Happy Holidays

Hello everyone,

For the last card of 2010, I've finally managed to squeeze in a holiday card. This week's One Layer Wednesday challenge from Jennifer Sytles was to use only one stamp image (could be used multiple times), a sentiment and only two ink colours. I was rather stumped at first but once I found the image I wanted to use, the card came together beautifully.

The card base is from Recollections. The image is Stampin' Up Paisley Prints stamped in Nick Bantock Chartreuse Leaf. The sentiment is Expressions In Ink 4-in-1 Holidays stamped in Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler.

I love paisley as much as I love holly and when I first saw this set, I just had to get it. I love these trees which are just perfect for this challenge. I only wish I could embellishment just a wee bit.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

No Christmas Cards

Hello everyone,

I had a wonderful time making cards today unfortunately not a Christmas card was among them. I had three commissioned cards for the office and a belated holiday card for a dear friend. I had so much fun making these cards but would really like to get a few Christmas cards in before Valentines hits full force.

The card base is from Recollections and is one that I flubbed from an earlier challenge. It is stamped with Stampin' Up Snow Swirled, Serene Snowflakes, Snow Burst and the Snowflake Spot which were embossed with Close To My Heart Silver Pearl embossing powder. The background paper is DCWV The Pets Stack layered on Stampin' Up Tempting Turquoise. The horizontal strip is Stampin' Up Ruby Red. The photos (my own) are layered on more Tempting Turquoise. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Warm Words stamped on a scrap of Whisper White.

The background layer is Stampin' Up Bravo Burgundy on which is layered DCWV Rockstar Mat Stack. The vertical strip is more DCWV Rockstar Mat Stack layered on a piece of Stampin' Up Basic Black. The sentiment is Marah Johnson Creative Imagination Epoxy Stickers. The embellishments are Black Licorice Oregon Raindrops.

The background paper is more DCWV Rockstar Mat Stack layered on a piece of Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip. The sticker is another Marah Johnson Creative Imagination Epoxy Sticker.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Certainly Celery textured with Sizzix Circle Circus. The horizontal strip is Recollections Doodle layered on Stampin' Up Brocade Blue. The robots are My Mind's Eye Lil' Robots Chipboard Elements. The embellishments are from Mulitcrafts. The sentiment, my own, was created with my P-Touch and adhered to a scrap of Brocade Blue.

I just love all these cards. They are all really different but so much fun. I know all the recipients will love them as they are tailored especially for them.

Please enjoy these cards and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Love You

Hello everyone,

Today my husband and I are celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary. I'm absolutely up for at least another twenty more.

The jumping-off point was Sunday's Stars & Stamps sketch. The paper is atd Story of Us and Stampin' Up Very Vanilla. The background layer was textured with Sizzix Pattern 1 as was the layer under the sentiment. The ribbon is Offray. The sentiment is Penny Black.

I'm very happy with this card. I was going for something romantic but not feminine. I'm not crazy about the font of the sentiment but it really does say what I feel.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Happy Birthday

Hello everyone,

I still have not put away my Christmas stamps and paper and I've Christmas cards plans in the works but ... One of best friend's mother is celebrating her birthday tomorrow and my daughter is, very graciously, being included in their plans so my husband and I can celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. I did some blog surfing today and found a great sketch at Stamping 411. Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge was to use pearls which was perfect for the card I had in mind.

The background layer is Stampin' Up Rose Red. The patterned layer is BasicGrey Olivia. The middle strip is Quickutz Quick Strips Dreamscape textured with Sizzix Butterfly Dance dry embossing plate. The ribbon is Celebrate It Sheer Creations. The butterflies are DCWV Glitter card stock and are cut with Sizzix Embosslits Beautiful Wings. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Warmest Regards stamped on Whisper White and layered on more DCWV Glitter card stock. The embellishments are Annabelle Stamps pearls.

I love this card. BasicGrey paper just fuels my imagination. I knew I wanted a very feminine card and this just fits the bill beautifully. I know that Joan will love it!

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Merrily Monochromatic

Hello everyone,

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. Ours was really lovely, just full of family, and very special. I took a couple of days off blogging to just enjoy it all. As I mentionned earlier, I've depleted my Christmas card stash this year so I need to start rebuilding. Frankly, I'm also no where near ready to put away my Christmas stamps and paper.

One of the blogs I've followed regularly the past couple of years is Carrdvarks. Unfortunately, they've decided to end their monthly challenges so I decided I really wanted to participate in the last challenge which, for December was to craft a monochromatic project.

The background paper is Close To My Heart Garnet which was stamped with Annabelle Stamps Holly Branch in VersaMark. The squares are Canford gold and K & Company Glad Tidings. The embellishments are Buttercup Oregon Raindrops. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Warm Words.

This is a very classy and elegant card. It isn't what I first pictured in my mind but I love how it turned out none-the-less. Burgundy and gold is a lovely combination and I think this works reasonably well as a monochromatic card.

I will miss the Caardvarks challenges and I wish everyone associated with the blog all the best in their future endeavors.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Christmas Joy

Hello everyone,

I'm ready to go! I finished everything last night making this Christmas Eve a time to relax and make some cards. I've utterly depleted my Christmas card stash so in the spirit of the season, which I'll need to draw on all year, today's joyful card celebrates the beginnings of the new stash.

