Garden Goodness

Hello everyone,

Today's post is, I think, the last Mother's Day card.  It was commissioned by a colleague.

The printed paper is Close To My Heart Grace layered on Honey and Barn Red.  The images are Stampin' Up Scene In A Garden and Branch Out stamped on Very Vanilla with StazOn Timber Brown and Black Cherry, and Stampin' Up Pear Pizzazz, Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery and Crushed Curry.  The images were coloured with Rebhan watercolor paints.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Teeny Tiny Wishes.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Mocha Opaques.

I had such success with the last scene card I crafted I decided to try again.  My colleague and her sister got her Mom, an avid gardener, a couple of plants and wanted the card to reflect their gift.  This really worked for them.  I also crafted two unique gift cards that the girls used because they didn't want to pick up something their Mom didn't want or need.  I love this card!  Well worth the effort and practise!

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

Gisèle

Blossoming Beauty

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another Mother's Day card I crafted for my stash.

The image is Stampin' Up Stippled Blossoms stamped on Whisper White with Pear Pizzazz, Certainly Celery, Wild Wasabi, Positively Pink, and Ranger Spun Sugar Distress ink.  The butterfly is a Stampin' Up butterfly punch from watercoloured paper that was glittered.  The embellishments are Kaisercraft Miss Nelly jewels.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Teeny Tiny Wishes stamped in Wild Wasabi and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

This is such a pretty card.  I'm really enjoying two-step/double stamping.  The images just come out so beautifully.  It always takes me a while to come up with good ink combinations but I think that will just take practice.  This is such a fabulous stamping system, I wish I could find more of these types of stamps.

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

Gisèle

Pretty In Purple

Hello everyone,

Today's post is for a Mother's Day card that I just crafted for my stash.

The image is Stampin' Up Too Kind stamped in Rich Razzleberry, Eggplant Envy and Pear Pizzazz on Recollections Vanilla and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Teeny Tiny Wishes stamped in Wild Wasabi on more Vanilla.  The image is layered on textured Rich Razzleberry.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Pearl Opaques.

This card took me a couple of attempts and I still didn't stamp the perfect image.  The sentiment, which I stamped on one of the rejects, covers another smooshed stamp.  This is a pretty simple layout that I use often.  Given the angst of getting this card crafted, I just love it!

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

Gisèle

For His Wife

Hello everyone,

Today's card is a Mother's Day card that a colleague commissioned was for his wife.

The printed paper is origami paper of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Basic Black and Bazzill Gold.  The sentiment was stamped with EK Success Image Tree "Make A Wish" letters on Whisper White with Versafine Onyx Black and layered on more Bazzill Gold.  The ribbon is Crafts.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Licorice Opaques.

My colleague's office is really Asia-inspired so using this origami paper was pretty straightforward.  Given the origami paper is really quite elaborate, I decided to keep everything else simple.  I'd seen this type of ribbon application on a number of Pinterest cards and find it very appealing.

My colleague's wife loved the card.  I hope he asks for more because I really enjoyed crafting it.

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

Gisèle

Happy Mother's Day

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the card that I crafted for my mother this past Mother's Day.  I am obviously totally out of sync with the cards I've been crafting lately.

The printed papers are Stampin' Up Berry Blossoms layered on Lucky Limeade.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up All Holidays stamped in Lucky Limeade on Whisper White and layered on more Berry Blossoms and Lucky Limeade.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.  The embellishments are My Mind's Eye Notable "Cute" enamel dots.

I actually crafted this card weeks ago but got distracted from posting it due to the redesign and baby series.  It's just an accident that it is another star burst card like yesterday's.  I really love crafting star burst cards though.  My mother is a very talented quilter and I love making her cards like this.  She is also a real strawberry lover so it's a theme that she appreciates.

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

Gisèle

Starburst Baby Girl

Hello everyone,

You just had to assume that I'd repeat the starburst card for this baby girl card.

The printed papers are Echo Park Bundle Of Joy Its A Girl and BasicGrey Olivia.  The solid papers are Recollections pink and white, and Bazzill.  The butterfly is Joy Crafts Vintage Flourishes die cut from a piece of Stampin' Up Whisper White that was covered with Martha Stewart coarse glitter.  The sentiment is Verve Treasured Words stamped in Early Espresso on Recollections white.  The embellishments are Multicrafts.

I was so impressed with the BasicGrey paper in the baby boy starburst card that I thought I'd find one to work with this paper.  It wasn't too hard.  I also decided chevron pattern on the backside of the Echo Park paper was also very usable in this application.  I love the glittered butterfly although I wish I'd used wax paper on the die as it wasn't fun to get all those tiny pieces loose.

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

Gisèle

Baby Girl Critters

Hello everyone,

After finishing with my baby boy cards, its now time for the baby girl cards.

The printed paper is Echo Park Bundle Of Joy Its A Girl layered on Stampin' Up Early Espresso.  The horizontal strip is Recollections pink punched with Martha Stewart's Layered Arches border punch.  The images are Inkadinkado Baby Animals stamped on Recollections white in Early Espresso and layered on more Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Short and Sweet also stamped on Recollections white.  The ribbon is Michael's Sugar and Spice.

This card is just wonderfully sweet and girly.  I was inspired by Pinterest to punch the images off set within the circles and it worked even better than I thought.  I'll definitely do that again.

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

Gisèle

Starburst Baby Boy

Hello everyone,

Every since my first starburst card I've wanted to try this technique on a baby card.

The printed papers are Echo Park Bundle Of Joy It's A Boy, BasicGrey Lauderdale, and Stampin' Up Comfort Cafe.  The solid papers are Bazzill, Recollections, and textured Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Curvy Verses stamped on Recollections White in Early Espresso.  The ribbon is Offray.  The embellishments are My Mind's Eye Notable "Cute" enamel dots.

This card turned out better that I imagined.  Who would have thought that the BasicGrey would work so well with such traditional baby paper!  The colours are perfect and the busy pattern adds some wonderful interest.  I don't have a ton of baby stamps but this is one of my favourites.

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

Gisèle

Baby Boy Critters

Hello everyone,

Once I'd dispensed with the grey and yellow, I decided to go full on baby with this paper I'd had in my stash since last summer.

The printed paper is Echo Park Bundle Of Joy It's A Boy layered on a textured Bazzill blue.  The horizontal strip is Stampin' Up Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Teeny Tiny Wishes stamped in Early Espresso on Whisper White and layered on more textured blue.  The ribbon is Dashes, Dots & Checks.

A traditional baby card!  Yea!  This is the greatest baby paper.  The colours are really wonderful giving lots and lots of different options.  This one was a breeze and a joy to craft!

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

Gisèle

Baby, Baby, Baby

Hello everyone,

This is the last of the grey and yellow cards I crafted.  They got better at the end!

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Recollections yellow and grey.  The chevrons are also Recollections yellow and grey and are layered on Recollections white.  The images are Inkadinkado Baby Animals stamped on Stampin' Up Whisper White with Basic Grey.  The sentiment is Penny Black Baby, Baby stamped in Basic Grey and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishments are Martha Stewart pastel mini pearls.

The last of these yellow and grey cards use a bit of everything in the previous cards - colours, chevron, patterned paper and images.  It turned out well I think.  These little critters are pretty darn cute!

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

Gisèle

Special Delivery

Hello everyone,

Back to the grey and yellow scheme.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Recollections yellow.  The chevrons are more Recollections yellow and grey and are layered on Recollections grey.  The sentiment is Heidi Grace Baby stamped in Stampin' Up Basic Grey on Whisper White.  The ribbons are Offray and Sheer Creations.  The embellishment is an Artemio sticker.

I'm much happier with this attempt.  I love the silver buggy sticker!  It works really well with the colour scheme.  The printed polka dot paper is part of a stack that I've had forever but don't remember where it came from.  I chose it because the yellow really had a grey tone and it coordinates very well with the Recollections papers.  I love polka dots for baby cards too.

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

Gisèle

Wonder and Onesies

Hello everyone,

This is my second attempt at grey and yellow and I just couldn't do it so I turned to BasicGrey.

