Perk Up Soon

 

The 2017 Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop started yesterday and since I am a loyal coffee drinker, I have been working on several cards for this event.  I will be sharing these with you in the next few days, starting with today’s card. 

I used this fun, older set from Whimsey Stamps that I purchased during the last hop.  I used a variety of coordinating cardstock to create the little flags and layered them on sparkly green polka dot cs.  All the edges were inked with a mix of Abandoned Coral and Festive Berries Distress Ink.  This was also sponged on the edges of white cs to create the layer and to color the Memory Box Loopy Loop die.

I enjoyed creating this colorful coffee themed Get Well card.  Check back tomorrow for more.

E. Marie

I entered this project in the following challenge:

SummerCoffee Lovers Blog Hop – Coffee/Summer

Simon Says Stamps Wednesday Challenge – Use Patterned Paper

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

Crafty Creations Challenges #344 – Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge #288-#289 - Anything Goes

Adirondack Sunset - My Happy Place

The heat is here and now that school is out my favorite place to spend time is at the beach.  I love the feel of the sand on my bare feet and the breeze coming off of the ocean.  The Just For Fun Adirondack Sunset image, used on today’s card, definitely shows my happy place.

The background was created using the new Distress Oxide Inks.   Fossilized Amber, Faded Jeans, and Vintage Photo Oxide Inks were sponged on white cardstock.  The stamp image was lightly spritzed with water and stamped onto the inked background.  This was dried with a heat tool and then the image was stamped a second time with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink.

After stamping the JFF sentiment, Secrets in the Sand, across the front, the image was added to layers of blue and yellow and designer cardstock.

Where is your happy place?

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

Grey Heron at Waters Edge

When I visit my daughter, we have a favorite restaurant we like to go to.  We ask to sit by the window so we can watch the waterway.  We always see lot of wildlife, including many seabirds.  Today's card uses images and dies with a seabird theme and also uses one of my favorite color combos – blue and kraft. 

This card features the Grey Heron at Waters Edge from Just For Fun.  This image was stamped with Faded Jeans Distress Ink on the upper section of a piece of light blue cardstock.  Vintage Photo Distress Ink was sponged around the edges.  

A torn piece of kraft paper, sponged with ink on the edges, was layered on the bottom.  JFF's The Voice of the Sea sentiment was stamped in Vintage Photo in the bottom left corner.  Two of the birds from Memory Box’s Elegant Shorebirds dies were cut from dark blue cardstock and added to the right corner.  This was all layered on dark blue and the white card base.

There is still time to enter JFF's May Challenge with the theme “A Mother’s Love”.  Get the details here.

Have a great week.

E. Marie

Simple Mother's Day

Saturday was National Scrapbooking Day.  I am not a scrapbooker, yet, so I spent the day with my friends making cards.  I thought I would share two different versions of my Mother’s Day card.

The Just For Fun image, Floral Oval V, is stamped with Abandoned Coral Distress Ink on this simple card.  Spellbinders Oval dies were used to create a frame to layer on top.  This was layered on white cardstock, edged with the same ink. and added to the white card base.

The JFF Happy Mother’s Day sentiment was also stamped with Abandoned Coral ink on a rectangle, edged with the ink.  This was angled on the side of the image.

Since I have a hard time keeping things simple, I decided to create a second version with a few additions.  This time the die cut frame was edged with ink and the top layer was run through a floral embossing folder.  A corner rounder was used on the sentiment and a sheer ribbon bow and pearl were added.  The ribbon for the bow was originally white but the Abandoned Coral Distress Ink was added to it.  This ink is interesting as it gave the actual ribbon a slight orange look but kept the Coral color along the edges.  I felt these few changes added an elegance to the card while still keeping the simplicity.

You can share your Mother’s Day cards by linking them to JFF's May Card Challenge with the theme of A Mother's Love.

E. Marie

Just For Fun May Challenge

 

May has arrived and with it comes a new challenge at the Just For Fun blog.  The theme this month is A Mother’s Love.  This is perfect for all those Mother’s Day cards you are working on.

 

I used Just For Fun’s Mother is Born image and sentiment on my card.  I started by creating a soft pastel background, using Zig Water Color Markers on my craft mat, spritzing with water, and smooshing my cardstock in the ink.  When the cardstock dried, the image was stamped in the center with Memento Ink.  This was layered behind a white frame, die cut with a Sue Wilson Designs die.

A layer of bright pink, silk flowers, and small pearls were added.

I hope you can join the challenge.  See all the details at the JFF Blog.

E. Marie

Acrylic Distress

Today I want to share an easy technique I was shown.  It is called Acrylic Distress and it creates a framing around your image or sentiment.

You start with a piece of cardstock and simply brush white acrylic paint around the edges.  After it dries, you sponge ink along the edge of the paint and wipe off any access.  For my card I used a light blue piece of cardstock.  I happened to have a little pink waterc0lor paint left in my brush so it gave this lovely light pink edge.  Don’t you love when a mistake creates something awesome.  I used brown Distress Ink to sponge around the paint and it looked great with the light pink paint.

The new Relaxing in the Sand image from Just For Fun was stamped with brown Memento Ink in the center.  This was layered on blue and brown.

The sentiment is JFF's new The Voice of the Sea.  This was stamped on another piece of light blue cs and layered on brown.  I sponged the brown Distress Ink on some white sheer ribbon for my bow.

I think you will enjoy this technique because it is very easy and not real messy.  Try it with different light colored cardstock and different colored inks.  I love how it looks.

E. Marie

Old Time Bicycle

We are experiencing gorgeous weather and it is wonderful to spend time outside.  It has been quite a while since I have ridden a bicycle, but I use to really enjoy it.  Just For Fun’s spring release included some new images with bicycles and this card uses the Old Time Bicycle Motif.

The image was colored with Copic Markers, using colors from the background cardstock.  It was layered on blue linen, die cut with Sue Wilson’s Madison Square from her York Collection, and backed with pink cardstock.

The background cardstock is from Echo Park, backed with layers of more blue linen and pink.  Green ribbon was added, coordinating with the background paper.   

Have a lovely week.

E. Marie

Just For Fun April Monthly Challenge

Where did March go?  It just flew by and today is April 1^st and time for a new challenge at Just For Fun Rubber Stamps blog.  The theme for April is Springtime/Easter.  Here is my card using Just For Fun stamps.

I started this card by creating a watercolor background, using Kuretake Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers.  These same markers were used to add color directly to the rubber of the Wildflowers stamp, spritzed lightly with water and stamped on the background.

The Love U Bunnies were stamped with Memento Ink and colored with the Zig markers.  They were fussy cut and added among layers of grass created with a Martha Stewart border punch and watercolored.  The Jelly Bean was colored and stamped numerous times, cut out, and placed in the grass.  Smell Jelly Beans? was used for the sentiment.

Now it is your turn.  Check out the challenge details here, along with more inspiration from my fellow designers.  Then get out those Spring/Easter stamps and get creative!

E. Marie