Nauti and Nice

Vy Tran
May 13
2 min read

I love the gorgeous papers in the Scenic Coast suite! Not only are the sunset scenes beautiful, but there are also areas with an iridescent coating that shines and shifts colors, depending on the angle. To show off the papers, I created shadowbox cards inspired by a card Julie Salva shared at the Stampin' Up OnStage convention this year.

For each card, I started with a piece of Secret Sea cardstock because it creates a dramatic contrast for the colorful papers. The dies from the nautical Sunset Coast bundle were used to cut an opening on the front panel of the card. To help me visualize which part of the Designer Series Paper I wanted to use for each card, I created a template from Window Sheet acetate to use a guide. Once I chose my favorite section of the paper, I traced around the selection and cut it out (see measurements below); and then from that piece, I trimmed 1/2" from each side.

I accordian-folded the score lines of the cardbase so that they were easier to see. Working on the inside of the cardbase, the largest piece of Designer Series Paper was centered on the back panel of the card so that it would be visible through the front opening. It's important here to check that the edges of the paper don't get bunched up in the folds--if they do, you might need to trim this piece of Designer Series Paper just slightly more. I added adhesive to the 2 skinny panels in the center and to the last skinny panel as shown below in order to assemble the card into the shadow box shape. The areas that were glued together form the side tabs of the card. The back of the card has room for a message panel.

I adhered the strips of Designer Series Paper that had been trimmed off before to the front of the side tabs. And finally, I added various die cuts, embellishments, and sentiments to decorate the front of each card.

For this next card, I adhered bird die cuts to a strip of Window Sheet and wedged it in between the layers of the side tab before assembling the card, like I did for another recent shadowbox. This adds a bit of fun movement to the card.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/576de0_194926a5bf3a4ff3a9d47f19862417f6/720p/mp4/file.mp4

This last card is a bit different because unlike the other 2 dies used, the sunburst die cuts out the shape completely. I fit the shape back into the circular opening and adhered the pieces surrounding it--the clouds and sentiment--to hold it in place.