The printed paper is BasicGrey Sugar Rush layered on Recollections yellow.  The horizontal chevrons are more Recollections yellow and grey.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Whimsical Words stamped in Basic Grey on Whisper White.  The embellishments are Martha Stewart pastel mini pearls and Recollections stickers which were highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

This is the second chevron method I found on Pinterest.  It is a braid which I found much easier and less time consuming.  My colleagues cousin is having a girl so I figured this Sugar Rush paper would work well for her card.  It has enough grey and yellow to suit her colour scheme and I think I managed to work in the chevron strip quite well.  Placement of the onesies was more problematic as I'd originally thought to put them on the horizontal however once I moved them vertical I was happy.

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

Gisèle

Welcome Baby

Hello everyone,

I've finished the redesign series now it's time to replenish the stash and I'm determined to stick with my list.  I'm starting with baby cards because a colleague commissioned a card for her cousin.

The papers are white, grey and yellow Recollections.  The images are Inkadinkado Baby Animals stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Short and Sweet also stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The ribbon is Offray.  The embellishments are TPC Studio Class Act mini jewels.

When we were discussing her card, she said her cousin had a grey and yellow colour scheme.  Not a favourite.  She also mentioned chevrons. Also not a favourite.  What to do?  Run with it!  I decided to play with the colours and chevrons and I'm not entirely unhappy with the results.  I'm really thankful for Pinterest as I found a number of options when it comes to chevron.  This particular one was rather labour intensive and the results are just OK.  I hadn't intended to add images but I had no other brilliant ideas.  In the end, I'm glad for them as it really does make the non-traditional colours and pattern an actual baby card.

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

Gisèle

Boldly Butterflied

Hello everyone,

Today's redesigned card was originally posted on March 24, 2011.

The redesign was very simple.  I added a Marianne Design Collectable butterfly stamped in Versafine Onyx Black and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Bitty Sparkles.

I believe the reason this card has been sitting in my stash for three years is because of the colour and the sentiment location.  I crafted four cards, virtually the same except for colour and sentiment, and this is the only one I still have.  With the busy background and the peachy colour, I think the sentiment just got lost.  I am hoping that adding this intricate black butterfly will better ground the sentiment.  This is not my favourite colour but I don't hate it either.  It works well with the black and white.  This great butterfly just makes it better.

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

Gisèle

Creative Condolences

Hello everyone,

Today's card was originally posted on August 1, 2010.

The image on the redesigned card is Penny Black Inclinations stamped on Stampin' Up Whisper White in Crumb Cake and Chocolate Chip and layered on Recollections White.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Sincere Expressions stamped in Early Espresso.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.

Like yesterday's card, the sentiment on the original card floats on a sea of boring textured.  The texture is interesting but there is so much of it, the sentiment gets lost.  Also, the embellishments are too large for the sentiment and instead of bringing focus, they are lost and flex the sentiment downward.  I flipped the sentiment from corner to corner, something I've never done before, and stamped it in two different colours which I think makes it incredibly interesting.  There is no longer a sea of texture but something interesting wherever your eye lands.  I love, love, love this new card!

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

Gisèle

Thank You Dear Father

Hello everyone,

Today's redesigned card was first posted on May 17, 2010.

I think this card remained unsold because it was just a little too feminine for a masculine card so I figured a whole different purpose would work better.  The images are Stampin' Up Pocket Silhouettes stamped in Taken With Teal, Chocolate Chip and Old Olive and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Express Yourself stamped on Whisper White in Taken With teal and layered on Chocolate Chip.  The Taken With Teal piece on the focal element was textured with Quickutz Plants embossing folder.

This new card is so much better.  The original image that was over stamped with more Pocket Silhouettes is no longer floating.  The embossed piece speaks to the stamped image perfectly.  The new sentiment also no long floats, being grounded with the layer of Chocolate Chip that overlaps the embossed Taken With Teal piece.  I think this redesign works perfectly.

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

Gisèle

More For Mother

Hello everyone,

The original card was posted on May 12, 2010.

