Hello All!
I am here today with you great folks to share another version of the Shell Yeah stamp set, Light Box Die Set, and the new and Amazing Ez-Light by Pear Blossom Press! (If you’d like to check out my earlier Shell Yeah card follow this link!)
Now these lights are surprisingly easy to install… Probably the easiest part of this card… If you have been following my blogs then you know how I love to over complicate things!
Let’s get started. I first went ahead and cut and assembled the Light Box Die set. Cut out a piece of vellum slightly lager than the viewing space. Then I chose which mermaid I wanted to be the focal point of the stained glass element. Using embossing ink (I.e. Versafine) I stamped the image and embossed in black embossing powder.
After you have embossed the image flip the vellum over, so that you have a flat surface to work on. Using a ruler (or if you’re brave enough freehand it!) and a archival ink or alcohol ink pen (I.e. micron or sharpie fine liners) Make straight lines bisecting the image at all different angles. The more lines you make, the more you change the angles, the more interesting the final image will be.
PLEASE NOTE: This next part of the process MUST be completed with alcohol inks. Since velum is a non-porous surface any water based inks will NOT work.
Using ALCOHOL INK markers you can now begin to coloring in the panels. As you all know this is my favorite part of the entire card making process… I love coloring. I have a simple rule when the panels: don’t let any two colors touch. Be sure to use a variety of different shades of the same hue.
Now for the fun part, making this baby a light box! Hope fully you already have your light box assembled. In the front space you need to adhere double sided tape and attach the vellum with image face down on to the tape. On the back side of the light box I used some foil to hopefully make the lights brighter and more evenly distribute the light.
Ok… I know what you’re thinking… “Are those yogurt lids?” And to answer your question… DON’T YOU JUDGE ME!!! I was away from my normal crafting area and had to MacGyver something together! And hey… it’s foil ain’t it?! Once you have attached the foil, cut a hole in the back and thread the lights through the hole. Attach them in any orientation you would like using tape. Then you can place the image side on to the light box and test it out! Now you got yourself a light box, but hey we are not done yet!
Attach the light box to a card base and lay down the remaining wire in a way that doesn’t make your card look like it is hiding a bomb. 
Last thing you need to do is make this look like an actual card! You can achieve this in a number of ways: patterned paper, blank piece of paper, leaves, I don’t know… just make it pretty! I stole… uh!… I mean took inspiration from Amanda Fitterer’s amazing style and used a scattered mermaid motif using the remaining mermaids to fill in the space around the light box. Afterwards cut out a space large enough to accommodate the light box. Using triple stacked foam squares (YES I said TRIPLE STACKED) or triple stacked foam tape fill in the spaces around the light box and set the pretty card front over the light box.
Now slap on a sentiment and you got yourself a card! You can add an extra raised starfish like I did to tell the receiver where to push (if they are not the brightest light on the strand maybe add a little note that says “push here”). Throw on some embellishments, for mermaids I like to use the Flat Back Half Beads- Gina Clear Bubbles.
Now turn down those lights low and hit that button… and excuse my chubby finger.
Since you have made it this far, you deserve a prize! Enter Oliver10 at check out and save a couple clams (that was a mermaid joke!). If you have any further questions about the making of this card please direct them to any of my socials… or if you just wanna chit chat I’m up for that too! Have a MER-mazing day!
-Señor Gleason
