Ornament Sparkle

Hello everyone,

Today's card, for one of my siblings, was inspired by a Pinterest card.

The printed paper is Stampin' Up Winter Frost layered on Pool Party.  The ornaments were punched from a scrap of white paper that had been inked with ColorBox silver and white ink and Stampin' Up Pool Party and Baja Breeze ink.  The inked paper was covered with Crystal Glitter Ritz cool highlight microfine glitter.  The snowflakes are DCWV Glitter cardstock and Recollections foil. The sentiment is Verve Bright Spirits stamped in Pool Party on Whisper White and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestones.

I'm not as pleased with this card as I had hoped.  I think I should have used stronger colours of ink as they really washed out once I added the glitter.  I love the snowflakes because they add just that little extra depth that was much needed for the ornaments to pop.  I'm not going to give up on the technique as I know there is a way to get the results I'm looking for.

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

Gisèle

Christmas Ice

Hello everyone,

I'm slowly working on the Christmas parcel for my family, part of which includes a number of cards which will carry this year's school photos.  This is for one of my sisters.

The printed paper is Martha Stewart Frosty Elegance mat pad.  The snowflake is Cottage Cutz Crystal Flurry Snowflake die cut from DCWV Glitter cardstock.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up More Merry Messages stamped in ColorBox ink on Whisper White, layered on more DCWV Glitter cardstock and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The ribbon is Offray.

This is really beautiful paper with just a little bit of shimmer that works perfectly with this glittering snowflake and the silver border of the ribbon.  This is a new die for me that I really love.  It is very intricate, requiring a layer of wax paper to facilitate removing the image from the die.  Patience is required.

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

Gisèle

Brotherly Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today is my brother-in-law's birthday and this is the card I crafted for him.

The printed paper is Stampin' UpWell Worn layered on Not Quite Navy and Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Loved Ones stamped in Early Espresso on Very Vanilla and layered on more Early Espresso and Not Quite Navy.  The brads are of unknown origin.

Notwithstanding the brads, this is a pure Stampin' Up card.  I don't make many of them because when I upload to Splitcoast I find they just don't get that many views.  I'm uploading less and less to Splitcoast these and using my Pinterest I SPI board instead.  Pinterest is just so much less hassle.

My brother-in-law really appreciated the card and the kabob dinner that went with it.

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

Gisèle

Sweet Sympathy

Hello everyone,

Today's card was commissioned by a colleague for another colleague whose father has passed away.

The image is Stampin' Up Asian Artistry stamped in Soft Suede ink on Very Vanilla and coloured with pastels.  The image is layered on Rich Razzleberry and Always Artichoke.  The sentiment is Impression Obsession.  The embellishments are Kaisercraft December 25th pearls.

As simple as this card is, it took me three tries to get the images properly stamped.  It would have helped if I hadn't had ink on my fingers which I proceeded to smear on the previous attempt.  I love the final results so the trials and tribulations were worth it.

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

Gisèle

Beautiful Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for another colleague whose birthday is next week.  I wanted something really pretty for her.

The printed paper is Prima Fairy Flora "Sunlight Daisies" layered on Stampin' Up Orchid Opulence.  The focal element is So Saffron textured with Craft Concepts Flutterby embossing folder, highlighted with Mango Mamba LuminArte Twinkling H2Os and layered on more Orchid Opulence.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Beautiful Birthday stamped in Orchid Opulence on Whisper White and layered on more Orchid Opulence.  The embellishments are from Dollarama.

This is my favourite paper ever!  I love the watercolour effect and the colours are so very, very beautiful.  This photo really doesn't do the card justice as it really is a lovely card.  Between the muted background paper and the lovely yellow shimmer of the embossing, it all works together so well.  I'm confident my colleague will love her card.

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

Gisèle

Bonne Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today I'm posting the card I crafted for a colleague's birthday.

The printed papers are BasicGrey Marrakech layered on Stampin' Up Not Quite Navy and Close To My Heart Juniper.  The sentiment is Bonnidee French Wording #1 stamped in Close To My Heart Juniper on Recollections white.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Square Durables.

I love this BasicGrey paper.  I don't ever think there was a card I crafted that didn't turn out beautifully.  I think the embellishments are the perfect masculine touch.

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

Gisèle

Striking Star Burst

Hello everyone,

Today is my mother's birthday.  An avid quilter, I thought she'd really like this star burst card.

