Birthday Boy II

Hello everyone,

Sorry to have missed posting yesterday. I'm still on holidays and in the throes of renovations and painting. I can't wait to be finished and I'm fast reaching the point where it would be more relaxing to be at work.

Tomorrow is my godson's 16th birthday. How time flies. He is a fairly decent rugby player and his favourite team is the Australian Wallabies. We found him the real deal, gold and green rugby jersey so I figured a green and gold card was just the ticket.

The sketch is based on Sunday's Card Positioning Systems sketch. The card base is from DCWV assorted box of textured cards. The top layer is Stampin' Up Patterns Pack II. The sentiment is Sweet 'n Sassy Birthday Greetings.

There seemed little point is going hog-wild for a sixteen year old boys birthday card. It isn't something he'll treasure forever - that will be the jersey - so I deliberately kept this pretty basic and very simple. He'll get the colours but beyond that, meh. All that being said, I quite like this card and will certainly keep this sketch in mind when I need something fast.

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

Gisèle

Birthday Boy

Hello everyone,

The son of one of my best friends is turning one today. He likes things he can chase, books and things with wheels. I used this week's Eat, Sleep, Stamp sketch as a starting point and though I really took some liberties with the sketch, I am really pleased with the final card.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Old Olive. The orange strip is Stampin' Up Only Orange which was textured with Cuttlebug's Happy Birthday embossing folder. The stickers are felties from Sassafras. The personalization was cut with Provo Craft Olivia by Wordsworth letters in Stampin' Up Real Red. The sentiment is Stampin' Up It's Your Birthday.

I think this is a great little boy's birthday card. I drew the colours for the card from the felties because I needed the focus. As Xavier will only be one, I can't wait to see his parents' faces because I know they'll love this card.

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

Gisèle

Thanks Coach

Hello everyone,

It's been so long since I've made a card I actually had a hard time focusing today. Tomorrow is my daughter's last soccer game and I picked up a little thank you for her coach. I, of course, just had to make him a card to go with it.

The background paper is atd Story of Us. The white paper is Stampin' Up Whisper White. The yellow and red layers are DCWV Jewel Coloured and Brights respectively. The image is of unknown origin from the stamp stash. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Lots of Thoughts.

I used Tuesday's Inspirational Card Sketches as a starting point. This year, the league's team names were based on the World Cup teams and their team was Spain thus the red and gold.

I think this is a great thank you card and I know her coach will love it.

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

Gisèle

Get Well Soon

Hello everyone,

Today's card was crafted for this week's One Layer Wednesday challenge which was to create a scene. These are perhaps the most difficult cards for me to craft. I just don't have the skill to make them turn out the way I picture them in my head. That being said, I had to give it a try. It took only three attempts which for a clean and simple one layer card, is pretty good.

The card base is Recollections. The image is Verve Forever In Our Hearts. The sentiment is Hero Arts Thoughtful Messages highlighted with 3mm pearls.

When all is said and done I really love this card. It is simple and sweet and makes for a wonderful get well card. I first tried it with my watercolour crayons but I find they don't work as well on acrylic stamps. It worked much better with my ink spots.

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

Gisèle

Clean & Simple Sympathy

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired by Monday's Cuttlebug Spot challenge to create a sympathy card. I never have enough sympathy cards in my stash so I felt this was a good choice. I used Friday's Clean & Simple Stamping sketch challenge as a starting point.

The background paper is BasicGrey Cappella. The green layer is Stampin' Up Mellow Moss textured with Cuttlebug's Birds and Swirls folder. The sentiment, from the Stamp Barn, is stamped on a scrap of Whisper White which was stamped with Stampin' Up's Watercolour Vine jumbo wheel in Close To Cocoa. The ribbon is Home & More Classic Collections.

I think this works very well as a sympathy card. It is subtle and natural. I'm very pleased with the sentiment stamped on top of a stamped scrap. The ribbon has been part of my stash for ages, I just couldn't resist when I saw it in the sale bin.

I'm going to be a rather sporadic blogger for the next few weeks. I'm on holidays and while I'll be visiting my sisters for a few days, we're also working on renovations which is just killing my creativity. Everything should get back to normal after Labour day.

