Best Fishes

Here's my card for this week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge to make a clean and simple card featuring something you'd find in the water.  I went a little out of my box with this punny square card.

The focal image panel is watercolored--something that I'm not super comfortable with doing.  I started by heat embossing the fish trio and bubbles from the Clear and Simple Stamps Beach Bum stamp set on a piece of watercolor paper.  Once it was cooled, I scribbled on the panel with several different shades of blue watercolor crayons, then blended them with a wet paintbrush.  I filled in the fish with orange watercolor crayons, then dotted the bubbles with some Stickles to add a little sparkle.

A pair of torn edge kraft strips make a sandy bottom for the scene.  The set's "best fishes" sentiment is stamped on in black ink next to the biggest fish.  I kinda wish I'd stamped it somewhere else, but it's too late now . . .  To bring in a little more orange, I layered the panel on an orange mat, then set it on a white card base.

Materials Used:
Beach Bum stamp set, Perfect Little Black Dress ink, Creamsicle Cardigan, Kraft Like a Rockstar, and A Blanc Check cardstock (Clear and Simple Stamps); Versamark ink (Tsukineko); watercolor crayons, black embossing powder (Stampin' Up!); Crystal Stickles (Ranger)