Monday, June 6, 2016

Mermaid Collection - The Real Undersea Story - Dream Card for a Literary Young Lady

I went completely overboard on this card...
Literally.

Overboard all the way to the bottom of the sea,
where a little mermaid's collection awaits.
 

 
This is another vintage book illustration of the original Little Mermaid
story, which hardly anyone knows thanks to Disney's version of red-haired Ariel.
 
Now, I loved Ariel as much as any little girl growing up.
I have no daughter of my own to pass that on to, though,
and frankly now that I'm older I'm a bit appalled at her willfulness in the Disney version.
Ever notice Disney parents either meet an early or tragic end, or they get a really bad rap?
 
 
Anyway, the original Little Mermaid is much, much different.
Yes, she falls in love with the young prince.
But--and don't hate me for this--she doesn't get to become his princess.
He is about to wed the mermaid, but then his love that he had despaired of
ever marrying (because she'd been sent to a convent) is suddenly
released from the convent and he marries her instead.
And what happens to the sad little mermaid?
Well, in the original, a mermaid has no soul to go to heaven like a human,
so because she has done well despite how things turned out,
she goes to heaven in the only way a mermaid of the water-world can:
She becomes sea-foam and then a majestic, beautiful cloud--
to watch over and bless humans in the best way she can.
 
Poignant, yes?

 
In one version that I've read, the mermaids' greatest undersea joy
is to tend to their sea-gardens and collections.
So, in thinking about this, I used some fuzzy brown seed-beaded trim
that reminded me very much of red coral.
I've used beach finds of my own, glass pearls, some metal sea creatures from my
jewelry-making stash.  The sand-dollar and sea star are fussy-cut from a Tim Coffey
collection of sea-themed papers by K & Company that I
picked up on clearance a few years ago.  I accented them (and the mermaid's tail)
with Glossy accents.


There's not much of it left visible behind the embellishments,
but I used Golden Acrylic modeling paste to create some sea-foam / waves over
top of the recycled mesh:



You can see some peeking out here, and in other places:


Here is a view of the finished inside,
using rub-ons from Basic Grey.


 
A mermaid's collection, cont'd...




Here are the challenges:

That's Crafty! : Undersea Theme

The Crazy Challenge #224: Tic Tac Toe - 2nd entry
Middle down: Lace (it's rustic, on the left), Digi, DP

Dream Valley Challenge #133: Vintage

Timbro ScrapMania #120: ATG - 3rd entry

C.R.A.F.T. #366: Recipe Challenge:
The ribbon/rustic lace trim is on the left.  I used something more like a beaded yarn
to make the coral fronds.  All 3 papers:  1. yielded the fussy-cut
starfish and sand dollar 2. brown paisley mat for image 3. ocean waves card base


 
Materials Used on this Card:
Cardstock {K & Company, Papertrey Ink}
Vintage illustration {The Graphics Fairy}
Glossy Accents {Ranger}
Rustic burlap trim and beaded trim{Robert Stanley, stash}
Glass pearls, natural shells, metal elements {stash}
Sentiment sticker, pearls {the Paper Studio}
eyelet lace edge punch {Martha Stewart}
Golden heavy Acrylic Modeling Paste
Drywall mesh {recycled}
Run-ons (inside) {Basic Grey}



So while I will be the first to say that this card
is probably the most heavily embellished that I have ever
(or will ever) make, it was also fun and seemed to fit the theme
I had in mind.
Moreover, I know just the literary young lady to send this to.
When I was her age, I think I would have been delighted
with a mermaid collection.

Thank you for visiting
and I hope you have a wonderful day!

--Kathryn

 

7 comments:

  1. I would not say over board, I would say stunning. This is a work of art takes your breath away, love how you have also explained the meaning of your card. Thanks for sharing and following the recipe over at CRAFT. Jean DT XX

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is a breathtaking creation. All the details are amazing and perfect to tell the story. I also loved your post, thank you so much for taking all the time to tell the story, create this lovely and to share your amazing talent with us at CRAFT Challenge!

    ReplyDelete
  3. oh wow this is so stunning and so love your write up. Thanks for sharing with us at craft this week

    ReplyDelete
  4. Super cool design Kathryn! Beautiful layering and embellishments!

    ReplyDelete
  5. hi kathrynn
    congratulation you are the winner of our challenge 120 TSM
    pelase write an email to info@timbroscrapmania.it.
    thank you BA
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  6. This one is also a beauty. Thanks for joining us again at The Crazy Challenge.

    groetjes, Ellen

    ReplyDelete
  7. I still cant get over how awesome this is have you seen you won star of the month at CRAFT please go claim your prize.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comments -- they add an extra smile to my day. I hope yours is happy and bright as well, no matter where you are visiting from!

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails