch Foam Squares 5mm 1206-02	Ranger HEAT IT CRAFT TOOL	Craft Scissors - Tim Holtz
MISTI stamping tool	Beacons 3-in-1 Advanced Craft Glue	Ranger TEXTURE PASTE TRANSPARENT MATTE

 A GREAT place to shop!!

Simon is on Instagram - use #sssmchallenge

I do believe the design team would love to go to the beach for a day! Be sure to see their wonderful creations while we all dream of a day at the beach!!