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.

Just For Fun January Challenge

Happy New Year and Happy New Challenge at the Just For Fun Blog.  Starting in the new year the JFF Monthly Challenge will begin on the 1^st Tuesday of each month.  The January challenge theme is

January makes me think of snow so I dug out this blue snowflake paper that I have had for a long time and used it for the card front.   

The Framed Snowflake from JFF was stamped with Paris Dusk Memento Ink on Silver cardstock.  This, along with another piece of silver, were layered on white edged with the same Memento Ink and added to the cardfront.  Then the Warm Winter Wishes from JFF were stamped on white cardstock and trimmed to look like a snowdrift for the bottom of the card.

I used this card design for birthday cards for my two daughters, who both celebrated their birthdays on December 30^th.  I simply added the birthday message inside using the JFF Growing old.2-Sided sentiment.

  

This was especially for my eldest, who was stressing about turning 30.  So hard to believe.

Head on over to the Just For Fun Blog to get more challenge details and inspiration.

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.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!  This is such a special time of the year and for most of us, we really hope to see snow on Christmas day.  This is pretty rare in the south.  This card is for those of you who have been dreaming of a white Christmas.

The background is using Color Bursts and the Galaxy Technique.  I used Indigo, Ultramarine Blue, Merlot, and Yellow Ochre on watercolor paper.  After adding the water droplets to the background, I splattered it with a little Platinum Liquid Metals.  This gave a great shimmer to some spots which sadly does not show up in the pictures.

The Just For Fun new Silhouette Pines image, along with the Joy To The World from the Sentiments 1 Unmounted Sheet, were stamped with Versamark Ink and heat embossed with detail white powder.  To me this looked like a snow scene with the northern lights in the background.

Whether you have snow or not, cold or warm, I hope you have a very blessed Christmas.

E. Marie

Tea Is On...

Winter arrived this weekend in the southeast.  It snowed off and on for two days by me - those big, fluffy flakes floating straight down and settling on everything.  It left a beautiful winter wonderland that I enjoyed from my den, bundled up under blankets sipping hot tea. 

The background for the card I am sharing uses different cardstock from Authentique’s Alpine collection.  The “Afternoon Tea” Die’sire die from Crafters Companion was cut from two different cardstocks, cut apart, and layered together.  This was added to a strip of cream cardstock on top of the wintery decorative background piece. 

I love this Just For Fun sentiment, Tea pot is on...  I had planned to stamp it directly on the background but it got a little lost in all the design so I ended up stamping it on cream cardstock.  

I didn’t get to share my tea with friends this weekend, since I was actually running a temperature, but I hope we all remember to make time for those that are dear to us during this busy holiday season.  Maybe spend time sipping tea and stamping cards!

E. Marie

I entered this project in the following challenge:

2017 Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

Just For Fun December Challenge

I know we just celebrated Thanksgiving, but December has snuck up on us and it is time for a new challenge at the Just For Fun Blog.  It will be so easy to enter this challenge with the theme of “Happy Everything - Holiday of your Choice”

I am in the Christmas spirit, so I am sharing a Christmas card.  Just for Fun Rubber Stamps has this new image, Silhouette Pines, and I had two Snowflake Ring Memory Box dies I couldn’t wait to use.  Both size ring dies were cut from white cardstock.  The pines image was stamped and heat embossed with detail white embossing powder on blue cardstock.  This was cut out with a Spellbinders’ Classic Circle die and the large Snowflake Ring was layered on top.  The sentiment, from the JFF Sentiments1 Unmounted Sheet, was stamped with Blueprint Sketch Distress Ink onto the white center of the smaller Snowflake Ring.  This was inserted back into the die cut.  Additional ink was lightly sponged on both die cuts.

The blue cardstock for the background was run through a Sizzix Holiday Knitembossing folder.  The edges were sponged with white ink.  Both Snowflake Rings were added to the front and this was added to a dark blue layer and the white card base.

Head on over to the Just For Fun Blog to be inspired by more holiday cards and find all the details for the challenge.  I will be looking for your creations.

E. Marie

Hi!