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

Gisèle

Golden Christmas

Hello everyone,

I think I'm actually starting to feel the Christmas spirit because I was only thinking about crafting a Christmas card today. It all started with Friday's Christmas Stamping All Year Long challenge which was to use two different designer papers. The design is based on Saturday's Sketch For You To Try which really lent itself to multiple different papers. Last week's Craftalicious challenge was to use swirls and pearls while Friday's Daring Cardmakers challenge was to use a tree.

The paper on this card is Stampin' Up Whisper White and Anna Griffin Designer Christmas. The image is Penny Black Christmas Constellation which was heat embossed with Close To My Heart gold embossing powder and highlighted with Hero Arts pearls. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Short & Sweet.

I love this card. It is actually quite monochromatic. I often have problems with this image but this sketch, flipped, works really well. The pearls also work perfectly.

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

Gisèle

Asian Thanks

Hello everyone,

Nothing like a good night's sleep to get the card making mojo back. This card is based on today's Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps sketch challenge and yesterday's One Stop Craft Challenge which is an Oriental Delights challenge.

The background paper is DCWV Far East Stack. The red strip is Stampin' Up Ruby Red. The image, from Inkadinkado, is stamped on a scrap of Very Vanilla and layered on a piece of textured Soft Suede card stock. The sentiment is Craft Lounge Friendly Flowers.

I think this is a great card. I love the colours. The entire Far East stack is just wonderful to work with and very inspiring.

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

Gisèle

Christmas in August

Hello everyone,

It's been a wicked Saturday with not only is my energy gone but my mojo is lagging in a big way. This week's One Layer Wednesday challenge was to use a non-traditional colour. I chose purple though when I look at my card, it looks like a pretty traditional Christmas card to me.

The card base is from Recollections. The image is Inkadinkado Holiday Silhouettes. It was stamped in retired Stampin' Up Eggplant Envy and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. The sentiment is Expressions In Ink 4-in-1 Holidays.

I love this card. It is perfect simplicity and amazingly traditional. It also took me one try. You've just got to love a card that comes together so beautifully.

Please enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Thinking of You

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for a colleague who is undergoing prostate cancer treatment. He is halfway through treatment and I thought he could you a bright, yet masculine card pick-me-up from the gang at the office. I used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge as a starting point and incorporating a tree fits today's Cute Card Thursday challenge.

The background layer and horizontal strip is Stampin' Up Certainly Celery. The remaining paper is Martha Stewart Playful Blue and Stampin' Up Whisper White. The blue layer and green strip were textured with Cuttlebug's Leafy Branch embossing folder. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties. The image is Gina K Tree Silhouettes. The sentiment is Annabelle Sentimental Bluebells.

I love this card. I think it will be perfect for my colleague and I hope it will brighten his day. I just love the tree image, I've not used it before but I will certainly use it more often now.

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

Gisèle

Mum's The Word

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired by last Friday's Clean & Simple Stamping sketch. I used some more of the images sent to me by Erin T. as they were perfect for this sketch.

The card base is from Recollections. The images are Waltzingmouse Big Blooms Chrysanthemums. The leaves are BasicGrey Sugar Rush punched with a five-petal punch and affixed to the flowers with American Crafts mini jewel brads. The sentiment is Stampin' Up It's Your Birthday.

This is a different card for me but I love it. I think the colours just pop and attaching the flowers with pop dots really adds dimension. This is my second take on this card. The first time around I just used plain metal brads but it was too bland. I love the little bit of sparkle these simple mini brads add.

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

Gisèle

Wedding Traditions

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired from yesterday's Papertake Weekly Challenge for Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Blue. I used Techno Stamper's Monday Lunchtime Sketch as a starting point. I really wanted to get started using the fabulous stamped images I got in the mail today from my card making blogging buddy, Erin T. and these challenges fit the bill.

The card base is from Recollections. The bottom layer is Stampin' Up Brocade Blue which was punched with Martha Stewart's Optic Drop border punch. The patterned layer is My Mind's Eye Coastal 'Curious'. The ribbon is previously enjoyed and of unknown origin. The image is Waltzingmouse Big Blooms Chrysanthemums and is highlighted with Waterfall Stickles. The bottom oval layer was punched from another Big Blooms Chrysanthemums. The sentiment is American Crafts Wedding which is stamped on a scrap of Stampin' Up Very Vanilla.

