Enjoy Life

So many things around us inspire what we create.  I recently spotted an embossing folder that also cut out a hot air balloon window and bought it immediately.  I knew just what I wanted to do with it and this is the card I am sharing today.

Even with a plan, this card did take a while to make as I did little parts at a time.  With my recent knee surgery, I could only sit with my leg down for a limited time so lots of interruptions.  I had made some backgrounds with alcohol inks and chose one that looked like sky and clouds and ran it through the folder.  I stamped the two Just For Fun balloons on the front and the heat embossed their Enjoy Life sentiment in white on the background layer, through the cut out window.  Acetate was placed behind the window and the embossed front was popped up to create a shaker window filled with sequins.

The JFF Flower Balloon and the Steam Punk Balloon were stamped and colored with Tombow Markers.  The circular balloon and the basket from each were cut out and layered on the front stamped images.  A few more sequins were added.

These stamptangle designs are a lot of fun to color and worked great with this folder.

What inspires your cards?

Just For Fun March Challenge - Movement

Just For Fun Rubber Stamps Blog has a new challenge for the month of March.  The challenge theme is “Movement”!  Something on your card should wiggle, jiggle, slide, roll, flip or fold.    

There are so many different ways you can create movement on a card that it was hard for me to decide what I wanted to do.  I decided on a Waterfall Card.  I have always thought they look so fun but have never made one before.  This was my chance.  I chose a beach theme (Just For Fun has so many stamps for this) but you can use any theme and it really is a lot easier to make than it looks.  You can find a complete tutorial for one here.

The JFF Chambered Nautilus, Flip Flops, and Mother Baby Dolphins, and Palm Trees images were used on the flipping panels.  These were sponged with Distress Ink and layered on blue. 

The Summer Dreams sentiment from the Seasons Word Block was used on the pull down tab, along with the Stamptangle Seahorse, Sand Dollar, and  Pacific Scallop in the background.

The background was embossed with a Spellbinders’ folder and sequins, brads, and ribbon were added embellishments.

For more details and inspiration for this challenge, head over to the JFF Blog, here.

Winter Cardinal

Even though the weather by me has been really nice, we ended up with cold rain and a little ice this weekend.  Perfect time to share a winter card.  The Large Cardinal stamp, from Just For Fun Rubber Stamps, was used on this card and even though this is in their Christmas themed images, it can be used for so much more.

A white, embossed background was created to show off this brightly colored cardinal.  It was colored with Copic markers and die cut with Spellbinders’ Label 4.  After adding to the card front, it was surrounded by additional die cut/punched snowflakes and a simple sentiment (from JFF's Sentiments 1 Unmounted Sheet).  This card is perfect for this time of the year but can be used for any occasion – Birthday, Get Well, Sympathy - by simply changing the sentiment.

Have a wonderful week.

Merry Christmas 2018

Wishing all my family, friends, and followers a blessed Christmas.

E. Marie

Winter Wonderland

I had to work really hard to produce this card this weekend.   I had been sick earlier this week so I decided I would make a lot of cards while playing with my friends at our favorite scrapbook store this weekend.  We showed up late, ate a fantastic lunch, celebrated a birthday, and then the store closed early due to a coming snowstorm.  Didn't leave much time to get creative.  Today with all the ice, snow, and wind our power kept going on and off and it took some real determination to get out of my comfy chair and go to my chilly craft room and get creative.  Sure had fun once I got started. Since a winter storm is very unusual for our area, it seemed the perfect time to share a winter card.

The Pines along Stream Silhouette image from Just For Fun was stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and a portion was die cut using Spellbinders’ Label 4 Nestability.  Then a mixture of Stormy Sky and Shaded Lilac Distress Ink and Paris Dusk Memento Ink were sponged around the edges. The Winter Wonderland sentiment from JFF's The Seasons Word Block, along with the bird section of their Lighthouse Silhouette, were stamped with Paris Dusk ink.  A little white “snow” was added to the trees and ground.  I wanted the snow to pop a little more but my poor white gel pen dried up on me and all the stores were closed (not that I could even get out of my neighborhood as the streets are still totally packed with ice/snow).  

The die cut image was layered on a larger white die cut that was embossed with an embossing folder.  This was added to blue layers on a white card base.  It is hard to see there are two different shades of blue used for the layers but these add to the winter chill of the scene.

Have a wonderful week.

Fishing Is The Life For Me

With some cooler weather starting to arrive, this is when I love to spend more time visiting my daughter and enjoying the ocean.  I love to hear the waves and see all the different boats and ships.  There is a great boat image in Just For Fun's upcoming release that I wanted to share on today’s card.

The card’s background was created using Color Burst powders.  When this was dry, the boat image and sentiment were stamped in dark blue.  Both of these stamps will be available with the new release.  The boat was cut out in a rectangular shape.  White and dark blue layers were added to the background piece and this was run through an anchor embossing folder.  Then the boat image was layered on top and small blue jewels added.

