The Beach is Always a Good Idea!

Here's a shocking true confession: I (Lauren) am not that great at stamping + coloring. But one of my birthday gifts from my craft-bestie and fellow EO designer Stephanie Severin was an adorable Hawaiian-themed stamp set that I knew would be perfect with ALL of the various Eyelet Outlet Sea Shell Brads, so I couldn't wait to use it!

I painted a beachy little watercolor background using ColorBurst pigment powders. I attached my title (alphabet stickers and trimmed-down Dymo Label Tape) leaving a gap for the border of shells I wanted to use, which included some Shell Corners, Sea Shore Brads, Shell Brads and even a Sandcastle Brad. Here's the most important step in my card-making process, which I've said before but it bears repeating: I dry fit the elements, including the brads-- on which I usually flatten the prongs a bit-- so I can see how everything works together! Then, I snap a pic on my phone, so I will remember what order I had everything in, and which bits were over or under something else. Only then do I start poking holes in my background! ;)

Finally, my favorite thing about sweet little character stamps like these, is that the scale makes them PERFECT to mix in a few more brads! In this case, the cute hula girl had a bloom behind her ear that I covered with a Fresh Flower Brad; and you know that as soon as you construct some bamboo lettering a Seagull Brad will immediately come and perch upon it!!!

I hope you'll be inspired to look at your stamps AND your Eyelet Outlet Brads and find more combinations that will be perfect together! ♥

Lauren Bergold

can be found in her own little corner of t'internet

"...all the GOOD blog names were taken..."