Thank You Pears

Hi everyone,

Between yesterday's snowstorm and my daughter's curling schedule, I just couldn't get a card done yesterday.

Now that we've another very successful crop behind us for another year, its time for the thank you cards.  Today's is for a grocery company who provided us a gift card.

The printed papers are all Stampin' Up Good Morning Sunshine.  The image is Stampin' Up Faith In Nature stamped on Very Vanilla in Chocolate Chip.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Thank You Messages also stamped on Very Vanilla in Chocolate Chip.  The brads are Making Memories.

This is the perfect Thank You card for a grocery store manager.  This card also needed to be masculine and this card certainly is that.  I love this paper and the colour combination.  So very natural.

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

Gisèle

Hello Puppy

Hello everyone,

We've got a new addition to the dog park gang.  He is so darn cute!

The printed paper is DCWV Pets Stack layered on Stampin' Up Tempting Turquoise.  The photo is layered on more Tempting Turquoise.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Say It All stamped in Jim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress ink on Whisper White.  The embellishments are Jolees Gold and Bronze Studs.

I just love this card!  Ranger is cute as the dickens.  I couldn't resist making this card and the 'hello' sentiment seemed so fitting for this new puppy.  I did cards for many of the daily dog walkers but I didn't get photos of all the dogs so it's something I have to work on because these cards are just so darn fun to craft.

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

Gisèle

Fancy Floral XVI

Hello everyone,

Today I'm posting the last card is this series.  It's been really fun using such vibrant paper and different colour combinations.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline "Cute" Garden layered on Stampin' Up Whisper White, Blush Blossom, Not Quite Navy, Calypso Coral and textured Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Say It All stamped in Not Quite Navy on Whisper White.  The embellishments are Crystal Stickers 3mm gold pearls.

I think I could have just kept layering and layering this layout.  I kept finding scraps on my desk that just seemed to work.  I also love the focus on the printed paper.  It's front and center.

I hope you enjoy this card and this one sheet wonder series and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Fancy Floral XV

Hello everyone,

Today's post, card fifteen in the series, is the second last one.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline "Cute" Garden layered on Stampin' Up Blush Blossom, textured Early Espresso and Ruby Red.  The Ruby Red layer was run through a crimper.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Thank You Messages stamped in Ruby Red on Whisper White.  The embellishments are from Multicrafts.

This is the last large piece of Blush Blossom.  I'm actually glad to come to the end of this colour as I find it a rather bland pink that is really difficult to use.  I actually miscut this colour as I intended to frame the printed paper not just back it.  It still works just fine.  The brads add just enough shine to add counter the interesting stripes.  I like this one!

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

Gisèle

Fancy Floral XIV

Hello everyone,

I have card number fourteen for you today.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline "Cute" Garden, painted with LuminArte Icicles Twinkling H2Os and layered on Stampin' Up Pool Party and Ruby Red.  The bottom element is Whisper White textured with Cuttlebug's Floral Fantasy embossing folder and highlighted with LuminArte Icicles Twinkling H2Os.  The sentiment is Serendipity stamped in Ruby Red on Whisper White.  The embellishments are My Mind's Eye Lost & Found 3 Ruby Enamel Dots.

Again, not my favourite and I should have quit while I was ahead.  It isn't a bad card, just a little too bland.  I'm not sure why I find it bland because there is sparkle and shine.  I think maybe it is because there is too stark a contrast between the elements.

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

Gisèle

Fancy Floral XIII

Hello everyone,

Today's post is unlucky number thirteen though I hope the recipient is very lucky.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline "Cute" Garden layered on Stampin' Up Ruby Red.  The vertical strips are Not Quite Navy, Ruby Red and Blush Blossom.  The sentiment is DeNami Designs Upright Happy Birthday stamped in Ruby Red.  The embellishments are Recollections Glitter Shapes.  The entire card is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

This is not a bad card but its not the best I've ever crafted.  It was getting late and I should have left well enough alone and stopped while I was ahead.  I think the stripes are not bad but could have been better if I had used a border punch instead.  While the Sakura glitter does add depth to the card, it's just not enough.

