In The Pines

Hello everyone,

I can't remember the last time I missed posting but as I am sick as a dog, I think it a miracle I am actually managing a post today.  I've an exceptionally quick and easy Christmas card as sometimes, that's just the best you can do.

The image is Penny Black Joyous stamped in Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Mossy Meadow.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Holiday Sayings also stamped in Mossy Meadow on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Mossy Meadow.  The glitter (hard to see in this photo) is Martha Stewart Carrara Marble glitter.

As I am recently enthralled with the paint stroke effect, I've gone looking for some stamp sets that fit my current obsession.  I recently found this beautiful Penny Black stamp and have had some great fun playing with it.  I think this is a great masculine card.  It would be perfect to give to a colleague or a boss.

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

Gisèle

Decking The Halls

Hello everyone,

I'm working full out on Christmas cards at the moment and likely will be for the next month or so depending upon my daughter's curling schedule and commissions.

The printed paper is Authentique Festive Collection "Merry" layered on Bazzill red and green.  The sentiment is Penny Black Caroling Tree stamped in Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow on Recollections Vanilla.  The ribbon is Multicrafts.  The embellishments are BoBunny Elf Magic jewels.

This is such a wonderfully classic Christmas card.  This year, I've really taken advantage of stamps which incorporate sentiments.  This is a new stamp that I just couldn't resist.  I think I will craft many a beautiful card with this stamp.

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

Gisèle

Perfectly Painted

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the card I crafted for my grandmother-in-law whose birthday is Friday.

The printed paper is K&Company SW Nature layered on Close To My Heart Lagoon.  The image is Stampin' Up Asian Artistry stamped in Ranger Vintage Photo Distress ink on Recollections Vanilla and painted with LuminArte Sweet Alfalfa, Chiffon Pink, and Ginger Peach Twinkling H2Os. The focal element is layered on Recollections Vanilla and Close To My Heart Goldrush.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Joyful Birthday.  The embellishments are Doodlebug Baby Girl Assortment mini pearls.

My Grandmother-in-law loves the cards I craft for her.  Every time I see her, she tells me that she's kept them all.  She is the sweetest woman and we just love her dearly!

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

Gisèle

Quilted Maple Leaf

Hello everyone,

Today I'm posting a card that I crafted for my grandmother who isn't feeling well at the moment.

The printed paper is Kaisercraft Peachy Keen.  The solid papers are Stampin' Up More Mustard, Really Rust, Early Espresso and Not Quite Navy.  The focal image is layered on Ranger Alcohol inked glossy paper.  The sentiment is Creative Vision Simply Said stamped in Early Espresso on Recollections Vanilla and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishment is Dress It Up State Fair Threads.

I first saw this quilted leaf on Pinterest and thought it would be just perfect for my Grandma.  It was a bit of a challenge to find the right background for this beautiful leaf but one I realized I could make my own with alcohol ink, that problem was solved.  I played with a number of fall embellishments, in a number of colours, but finally settled on a button because it seemed to suit the quilt best.

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

Gisèle

Autumn Money Holder

Hello everyone,

A girlfriend commissioned this money holder card for a fundraiser.  It was so much fun to craft!

The card base is Stampin' Up Old Olive.  The printed paper is Bella Blvd Thankful layered on Stampin' Up textured More Mustard and Recollections White.  The sentiment is Verve Celebration of Thanks stamped in Early Espresso on Recollections White and layered on More Mustard.  The ribbon and embellishments are of unknown origin.  The inside pocket strip and the envelop is textured More Mustard.  The outside strip is a piece of crimped Old Olive.

As much as I love this card, it was a bit of a challenge to pull together.  I was having a terrible time with my measurements.  I really enjoy crafting the multiple parts of this type of card.  I use a borrowed Stampin' Up envelop maker for the first time to make the envelop for this card and I'm totally hooked.  Once you've got it figured out (I used a You Tube video), it is the most awesome tool!

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

Gisèle

Heavenly Holly

Hello everyone,

Today's post is of the Holly 'paint stroke' cards.