 

The printed paper is Stampin' Up Raspberry Tart layered on Pretty In Pink, Recollections white, and more Raspberry Tart.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Joyful Birthday stamped in Wild Wasabi on Whisper White.  The ribbon is Stampin' Up Melon Mambo grosgrain.  The pearls are of unknown origin.

This is another wonderful card.  The colours are really striking and the different patterns work so beautifully together - thank you Stampin' Up!  I first came across one of these cards on Pinterest (yea!) but couldn't find the instructions on Splitcoast (ugh!) where the image was pinned from.  A simple Google search lead to a UTube video that was super easy to follow.  I can't wait to try this technique on other cards.

Happy Birthday Mom!

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

Gisèle

Totally Treed

Hello everyone,

I think I may be getting the hang of 'sentimentless' cards.  Today's, the last in this series, is my favourite.

 

The printed paper is Echo Park Winter Wishes layered on Close To My Heart Twilight and Stampin' Up Perfect Plum.  The image is Impression Obsession stamped in Twilight on Recollections white and layered on more Twilight and Perfect Plum.  The image is highlighted with Silver Stickles.

I love absolutely everything about this card!  This colour combination is one that I could use over and over again.  I always have problems with tree stamps as they always look wrong once I get them on a card.  I think letting the image slide off the paper resolves this issue as I find it very pleasing and am not at all bothered by the white space in the upper right corner.  It's all about balance and I think I found it!  Expect more!

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

Gisèle

Darling Dasher

Hello everyone,

Today's card is a lovely monochromatic.  I don't even really notice that there is no sentiment.

 

The printed paper is Echo Park Very Merry Christmas Snowmen layered on Stampin' Up Whisper White and Always Artichoke.  The image is Stampin' Up Dasher, stamped in Always Artichoke on Whisper White, heat embossed with Close To My Heart Silver Pearl, and layered on more Always Artichoke.  The embellishments are EK Success Shimmering Silver Dots.

Isn't this an awesome Christmas card!  I just love this Dasher stamps.  It inks up wonderfully and is great for embossing.  I think Dasher works perfectly with this paper.  This card isn't at all feminine and would be great for a male colleague.

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

Gisèle

Funky Flakes

Hello everyone,

All these commissioned cards couldn't be totally serious and this snowflake paper screams whimsy.

 

The printed paper is Echo Park Holly Jolly Christmas layered on Stampin' Up Bermuda Bay.  The images are Stampin' Up Serene Snowflakes stamped in Bermuda Bay, Chocolate Chip, Melon Mambo, and Wild Wasabi.  The images are highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishments are EK Success Shimmering Silver Dots and Jolee's Boutique Snowman Cabochons.

I love this bright and cheery card.  It really is quite striking.  I wish I had some less serious snowflake stamps but the final result is still quite pleasing.  These EK Success embellishments really make the snowflakes pop and add no depth at all to the card.  I'm glad my colleague didn't want all super serious Christmas cards as this one was just fun to craft.

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

Gisèle

Bright Blades

Hello everyone,

Today's card is another in the Christmas commission for one of my colleagues.  It didn't come together easily.

The printed paper is Bella Blvd Winter Wonder layered on Stampin' Up Soft Suede and a textured red of unknown origin.  The Soft Suede layer was textured with Couture Creations Drink Me embossing folder and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The hemp is Darice.  The embellishment is EK Success Harvests Dots.

I think I must have tried at least four iterations of this card before settling on this layout.  No sentiment cards are not quick and simple cards.  I hope this looks like a gift because that was my final intention.  This hemp is super fine so it adds no bulk to the card.  The embellishment is super flat for the same reason.  I highlighted the insides of the circles on the embossed Soft Suede layer so it would look like the skates had made the circles.  I don't know if it will be that obvious.

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

Gisèle

Snowflakes A Glittering

Hello everyone,

Another card for my colleagues commission.

 

The printed paper is BoBunny Winter Whisper layered on Stampin' Up Bashful Blue.  The snowflakes are die cut from Spellbinders Create-A-Flake 3 and Stampin' Up Whisper White and Bashful Blue which was glittered with Martha Stewart Coarse Crystal glitter.  The ribbon is Crafts.  The embellishments are from Fabricland.

