Birthday Wishes XV & XVI

Hello everyone,

These cards, numbers fifteen and sixteen, are the last two cards in this particular one sheet wonder series.  I always find it amazing just how many cards you can craft from one sheet of patterned paper.  Talk about value.

The card bases are Recollections. The printed paper is Scenic Route Sonomoa Melody Lane. The solid papers are Stampin' Up Ruby Red and Lucky Limeade and Close To My Heart Colonial White.

The sentiment is Stampin' Up Curly Cute.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Stampin' Up Basic Pearl Jewels.

The sentiment is from Magenta.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Bitty Sparkles.

I've particularly enjoyed this series.  I love this paper.  While I kept the coordinating solid papers to a minimum (red and green), there are any number of other colours that I could have used, coral and yellow come to mind.  I took the opportunity to use up some scraps of Ruby Red, Lucky Limeade and Colonial White because that is, to my mind, part of the fun of one sheet wonders.   I also tried to keep to the same embellishments.  I'm not crazy about the Stampin' Up Pearls and Rhinestones so I really wanted to work on using up these products.  I made a good dent in the pearls.

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

Gisèle

Birthday Wishes XIII & XIV

Hello everyone,

Today's cards are numbers thirteen and fourteen in this feminine birthday one sheet wonder series for the Fall card sale at the office.

The card bases are Recollections. The printed paper is Scenic Route Sonomoa Melody Lane. The solid papers are Stampin' Up Ruby Red and Lucky Limeade and Close To My Heart Colonial White.

The Ruby Red layer is textured with Couture Creations Entangle embossing folder which was then highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The sentiment is Gina K Framed Greetings.  The embellishments are Stampin' Up Basic Rhinestone Jewels.

The sentiment is Waltzingmouse Say It With Style.  The embellishments are Stampin' Up Basic Pearl Jewels.

I love these two cards.  My favourite Sakura Clear Star pen works wonderfully on the Entangle embossing folder.  It really turns this card into something special especially with such a simple layout.  The second layout, one I've used before, is also very simple.  Adding the embellishments just gives it that extra little something.

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

Gisèle

Birthday Wishes XI & XII

Hello everyone,

Today are cards eleven and twelve in this latest one sheet wonder series.

The card bases are Recollections. The printed paper is Scenic Route Sonomoa Melody Lane. The solid papers are Stampin' Up Ruby Red and Lucky Limeade and Close To My Heart Colonial White.

The sentiment is Hero Arts Friends Are Treasures.  The embellishments are Stampin' Up Basic Pearl Jewels.

The Ruby Red layer is textured with Sizzix Floral Flourish embossing folder and highlighted with LuminArte Coral Berry Twinkling H2Os.  The sentiment is Gina K Fanciful Tags.  The embellishments are Stampin' Up Basic Pearl Jewels.

These two cards are all about the horizontal in terms of paper layout and sentiments.  I love the great big sentiment of the first card with the teeny, tiny pearls on the scalloped edge.  I debated using the Twinkling H2Os on the second card, it can be time consuming and not the greatest value for cards which are going to be sold at the lowest possible price point.  Still, I just love the technique and couldn't help myself.

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

Gisèle

Birthday Wishes IX & X

Hello everyone,

Today's card are numbers nine and ten in this feminine one sheet wonder series.

The card bases are Recollections. The printed paper is Scenic Route Sonomoa Melody Lane. The solid papers are Stampin' Up Ruby Red and Lucky Limeade and Close To My Heart Colonial White.

The sentiment is Gina K Garden Silhouettes.  The embellishments are Stampin' Up Basic Pearl Jewels.

The sentiment is Lizzie Anne Say It In Script.  The embellishments are Stampin' Up Basic Pearl Jewels.

I think these are another couple of great cards.  I love these blocks of patterned paper in a layout.  It is especially nice when I can get the images to line up, forming a larger image with breaks of colour.  A great 'technique', one which I use often, so you'd think I'd do more paper piecing...

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

Gisèle

Birthday Wishes VII & VIII

Hello everyone,

Today's cards are number seven and eight is this feminine one sheet wonder series for the Fall office card sale.

The card bases are Recollections. The printed paper is Scenic Route Sonomoa Melody Lane. The solid papers are Stampin' Up Ruby Red and Lucky Limeade and Close To My Heart Colonial White.