The weather where I live cannot make up its mind.  First we had a snow storm, a week later it was like summer, and now it is just cold with thunderstorms.  I am still feeling like winter so I made a cute snowman card to share.

I started by creating the background.  After tearing a piece of paper, I used it to mask the bottom and sponged on blue Weathered Wood Distress Ink on the top.  Then I used the vein stamps from two different Oak Leaf 2-Sided stamps from Just For Fun to make trees (E2689 and F3021).

The JFF Snowman image was stamped on the card front and then a second time on white cardstock.  This second image was colored with Tombow Markers and fussy cut.  Since the little arm branches are hard to cut out, I simply cut them off and colored the ones on the image on the card front.  The fussy cut image was layered on top and the arms lined up great.

The sentiment was die cut from the same snowflake background paper, using a Spellbinders’ Sentiment die.  The edges were inked and it was layered slightly offset on the same die cut from blue cardstock.  A little shading was added with a light grey Tombow marker and some little spiral sequins from Hero Arts were added to the background.

Here’s to better weather (though I do like being inside and being creative).

E. Marie

Staying Warm?

 

The south east is pretty chilly today and many places had snow this weekend.  That is pretty exciting for some of us that do not see it very often.  Today I am enjoying a snow day at home.  Perfect timing for this winter card.

The three trees from Just For Fun's Stamptangle Christmas Trees were heat embossed in black on watercolor paper and watercolored with Zig Clean Color Watercolour Brushes.  After they dried, they were fussy cut and layered on a white frame.  This was added to a white layer run through a snowflake embossing folder.

The JFF Warm Winter Wishes sentiment was stamped with Bamboo Leaves Memento ink.  It was hand cut and slanted across the card front.

Stay warm this week.

E. Marie

Just For Fun January Challenge

Happy New Year!!

With the start of a new year, we have a new challenge at Just For Fun Rubber Stamps blog.  It is “Free For All” so how easy is that?  I, of course, can’t help but think about snow in January so I made a winter looking card.

I had a lot of fun with the background.  Starting with light blue cardstock, different size circles were added using white pigment ink and Milled Lavender and Stormy Sky Distress Ink for the purple and blue to create this Bokeh look.  I have had the Milled Lavender color for years and have to admit I never really liked it so I just didn’t use it.  However it was the perfect subtle color for this.  To add a little sparkle, I stamped the Just For Fun Small Stamptangle Star several times on the background with white pigment ink.  Then it was heat embossed with Sparkle Embossing Powder.

The “snowflake” was created using the Large Stamptangle Star and the Small Stamptangle Star.  Both were stamped with white pigment ink and heat embossed with Detail White Embossing Powder on white cardstock.  This was repeated on white cs sponged with the Stormy Sky Distress Ink.  The different layers were fussy cut.  Using a masking technique, Milled Lavender Distress Ink was added to sections.  The various layers were added to the white base, ending with a small white center and small lavender pearls. 

A window was cut from the top two layers of the card front.  This was popped up over the white card base to reveal the Winter Wonderland sentiment from JFF’s Seasons Word Block.  Since the “snowflake” could also be a flower or a star, this card design could be used for many different occasions by simply changing the sentiment.

We would love to see your creations added to our challenge link.  Check out the JFF Blog for all the details and more inspiration. 

Wishing you the best as we start this new year!

E. Marie

Winter Wonderland

 Winter is here and some of you already have snow.  It sure is getting cold where I live and rumors of snow this week are floating around.  This card shows the fun side of winter.  For my sweet students nothing is better than building a snowman!

 

This card features the Just For Fun Snowman image, colored with Copic Markers.  I used Gina Marie’s Stitched Circle Dies to create a look similar to a snow globe and Copic Markers were used to provide coloring and edging on the dies.  I actually colored the smaller circle frame from the back with one color on top of the other to get the slightly mottled affect.  The Winter Wonderland from JFF’s Seasons Word Block was stamped with Distress Ink and die cut with the end of a Spellbinders’ Label Die.  It was edged with Copic Marker.

 

Keep warm this week!

E. Marie