The 'something old' is the ribbon. The new is the sentiment. I'm calling the 'something borrowed' the images from Erin T. The blue is pretty self-evident. Overall this is a very traditional wedding card. Overall, I love this card - the colours, the sparkle and just the entire feel. Thanks Erin for the great images, they've got me feeling really creative.

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

Gisèle

CAS Birthday

Hello everyone,

I'd not planned a second post for tonight because it's club night and time is sooo short. I just had to do this week's CAS-tastic Challenge before it was too late and my blogging friend Erin T. spurred me on once again. The object of the challenge was to CASE (Copy And Share Everything) one of the DT's cards. I chose Karen's because it is just a gorgeous card.

The card base is from Recollections. The border was punched with Martha Stewart's Layered Arches. The image is Stampin' Up Medallion in Melon Mambo and it is highlighted with Diamond Stickles. The sentiment, also Stampin' Up, is Well Scripted.

I am really pressed for time but this was really a quick card. I love the Medallion image and would use it more often but it is so distinctive it can easily be overused.

Please enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Thank You Again

Hello everyone,

Today's card is part of my goal to increase my stash of male thank you cards. I used Saturday's awesome Stamping 411 sketch which was just to inspiring to miss.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Bashful Blue layered with BasicGrey Granola. The sentiment is Gina K Tag, You're It affixed with a metal element of unknown origin and mounted on a scrap of Bashful Blue. The brown strip is Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip which was crimped.

I think this is an awesome thank you card for a guy. The colours are perfect and it is really simple and absolutely not fussy.

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

Gisèle

Cherished Anniversary

Hello everyone,

Today's card was commissioned from a colleague who is celebrating her third wedding anniversary this week. My colleague is anything but traditional so it was my intention to work outside the traditonal with this card. I loosely used today's Mojo Monday sketch as a starting point. Other challenges are last week's Crafty Creations asked for a wedding or anniversary card. Sunday's Just Scraps is an anything goes challenge. Today's Kaboodle Doodles challenge was to use metal.


The background paper is DCWV Textured Brights cardstock. The purple paper is BasicGrey Wisteria. The focal square is DCWV Luxury Stack layered on a scrap of Stampin' Up Basic Black. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Fancy Fuzz and Making Memories brads. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Warm Words.

I'm fairly confident that my colleague will like this card. It is not a traditional anniversary card but it still has some traditional elements blended with modern elements. I think it workds very well.

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

Gisèle

Another Sweet Thank You

Hello everyone,

Today's card is one for my male thank you stash. I used today's Sweet Sunday Sketch and the Paper Sundaes challenge to use metal. I think it turned out wonderfully.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Not Quite Navy. The patterned paper is BasicGrey Oliver. The image is Stampin' Up Branch Out stamped on Very Vanilla. The other Very Vanilla element was textured with Cuttlebug's Leafy Branch folder. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Short & Sweet which is affixed to the card with a metal element of unknown origin.

I just love this card. It is a great male card. The metal piece was part of a box of metal bits that I found at Home Sense eons ago. I never quite figured out how to use them but thanks to a sample card on Paper Sundaes, I got it!

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

Gisèle

Incredible Heart

Hello everyone,

This week I received an order from the Paper Garden Projects store and it was filled with some incredible Impression Obsession stamps. I started playing around with them and put together this amazing card. It actually works for two challenges; this week's Cute Card Thursday was an anything goes challenge and the Frosted Designs challenge which was to celebrate life.

The card base is Recollections. The image is Impression Obsession Garden Heart Two. The image was stamped in VersaFine Black Onyx and heat embossed with Stampin' Up clear embossing powder after which it was coloured with Sakura Gold Shadow pens. It is highlighted with Platinum Stickles. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Live Like You Mean It on Very Vanilla and layered on a piece of gold of unknown origin from the scrap bin. The embellishments are Crafts from the dollar store.

I just love this card. It is very elegant and simple. While I'm using it as a celebration card, it could be used for just about anything. The image certainly didn't disappoint me. This new batch of stamps is really going to force me to get colouring which I hope will improve with practise.

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

Gisèle

One Layer Thank You

Hello everyone,

In keeping with my goal for a few more masculine cards, I came across two more one layer card challenges. Happily Ever Crafter (thanks to Erin T) and No Time To Stamp were both looking for one layer card and I decided another masculine thank you.

