Pollypurplehorse is crafty: Happy Days 3D Sandcastle Easel Card - Belle and Boo

Thursday, 28 July 2016

Happy Days 3D Sandcastle Easel Card - Belle and Boo - Trimcraft DT

Hello, Today I'm sharing this DT Project I created for +Trimcraft Ltd . Living at the seaside, I was very drawn to the gorgeous Belle & Boo II Ice-cream stamp set, cute nostalgic images of characters and shells teamed with fun Ice Cream stamps too. Immediately I thought of childhood playing on the sand, using Kraft card to inspire a sandcastle theme. Using an easel card shape allowed me to create a larger than life sandcastle as the backdrop for Belle & Boo. I thought the striped ribbon reminded me of the sea and the dotty papers of sand. Using acetate to attach the characters gave a more 3D depth to the scene and also they wobble when touched giving an extra interactive element. I absolutely adore this stamp set and looking at this card reminds me of childhood.

Step By Step:

Take a 5 x7” Kraft card blank, score & fold the front to create an easel card. Cover inside base and top half of easel card with blue pattern paper from the 6x6 pack, ink edges with light brown ink before adhering to card base using d/s tape.
Create a stopper for your card by cutting kraft card 14cm x 5cm and add a panel of dotty paper (ink edges). Add stopper platform to bottom of card base using 3D foam pads to raise it up a little. Add ‘Happy Days’ die-cut sentiment from the decoupage pad using 3D foam pads.
I cut the sandcastle shape on my Cricut Explore (My Design Space link is here: https://uk.cricut.com/design/#/canvas/39524858 if you wish to cut it exactly as mine).
However you could easily draw a very simple castle shape onto Kraft card and cut out. My sandcastle is layered with Belle & Boo paper from the 8x8 pack added with 3D foam pads to give depth. Inking around all the cut edges of the Kraft card and papers with a light brown ink. Add sandcastle to easel card using combination of d/s tape and glue.
Stamp a variety of shells and starfish from the Ice-cream stamp set using black ink and colour with First Edition Markers. Add extra highlights with a white pen. Edge with lightest grey marker and cut out.

Stamp, colour, and cut out 3 large ice-creams in the same way.
Stamp Boo the bunny, colour and cut out but leave a section at the bottom uncut.
Stamp Belle and colour everything but her dress, stamp her again onto the lilac paper from the 6x6 pack, cut the dress parts only out of the lilac paper and paper piece onto the main Belle image. Add extra highlight with a white pen and then cut out same way as for the bunny, leaving an uncut portion at the bottom.
Cut 2 thin strips of Dovecraft acetate to fit behind the characters and make 2 bends in each strip, the space between the bends will determine how far from the card the character will stand away (just over 1cm worked well for me) Glue an acetate strip to back of each character and then trim if required. Cover bottom uncut areas of stamped images with dotty pattern paper to resemble sand, shape with scissors and ink around. Position characters in front of sandcastle and glue other ends to card front, you may need to trim to size before gluing.
Take 2 lengths of blue & white striped ribbon to fit width of card, fishtail the ends and adhere 1 length just under sandcastle where it will also cover where acetate is fixed to card. Adhere other ribbon length across base of card below the stopper platform.
Take the stamped & coloured shells & starfish and add along the ribbon ‘sea’ behind belle & boo using 3D foam pads. Glue a small starfish to top of ‘castle’ and glue some shells and a starfish to the stopper platform.
Add the 3 stamped and coloured ice-creams at jaunty angles across the base ribbon using 3D foam pads and glue.
To finish add blue & white twine across sandcastle, add a little twine bow to each end, then cut little bunting triangles from different pattern papers in the Belle & Boo 6x6 pack, add along the twine using 3D foam pads to create a bunting effect.