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

Gisèle

Fancy Floral XII

Hello everyone,

We're on a even dozen cards at this point with only four cards left in this series.  I sincerely hope I'm keeping your interest.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline "Cute" Garden layered on Stampin' Up Ruby Red and textured Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Inkadinkado Expressions stamped in Early Espresso on Whisper White.  The butterflies are punched from Not Quite Navy, Blush Blossom and Calypso Coral paper that was glittered with Crystal Glitter Ritz Warm Highlight Micro Fine Glitter.  The embellishments are Recollections Glitter Adhesive Dots.

I'm so in love with this wonderful butterflies.  It just goes to show that simple punches can work just fine!  These were so very simple and the impact is utterly incredible.  One little strip of printed paper, a strong background and a few awesome embellishments, what more could you look for in a card?

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

Gisèle

Fancy Floral XI

Hello everyone,

I've got card number eleven for you today.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline "Cute" Garden layered on Stampin' Up Ruby Red, Calypso Coral, Whisper White and Not Quite Navy.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Say It All stamped in Ruby Red on Whisper White.  The embellishments are EK Success Halloween Dots further embellished with White Opal Liquid Pearls.

I don't think I ever used Liquid Pearls before and I'm quite impressed.  It was pretty simple and I think quite impactful in this particular case.  This is another layout that I seem to use every time I do this particular one sheet wonder.  It just works so well, I can't help myself.  I also love all these layers, it makes for a really great card.

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

Gisèle

Fancy Floral X

Hello everyone,

Today's card number ten used a number of different scraps from the earlier cards in this series.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline "Cute" Garden layered on Stampin' Up Ruby Red, Not Quite Navy and Blush Blossom.  The sentiment is Serendipity stamped in Ruby Red on Whisper White and layered on Blush Blossom.  The embellishments are Kaisercraft Silver Mixed Flower Rhinestones further embellished with Sequins Stickles.  The entire card is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

This card took forever to come together.  It wasn't the layout that caused me problems but the placement of those flower embellishments.  I just couldn't get them spaced evenly.  I actually had to add the navy underlayer because I tore the red layer as I was working it out.  It is so frustrating when this happens.  The card turned out OK but it's not my favourite.

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

Gisèle

Fancy Floral IX

Hello everyone,

We're slowly getting this seemingly endless one sheet wonder posted.  There are sixteen cards in this particular cutting layout.  Today I've got card number nine for you.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline "Cute" Garden layered on Stampin' Up textured Early Espresso, Ruby Red and Pool Party.  The sentiment is Stampabilities Happy Birthday 01 stamped in Early Espresso on Whisper White and layered on Pool Party.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Mocha Opaques.

I think every time I use this particular cutting layout, I form a window with this four pieces.  It is the perfect layout to me.  I used the Pool Party in the background because I wanted to evoke the sense of a window.  I actually think it works!

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

Gisèle

Fancy Floral VIII

Hello everyone,

I'm posting a super simple card number eight today.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline "Cute" Garden layered on Stampin' Up Whisper White, Pool Party and Ruby Red.  The sentiment is Stampendous Retro Happy Birthday stamped in Ruby Red.  The embellishments are Kaisercraft Silver Self-Adhesive Rhinestones further embellished with Turquoise Stickles.

Isn't this simple little card wonderful.  It's amazing what can be done with a couple of little pieces of paper.  I decided not to be afraid of the white space on this card.  The printed paper is actually busy enough to live well with the white space.  I really love this card.

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

Gisèle

Fancy Floral VII

Hello everyone,

Today I'm posting card number seven in this latest one sheet wonder series.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline "Cute" Garden layered on Stampin' Up Ruby Red, Not Quite Navy and Whisper White.  The Whisper White layer was trimmed with Martha Stewart French Scroll border punch.  The sentiment is DeNami Designs stamped in Ruby Red.  The embellishments are Pebbles Pearl Candy Dots, Doodlebug Boy Assortment mini pearls and Kaisercraft pearls that were coloured with Sharpie markers.

