Soft And Sweet

Hello everyone,

This month has just flown by and I can't believe I'm already posting this year's last Christmas in July card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Pale Plum.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Perfect Plum and a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Annabelle Ornamental Christmas stamped in Close To My Heart Smokey Plum on a white of unknown origin.

It somehow seems right to end Christmas In July with such a soft and pretty card.  I love the pinks and purples in this paper which also has a bit of glitter in the diamonds.  I could have added some Stickles but this soft feeling was so appealing.  I offset and raised the sentiment just a little because I thought it added some extra interest.  This is such a beautiful card I think it's a perfect finale.

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

Gisèle

Plaid And Black

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another very simple and straightforward Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections Black.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on an ivory of unknown origin and a red Bazzill.  The sentiment is Stampendous Christmas Wishes stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on more ivory and layered on more red Bazzill.

If I've not mentioned it before, plaid is one of my favourites for Christmas.  I've used pieces of this paper before on cards and wine bottle tags and the results are always wonderful.  On this card I especially like the wide reveal of ivory and the small reveal of red because it really mimics the plaid.  The font of the greeting also works very well with the lines in the plaid.  No extra embellishments needed for this great result!

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

Gisèle

Striking And Simple

Hello everyone,

Today's post is one of the easiest and quickest cards in this Christmas series.

The card base is Recollections Black.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a red Bazzill.  The sentiment is Flonz Merry Christmas 808 stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed with Stampin' Up white embossing powder.

I think this is one of the most striking cards I've crafted in this series!  I found this image in my stash of leftovers.  By keeping the layout extremely simple and heat embossing the simple sentiment so it really pops makes for an incredible result.

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

Gisèle

Wildlife Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a more masculine Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections Kraft.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a green and a brown Bazzill.  The sentiment is Stampendous Merriest Wish stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso on an ivory of unknown origin and is highlighted with Xmas Red Stickles.

I think I first used this printed paper on a wine bottle tag last year and it turned out beautifully.  Though the background colour isn't the easiest to work with, I really love the images.  This is a larger sentiment than I'd normally use on such a small card but enough of the images are still visible that it works pretty well.

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

Gisèle

Merry In Purple

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card couldn't be more different than yesterday's.

The card base is Stampin' Up Lovely Lilac.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Certainly Celery and a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Creative Expressions Santa's Sentiments stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The card is highlighted with Lavender Stickles.

I love finding a piece of paper in my stash on which I can stamp a sentiment.  It took me a bit to find the right size sentiment - I have a lot of Christmas sentiments - to fit the space.  I drew on the poinsettia colours when choosing the card base and I really love the colour combination.  I did, thankfully, notice the hanging ornaments and managed to ensure they weren't upside down.  I don't know if anyone would have noticed if I had flipped the printed paper but I don't think I could have lived with it.

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

Gisèle

Holiday Ready

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card post is wonderfully vintage.

The card base is Stampin' Up Handsome Hunter.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Bazzill Red Devil.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Itty Bitty Greetings stamped with Versafine Onyx Black on a white of unknown origin and highlighted with Xmas Red Stickles.

Oh how I love this 1950's vintage inspired paper!  I only have a bit of it and carefully trimmed the piece so I 'll be able to get as much out of it as possible!  The sentiment doesn't pop as much as I thought it would but in hindsight, it's actually better because there are so many details in the printed paper that would be missed if the focus was drawn to the sentiment.  This card just might be a keeper too!

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

Gisèle

Holiday Village

Hello everyone,

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

The card base is Stampin' Up Soft Suede.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up Snowy Festival layered on Cherry Cobbler and a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is My Favorite Things Merry & Bright stamped in Soft Suede on a white of unknown origin and layered on more Cherry Cobbler.  The ribbon is Stampin' Up.

This is a card that I could craft over and over.  The paper is wonderful and with so many different colours, the options are endless.  I do really like the Soft Suede though as it's somewhat unexpected for a Christmas card.  I also really like the font of the sentiment because it's 'vertical-ness' works great with the images.  This is one card that I'll be keeping to send out this Christmas.

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

Gisèle

Beautiful In Blue

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card post is snowy and sparkly.

The card base is Stampin' Up Baja Breeze.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up Snowy Festival designer series paper layered on a white of unknown origin and highlighted with Diamond Stickles.  The sentiment is Magenta stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on more white of unknown origin.

I can't craft a series of Christmas card without making one that incorporates blue and snowflakes.  This should have been such a quick and easy card to craft but the banner for the sentiment took me five tries before I figured it out!  It was either too big or too small, too thin or too wide.  I almost gave up but in the end the result is almost better than I'd hoped for.

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

Gisèle

Knitted Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card is traditional but uses non-traditional colours.

The card base is Stampin' Up Primrose Petals.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up Snowy Festival designer series paper layered on Baja Breeze.  The sentiment is Magenta stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a white of unknown origin and layered on more Primrose Petals.  The banners were punched from Baja Breeze and are are highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

I'm on a Stampin' Up kick at the moment.  Following up yesterday's quilted card with today's knitted card just seemed logical to me.  I wished I'd been more careful when trimming the printed paper so the flowers were just a little higher on the card.  I used Primrose Petals (not the greatest colour) as a base because the flowers were in that colour and I thought it would be all right for coordinating.  This is a very simple card in terms of layout, relying very much on the interesting printed paper.

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

Gisèle

In Red And White

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card is much more traditional than yesterday's card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Real Red.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up Quilted Christmas designer series paper layered on a white of unknown origin and highlighted with Diamond Stickles.  The image is Rubbernecker stamped in Real Red on a white of unknown origin and layered on more Real Red.  The sentiment Bonnidee Layering Trees stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.

Even though Stampin' Up labeled this paper 'Christmas' there are a wide variety of patterns in the series that could really be used for any type of card.  I chose a red and white theme because it's such a traditional Christmas colour scheme.  Plus, my mother is really going to like it as not only is she a quilter but she loves red.  I wanted to use a tree image and used this image because I could easily align it on the left and not cover up too much of the printed paper.  I think the results are really great!

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

Gisèle

Merry Simple

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card is so simple and pretty darn funky!

The card base is Stampin' Up Lemon Lime Twist.  The printed papers are Stampin' Up Quilted Christmas designer series paper.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Every Good Wish stamped in Real Red on a white of unknown origin and layered on more Quilted Christmas.  The felt tree embellishment is Artemio.

I shouldn't like Lemon Lime Twist but it's actually pretty great!  I was in the mood for crafting a really fun Christmas card and this quilted paper certainly helped the mojo flow.  I really love all the different colours used in the printed paper and it was the perfect excuse for some Lemon Lime Twist.  I was really surprised how nicely it coordinated with Real Red.  I was even more surprised to find this felt tree embellishment that is just a slightly darker shade than the Lemon Lime Twist.

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

Gisèle

Candy Cane Season

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another really fun non-traditional Christmas card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Bermuda Bay.  The printed paper is American Crafts Holiday layered on a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday stamped in Stampin' Up Real Red on a white of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Jolee's All That Bling Dimensional Stickers.

I was so happy with Wednesday's pink card that I thought another non-traditional card was in order.  After finding this funky candy cane paper, I knew I could come up with a pretty neat card.  As I've mentioned before, I'm not crazy about images in rows for cards because it often just doesn't work.  In this case, the scale of the images is small enough for cards and that the rows are irregular is just perfect.  The card base doesn't coordinate perfectly with the blue background but it's not bad either.  I love the result.

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

Gisèle

Holiday Harlequin

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card uses traditional colours and is really fun!

The card base is Bazzill Glazed Christmas.  The printed paper is Penny Black Wintertime.  The sentiment is Flonz Merry Christmas 824 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a white of unknown origin and layered on more Bazzill Glazed Christmas and a red Bazzill.  The embellishment is Crafts.

I had stamped this sentiment for one of my girlfriend's cards but once I'd had it finished, it just didn't work with the card I was crafting.  I thought I'd have better luck with this harlequin patterned paper and a simple layout.  I affixed the sentiment high on the card so I'd have enough room for a larger embellishment.  This turned out to be a pretty great kid card.

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

Gisèle

In The Pink

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a soft and pretty Christmas card.

The card base is a pink Bazzill.  The printed paper is BoBunny Carousel Christmas Collection layered on Stampin' Up Shimmery paper.  The sentiment/image is Inkadinkado Holiday Silhouettes stamped in Close To My Heart Pomegranate on an ivory of unknown origin and heat embossed with Close To My Heart Silver Pearl embossing powder.  The focal panel is highlighted with White Opal Liquid Pearls.

Anyone who thinks pink can't be Christmas is crazy!  This is a wonderful card and it's so pretty in pink.  I love using the Silver Pearl embossing powder on a dark inked image.  It changes the colour quite drastically, making it a very soft tone of the original colour.  I used the dots of Liquid Pearls to add interest to some of the blank space.  It's an okay application but I'm not sure it actually accomplished what I intended.  I still love the card.

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

Gisèle

Many Merry Gifts

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a rather fun and modern Christmas card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Basic Grey.  The printed papers are American Crafts Deck The Halls.  The sentiment is Impression Obsession Triangle Trees stamped in Altenew Pure Graphite on a white of unknown origin.  The red glitter brad is Little Yellow Bicycle 25 Days of Christmas.

I think what I found most appealing about this paper is actually the grey.  It's certainly a non-traditional colour but combined with the red, white and green, it's really wonderful.  I paired it with a red and white diagonal stripe because I thought it made for even more interest.  I used a simple banner for the sentiment which is also a very simple font.  I just love this result!

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

Gisèle

All Traditional

Hello everyone,

Today's post is one of the more traditional Christmas cards I'll be posting this week.

The card base is a green Bazzill.  The printed paper is Flonz Vintage Papers Happy Merry Christmas layered on a red Bazzill.  The sentiment is Impression Obsession Vintage Ornaments stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso on a vanilla of unknown origin.  The ribbon is Michael's.  The brad is Teresa Collins Candy Cane Lane.

I often pick a number of papers at once and then build multiple cards from there.  I hadn't originally intended to use ribbon but these leftover end pieces from yesterday's card were perfect for adding under the sentiment.  It was a bit of a challenge to find an embellishment to cover the tops because it had to be large enough to cover the wider ribbon and still fit with the images in the paper.  This works perfectly!

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

Gisèle

Christmas Gifts

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a much more classic Christmas card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Crushed Curry.  The printed paper is Flonz Vintage Papers Happy Merry Christmas layered on a green of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Impression Obsession Christmas Sentiment stamped in Tsukineko Pearlescent Thyme Brilliance ink on a white of unknown origin and layered on a red of unknown origin.  The ribbon is from Michael's.  The Santa embellishment is Crafts.

Notwithstanding the vintage styled paper, this is a pretty classic card.  I wanted to use the same ribbon treatment that I used on Thursday's card but with the holes a little farther apart.  This ribbon is wider than Thursday's card so I figured I'd need larger holes.  This was maybe a little too far apart but it did allow for a larger embellishment.

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

Gisèle

Christmas Puppies

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card post is the vintage puppy version of yesterday's card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Crushed Curry.  The printed paper is Flonz Vintage Papers It's Christmas Time layered on Recollections Black.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up More Merry Messages stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a white of unknown origin.  The star brad embellishment is of unknown origin.

This vintage paper is also really cute.  I used another less traditional card base drawing on the yellow and black in the printed paper.  I had a hard time choosing an embellishment but decided upon this simple star.  I had a boy/young man in mind when I was crafting this card but really, it's rather neutral so could work for anyone.

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

Gisèle

Christmas Kittens

Hello everyone,

Even though I've finished the Christmas card commission for my girlfriend, there is still lots of July left so there are still more Christmas cards to post.

The card base is Stampin' Up Melon Mambo.  The printed paper is Flonz Vintage Papers It's Christmas Time layered on a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Flonz Merry Christmas 808 stamped in Altenew Tide Blue on a white of unknown origin and layered on more Melon Mambo.  The heart cookie cutter embellishment is of unknown origin and is highlighted with Raspberry Tart Stickles.

This is really vintage styled paper and I just love these cute kittens.  I styled the card for a little girl by using all the pink.  I like that is not a really traditional card base in the bright pink.  I hesitated about the embellishments because it adds a thickness that could make mailing a challenge.

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

Gisèle

Red Jingle Bells

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the last of the Christmas cards commissioned by my girlfriend.

The printed paper is Stampin' Up Mistletoe designer series paper layered on Soft Seafoam.  The sentiment is Flonz Merry Christmas 808 stamped in Early Espresso on a white of unknown origin and layered on more Soft Seafoam.  The ribbon is from Multicrafts.  The embellishment is of unknown origin.

At the end of this commission I was struggling a bit for inspiration and whenever that happens I turn to Stampin' Up.  Everything coordinates so perfectly and it makes things so easy.  I love the scale of this paper because it's just perfect for smaller cards.  The ribbon treatment was also interesting but took me some research.  I had remember seeing it on this Simplicity blog post and really liked it because it a pretty flat bow.  This is a very narrow ribbon so bulk wasn't really an issue but I want to ensure the 'bow' would stay horizontal so I could add an embellishment.  I've got the blog post bookmarked now!

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

Gisèle

Vintage Santas

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card is ultra vintage.

The printed paper is Flonz Vintage Papers Christmas Fairy layered on a gold of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Flonz Merry Christmas 824 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a white of unknown origin and layered on a red Bazzill.  The bow embellishment is an Avery Elle Hanging Banners die cut from more gold of unknown origin and highlighted with Candy Cane Stickles.

I recently discovered Flonz, a stamp and paper company based in New Zealand, and I just love everything I ordered.  The font of this sentiment works so very perfectly and not just because they're from the same company.  This is another favourite card in this commissioned series.

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

Gisèle

More Vertical Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card uses another great vertical sentiment.

The printed paper is Echo Park Twas The Night Before Christmas Volume 1 layered on Stampin' Up Bravo Burgundy.  The sentiment is Rubber Cafe G-751 Merry Christmas stamped in Altenew Pure Graphite on a white of unknown origin and layered on more Bravo Burgundy.  The three small banners were punched from a gold of unknown origin and are highlighted with Burgundy Stickles.

I'm not a huge fan of horizontal images on paper for cards because it often doesn't work all that well.  In this case I liked the scale of the images which worked reasonable well.  I decided to use a vertical sentiment as a contrast to all the horizontal images.  I love using these small banners on a vertical sentiment.  Actually I really love using the small banners any time.

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

Gisèle

Perfect Holiday Plaid

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas In July post is a great plaid Christmas card.

The printed paper is Photoplay Holiday Cheer layered on Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow.  The sentiment is Frog's Whiskers stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a white of unknown origin, coloured with Stampin' Up Blendabilities Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive, and layered on Real Red.  The card is highlighted with Star Dust Stickles.

I wanted to craft a card which had at least a little bit of colouring even though it's not something I'm terribly good at.  In this case, the image is pretty straight forward so it was really easy.  That I could combine it with some beautiful holiday plaid was just a bonus.  I added the Stickles to the printed paper because I so liked the results when I did on a one of the birthday card series that I've yet to post.

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

Gisèle

Santas In A Row

Hello everyone,

Today's post is one of my favourites is this Christmas card series.

The printed paper is BoBunny Carousel Christmas Collection layered on Close To My Heart Glacier.  The sentiment is Flonz Merry Christmas 807 stamped in Altenew Pure Graphite on a white of unknown origin.  The snowflake embellishment is of unknown origin.

I love how the images are very traditional but the colours are not.  I will admit that I don't really like using paper with definitive rows on cards.  I find it can look quite awkward when not perfectly symmetrical and that can be very hard to achieve.  In this case it worked really well and I believe its because the scale of the images is perfect for cards. I couldn't not add an embellishment this time and I think this pearlized snowflake work really well.

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

Gisèle

Reindeer Plaid

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card post is a very masculine card.

The printed paper is Photoplay MAD 4 Plaid Christmas layered on Stampin' Up Basic Grey.  The sentiment is Altenew Halftone Holiday stamped in Stampin' Up Real Red and Altenew Pure Graphite on a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment was cut with the coordinating Altenew die.

I always love using plaid on Christmas cards and this reindeer paper is perfect for a masculine Christmas card.  With the sentiment in the design sweet spot, I debate adding some kind of embellishments but really, couldn't find a way to make it work.  The paper is busy so any smaller embellishment just got lost.  I didn't want to add any glitter because it's a man card after all.  As I've realized on cards past, sometimes less is just more.

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

Gisèle

Red And White

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card is traditional in it's colours but modern in it's graphics.

The printed paper is Penny Black Winter Time layered on Stampin' Up Real Red and a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Celebrate The Seasons stamped in Real Red on more white of unknown origin.  The card is highlighted with White Opal Liquid Pearls.

Sometimes a 'holiday' card is more appropriate than a 'Christmas' card and I really like this particular example.  I chose this sentiment because the font really works with the images.  It was also a perfect opportunity to use the little banners that I like so much.  The white Liquid Pearls were a great embellishment and keep the card flat for mailing.

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

Gisèle

All Ornaments

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card is very classic.

The printed papers are American Crafts Deck The Halls.  The sentiment is Flonz Merry Christmas 824 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a white of unknown origin and layered on more American Crafts Deck The Halls.  The felt tree embellishment is of unknown origin and is highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

Whenever I get a Christmas card commission for a variety pack of cards, I try to make both traditional and less traditional cards.  This is the traditional card.  I think the ornaments are wonderful and I would have used an ornament embellishment but believe it or not, I couldn't find one in my stash.  I thought the felt tree, which is the great colour, was still appropriate.

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

Gisèle

Celebrating Vertically

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a lovely Christmas card as part of my girlfriend's commission.

The printed paper is Flonz Vintage Papers Happy Merry Christmas layered on Close To My Heart Pomegranate and a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Frog's Whiskers stamped in Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow on more white of unknown origin.  The ribbon is Offray.  The embellishment is of unknown origin.  The card is highlighted with Diamond Stickles and Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

I'm really quite impressed with these Flonz papers.  Not only are the printed wonderful but the quality.  I think these vertical trees are cute and they were the perfect excuse to use a vertical sentiment.  The hardest part of this card was finding a red with which to coordinate.  I'm thankful for my obscene stash of paper!

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

Gisèle

Stitched Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas cards reminds me of Europe.

The printed paper is Decorer Winter Moments layered on a Bazzill red and Aspen Green.  The sentiment is Flonz Merry Christmas 808 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a white of unknown origin and layered on more red.

This card is part of a commission for a girlfriend.  She has close ties to her family in Germany and I thought this would be a perfect Christmas card for her.  I didn't add any embellishments or other extras because once I affixed the sentiment, I didn't think it needed anything else.  I couldn't really see anywhere to add anything else which is pretty much what ultimately made the decision.

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

Gisèle

Holidays On The Road

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card was crafted for a girlfriend's grandson.

The printed papers are American Crafts Holiday.  The sentiment is from an unknown Stampin' Up set stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a White of unknown origin layered o more American Crafts Holiday and Recollections Black.  The embellishment is also of unknown origin.

My girlfriend's grandson loves trucks so I thought this card would work for him.  It's really fun paper and it was a major draw for picking up this paper pad in the first place.  I love the bits of black as they really make the card pop.  I kept the layout quite simple as I really wanted to ensure there was a good space for the embellishment.

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

Gisèle

Christmas Hello

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the first of this year's Christmas In July series. 

The printed paper is Flonz Vintage Paper Retro Christmas Gift layered on Close To My Heart Gypsy.  The sentiment is from an unknown Stampin' Up set stamped in Altenew Deep Iris on a white of unknown origin and layered on more Gypsy.  The ribbon is Craftsmart.  The candy cane brad if of unknown origin.  The card is highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

It is rather ironic to be crafting Christmas cards when there is a blistering heatwave happening!  I only recently discovered Flonz and when I came across their vintage Christmas papers I just couldn't resist.  I also have more Merry Christmas sentiments than I'll never get bored!  This is a vintage vibe that I especially like the colours and the images are just adorable.  It's a great Christmas card.

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

Gisèle