Snowflakes On The Vertical

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card is another silver and blue beauty.

The card base was stamped with Impression Obsession Cover-A-Card Snowflakes stamped in Altenew Arctic.  The printed paper is Kaisercraft Silver Bells.  The sentiment is Annabelle Christmas Scene Baubles stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The card is highlighted with Silver Stickles.

This is another commissioned Christmas card that I just love!  It's vertical and uses the blues and silver that I have a hard time resisting for Christmas cards.  I wish the background stamp turned out better.  It's a very faint background and hardly visible in this photo.  I can't express exactly why it doesn't work as I'd hoped it would. I probably went overboard with the Stickles but it just had to have the sparkle that my girlfriend appreciates.

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

Gisèle

Silver And Blue

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another beautiful Christmas card.

The printed paper is Martha Stewart Frosty Elegance layered on Paper Accents Glossy Mirror Silver.  The sentiment is Avery Elle Noël stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Paper Accents Glossy Mirror Silver.  The snowflake embellishment is of unknown origin.  The brad is Crafts and is highlighted with Waterfall Stickles.

This is a very simple card.  The layout is really straight forward as are the colours and the minimal embellishment.  The swirls in the paper mimic the swirls in the sentiment, something that I always love but is usually just a happy accident that I don't notice until I blog.  All in all, a great result.

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

Gisèle

Golden Tree

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card is another one commissioned by a girlfriend.

The printed paper is Anna Griffin Georgette Christmas layered on a mirrored gold of unknown origin.  The image is Penny Black Xmas Constellation stamped on Recollections Vanilla and heat embossed in Close To My Heart Gold embossing powder.  The sentiment is Verve O Christmas Tree also stamped on Recollections Vanilla and heat embossed in Close To My Heart Gold embossing powder.  The card is highlighted with Golden Rod Stickles.

This is probably one of the more formal Christmas cards I've crafted in this commission.  This was a compromise card with a ton of shine and glitter for my girlfriend but the formality for a client.  I've often found 'tree' cards difficult because of that large space at the top of the image.  A few years back I discovered placing the sentiment in the empty space was the perfect solution.  I especially love this swirled image and it has great elements for adding extra sparkle.

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

Gisèle

More Delicate Snowflakes

Hello everyone,

As I post this series of Christmas cards I realize that I may have gone a little heavy on the snowflake theme.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Paper Accents Glossy Mirror Silver.  The sentiment is Stamp Barn stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more mirrored silver.  The ornament was punched from a piece of watercoloured and glittered paper.  The snowflake is punched from more mirrored silver.  The card is highlighted with Star Dust Stickles.

I have had this ornament is my stash of leftovers for years.  I have no idea when I made it or what exactly I used when making it.  I sure am glad I kept it because it coordinates so perfectly with the printed paper.  I actually got quite excited when I matched up the two elements.  I really love the reveal of silver on this card and the hint of glitter couldn't be more lovely!

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

Gisèle

Waving Santa

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card post was just cleverly fun.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a shimmery white Bazzill and a glittered red of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Very Merry Christmas stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White.  The glittered brad is of unknown origin.

I think this is such a clever card!  I was totally inspired by this waving Santa and I carefully trimmed the paper to ensure that I could get the placement of the sentiment tag just right!  I really love the results.  The glittered layer was the most challenging aspect of this card.  It didn't take adhesive easily so I used some very strong liquid adhesive which resulted in some buckling that took some time to flatten.  Notwithstanding the glittered paper this was a very simple card that packs a big holiday punch!

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

Gisèle

Sweet By Three

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another snowflake Christmas card.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Paper Accents Glossy Mirror Silver and a pale lavender of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Inkadinkado Winter Trails stamped in Altenew Deep Iris on a white Bazzill and heat embossed with Close To My Heart Silver Pearl embossing powder.  The snowflake embellishments are punched from more Paper Accents Glossy Mirror Silver and are highlighted with Star Dust Stickles.

The background paper has just a hint of lavender which I found particularly appealing and somewhat unexpected.  The larger snowflakes on the printed paper can be challenging as they're not a great scale for small cards.  Using this large but intricate sentiment which is balanced by the two silver snowflakes (the 'threes' design principle) is what really makes this card work as I'd hoped.

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

Gisèle

Delicate Snowflakes

Hello everyone,

Today's card is another of the commissioned Christmas cards I've been working on for the past few weeks.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a shimmery Bazzill ivory and a shimmery Vanilla of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Penny Black Christmas Cheer stamped in Altenew Emerald on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more shimmery Vanilla.  The card is highlighted with Patina Stickles.

As I was searching for printed papers for today's card, I came across this little piece of scrap that I just couldn't resist.  It's such a lovely shade of teal/green and the snowflakes are so delicately beautiful.  Perfect for some Stickles glitter!  I assume my girlfriend will be using some of these cards for her clients so while I added hints of glitter to appeal to her, I also kept in mind that clients would expect something a little more on the traditional side.  I think this card fits both needs wonderfully!

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

Gisèle

Snowflake Wishes

Hello everyone,

This Christmas card is one of the winter cards that I really love to craft.

The printed paper is Stampin' Up Ski Slope layered on a shimmery metallic blue and white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Bonnidee Xmas Wording 3 stamped in Close To My Heart Twilight on more shimmery white.  The snowflake is a Recollections glitter embellishment.  The card is highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

I enjoy the irony of 'warm wishes' on a snowflake card.  I often go through my leftover papers to get some inspiration.  When I found this retired piece of Stampin' Up paper, I thought it perfect for one of my girlfriend's cards.  I used a bitter of shimmery white for the sentiment and it changed the ink colour just enough to make it even more interesting.  I think every time I've used this printed paper, I've taken advantage of the snowflakes to add some sparkly Stickles.

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

Gisèle

Simple Greetings

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another simple but beautiful Christmas card.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a shimmery white and brown Bazzill.  The sentiment is Papertrey Ink Signature Christmas stamped in Nick Bantock Charcoal Grey on Stampin' Up Whisper White, layered on a banner punched from more brown Bazzill.  The card is highlighted with Mercury Glass Stickles.

This maybe one of my favourite cards so far in this series.  There is something beautiful about this rather neutral card.  I love the layout and the banner.  The Mercury Glass Stickles couldn't work better with the brown and grey colour scheme.  The mojo was flowing when this card came together.

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

Gisèle

Shimmering Holly

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card is another simple beauty.

The image is Denami Design stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and painted with LuminArte Emerald and Ruby Red Twinkling H2Os.  The image is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The image is layered on a metallic green of unknown origin and a burgundy Bazzill.

This is another favourite stamp that I've used often when crafting Christmas cards.  It's a great stamp for painting.  Although, now that I look at it, I bet I could glitter this image very effectively.  I kept this layout very simple, using coordinating shimmering layers.  Notwithstanding the subtle shimmer, this would be another great card for my girlfriend's masculine clients.

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

Gisèle

Glitter Tree Trio

Hello everyone,

Today's simple Christmas card is the exact opposite of yesterday's elaborate ornament.

The image is Denami Design stamped in Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Mossy Meadow.  The trees are highlighted with a glitter of unknown origin.

I think I say this every time I craft a card with this stamp but I find this image perfect for more masculine Christmas cards.  My girlfriend loves glitter, sparkle and shine but she also has clients who may not share the same design sense.  I figured this card, with an restrained amount of glitter, would be perfect for her male clients.  While extremely subtle, it's a very appropriate client Christmas card.

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

Gisèle

Purple Glitter

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card uses another ornament from my stash of leftovers.

The image is a Peel-Offs Xmas Balls Outline Sticker glittered with a variety of Martha Stewart glitter.  The ornament is layered on an embossed brushed silver of unknown origin and a shimmery purple also of unknown origin.  The sentiment is My Favorite Things Merry & Bright stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Stampin' Up Whisper White.  The embellishment is Creative Impressions.  The ribbon is Multicrafts.

You can't put a glittered ornament as non-traditional and bold as this on just anyone's Christmas card.  My girlfriend, who commissioned this card, is someone who can absolutely handle this level of purple glitter.  It's almost as though I kept it just for her cards.  Given the elaborateness of the ornament and silver background layer, I purposely kept the sentiment simple, both in font and colour.  Although, nothing could really detract from all this purple glitter.