The card base is Recollections, stamped with Stampin' Up Polka Dots and Paisley in Nick Bantock Vermillion Lacquer and highlighted with Platinum Stickles. The patterned paper is K & Company Yuletide textured with Sizzix Elegant Lines. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Small Script stamped on a piece of Very Vanilla and mounted on Ruby Red.

I love this card. It is actually a challenge from my daughter that I've had sitting on my desk for a couple of weeks. Her challenge was to make the best Christmas card using the Yuletide paper and three other items of my choice. She wasn't wrong that it would make a great card. I love how it turned very vintage after going through my Big Shot. One card down, many, many more to come.

I hope you have a great Christmas Eve and that Santa is very good to you. Come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Many Merry Christmas's

Hello everyone,

This should be one of my last Christmas cards this year although given my depleted stash, I'll have to work hard to build it up again. This card is for one of my best friends. I had a chance to do some blog surfing today and there are any number of challenge for which this card will suit. Last Friday's Stampin' for the Weekend asked for a Christmas card. Saturday's Allsorts challenge was anything goes. Tuesday's A Spoon Full of Sugar was a Christmas challenge and Papertake Weekly's challenge was anything goes. Today's ABC challenge was to keep it simple; the Fab 'n Funky challenge was to do a quick and easy project; the For Fun challenge was anything goes and the Belli challenge was anything goes.

The focal image is Stampin' Up Brushed Gold textured with Crafts-Too Christmas Greeting folder layered on a piece of Cherry Cobbler and Early Espresso textured with Sizzix Small Dots. The image was highlighted with Star Dust Stickles.

This was a super easy and very quick card. I've been trying to use this embossing folder since I first picked it up and I'm not disappointed. This card turned out beautifully and my friend will just love it!

Gisèle

With Sympathy

Hello everyone,

Sad news today. The mother of one of my colleagues passed away today. She had been quite ill but it still is a horrible time of year to lose someone so close.

The background layers are Autumn Leaves Emily. The solid papers are Stampin' Up Elegant Eggplant and Whisper White. The Elegant Eggplant layer was textured with Sizzix Elegant Lines dry embossing folder. The sentiment is from the Stamp Barn for Heather's Stamping Haven. The embellishments are Amuse Creative Candy white Pretty Pearls.

I really like this card and am only sorry that it had to be made today. I'm sure at some point, because her mother was so very ill, she will considered her mother's passing a blessing but at the moment, is it just difficult. My colleague is one of the most resilient and smart women I know, so she'll get pass this eventually. I hope this card will, in some small way, help.

Please come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Holiday Wonder

Hello everyone,

Today's post is just awesome! A friend had asked me for seven Christmas cards and as I've gone through my stash, I thought I'd see what happened with a ten card one-sheet wonder. I found a great tutorial, with measurements, at Kimberly Morris's Procrastistamper blog.

The card bases are Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler and Whisper White. The patterned paper is all Little Yellow Bicycle 25 Days of Christmas. The ribbon is all Michael's Special Value. The sentiments include: Stampin' Up Warmest Regards, Expressions In Ink 4-in-1 Holidays, Impression Obsession Christmas Expressions, Cornish Heritage Farms Christmas Expressions, Hero Arts Wishing You Flourish, Stampin' Up Warm Words, Impression Obsession Christmas Sentiments and Cornish Heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions. The embellishments include: Bo Bunny Press Our Family Christmas stickers, brads and pearls of unknown origin, Martha Stewart embellishments, Crafts Gem Chic, Keepsake Memories, Annabelle Pearls, and Making Memories Glitter Deco Brads.

I'm so very pleased with these cards. I wish the photo was better but I don't know how to take a photo that will do the cards justice. All together, the ten cards took about three hours to make from start to finish. I tried to keep it simple in terms of sticking with three types of paper. I also used just one type of ribbon. I used variety when it came to embellishments which really makes each card very different. I'm so happy with these cards I know I will use the template again to make more cards.

I hope you enjoy these cards and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Happy Holidays

Hello everyone,

It's been a busy, busy time and though I'm not completely done, I'm getting there. Needless to say, I've done no blog surfing. No matter, today's card is completely my own creation. It is for a very good friend who appreciates handmade cards in a big way.

The card base is from Recollections. The base layer is Stampin' Up brushed gold dry embossed with a Cuttlebug Winter Wonderland folder. The image is Inkadinkado Winter Trails stamped in Rich Razzleberry on Whisper White, clear heat embossed and layered on textured Rich Razzleberry paper. The embellishments are Annabelle pearls.

I love this card. The Rich Razzleberry and gold combination is really spectacular. I also like how it is offset so the dry embossing is really evident. My friend just loves Rich Razzleberry so I know she'll love this card.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Merrily Blue

Hello everyone,

I knew I wanted to make a blue card today. I used today's Stars and Stamps sketch challenge as my jumping-off point.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Ski Slope designer series paper. The remaining paper is Stampin' Up Baja Breeze and Whisper White. The Baja Breeze layer is textured with Cuttlebug Winter Wonderland highlighted with Star Dust Stickles. The ribbon is from Offray. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Short & Sweet.

This card is exactly what I pictured. The sketch was just wonderful and really lent itself to the paper I wanted to use. The Stickles add just the right amount of glitter and go wonderfully with the ribbon. It's great when it turns out as I imagined.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

More Sympathy

Hello everyone,

Another quick sympathy card today. This is a commissioned card for my colleague's whose husband passed away. She is an avid gardener and I rather ran with that theme. I have to say, it has been rather soothing to make these cards for friends to give her. I used Sunday's Stars and Stamps sketch challenge as my starting point.

The card base is from Recollections. The vertical strip is Stampin' Up Rose Red textured with Sizzix Pattern 1. The patterned paper is My Mind's Eye Wild Asparagus. The image is Stampin' Up Asia Artistry coloured with watercolour crayons and spritzed with water before being applied to watercolour paper. It is layered on a piece of Chocolate Chip. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Warmest Regards also stamped on a piece of watercolour paper.

I love this sympathy card. It really speaks of my colleague and her love of gardening and her classic style. I hope it brings even the smallest measure of comfort. I love the Asian Artistry set. All of the stamps lend very, very well to the watercolour technique which is one of my favourites.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Merry Christmas

Hello everyone,

I've been attempting to use up some of my flubbed card bases so today's card, inspired by Sunday's Card Positioning Systems sketch challenge, was crafted to accommodate an earlier attempt.

The card base is from Recollections. The background images are Stampin' Up Snow Burst, Snow Swirled, Serene Snowflakes and The Snowflake Spot. The middle layer is Stampin' Up textured Rich Razzleberry paper upon which is Inkadinkado Winter Trails heat embossed with Stampendous Winter Wonderland embossing powder. The sentiment is from The Stamp Barn for Heather's Stamping Haven. It is stamped on a scrap of Whisper White and cut with Spellbinders Nestablilites Labels Four. The ribbon is Stampin' Up Rich Razzleberry polka dot grosgrain. The entire card is highlighted with Star Dust Stickles.

I love this card! From the moment I first glimpsed Rich Razzleberry, I fell in love with the colour. Combined with white, this makes for a very striking card. I fell in love with this sentiment at first sight as well. It is so bold and beautiful, I just couldn't wait to see what I could craft with it.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Holly Christmas

Hello everyone,

I had a chance to visit some of my favourite card blogs today and once I saw last Friday's Clean and Simple Stamping sketch challenge, I knew I had the perfect stamp to use on a card.

The background paper is Close To My Heart Mistletoe. The image is Heartfelt Creations Elegant Holly Swirls stamped on a scrap of Stampin' Up Very Vanilla and coloured with Faber-Castell markers. It was heat embossed with Stampin' Up clear embossing powder before it was coloured. It is layered with a piece of Bazzill Bling Textured paper. The ribbon is Martha Stewart gold metallic weave and Ribbon Bowtique. The embellishment is of unknown origin. The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions.

The is a great card. I am determined to improve my colouring skills and this is a great image with which to practise. I love the background paper and wish I had more sheets so I wouldn't have to be so stingy with it.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

With Sympathy

Hello everyone,

We had the most wonderful of holidays in the Dominican Republic. It was one of those vacations you wish would never end then reality strikes. I actually have two cards for you today. Unfortunately life goes on while one is on holidays and when I returned to the office today, I found out that the husband of an old colleague passed away last week. He had suffered numerous bouts with cancer and just couldn't fight one more battle. Needless to say, my sympathy card stash was obliterated so these are two commissioned cards. I didn't use any particular challenges for these cards. I haven't had a chance to go through the dozens of emails in my box let alone surf the blogs.

The card base is from Recollections. The purple strip is DCWV Textured Neutrals. The ribbon is Michael's Special Value. The image is Gina K Lovely Labels stamped in Nick Bantock Damson Plum which is cut with a Spellbinders die cut. It is layered on a piece of Close To My Heart New England Ivy also cut with a Spellbinder die cut. The sentiment is Verve Forever In Our Hearts.

The card base is Recollections. The image is Enchanted Hollow from the Stamp Barn for Heather's Stamping Haven. It is coloured with Stampin' Up Watercolour crayons and misted with water before being applied to watercolour paper. It is layered on a piece of Stampin' Up Close To Cocoa and Not Quite Navy. The sentiment is from the Stamp Barn. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Opaques and Licorice Opaque.

I've very pleased with both these cards especially as they're the first I've done in over a week. I think my former colleague will really appreciate them.

I'm starting to get rather antsy about my Christmas cards so that's all I expect to be posting over the next couple of weeks.

I hope you enjoy these cards and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Celebrate The Season

Hello everyone,

Today's card uses Techno Stampers Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge. It was one of those very appealing sketches that I just had to do.



The background paper is Fancy Pants Christmas Magic. The remaining paper is Stampin' Up Whisper White and Baja Breeze. The Baja Breeze layer is textured with Cuttlebug's Winter Wonderland dry embossing folder. The snowflakes are cut with the Sizzix Northern Frost decorative strip from glossy paper that was smooched with Ranger alcohol ink and glittered with DecoArt Glamour Dust. The sentiment is Impression Obsession Christmas Sentiments. The images are Stampin' Up Serene Snowflakes highlighted with diamond Stickles.
This is the type of card I just love! The colours, the sparkle, the texture - what more could a girl want in a card. The only thing that could make is better would be holly or paisley but snowflakes are still a great option.
I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.
Gisèle
PS - I'm off for a week of sun and sand in the Dominican Republic. See you when I return.

Season's Greetings

Hello everyone,

Today's card is crafted using the sketch from this week's Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge. All the layers in this sketch really appealed to me so I just ran with it.

The background paper is DCWV 'Tis The Season textured with Sizzix Flourish pad. All the printed paper is K & Company Yuletide. The sentiment is Annabelle Holly Branch stamped on Stampin' Up Very Vanilla in Nick Bantock Chartreuse Leaf. The ribbon is Michael's Special Value. The snowflake is Sizzix Northern Frost decorative strip.

I love the colours and layers of this card which along with the textures makes it very elegant. I was really inspired by the paisley paper which, next to holly, is one of my favourite shapes.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Merry Sketch

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired by this week's Paper Sundaes sketch challenge. It took me a while to get all the papers together but I finally drew on the holly image which I think makes this card work.

The card base is Recollections pearlized gold. The background paper is Bazzill Basics Glazed Christmas. The horizontal strip is K & Company SW Glad Tidings. The image, Stampin' Up Happiest of Holidays, is stamped in StazOn, on a piece of Very Vanilla and layered on a piece of Cherry Cobbler that was textured with Cuttlebug's Holly with Berries embossing folder. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Warm Words. The card is highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

I actually really love how busy this card turned out. Each time I look at it, there is something different to see. Of course, there is also four different types of holly and maybe that's what it all works. Regardless, it's a great card.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Kingly Inspiration

Hello everyone,

Today's One Layer Wednesday challenge from Jennifer Styles is a Walter Erhard photo inspiration from Vigo Stationary and I found a wonderful photo on which to base my card. I was also inspired by Friday's Daring Cardmakers challenge which was 'We Three ...'. My mojo is majestic.

The card base is from Recollections. The image is Stampin' Up Holy Triptych heat embossed with Close To My Heart silver pearl and coloured with Faber-Castell markers and Martha Stewart glitter markers. The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Christmas Expressions. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Bitty Sparkles.

I have coveted this stamp set from the moment I saw and when I had the chance to buy a second-hand set I jumped at it. I will admit though that it was my daughter who did the colouring. I gave it three shots and it looked horrible so she volunteered. What a fabulous job she did. I think this is a great card. It is simple and the sentiment matches the image so perfectly. I will need to practise colouring but it will get there. Of course if I chicken out on the colouring I will to find some really inventive ways to highlight the great stamps in this set.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Clean & Simple Holly

Hello everyone,

Today's card uses Friday's Clean and Simple Stamping sketch and was absolutely inspired by the paper.

The inspiring background paper is Close To My Heart Mistletoe. The images are Annabelle stamps Holly Branch stamped with Stampin' Up Soft Suede, heat embossed with Close To My Heart silver pearl and coloured with Sakura Gold Shadow pens. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Short & Sweet. The ribbon is Michaels Special Value. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Mocha Opaques.

As I SPI followers know, holly is one of my favourite images and this card is just filled with holly. Of course, Clean & Simple Stamping offers great sketches every Friday. How can a cardmaker go wrong?

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Winter Scene

Hello everyone,

I was looking over my list of 'interesting' challenges and there is no way I'm going to do even a quarter of them. There are just too many really fabulous challenges out there. For today's card I decided to use last Wednesday's Creative Inspirations challenge which was to create a 'winter wood land'. I had in my mind that this would be a great opportunity to craft a male Christmas card. It worked!

The card base is Recollections. The horizontal strip is a scrap of Stampin' Up Always Artichoke dry embossed with Cuttlebug's Leafy Branch folder. The patterned paper is K & Company SW Glad Tidings layered on a piece of copper Recollections Foil paper. The image is Gina K. Tree Silhouettes which was glittered with Martha Stewart glitter. The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions.

I think this is a great male Christmas card. I can't wait to use it! It is very natural but with just that little bit of sparkle. I also love the copper paper. It looks great against the dark green.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Thinking of You

Hello everyone,

I just have to say, way too much housework not enough card making! Hence, no cards and no posts for the last couple of days. A colleague has just been diagnosed with cancer so I've made a card to let her know that we're all supporting her. I used Saturday's Stamping 411 sketch to get started.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Night of Navy that was textured with Sizzix Pattern 1. The ribbon is Offray Sheerly Yours and Sheer Creations Celebrate It. The layered square is a piece of Whisper White and Cottage Wall. The sentiment is Annabelle Stamps Sentimental Bluebells. The entire card is highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

My colleague's favourite colour combination is navy and burgundy. She also likes a little bit of sparkle. This card fits the bill. I was not quite certain about the sentiment but the truth is, we are thinking of her. This is a very simple and elegant card and I really hope it lifts her spirits.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

More Glitter and Gold

Hello everyone,

It's is most certainly the time of year for holiday cards and the blogging world is just overflowing with challenges for these types of cards. For the second time in less than a week, today's card actually meets ten different challenges. I started with Saturday's Card Patterns sketch. Monday's Little Paper Shop challenge was to use a die cut. Tuesday challenges include ABC Christmas Challenge 'X' is for Xmas and Flourishes Timeless Tuesday was Christmas. Wednesday's Caardvarks challenge was to craft a Christmas card with die cuts. Today's challenges include Simon Says Stamp which asked for sparkle; Treehouse Thursday Challenge asked for glitter; Delightful Sketches asked for a winter card; Paper Play is looking for snow and the Stampin' B's asked for snowflakes.

The card base is Recollections pearlized gold. The snowflake paper is Anna Griffin Georgette Christmas layered on a piece of Stampin' Up Shimmery White. The ribbon is from Offray. The corner pieces are Sizzix Architectural Accents #3. The snowflakes are Spellbinders Build A Snowflake 1 & 2. Both of these elements are cut from the Anna Griffin paper glittered with Glitter Ritz Cool micro fine glitter. The embellishments are Close To My Heart pearl Opaques. The sentiment is Gina K Vintage Borders stamped in Soft Suede on another piece of Shimmery White.

I love this card. It actually has a very similar feel to last Friday's Glitter and Gold card because I used the same Anna Griffin paper and die cuts. I love the coolness of these snowflakes and the glittering elements. The paper is also flocked which adds more wonderful texture to the card.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Clean & Simple Joy

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired by Friday's Clean and Simple Stamping sketch which was just too lovely not to try. This card also fits this week's Tuesday Taggers challenge to use either 'peace', 'hope' or 'joy' on a card.

The background layer is Close To My Heart Ponderosa Pine. The printed papers are K & Company SW Glad Tidings. The ornaments are cut with an ornament punch from a shimmery gold paper of unknown origin. The embellishments are Recollections Adhesive Rhinestones. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Small Script.

I could do this sketch over and over, a million different ways. The K & Company paper, that I found at Michaels this past weekend is fabulous. The pre-cut aspect is wonderful. I'm not certain about the embellishments as they could have been just a little bit better arranged.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Christmas Mercy

Hello everyone,

Today, Mercy's Tuesday Sketch posted it's 100th challenge and Mercy Kerin is offering some wonderful prizes for this week's challenge participants. How could I not take part?

The card base is Recollections. The background layer is DCWV 'Tis The Season stack which is textured with the Cuttlebug Holly With Berries folder. The patterned paper is K & Company Yultide and SW Glad Tidings card making pads. The image, Kaiser Doodled Christmas is stamped on Stampin' Up Very Vanilla. The ornament shapes are cut with Spellbinders 2010 Heirloom Ornament die. The snowflake is Sizzix Northern Frost Decorative Strip cut from a piece of Very Vanilla to which Glitter Ritz warm transparent micro fine glitter was applied. The embellishments is of unknown origin.

I'm not sure how I feel about this card. It is not the best nor the worst card I've ever crafted. Light mint green is not a favourite colour and in hindsight I probably should have used a different green and I would be much happier with this card. I do love the Kaiser image which incorporates the words Believe, Peace and Joy.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Happy Birthday Ryan

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for my brother-in-law. He lives out of town so this card has to go in the mail which means no bulk. I decided to use Saturday's Waltzingmouse sketch as a jumping off point.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Old Olive as is the corner piece. The patterned paper is BasicGrey Oliver. The red strip is Quickutz Garden Stripz. The sentiment, Hero Arts Small Greetings, is stamped in Old Olive ink on a scrap of Whisper White.

This will be a great card for my brother-in-law. Clean and simple, no frou frou or glitz. Perfect! This was an awesome sketch to work with and lent itself very well to the kind of card I needed. Of course, I always turn to BasicGrey and Oliver perfect for a male card.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Happy Birthday Papa

Hello everyone,

As this post title suggests, today's card is for my Father's birthday which we are celebrating next weekend. He is turning 70. I used last Wednesday's Truly Scrumptious challenge, a birthday card, and sketch to get started.

The background paper is DCWV Retro Prints. The horizontal layers are Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, textured with Cuttlebug's Birds & Swirls, and Ruby Red, bordered with Martha Stewart's Optic Drop punch. The cardinals are cut from Ruby Red with Spellbinders Cardinal Family die and highlighted with Black Soot Stickles. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Riveting stamped on a scrap of Whisper White. The ribbon is Offray Sidesaddle.

My dad will love this card! It is perfect for him. He has always had a great affinity for animals and nature and the last couple of decades has been especially interested in birds. I bought the cardinal dies because I thought I'd be able to craft all kinds of neat things for him. I don't think I'll be disappointed.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Don't Look Mom

Hello everyone,

November, like September, is a month full of birthdays for me. Both my parents and my brother-in-law are getting cards. I'm starting with my Mom's because my daughter and I spent a great day with her today so she is on my mind. I started out with last Sunday's awesome Card Positioning Systems sketch and this Wednesday's Sisterhood of Crafters put forward a Birthday card challenge.

The background paper is Bazzill Bling. The patterned paper is My Mind's Eye Wild Asparagus. The sentiment, Hero Arts Thoughtful Messages, is stamped on a scrap of Stampin' Up Very Vanilla. The images are Basic Grey Filigree. The border is cut with Martha Stewart Quilted Edge punch. The three flowers are cut with Spellbinders Kaleidoscope Pendant. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Mocha Opaques.

I love this card and I know my Mom will as well. Her favourite colour is red so virtually each card I make her will incorporate some red. My Mom is also a fantastic quilter so this particular Martha Stewart punch was particularly appropriate. This sentiment, done with the embellishments, is one of my favourites and I've used it a number of times.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Glitter & Gold

Hello everyone,

Today's card is all about glitter and snowflakes. It is a card, like earlier this week, that meets a ton of challenges. I started with today's Friday Sketchers sketch challenge. Tuesday offered a glitter challenge from Flourishes Timeless Tuesday and snow or snowflakes from A Spoonfull of Sugar. On Wednesday the ABC Challenge was a holiday card, Caardvarks asked for a holiday card with die cuts and For Fun Challenges wanted dry embossing. This week's Cute Card Thursday is an anything goes challenge, the Terrifically Thrilling Thursday challenge was anything goes with Christmas and Thursday's Just Add Ink challenge was a Christmas Card. Finally, today's Christmas Stamping All Year Long is looking for stripes. Ten challenges, one card, amazing!


The background layer, the horizontal stripe and the sentiment layer are a shimmery gold paper of unknown origin. The patterned layer is Anna Griffin Georgette Christmas which is textured with Sizzix Snowflakes. The horizontal gold stripe and the Stampin' Up shimmery white layer are textured with Cuttlebug's Winter Wonderland folder. The vertical stripes are Stampin' Up Soft Suede covered with Glitter Ritz warm transparent micro fine glitter. The focal image is a scrap of Stampin' Up Very Vanilla covered with more micro fine glitter over which a Peel Off's Xmas Ball sticker was applied. The snowflakes are Spellbinder Build a Snowflake 1 and 2. The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions.

I love this card. The shimmery gold paper has to be one of my favourite papers ever. Of course, you can never use too much glitter.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Lest We Forget

In honor of our fallen soldiers on this Remembrance Day.

Coloured Snowflakes

Hello everyone,

Just a reminder, clean and simple cards are not easy. Today's card, based on this week's One Layer Wednesday challenge, took five tries before it actually worked and it isn't perfect. The challenge was to use five colours on a one layer card. Not necessarily an easy task but certainly doable. I tried an idea that I'd had floating around for the last couple of weeks and it worked! I love it when that happens.

The card base is from Recollections. The images, Stampin' Up Serene Snowflakes, Snow Swirled and Snow Burst, are stamped in Crushed Curry, Early Espresso, Rich Razzleberry, Taken With Teal and Tangerine Tango, and heat embossed with Close To My Heart Silver Pearl. The sentiment is Annabelle Stamps Holly Branch. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Bitty Sparkles.

I think this card is even better than my idea. I've been wanting to play with the Silver Pearl embossing powder and the different colours of ink and this was the perfect opportunity. The Silver Pearl is just amazing and the snowflakes turned out wonderfully. I have to say, the photo doesn't do it justice as my camera (which is held together with an elastic) just doesn't like white space. Thank goodness for cropping.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Good Luck

Hello everyone,

Given all the challenges I used in yesterday's card, I decided today to only use one sketch challenge for this card. A great colleague is moving on to a new job and he just can't leave without getting a card. I used Monday's 2 Sketches 4 You to get me started.

The patterned and teal layers are Basic Grey Oliver. The teal layer is textured with the Cuttlebug Pop Culture border folder. The silver layers are from Canford. The black layers are of unknown origin from the scrap bin. The sentiment is Waltzingmouse Say It With Style. The focal point outline is also Waltzingmouse Very Vintage Labels No. 4 and is cut with a Spellbinders Nestability die.

I really like this card though it is 'darker' than I intended. I was hoping for masculine not morbid. Still, it will work for this colleague. He is a great guy and I will miss him so maybe I'm feeling rather blue at the loss. I have to say this is the first time that I've used the Canford silver paper and I actually like the result.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Celebrating the Season

Hello everyone,

Sometimes a short break is a really good thing. Between the garden, laundry, visiting and homework, card making just didn't happen this weekend. I think I've made up for it with today's card. This card was requested by my boss (gulp - no pressure) for a visiting male colleague. I worked this card into so many challenges from the past seven days it is amazing! I never use this many challenges on one card! I started with Saturday's Unscripted Sketches. Saturday's One Stop Craft Challenge and today's Crafty Cardmakers both asked for embossing. This week's Paper Sundaes challenge was 'Let It Snow' and Wednesday's ABC Christmas Challenge was W for Winter Wonderland. Finally, the ABC Challenge for the past two weeks has been G is for glitter.

The background paper is Webster's Paper Winter Wonderland Collection "Twinkle" which was dry embossed with the Sizzix Snowflakes plate. The layers are Stampin' Up Bravo Burgundy, River Rock and Very Vanilla. The Bravo Burgundy layer was dry embossed with the holly Cuttlebug folder. The image is Gina K's Tree Silhouettes which is highlighted with Glitter Ritz Warm Micro Fine Glitter. The sentiment is Impression Obsession (IO) Christmas Sentiments. The snowflakes are cut from a scrap of Very Vanilla covered with more glitter and cut with Spellbinders Shapeabilities Create A Flake 1 and 2.

I love this card! To me, it is a perfect card for my boss to give to a visiting colleague. It is very wintry but not overly feminine even with the glitter. I think the Bravo Burgundy and River Rock are a great colour combination and with that bit of glitter, awesome! What astounds me even more is the number of challenges I applied to this card. I usually keep it to just a couple because I otherwise find the card becomes more about the challenges than the card. That just didn't happen with this card. Maybe I'm just getting better at it.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

O Holy Night

Hello everyone,

Sometimes, when a card just isn't working, the best thing to do is put it aside. Today's card is such a card. I just couldn't get it to work last night. I had all kinds of bits and pieces but it just wasn't coming together. That certainly changed today thanks in part to Just Add Ink which provided the sketch, today's Winter Wonderland was looking for a Christmas Carol card, and yesterday's Cute Card Thursday asked for a project with vellum.

The background paper is BoBunny Snowy Serenade Concerto. The image, stamped on vellum, is Stampin' Up Holy Triptych which is heat embossed with Close To My Heart gold embossing powder. The image is layered on a piece of Stampin' Up Very Vanilla. The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Christmas Expressions also stamped on Very Vanilla, heat embossed in gold and layered on a piece of gold paper of unknown origin. The ribbon is Wrights Matte Gold. The embellishments are also of unknown origin.

