Under the Sea Colorize card

Sizzix Designer Josh has created an amazing blog with the BRAND NEW, Under the Sea Colorize dies by Tim Holtz at Sizzix! This card is perfect for any spring and summer crafting projects! Follow the step by step below to create this card!

You will need

• Sizzix Big Shot Machine (660200) or Sizzix Big Shot Express Machine (660850) or Sizzix Big Shot Foldaway Machine (662220)
• Sizzix Making Tool - Die Pick - 656380
• Sizzix Thinlit Die Set - Under the sea No.1 by Tim Holtz - 665377
• Sizzix Thinlit Die Set - Under the sea No.2 by Tim Holtz - 665378
• Sizzix Adhesive Sheets - 656802
• Sizzix Making Essential Foam tape
• Spray Water Bottle
• Craft Mat
• Tim Holts Distress Inks or oxides - Seedless Preserves
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Shaded Lilac
• Mermaid Lagoon
• Vintage Photo for my main elements
• Scissors
• Paper Trimmer

How to make

Step 1.

Begin by using a paper trimmer to cut all my card pieces to the right size and ready to ink or die-cut. The front main card element should measure 5 x 4 inches. The other parts in the image are for inking and cutting the elements using my Colorized die.

Step 2.

Choose your colors of Distress Ink/oxide. Salty Ocean or Mermaid Lagoon are great for the blue background. Ink your main base element so that the corners are colored slightly more heavily and lighter towards the middle of the card. Once you have inked your card, take a spray bottle and give them one spray each with water. Let these dry for a lovely organic blotted look which I think looks perfect for die-cutting an octopus. This technique on the blue gives a really great 'underwater' feel.

Step 3.

I chose to use Seedless Preserves and Shaded Lilac Distress Ink to color the two main elements from the Octopus in the Under the Sea No.1 die set by Tim Holtz. I chose these two colors as they are in the same colour family. one is lighter than the other which will create the illusion of shade when the elements are layered. The main head/body element should be cut in the darker and the head should be cut from the lighter color.

Step 4.

Die cut and assemble your octopus by die-cutting from the inked card from the previous step. Each character in the 'Under the Sea' sets have a specific die to cut the mouth and eyes. I cut mine from Earl Gray Sizzix cardstock.

Step 5.

Take a sheet of craft card and tear from one end to the next. Apply some Express glue evenly to the bottom quarter of your inked rectangle, then adhere the craft card and trim along the lines of the rectangle using. paper trimmer to create a sea bed.

Step 6.

Take some Vintage Photo Distress Ink/Oxide and lightly blend the ink in the corners of the layered element pictured above. This will soften the corners a little and create a Tim Holtz mixed media feel to the project which I love.

Step 7.

Time to create your sentiment. Pete and I had so much fun in the design room thinking of 'ocean themed' sentiments! Here are some of the amazing (but also terrible) ones we thought of:

• Nice to SEA you
• SEAs the day
• FISH you were here
• SHELL yeah!

Print your sentiment using a computer and printer, then slice around it using the paper trimmer. I then chose to create a chevron shape by cutting into the end of my sentiment strip using scissors.

Step 8.

Adhere your layered octopus element so that the head just overlaps the bottom of the sentiment. I chose to position mine slightly to the left of the scene as I planned to add other characters from both sets 1 and 2 of the 'Under the Sea' Colorize dies.

Step 9.

Finally die cut and layer your other characters, position and adhere using 3D foam tape. Cut out lots of the bubble elements and adhere using Express glue. I positioned one of my bubbles over the sentiment strip which I think had a really lovely playful effect.

I hope you like the card. I would absolutely love to see your own version of this card using Tim Holtz's Under the Sea Colorize collection. Share your makes with us using this die set using the hashtag #mymakingstory.