Snowflake Special

Hello everyone,

Today is the last card is the Christmas series that a colleague commissioned.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Mistletoe Magic layered on Stampin' Up Ridinghood Red, Recollections White and Close To My Heart Juniper.  The Ridinghood Red layer was textured with Darice Snowflakes embossing folder and highlighted with Diamond Stickles.  The ribbon is Michaels.

One great thing about crafting holiday/winter seasonal cards without sentiments is that it really brings out one's creativity. Adding interest with the texture was somewhat key on this card.  You don't see it all that well in this photo but this folder ties in really well with the printed paper.  I also was very careful to align the printed paper as it makes it appear as though it's a single element.  I'm very happy with the results.  My colleague oohed and awed!

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

Gisèle

Glittered Garland

Hello everyone,

Today's card is another in the commissioned Christmas series I've been crafting.

The printed paper is an atd Snow Days layered on Close To My Heart Sweet Leaf and Twilight.  The images are Close To My Heart Cheer, glitter rub-ons.  The embellishment is Doodlebug Frosty Flakes braddies highlighted with Turquoise Stickles.

Another quick and easy holiday card.  I've had these rub on in my stash for a long time but have not really used them because they are a right pain and the results are less than satisfactory.  Basically, it is a two part image - a sticky rub-on image that once adhered to paper, the glitter is rubbed on.  I find the blue and silver glitter sheets work quite well but the green is awful.  These embellishments are not the least bit forgiving so it's basically a one shot deal.  I don't think these are even available any more, for now obvious reasons.

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

Gisèle

Winter Beauty

Hello everyone,

Today's card can only be described as a true winter beauty.

The printed paper is BoBunny Powder Mountain Morning layered on Recollections White and Stampin' Up Ballet Blue.  The image is BoBunny Powder Mountain stamped in Ballet Blue on Recollections White.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Recollections White Glitter adhesive dots.

I didn't realize when I bought this stamp set that I actually had a couple of sheets of the coordinating paper in my stash.  A very happy accident!  This was a really quick and easy card thanks to the great paper and a tried and true layout.  It would be extremely easy to add any type of sentiment in a dark blue or black ink.  Realistically, You could probably pull off a dozen of these cards in a little over an hour.

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

Gisèle

Birds, Balls and Boughs

Hello everyone,

After a short distraction, I'm back to posting the Christmas card series that was commissioned by colleague.

The printed paper is Kaisercraft Santa's List 'BonBon' layered on Close To My Heart Tulip and a textured green Bazzill.  The images are Stampendous Christmas Holly Set stamped in Sweet Leaf ink on Recollections White and layered on more Tulip and Bazzill.  The sentiment is Stampavie Holiday Wishes stamped in Tulip.  Both the images and sentiment are highlighted with Sakura Clear Star and Green Gelly Roll pens,  The embellishments are Queen & Company Shamrock Green pearls.

My colleague wanted only one more traditional card with a sentiment (all the rest were winter-themed, sentimentless) so I went to town with this one.  I love the multicoloured Kaisercraft paper as it allows for a multitude of layering options.  The images are all a great scale for a card and also offer a whole lot of options for the addition of stamped images.

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

Gisèle

Grandpa Is A Blessing

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for my Grandfather who, with my Grandmother injured, may just need a pick-me-up.  He is one of the most wonderful men I've ever met in my life, a good and true blessing.

The image is Stampin' Up Wetlands stamped on Recollections Vanilla with Stampin' Up Crumb Cake and River Rock, and Close To My Heart Slate and Whisper inks.  The image is layered on a Close To My Heart paper but the collection is unknown.  The sentiment is Gina K Mehndi Wishes stamped in Always Artichoke.  The embellishments are Eyelet Outlet Enamel Dots.

It took me a couple of tries (OK five!) to get this image exactly as I wanted it.  I smudged and fudged but persevered and the results were exactly what I wanted.  My Grandfather has been under such incredible stress with my Grandmother ill and I wanted to tell him that he is a real blessing and a real gift to use all!

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

Gisèle

Only Good Thoughts

Hello everyone,

A short while ago, my Grandmother broke her hip.  She's been healing well and is now in rehab.  I wanted to make her a special card to help keep her spirits up!

The image is Close To My Heart A Budding Friendship stamped on Recollections Vanilla with Close To My Heart Blush, Cotton Candy and Hollyhock, and Stampin' Up Certainly Celery, Crushed Curry, Daffodil Delight and Pear Pizzazz.  The image is layered on Close To My Heart Hollyhock and Blush, and Stampin' Up Certainly Celery which was textured with Darice Flower embossing folder.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Too Kind stamped in Close To My Heart Ponderosa Pine on Recollections Vanilla.  The embellishment is Craft Medley.

This is one really cheerful card!  I love this particular two-step stamp.  It is one of the easiest I have in my stash.  The pink and green is such a very happy colour combination.  I hadn't originally intended to use any other embellishments but when I found this simple gold butterfly I knew it would be just perfect!  I pretty confident that this card will give my Grandmother a whole lot of cheer!

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

Gisèle

Mama's Card

Hello everyone,

Today is my mother's birthday and I've crafted her a very special card.

The printed paper is Jillibean Soup layered on Stampin' Up Real Red and Kraft.  The image is Art Impressions Strawberry (I2288) stamped in Tombow 228 and 835 on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Real Red and Kraft.  The sentiment is Just Rite Clear Large Fancy Sentiments stamped in Early Espresso.  The embellishments are BoBunny Elf Magic jewels.

Anything 'strawberry' always catches my eye because my mother is known to just love them.  When I found this particular stamp on the Art Impressions Web Site, I knew I was going to put it in my cart.  While I usually shy away from really unique and 'one-off' type stamps, there are times such as this one where my resistance fails.

Happy Birthday Mom!

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

Gisèle

Brush Stoked Tree

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another in a set of Christmas cards I'm crafting for a colleague.

The printed paper is BoBunny Mistletoe layered on Bazzill and Simple Stories December Documented.  The image is Stampin' Up Work of Art stamped in Close To My Heart Tulip and Sweet Leaf on Recollections White and layered on more Simple Stories.  The embellishments are Little Yellow Bicycle Jewel stickers.

This card is cased from this card that I crafted for a box set that was sold at the charity card sale a few weeks back. I loved the clean and simple results back then but I think I favour this one even more.  I love the multicoloured tree coordinating with the printed paper. Once I figured out the colours, this card came together really quickly.  As I've said before, it's awesome when a card virtually crafts itself.

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

Gisèle

Snow Trees

Hello everyone,

One of my colleagues commissioned a very unique set of Christmas cards.  She asked for non-traditional, seasonal as opposed to Christmas, and predominantly sentimentless.  She did want one French, traditionally Christmas card in the set.  It was a tall order but a lot of fun to craft.

The printed paper is Echo Park Winter Wishes layered on Stampin' Up Baja Breeze and Close To My Heart Smoky Plum.  The images are Stampin' Up Gorgeous Grunge stamped in Smoky Plum and Penny Black Joyous stamped in Baja Breeze on Recollections White and layered on more Baja Breeze and Smoky Plum.  The paper and images are highlighted with Stampendous White Crystal Snow.

I do think this is a really great card.  It's not an obvious holiday card more like a winter card.  You could really use it for any occasion over the winter.  It took me a while to work out the image until I decided to mimic the trees on the printed paper by stamping really fine lines.  I also really love the colours in this card.  Completely modern and nontraditional.

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

Gisèle

Purple Happiness

Hello everyone,

Today's card was commissioned by a girlfriend who is standing in a wedding and wanted something special for the bride.

The printed paper is Kaisercraft Violet Crush layered on Stampin' Up Elegant Eggplant and Basic Black.  The sentiment is Verve Love Story stamped in Elegant Eggplant on Whisper White.  The butterfly is Ranger alcohol inked paper that was glittered with Glitter Ritz microfine transparent glitter.  The embellishments are Mark Richards 3mm silver metals.

I love this card!  The bride's colours are purple and I've just been waiting to play with these Kaisercraft papers.  The butterfly was actually punched from a tiny scrap of glittered paper that has been in my scrap bin for ages.  I debated adding some ribbon to the card, which I really like on wedding cards, but decided the little bits of silver bling would be enough.  I wish that every card was crafted so easily.

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

Gisèle

Poinsettia Collection VI

Hello everyone,

Today's card is the last post in this particular series.