The image is Art Impressions Holly (UMV2113) coloured with Tombow 228 and 856 on Stampin' Up Very Vanilla and layered on Ridinghood Red.  The sentiments are Cornish Heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions and Bonnidee Christmas Wording 3 stamped in Early Espresso.  The embellishments are Want 2 Scrap LeCreme Baby Bling pearls.

I think this is my favourite brush stroke stamp.  It isn't as straight forward to ink but it is so awesome when it is stamped!  Overall I kept the card really simple so as not to distract from the fabulous image.

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

Gisèle

Pretty Poinsettias

Hello everyone,

I was on a roll so pulled out some more 'brushstroke' Christmas images.

The image is Art Impressions Poinsettia (UMU2118) stamped in Stampin' Up Ridinghood Red on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Ridinghood Red.  The sentiments are Cornish Heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions and Bonnidee Xmas Wording 3 stamped in Early Espresso.  The ribbon is Crafts.  The embellishments are Crystal Stickers 3mm gold glitter pearls.

I love this particular image!  It is so very easy to use.  Not only does it ink up incredibly well for a large stamp but placement options are limitless.  In these particular cases, because the cards are large, I opted to stamp the images with just a little bit going over the edge.  I love adding the sparkling embellishments in the flower center and having a similar glittering ribbon, was a bonus.

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

Gisèle

Tremendous Trees

Hello everyone,

As I was looking over the stock I'm making for Tinseltown, I found a few more cards that I thought were worthy of sharing.

The image is Penny Black Tannenbaum stamped in Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Mossy Meadow.  The sentiments are Bonnidee Layering Trees.  The embellishments are from a variety of companies.

There was something about this tree stamp that really appealed to me.  I think it is because it appears painted and I'm really into brush strokes at the moment.  The card has amazing sparkle thanks to the variety of embellishments.  Unfortunately you don't get that sense from these images.  I envision another set of cards with this stamp that have glittering snow.

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

Gisèle

Santa Special

Hello everyone,

I craft a number of Christmas cards that are sold at a local Christmas store.  I don't often post those cards but every now and again there are some real beauties that I just have to brag about.

The image/sentiment is Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage Creative Scraps layered on Stampin' Up Real Red and a texture green Bazzill.  The Real Red layer was textured with Sizzix Holly and Berry Texturz.  The ribbon is Crafts.  The embellishments are Mark Richards 3mm gold metals.

I found this great sheet of vintage Christmas images on Amazon.ca of all places.  There were a couple of dozen images on a single sheet that were just perfect for the cards I make to sell at Tinseltown.  I really love these vintage images.  They are just so wonderfully engaging, taking you back in time.

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

Gisèle

Autumn Maple Leaves

Hello everyone,

I'm switching things up a little bit.  Today's card was commissioned for a colleague.

The leaves are Spellbinders Nested Maple Leave cut from Ranger Alcohol inked glossy paper.  The vertical strip was sponged with a variety of Stampin' Up inks.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Sweet Essentials stamped in Early Espresso.  The embellishments are Doodlebug mini pearls.

My colleague asked for a Canadian Fall inspired card so I thought it was the perfect excuse to pull out the alcohol ink.  I forgot to write down the particular inks, both alcohol and pads, so I can't give you those particulars.  They were all autumn inspired.  I also used gold and copper mixative on the leaves to add just that tiny bit of shimmer.  I really love using alcohol ink and find I just don't 'play' with them enough.

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

Gisèle

Marvelous French Multiples

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the French version of yesterday's cards.

The image is Rubbernecker stamped in Stampin' Up Blackberry Bliss, Crushed Curry, Lost Lagoon and Mossy Meadow on Whisper White and layered on more Blackberry Bliss, Crushed Curry, Lost Lagoon and Mossy Meadow.  The sentiment is Bonnidee C'est Noel.  The images are highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

This image worked perfectly with the vertical French sentiment.  The font of the sentiment coordinates awfully well with the image.  Lining up the sentiment was the most challenging part of putting it all together and I thank goodness for my stamp positioner.  I love these two particular sets and the more I do, the more I can't wait to try.

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

Gisèle

Marvelous English Multiples

Hello everyone,

The next couple of posts are for cards that make up the last two sets of Christmas cards sets for the Fall charity card sale.