As much trouble as I had with yesterday's card, today's effort was a breeze.  My colleague wanted some traditional and some more funky cards.  Obviously I do traditional better than modern.  This photo doesn't do this card justice because it truly is a beige, blue and white sparkling beauty.

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

Gisèle

Modern Trees

Hello everyone,

Now that I've completed the series of nieces and nephew cards for my sister and father-in-law, I'm on to another commission. One of my colleagues has requested six Christmas cards with no sentiments.  A challenge that is stretching my weak mojo.

 

The printed paper is Echo Park Paper Company Holly Jolly Christmas layered on DCWV.  The image is Bonnidee Layering Trees stamped in Stampin' Up Ruby Red and Wild Wasabi on Whisper White and layered on more DCWV.  The card is highlighted with Star Dust Stickles.

Not only did my colleague request no sentiments but as these cards will be mailed, she didn't want much by way of thickness.  When she first made this commission, I thought this would be a great project; I didn't reckon on the creative challenge.  This particular card took three tries before I managed a result that I found pleasing.  I thank goodness for Stickles and Gelly Roll pens which lend to wonderful embellishments without any thickness. 

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

Gisèle

Doubly Creative

Hello everyone,

It's not often I miss a post, now I've missed two in as many weeks.  Yesterday was a beautiful, beautiful day and I managed to get a ton of outdoor work done.  By the time dinner was over, I had nothing left in the tank with which to craft a card, let alone post.  I think the break was good because I crafted two great cards for you today.  These are the last two cards for my sister and brother-in-law's niece and nephew cards.

The printed paper is Stampin' Up Beyond The Garden designer series paper.  The vertical element is Whisper White, textured with Cuttlebug Leafy Branch embossing folder layered on Melon Mambo.  The flowers are BossKut Design-A-Flower Star Burst Flowers die cut from Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, and Whisper White.  The flowers are highlighted with Fruit Punch Stickles.  The leaves are Sizzix Little Leaves die cut from Wild Wasabi.  The sentiment is Gina K Tag Lines stamped in Melon Mambo on Whisper White and layered on more Melon Mambo. 

The printed paper is BoBunny Detour Dots layered on Stampin' Up Bravo Burgundy.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Delightful Dozen stamped in Bravo Burgundy on Whisper White and layered on Basic Grey and more Bravo Burgundy.  The embellishments are from Fabricland.

I love both of these cards!  It's been a long time since I played with die cut petals and I think these flower turned out particularly well.  They add a lot of interest to this card without any bulk at all.  Perfect for mailing.  I love the printed paper on the second card.  All the signs are really cool.  It totally inspired all the rounded edges.  The angled sentiment was a complete accident that just works.  I didn't stamp in the optimum spot on the paper scrap to punch it out properly.  Having the sentiment angled, against the rows of signs really makes it pop.  I love happy accidents.

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

Gisèle

You're Fabulous

Hello everyone,

I've only a few cards left in the niece and nephew series.

The printed paper is Stampin' Up Shades of Spring layered on Pretty In Pink.  The vertical element is an EK Success Retro Flower punch.  The sentiment is Verve Uplifting Phrases stamped in Early Espresso.  The embellishments are White Opal Liquid Pearls.

I truly love this very simple card.  I thought it would be more complex when I first started but once I'd punched the border and added the Liquid Pearls, I decided to stop while I was ahead.  This will be the perfect card for mailing overseas; with not one bit of bulk.

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

Gisèle

Great Globes

Hello everyone,

This is one of my favourites in this series.

The printed paper is BoBunny Detour Globe Trotting layered on Recollections Kraft and Navy.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Joyful Birthday stamped in Stampin' Up Night of Navy on Whisper White.  The embellishments are My Mind's Eye "I'm With" Enamel Dots.

I really love BoBunny paper!  Not only is it wonderful to use but it is different.  I can often find certain themes that just are not available elsewhere.  I just had to use a circle for the sentiment which, for those who know me, is stepping outside the box in a big way.  In this particular case it wasn't too difficult because of all the globe images.  I actually think it would have looked really bizarre not to use a circle.

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

Gisèle

Bits And Bobs

Hello everyone,

This is yet another card for my sister and brother-in-law.

The printed papers are DCWV Girl Stack.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Joyful Birthday stamped in Stampin' Up Taken With Teal on Whisper White and layered on more DCWV Girl Stack.  The embellishments are Recollections Glitter Adhesive Dots.