I'm so glad I didn't force this card last night. It turned out so beautifully and is absolutely what I pictured in my mind. I've coveted this stamp set from the moment my Stampin' Up demonstrator first showed it to me. I'm glad I finally picked it up. I love the effect of heat embossing on vellum as it adds a certain depth to the card that you just don't get when stamping directly on paper.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Noel

Hello everyone,

As easy as yesterday's card was crafted, today's took forever. Thank goodness there are so many really wonderful challenges in blogland because I really needed them for today's card. I started with this month's In Style Stamps Blog sketch. challenge. Today's C.R.A.F.T. Challenge was to incorporate dry embossing while Charisma Cardz asked for a Christmas card.

The background paper is Close To My Heart New Englad Ivy which is embossed with a Cuttlebug Winter Wonderland folder. The patterned layer is Close To My Heart Mistletoe. The image is Inkadinkado Holiday Silhouettes, stamped on a piece of Stampin' Up Very Vanilla in Wild Wasabi and heat embossed with Close To My Heart Silver Pearl. The sentiment was cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities Label Four. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Pearl Opaques.

For as difficult as this card was to craft, it certainly turned out beautifully. I love how Inkadinkado has incorporated holiday images within the overall image. They always turn out wonderfully and heat embossing makes it really special. This card is actually very simple which allows the image to really shine.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Christmas Kindness

Hello everyone,

When I read today's One Layer Wednesday challenge there was no way I wasn't going to participate. Susan Raihala has learned that a group of women who make cards for prisoners in the North Dakota State Penitentiary to send to their loved ones has been inspired by the one layer cards crafted for the weekly challenges. Recently a warden has placed strict limits on what can be used on the cards - no layers, no metal, no gemstones, no pearls, limited glitter. So today's challenge is to make a one layer Christmas card following the rules put forward by the North Dakota State Penitentiary.

The vanilla card base is from Recollections. The image is Stamps Happen, Inc. Swirl of Holly. It is stamped in Color Box gold, heat embossed with Close To My Heart gold embossing powder and coloured with Sakura Gelly Roll Gold Shadow pens. The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Christmas Expressions.

I love this card. Yes, it is yet another holly image but, I've got the stamps so I may as well use them. I also can't help using the Gold Shadow pens over and over as the effect is just amazing. The simplicity of this card is perfect. It is wonderfully clean and simple and certainly elegant.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Christmastide

Hello everyone,

Today's card started with Monday's Lunchtime Sketch Challenge and was inspired by the paper which I just love working with.

All the paper is Little Yellow Bicycle 25 Days of Christmas and Stampin' Up Whisper White. The background layer was textured with the Sizzix Flourish plate. The image is Denami Design Christmas Holly Vine which was stamped with Color Box gold, clear heat embossed and coloured with Sakura Gelly Roll Gold Shadow pens. The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions.

I love that this sketch really allowed me to play up the beautiful Little Yellow Bicycle paper. It is thick, rich and smooth and just wonderful on my cards. I know I should probably back off of the holly images but to be honest, I've so many that I'd really like to just use them over and over and over. I like how the Gold Shadow ink has come out much differently with the gold outline as opposed to the black. This is an interesting discovery that I will have fun exploring.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Pink & Peaceful

Hello everyone,

When I first came across Friday's Stamp Something pink challenge, I started thinking about how I could incorporate pink into a Christmas card. I think I managed it. I used Sunday's Stars and Stamps sketch to get started. This card also fits Sunday's Paper Players anything goes challenge.

The card base is from Recollections and is stamped with Stampin' Up Serene Snowflakes. The layers are Canford Silver and Stampin' Up Pink Pirouette. The pink layer was textured with Cuttlebug's Winter Wonderland dry embossing folder. The image is Heartfelt Creations Elegant Snowflake Medallions, heat embossed with Close To My Heart silver pearl and cut with Spellbinders Holly Ornamentn Die Cut. The sentiment is Gina K Vintage Borders. The entire card is highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

I really love this card. It is so soft and elegant and peaceful. I don't usually see pink as a Christmas colour but I think it really works with this card. I love the hints of silver as it lends that little bit of sheen that adds to the elegance.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Golden Reindeer

Hello everyone,

This card is inspired by today's Allsorts challenge which is gold, cream with a hint of red. I found today's Card Patterns sketch an inspiring jumping-off point.

The card base is Recollections pearlized gold. The red layers are Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler. The gold layers are Recollections gold foil which are textured with Cuttlebug Winter Wonderland. The image, stamped on Stampin' Up Very Vanilla, is Inkadinkado Holiday Silhouettes in Color Box Gold and heat embossed in clear embossing powder. The embellishments are from Multicrafts.

I'm quite impressed with this card. I love the pearlized gold card base as it adds a wonderful elegance to the card. I find this set of Inkadinkado stamps gorgeous as they beautifully incorporate great Christmas symbols.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

More Clean & Simple Holly

Hello everyone,

I so loved yesterday's card that when I looked at today's Clean & Simple Stamping one layer sketch, I decided I would use the same coloured holly images on this card.

The card base is from Recollections. The images are Annabelle Stamps Holly Branch stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso, heat embossed with clear embossing powder and coloured with Sakura Gelly Roll Gold Shadow pens. The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions.