I wasn't completely unhappy with the original card but after four years there was a reason it was still in the stash.  I think it was because the Taken With Teal butterfly and black sentiment were too stark and harsh.  The refashioned card uses a Marianne Design Collectable stamped in Stampin' Up Whisper White with Faber-Castell markers and Basic Grey, heat embossed with Close To My Heart Silver Pearl and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The butterfly was layered on Recollections and a origami paper of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Kaisercraft Occasions stamped in Basic Grey on Recollections and heat embossed with more Silver Pearl.  The embellishments are Doodlebug Baby Girl and Baby Boy Assortment mini pearls.

I don't think I really improved this card.  The Recollections layer under the butterfly is still to harsh but my choices were limited because of the challenge to hide that black sentiment.  I also think the pearls should have been clear sparkles which would have complimented the sheen in the ribbon and the Sakura coloured spaces on the butterfly.  There is just too much going on in this redo so instead of putting in back in the stash, I'm going to send it to my mother-in-law (sorry Barb).

I hope you enjoy this redo, more as a what not to do, and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Bloomin' Improved

Hello everyone,

The original card was posted on May 11, 2010.

The sentiment element on the original card was much to small and badly positioned.  The image and sentiment on the redesigned card provides better scale given it's a proper focal point.  The image is Close To My Heart Thoughts of You stamped on Stampin' Up Very Vanilla with Blush Blossom, Certainly Celery and River Rock.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Best Wishes stamped in Soft Suede.  The embellishment are Close To My Heart Pearl Opaques.

What a difference a well balance focal element makes.  The image works fairly well with the original basic grey paper though the Blush Blossom is a little more orange than I'd like but I didn't have a pink that worked better.  I probably could have included a layer of pale blue (Soft Sky) but that is hindsight talking.  I'm very, very pleased with this new version.

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

Gisèle

Better With Butterflies

Hello everyone,

The original card was posted on April 26, 2010.

Like yesterday's card, I didn't remove anything from the original card but instead added three double layer butterflies which were punched with two EK Success butterfly punches from Stampin' Up Shimmery White and Bermuda Bay.  The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties.

I'm no design expert by any stretch of the imagination so I can't pin point exactly what is the problem with the original card.  I think the main issue is that it seems unfinished.  With the addition of the butterflies, the card just seems to look more complete.  I wonder if it is because the three original elements, though placed well in the layout, are small, medium and large with the focal element smack in the middle of the card, competing with the busy Hero Arts Starburst Lace stamp.  The three butterflies seems to spread out the line of sight and balance the simple sentiment with the busy stamp.

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

Gisèle

Less Vanilla Space

Hello everyone,

Today's card was originally posted on April 18, 2010.

Refashioning this card didn't involve removing anything but adding another element.  The butterfly was die cut with a Marianne Design Collectable from a piece of Stampin' Up Bella Bleu that was glittered with Crystal Glittter Ritz cool highlight microfine transparent glitter.  The die cut image was stamped with Night Of Navy ink.

The original card had too much blank space because I didn't position the round element in the best place.  The butterfly covers some of that space and by overlapping the circle, which overlaps the edge of the card, there is symmetry.  The glittered paper is the same as the background paper which provides more coordination.  Not a bad effort, we'll have to see if the card is now more appealing.

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

Gisèle

PS - Four years later my photos are much improved!

Diva Do Over

Hello everyone,

As I was going through my stash of cards, figuring out what types of cards needed replenishing, I realized I had cards that had been in the box for years.  I decided to see what I could do to refashion them to make them more saleable.  I was very critical, pulling out eleven cards and of those, only three were completely deconstructed.  I thought it would be fun to post before and afters of the remaining eight cards.

The original card was posted on February 4, 2010:

For the refashioned card, I removed the brad and added three butterflies, punched with three separate EK Success butterfly punches from Stampin' Up Whisper White and Sending Love designer series paper.  The metal butterfly is of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Multicrafts.  The sentiment was highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

I think this is a fantastic do-over!  The butterflies add some much needed interest.  The brad from the earlier card wasn't the right scale and just floated on the card.  Adding glitter to the sentiment speaks to the glitter in the printed paper.  I love this new card.