The image is Rubbernecker stamped in Stampin' Up Blackberry Bliss, Crushed Curry, Lost Lagoon and Mossy Meadow on Whisper White and layered on more Blackberry Bliss, Crushed Curry, Lost Lagoon and Mossy Meadow.  The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Christmas Expressions.  The images are highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

I've done a few of these types of sets over the past few weeks.  Given some of my past issues with Christmas tree stamps, I found this particular image easy to work with as it has the long straight edge.  I love using the different ink colours with the coordinating solid paper.  These are generally really quick and easy cards.

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

Gisèle

Gift Giving

Hello everyone,

Today's post are the last two cards in this particular Christmas boxed set.

The images are DeNami Design and Inkadinkado Filigree Holiday Patterns heat embossed in Stampendous Sterling Silver embossing powder on Recollections White.  The English card is highlighted with LuminArte Douglas Fir and Poppy Red Twinkling H2Os.  The French sentiment is Stampendous Joyeux Noel stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The images and sentiment is layered on Worldwin Black and Red.  The embellishments are Mark Richards 3mm silver metals.

I think I did a pretty darn good job making very similar English and French cards.  It was impossible to make perfectly matching cards so I didn't even try.  By using the same embossing powder, papers and embellishments they certainly match.  It worked even better than I pictured!

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

Gisèle

Scripted Trees

Hello everyone,

Another couple of cards for the Christmas boxed sets.

The images are DeNami Design Christmas Tree Script and Bonnidee C'est Noel stamped in Close To My Heart Outdoor Denim on Recollections White and layered on a shimmery gold and navy of unknown origin.  The images are highlighted with Tombow 993 and Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishments are Mark Richards 3mm gold metals.

I was rather proud of myself when I realized I actually had a French sentiment tree. Though the fonts and styles are really different, they have a similar look and feel because I used the same layers and embellishments.  I didn't use the same placement for the embellishments on the French card because the image is smaller and I wanted it to look just a little bit larger.

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

Gisèle

Holiday Holly

Hello everyone,

Today's post are for a couple of cards that are a part of box sets for the Fall charity card sale at the office.

The images are DeNami Design stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and highlighted with LuminArte Douglas Fir and Poppy Red Twinkling H2Os.  The French sentiment is Bonnidee C'est Noel also stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White.  The images and sentiments are layered on Simple Stories December Documented Red Snowflake and a textured Bazzill.  The ribbon is Craft Narrows from Michael's.  The embellishments are Want 2 Scrap Red Baby Bling.

The ribbon on the French card covers up the English sentiment and serves as a very workable foundation for the French sentiment.  I couldn't use the same ribbon placement for the English card so decided to just add a bow.  I am quite pleased with the results.

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

Gisèle

Winter Trees

Hello everyone,

Over the next few days, I'll be posting some more cards that are part of sets I have crafted for the Fall charity card sale at work.

The image is DeNami Design stamped in Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow on Recollections White.  The French sentiment is Bonnidee C'est Noel also stamped in Mossy Meadow on Recollections White.  The images and sentiment are layered on a metallic brown/green of unknown origin.  The trees are embellished with Martha Stewart Coarse Crystal glitter.

I have a set of Christmas stamps which incorporate sentiments that I just love.  It makes for some quick and easy cards which is what I was aiming for with these cards.  Unfortunately, I don't have French Christmas stamps which incorporate sentiment so I had to get a little creative when it came to crafting this French set.  It will be interesting.

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

Gisèle

Simple Snowflakes

Hello everyone,

These are the last cards in this latest Christmas set for the charity card sale.

The images are Stampin' Up Work of Art and Little Yellow Bicycle Christmas Magic stamped in Stampin' Up Marina Mist, Nick Bantock Prussian Blue, and Close To My Heart Twilight and Outdoor Denim on Whisper White.  Select images were heat embossed with Stampin' Up White embossing powder.  The sentiments are Kaisercraft Christmas Carol and Magenta stamped in Nick Bantock Prussian Blue on Whisper White.  The image and sentiment elements are layered on Marina Mist.  The embellishments are Daisyds All That Glitters Rhinestone.