Have a wonderful week. 

Happy To "Sea" You

I just had the most wonderful weekend, playing/stamping with my friends.  This is a card I created using Just For Fun’s StampTangle Tri-Circle Block.  It has three circles that make great windows for images and sayings and is also perfect for a shaker card.  I inked this stamptangle image with three different Distress Ink colors, though the variation in colors is hard to see in the pictures. 

After fussy cutting and cutting out the circle windows, a piece of clear acetate was adhered to the back.  This was popped up with foam tape over a white rectangle, stamped with the Happy to Sea You sentiment from JFF, and run through a bubble embossing folder.  Extra foam tape was placed all around the top circle to create a small shaker window.  This was layered on brightly striped cardstock from Graphic 45’s Sun Kissed collection.

JFF's Stamptangle Fancy Fish (Small) was stamped twice with Paris Dusk Memento Ink and colored with Copic Markers.  These were fussy cut and adhered to the card front. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Just For Fun May Challenge

Wow!  Hard to believe it is already May.  With this new month comes a new challenge at Just For Fun Blog.  The theme for May is

Most of my cards usually use more than one stamp so this was fun for me.

I chose to use two coordinating stamps, Standing Crane and Wading Crane.  These were stamped in black on red cardstock.  After cutting them out, they were layered on red and black cardstock.

The background was created by running a piece of red cardstock through an embossing folder and rubbing black ink on the raised area.  This was added to a piece of designer cardstock and a layer of black.

Most of my cards usually use more than one stamp.  I can’t wait to see what you create with this challenge.  Get all the challenge details on the JFF Blog.

E. Marie

New Year's Challenge

Happy New Year!  Hard to believe it is already 2018.  With a new year come lots of resolutions and wishes.  At the Just For Fun blog we also have a new challenge. 

For January we have a color challenge  - Blue, Purple, Silver.

This inspiration card uses a background layer created with an embossing folder and various ink colors.  I have had this in my stash for a while, thinking I would use it for a birthday card, but it caught my eye and I kept thinking about the count down for New Year’s.  It was trimmed down and layered on dark blue and purple cardstock edged with Silver Blue Embossing Powder.

Just for Fun’s Skyline Silhouette and the May all your wishes... sentiment were both heat embossed with Silver Blue Embossing Powder on dark blue cardstock.  I used my new Tim Holtz Stamp Platform to make sure I had a fully stamped image for the silhouette before embossing, and to help me place the sentiment.  This was added to the card front.

Since I had kind of a rough December, my wish for this coming year is to be healthier.  What is your New Year’s resolution or wish?

E. Marie

Just For Fun June Challenge

June has arrived and school ends this week.  I am looking forward to more crafty time this summer, but I will miss my sweet class.  With the start of a new month comes a new challenge on the Just For Fun Rubber Stamps Blog.  This month the theme is "For The Guys".

When you are married to a Buick lover, you automatically think cars for a man card.  I used Just For Fun’s '57 Chevy image, stamped with Gray Flannel Memento Ink.  It was colored with Weathered Wood and Stormy Sky Distress Ink and a watercolor brush.  This was fussy cut, additional ink ran around the outer edge, and layered on an embossed piece of white cardstock.

I wanted a textured background with a metallic look behind my car image.  I ran white cardstock through an embossing folder and on the main background piece I sponged London Fog, Gray Flannel, and Tuxedo Black Memento Ink.  Then I added some white ink across the raised area and a little more black.  The edges were sponged with Stormy Sky ink and this was layered on black and the white card base.

The sentiment, Father’s Day from JFF, was stamped with Stormy Sky ink.  The edges of the cs was sponged with London Fog ink and it was layered and added to the card front.  Large blue jewels were added to bring out more blue.

Since you are already working on those Father’s Day cards, why not join the JFF Challenge.  You can find the details on the blog here.

E. Marie

Color Burst Flowers

Did your February fly by as fast as mine?  We have had such nice weather that some of the spring flowers are blooming and it is so pretty.  Today’s card features two floral images from Just For Fun's 4 Sided Floral Block.

The background was created using a technique that my friend and fellow designer, April Williams, taught me this weekend.  You emboss a piece of cardstock with an embossing folder and then apply the ink from 3-4 Distress Inks using direct to paper.

To create the floral images, the stamps were spritzed with water and Color Burst Powders were sprinkled lightly on top.  Then these were stamped on watercolor paper.  They were layered on purple and added to the card front.

The “Just For You” sentiment is from JFF's To My Friend Word Block.  It was stamped with Distress Ink, layered on purple cardstock, and angled across the card front.

Just a reminder that there are only a few more days to enter Just For Fun's February Challenge with a “Sweet Nothings” theme.  Get the details on the blog here.

E. Marie