Sweet Birthday Wishes

If you are like me, there is always a need for birthday cards, so I am sharing the latest one I created for a friend. 

The Floral Wreath image from Just For Fun Rubber Stamps was colored with Tombow markers.  The yellow card background was created with a die cut and then layered on Persimmon cardstock.  To create more dimension I chose to die cut a window and layer this over the image.  The same circle die and a slightly larger scalloped circle die were used to create the border around the window.  If you wanted a less labor intensive version, you could simply die cut the image with a circle die and layer on a scalloped die cut and add to the card front.  I also chose to have the bow at the top of the floral wreath.

The JFF sentiment, Sweet Birthday Wishes, was stamped in black on a hand cut banner and layered across the image.  This helped fill the open window without covering up to much of the lovely floral wreath.  I think I will be using versions of this card more often.  

Have a great week.

Silhouettes and Brushos

Today I am here sharing a card created with Brushos and the Floral Silhouette stamp from Just For Fun Rubber Stamps.  Solid stamps are great for dark silhouettes but also provide a great surface to add bright, colorful Brushos.

You can add Brushos by adding directly to stamp and then spritzing or you can paint them on.  I chose to make a rich paint in a pallet for each color and add to the stamp surface with a paint brush.  This was then stamped onto white cardstock.

The “bouquet of wishes” sentiment is from JFF's Sentiments 1 Unmounted Sheet.  This was stamped below the image with Distress Oxide Ink.

Have a great weekend and try to stay cool!

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?

A Bouquet Of Wishes...

Just For Fun Rubber Stamps has many larger images that are perfect for a standard card.  I decided to combine two of these so I needed a longer card.  My card measures 7 ½” x 4”.

Their Large Canning Jar was stamped on white cardstock and then Nature's Bouquet was stamped, with the stems inside the jar.  Both were colored with watercolors.  Their Firefly Silhouette was stamped several times but yellow stripes were added to give the appearance of bees.

Yellow splatters were added to the front and this was layered on bright yellow.  This was made as a birthday card for my friend and fellow designer, April Williams, so the “a bouquet of wishes…” sentiment from JFF's Sentiments 1 Unmounted Sheet was stamped across the jar.

Don’t forget there are a few more days to enter Just For Fun's March Challenge with the theme of “Movement”.  See the details on their blog here.

Just For Fun February Challenge

Wow! I can’t believe it is already February.  I’m sure we just had Christmas.  This means it is time for a new challenge at the Just For Fun Blog.  

The new theme is Music with Purple, Green, and Gold.

The background of my card was created by smooshing watercolor paper into various spritzed Distress Inks (purples and greens) on a craft mat.  When this was dry,  Just For Fun’s Distressed Music Block was lightly stamped in several areas.  The design was very subtle.  JFF’s new Poinsettia Flower was stamped along the top and their Treasured Times sentiment along the bottom.  Both were heat embossed with detail white embossing powder.  Additional white EP and some gold EP were sprinkles in areas and heat set from beneath.

This card front was layered on gold and a white card base.  A simple but colorful design.  Now head on over to the Just For Fun Blog to get the challenge details and some great inspiration from my fellow designers. 

  

Butterflies

It has been really cold here and I really am not a winter person.  Even though it is still January, I am so ready for spring.  The cute little butterfly and bright flowers from Just For Fun were so appealing to me this week in place of a snow scene.

The Porto die from Sue Wilson Designs’ Portuguese Collection was cut out of white.  The middle section was stamped on the edges with JFF's Hibiscus Flower and one of the flowers from the 4 sided Floral Block, using Abandoned Coral and Mustard Seed Distress Ink.  

The JFF sentiment, If nothing ever changed..., was stamped with Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink in the center and the whole die was layered on blue and white striped cardstock.  The JFF Line Butterfly was colored with Copics, fussy cut, and popped up on the corner.

Those of you getting snow this week, just come on back to visit and think spring!

A Mother Is Born

Yesterday was Mother’s Day so I thought I would share the card I made.  One of my favorite flowers is the Peony and so I used this flower for my card. 

The Peony was stamped with Picked Raspberry Distress Ink.  A waterbrush was used to pick up ink directly from the stamp pad and color the image.

