Seth Apter Archives - Kathy by Design

Paper Rose Beach Huts Easel Card for Really Reasonable Ribbon

Hello, Friends! Can you hear the ocean calling your name as you see this Paper Rose Beach Huts Easel Card? I can almost feel the beachy breezes ruffling my hair and the sun kissing my skin. Let’s get some sand between our toes this morning as we study this card made with Slate Blue Wrinkled Ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

There’s not a single element on this card that doesn’t make my beach loving heart happy! Vintage buttons? Check! Sea shells? Check! Flip flops? Check! Rolling waves? Check! Sandy shoreline? Check! And just look at these adorable little beach huts! Which one is your favorite?

TIP: Add some designer style to your creation with a ribbon border. The Patriotic Vertical Stripe Ribbon on the base of the pocket is a near-perfect color match for those cute beach houses!

Beach Walk Observations

One of my favorite pastimes at the beach is a walk along the shore. I look for treasures in the sand, of course. But I also love seeing the colorful beach houses that cozy up to the dunes. Some of them have really delightful front porches and are painted in fun colors. I added some cute details to these little beach huts, too.

TIP: Torn paper creates the feeling of rolling waves washing up on the shore. But torn paper can also simulate the wispy clouds in the sky. To create the white edge on designer paper, tear it toward you. Then stack narrow strips together behind a main image to create the illusion of waves and clouds in the sky.

TIP: Add your own sandy shore with glue and embossing powder. First, draw out a shoreline with Art Institute Dries Clear Glitter Glue (AGG). Then, while the glue is wet, sprinkle on Seth Apter Dirty Sand Baked Textures and heat emboss. The glue actually bubbles up a little and creates fabulous texture as the embossing enamel melts. This is a very FUN technique!

Here’s a close up of the first little beach hut. You can really see the texture in the faux sand.

How much do we love this rickety little wooden gate? Fussy cut it from the paper pad, then pop it up on foam dots. This creates depth, and you actually feel as though you could walk into the scene.

A Peek Inside

So you knew there had to be a pocket, right? But did you know there would be TWO? I managed to squeeze in a skinny side pocket on the top half of the card. And I created a little tide pool with leftover bits of torn paper and a fussy cut seagull.

Create a skinny bookmark with paper scraps and fussy cut images. Top with Natural Burlap String (braided) and a flip flop charm. Now you won’t lose your place as you enjoy your beach book! Or am I the only one who does that any more? I always try to take a book or two to enjoy while I sit on the sand under the umbrella. The bottom pocket doubles as a stopper for the easel mechanism. So I had to create a little gift card wallet to tuck inside.

More cute beach houses! And room to add a little note for the recipient.

Now I want to run away from home and spend a few days at the beach again! Care to join me?

You’ll find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

SUPPLY LIST

Really Reasonable Ribbon
- Slate Blue Wrinkled Ribbon (out of stock…let Bonnie know!)
- Natural Burlap String
- Patriotic Vertical Stripe Satin
- Scor-Tape
- Foam Tabs
Paper Rose Beach Huts Collection
- 12×12 Collection Pack
- 6×6 Pad
Art Institute Dries Clear Glitter Glue (AGG)
Seth Apter Dirty Sand Baked Texture
embellishments from my stash

Stamperia Pink Christmas/Sweet Christmas The Squirrel’s Christmas Party Gift Box Folio

Hello, Friends! Oh, the countdown for Christmas is truly on! But I still have time to share this darling Stamperia Sweet Christmas/Pink Christmas Squirrel’s Christmas Party Gift Box Folio with you. I made (and sold!) a lot of these this Christmas season, but I am still not tired of them. The 4 3/4″ x 5 1/2″ size makes them perfect for gifting. I shared a YouTube tutorial for building this base earlier this week. If you missed it, this gives you another chance to find it. The base for this one is scored at 5 1/2 instead of 5″, so the front flap is a little short. It’s so easy to vary the dimensions for the base simply by scoring. That is one of the things I love about this design: it’s very adaptable. The antique bronze bulldog clip helps hold the cover closed. Let’s take a closer look, shall we?

The Squirrel’s Christmas Party Gift Box Folio: Making the Nest

Meet Edith Squirrel. She’s the chairwoman of the village Christmas party. She is frantically decorating her nest for the holiday Christmas House competition. And she is wearing her favorite pearls as she decorates. Her nest is a vintage drawer pull that she found abandoned in the meadow. It’s a bit corroded from lying in the wet grasses, but still looks very festive surrounded by pine cones, flowers, Spanish Moss, and a wee sisal tree. If she wins the competition, Father Christmas will have tea with her. Here is how she decorated her nest.

Start with a ButterBee Scraps Antique Bronze Drawer Pull. Dry brush it with a little white gesso. Let it set for a minute then wipe it away from the edges.
Next, randomly tap with Versamark Ink and sprinkle with Seth Apter Patina Oxide Baked Texture. Heat emboss.
Dry brush another very light coat of gesso over the embossed areas. Tap the raised areas lightly with Weathered Wood Distress Paint.
Now turn the drawer pull upside down and fill with Spanish Moss, painted mini pine cones, a sisal tree and other goodies like berries that you might have in your stash.
Die cut a circle from patterned paper and adhere to the back of the drawer pull. Then adhere the drawer pull on the lower edge of the folio front. Surround with Prima Christmas in the Country Flowers and holly sprigs.
Add ribbon and Glass Globe Charms in the opposite corner of the folio front.

The Squirrel’s Christmas Party Gift Box Folio: A Peek Inside

The inside of this folio is filled with interactive features.

I built a magnetic flap/flip page on both the top and the bottom.

The middle panel is a sweet little accordion style folio.

And of course it has pockets and tea and tags!

it looks like Edith won the Christmas House competition because here is Father Christmas to have tea with her!

TIP: Score and fold large images to fit inside the folio. This is how you make a big piece of patterned paper fit in a small space.

The box pocket on the bottom holds a little wrapped parcel decorated with a vintage carved wooden candy cane.

Edith must have been a very good little squirrel this year, as Father Christmas has brought her lots of lovely treats! This envelope is a cut apart image from the paper collection. I simply folded and tied with ribbon. But if you have an envelope punch board, you can make your own envelope to tuck inside. I’ve done that as well on other projects.

So that is my Christmas offering for you today. I hope I shared some tips, tricks and ideas that you can use in your own crafty adventures. If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below. Now I’m back to the kitchen to finish baking my Christmas cookies!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy