Swimming By With a Smile: Clean and Simple Card Featuring Fin-Tastic!

Hello, crafty friends! Today, I’m excited to share a sweet and simple card project that’s all about adding a little charm and texture without overwhelming your design. If you’ve ever struggled with making clean and simple cards feel interesting instead of empty, you’re going to love today’s inspiration.

I’m featuring the adorable Fin-Tastic Stamp Set and coordinating Fin-Tastic Dies from The Rabbit Hole Designs, and I’ll walk you through how a few thoughtful choices can create a card that feels complete, polished, and playful.

Swimming By With a Smile: Clean and Simple Card Featuring Fin-Tastic!

A Clean and Simple Card that Still Feels Special

When I first started making cards, I often found myself overthinking clean and simple designs. I’d stamp an image and a sentiment and then stare at it wondering, "Is this enough?" It wasn’t until I started playing around with texture and strategic embellishments that my CAS (clean and simple) cards finally started to feel "finished."

That was exactly the mindset I had when making this card. I wanted something light and happy, but still full of little touches that keep the eye moving.

The Stars of the Show: Fin-Tastic Stamps and Dies

For my card, I started by stamping out the adorable little mermaid and the seaweed and rock image from the Fin-Tastic Stamp Set using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. I reached for my Honolulu 48 Pastel Brush Marker Set for coloring. I love these markers for their soft, blendable colors — perfect for giving the mermaid a sweet, dreamy look without overpowering the clean design.

Once the images were colored, I used the coordinating Fin-Tastic Dies to cut them out. Having matching dies really keeps the process quick and polished — no fussy cutting needed.

Creating Subtle Interest with Texture

Here’s where things get fun: instead of creating a plain white background, I decided to bring in some texture. I took a piece of Neenah Ultra Thick Cardstock and ran it through an embossing folder from my stash. The folder leaves a decorative oval with floral flourishes in the bottom left, while the rest of the panel stays smooth.

Pro Tip: When you want to keep a card clean but add something "extra," try using an embossing folder that only embosses part of the panel. It adds beautiful detail without making the card feel heavy or busy.

After embossing, I trimmed the panel down to 4" x 5 ¼", giving it that nice framed look on a standard top folding A2 card base.

Arranging the Scene

Once everything was ready, it was time to arrange my scene. I always like to play around with my die-cut pieces before committing to glue. I placed the seaweed and rock over the embossed floral flourish, letting some of the flourish peek out for that layered look without adding bulk.

I stamped my sentiment, "Swimming by to Sea If you need any kelp," using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink in the top left portion of the embossed oval. That way, the sentiment is nestled into the design rather than feeling like it’s floating awkwardly.

Then, I popped the mermaid up with a little foam tape and placed her so it looks like she’s just drifting happily by.

Pro Tip: Foam tape is your best friend for clean and simple cards! Even just lifting one element off the card front adds dimension and instantly makes the whole design feel more intentional.

The Finishing Touches

To tie everything together, I added a few white gel pen highlights to the colored images. Just a few little dots and lines really bring your coloring to life, especially on whimsical images like this mermaid.

Finally, I sprinkled a few Clear Round Dewdrop Water Droplets Embellishments around the sentiment to mimic little bubbles in the water. I always love using clear embellishments when I want to add shine and texture without taking away from the clean look.

Why This Works

If you’ve ever made a clean and simple card and thought, "It needs something," you’re not alone. The secret is to find ways to layer with texture and strategically place your elements so the card feels full of detail — but still fresh and open.

On this card, the subtle embossing, popped-up mermaid, and tiny embellishments do all the heavy lifting, while still keeping the overall design light and uncluttered.

Final Thoughts

Making clean and simple cards doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice personality or style. With just a few thoughtful choices — like using partial embossing, dimensional adhesive, and small embellishments — you can create designs that are polished, playful, and totally you.

If you’ve been thinking about picking up the Fin-Tastic Stamp Set and Fin-Tastic Dies, now is the perfect time! They're part of the Monthly Special for May 2025 over at The Rabbit Hole Designs website. For the entire month, all items in the special deals section are BOGO (buy one, get one free) — discount taken on the lower-priced item.

There’s no code needed, but you must add two items from the Monthly Special section to your cart for the discount to apply. The discount will show up automatically at final checkout. Just a quick heads-up: no further discounts can be combined with this offer, and it’s the customer's responsibility to make sure the correct items are in their cart. Orders cannot be edited after purchase, so double-check your cart before completing your order!

I hope today’s project inspires you to dive into some clean and simple crafting of your own — and maybe grab a few goodies while the special is going on. Happy crafting, friends!

Wondering what I used in this project? Everything is linked to multiple sources in the thumbnails in the Materials Used section, or in the text below. Compensated affiliate links used when possible.

Materials Used:

Here you will find the list of supplies that I used to create today's card. All supplies are linked to supply sources below. Compensated affiliate links may be used at no cost to you.

Happy Stampin'

Rick Adkins

Affiliate Disclaimer:

Just a friendly reminder, as part of my commitment to transparency, please note that some of the links provided maybe affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your support is truly appreciated!

Additionally, I kindly ask that you always accept the tracking cookie for the affiliate websites. Rest assured, this will not in any way expose your computer to viruses or compromise your information. It's simply necessary for the company to attribute the sale to the affiliate, ensuring creators like myself receive their rightful commissions.

Your trust and support enable me to continue sharing creativity through my email lists, blog, and YouTube channel. Thank you for being a valued part of our crafting community!