I couldn't figure out how to use the Work of Art stamps to make snowflakes so I decided to stamp a background then overstamp with snowflakes in different colours and textures.  I love the results!  It still works with the brush stroke images of the other cards in the sets.  I also wanted to do something in blue to offset the greens and reds of the other three cards.  I'm very happy with these sets and I'm pumped to keep going!

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

Gisèle

Simple Holly

Hello everyone,

While I was on a roll with Stampin' Up's Work of Art stamps, I thought I'd try some holly cards.

The images are Stampin' Up Work of Art stamped in Always Artichoke, Illuminate, and Close To My Heart Ruby on Whisper White.  The images are layered on Simple Stories December Documented Red Snowflake.  The sentiments are My Sentiments Exactly Holiday Sentiments and Bonnidee C'est Noel stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The embellishments are Crystal Stickers Red Glitter Dome Stickers.

Once I got out of the 'I SPI' box, I just kept going.  I think these are great holly cards.  Again, super quick and easy.  I did practice on some scrap paper before trying it on card stock as I couldn't find a Pinterest image to case.  I think I should have used a more bold sentiment on the English card but by placing the embellishments right below the wording, I think it works okay.

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

Gisèle

Simple Wreaths

Hello everyone,

Today's post is two more cards that are part of sets that will be sold (hopefully) at the charity card sale at work.

The images are Stampin' Up Work of Art stamped in Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke, Wild Wasabi and Pear Pizzazz on Whisper White.  The images are layered on Simple Stories December Documented Red Snowflake.  The sentiments are Bonnidee Xmas Wording 3 and C'est Noel stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The ribbon is Multicrafts.  The embellishments are BoBunny Elf Magic Jewels.

These two cards were also cased from Pinterest.  Sometimes when you've got a good thing going, you should just run with it.  I was so pleased with yesterday's cards I decided to try these wreath cards.  Not at all disappointed.  They were a bit more challenging but once I let go of 'perfect precision', they came together beautifully.

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

Gisèle

Simple Trees

Hello everyone,

The next few posts are Christmas cards that I've crafted for the charity card sale at the office.  These are sets of four English and French cards that will be boxed in Christmas DVD boxes that I found on sale after last year's holidays.

The image is Stampin' Up Work of Art stamped in Mossy Meadow, Always Artichoke, Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery, and Close To My Heart Sweet Leaf on Whisper White and Recollections White.  The images are layered on Simple Stories December Documents Red Snowflake.  The sentiments are Bonnidee Xmas Wording 3 and C'est Noel stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The embellishments are Eyelet Outlet Red Jewels.

These two cards were cased from 'Pinterest'.  They were so very, very simple to craft.  I think it took me more time to choose the ink colours than to actually stamp the trees.  Crafting four cards per box and I have six boxes is a lot of cards so I'm really looking for quick and easy but I also want them to be beautiful.  I think I succeeded!

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

Gisèle

Splattered

Hello everyone,

My last couple of cards were distinctly feminine so I decided to play with another stamp set that I'd picked up recently to see what type of masculine card I could come up with.

The images are Stampin' Up Gorgeous Grunge stamped in Basic Grey, Lost Lagoon and Mossy Meadow on Recollections White.  The sentiment is Avery Elle Oh Happy Day stamped in Close To My Heart Outdoor Denim.  All the panels are layered on Mossy Meadow. The embellishments are Fabricland.

This is certainly not what you could call an 'I SPI' card.  I'd seen a number of cards with this stamp set however and I found them terribly appealing so I thought I'd give them a try.  It took a couple of attempts before working out something I liked.  It was worth the effort.  There is something about the splatter that I just really like.  I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with this set so look for some more out of the 'norm' cards.

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

Gisèle

Just Amazing

Hello everyone,

Today's card is another two-step floral experiment that worked so much better than I imagined.

The image is Close To My Heart A Budding Friendship stamped in Stampin' Up Mauve Mist, Crushed Curry, River Rock and Close To My Heart Whisper on Whisper White.  The image is layered on River Rock, Basic Grey and BoBunny Primrose Collection.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Express Yourself stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The ribbon is Crafts.  The embellishments are Mark Richard silver Metals.

This card was so very easy to craft.  The hardest part was selecting the printed paper to use for layering.  Compared to yesterday's flowers, these were super easy to layer, everything lined up obviously and I didn't even use my stamp positioner.  I stamped the sentiment on the vertical because, it's one of the latest trends and this placement seemed so perfect.  I can't wait to try some of the other stamps in this set.

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

Gisèle

Flowers of Happiness

Hello everyone,

I recently picked up some new two-step stamps and decided that I should probably try practicing with them a little bit as they are a tad more complex than my others.

The printed paper is Kaisercraft Pink Gelato Collection Pink Grapefruit layered on Stampin' Up Pale Plum.  The images are Altenew Painted Flowers Stamped in Close To My Heart Blush and Whisper, and Stampin' Up Pear Pizzazz, River Rock, and Pale Plum on Whisper White.  The sentiment is Avery Elle So Happy stamped in Whisper and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.  The embellishments are EK Success Valentine Dots.

When I look at this finished card, I think I was over-thinking the process.  It's not suppose to be so hard you get stressed.  I was so concerned about picking the right colours and matching everything up that I made three attempts before I realized that you don't need to be quite so precise with these particular flowers.  This card worked great once I stopped worrying about it so much.  I will admit that I could have selected better ink colours for the leaves because they look a little like zebra stripes but I can and will live with it.

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

Gisèle

Starring Wreath

Hello everyone,

As much as I wasn't crazy about yesterday's purple card, I love today's card.

The image is Penny Black Star Dance stamped in Stampin' Up Elegant Eggplant on Whisper White and layered on Elegant Eggplant and Whisper White.  The sentiment is Penny Black Joy Filled also stamped in Elegant Eggplant.  The embellishments are Stampin' Up Basic Jewel Rhinestones.

This is a cover-up card.  I goofed an impression on the card base and had to come up with a new idea.  Furthermore, this isn't the best impression of this image.  It wasn't so bad that I felt I had to throw it out but not quite good enough for my Tinseltown cards.  I had crafted a series of cards with this image in a number of different colours and they've made a wonderful series.  I'm glad I didn't waste this image because this card is wonderful!

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

Gisèle

About Advent

Hello everyone,

I've been working on Christmas cards for the past few weeks.  These are cards that I don't generally post because I sell them at a local Christmas store 'Tinseltown Christmas Emporium'.  That being said, sometimes I don't like the results or I have to 'cover up'.  My next couple of cards are reworked cards that I'll put in the Fall charity card sale at work.

The image and sentiment are Penny Black Christmas Wishes stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Stampin' Up Whisper White and layered on Lovely Lilac.  The image is painted with LuminArte Buttercup, Ice, Douglas Fir, Poppy Red, Wisteria, Mango Mama and Golden Opal Twinkling H2Os.  The embellishments are Eyelet Outlet Purple Enamel Dots and EK Success Shimmering Silver Dots.

It's not that I don't like this Christmas card, it's just that it's too purple.  I was thinking Advent when I painted the candle and I'm just not feeling the purple.  I also think the sentiment in no way evokes advent.  Though I tried to coordinate everything 'purple', it didn't seem to help at all.  We'll just have to see what happens at the card sale.

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

Gisèle

Best With Books

Hello everyone,

Today's card is another commission.

The printed paper is BasicGrey Oxford layered on DCWV Silky Smooth Stack.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Best Wishes stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Stampin' Up Very Vanilla and layered on more DCWV Silky Smooth.  The embellishment/brad is of unknown origin.

The Chief Librarian at work is moving on to another position and I was asked to craft her a special card.  Nothing could work better for this card than this piece of BasicGrey!  All those books!  I knew I'd use this piece of paper from the moment I was asked to make this card.  Given how busy the rows of books are, I decided to keep the rest of the card on the simple side.  I offset the sentiment and the embellishment so they wouldn't get lost against the paper.  I originally added a ribbon to this card but it was actually too much.  Sometimes, less is more, a mantra I'm always telling myself and when I actually listen to myself, I'm generally quite pleased with the results.

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

Gisèle

Oh Oscar Baby!

Hello everyone,

Today's card was commissioned by a colleague and it's just fun!

