There's Magic In You

I had a very productive weekend last weekend - I started prepping the projects for my June retreat, and my hands are still stained! But I also did some prep for today's blog hop as a guest of Hero Arts. This hop is for their Summer Catalog, which I got to see when I went to Boston for the Collins Show - but I couldn't show them to you so I've been squealing into a pillow until today. I had so much fun, and I couldn't wait to show these things to you - especially this first one. I laughed the whole time I was putting this together.

Like everyone else my age, I was suitably traumatized by JAWS as a child. It, aside from The Wizard of Oz and 101 Dalmations, was one of those movies I remember experiencing sheer terror in. It might have been the first time I screamed uncontrollably in a theater (but not the last). I loved the movie, and its ensuing place in popular culture, especially the soundtrack, which is THE sound of fear and suspense.

In more recent days, the popularity of Shark Week and the fun shark tracking you can follow for some named sharks in Florida is fun too - and I think society and shark research owe a lot to JAWS.

And so while this might be a little sick and twisted, it's also HILARIOUS and awesome, and will resonate with all you JAWS fans out there. I am tickled pink with it! You know, pink like that tint in the water....

InLinkz.com

To create the background, I just used Daniel Smith Watercolor into a wet wash with two colors to look like there's a light ray highlighting my murderous shark. The shark die is paper layering - it's hard to see here - but his pearly whites are poking out from the card in a delightfully macabre way. This die is perfect in every way!

Then I cut the silhouettes with the same die set in black and added the hilarious sentiment from Killer Messages. I also watercolored the shark - leaving his eyes out until I was done, and then popping them back in.

I love this card so much!

Now, I can show you a kinder, gentler, sea creature in case you're scared. This beautiful color-layering whale card is what I made a while ago for the class at the show. I think that Indigo Ink is perfection for the blue whale. So the card is white cardstock, and on the front of it, I sponged Aegean ink all over the whole card front. Then, using a strip of cardstock, I sponged "rays" of Indigo ink to give the illusion of filtered light. Then I stamped the solid part of the whale image in indigo to make it look like whales that are far away. I stamped two more whales with all the layers and die cut them for the front. I also cut two more from Indigo cardstock to hide the adhesive on the back of the whales which are stuck on the front of the acetate card.

The lower right whale on the acetate conceals the greeting from the same stamp set. The inks I used are Cornflower (from the bundle linked below), Indigo and black.

InLinkz.com

I love all the blue and those sweet creatures.

Now we can head back onto land, where we are safe!

When I saw the Road Trip stamp set in the catalog, this card instantly popped into my head. I knew I wanted to layer different colors of watercolor for the mountains. To get this look, I stamped the full image on the bottom of the watercolor paper, and masked it with masking paper, stamping partial images to either side so that the pattern looked somewhat random as I moved up the card. Then I watercolored the mountains with my "desert" Daniel Smith palette of my own making, and then the sky. The sentiment is from Mermazing Messages.

InLinkz.com

And finally - just to bring you all the way back from your fright at my shark - I have my favorite image from the whole catalog - this slinky, sassy, and charming little magical creature. 

InLinkz.com

SERIOUSLY - how cute is that?? She looks like she's about to tell you a secret. Or maybe stifling a giggle. Whatever she's doing, she's doing it with style, and I love her. Behind her is a fun new background stamp - Scribble - that almost looks like letters, but not quite. Maybe a fun new monster language is contained in there, and that's what she's keeping a secret!

Anyway - I love it all. In a FB group I'm in, every now and then someone will ask the group "what's your favorite stamp?" My answer is always ALL OF THEM. The ones I own, the ones I don't own yet, and the ones that haven't been designed yet. I LOVE THEM ALL.

If you want to see the amazing catalog, you can see it here. And you can get anything from the collection either from Hero Arts or Simon Says Stamp or Ellen Hutson now - all the products go live today.

And as always, you can win some! Leave a comment at each blog on the hop for a chance to win one of THREE $25 shopping sprees from Hero. Be sure and leave your comment by Wednesday 5/24 at 11:59 PM Pacific to be eligible. Next stop after my blog is the sweet & talented Jessica, and the full list is below.

The Hero Arts Blog

Jennifer McGuire

Laura Bassen

Wanda Guess

May Park

Amy Tsuruta

Cheiron Brandon

Yana Smakula

Lydia Fiedler

Jessica Frost-Ballas

Jenn Shurkus

Clare Prezzia

Tracie Pond

Michelle Short

Heather Ruwe

Ilina Crouse

Libby Hickson

Thanks so much for stopping by.

And if you're planning a trip to the ocean anytime soon... well, you know! MUAHAHAHAH.

Loveyameanitbye.