I love this card as much as I love the card I made yesterday. I think the holly images have turned out so beautifully that I suspect you'll see a few more of them on my cards over the next few weeks.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Clean & Simple Holly

Hello everyone,

This must be the week for clean and simple cards because I came across three during my recent blog surfing. Last Friday's Clean & Simple Stamping provided a great sketch. Both Wednesday's Fab 'n Funky and Thursday's CCEE - Cheers & Challenges Eclectic Ensemble asked for clean and simple cards. Wednesday's Color Throwdown was looking for cards with vanilla, Riding Hood Red and Certainly Celery.


The card base is Recollections vanilla. The remaining papers are Stampin' Up Riding Hood Red, Certainly Celery and Very Vanilla. The red strip was textured with a Cuttlebug Winter Wonderland dry embossing folder. The green squares were cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Small Squares. The images are Annabelle Stamps Holly Branch, stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso and heat embossed with clear embossing powder and coloured with Sakura Gelly Roll Gold Shadow pens. The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Christmas Expressions. The embellishments are Multicrafts Keepsake Memories.

I love this card. Notwithstanding the beautiful holly image, I love the sketch and the colours. Everything works so well together. It is simple and warm. I think I could recreate this card over and over and not tire of it.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Vintage Holly

Hello everyone,

Today's card is another all about vintage. I used Monday's Lunchtime Sketch as a starting point and was really inspired to keep it vintage to meet last Thursday's Charisma Cardz challenge.

The background paper is by Anna Griffin as are the two papers in the middle layer. The element on the left was textured with Cuttlebug's Holly dry embossing folder. The image is Annabelle Holly Branch which is stamped is Color Box gold and heat embossed with Close To My Heart gold embossing powder. The sentiment, treated just like the image, is Cornish Heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions. The embellishments are American Crafts mini glitter brads.

I've come across some really nice vintage Christmas papers and stamps in the last while and have been very inspired by the feelings invoked by old Christmas cards and decorations. They just are not made that way any more. I think this is a great vintage card and am so pleased with the results. Holly will always be a favourite holiday image and I love the warmth of this card with just that little sprinkling of gold.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Frosty

Hello everyone,

Today's card fulfills a multitude of great challenges. I had only planned to use three challenges but when I looked over my list, it worked for a bunch of challenges. The latest ABC Christmas Challenge is 'V' for vertical with a great sketch to follow. Today's Artful Inkables is a blue, silver and white card. Today's Cards for Men is an anything goes challenge as long as it is for a man. The Flourish Timeless Tuesday Challenge was to embellish with anything but buttons or bows. Papertake Weekly is looking for sparkly and bright. Finally, this week's Tuesday Throwdown was to focus on a sentiment. Whew! I'm glad I didn't plan for all of these otherwise a card likely wouldn't have happened.

The background paper is DCWV Pastels card stock. The navy layer is of unknown origin from the stash, likely Recollections. The silver paper is Recollections and is textured with the Sizzix Ornaments plate. The white strips are Stampin' Up Whisper White textured with Sizzix Small Dots. The ribbons are from Michaels, Celebrate It Holiday and Home & More Classic Collection. The sentiment is Close To My Heart Magical Season stamped in Nick Bantock Charcoal Grey and heat embossed with Silver Pearl. The sentiment was cut and layered with the Spellbinders Labels Three die. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Licorice Opaques.

I love, love, love this card. The blue, silver and white is a favourite colour combination and perfect for a man-card. I was tempted to add some silver Stickles but I figured that would move the card away from manly and I really wanted to craft a card that I could pass along to a male colleague. There is enough sparkle in the ribbon.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Blinged Holly

Hello everyone,

Thursday's Pals Paper Arts challenge, a clean and simple card with bling, was right up my ally. I knew I would make a card. Low and behold, some new stamps arrived in the mail today and my Pals Paper Arts card almost make itself.

The card base is from Recollections. The image is Heartfelt Creations Elegant Holly Swirls. The image was coloured with Sakura Glaze pens and highlighted with Sakura Gelly Roll Gold pens. The sentiment is Close To My Heart Christmas Scripts. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Bitty Sparkles.

I love this card. Holly is one of my favourite holiday images and I find this new stamps especially appealing. They are designed to work with specific Spellbinders dies. I can't wait to play with them and see what happens.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Silver Trees

Hello everyone,

I just hate it when I misplace a challenge. Every day I go through a number of blog challenges and when I find a particularly appealing one, I put it on my list. Every once in a while though, I miss something or start a card without posting it. Today's card started as a green and silver challenge one day last week. I can't remember which blog and when I went looking, I just couldn't find it. I still loved the idea though and the card still fits any number of challenges, including, today's Paper Players recipe challenge (one designer paper, one punch and one sentiment), Friday's Frosted Designs challenge was to use die cuts, the Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge was winter wonderland and the Paper Garden Projects is looking for holiday cards.

The background paper (perfect for a green and silver challenge) is from the dollar store. The trees in Canford Silver and Stampin' Up Whisper White, were cut with Spellbinders Shapeabilities Nested Pine Trees and textured with Cuttlebug's Winter Wonderland. The ribbon is Shimmering Crystal from Michael's. The sentiment is Close To My Heart Christmas Scripts. The entire card is highlighted with silver Stickles.

I love this card. It is so cool and fresh, the photo really doesn't do it justice. I'm really glad I went ahead with this card even though I misplaced the original challenge. With so many challenges each day, it will always be tough to keep track of them all. There will always be a new and appealing challenge tomorrow.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle