Critter cards are one of my favorite card themes and are great for kids Valentines. While creating this card, I had my grandson Salem in mind. Do you make cards for a certain person? I know I enjoy making a card while I picture the person that I’m creating it for. Salem is 4 and such a cute, fun guy. While I enjoy being where it’s warm and green in January, I sure do miss seeing the grandkids.

I wanted lots of texture and color for this card so I started with a Calypso Coral base and add a layer embossed with the Animal Prints Embossing Folder. If I use my imagination the cheetah spots look like water bubbles. I added 3 shapes, a circle in Balmy Blue, heart in Mint Macaron, and a scalloped circle in Pool Party.

The Balmy Blue circle has the greeting stamped with Gray Granite ink and some spots stamped with VersaMark ink. It was cut using the Layering Circles Dies.

The heart is punched with the scalloped heart from the Heart Punch Pack and then stamped in Gray Granite ink with the Gentle Waves stamp. I’m really liking the Gentle Waves stamp. It’s a single large stamp and although it is meant to be water, it can be used as sand or just to add texture like on this heart. The heart is adhered with dimensionals.

The scalloped circle is also made using the Layering Circles Dies, stamped with the Gentle Waves stamp with Balmy Blue ink. The splashing water from the Whale Punch was punched from the scrap edge of the heart.

The whale stamp was inked with Pacific Point on the top half and Gray Granite ink on the bottom then spritzed with water before stamping on the white paper. Because of the spritzing the outline became blurred so I went back with a Smoky Slate Stampin’ Write Marker and and darkened the outline, mouth and eye. Instead of using dimensionals, three extra whales were punched from white scraps and glued together with the stamped and colored whale glued on top of them.

For the inside a sea turtle was added to the bottom. I hemmed and hawed quite a while before I finally decided to leave it uncolored. I’m still not sure I made the right decision thought, lol.

Product List

Whale Done Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [152470] $17.00	Gentle Waves Cling Stamp Set [157868] $17.00	Gray Granite Classic Stampin’ Pad [147118] $7.50
Versamark Pad [102283] $9.50	Balmy Blue Classic Stampin’ Pad [147105] $7.50	Pacific Point Classic Stampin’ Pad [147098] $7.50
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $6.00	Neutrals Stampin’ Write Markers [147158] $30.00	Calypso Coral 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [122925] $8.75
Calypso Coral 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [122925] $8.75	Balmy Blue 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [146982] $8.75	Mint Macaron 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [138337] $8.75
Pool Party 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [122924] $8.75	Basic White 8 1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [159276] $9.75	Animal Print Embossing Folder [155429] $7.50
Whale Builder Punch [152699] $18.00	Heart Punch Pack [151292] $34.00	Layering Circles Dies [151770] $35.00
Stampin’ Spritzer [126185] $3.00	Stampin’ Dimensionals [104430] $4.00