Aloha Gifts...

Ever since I first saw Theresa's "Aloha" set, I have been wanting to use it with "Gifts from the Sea"! Finally did, and I love the results!
I started creating a ginormous moon to be a backdrop for the quote from "Gifts from the Sea", just sponged around a large Circle Nestability with Vivid Inky Blue and sponging below a sheet of scratch paper covering the top to make the horizon. TIP: If you are using similar colors to color in your images as what you are stamping with, try using that same ink for the whole card, here I used the Inky Blue for everything, greeting, sponging, and images, and it really unifies it all and goes so much better for a "sea" card than black would, at elast in this color scheme. Even though this ink is not waterproof, the green, brown and gray Copics I used to color over the tree and shells look okay! (now trying to color pink or yellow over the blue would give you some trouble LOL!!)

Then I added my birds and stamped Theresa's little reflecting islands (I love these!) on either side and a palm tree in the foreground. I created the waves* with an Inkssentials white pen and the little stippled shoals from "Aloha". For a more feminine card, her flowers cut out and popped up would be perfect embellishments , but I was going for a more masculine feel so I used my shells and the seashell border....

Card base is Pure Luxury Tan Leather sponged with Vintage Photo Distressing ink, which I also used for the sand, this was my first time to use this color and I love that warm golden, rich brown, very different from any of my other "brown" inks! It's a little hard to tell from the photo, but I also scored three lines to the right of the scene in the Pure Luxury In the Navy cardstock, lovin' my new Scor-Buddy for these 1/8" scores!! :)

* My son Jonathan peeked over my shoulder just after I finished sponging and asked what the quote meant. I explained, "You know, like the waves go on forever, it's endless," I replied. "But there AREN'T any waves Mom! Your water is flat! Now that is a huge problem!" Yeah, he was right, but I wasn't finished yet! :D