The printed papers are Kaisercraft St Nicholas layered layered on textured Bazzill.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Merry Christmas Writing stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso on Very Vanilla and layered on more St Nicholas, Ridinghood Red and green textured Bazzill.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.

This is another one of those pretty clean and simple cards.  I wanted it quite different from the rest of this series and this fits the bill.  This paper is so spectacular it didn't really need much to make it shine.  I've had this little bow sitting on my workspace for quite a while, just waiting for the right card.

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

Gisèle

Poinsettia Collection V

Hello everyone,

The second to last card in this poinsettia series.

The images are Penny Black Christmas Narrative and Technique Tuesday Fanfare stamped in StazOn Black Cherry on Recollections Vanilla, layered on Stampin' Up Real Red and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

I'm really happy with this card.  When my friend asked for poinsettia card, I decided I would use different images for the series.  This card is very different from the rest.  Clean, simple and monochromatic.  The results are just great and make this card really special.

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

Gisèle

Poinsettia Collection IV

Hello everyone,

Today's card is the fourth in the latest poinsettia collection I've been crafting for a friend.

The printed paper is BasicGrey Jovial layered on textured Bazzill.  The image is Penny Black Joyous stamped in Towbow and Faber-Castell markers on Recollections Vanilla and layered on Stampin' Up Basic Black and more textured Bazzill.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Holiday Sayings stamped in Versafine and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The ribbon is Crafts and Multicrafts.  The embellishments are Queen & Company Marble Wizard Rox.

I was so happy with the last card which I crafted with this image that when my friend asked for poinsettia cards I knew I would use this stamp again.  This time I decided to use a number of different colours on the flowers.  The unfortunate thing with this stamp set is that it's an acrylic and even though I've repeatedly conditioned it, I'm still not fussy with the stamped image.  I've even tried previous inking with VersaMark and it's still not great.  I'm not sure if the problem is mine or the stamp.  I'll have to keep playing with it and see.  I'll keep you posted.

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

Gisèle

Poinsettia Collection III

Hello everyone,

I have my third poinsettia card for you today.

The printed paper is K&Company Yuletide Die Cut layered on Stampin' Up Ridinghood Red.  The image is Penny Black Joyous stamped in Tombow 098 and 856 on Recollections Vanilla.  The sentiment is Bonnidee C'est Noel stamped in Always Artichoke.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.

This was the most challenging card in this series.  I wanted to take advantage of the scalloped edge of the printed paper and attempted to compliment it with additional fancy edged layers.  I was completely over thinking the layers and ended playing with too many options.  I like the final results but am not sure it was worth the angst to get there.

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

Gisèle

Poinsettia Collection II

Hello everyone,

Today's card is the second in the 'poinsettia collection' that I crafted for a friend.

The printed paper is Wild Rose Studio A Robin's Christmas layered on a textured green Bazzill and Stampin' Up Ridinghood Red.  The image is Stampin' Up Christmas Blessings stamped in Always Artichoke on Whisper White and layered on Ridinghood Red.  The flowers are painted with LuminArte Poppy Red Twinkling H2Os and Pentel Sunburst Metallic Gold and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The sentiment is Stampavie Holiday Wishes stamped in Always Artichoke and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

I only recently found this Wild Rose Studio paper and I'm in love with it!  The images are just so different that it gets my mojo flowing.  I didn't want to use a 'heavy' poinsettia image with this sheet of simple flowers so this Stampin' Up set was perfect.  I also wanted to use a horizontal stamp in the vertical, as is currently the rage, and this particular sentiment seemed to really suit the fluid lines of the image.  Overall, I really think this card worked really well.

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

Gisèle

Poinsettia Collection I

Hello everyone,

A friend of mine recently discovered some of the poinsettia cards I've been posting and requested a set for herself.  I had a great time going through all my poinsettia stamps to craft her a series of great cards that I will be posting over the next few days.

The printed paper is K&Company SW Glad Tidings layered on textured red and green Bazzill.  The image is Stampin' Up Watercolor Winter stamped in Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Bravo Burgundy, Ridinghood Red and Always Artichoke on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Bazzill and Recollections.  The sentiment is Bonnidee Xmas Wording 3 stamped in Early Espresso and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishments are ZVA Creative jewels.