The printed paper is BoBunny Hip Hip Hooray Primary Stripe layered on a piece of My Mind's Eye from an unknown collection.  Oscar was built from a variety of punched scraps of unknown origin.  The garbage can was crafted from a shimmery grey of unknown origin and textured with a Quickutz Stripes Label embossing folder.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Teeny Tiny Wishes stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Whisper White.

My colleague commissioned this card for a friend who is having a baby boy who will be named Oscar.  The name is prompting an overall Oscar theme for this yet-to-be born baby boy.  My colleague asked if there was a way to craft a card along the Oscar theme and I found this post via Pinterest, which was exactly what I had in mind.  It is extremely rare for me to craft this type of card but I couldn't think of any other way to craft Oscar!  This was so much fun, I think I'd like to try some of the other Sesame Street punched characters and other ideas shared by Patti Lee.  I love this unusual baby card!

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

Gisèle

A Conundrum

Hello everyone,

A few weeks ago, a friend of ours turned 50.  Her husband organized a surprise birthday party and got her, but good!  Today's post is the card I crafted for her milestone birthday.

The printed paper is Close To My Heart Miracle layered on Sweet Leaf and Crystal Blue.  The images are Stampin' Up Sweet Summer stamped in Sweet Leaf and Baja Breeze on Recollections Vanilla.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Joyful Birthday stamped in Nick Bantock Charcoal Grey and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Kaisercraft Denim pearls.

This particular friend doesn't ever come across as particularly girly but I've never met someone who was as engaging, loyal or supportive.  She makes me smile every time I see her.  I thought this card was a great mix of soft and sweet but strong and solid all at the same time.  A bit of a conundrum, much like our friend.

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

Gisèle

Happy Birthday Girlfriend!

Hello everyone,

My best friend's birthday was in early September and though I got her card to her on time, I wasn't able to post it until now.  It was carefully crafted with her in mind!

The printed paper is Glick W205 layered on a atd green and a shimmery Bazzill lilac.  The butterfly is Marianne Collectables COL1318 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Stampin' Up Whisper White and painted with LuminArte Blushing Rose, Moonbeams, Sea Grass and Wisteria Twinkling H2Os.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Joyful Birthday.

Every part of this card was specially crafted with my girlfriend in mind.  From the elements to the colours, all of it speaks to something about this special lady!  She is an amazing woman and a great friend and I really wanted to honor her with something unique and heartfelt.  I'm lucky to have her in my corner!

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

Gisèle

Happy Birthday Sister!

Hello everyone,

Today's post is for the birthday card I crafted for my sister whose birthday is actually today!

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a red, also of unknown origin, and Gina K Sweet Corn.  The images are Close To My Heart You Are Beautiful stamped in Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, River Rock and Ruby Red on Very Vanilla.  The sentiment is Woodware Going To Seed.

My sister has a beautiful print of poppies in her home.  This paper and the stamped images reminded me of that print.  I knew when I saw this paper that I would use it for one of her cards.  This stamp is a two-step image which I'm so fond of at the moment.  To add some additional interest to the stamped image, I decide to try multiple impressions after only one inking.  Except for the flower in the top left, I think it was a very effective technique.  Even though that top left image is really dark, it still works great!

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

Gisèle

Circles And Banners

Hello everyone,

This is a card leftover from the French series I just finished. I'd planned to craft a neutral French anniversary card but that was yesterday's card and frankly, I have had enough of the Bonnidee sentiments and wanted to use something from this set I'd bought a few months back.

The printed paper is Cloud 9 Design Sparkle Celebration Dots - Cocoa Mist layered on DCWV Silky Smooth Stack.  The sentiment is Just Rite Large Fancy Sentiments stamped in Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip on Whisper White and layered on textured Bazzill and more DCWV Silky Smooth Stack.  The brad is of unknown origin, likely Multicrafts.

This Cloud 9 paper has a touch of glitter so I thought it rather inspired to pair it with some very smooth and some very textured paper.  It makes for some rather interesting contrasts.  I made these banners using a square punch.  I wish I'd made the bottom layers longer, instead of shorter, than the sentiment layer as the overlap hides too much of the bottom banners.  This is still a lovely card that I'll add to the card sale stock.

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

Gisèle