The card base is stamped with Stampin' Up Mixed Bunch and Itty Bitty Buds in Cameo Coral and Wild Wasabi inks.  The butterfly is cut from a piece of Calypso Coral paper covered with Crystal Glitter Ritz Warm Highlight microfine glitter and cut with a Spellbinders die.  The sentiment is Bonnidee French Wording #1 stamped in Cameo Coral on Colonial White and layered on Lucky Limeade.  The embellishments are TPC Studio Timeless Christmas jewels.

The sentiment is Penny Black Special Time.  The embellishments are brads of unknown origin, likely Making Memories.

Another couple of beautiful cards.  The first card is likely a little busy but I had to do a cover up on a mis-stamped image in the bottom right corner.  No matter, this butterfly is fantastic!  The second card took me forever to do, I just couldn't come up with a layout that was pleasing.  Thank goodness I solved that issue.

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

Gisèle

Best Wishes V & VI

Hello everyone,

Today's post includes cards five and six.

The card bases are all Recollections. The printed paper is Scenic Route Sonomoa Melody Lane. The solid papers are Stampin' Up Ruby Red and Lucky Limeade and Close To My Heart Colonial White.

The sentiment is Inkadinkado Expressions.  The entire card is highlighted with Sakura Gold Shadow Gelly Roll pen.

The sentiment is Annabelle Stamps Sentimental Bluebells.  The embellishments are Oregon Raindrops.

Both cards are just lovely!  I played with embellishments for the first card for hour but just couldn't come up with something that looked right.  I thought of using my favourite Clear Star pen but then remembered the Gold Shadow pen.  It's not a really obvious highlight until you hold the card up to the light.  I also played with the embellishments for a long while on the second card.  I ended up with this simple layout using the 'KISS' principle because simpler is, sometimes, the only way to go.

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

Gisèle

Birthday Wishes III & IV

Hello everyone,

Today's cards are numbers three and four in this latest feminine one sheet wonder series.

All the card bases are all Recollections. All the printed paper is Scenic Route Sonomoa Melody Lane. The solid papers are Stampin' Up Ruby Red and Lucky Limeade and Close To My Heart Colonial White.

The sentiment is Verve.  The embellishments are Stampin' Up Basic Pearl Jewels.

The sentiment is Hero Arts Thoughtful Messages.  The embellishments are Stampin' Up Basic Pearl Jewels.

I realized as I was falling asleep last night that I had forgotten to add comments to yesterday's post.  It was late, and I was running out of steam.

I love, love, love this paper.  It is perfect for this one sheet wonder.  Though the flowers are on the large scale, because it has a busy background and is a random pattern, it works.  It would be an entirely different story if the pattern was uniform.  I also find this paper really pretty.  The pinks, reds, yellows and greens are just lovely together and so girly!

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

Gisèle

Birthday Wishes I & II

Hello everyone,

I'm bringing back the one sheet wonder!  Fair warning folks, I'm crafting for the Fall card sale at the office so you're going to be seeing a whole lot of one sheet wonder cards over the next month or so.  I've got a feminine series, a masculine series, a traditional Christmas series, a non-traditional Christmas series and possibly a kid series (I'm still mulling that one over).  Some cards will be english and some will be french.  I'll also have a bunch of tags at some point.

All the card bases are all Recollections.  All the printed paper is Scenic Route Sonomoa Melody Lane.  The solid papers are Stampin' Up Ruby Red and Lucky Limeade and Close To My Heart Colonial White.

The background stamp is Heartfelt Creations Large Elegant Words stamped in Stampin' Up River Rock.  The sentiment is Papertrey Ink Signature Greeting stamped in Ruby Red ink.  The embellishments are Stampin' Up Basic Pearl Jewels.

The Ruby Red background layer is textured with Spellbinders M-Bossabilities Whimsy.  The sentiment is Verve Amazing Wishes stamped in Ruby Red ink.  The embellishments are Stampin' Up Basic Pearl Jewels.

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

Gisèle

Fanciful 50

Hello everyone,

Today's card is the one my family will give to a friend for her 50th.  It is the same friend who will be receiving yesterday's Pretty At 50 card.

The printed paper is BasicGrey Wisteria layered on Recollections that was stamped with Technique Tuesday Fanfare in Stampin' Up River Rock.  The butterfly is a Spellbinders Wonderful Wings die cut from a scrap of Recollections paper that was glittered with Crystal Glitter Ritz Cool Highlight Transparent Microfine Glitter.  The sentiment is Stamp Barn stamped in River Rock on Very Vanilla.  The embellishments are Stampin' Up Basic Pearl Jewels.