This is, by far, my favourite poinsettia stamp.  The two layers make for beautiful results every single time.  It was this particular set that got me hooked on two-step stamps.  I wanted to creative some extra interest by stamping the flowers in different colours but the Cherry Cobbler came out much darker than I wanted.  It's still interesting, just darker than I wanted.

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

Gisèle

The Farmer Is Forty!

Hello everyone,

Today's card is the last of the milestone birthday cards commissioned by one of my colleagues.

The printed paper is Stampin' Up Well Worn layered on Close To My Heart and a navy of unknown origin.  The images are Paperhouse 3D stickers.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday stamped in Close To My Heart Outdoor Denim on Recollections Vanilla.  The embellishments are American Crafts Elements brads.

This card is for my colleague's husband who is turning forty next month.  They are hobby farmers in their spare time.  There will be a surprise party for him in a few weeks as they really want to get him on this particular milestone.  I tried to keep everything rather neutral and simple so these great farm stickers would be really prominent.  I'm so grateful for stickers when I making cards like these.

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

Gisèle

Sweet Sixteen

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another commissioned card for a milestone birthday.

The printed paper is DCWV Girl Stack layered on Worldwin Chrome Silver Foil and Close To My Heart Dutch Blue.  The images are Recollections.  The sentiment is Bonnidee French Wording #1 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Stampin' Up Whisper White and layered on more Dutch Blue.  Both layers were cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 13.  The ribbon is Hobby Lobby decorative trim and Multicrafts.

This card is for a soon to be sixteen year old hockey player.  She doesn't do girly!  She is a goalie so I was quite thrilled to find a goalie stick sticker!  A real coup!  I especially enjoy crafting these types of custom cards.  I like to think they are equally special for both the receiver as well as the giver.

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

Gisèle

Bonne Fête

Hello everyone,

The next few posts are for cards commissioned by a colleague whose got some birthdays coming up in the next few weeks.

The image is Paperhouse 3D sticker affixed to Stampin' Up Whisper White and layered on Elegant Eggplant and a brushed gold of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Bonnidée French Wording #1 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The cording is Hobby Lobby decorative trim.  The number is from a set of stamps of unknown origin also stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Whisper White.

This card is for a dairy farm with a penchant for Crown Royal.  At first I didn't know what I was going to craft for this card until I decided to replicate that distinct royal purple bag that is used to envelope the bottle.  The cow of course, pays tribute to the farmer.  I'm pretty confident that he'll love this special birthday card.

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

Gisèle

And We Will Remember Them

Hello everyone,

I always like to make a sympathy card on Remembrance Day.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Ruby Red and Recollections Vanilla.  The image is Stampendous Poppy Stems stamped in Tombow 098 and 856 on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Ruby Red.  The sentiment is Verve Forever In Our Hearts stamped in Early Espresso.  The poppies are highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishments are Want 2 Scrap Le Creme Say It With Pearls.

Lest We Forget.

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

Gisèle

More Painted Poinsettias

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card uses another poinsettia stamp in the Penny Black set I've been enjoying.

The printed paper is K&Company Yuletide layered on Stampin' Up Old Olive and a red of unknown origin.  The image is Penny Black Joyous stamped in Tombow 098 and 856 and Faber-Castel (yellow) on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Old Olive.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Very Merry Christmas stamped in Mossy Meadow ink.  The ribbon is American Crafts.

I love how I managed to find a printed paper that coordinates so well with the image.  It's speaks to the inordinate amount of Christmas paper in my stash.  I think this is a great image.  It is rather unique in that you don't often see a vertical, single poinsettia as a stamp.  I think this will be amazingly versatile and can't wait to see what I can come up with.

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

Gisèle

Painted Poinsettias

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card uses another stamp in my latest 'paint stoke' set.

The image is Penny Black Joyous stamped in Tombow 098 and 856 on Recollections Vanilla and layered on Stampin' Up Old Olive and a red of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Holiday Sayings stamped in Early Espresso and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishments are Kaisercraft Dec 25th adhesive pearls.

This is a beautiful poinsettia stamp!  I love the somewhat primitive aspect of this painted style.  It was a little challenging to ink.  It's a clear stamp and it can take some conditioning before it inks up as it should.  I tried a number of different inks before settling on the trusty Tombow markers. 

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

Gisèle