The card base is from Recollections. The image is Verve Forever In Our Hearts. The sentiment is Annabelle Sentimental Bluebells.

I love this card. Everything about it is just what I pictured in my head all day. I also did it on my first try and I have to shout that out because it doesn't happen that way all that often. If I didn't intend for it to be a masculine card, I'd add some pearls or sparkle but I just have to put that out of my head for now. More man cards, more man cards, more man cards.

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

Gisèle

Kissingly Male

Hello everyone,

This card was crafted for today's Pals Paper Arts challenge to create a Masculine KISS (Keep It Simple Sweetie) card. This challenge couldn't have come at a better time as I had a colleague looking for a thank you card for a man and I had nothing 100% suitable in my stash. Note to self - more masculine cards.

The base is a vanilla Recollections card. The image is Sweet 'n Sassy Autumn Blessings. The sentiment is Penny Black Thanks, Thanks.

I love this clean and simple card. It is just perfect as a masculine KISS card. I can't wait to do a few more along this line.

Please enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Sparkling Butterflies

Hello everyone,

Well I've still got butterflies on the brain. When I first saw Saturday's Waltzingmouse sketch challenge I was, once again, scared. As I said to my friend Erin T, whoever is coming up with these sketches is just brilliant because they certainly are challenging.

The background paper is DCWV Textured pastel cardstock layered with Stampin' Up Shimmery White that was textured with Sizzix Butterfly Dance plate. The butterflies were cut with Sizzix Beautiful Wings Sizzlit from glossy paper that was smooched with Ranger Alcohol Ink and DecoArt Glamour Dusted.

I really love this card. Once I figured out the focal element I wanted to use, this is actually a pretty clean and simple card. It really is all about the sparkling butterflies.

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

Gisèle

More Beautiful Butterflies

Hello everyone,

I've got butterflies on the brain so this card highlights butterflies. I used four challenges as inspiration - last week's Flutter By Wednesday was an open challenge as long as it had an angel, butterfly or fairy; Wednesday's CAS-tastic challenge was to 'bling it up'; Saturday's Stamping 411 provided a really nice sketch; and today's Creative Card Crew challenge was looking for cute and girly. I just couldn't resist these challenges once I got going on these butterflies.

The background layers are Stampin' Up Pretty In Pink and BasicGrey Olivia. The butterflies are Sizzix Butterfly #12 cut from glossy paper which was Ranger Alcohol Ink smooshed and DecoArt Glamour Dusted. The embellishments are Kaiser Scrapbook Rhinestones. The sentiment is Gina K Tag, You're It.

I love this card. I got a Paper Garden Projects order today with the rhinestones and new BasicGrey and it was just perfect for these challenges. This is a wonderful girly and cute card and I can't wait for someone to received it.

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

Gisèle

Welcome

Hello everyone,

Once again today's card reminds me of well-washed and worn cotton clothing that feels so awesome during the dog days of summer. This is a three-card challenge. The Shabby Tea Room provided a wonderful photo inspiration and the colours used in this card. Today's Die Cut Dreams challenge was to incorporate gingham and Mojo Monday provided a really neat sketch.

The background paper is DCWV Textured Pastel cardstock. The gingham layer is of unknown origin from the paper stash. The next layers are Stampin' Up Kraft and Whisper White stamped with Wow Flowers in VersaMark. The sentiment is Warm Words. The cording is hemp twine of unknown origin. The embellishment is from Multicrafts.

I really love it when multiple challenges blend so seamlessly into a single card. This has to be one of my favourite cards of late. I like that it is soft and worn and really quite simple given the sketch could have easily been over-the-top if I'd been so inclined.

Please enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Sketched Male Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today's card is based on two sketches. Thursday's Just Add Ink had a colour challenge - Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip and Kraft - crafted into a male card. Today's Card Positioning Systems sketch was the perfect jumping off point for a clean and simple male card.

The paper is all Stampin' Up - Baja Breeze (Urban Oasis), Chocolate Chip and Kraft. The background layer is textured with Sizzix Small Dots. The Chocolate Chip layer is textured with Cuttlebug Argyle, positioned horizontally. The sentiment is Sweet 'n Sassy Birthday Greetings. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties.

I think this is a great male Birthday card. It is wonderfully clean and simple and will really appeal to those who like that minimalist feel.

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

Gisèle