I love all the girly accoutrement on this great paper.  DCWV really hit the mark when they designed this series.  Every card that I've crafted with this paper had turned out wonderfully.  I actually have a hard time choosing which piece or pieces to use when I start looking though the stack.

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

Gisèle

Weird But Wonderful

Hello everyone,

After pausing for Remembrance Day yesterday I'm back to working on the card sets for my sister and brother-in-law.

The printed paper is BasicGrey Sugar Rush layered on Stampin' Up More Mustard.  The butterfly is punch from an EK Success butterfly punch in DCWV Glitter cardstock.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Wacky Wishes stamped in More Mustard on Whisper White and layered on More Mustard.  The embellishments are EK Success Dots Brights.  The card is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

This is just a super fun card that was totally geared to a young girl.  I love this BasicGrey paper and use it often when crafting cards for a young person.  I love the seemingly odd colours that shouldn't work together but actually do.  The line drawings are also quite juvenile but just work.  The pop of orange from the butterfly really brings it all together.

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

Gisèle

Lest We Forget

Hello everyone,

In honor of Remembrance Day.

 

The stamped image is Inkadinkado.  The poppy is a Jolee's Mini Red Poppy sticker.  The sentiment is Verve Forever In Our Hearts. The layers are Stampin' Up Very Vanilla, Ruby Red and Wild Wasabi.  The ink is Versafine Onyx Black.

 

Please come back to SPI again soon.

 

Gisèle

Georgeously Girly

Hello everyone,

My mojo still isn't where I'd like it to be but I think this card turned out pretty darn good.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Recollections yellow.  The image is Stampin' Up Mixed Bunch stamped on Whisper White with Melon Mambo ink.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Curly Cute also stamped in Whisper White with Melon Mambo ink.  Both the image and the sentiment are layered on Recollections yellow and Whisper White.  The embellishments are Multicrafts.

I love the pop of yellow against this pretty pink.  It certainly makes this amazing flower pop!  I don't know which niece will get this particular card but I think it will work for either one.  I hemmed and hawed a bit over the three little embellishments but I think they'll work OK in the mail because I've put the flower up on dimensionals.

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

Gisèle

Circles, Circles And More Circles

Hi everyone,

I completely forgot about blogging last night.  I had a card all ready to go and everything.  I can't imagine where my mind went. Today's card is another for my sister and brother-in-law.

The printed paper is BasicGrey Kioski layered on Stampin' Up Perfect Plum.  The horizontal element is Pale Plum, punched with Martha Stewart's Bangle Chain punch and layered on Recollections.  The sentiment is Verve Amazing Wishes stamped in Pale Plum on Whisper White and layered on more Recollections and Pale Plum.  The embellishments are from Fabricland.  The entire card is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

I love the purple and greens in this paper.  For someone who is not so fussy on circles, this card is just full of them.  In hindsight, I wish I had used something more circular for the sentiment.  These Fabricland embellishments are actually meant to be adhered to fabric but they work great for papercrafts.  I pressed down on them with the end of a pencil, denting them inwards, for a really nice effect.

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

Gisèle

Sensational Stamps

Hello everyone,

Another card for my sister's nephew today.

 

The printed paper is BoBunny Detour layered on Stampin' Up More Mustard.  The sentiment is Verve Wishing You stamped in Not Quite Navy on Whisper White and layered on More Mustard.  The embellishments are from Fabricland.

For a guy who is enamoured with travel I suspect he'll love this paper!  What a brilliant design idea.  I wish I could see him studying these different stamps.  I think the sentiment is more intended for weddings however I like for a 'whatever' occasion.  It will still convery that my sister and brother-in-law are thinking of their nephew.

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

Gisèle

Thinking Travel

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for my sister's nephew who is really into all things travel.  When I saw this paper I thought he'd get a kick out of the different signage.

The printed paper is BoBunny Detour Icons.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Everyday Sayings stamped in Stampin' Up Night Of Navy stamped on Very Vanilla.  The embellishment is Teresa Collins Far and Away enamel dots.

This is a super simple card.  I didn't even do any layering.  This entire set of cards have to be mailed thus I'm really trying to keep in mind that thickness just won't work.  I love these enamel dots for just that reason.  They add some zing without adding any bulk.  I also like how the circles all work together.  Maybe the mojo is returning.

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

Gisèle

Thinking Retro

Hello everyone,

Today's card is another in the series for my sister's nieces and nephew.

