Swimming Mermaids

I recently had a chance to play with the new Under the Sea dies from Joanna Sheen, which included the lovely mermaid dies, one which is swimming and one sitting.  I really enjoyed playing with these dies as they could be bright and colourful and were also calling out to be used with movement.
The first card I made with them was using the swimming mermaid with a pull bar which, when pulled, made her 'swim' across the sea.

I used a couple of backgrounds from the One Summers Day CD which, although are meant to be of flowers, easily passed as coral and seaweed on the sea bed.
I started by sticking two seaweed die cuts from the Signature Die range to the front of an oval plastic dome and stuck this into an aperture I had cut to fit it in a piece of card with one of the backing papers stuck to it. I found it best to spray glue the papers to the card so it was securely stuck in place when you cut out the oval aperture.
The card base was covered with the same backing paper.
I cut a piece of the remaining backing paper, which again was stuck onto card, big enough to fit behind the oval and in position so the 'seaweed' and 'coral' were showing at the bottom. In this I cut a small slit, about 5mm wide, to go across the oval, making sure that it left enough room for the mermaid to still fit within the oval at the start and the end.
I then cut a piece of thick card about 1cm wide and long enough to reach slightly beyond the beginning point of the slit to the edge of the card, allowing for a 1cm overhang for the pull tab.
Wrap a very narrow piece of card around this strip of card, big enough to go around the strip and fold back on itself to give a butterfly fold. You will need one for the Mermaids head and tail. When happy with the position, attach in place to the pull bar, feed the 'butterfly wings' through the slit on the card and attach them to the mermaid.  She should now pull backwards and forwards on the card as you pull on the strip of card.
Put some glitter or sand in the oval and attach the card with the mermaid on firmly in place over the top, making sure it is completely sealed so the contents do not spill out.
Put foam tape on the back, making sure it does not interfere with the mechanism, as shown, and attach this to the main card front.

Finally, decorate the front of the card with the coral corner and fish, which are all part of the 'Under the Sea' die sets, having fun colouring them in bright colours.