I love purple and green together and this fantastic BasicGrey is the perfect starting point for these colours.  It took me many attempts to find the right colour ink to use on this purple.  I was expecting much when I first inked up the stamp but was pleasantly surprised when it worked better than anything else I had tried.  Just shows you need to keep an open mind!  I'm thrilled with the butterfly.  I find Recollections paper is not necessarily all that great but with some glitter, it's awesome!

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

Gisèle

Pretty At 50

Hello everyone,

One of our friends is turning 50 next week.  You'd never know it!  Today's card was commissioned by her partner and I'm confident she'll love it.

The printed paper is DCWV All Dressed Up layered on atd paper and Stampin' Up Pool Party.  The top atd layer is textured with a Darice Corner Scroll embossing folder and painted with LuminArte Lemongrass Twinkling H2Os.  The sentiment is Gina K Fanciful Tags stamped in Nick Bantock Cerulean Azure on Whisper White.  The embellishments are Crystal Sticks Monogram and Recollections Adhesive Rhinestones.  The entire card was highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

I managed to craft this card with scraps from my bin.  It somehow seems wrong to call these pieces scraps because this card turned out beautifully.  It was so great to use this monogram 50 that I've had in my stash for a long while.  I love all the scroll motifs.  It all just works and I'm confident that even if my girlfriend isn't crazy about turning 50, she'll love this card.

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

Gisèle

Quick, Quick, Quick

Hello everyone,

I'm still fixated on the gems in my scrap bin and just had time for a super easy and quick card today.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Kraft.  The sentiment is Annabelle Stamps Hold A Candle stamped in Early Espresso on Whisper White.

I only found two pieces of this great 'circle' paper in my bin.  I thought I had some bigger pieces set aside but I couldn't find them.  I cut one to make the three strips, making this layout pretty straightforward.  I intend this to be a guy's card so no embellishments or sparkle.  Sometime simple just works!

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

Gisèle

Lovely Leftover

Hello everyone,

Seeing as I finished the repeating series a couple of days ago and managed to fix the Wedding Roses card, I decided to craft a scrap card.  I could probably craft scrap cards for a year and still not use all the leftover bits in the bin.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye layered on a scrap of green and light pink of unknown origins.  The pink paper is stamped with Gina K Branching Out in Stampin' Up Always Artichoke ink.  The red strip is Stampin' Up Ruby Red textured with Cuttlebug's Bird's and Swirls embossing folder and painted with LuminArte Playful Peony Twinkling H2Os.  The image is Gina K Branching Out and the sentiment is Gina K Framed Greetings both stamped in Always Artichoke on Whisper White.  The embellishments are Recollections Pearls.

I think this is a wonderful card.  I love being able to use scraps and leftovers.  I know the printed paper is My Mind's Eye but I can't recall the specific collection.  The Ruby Red strip is a piece that I trimmed from the Lovin' Leftover card just over a week ago.  It suited the printed paper amazingly well.  I hope my next leftover card will come together so easily.

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

Gisèle

Wedding Roses Redo

Hello everyone,

I just couldn't live with yesterday's card and once I started thinking about it, came up with something so much better!

The background is Stampin' Up Basic Black layered on a shimmery red of unknown origin. The roses are Close To My Heart Card Word Puzzle stamped in Jet Black StazOn and heat embossed with Close To My Heart Black embossing powder on shimmery red of unknown origin.  The vertical strip is a shimmery white of unknown origin textured with Cuttlebug's Organic Flourish embossing folder. The sentiment is Penny Black Full of Life stamped in Onyx Black Versafine on Whisper White.  The embellishments are TPC Studio Heartfelt Travel adhesive jewels.

This is so much better!  I loved everything about the card except the roses, which were just awful!  I didn't even try to save them.  I love the jewels in the center of the roses as they add just that extra little bit of shine.  I think this is so much more suited to this wedding.  I'm pretty confident she'll be very, very happy!

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

Gisèle

Wedding Roses

Hello everyone,

Well my repeating streak has come to an end!  I managed to make nine very different cards carrying over a different element for each card.  I had to make a card for a black and white wedding with red roses.  I intended to carry over the black from yesterday's card but it was the 'right' tone of black.  It was a great exercise that I know I'll try again at some point.

The background is Stampin' Up Basic Black layered on a shimmery red of unknown origin.  The roses are Close To My Heart Card Word Puzzle painted with LuminArte Poppy Red Twinkling H2Os.  The vertical strip is a shimmery white of unknown origin textured with Cuttlebug's Organic Flourish embossing folder.  The sentiment is Penny Black Full of Life stamped in Onyx Black Versafine on Whisper White.

I'm not sure about this card and will be getting some opinions tomorrow before I hand it over to the girls for signing.  I love the concept, I'm just not crazy about the painting.  It was really challenging to get this very dark colour to cover evenly.  Maybe I should have just stamped the roses in the shimmery red???  You may be getting a repeat of this particular card if I decide to make a second attempt on these flowers.

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

Gisèle

Black Beauty

Hello everyone,

Another super simple Close To My Heart card today.  It repeats that awesome butterfly paper I used yesterday.

The printed paper, Close To My Heart Wings, is layered on Close To My Heart black and a shimmery black gold paper of unknown origin.  The image and sentiment are Annabelle Stamps All Things Grow stamped in Stampin' Up Always Artichoke and Cherry Cobbler on Very Vanilla and layered on more shimmery black gold.

A fifteen minute card except for the time it took me to look for embellishments that you don't see because I couldn't find anything that worked.  I've done images and sentiments like this before, I really like the look of overstamping.  This is another layout that I've done in the past.  It is easy but striking with this paper.

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

Gisèle

Butterflies All Around

Hello everyone,

Today's post is basically a Close To My Heart card which repeats the Juniper paper and butterflies.

The printed paper is Close To My Heart Wings layered on Juniper.  The vertical strip is Vineyard Berry which was textured with Darice Butterfly embossing folder.  The image is Close To My Heart 'Quick Card' Butterfly stamped in Onyx Black Versafine on Stampin' Up Very Vanilla.  The embellishments are Queen & Co Wizard and Hypnotic Marble Rox.

This was a very easy card with a simple layout and fantastic printed paper.  I've had this image for ages but just have not gotten around to using it.  It is a beautiful image with a lovely sentiment all combined together.  Frankly a great idea from Close To My Heart.

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

Gisèle

Wings, Flourishes and Sparkle

Hello everyone,

Today's card uses an element that I worked on for yesterday's card but just couldn't get it to work.  That wasn't an issue today.

The background layer is Close To My Heart Sweet Leaf, textured with a Darice Corner Scroll embossing folder, coloured with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen and layered on Juniper.  The printed paper is Close To My Heart Wings also layered on Juniper.  The sentiment is Lizzie Anne Say It In Script stamped in Stampin' Up Baja Breezed on Very Vanilla.  The images are Stampin' Up Thanks For Caring stamped in Crumb Cake and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The ribbon is Michael's Special Value.  The embellishments are TPC Studio Timeless Christmas Jewels.

This card just works!  I love this printed paper and I cut up a full 12 X 12 sheet just to get that butterfly in the bottom right corner.  I didn't stress about it because I'm confident that I will use even the smallest scrap.  I had to cut the background piece just a titch from yesterday because it really needed the Juniper layer to stand out.  I wish I had the coordinating Close To My Heart ink but I've no more room in my ink drawer for anything new. 

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

Gisèle

Pearly Birthday

Hello everyone,

In keeping with my attempt to duplicate an element in subsequent cards, I've repeated the lovely printed paper in today's card.

The background printed paper is NRN Designs Glorious Garden.  Another piece of Glorious Garden is layered on Close To My Heart Sweet Leaf and Stampin' Up Lucky Limeade.  The sentiment is Denami Design Upright Happy Birthday stamped in Soft Suede on Whisper White.  The embellishments are Stampin' Up Basic Pearl Jewels.  The entire card is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

I think I've loved every single card I've ever crafted with this paper.  It is so lovely!  I hard a really hard time with this layout.  Nothing I tried seemed to work and I've got a number of bits and pieces of unused elements on my desk.  They'll be used for my duplicate element project.  Once I figured out going vertical, it all came together.

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

Gisèle

Words A Plenty

Hello everyone,

As I was so happy with yesterday's card, I decided to play with another of my 'word' background stamps to see what I could come up with.

The printed paper is NRN Designs Glorious Garden layered on a shimmery pink of unknown origin.  The background image is Hero Arts Old Letter Writing stamped in Stampin' Up Pink Pirouette on a Recollections card base.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Warmest Regards stamped in Mellow Moss on Whisper White and layered on Mellow Moss.  The embellishments are Doodlebug Boy Assortment mini pearls.

This is another favourite patterned paper.  It has wonderful pinks and greens and the watercolour effect is one I find very appealing.  I don't know where I got it, I think it may have been at this year's Neeje Crop garage sale, and there is but one sheet in my stash.  As you can imagine, I'm using it sparingly so it will last, even though it would have made an awesome one sheet wonder series. 

As I was uploading yesterday's card in my Splitcoast gallery, I noticed that each of my last four cards carries over a similar element.  Either papers or images are repeated from one card to the next.  I know this is because of all the scrap bits I've got laying around my desk, but I found these connections interesting as each of the cards is actually quite different from the previous card.  As I've currently got no commissioned cards on my plate, I thought it would be a fun exercise to see how long I can continue connecting one card to another through one (or more) elements.

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

Gisèle

Fairy Floral Finale

Hello everyone,

As I blogged yesterday, today's card uses the last scrap of my most favourite paper ever.

The printed paper is Prima Fairy Floral Collection "Garden Party" layered on a shimmery copper of unknown origin.  The image is Hero Arts French Writing With Butterfly stamped directly on the Recollections card base in Stampin' Up River Rock ink.  The sentiment is Gina K Block Greetings, stamped in Early Espresso on Very Vanilla and layered on more shimmery copper.  The embellishments are Kaisercraft December 25th Jewels.

As this is my last scrap of "Garden Party" paper, I really wanted to craft something special and I think this does the trick.  A super simple layout, a few embellishments and a great background stamp.  I've got a couple of these 'word' background stamps and don't use them all that often.  I thought this was an interesting application and it is a little different than my usual.  I actually like it so much, you're getting something similar tomorrow.

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

Gisèle

Lovin' Leftovers

Hello everyone,

Today's card is crafted solely from leftover bits and pieces from the last couple of days that were lying around my desk.

The printed paper is Prima Fairy Floral Collection "Garden Party" layered on Stampin' Up Peach Parfait.  The Rose Red layer was textured with Cuttlebug Birds and Swirls embossing folder, highlighted with LuminArte Playful Peony Twinkling H2Os and layered on a shimmery copper of unknown origin.  The image is Stampin' Up Creative Elements, stamped in Onyx Black Versafine, clear heat embossed and painted with LuminArte Playful Peony Twinkling H2Os.  The sentiment is from Magenta, stamped in Onyx Black Versafine on Whisper White and layered on a shimmery black of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Doodlebug Spring Assortment mini pearls.

This is one of my very, very favourite printed papers and I've used is sparingly over the last months.  I've one tiny piece left that I'll use for tomorrow's card.  This peony, leftover from Friday's card, coordinated absolutely perfect with this card.  There is a part of me that can't wait to use the last scrap and a part of me that will be sad that I won't have any more of this gorgeous paper to work with.

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

Gisèle

Wedding Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today I'm posting a very special card.  One of the young women with whom I used to work is getting married.  She is a really lovely, smart and sweet woman and I'm so happy to be able to make her this special card.

The printed paper is from The Paper Company.  The pink strip is a shimmery paper of unknown origin.  The flowers (I hope they look like peonies) are Stampin' Up Creative Elements stamped in Onyx Black Versafine, clear heat embossed and painted with LuminArte Playful Peony, Cherry Sorbet and Fuzzy Peach Twinkling H2Os.  The sentiment is Stampabilities Changes Everything, also stamped in Onyx Black Versafine on Whisper White and layer on a shimmery black of unknown origin.

I really love this card.  The Paper Company paper has a fabric-like quality with flowery and flourishing embossing.  It is really beautiful paper, looks great white on white and is perfect for a wedding card.  I love the flowers.  They were so much fun to paint and look wonderful.

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

Gisèle

Special Birthday Wishes IV

Hello everyone,

This is the fourth and final card in this latest birthday card series.  I consider this card the chic card.

The printed paper is TPC Studio "Girlfriends Kaleidoscope" layered on a pink and shimmery black of unknown origins.  The sentiment is Inkadinkado Expressions stamped in Jet Black StazOn on shimmery white.  The embellishments are Doodlebug Baby Girl Assortment.

I think this is a great chic card.  The pink and black are awesome and the entire card has shimmer and shine.  This paper is awesome!  I couldn't help but use it for this card even though I suspect it should be a Christmas card.  Oh well!

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

Gisèle

Special Birthday Wishes III

Hello everyone,

Today's card is the third in this 40th birthday card series for a colleague's sister.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline, layered on Stampin' Up Peach Parfait and Pear Pizzazz.  The sentiment is Penny Black Special Time stamped in Early Espresso on Very Vanilla and layered on more Pear Pizzazz.  The ribbon is Michael's Special Value.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Mocha Opaques.

