Gone Fishin’ Card

©Michele Emerson-Roberts  2014

I have such wonderful childhood memories of lazy afternoons just sitting and fishing with my dad. Looking back it didn’t seem to matter that I never caught anything, or would not bait my own hook. What a delight it is to take junk mail and scrapes of paper and use them to create something that not only is useful but also helps keep stuff out of the land fill! This card will be a big hit with the all the males in your life, so you might want to make several to have on hand.

Supplies:

• Any of the Arnold Grummer™ paper making kits
• AG #552 Large Template: Envelope A2
• AG #551 Large Template:  Deckle Divider
• Scraps of white and olive green paper (think junk mail, etc.)
• Dried evergreen needles
• AG #163 Opal Sprinkles
• Tiny amount of Opal shred
• Mold: Fish soap mold
• 8mm clear crystal bead
• A sunny window
• Blender, small strainer, cello sponges and soft towels, scissors, bone folder
• ColorBox™ Olive Green Chalk ink pad and Stylus handle & tip
• Beacon QuickGrab™, double sided foam tape or foam dots
  

Directions:

1. Follow the direction for paper making and casting found in any of the Arnold Grummer paper making kits or books using the deckle divider and envelope templates to create two sheets of pale green paper.
2. Add a tiny bit of dried evergreen needles for the card sheet.
3. When the paper is dry you will have two deckle edge cards and one matching envelope (You may want to create a second envelope to use later with the extra card - just a reminder: always save the scraps and the left over pieces to use for other projects in the future).
4. Create some darker olive slurry, add a few of the Opal Sprinkles, caste the fish. (While you have the slurry, you may want to cast some other items to use for future projects. I often do many casting at a time.)
5. Since this mold is thin plastic, dry the casting in a sunny window.
6. When the casting is dry, carefully tear around the shape of the fish close to the body.
7. Use the ColorBox™ Stylist handle and tip to apply Olive Chalk ink to the raised areas on the fish.

Assemble the card:

1. Fold the card in half. Follow the folding instructions to create the handmade envelope.
2. Use the QuickGrab™ adhesive to attach a small amount of Opal shred to the front of the card and to attach the 8mm clear crystal bead to the fish’s eye.
3. Use the foam tape or dots to attach the fish casting to the center area of the card. 

Caution when mailing: you will probably need to put this one in a box so that it does not get crushed, or better yet, hand carry it and watch his eyes light up when he opens the envelope!