I'm using a Simplicity trick which is to colour bling with Sharpie markers to get the colour you need.  I was skeptical at first but once it worked on the first pearl, it was a no brainer.  I have a few Tombow markers and some Faber-Castell, but no Copics.  I just don't colour enough to make it worth the investment.  Besides if I invested that much money in pens, my husband would likely kill me.

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

Gisèle

Fancy Floral VI

Hello everyone,

Today is card six.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline "Cute" Garden layered on Stampin' Up Blush Blossom and Pool Party.  The Pool Party layer was stamped with Impression Obsession Cover-A-Card Butterflies and clear heat embossed.  The sentiment is Verve Celebration of Thanks stamped in Ruby Red on Whisper White.  The butterflies are Sizzix Embosslits Beautiful Wings die cut from Calypso Coral paper that was glittered with Crystal Glitter Ritz Warm Highlight Glitter.  The embellishments are TPC Studio Wedding Silhouette mini jewels.

I can't say I have an absolute favourite in this series but this one is up there.  I love these wonderful butterflies.  The glitter is just amazing.  They also work really well with the background stamp.  I don't use these background stamps all that often because it's really hard to get a great impression and they are a bit of an awkward size for the size of cards that I use.  In this particular case however, it turned out pretty darn good.

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

Gisèle 

Fancy Floral V

Hello everyone,

You think I would have learned by now about using roman numerals.  Today's post is card number five.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline "Cute" Garden layered on Stampin' Up Early Espresso and Ruby Red.  The image is Annabelle Stamps Square Posies stamped in Early Espresso on Whisper White, clear heat embossed and layered on Early Espresso.  The image is painted with LuminArte Lemongrass, Rose Gold and Chiffon Pink Twinkling H2Os.  The sentiment is Penny Black Thanks, Thanks stamped in Early Espresso on Whisper White and layered on more Early Espresso.  The embellishments are from the dollar store and re-done with Ruby Red paper and Annabelle Stamps pearls.

I was in the  mood for some painting and I'm so glad I was.  I don't find painting or colouring easy and am usually less than thrilled with the results but this flower turned out wonderfully.  I used this particular image because it mimicked the peach tulip in the printed paper.  It's not exactly in the same 'style' as the flowers on the printed paper but it still works really well.

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

Gisèle

Fancy Floral IV

Hello everyone,

I've card number four in this latest one sheet wonder series.  I'm using it as a sample for a one sheet wonder class I'm giving at a charity crop in a couple of weeks.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline "Cute" Garden layered on Stampin' Up Not Quite Navy and Calypso Coral.  The images are Stampin' Up Sweet Summer stamped in Close To My Heart Desert Sand and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Friends Are Treasures also stamped in Desert Sand on Whisper White.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Bitty Sparkles.

I can't recall if I saw a similar card somewhere but I just felt the need to have this summer garden stamped coming out of this paper.  I think it works really well.  The hardest part was trying to find a ink colour that actually worked with this paper.  It's not a perfect match but it is neutral enough that it works just fine.  I'm thrilled with the results.

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

Gisèle

Fancy Floral III

Hello everyone,

Today is card three in the latest one sheet wonder series.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline "Cute" Garden layered on Stampin' Up Ruby Red and Taken With Teal.  The sentiment is Inkadinkado Thanks Words stamped in Ruby Red on Whisper White and layered on more Ruby Red.  The embellishments are Crafts Pearls.

This is one of my most favourite 'Thank You' stamps.  It is a great size and comes out fantastically in any colour I've used.  I also think I'm in love with these awesome pearls that I picked up at the Dollar Store.  I found them in a number of different colours and they are all great.  The trick with Dollar Store items is that you've got to get them when you see them because they don't stick around for long and there is no guarantee you'll find them again.