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

Gisèle

Repeating Tulip

Hello everyone,

As usual, I was so pleased with yesterday's card that I just had to see how it worked with another favourite Gina K stamp.  My mother really liked this card so I decided to try some more tulips and with spring having finally arrived, I can't wait to see my tulips in bloom.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Vanity Fair layered on Close to My Heart Hollyhock.  The image is Gina K Spring Blooms stamped in Tombow 098, 158, 177. 757, 993, and 772 on Recollections Vanilla and layered on Momenta Denise Urban.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.  The embellishments are ZVA Creative gold pearls.

More repeating images, more stripes and more ribbon.  Many of my recent cards have similar elements but are entirely different cards.  It's amazing how that actually works.  I didn't get the knots in the ribbon as centered as I would have liked but that's happens and sometimes you just have to live with it.  This is a great image but I think in a repeating pattern like this, a more solid image like yesterday's iris, as opposed to a line drawing, works better.  It just has so much more heft that it carries the repeat better.  This isn't terrible because of the lined background paper.  All in all, it worked, and I'll repeat.

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

Gisèle

Repeating Iris

Hello everyone,

I'm still working on cards for my stash.  Even though I'm lost without my list, I know that I wanted to add cards without any sentiments.

The printed paper is Momenta Denise Urban textured cardstock layered on Stampin' Up Wisteria Wonder.  The image is Gina K Garden Silhouettes stamped in Tombow 679, 098, 623, and 636 on Recollections Vanilla.  The ribbons are Multicrafts and Craftsmart.

I've not done a repeating card like this in a long time.  I like the repeats in this layout because it really lends itself to not using a sentiment.  I think this is the first time I've coloured a Gina K stamp.  I've found that some red rubber stamps don't take well to being coloured but that certainly wasn't the case with these stamps.  I did use Versamark first, just in case, but I really didn't need to.  I probably could have added some embellishments but in the end, these iris are so striking I felt that less, was way more.

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

Gisèle

Super Striped

Hello everyone,

I've utterly lost track of the list of cards I need for my stash so I just decided to run with whatever moves me.

The printed paper is BasicGrey Hello Luscious layered on Recollections.  The image is Gina K Botanicals stamped in Stampin' Up Always Artichoke, River Rock, Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery and Pear Pizzazz on Whisper White.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Perfectly Penned stamped in Early Espresso.  The ribbon is Crafts.  The embellishments are Doodlebug Baby Boy Assortment mini pearls.

I've tried this overstamping technique a number of time in the last while and just love doing it.  It is very easy and always turns out beautifully.  I was obviously in the mood for greens when I stamped the image and using all these greens made it pretty easy to find some coordinating paper.  I love how the reds and pinks just pop but it doesn't take away from the image at all.

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

Gisèle

Scene of Sympathy

Hello everyone,

I thought I would try a little different sympathy card.  It's one I've been thinking about for a while.

The images are Stampin' Up Scene In A Garden and Branch Out stamped on Recollections Vanilla.  The image was stamped and coloured in Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, Certainly Celery, Wild Wasabi, Pool Party, Baja Breeze, Marina Mist, Faber-Castell markers, and Rebhan watercolour paints.  The butterflies were highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The scene is layered on a piece of brown of unknown origin and a green from Generations Traditional Stackers.  The sentiment is Gina K Garden Silhouettes stamped in Early Espresso.

I don't often craft cards with scenes as I'm terrible at colouring.  This is the second attempt.  I'm not all that confident in the scale but I really wanted to see if it could work.  It's not bad.  I used a variety of colouring mediums because I find I'm so much better with inks and watercolour paints than with markers.  I know practice would resolve the marker issues but try as I might, I'm never happy with the results.

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

Gisèle

More Flourishes

Hello everyone,

I was so happy with yesterday's flourishes card I just had to try another.

The printed papers are Stampin' Up Raspberry Tart.  The image is Impression Obsession Clingables Large Flourishes stamped in Close To My Heart Ruby on Whisper White and highlighted with White Opal Liquid Pearls.  The sentiment is Stampendous Special Messages stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The ribbon and brads are of unknown origin.

