Whale You Be My Valentine?

The cute little Whale Hello stamp set from Avery Elle is a new addition to my stamp collection.  I love the mix of sentiments in this set!  I put together this Valentine's Day design with the current Simon Says Stamp "create with critters" themed challenge.

The layout comes from the current sketch at Retro Sketches.  The whale image was stamped on white cardstock, colored with Copic markers, then cut out with the matching die.  The square frame around the image was cut using two different square dies.  The pierced border adds a nice detail to the frame.  I arranged the frame and image on a light blue card base over an angled strip of light blue grid patterned paper.  The set's "whale you be my Valentine?" sentiment was stamped just above the top edge of the angled strip.  I added a tiny red die cut heart for a final pop of color.

Materials Used:
Whale Hello stamp set, Whale Hello dies (Avery Elle); Memento Tuxedo Black and Lady Bug inks (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Aqua Mist and Hawaiian Shores cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Real Red cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Recollections Aqua Screen designer paper (Michaels); Die-namics Pierced Square Stax dies (My Favorite Things); foam tape