Under the boardwalk...

The boardwalk played a big part in my summers when I was young.  I grew up in the heart of Southern New Jersey and so summer meant long weekends at the beach.  My family spent most of our time in Ocean City, New Jersey, which is a little south of Atlantic City.  But, we also went to Atlantic City.  My mother and her best friend, with me tagging along, would go down to AC for the day during the week several times over the course of the summer.  There was blanket room on the sand during the week!  You could eat on the beach back then, (I know I'm dating myself!) and my mom would pack a picnic lunch and we would head on down the road for a day on the beach.  It was a glorious, carefree time for me and I have great memories of it.

At the beginning of this summer I found that Linda from Frilly and Funkie Boutique had an Artistic Outpost stamp set that had vintage images of Atlantic City that I just to have!   I also have a set of stamps with vintage beach images from Alpha Stamps.   Add to that the fantastic summer paper collection from Authentique and I knew I had to do some thing to celebrate Atlantic City and summers past!  This is what I came up with.

 

 

It's a canvas that I painted and sprayed and used some beachy napkins on and then collaged with all the things that reminded me of Atlantic City in it's glory days.   That building in the lower left  is the Steel Pier on the boardwalk.  I have to say that the image predates me because I don't remember that cupola on the top!  It probably got washed into the ocean during one of the many hurricanes that hit the coast in the '30's, '40s and '50s.  Yep, Sandy wasn't the first!!  I particularly love the Atlantic City tokens and the Steel Pier tickets that are part of the stamp set.  Along the bottom of the canvas I used layers of Distress embossing powder because of it's sandy look and I glued a vintage Lucite shell bead and some sequin shells in the "sand".  The finished canvas really makes me smile every time I look at it!  Here are some close ups.

 

 

 

The Steel Pier in it's glory days!

 

 

 

Those Atlantic City tokens

 

And the Steel Pier tickets along with an Art Deco sign telling everyone to relax at the shore!

 

The vintage shell bead and some sequins and beach "stones"!

 

 I had such a great time creating this collage.  I've decided to take the leap and enter it in the Frilly and Funkie challenge whose theme is Summer. 

 

I hope you're having a great summer.  I know some of you don't like the heat, and it does get to be a bit much, but it's a happy time of year when we can relax and not feel guilty!

 

 

Thank you all for visiting.  I really appreciate it.  And, welcome to all the new visitors.  Have a great day!