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

Gisèle

Fancy Floral II

Hello everyone,

This is card two in the one sheet wonder samples that I'm putting together for the crop card class.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline "Cute" Garden, layered on Stampin' Up Ruby Red.  The bottom layer is Calypso Coral, textured with Darice Large Petals embossing folder, highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen and layered on Pool Party.  The flower is Ruby Red, Blush Blossom and Pool Party, highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The brad is American Crafts Pastel Elements.  The sentiment is Annabelle Stamps Square Posies stamped in Ruby Red on Whisper White.

This is my least favourite in this series.  I don't often do flowers but I wanted to give it a try because of the paper which I felt this Stampin' Up punch mimicked quite well.  I think I should have used the coordinating stamp before I punched it out as it wouldn't look quite so flat.  It works just fine with the embossing and the paper so I really think it my flower-making that is lacking.

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

Gisèle

Fancy Floral

Hello everyone,

Our annual fundraising crop is just around the corner and once again I get the pleasure of teaching a beginner cardmarking class.  I've decided to show them how to craft a one sheet wonder and I'll be posting my sample cards over the next number of days.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline "Cute" Garden layered on Stampin' Up Ruby Red, Pool Party, Calypso Coral and Blush Blossom.  The sentiment is Stampendous Graceful Birthday stamped in Ruby Red on Whisper White and Ruby Red.  The embellishments are Doodlebug Boy Assortment Mini Pearls and Kaisercraft Basic White Pearls.

The reason I picked this paper is because it incorporates a lot of different colours making coordination much less of a challenge.  I also really liked the small scale of the print which is perfect for cards.  There are some pretty bright and colourful cards coming.

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

Gisèle

Happy 50th Anniversary

Hello everyone,

Today is my parents 50th wedding anniversary.

The printed paper is Anna Griffin Georgette Christmas Collection layered on a textured gold of unknown origin.  The image is Stampin' Up Medallion stamped on Whisper White in Versamark, heat embossed with Close To My Heart gold embossing powder and layered on Canford Gold and more Whisper White.  The vertical strip is Canford Gold and Offray ribbon.  The sentiment is Verve Love Story stamped on Whisper White in Versamark and heat embossed with Close To My Heart gold embossing powder.  The embellishments are Crystal Sticker 3mm gold pearls.

This is such a momentous occasion and I am so happy for my parents.  It is not often you have the opportunity to craft such a very special card so I took the opportunity to go all out with bling, pearl, shimmer and shine.  Congratulations!

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

Gisèle

Pretty In Pink and Black

Hello everyone,

Every time I use this paper I fall in love more and more.

The printed paper is TPC Studio Girlfriends Kaleidoscope layered on Stampin' Up Basic Black and a pink of unknown origin.  The image, layered on Basic Black and pink cut from Spellbinders Nestabilities, is Stampin' Up Daydream Medallions stamped in Melon Mambo on Whisper White and clear heat embossed.  The sentiment is Verve Thankful Accents stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The embellishments are Kaisercraft Basics black pearls.

This card is so pretty and elegant.  This is a wonderful colour combination and the slight sheen of the paper adds even more to this card.  It took me a couple of tries to get both the stamps and the Nestabilities to work properly but it was worth it in the end.

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

Gisèle

Soccer Special

Hello everyone,

This is the last thank you card for my girlfriend.  It is for the young man who leads her son's 'Ball play'.  Her son's favourite is soccer, a good thing as, next to golf, it's the only sports stamp I've got.

The printed paper is BoBunny Hip Hip Hooray Primary Stripe layered on Stampin' Up Basic Black.  The image is of unknown origin stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Whisper White and layered on  Lucky Limeade, Daffodil Delight, and Cherry Cobbler.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Wacky Wishes also stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The brads are of unknown origin.

Isn't this a really great card!  I love the bright colours.  This is a great card for a little guy to give to a big guy.  There is not a frilly or glittery bit in sight. 

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

Gisèle

Thank You Train II

Hello everyone,

When my girlfriend's son is with the two ladies who are receiving these cards, he pretends he is a train conductor.  I couldn't resist using a 'train' theme when I heard this wonderful story.