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

Gisèle

A Simple Ornament

Hello everyone,

I'm posting another Christmas card using pieces that I found in my stash of leftover bits and pieces.

The image is a Memory Box Drop Ornament die cut with a burnished gold of unknown origin.  The ornament overlay is Memory Box La Rue Ornament die cut from a shimmery blue also of unknown origin.  The ornament is layered on more blue and gold.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Jingle All The Way stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White.  The embellishment is Dress It Up Pearl Snowflake.

I can't recall why I didn't use this ornament when I first made it.  I must have been 'playing'.  I really like the size of this ornament and the flourished overlay is just spectacular.  Given it's large scale you don't need to go 'over-the-top' with extras.  I especially like this small sentiment added as a tag.  I think the simple pearl snowflake is what really finishes off the card, just like it's supposed to.

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

Gisèle

A Glittered Tree

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card uses another leftover glittered sticker that I found in my stash.

The image is a Peel-Offs outline sticker covered in a variety of glitter (Martha Stewart and Studio K).  The sentiment is Inkadinkado stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.

This is a lovely Christmas card.  As much as I love crafting 'over-the-top' Christmas cards, there is something about all the white space on this card that makes me really, really happy.  The glittered tree and lightly flourished sentiment couldn't work more beautifully together.  I chose this sentiment because it provided the chance to add a bit of glitter to coordinate with the tree.

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

Gisèle

Holly Vine

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card post uses another wonderful leftover piece that I found in my stash.

The printed paper is Anna Griffin Yuletide Greetings layered on a mirrored dark green of unknown origin.  The image is Penny Black Holly Berries die cut from more mirrored green and is highlighted with Xmas Red Stickles.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Clear Stamp Set stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections Vanilla.

I'm not sure how I feel about this card.  I should love it because of the holly but it's not a favourite.  I think the problem is the monochromatic green doesn't work the way I thought it would.  I suspect if I'd used a different colour background, perhaps a textured solid, the lovely flourished holly branch would have stood out more.  It's not that I hate this card.  It's a good card.  I just am not as in love with as I'd would have wished.

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

Gisèle

Glittering Poinsettias

Hello everyone,

The next batch of Christmas card posts are part of another commission for friend.

The images are Peel-Off's Outline Stickers covered with a variety of red and gold glitter.  The stickers were applied to a shimmery red of unknown origin and Joy Crafts Spiegelkarton gold.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Very Merry Christmas stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Joy Crafts Spiegelkarton gold.  The card is highlighted with Golden Rod Stickles.

This is one of my favourite shimmery red papers.  It is a beautiful deep red that is so perfectly suited for sumptuous Christmas cards.  The glittered poinsettias were made a while ago but were tucked away.  I wish I had had two more flowers but didn't want to break out the glitter because it's really, really messy.  The addition of the Stickles dots goes a long way to add more balance to the flowers.

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

Gisèle

Natural Greetings

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card is much more on the traditional side.

The images are Stampin' Up Watercolor Winter stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Altenew Evergreen, and Close To My Heart Tulip on Recollections Vanilla.  The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions stamped in Early Espresso.  The poinsettia is highlighted with Gold Pearl Liquid Pearls.  The focal panel is layered on a mirrored red and a shimmery brown of unknown origin.

As much as I may have buyers regret of the two-step Christmas stamped I tried a few days ago, this stamp I've loved ever since the first time I used it.  I used every image in this set and while at first i thought I may have gone a little far, I actually really like the results.  Notwithstanding the gold center of the poinsettia, I couldn't figure out where else to add embellishments so I used a thin reveal on the layers.  It works as a great contrast for the naturalness of the images.

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

Gisèle

Merry Splatters

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card uses another new stamp that worked much better than the multi-step holly stamp.

The images are Stampin' Up Every Good Wish stamped in Close To My Heart Pomegranate and Tombow 126 and 847.  The sentiment element of the set is stamped on Recollections White and layered on Pomegranate paper.

I love this card!  The splatter in the background really frames the sentiment.  I love the three little bits of holly and I actually think I got them placed rather well.  I love the pinkness of the pomegranate ink and am glad I chose it instead of a more Christmas red.  I don't know how I'll manage to use this stamp again without wanting to repeat this card over and over.

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

Gisèle

Purple Christmas

Hello everyone,

What's a Christmas card commission without at least one non-traditional card?

The sentiment is Altenew Halftone Holidays stamped in Stampin' Up Elegant Eggplant on Recollections Vanilla.  The sentiment is layered on more Elegant Eggplant textured with Sizzix Merry Christmas Phrases embossing folder and a shimmery purple Bazzill.  The card is highlighted with Starry Night Stickles.

After yesterday's frustration, I decided to craft something very different.  I love this Altenew stamp and die set.  The font is wonderful and there is something really appealing about the halftone aspect.  Coordinating the ink colour and layered paper helped keep this card from getting too complicated.  I love the texture of the background and thought it rather 'lovely' that the words match the sentiment.  The dark Stickles just add that little bit of extra.

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

Gisèle

Holly Branches

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another Christmas card commissioned by a girlfriend.

The image is Stampin' Up Good Tidings stamped in Stampin' Up Old Olive and Altenew Espresso, Grapevine, Mocha, Moss and Ruby Red.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Holiday Sayings stamped in Espresso.

It took me four tries before I was at all happy with these results and even now, I have a few regrets.  I picked up this set because it's a holly image and it's a multi-step stamp.  This is what I describe as a loose image.  It's doesn't have an strong outline image that then stamped with filler images.  While in some ways this is more forgiving, I found that ink colour is going to matter because otherwise it's just going to look like a blob of ink.  After all the frustration, I decided I just wanted to finish this card so once the sentiment was stamped, I moved on!

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

Gisèle

Another Glittered Santa

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card uses the same Santa image as yesterday but resulted in a very different card.

The image is Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamped in Avery Elle New Moon on Recollections White and covered with Glitter Ritz Warm Highlight Micro Fine Transparent Glitter.  The image is layered on Worldwin Silver and shimmery dark and pale greys of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Fiskars Vintage Christmas stamped in Close To My Heart Pewter on Recollections White and layered on more silver.

This is another favourite in this Christmas card series.  I love all the natural colours with the glitter and shine just putting this card over the top.  I really love the layout, especially the placement of the sentiment.  The curliness of the font also coordinates beautifully with the swirls in Santa's beard.  I wish I could keep this card too!

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

Gisèle

Glittered Santa

Hello everyone,

Today's post is one of the most awesome Christmas cards I think I've crafted in this series.

The image is Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamped in Avery Elle New Moon on Recollections White and glittered with Glitter Ritz Warm Highlight Transparent Micro Fine Glitter.  The image is layered on Worldwin Silver and a mirrored teal of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Sweet & Sassy Poinsettias stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.

This is, by far, my favourite Santa Clause stamp ever.  Glittered, it's exceptionally incredible.  Any time I use it, especially with glitter, the card is always well received.  I thought it was inspired to trim the corners, one of which was a little damaged.  I really like the final shape of these layers.  I also decided to leave a fairly large reveal of the layers because the teal is a really pretty shade.  I wish I could have kept this card.

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

Gisèle

Yet More Painted Holly

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the second painted Penny Black card.

The images are Penny Black Christmas Wishes stamped in Versafine Onyx Black and painted with LuminArte Mango Mamba, Olive Vine and Ruby Red Twinkling H2Os.  The image panel is layered on Fancy Pants Gold Foil.  The sentiment is also Penny Black Christmas Wishes stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The embellishments are ZVA Creative.

I'm much more pleased with this image.  I really love this trio of holly.  I think, because of the smaller images, the painted elements are not so much of a focus.  I really love the balance provided by all the threes.  For a set that I wasn't to fussy about, I think it's rather growing on me.

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

Gisèle

More Painted Holly

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another hand painted Christmas card.

The image is Penny Black Christmas Wishes stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White.  The image is painted with LuminArte Mango Mamba, Olive Vine, Poppy Red and Ruby Red Twinkling H2Os.  The sentiment is also Penny Black Christmas Wishes and is also stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White.  The image and sentiment are layered on shimmery green Bazzill, and an unknown red and burnished gold.  The image panel is highlighted with Holly Stickles.

