"The Sea" - OCC's "Words" Challenge for August

Hello, dear readers, crafting friends and followers! 

I welcome you back to

OurCreativeCorner's August challenge - 

"Words!"

Two days ago I already invited you over to TIOT's "Collage with a twist"-challenge and today this is also the second invitation to a challenge, as I have posted about SanDee&amelie's Steampunk August-challenge earlier in the morning. So there should be plenty of inspiration for you to choose from ;)

But back to OurCreativeCorner and "Words!":

We would love to see projects with words at the heart of them - whether that means they include a quote, a sentiment, a song lyric or some words from inside your own heart and mind; or perhaps the project includes text of some kind, typed or script, handwritten or printed, as a major element; or maybe you can find some other way to have words at the centre of your creation.

My teamies have of course again prepared a lot of beautiful inspirational pieces for you and this was the perfect occasion for me to create a board that is meant as both - a memory keeper of a wonderful holiday on Paradise Island in the Caribbean AND a tribute to one of my favourite summer holiday songs - "The Sea" from Morcheeba.

 I had these lovely small shells and corals I had collected on my long early morning walks on the long (and still empty) beach, which I have been wanting to display for quite some time now - and this was the perfect occasion.

I created a background from corrugated card, which I coloured with Distress stains "tumbled glass" and "salty ocean" together with Dylusions ink spray "White Linen". I tore off some of the outer layers of the card, which left some "holes" and I also cut the piece to size while the colours were still wet - so this rather tore the edges than cutting it (I LOVE that effect ;).

After I had dried it, I heat embossed some of the edges and raised areas with white embossing powder.


I also added some Distress stain "brushed corduroy" using a brush to add more contrast and depth.




The shells were stamped onto white card and covered with DecoArt gloss "Decou-page" to build a resist, as I coloured the white card afterwards using the wrinkle-free distress technique and a lot of Distress stains. I also distressed the edges, blended in some DI "broken china" and flicked some drops of water onto the cut to size pieces of the stamped on card.

The refrain of the song was stamped onto beige card using HeroArts letter stamps and archival ink "Royal blue".

The corals and shells were fixed to the board using thin silver wire.

The most fun was making the two focal words - "sea" and "free".

I die cut them from light blue card using a Tim Holtz Alterations Alphabet die and gave them three layers of UTEE afterwards.

I paid attention that the last layer wasn't totally melted down - so some of the crystals are still visilbe and give it a sandy, sparkly touch - like beach sand when it gets wet.

The four plates with the stamped on shells were mounted to the board alongside some rough white ribbon for more texture.

I fixed some white rough burlap to the top and the bottom of my board for a finish. Done!

I hope the feeling of a beach holiday becomes somehow visible for you too ;)
Thank you for stopping by my blog and having a look around! I would love to see your entries with our "Words" challenge soon!

With this project I join the challenges over at Inkspirational - "Anything Goes",  Pollycraft Challenges - "Fun in the Sun", City Crafter Challenges - "Summer Time" , The Artistic Stamper - "Postcard, Travel and Holidays" , SimonSaysStamp - "Ode to Sunshine" (as it is the sun that bleaches the shells, driftwood and corals and I always feel the warmth of the Caribbean sun when looking at that board), Order of the Opus Gluei - "Don't be such a Beach",  The Squirrel and the Fox - "Nautical/Sea Life" and Creative Craft Challenges colour challenge "Blue and Brown".
Hugs,

die amelie - Claudia xx