For the sentiment, the Just For Fun Peony image was once again inked with Picked Raspberry, stamped on a scrap of paper, and then stamped a second time on white cardstock.  The wording from the JFF Mother is Born stamp was stamped in black on top and die cut with a Spellbinders’ Square Nestability.  Don't you love this sentiment!  I had planned on layering the sentiment in the middle of the flower, lining up the stamped image, but decided not to cover the flower after I colored it.  

The card background was created by scoring both vertically and horizontally in the middle of a piece of white cards stock.  The Peony image was stamped with Picked Raspberry in each corner.  This was layered on a coordinating cardstock, along with the Peony and the sentiment, and all added to the white card base.

Thanks for visiting,

Smile

Seems like the weather cannot make up its mind if it is spring or winter.  In my area it has been lovely the last few days.  The flowers are in full bloom and it is so beautiful.  I decided to share a card showing some lovely blooms using the Jar Daisies image.  I have been taking some Copic classes and decided to use some of what I learned to color this.

The Small Canning Jar was stamped on heavy vellum and fussy cut.  A little color was added on the back and it was placed over the flower stems.  A die cut “smile” was added to a banner and layered across the jar front.  To be honest, I had planned to simply place the smile die cut on the jar but made a little mistake and needed to cover it up.  Mistakes bring out our creativity.

Hope you are having lovely weather in your area.

E. Marie

Diagonal Valentine Treat Boxes

Is Valentine’s Day sneaking up on you?  Here are some little treat boxes that you still have time to make.

This first box is only 1 ½” on all sides.  It is created with two-sides cardstock and tied shut with pink polka-dot ribbon.

It opens up with diagonal edges to reveal a treat for your sweetie.  The inside shows the 2^nd coordinating design and a solid colored insert stamped with the Valentine saying from Just For Fun's  Sentiments 1 Unmounted Sheet.

A 3-D heart was created by combining three folded die cut hearts to embellish the top.

 

This second box uses the same design but is a 2” cube, making room for larger treats.  One of the hearts from JFF's Sentiment Hearts Mini Cube was stamped for the sentiment.

To create the flower embellishment on top, the flower from JFF's Brushed Floral image was stamped three times, fussy cut, and the edges inked.  These were shaped with a stenciling tool on a foam pad, layered, and added to the box top.

I found the instructions and video links for these boxes here.  I hope you enjoy making them.

E. Marie

Summer Floral Cards

I am sure almost everyone is tired of the summer heat so today’s cards focus on summer flowers.  Just For Fun's Nature's Bouquet is featured on both cards, along with some new Distress Oxide inks.

This card starts with a background of Picked Raspberry, Cracked Pistachio, and Wilted Violet Distress Oxide Inks.  Using a rectangle template, these colors were picked up from a craft sheet.  The Nature’s Bouquet image was stamped on top.  This was added to layers of green and pink, along with a butterfly border, punched with a Martha Stewart Border Punch.  The sentiment is from the JFF's Sentiments 1 Unmounted Sheet.

This second card uses the same inks, but this time they were sponged on and a die cut was used as a stencil.  Once again the Nature’s Bouquet was stamped on top.  The sentiment is from JFF's To My Friend Word Block.  Small pink butterflies, created with the same Martha Stewart Border Punch, were added.

Try to keep cool.

E. Marie

Just For Fun July Challenge

Where did June go?  July snuck up on us and it is time for another challenge at the Just For Fun Rubber Stamps Blog.  The challenge theme for July is “Wedding”.

I had this cream and black coordinating cardstock that created a lovely background for Just For Fun’s Wishing You Joy sentiment.  After stamping it with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink, it was die cut with Spellbinders’ Label Four.  The edges were sponged with ink and it was centered on the card front.

To add a splash of color, I fussy cut the JFF Brushed Floral image and colored it with watercolor markers.  I popped it up along the bottom of the sentiment and added a die cut butterfly to the top.

We would love for you to join the challenge.  You can get all the details on the blog, here.  You will enjoy seeing the beautiful projects from my fellow JFF designers.  

E. Marie

I entered this project in the following challenge:

Simon Says Stamps Wednesday Challenge – Anything Goes

Double D Challenges – Anything Wedding