Today’s project is all about color, texture, and a little ocean whimsy! During my recent Facebook Live, we created this Thoughtful Octopus Card, complete with a stenciled water background, bright seaweed, tiny seahorses, and a sweet octopus holding a heart. It’s a joyful way to say “Many Thanks.”
This card is perfect if you enjoy layered cardmaking, playful stamp sets, or anything with an ocean theme.
🐙 Supplies Used
I used a mix of stencils, inks, dies, and markers to bring this scene to life. Here are the main items featured in the tutorial:
- Water & Dotted Line Masks (Stencils)
- Paper Medley DSP
- Red cardstock
- Thoughtful Octopus Stamp Set
- Extra Ordinary Life Dies
- Heart die
- Stamp positioner
- Inks: Calypso Coral, Blueberry Bushel, Flirty Flamingo, Hydrangea Hue, Hybrid Black, Peaceful Pines, Pecan Pie
- Light & Dark Flirty Flamingo Alcohol Markers
- Bone folder, trimmer, adhesive, dimensionals, acrylic blocks
Here are the stamps in this cute set. Perfect for birthdays, thank yous, and just a good old thank you card. The options for sentiments are also cute. This stamp set is from our Online Exclusives.
The Paper Medley offers a great background to my card.
🎨 Creating the Background
The underwater look starts with ink blending through the Water & Dotted Line masks. Layering Blueberry Bushel and Hydrangea Hue creates depth, while the dotted lines add movement—almost like bubbles drifting upward.
If you’re new to blending, check out ink blending basics for smooth transitions and crisp stencil edges.
🧡 The Star of the Show: The Octopus
Stamped in Calypso Coral and shaded with Flirty Flamingo alcohol markers, the octopus becomes the focal point. A tiny red heart die cut adds a sweet touch, making this card perfect for thank‑yous, encouragement, or just-because notes.
The three little seahorses stamped in Flirty Flamingo bring extra charm and balance to the scene.
📏 Card Measurements
For quick reference:
- Basic White:
• 4‑¼” x 11” (scored at 5‑½”) – card base
• 3‑¾” x 5” – insert
• 3‑½” x 4‑¾” – front layer
• 2‑½” x ¾” – sentiment strip - Blueberry Bushel:
• 4” x 5” – insert
• 3‑¾” x 5” – mid layer
• 2‑¾” x ¾” – sentiment layer - DSP (Paper Medley):
• 4” x 5‑¼” – front bottom layer
💬 Final Thoughts
This card is bright, cheerful, and surprisingly easy to put together once the layers are prepped. It’s a great project for practicing scene building and mixing inks with patterned paper.
If you missed the live, you can watch the full replay here. I’d love to see your version of this card—feel free to share it in the comments or tag me on social media!
