Off-and-on over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been sharing the cards I received as part of my Spring One-for-One Swap. All of the cards were amazing (and you’ve all been so kind with your generous comments). I love that we can inspire each other’s creativity with such positivity.
While all of the cards are great, today I’m sharing a card that deserves its very own shout out. I’m just in love with this card from Paulette Birkbigler. Exquisite water coloring. A gorgeous frame. A perfect depiction of the Spring weather I grew up with on the banks of South Carolina. Here’s Paulette’s card:
With all the radiant colors in this High Tide Designer Series Paper and the bold sentiment in the bottom, right corner, your attention is immediately drawn to the soft image of the sandpipers on the beach. Here’s a closeup of that image:
Love it, right? Paulette did a wonderful job with her sponging to arrive at this soft effect. There’s even a little splash of ink at the base (maybe it’s the flick of a brush or Gorgeous Grunge?) It’s Paulette’s wooden frame, though, that really puts this image over-the-top. The Smoky Slate frame really evokes the feel of aged wood – looks like a frame you’d find in an old seafood restaurant by the sea. So lovely. I was raised on the coast, and this definitely evokes those emotions for me. She borders her muted frame with a thin layer of Calypso Coral – a perfect idea to get that frame to pop.
I hope you will let Paulette know how much you love her card, too! Please click on “comments” below to share your thoughts about her masterpiece.
Thanks for stopping by today!
Brian
Dear Paulette, thank you for this gorgeous card! I was so impressed with the frame when Brian sent this to me as my swap. What a perfect way to put an exclamation point in this beach themed card. I see a lot of Brian’s influence in your card as well. Perfect borders repeated three times, perfect balance, thread wrapped around three times. And a candy dot perfectly placed in the center of the star. Thank you for sharing your card with me. I love it!
What a clever idea with the frame,why didn’t I think of that. Simply BEAUTIFUL card!!! I love the beach too. Great job.
Paulette, this is truly a wonderful card with so much attention to detail. I love everything about it, from the realistic looking frame and exquisite coloring to the perfectly balanced embellishments. Kelly, you hit the lottery with receiving this special card. Brian, thanks for sharing it.
Awesome. I love the way you used this stamp. It is one of my favorites. I don’t think I could ever get tired of using this stamp this way. Did you use watercolor paper and an aqua painter? I’ll have to remember to use my grunge with this one next time. Great job. Thanks.
Such a beautiful card, Paulette!
Awesome card! Very well balanced. Thank you for the inspiration!
So so beautiful ! Stunning and with so many lovely details ! Thank you for sharing ! Greetings anita from craftsfunwithanita. blogspot.de
Absolutely gorgeous. I love both the Hardwood and Wetlands sets. Never thought of using the Hardwood as a frame. Brilliant!
This is a very creative card! As a person who went from the Jersey Shore to the Beaches of Southwest Florida, I love this scene ! Thanks for sharing, Brian.
I just got the Hard Wood stamp so, this fabulous card flooded my head with ideas on how to create beautiful frames like this one. This card could be hung in an art gallery, it really looks like a painting. Paulette, I just love the way you used the Gorgeous Grunge stamp to create sand and the beautifully done water color wash as the background for this beautiful image of the Sandpipers. Thank you for participating and for sharing this wonderful card with us.
Love your card. I grew up in south Florida and really am fond of this stamp set. You did it justice!
This card is beautiful!! Love the frame made from the hardwood stamp!!! And using the dsp in a small piece is just right. The star and twine are the perfect touch.
Paulette, I feel like I’ve just had a walk on the beach. I love the sandpipers and water color image. And that’s a great idea to set it off with the frame.
Truly outstandng! It does remind me of looking at a picture while I’m eating at one of the beach restautrants in Emerald Isle, NC. I miss the beach and the North Carolina coast line. Great card.
What a great idea, using the Hardwood stamp to make a frame for the sandpipers. There will be a lot of framing out in stamp land today! Thanks, Paulette, its a lovely card!
This a fantastic card. I have a sister that lives in Hilton Head Island SC and I’m in Michigan so this totally reminds me of my trips to see her.
Thanks for the memories
I can almost hear the waves at the beach …love both of these stamp sets plus that great dsp. The frame idea is such a wonderful way to use that Hardwood stamp . You are so clever . Lucky Kelly !
Talent, talent, talent. Your card is so inspiring! I don’t have either of those stamp sets nor the DSP……….they are now on my list. Thanks for entering the swap, Paulette! Your card is a gift to all of us.
This card literally took my breath away. It is absolutely stunning! Awesome job Paulette.
Just had to add my “It is truly beautiful!” too.
What a beautiful card and what fantastic talent to have designed it. definitely going to CASE this. Love, love love it! In case you didn’t get it the first time I LOVE this card!
This gorgeous card could also pass for the Washington state coast. I just love it. You’ve thought of every little detail Paulette and I hope you don’t mind if it gets CASE’d because I plan to do it right now!
Thank you so much for all your comments, encouragement and support — I am really honored that you took the time to share your thoughts with me! Our family loves to travel and one of our favorite things to do is to walk along the shore, watch the birds, and listen to the waves as they roll in. I was immediately drawn to this stamp because of all those special memories! It has been such fun to see all the amazing cards that have been shared — I’m inspired to try some new color combinations and card designs — I can’t wait to spend a few hours in my craft room! Thanks again for all your kind remarks — you have made my day 🙂
Love your card. How did you miter the corners on you frame? Makes me want to get in craft room and try this card. Would love to see some of your other cards.
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment on my card! I had to play around with some paper this morning to help me remember the steps in creating the frame. I cut strips 1/2″ wide, then cut the strips to the width and length to create the frame size that I had chosen for my image (3″ x 4″), and lastly cut 45 degree angles at both ends of each strip so that each strip would match up perfectly with the others — it’s not as complicated as you might think! I tried it several times with scrap paper before making the final frame which helped quite a bit!
Gorgeous card! Love the image, coloring, paper, twine and star! A super lovely beach card…well cone!
This card has all the WOW ! An exceptional idea to frame the sand pipers. Your frame reminds me of driftwood. Exceptional
Hi Paulette, your card is spectacular! It definitely makes me miss the beach 🙂 Your attention to putting the details into your card make it shine!
This card is stunning! I love the frame and will be casing it for sure.
Oh, my this card is so pretty, I just love the “frame” !
It is beautiful! Love the whole picture and the wood framing is great! Thanks for sharing!