Bathing Belles

I've made a fun little heart shaped album in a matching tin, using the Artistic Stamper's Seaside Plate and Gibson Girls Plate 2, for the launch of their new Creative Team Blog. These Graphic 45 'On the Boardwalk' papers are great. What is it I love about them? Is it the quality? Or the lovely soft vintage colours? Or is it the fact that the girls are unashamedly flaunting their white limbs, plump midrifs, and cellulite?! Makes me feel I could almost brave the beach! I think they had the right idea in those days, with the maximum coverage bathing suits - the men wore them too and look hideous - worse than Borat. The girls did worry about one thing we worry about today, though - Sunburn! Hence the advert for Frostilla I had to include on one of the pages - 'For irritated skin, golfer's neck, and hiker's foot!'

If you would like to see more of the pages, and how it was made, hop over to the new Creative Team Blog of the Artistic Stamper!

A Seaside Canvas

 I made this back to front canvas using a gorgeous plate called
Seaside No 1 Plate by the Artistic Stamper. It features a range of shells, the Ship's Wheel with the two little children in the centre, the fish, the parasol, and this lovely Marilyn Monroe style bathing beauty having a paddle. I used Crackle Paint around the edge, and then Distress Inks and shimmer spray. The shells around the edge were made of clay with a little Stickles over the top, and the mould was lent to me by my friend Von when she was here to play - she buys her moulds from her local greengrocer! The little beach hut is actually one of the very reasonably priced wooden bird houses sold by the Artistic Stamper, and I just pulled out the perch and the hanging loop and decorated it with blue and white striped paper and shells. There will be lots more using this plate of stamps as it is so versatile, and captured the wonderful feeling of this hot summer we are having.