the beach

I have always loved the beach.

The sand, the sounds, the sun, the carefree atmosphere. Love. We didn't visit the beach much as a kiddo, but spent many days at the lake. We celebrated our birthday there, Father's Day and just everyday. Such a gathering of families and love.

The hubs spent many of his young adult years at the beach, hanging out with friends and enjoying the beauty of our local lakes.

I remember way back when, on my first trip to visit the hubs in the big city, we took a detour to Galveston. There, along the seawall, was a huge gathering of surfers. It was so very awesome to see them en masse, all for the love of the sport and the beach.

Our love for the beach, together, started there. And continues. With us and our kiddos. I think we could all spend days and days on the beach -- just relaxing, hunting for seashells and treasures, kicking up waves and playing in the sand.

We must make time this summer to visit the beach again. To relax and soak up the moments together.

Life is always better at the beach.  

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ABOUT THE LAYOUT : I wanted a beachy feel to this layout, so I opted for a white background with turquoise watercolor effects. I cut apart the circle/cupcake stamp from the Party Time set and stamped just the circle onto the background cardstock. I inked it with Versamark and then used clear embossing powder to set it. I used a turquoise mist with a paintbrush to circle over the stamped image and then again on a scalloped border. I wanted them soft and reminiscent of the ocean waves.

The polka dot paper was a bit too stark for this layout, so I toned it down with a wash of white acrylic paint. I love how the white dots of glitter now look like sand.

Other stamped items in this layout include -- that darling polka dot sun that made me giddy at first glance, the confetti and triangles on the twine banner, the title, the black and white labels and the clouds.

Did you see the clouds? They are on the "washi" tape behind the sun and at the bottom of the layout. I used white paper medical tape, stamped the clouds in turquoise/swimming pool ink and then attached to the layout. I made a few varieties of washi tape and will share those this week, too.

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SUPPLIES : Stamps [simply sweet alphabet, home sweet home, borders, journal shapes, party time, sweet cakes, small alphabets], rhinestones, pearls, boutique brads-seashell and starfish and doodle twine.

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GIVEAWAY : Go visit the Doodlebug blog for your chance to win some Doodlebug goodies!