The printed papers are BasicGrey Porcelain layered on Stampin' Up Ruby Red.  The image is Gina K Mehndi Wishes stamped in StazOn Timber Brown on Very Vanilla and layered on Ruby Red.  The sentiment is Gina K Block Greeting also stamped in StazOn Timber Brown on Very Vanilla and layered on Ruby Red.  Both the image and sentiment are layered on Chocolate Chip which was textured with Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder.  The entire card was highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

I have been dying to use this image since I got the set eons ago.  I'm not sure how well it goes with the background paper but I so love the colours I couldn't help myself.  Perhaps the offset Chocolate Chip element doesn't exactly work the best with the zig zag either but I needed some backing for the image and sentiment.  It was another tough card to put together.  I really wish my mojo would resurface again soon.

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

Gisèle

Thinking Pink

Hello everyone,

Today's card is part of the Christmas gift for one of my sisters and my brother-in-law.  They have  two nieces and a nephew who live overseas and now that Nonna has passed away, it will be more of a challenge to keep in touch with them.  My idea is to craft a number of cards for each child that my sister and brother-in-law can just pop in the mail.

The background paper is Worldwin Red Eye textured with Couture Creations Entangle embossing folder. The vertical element is Martha Stewart Infinite Loop punch from a shimmery vanilla of unknown origin.  The butterfly is Spellbinders Wonderful Wings die cut from Worldwin Red Eye and more shimmery vanilla.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Everyday Sayings stamped in Stampin' Up Mauve Mist on Very Vanilla and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Pearl Opaques.

This was not the card I had originally wanted to craft but mojo is lagging at the moment.  I had intended to craft a valentine.  Everything I tried just didn't seem to work.  It was so frustrating that this card just didn't want to be crafted and a little scary considering I've still got eleven more different cards to get done.  Believe or not I'm still using the envelops from my envelop stash.  My sister loves to send cards for whatever occasion so I know she'll love this gift.  I can't wait to get them to here.

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

Gisèle

Sparkling Snowflakes

Hello everyone,

As much as I wanted to keep using the K & Company paper, I decided I was in a blue snowflake mood.

The printed paper is BoBunny Powder Mountain layered on Worldwin Elan Steel Blue Metallics.  The vertical element is a shimmery white of unknown origin textured with Darice Snowflakes embossing folder and layered on more Worldwin Elan Steel Blue Metallics.  The focal element is a Spellbinders Create-A-Flake 3 cut from Stampin' Up Brocade Blue that was covered with Glitter Ritz Cool Highlight microfine glitter.  The sentiment is Fiskars Vintage Christmas stamped in Brocade Blue on Whisper White, layered on Worldwin Elan Steel Blue Metallics and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

This is another really lovely sheet of paper.  I used the primary images on a couple of Winter Wonderland cards (here and here) in January.  There is a shadow of a cardinal on the left side of the card.  The leftovers are not useful for anything more than background layers for cards at this point but it's such a wonderful blue I don't expect to have any problems using it all up. 

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

Gisèle

Festive Floral

Hello everyone,

Once I got started with this amazing K & Company paper, I just couldn't stop.

The printed paper is K & Company Tim Coffey Christmas Designer Paper layered on Bazzill Glazed Christmas.  The sentiment is Verve O Christmas Tree stamped in Stampin' Up Wild Wasabi on Very Vanilla and layered on more Bazzill Glazed Christmas.  The ribbon is Crafts.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Pearl Opaques.

The beauty of this card is, once again, the fabulous paper that was carefully trimmed to take full advantage of the amazing flower.  It does leave me with quite a bit of leftover from the sheet but my plan is to use it for layering.  Not too much else was needed to craft this beauty.

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

Gisèle

Nature's Christmas

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card is a natural beauty.

The printed paper is K & Company Tim Coffey Christmas Designer Paper layered on Stampin' Up Ridinghood Red and Recollections Kraft.  The sentiment is Wordsworth Merry Christmas Script stamped in Ridinghood Red on Very Vanilla and layered on more Ridinghood Red.  The string is Darice Hemp.

This card was incredibly easy.  It was all about trimming the 12 x 12 sheet so that I didn't lose either of the beautiful birds.  I don't often use cord or string but this paper was absolutely made for it!  A simple sentiment just brought it all together.

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

Gisèle