This card is intended to have a more vintage style due to the lacy images on the printed paper.  I just can't handle distressing cards hence the streamlined layout.  It still works really well thanks to the ribbon, the pearls and the flourished sentiment.  I like it!

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

Gisèle 

Special Birthday Wishes II

Hello everyone,

Today's card is the second one I crafted for a colleague's sister's 40th birthday.

The printed paper is Kaisercraft "Bonjour Collection" Dijon layered on Stampin' Up Certainly Celery and a brushed gold of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Thoughtful Messages stamped in Early Espresso.  The embellishments are Kaisercraft December 25th pearls.

This card is all about the stunning butterfly paper.  I used the rows of butterflies to form the layout because I didn't want to cut into one of them.  Though it doesn't show in the paper, they all have a metallic shimmer that is a great foil (pun intended) to the pale colours.  Awesome paper!

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

Gisèle

Special Birthday Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for a colleague who was looking for something special for her sister's upcoming 40th birthday.  I often do custom cards and quite enjoy it however, this exchange was all done via email and she gave me nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  I don't know what colours her sister like or dislikes, I don't know if she's really girly, vintage, chic or a tomboy.  Pretty challenging so what I decided to do was to make four really different cards from which she can choose something appropriate.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Perfect Plum which was textured with Couture Creations Drink Me embossing folder then painted with LuminArte English Lavender Twinkling H2Os.  The printed paper is BasicGrey Kioshi.  The sentiment is from Verve stamped in Early Espresso on Whisper White.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Bitty Sparkles.

I really like this card.  The flowers on the Kioshi paper really lent to adding just a titch of bling.  I didn't originally intend to paint the inside of all the circles on Perfect Plum layer but once I started, I couldn't stop.  The shimmer just makes me happy.  I don't know if I'd exactly call it chic but it sure is pretty.

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

Gisèle

Simple Thanks

Hello everyone,

I was an especially good pet parent today, getting up and to the dog park for 7:00 on Sunday morning so my dog could have a good play with his friends.  I went to visit my Dad who is in respite care, dropping off his clean laundry (yesterday's work).  I baked cookies and squares for a bake sale for my daughter's band concert.  Needless to say, I'm so tired I can hardly see straight so today's card is super simple.

The patterned paper is My Mind's Eye Bloom & Grow layered on Stampin' Up textured Crush Curry.  The sentiment is Verve Celebration of Thanks stamped in Onyx Black Versafine on Very Vanilla.  The card is highlighted with a Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishments are Doodlebug Spring Assortment mini pearls.

I just love this paper!  It was the perfect choice for such a simple card.  There is a lot of impact here without any extravagances or complications.  It would be perfect for a one sheet wonder and I have another similar sheet in this package!

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

Gisèle

Classic Wedding

Hello everyone,

Today's card was commissioned by a colleague whose friend got married in Antigua and she wanted something special because she couldn't attend.

The papers are all of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Penny Black Full of Life stamped in Black Onyx Versafine on Stampin' Up Very Vanilla.  The embellishments are TPC Studio Class Act mini jewels.

I hope this card is special enough for my colleague's friend.  I found the shimmery blue and gold papers added a real richness while the printed paper has a handcrafted Asian feel.  This is one of my favourite wedding sentiments and I think it is extremely appropriate for a couple who chose a destination wedding.  I really, really like this card and would likely replicate it for my own stash if I had enough of these scraps left in my bin.

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

Gisèle

Let It Snow

Hello everyone,

Just a warning, I'm on a bit of a Christmas card roll.  I've started working on Christmas cards for the charity sale at the office in the Fall.

The printed paper is atd Snow Day, layered on Stampin' Up Blue Bayou and shimmery white.  The Blue Bayou layer was textured with a Cuttlebug Winter Wonderland embossing folder and highlighted with LuminArte Stargazer Twinkling H2Os.  The snowflakes, cut with Spellbinders Shapeabilities Create-A-Flake Three and a Martha Stewart snowflake punch, are watercolour paper painted with a variety of blue LuminArte Twinkling H2Os.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Christmas Scripts, stamped in Nick Bantock Prussian Blue on shimmery white.  The embellishments are Kaisercraft pearls and Doodlebug Boy Assortment mini pearls.

I've always favoured blue Christmas cards and these various snowflakes are ones I particularly love.  Painting with Twinkling H2Os add that little bit of shimmer which always puts these cards over the top.  Of course, you can never go wrong adding some pearls though sparkles would work just as well.

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

Gisèle