Royal Wedding

Hello everyone,

Today's card is absolutely in honor of the Royal Wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony for a lovely couple.

The paper is all Stampin' Up - Night of Navy, Real Red and Whisper White - all layered on Canford Silver. The Real Red layer is textured with Crafts Concepts Venus embossing folder. The image is Outlines Rubber Stamps, highlighted in Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen, and the sentiment is Stampabilities Changes Everything, both of which are stamped in Nick Bantock Deep Turquoise. The embellishments are Hero Arts Metallic Decor.

I love this card. Both the image and the sentiment are among my favourite stamps for wedding and anniversary cards. The red and blue were a must for this particular celebratory card.

I hope you enjoyed Catherine and William's wedding as well as this card, and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Wonderful Mother

Hello everyone,

Mother's Day is just around the corner so it's time to work on the card stash. I also need to make card for my own mother and mother-in-law.

The background papers, Stampin' Up Soft Suede and Bravo Burgundy, were textured with Cuttlebug Friends Forever dry embossing folder. The patterned paper is TaDa Flora & Fauna which is layered on Stampin' Up Baja Breeze. Everything is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Well Scripted stamped in Soft Suede on Very Vanilla. The embellishments are Kaisercraft Pearls.

I just love this card. All the colours were drawn from the beautiful TaDa paper and work so very well together. Of course, I couldn't not use my Sakura pen. There are few cards on which I've not used it lately. I'm pretty sure the mother who gets this card will love it.

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

Gisèle

Happy Birthday

Happy Easter everyone,

I almost didn't craft a card today. We're in the middle of redecorating my daughter's room and painting while doing laundry is a real energy depleter. I only sat down at my desk to see what was happening in the blogosphere and I SPI'd some new stamps that arrived in the mail a couple of weeks ago. Before I knew it, I had stamped one on a scrap piece of paper that was lying on my desk - I just wanted to see the stamp inked. Then I decided to look at the BasicGrey paper that arrived with the stamp order. Before I knew it, I had a card.

The card layers are Stampin' Up Old Olive, Whisper White and BasicGrey Hello Luscious. The sentiment is Penny Black Special Time stamped in Nick Bantock Vermillion Lacquer on Whisper White and layered on Old Olive.

A very, very simple card but quite lovely if I do say so myself. I usually would have reserved this colour palette for Christmas cards but the Vermillion Lacquer (isn't that a great name) was on the top of the ink pad pile. This simple, simple layout was perfect for my low mojo tonight and I give thanks to BasicGrey for producing such wonderful paper that allow cards to come together so easily.

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

Gisèle

Glittering Goodness

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired by this week's Card Positioning System sketch. If ever you're looking for a jumping-off point, this site always has very appealing sketches. I'm hoping this card will work as a Mother's Day card, however I didn't add a sentiment because there just wasn't a good place to add it.

The background paper is TaDa Flora & Fauna layered on Stampin' Up Old Olive and Close To My Heart Twilight. The ribbon is Martha Stewart Gold/Swan Metallic Weave. The butterflies are Twilight paper that was glittered with Glitter Ritz Cool Highlight Transparent Micro Fine glitter. The embellishments are of unknown origin, likely Multicrafts.

This is another paper that I found when I was out shopping the other day. There was just something about the colours and the graphics that I found really appealing. Another paper that I will likely regret not getting more than one piece. I suspect this card will still work for Mother's Day, even without a sentiment.

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

Gisèle

Celebrate

Hello everyone,

It seems I never walk into a scrapbooking store without finding an extremely appealing piece of paper. These certainly are not colours I would normally gravitate towards but I just found this paper absolutely striking. My jumping off point was this week's Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge.

The background paper is Close To My Heart Sorbet which was stamped with Stampin' Up's Delight In Life and clear heat embossed. The middle layer is BoBunny Olivia Ambrosia. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Wonderful Words. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties.

I really like this very feminine card. This BoBunny paper is just spectacular. It has such a wonderful combination of colours that you could use it over and over again in a multitude of permutations. I'll probably regret that I only picked up one piece.

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

Gisèle

Get Well Soon

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for one of my best friends who is recovering from breast cancer. It's been a while since I did a challenge so I decided to use Clean & Simple Stamping sketch challenge from this past Friday.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Perfect Plum. The middle layer is Old Olive textured with Sizzix Flowers dry embossing folder and highlighted with Sakura's Clear Star Gelly Roll pen. The patterned paper is BasicGrey Kioshi. The image is Stampin' Up Itty Bitty Buds. The ribbon is Michael's Special Value Ribbon layered on a piece of leftover from the scrap bin. The sentiment is Gina K Fanciful Tags. The embellishments are Recollections Rhinestone Stickers.

I love this card. Purple and green are a really great colour combination and one that my girlfriend really likes. Everyone who has had a chance to sign the card, think is suits my girlfriend perfectly. It is a rather spring-like card which can't get here soon enough. I love this particular BasicGrey paper. The colours and shapes are beautiful and actually really flexible for pretty much any card.

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

Gisèle

Asian Sympathy

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for a colleague. Her Vietnamese grandfather passed away last week and I wanted to make her a special card.

The background layer is DCWV Far East Stack layered on Stampin' Up Night of Navy. The image, Gina K Block Greetings, is stamped on Whisper White in Night of Navy and layered on Close To My Heart Twighlight and more Night of Navy. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Pearl Opaques and Recollections Rhinestone Stickers.

I had not yet put away the scrap of DCWV paper as I had intended to use it when I crafted the Asian inspired cards in March. I love this card. The paper is very subtly Asian and the blues and greens are so soothing. I wasn't certain about this particular image but I felt it somewhat mirrored the centers of the DCWV paper. Regardless, I think this works.

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

Gisèle

Happy Easter

Hello everyone,

Easter Sunday is only a week away. I don't usually craft Easter cards but a colleague wanted one to send home. I made two because I wasn't sure if Easter was sosmething religious for her or a spring celebration.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Urban Oasis layered on Baja Breeze. The focal layer is more Baja Breeze, textured with Sizzix Manhatten Flower, highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen and layered on Stampin' Up Basic Grey. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Well Scripted. The embellishments are Crystal Stickers Light Blue Mosiacs.

The paper is all Martha Stewart Playful Blue and Stampin' Up Whisper White. The background layer is textured with Creative Expressions Flourish. The image is DeNami Design Cross stamped in Wild Wasabi and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Well Scripted.

I love both of these cards. Both for Easter but both are so very different - one modernish and one spiritual. This is one of the things that I find so appealing about cardmaking.

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

Gisèle

So Much Love

Hello everyone,

I'm helping a friend of mine put together a Mother's Day project for her daughter's students and today's card is a sample from a sketch she found on the web. I wanted to be able to show what a card could look like using the sketch, keeping in mind the abilities of 10 and 11 year old girls.

The paper is BasicGrey June Bug and Stampin' Up Wild Wasabi and Very Vanilla. The image is Gina K Botanicals stamped in Wild Wasabi. The sentiment is Papertrey Ink Signature Greetings stamped in Nick Bantock Deep Turquoise. The ribbon is Michael's Special Value. The embellishments are Kaisercraft Pearls.

I think this is a great card. While not necessarily specific to Mother's Day, it certainly would work. I love the blues and greens as well as the little bit of sparkle provided by the ribbon and pearls. For my friend's project, I think everything will hinge on the patterned paper she chooses and those options are limitless. Once that choice is made, it will be a simple matter (LOL) of choosing a solid paper for layering, coordinating ribbon and some embellishments. I'll be sure to get a photo so everyone can see the final project.

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

Gisèle

Sympathetic Sorry

Hello everyone,

Today's card is another to help build-up my stash of sympathy cards.

The background paper is Stampin' Up More Mustard textured with Couture Creations Entangle dry embossing folder. The patterned layer is BasicGrey Pyrus. The image, Stampin' Up Just Believed is stamped in Early Espresso on Very Vanilla and layered on Early Espresso paper. The sentiment is Gina K Fanciful Tags. The embellishments are Multicrafts Keepsake Memories.

The card which I've posted is no where near the card that I started to craft. I would change one element that would lead to a change in another element and so on. I think the only thing that never changed was the image and that was a near thing as it took four attempts before I was satisfied with the final impression. I like this card. I think the warmer colours, though rather 'fallish', work well. I love working with Early Espresso because it is lighter than black and a little darker than Chocolate Chip. A great addition to the Stampin' Up colours.

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

Gisèle

With Sympathy

Hello everyone,

Today's project is another sympathy card needed to rebuild my sadly depleted stash.

The background paper is BasicGrey Granola on which is layered Stampin' Up Early Espresso, Very Vanilla and Baja Breeze. The top layer is textured with Cuttlebug's Bird Call dry embossing folder. The butterfly is Sizzix Embosslits Beautiful Wings cut from a scrap of BasicGrey Granola and glittered with Glitter Ritz Warm Highlight Transparent Micro Fine Glitter. The sentiment is Gina K Labeled With Love. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Mocha Opaques.

Something I wanted to do with these latest cards is use up some of the bits and pieces that I have laying around. The Baja Breeze layer is one of those pieces. I think it really works wonderfully for this card. I thought the addition of the glittered butterfly was rather inspired.

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

Gisèle

Simple Sympathy

Hello everyone,

I've been so busy with other projects lately that I've not participated in many challenges. Last week's One Layer Wednesday challenge was to make a sympathy card without using trees or flowers. Unfortunately, my sympathy card stash has really fallen recently so I've decided I need build it up again as I really hate crafting sympathy cards at last minute.

The card base and the embellishments are from Recollections. The image, stamped three times, is Verve Filigree Fantasy. The sentiment is Gina K. Botanicals. Both the image and the sentiment are stamped in Nick Bantock Damson Plum.

I really like this card. It was rather nice to craft a sympathy card which doesn't use trees or flowers. I thought this was a great challenge and for me, pretty timely.

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

Gisèle

Good Luck

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for a colleague who is moving on to another job.

The paper is all Stampin' Up - Baja Breeze, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla and Elegant Soiree. The Baja Breeze layer is textured with Sizzix Elegant Lines dry embossing folder. The sentiment is Waltzingmouse Say It With Style. The embellishments are Martha Stewart White Dimensional Mini Pearls.

Elegant Soiree is one of my favourite Stampin' Up papers and when combined with Baja Breeze and Soft Suede, how can I not love this card. I was tempted to colour some of the circles with my ever present Sakura Clear Star pen but I figured that I should give it a rest. This card works with it either way.

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

Gisèle

Sweet Bahama Sunshine

Hello everyone,

Today's card is the last in the Canadian/Bahamian series I've been working on for my daughter's student exchange. I have to say, it's been a lot of fun and was a great challenge.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Crushed Curry dry embossed with Couture Creations Satine and layered on textured Bermuda Bay. The images and sentiment is Verve Thankful Accents stamped on Whisper White and layered on Bermuda Bay and Basic Black. The embellishments are Kaisercraft pearls.

I love this card. The colours, images and textures work so well together. I'm not a huge fan of circles, as though who follow I SPI may know, but this one turned out really well. I was looking for inspiration and when I decided upon this Verve set, I had to use my Spellbinders dies.

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

Gisèle

Canadiana

Hello everyone,

Today's second card is the last Canadian-inspired card for the Canada/Bahamas series I've been working on.

The red paper is all Stampin' Up Real Red. The bottom layer is dry embossed with Sizzix Pattern 1 texture plate. The white paper is a mix of Whisper White and Shimmery White. The image is Hero Arts Dot Flourish Border which is highlighted with Sakura's Clear Star Gelly Roll pen. The sentiment is Papertrey Ink Signature Greetings.

Yet another card in this series that I just love. Red and white is such a striking combination. Although it doesn't show great in the photo, the highlighted parts of the image match the Shimmery White paper perfectly. This is one card that I think I would love to try in a number of different colours because I suspect I would love them all.

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

Gisèle

Congratulations Girlfriend

Hello everyone,

Today's card was crafted for one of my closest girlfriends who just finished some very comprehensive training. She did really well and I'm so proud of her.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Garden Green. The remaining layers are DCWV Green Stack. The sentiment is Papertrey Ink Signature Greeting stamped in Early Espresso on Whisper White. The card is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

My girlfriend has a thing for owls so this was the perfect paper to use for her card. It's a pretty cute owl if I may say so. This is a really simple sketch and by not using much by way of embellishments, I really let the paper take center stage.

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

Gisèle

Bahamian Butterfly

Hello everyone,

Another in the Canada/Bahamas inspired series. I have to say, I had doubts when I first thought of this series of cards as no two country colours could be more diametrically different. I'm sure having a lot of fun playing with colours I would not normally use and I think the cards are coming together beautifully.

The background paper is Cosmo Cricket DeLovely. The butterfly, Technique Tuesday BoHo Buzz is stamped in Stampin' Up Tempting Turquoise on Whisper White and layered on Tempting Turquoise and Basic Black. The image is highlighted with Sakura's Clear Star Gelly Roll pen. The sentiment is Gina K Block Greetings. The embellishments are Buttercup Oregon Raindrops.

I love this really cheerful card. The yellow and turquoise make for a really compelling colour combination. I don't often use yellow, in fact, have to be forced to use it as I find it rather difficult to work with. These cards are however teaching me to explore something new.

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

Gisèle

Butterflies Galore

Hello everyone,

I've another Canadian-inspired card for you tonight.

The card base is from Recollections. The images, stamped on Stampin' Up Whisper White in Real Red, is Impression Obsession Cover-a-card Butterflies. The three panels are layered on red paper of unknown origin from the scrap bin. The images are highlighted with Sakura's Clear Star Gelly Roll pen. The sentiment is Craft Lounge Friendly Flowers. The embellishments are Kaisercraft Pearls.

I love this card. These IO Cover-a-card stamps are just amazing! What an impact in red and white! The only complaint is that they are not as easy to use as I'd like. This image took me about six tries and that is a fair bit of 6X6 pieces of paper. I'm hoping they'll get easier with practise. All the effort was worth it however because I think this card is just fabulous.

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

Gisèle

Bahamian Beauty

Hello everyone,

Today's card is the second in the series I'm making for my daughter's student exchange in the Bahamas.

The background paper is Stampin' Up texture Crushed Curry. The remaining layers are Stampin' Up Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise and Whisper White. The Tempting Turquoise layer was textured with Sizzix Tropical Paisley dry embossing folder. The image is BasicGrey Halvah stamped over-stamped on a Gina K Botanicals image. The sentiment is Annabelle Stamps Sentimental Bluebells.

I love this card. I would not normally have even considered putting yellow, turquoise and black together but this really works! For a cardmaker who likes everything straight and aligned, I've made a few cards recently with some angles and I have to say, I rather like it...maybe circles will be next.

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

Gisèle

Canadian Eh

Hello everyone,

My daughter is going on a student exchange with an International school in the Bahamas. She needs to take a gift with her so I've decided to make a series of cards some with a distinct Canadian feel and come with a distinct Bahamian feel.

The card base is from Recollections and is stamped with Impression Obsession Small Flourishes. The vertical strip is Stampin' Up Real Red textured with Creative Expressions Flourish dry embossing folder. The image and sentiment is Gina K Block Greetings. Everything is highlighted with Sakura's Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

I think this is a great 'Canadian' card. Real Red is the perfect Canada red. I love how all the flourishes repeat on every layer of this card.

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

Gisèle

Birthday Tree

Hello everyone,

The father of one of my colleagues is turning 91 years old and I was asked to craft a card for this great occasion. I used yesterday's i{heart}2stamp sketch to get started.

The patterned paper is all Stampin' Up Sweet Pea. The image, Gina K Tree Silhouettes, is coloured with Tombow markers on Very Vanilla and layered on Chocolate Chip. The sentiment is Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Birthday Greetings. The embellishments are Moss Oregon Raindrops.

I love this very masculine birthday card. I think it is exactly what my colleague was looking for and I sure his father will appreciate it. Stampin' Up's Sweet Pea paper is one of my favourites. It has so many great masculine papers that, as usual, work together beautifully.

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

Gisèle

Flowery Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for one of my very best friends. Her favourite flowers are pansies so I specifically tailored Friday's Clean & Simple Stamping sketch for her.

The card base is from Recollections. The base layer is DCWV Floral Prints. The top layer is Stampin' Up Certainly Celery textured with Sizzix Flowers dry embossing folder. The pansies are watercolour paper, coloured with Tombow markers, spritzed with water then glittered with DecoArt Glamour Dust after which I applied Peel-Offs outline stickers. The sentiment is Hero Arts Thoughtful Messages. The embellishments are Hero Arts gold Metallic Décor.

I love how much this card evokes springtime. I know my girlfriend will absolutely love it! Glamour-dusted paper and outline stickers are one of my favourite techniques. The shine and sparkle are beautiful. This was the perfect technique for pansies.

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

Gisèle