Retirement Grunge

Hello everyone,

Today's masculine retirement card couldn't be more different from yesterday's pretty vintage version.

The printed paper is BasicGrey Sublime layered on Stampin' Up Early Espresso and a vanilla of unknown origin.  The image is Stampin' Up Gorgeous Grunge stamped in Stampin' Up River Rock, Soft Suede, and Close To My Heart Whisper on more vanilla of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Bonnidee French Wording #1 stamped in Early Espresso on vanilla.  The embellishments are Fabricland.

Grunge is not my go-to style but the more I play with this set, the more I like it!  These background images are pretty subtle but pack a punch.  I originally stamped the sentiment on the grunge images but there wasn't enough contrast.  I probably could have also layered the image element with some more Early Espresso but I'd already adhered it when the thought crossed my mind.  I think this is a great masculine card, no fuss, no frills.

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

Gisèle

Cheery Vintage Retirement

Hello everyone,

The next couple of posts are the last in the masculine and feminine good bye/good luck/retirement cards I've been crafting.  This final pair are the French versions.

The printed papers are BasicGrey Lemonade layered on Recollections yellow and pink.  The yellow layer was textured with Darice Flower embossing folder.  The sentiment is Bonnidee French Wording #1 stamped in Stampin' Up Melon Mambo on a vanilla of unknown origin.  The ribbon is American Crafts.  The card is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

I was in the mood to craft something sweet and cheerful!  This card fits that bill perfectly.  The colour combination is very sweet and spring-like.  The printed papers are all leftover scrap pieces which I didn't even need to trim.  I really like the pattern on pattern layering.  The little spots of sparkle add throughout the card add a little bit of depth that I find is needed when using yellow.

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

Gisèle

The Scottish Irish Wedding

Hello everyone,

Today's card was commissioned by my girlfriend.  She was in need of a wedding card for a Scottish dance teacher who is marrying an Irish fellow.

The image is Verve Hundred Hearts heat embossed with Stampendous Green Tinsel embossing powder on Recollections White and layered on a shimmery navy and red of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Verve Love Story also heat embossed with Stampendous Green Tinsel embossing powder on Recollections White and layered on more shimmery red.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.  The embellishment is a Recollections brad.

This was a tougher card than I anticipated.  I really hoped to mimic a McDonald tartan and use shamrock images.  I couldn't figure out the correct tartan and was pretty sure using the wrong one would be a disaster.  I thought I had a simple shamrock stamp but couldn't find one anywhere in my stash.  All that being said, I think this card does speak to the Scottish and Irish.  The red and blue of the tartan and the kelly green ribbon actually don't look all that bad together.  I really hope my girlfriend likes it!

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

Gisèle

Nature Still Calling

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the masculine version of yesterday's card.

The printed paper is Scrap With In Reach "The Cottage" layered on Stampin' Up Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Best Wishes stamped in Early Espresso on Close To My Heart Colonial White and layered on more Early Espresso.  The horizontal strip is a crimped piece of Close To My Heart Sweet Leaf.  The embellishments are of unknown origin.

I think this is a fairly decent masculine card.  I used the metal embellishments to reinforce the masculine feel.  The crimper was close at hand on my work surface and I really liked the texture on some of my earlier cards so thought it was worth repeating here.  This card really took me just minutes to pull together.  It helped that many of the elements had already been selected further to yesterday's version.

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

Gisèle

Gone To Nature

Hello everyone,

I still have a few more cards I want to craft for this latest series.  This card goes in an entirely different direction that the last few cards.

The printed paper is Scrap With In Reach "The Cottage" layered on Close To My Heart Colonial White and Crystal Blue.  The images are Sweet 'n Sassy Nature Silhouettes stamped in Close To My Heart Sweet Leaf and Stampin' Up Close To Cocoa on Colonial White and layered on Stampin' Up Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Best Wishes stamped in Early Espresso on Colonial White and layered on Close To My Heart Sweet Leaf.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Pearl Opaques.

I wanted to try using the same printed paper as well as the same sentiment for both the masculine and feminine versions of this pair.  I'm not sure about the femininity of this card but I thought by adding pearls it would work.  I think it really will depend upon how masculine I can make tomorrow's card.  I really had to sort through my stamps to find an image that spoke to the printed paper.  I think this particular set works.  I wasn't all that certain about adding the bird but I think I made it work by stamping just a little bit off the paper.  I know its not perfectly to scale but I think it still works.

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

Gisèle

Gorgeous Green Sugar

Hello everyone,

Today's card is the masculine version of yesterday's and it couldn't be more different.

The printed paper is Jillibean Soup Green Sugar layered on Stampin' Up Garden Green.  The horizontal strips are Bazzill White and Garden Green that were crimped and layered.  The sentiment is Waltzingmouse Say It With Style stamped in Garden Green on Recollections White.  The brads are of unknown origin.

With all the challenges with yesterday's card my mantra for this masculine version was simple, simple, simple!  I love green, black and white together and that's exactly what I intended for this paper when I bought it.  I think this is a perfect masculine card.  The grid lines add so much interest that you really don't need to add all that much, so I didn't!  I used the crimped pieces to add a bit of texture and I needed something from which to hang the sentiment.

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

Gisèle

Good Butterfly Luck

Hello everyone,

Today's post is yet another in the latest series of general masculine and feminine cards I've been working on.

The printed paper is the Best of K&Company layered on Stampin' Up Ruby Red.  The sentiment is Waltzingmouse Say It With Style stamped in Ruby Red on Recollections Vanilla.  The ribbon is American Crafts.  The butterflies were punched in Ruby Red with an EK Success punch.  The embellishments are Mark Richards 3mm gold metals.

I really loved this sheet of paper when I saw it as a 12X12 but it was a lot harder to work with than I imagined.  There are a wide array of colours so it took some work to find something to choose.  I hadn't originally planned to use ribbon but I thought the solid contrast was needed.  I originally planned three butterflies - there is actually one under the sentiment.  Using three butterflies made sentiment placement tough.  Anyway, regardless of the challenges, I'm pretty pleased with the results.

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

Gisèle

Happy Scallops

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the feminine version of yesterday's card.

The printed paper is Me & My Big Ideas Mambi Sheets layered on Stampin' Up Lucky Limeade.  The sentiment is Verve Treasured Words stamped in Stampin' Up Night of Navy on Whisper White, layered on Recollections Yellow and more Lucky Limeade, and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The entire card is highlighted with Star Dust Stickles.

I was so very happy with yesterday's card that I decided to really CASE myself.  I'm just as happy with this card.  I went scalloped because I felt it would be a little more feminine.  I also chose to use Stickles because this paper has so many spots crying for glitter and it would be utter overkill if I used gems.

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

Gisèle

Happy Circles

Hello everyone,

After yesterday's special commission, I'm back to posting goodbye/good luck/retirement cards.  Today's card is a super fun masculine version.

The printed paper is Me & My Big Ideas Mambi Sheets layered on Stampin' Up Night of Navy and Lucky Limeade.  The sentiment is Verve Treasured Words stamped in Night of Navy on Whisper White and layered on more Night of Navy and Lucky Limeade that was die cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities.  The embellishments are Fabricland.

This card is maybe a little more sparkly and shiny than I would normally try on a masculine card but I figured that would be offset by the more masculine colour palette.  It is actually quite a simple card that looks like so much more because of the busy paper and all the added embellishments.  I thought the embellishments were quite like nail heads.  I think this card works quite well overall.

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

Gisèle

Celebrating 100

Hello everyone,

Today's card was commissioned by a colleague whose needed a card to celebrate a special 100th birthday.  I can't image I'll craft too many of these special cards.

The printed paper is K&Company Susan Winget Nature layered on Stampin' Up Early Espresso.  The image is Stampin' Up Branch Out stamped in Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, Mossy Meadow, Certainly Celery, and Wild Wasabi on Recollections White and layered on Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Bonnidee French Wording #1 stamped in Early Espresso on Recollections White and layered on more Early Espresso.  The number was die cut from Provo Craft Olivia dies from Early Espresso.  The vertical strip is Stampin' Up Gold Magic Mesh.

The recipient of this card has an affinity for nature so this tree stamp set was a given though I had thought about using a sea scape.  My colleague asked for texture because his eye sight is diminished.  I thought the mesh would be interesting and the number is just a little raised so it will be an interesting feeling when he touches it.  I used white and brown because I thought the contrast would make it easier to see.  The was a very interesting card that I quite enjoyed thinking through.

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

Gisèle

All Patterned And Layered

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the masculine version using the same sentiment that I used on yesterday's card.

The printed papers are BasicGrey Little Black Dress layered on Recollections Kraft and Stampin' Up Basic Black.  The sentiment is Gina K Pleasant Plural stamped in Early Espresso on Recollections Vanilla.  The embellishments are My Mind's Eye Sleigh Bells Ring Wood Dots.

Isn't this card wonderful!  I really was thinking about a classy men's suit when I was going through the paper pad looking for inspiration.  I had picked up these really cool wooden dots a few weeks ago, thinking they'd be perfect for a masculine card.  Combined with this paper, the results are so much better than I anticipated.  There is nothing about this card that I don't like.

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

Gisèle

Classy Good Luck

Hello everyone,

I was looking for some inspiration and came across BasicGrey's Little Black Dress paper pad.  Its the perfect paper for both masculine and feminine cards.

The printed papers are BasicGrey Little Black Dress layered on Recollections Kraft and Vanilla.  The sentiment is Gina K Perfect Plurals stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso on Vanilla and layered on Kraft and Stampin' Up Basic Black.  The ribbon is Michael's Special Value.  The embellishment is Junque and Gems.

This Little Black Dress paper is perfect for the classy card I wanted to craft for the feminine version of this sentiment.  I love black, vanilla and kraft together.  Add the fancy, lacy pattern, this card turned out so much better than I hoped.  I probably could have foregone the ribbon but I had placed it before I thought about the butterfly.  It's certainly not dire as the card turned out just fine in the end.

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

Gisèle

Grunge For You

Hello everyone,

This card was intended to be a feminine version of Friday's card but it really turned out more neutral.  I'm OK with that.

The print layer is Stampin' Up Gorgeous Grunge stamped in Lost Lagoon and Soft Suede on Recollections Vanilla and layered on Lost Lagoon, Core'dinations Jim Holtz Kraft-Core Shattered Collection and Recollections Kraft.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Work Of Art stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Recollections Kraft.  The brad is of unknown origin.

I really like the sentiment impression on this card because it actually allows for the card to be either vertical or horizontal.  That was actually a happy accident.  I had this little scrap of Kraft-Core sitting on my desk and it screamed to be used.  It actually lends itself really well to the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set and I think that's why I'm so pleased with the results.

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

Gisèle

Sweetheart Valentine

Hello everyone,

I know that Valentine's Day was yesterday but I still wanted to post the super sweet card I crafted for my daughter.

The printed paper is Making Memories layered on Close To My Heart Hollyhock and Blush, and Recollections White.  Another Recollections White layer was sponged with Hollyhock and Blush inks, then stamped with Inkadinkado Hearts in more Hollyhock ink and sprayed with Smooch Spritz Vanilla Shimmer.  The sentiment is TPC Studio Hugs & Kisses stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Whisper White.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart red enamel hearts.

I had so much fun crafting this card for my daughter.  As much as I like crafting more masculine Valentines for my husband, it's a joy to super girly for my daughter's Valentine.  Swirls, shimmer, a little bit of candy bling, it all comes together so wonderfully.  I debated using the Versafine for the sentiment element, trying some different options, but decided I liked the pop of the black against all the pinks and reds.

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

Gisèle

My Valentine

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the Valentine I crafted for my wonderful husband.

The printed papers are BoBunny Crush layered on Stampin' Up Basic Black and Real Red. The sentiment is TPC Studio Hugs & Kisses stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a piece of Whisper White that was stamped in Real Red with Inkadinkado Hearts and layered on Real Red and Basic Black.  The embellishments are Recollections brads.

My husband is pretty romantic but doesn't do fuss or muss.  I know he loves the cards I craft for him, especially the Valentines.  I picked up this paper pad because it has a fair bit of black which I think is great for a more masculine Valentine.  I really love the red, pink, white and black colour combination.  Those two little love birds in the top left corner are pretty darn cute too!

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

Gisèle

Stripes For You

Hello everyone,

My next set of cards are more neutral than distinctly feminine or masculine.

The patterned paper is Core'dinations Jim Holtz Kraft-Core Shattered Collection layered on Recollections Kraft.  The image is Stampin' Up Work Of Art stamped in Lagoon on Recollections White and layered on more Kraft.  The sentiment is also Stampin' Up Work Of Art stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The embellishments are of unknown origin.

This is a very, very simple card.  I wanted to use the Work Of Art stamp set because it is a versatile favourite that I thought it would make for a great masculine card.  I thought about trying to be really creative with the stamps but in the end I felt that simpler was better.

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

Gisèle

Happy For Him

Hello everyone,

Today's card is the masculine version of yesterday's card.

The printed paper is BasicGrey Lauderdale layered on Recollections White and Close To My Heart Pear.  The sentiment is Avery Elle So Happy stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Pear and white.  The Pear layer was textured with Quickutz Stripes Label.  The embellishments are punched from Basic Black and adhered with brads of unknown origin.

I'm not entirely certain how masculine this card actually is.  With the brighter green layers, it strikes me as more gender neutral.  I added the black flags because there was so much green space on the card I found it a little too much.  I had forgotten about the white core of the Close To My Heart paper so was a little disappointed at the 'distressed' aspect but decided to go ahead with it anyway because it actually adds another layer of overall interest.

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

Gisèle

Happy Butterflies

Hello everyone,

Today's post is part of the series I'm crafting for my stash of good luck/best wishes/retirement cards.

The printed paper is Stampin' Up Comfort Cafe layered on Stampin' Up Pool Party, Soft Suede and Midnight Muse.  The Pool Party layer was textured with Crafts Concepts Wings embossing folder and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The butterfly was die cut with Sizzix Bigz Beautiful Butterflies from Midnight Muse and textured with Crafts Concepts Wings embossing folder and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The sentiment is Avery Elle So Happy stamped in Close To My heart Outdoor Denim on Recollections Vanilla.  The embellishments are K&Company "The Kiss" Gems.

I was in the mood to craft a happy card and I think this really fits the bill.  I was cleaning up my craft area last night and I came across a pile of scraps from a one sheet wonder kit that I used for a Crop class a couple of years ago.  I like this particular piece of Stampin' Up paper because it has a variety of colours that make it really nice to work with.  There is a lot of texture with all the embossing and I probably overdid it with the butterfly but I found it a rather flat element otherwise.  I can live with it!

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

Gisèle

Layers For Him

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the masculine version of yesterday's card.

The printed papers are Stampin' Up To The Nines layered with Stampin' Up Sage Shadow and Recollections White.  The sentiment is Woodware Going To Seed stamped in Chocolate Chip on Recollections White and layered on more To The Nines.  The brad is of unknown origin.

My plan for the next few cards I craft is to use the same sentiment on both feminine and masculine cards.  I am especially pleased with this effort.  It can be a challenge to craft masculine cards but using so many layers, prints and textured has resulted in a wonderful masculine card!

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

Gisèle

An Owl For You

Hello everyone,

Now that I've finished designing the cards for my Crop beginners, I need to work on a few stash cards.  I've decided to work on some retirement/good bye/good luck cards.  We are fast coming up to posting season and I know they'll be needed.

The printed paper is Joy Crafts Owl's World layered on Stampin' Up Blackberry Bliss.  The images are Close To My Heart Card Word Puzzle stamped in Blackberry Bliss on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Blackberry Bliss.  The sentiment is Woodware Going To Seed also stamped in Blackberry Bliss on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Blackberry Bliss and Vanilla.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone Strips.

This pad of Joy Crafts paper was already on my desk and this is really nice paper so I decided I may as well just keep going.  I had originally used a smaller flower image but I had to use so many impressions that it was just too busy. I've decided that for my next few cards I'll do both a feminine and masculine version using the same sentiment.  I think it will be interesting to see what happens.

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

Gisèle

Owls For You

Hello everyone,

My internet connection has been extremely spotty the last few days, hence my lack of posts.  It's all fixed now so I'll get back on schedule.

Today's post is the last of the cards I've designed for the beginners group I'm teaching at a fundraising crop at the end of the month.

The printed papers are Joy Crafts Owl's World layered on Close To My Heart Cocoa.  The sentiment is Studio G stamped in Close To My Heart Slate ink on Recollections White and layered on more Cocoa.  The ribbon is American Crafts.

This sweet paper makes this card so quick and easy.  I figure by the end of the day, the ladies are going to be pretty tired so it's best not to do something too complicated.  It was tricky to cut the printed paper so the owls were not cut off but it was worth the effort.  I think the ladies will be pleased.

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

Gisèle

Juniper Swallowtail

Hello everyone,

As I was designing yesterday's card, I played with some different ink colours before I ultimately decided on the Hollyhock ink.  I wasn't going to waste this impression.

The image is Stampin' Up Swallowtail stamped in Close To My Heart Juniper on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Juniper.  The sentiment is Verve Amazing Wishes stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The embellishments are Forever In Time Diamond Gem Strips.  The image is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

I love this card as much as yesterday's version.  The colour is a little more muted than the red but it's still pretty spectacular.  I have to say, this image is fabulous all on it's own but using the clear glitter pen to different parts of the wings is just amazing!  It doesn't show really well in the photograph but in real life its just gorgeous!

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

Gisèle

Swallowtail And Sunshine

Hello everyone,

One of my beginners really like butterflies so I decided I will really challenge them to use this big stamp to craft a pretty straightforward but really striking card.

The image is Stampin' Up Swallowtail stamped in Close To My Heart Hollyhock on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Hollyhock.  The sentiment is Verve Accent Notes stamped in Early Espresso.  The image is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Sparkles.

I truly, truly love this Swallowtail stamp.  Every card I've ever made with this stamp has been incredible!  It really takes some practice to ink and stamp but the results are utterly worth the effort.  I think the beginners will, at the same time, love me and hate me for making them try this card but I will help them succeed no matter what!

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

Gisèle

Six-Sided CASE

Hello everyone,

I was having a hard time coming up with a design that would work for the beginners group tonight so I turned to Pinterest for inspiration and found this card to CASE.  I figured it would be a great way to introduce the ladies to a coordinating stamp and punch.

The images are Stampin' Up Six-Sided Sampler stamped in Elegant Eggplant on Recollections White.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Whimsical Words stamped in Elegant Eggplant on Recollections White and layered on more Elegant Eggplant.  The vertical strip is Elegant Eggplant punched with an EK Success Retro Flowers border punch.  The embellishments are Dollarama Glittering Stickers.  The card is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

I chose this particular stamp and punch set because it has a number of different stamp options so the ladies can choose the images that appeal.  I followed the inspiration card pretty closely but this layout actually allows for a variety of options so the ladies can be as creative as they'd like.  The hexagons could go in horizontal or vertical rows.  The sentiment could be place on the card base instead of the square element.  I used a border punch instead of a banner to add interest to the vertical element.  I also did this because I used banners in an earlier card and didn't really want to repeat it.

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

Gisèle

Christmas Puppy

Hello everyone,

I just had to design a dog Christmas card for my beginners.

The printed paper is Recollections Chalk Holiday layered on Recollections Red and Green.  The sentiment is Penny Black Christmas Wishes stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on Recollections Red.  The embellishments are Recollections and Dress It Up.

This is one of my favourite photos of my dog!  He looks more worried than jolly but I interrupted his backyard scan for squirrels and I don't think I impressed him all that much.  This is actually a really simple card - a photo, a sentiment and some great embellishments.  I kept the printed background paper really low key because I didn't want to overwhelm the photo.  I played with a couple of different patterned papers but I liked this one the best and I think its because overall, it's pretty simple.

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

Gisèle

Hello My Puppy!

Hello everyone,

I'm back to my beginners cards today. Each of the ladies has an affinity for dogs so I decided to design a couple of special cards with their own dogs.  I've used my own handsome boy for the sample cards.

The printed paper is Pebbles "Top Dog" layered on Stampin' Up Baja Breeze and Early Espresso.  The Baja Breeze layer is textured with Darice Paw Print Background embossing folder.  The sentiment is Avery Elle Brushed stamped in Baja Breeze and Early Espresso on Recollections White and layered on more Early Espresso.

I really enjoy crafting dog cards.  This one turned out particularly well.  It helps that I have such a handsome shar pei to work with.  I printed photos of each of the beginners dogs so they'll be able to craft their own dogs cards.  The beginners have said they don't necessarily need cards for special occasions but could really use some general and all purpose cards.  I particularly love this brush stroke sentiment and I think this 'hello' is going to get a lot of use.

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

Gisèle