I'm not as happy with this card as yesterdays.  I should have been more careful with the position of the fifth flourish stamp.  I had a real challenge finding workable brads and these are larger than I'd like.  This paisley/flourish stamped design worked fabulously.  It was really quite easy and with some practice, I can see so many possibilities.

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

Gisèle

Pretty In Pink

Hello everyone,

The pinks just kept on coming with this card.

The printed paper is BasicGrey Bittersweet layered on Stampin' Up Bravo Burgundy.  The image is Impression Obsession Clingables Large Flourishes stamped in Close To My Heart Ruby and Blush inks on Whisper White, highlighted with White Opal Liquid Pearls and layered on Close To My Heart Blush.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Beautiful Wishes stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The ribbon is Crafts.

This flourish stamp is so similar to the paisley stamp that I figured it would work as well as yesterday's card.  It did and I just love it!  I went a little overboard with the pink but this Bittersweet paper just inspires the use of pink.  I love this sentiment because it is so very flexible as it could be used for a birthday or a wedding.  Love it!

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

Gisèle

Playing With Paisley

Hello everyone,

The next three cards were completely inspired by the paisley background I stamped on the anniversary card the day before yesterday.

The printed papers are DCWV All Dressed Up.  The image is Impression Obsession Clingables Medium Paisley stamped in Close To My Heart Sweet Leaf and Stampin' Up Taken With Teal on Whisper White.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Best Wishes also stamped in Taken With Teal on Whisper White and layered on more DCWV.  The paisleys are highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

I really wanted to see what would happen if I wasn't stamping the paisleys randomly but brought the points together.  What an incredible result!  This is a fantastic card!  The Sweet Leaf ink coordinates much better with the green layer than this photo shows.  I liked these paisleys so much, I just had to try a couple more...

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

Gisèle

Big On Butterflies

Hello everyone,

Today's 'get well' card is also for my stash and challenged me from the get go.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline Dolled Up "Day" Butterflies layered on Close To My Heart Hollyhock and Olive.  The background is Stampin' Up Butterfly Collection Jumbo Wheel rolled in Hollyhock ink.  The butterflies were die cut with Sizzix Embosslits Beautiful Wings in Hollyhock and Olive.  The hemp is of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Want 2 Scrap Say It With Pearls.

Could there be any more butterflies on this card?  I've had this wheel for eons but just never managed to get any experimenting with it.  This is a goofed, cover-up card.  Even though I used my wheel guide, I managed a really obvious 'smoosh' with the impression, thus the split placement of the printed paper.  So frustrating, especially after the Swallowtail incident a few days ago.  This is one of those cards where I just seemed to have to keep adding elements before I was even nominally pleased with the results.  Notwithstanding the 'smoosh', I think this wheel has some wonderful possibilities.

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

Gisèle

Anniversary Sophistication

Hello everyone,

I'm adding today's anniversary card to my stash.

The printed paper is Recollections layered on Stampin' Up River Rock and Basic Grey.  The River Rock layer was stamped with Impression Obsession Clingables Medium Paisleys.  The Basic Grey layer was textured with Sizzix Elegant Lines embossing folder.  The sentiment is Inkadinkado stamped in Basic Grey on Very Vanilla.  The ribbon is Michaels Special Value.  The embellishments are Jolee's Boutique Swarovski Crystals.

I love this card.  I figure it would work really well for a husband to give his wife but not so frou frou that a wife couldn't give it to her husband.  Paisley works so well that way.  This card has a bit of everything I really love - blues, paisleys, texture, layers and glitter.  These background paisleys actually inspired three more cards that will be posted in the coming days so stay tuned.

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

Gisèle

Our Thoughts

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for one of my colleagues whose father recently passed away.

The printed papers are Cosmo Cricket Art Angel and unknown origin.  The sentiment is Impression Obsession stamped in Stampin' Up Dusty Durango on Very Vanilla.  The ribbon is Dusty Durango polka dot grosgrain.  The embellishments are brads of unknown origin.

My colleague is a huge knitter so I just had to use a piece of 'knitted' paper for one of the layers.  This is actually quite a simple card that is just different coordinating layers.  This could easily be a great scrap card especially if your bin is somewhat over flowing.

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

Gisèle