I've had this stamp set for quite some time but I don't often use it because I find it really challenging.  I decided to paint it, as well as a couple of images from the set, to see if I couldn't appreciate better it in another light.  I do like the different reds but the green came out a little darker than I would have liked.  While this isn't my most favourite result, it didn't turn out too badly when all is said and done.  The other images, which I'll blog tomorrow, turned out even better.

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

Gisèle

Painted Holly

Hello everyone,

This Christmas card is very classic.

The image is Denami Design stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and painted with LuminArte Emerald and Poppy Red Twinkling H2Os.  The image is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The image panel is layered on a shimmery green and mirror red of unknown origin.

I couldn't resist including a few painted beauties in my girlfriend's commission.  This is one of my favourite stamps to paint.  Every time I use it, I'm sure I've said how much I love how the image and sentiment are incorporated.  I layered with these two shimmery papers to coordinate with the red and green Twinkling H2Os.

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

Gisèle

Wordy Holiday Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card is a classic but for the amazing background paper.

The printed paper is BasicGrey layered on a gold of unknown origin and Stampin' Up Bravo Burgundy.  The image is Inkadinkado stamped in Stampin' Up Bravo Burgundy on Recollections Vanilla.  The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Christmas Expressions stamped in Bravo Burgundy of Recollections Vanilla and layered on more gold.  The embellishments are ZVA Creative.

I don't think you could really consider BasicGrey papers classic so it was rather fun to use this paper in a very traditional manner.  The burgundy and gold as well as the background image and classic font of the sentiment shouldn't work together but this is an awesome result.  I wish I had more of this great BasicGrey paper because I could come up with a bunch of different applications.

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

Gisèle

Mitten Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card post is another really fun card for my girlfriend.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a white Bazzill and a navy of unknown origin, and is highlighted with Diamond Stickles.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Very Merry Christmas stamped in Close To My Heart Outdoor Denim on more white Bazzill.  The snowflake brad is of unknown origin (possibly Recollections) and is also highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

Sometimes the greatest cards are not necessarily Christmas card but are really fun holiday cards.  My girlfriend requested a variety of cards so I thought I'd include a few beautiful winter cards.  I found these mittens very appealing and really fun.  The sentiment couldn't work better with mitten paper.  I just love this card!

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

Gisèle

Nostalgic Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas cards is one of my favourites in this series.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Recollections red.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Christmas Messages stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections vanilla.  The embellishments are Teresa Collins Candy Cane Lane.

I really love this somewhat vintage paper.  With all the squares and boxes it really shouldn't work for a card but because of the scale, it turned out better than I expected.  As always, I was careful with the trimming so I wouldn't lose too much of the images.  The sentiment placement was also handled carefully.  I used this particular stamp set because it worked so wonderfully with the style of the printed paper.

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

Gisèle

Cheerful Greetings

Hello everyone,

Today's commissioned Christmas card is so cheerful and fun.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a red and green Bazzill.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Very Merry Christmas stamped in Close To My Heart Tulip on Recollections White.  The embellishments are Me & My Big Ideas Mambi Chips which are highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

The girlfriend who commissioned this set of Christmas cards is one of the most fun women I've ever known.  When it came to choosing papers for her cards, I knew I would use this particular piece because it's just so much fun!  I thought using this paper would be easy but it was actually quite a bit of a challenge.  Finding a sentiment with a font that wouldn't be swallowed up by the words on the paper was difficult.  Thank goodness I have plenty of Christmas sentiments from which to choose.  The embellishments also needed to be substantial for the same reason.  I love how the glittered candy really work fantastically with the paper.  A really super result!

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

Gisèle

Snow Globe Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another lovely Christmas card.

The printed paper, highlighted with Wink of Stella Clear 999, is of unknown origin layered on American Crafts Crimson Red.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Celebrate The Season stamped in Close To My Heart Tulip on Stampin' Up Whisper White and layered on more Crimson and a green of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Martha Stewart Sleigh and Presents stickers.

This is such a fun card.  I love the print on this paper.  It was perfect for applying the sparkle of the Wink of Stella.  I love how the Martha Stewart embellishments have the same colours as the printed paper.  That Martha Stewart green can be really hard to coordinate.  A really great result.

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

Gisèle