The printed papers are BasicGrey Oliver layered on Stampin' Up Night of Navy.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Thank You Messages stamped in Night of Navy on Whisper White.  The embellishments are Making Memories.

This is really not a feminine card but it has such cute little trains.  I did try to 'girl' it up a bit by adding a few flowery brads.  Unfortunately, I think the brads really mimic the circles on the trains fronts.  I know she'll like it regardless.

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

Gisèle

Thank You Train

Hello everyone,

A girlfriend asked me to make a few thank you cards for some of the folks who help her son.  These next three cards were a ton of fun to craft.

The printed paper is DCWV Nanna's Kids layered on Stampin' Up Kraft, Certainly Celery and Ruby Red.  The sentiment is Stampendous Friendly Messages stamped in Early Espresso on Very Vanilla.  The embellishments are brads of unknown origin.

Who would have thought that you could combine these colours and come up with a card that actually works.  I love this little train paper.  I ended up using nine different brads because I didn't have enough of a single colour to make this pattern.  I'm kind of glad because it is so much more fun with all these different colours.

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

Gisèle

Fantastic Floral

Hello everyone,

This card is not a scrap card but I just felt the need to do something with purple.  It is another beauty that came together in the blink of an eye.

The printed paper is BasicGrey Wisteria layered on Stampin' Up Baja Breeze and Close To My Heart Pansy Purple.  The image is Hero Arts Old Letter Writing stamped in Baja Breeze on Baja Breeze and layered on Pansy Purple.  The sentiment is Serendipity stamped in Nick Bantock Dansom Plum on Very Vanilla.  The embellishments are Doodlebug Spring Assortment mini pearls, Queen & Co Pearls, and Close To My Heart Bitty Pearl Opaques.

Isn't this gorgeous!  I love, love, love it!  I'm so glad I was in the mood for something purple.  Every sheet of this Wisteria paper is wonderful.  My 6x6 pad is getting thinner and thinner and I'll be so sad when the very last scrap is gone.

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

Gisèle

A Real Beauty

Hello everyone,

Today's card is one of my favourite scrap cards.

The printed paper is K&Company SW Nature layered on Stampin' Up River Rock.  The image is Hero Arts French Writing With Butterfly stamped in River Rock on Whisper White and layered on more River Rock.  The sentiment is Serendipity Stamped in Nick Bantock Deep Turquoise.  The embellishments are Crystal Stickers 3mm gold pearls.

There is nothing about this card I don't love.  This scrap of paper is leftover from this birthday card I made for my sister in September - another card I just loved.  It always amazes me what can be crafted with a fantastic sheet of paper.  This card came together in minutes, so I figure it was just meant to be.

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

Gisèle

Simple Thanks II

Hello everyone,

I was so pleased with yesterday's card that I wanted to try crafting a masculine version.

The printed paper is Close To My Heart Olivia layered on Bamboo and Barn Red.  The images are Stampin' Up Fine Feathers stamped in Nick Bantock Van Dyke Brown.  The sentiment is Impression Obsession.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Square Durables.

This certainly is a masculine card.  I don't love it as much as yesterday's but it's all the brown which is not my favourite of colours.  I really love the effect of stamping on the card base and layering with the printed paper.  I'm sure you'll see something along these lines again.

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

Gisèle

Simple Thanks

Hello everyone,

Today's scrap card is one of my favourites in this latest batch of cards.

The printed paper is BasicGrey Eva layered on Stampin' Up Pink Pirouette and Bravo Burgundy.  The image is Impression Obsession Large Flourishes stamped in Bravo Burgundy.  The sentiment is Verve Amazing Wishes also stamped in Bravo Burgundy.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Bitty Pearl Opaques and Queen & Co Pearls.

I love this card.  These paisleys are just lovely, sedate and sweet.  Burgundy and pink are such a wonderful colour combination.  If I'm not mistaken, I've done cards similar to this in the past.  I find this layout, with paper covering some of the image, very appealing.

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

Gisèle