Hello Spring

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another lovely spring card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Lemon Lime Twist.  The printed paper is Echo Park Hello Spring layered on Stampin' Up Pool Party and a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Itty Bitty Greetings stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso on Recollections White and layered on more Lemon Lime Twist.  The card is highlighted with Orange Peel, Fruit Punch, Yellow and Turquoise Stickles.

You wouldn't be wrong thinking that I'm feeling a little desperate for spring.  Today's card uses more of the Echo Park Hello Spring printed paper that I'm loving right now.  It works wonderfully with Stampin' Up's Lemon Lime Twist paper which is just a tad too fluorescent for me.  I wanted a little more sparkle than I had in yesterday's card so I added multiple colours of Stickles.  It's a great result and I hope good enough to entice Mother Nature.

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

Gisèle

Awesome Spring

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a card I crafted to remind me that spring will eventually arrive in Ottawa.

The card base is Stampin' Up Barely Banana.  The printed paper is Echo Park Hello Spring layered on Stampin' Up Pool Party.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Botanicals For You stamped in Early Espresso on Recollections White and layered on more Barely Banana.  The embellishment is a Recollections Epoxy Sticker.

We had one heck of a snow storm yesterday after a few lovely warm and sunny days.  It's been a reminder that Mother Nature rules.  I thought this cute butterfly paper would lift spirits after such a horrible weather day.  It's that time of year when many of us are just craving warmer weather.  It's coming!  Eventually!

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

Gisèle

Laughing Together

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a card that uses one of the new Stampin' Up sentiments.

The card base is Stampin' Up Hello Honey.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up layered on Pink Pirouette.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Here's A Card stamped in Soft Suede on Recollections White and layered on more Hello Honey and Pink Pirouette.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.  The card is highlighted with Worn Lipstick Stickles.

I have no current commissions or other series to work on so I decided to play with one of the new Stampin' Up sets that found it's way into my stash.  This is virtually an all Stampin' Up card which I don't actually do that often but I wanted to craft a quick and easy card.  I love this sentiment set.  It's got some really great phrases and I know I'll use it for a long time.  The paper is quite funky and is rather retro in my opinion.  This is a great result!

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

Gisèle

Cat Camoflage

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the last of the cat card series I've been crafting.

The card base is Recollections White.  The image is Stampin' Up Happy Wishes stamped in Altenew Galactic Stream on Recollections White and layered on a teal Bazzill.  The cat was cut from more Recollections White with the Stampin' Up Cat paper punch.  The embellishments are Stampin' Up Metallic Pearls.

This is another card that was inspired from this PIN on Pinterest. I love the layered and stamped image.  I played with adding eyes, nose and whiskers but there was no way I could make them look good.  Possibly if I had used black instead of teal I may have been able to draw with a fine tip marker but even that would have been a push.  I'm quite pleased with this ghost kitty.  It's a great result even if it doesn't match the PIN exactly!

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

Gisèle

A Striped Kitty

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great cat card.

The card base is Recollections Vanilla.  The printed papers are BasicGrey Urban Prairie layered on Recollections Black.  The 'negative' image is the Stampin' Up cat paper punch.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Teeny Tiny Wishes stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections Vanilla.  The embellishments are Multicrafts Keepsake Memories.

This isn't exactly the 'negative' space cat card I intended but it still works okay.  I had intended to cut strips of printed paper and leave more blank space but was distracted by this piece of Urban Prairie paper.  It did still have the strips I was looking for there's just too much of it.  I think the negative image would be more prominent if there was a little more black space on the card.  It's still a great result, I'd just experiment with the idea a little more.

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

Gisèle

Hello Kitty

Hello everyone,

Today's post is an Asian inspired cat card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Very Vanilla.  The image is cut with the Stampin' Up Cat paper punch from more Very Vanilla and is layered on an origami paper of unknown origin.  The image panel is layered on a green Bazzill, a gold of unknown origin and a Recollections red.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Four You stamped in Altenew Hunter Green on Very Vanilla and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

When I was looking for inspiration on Pinterest, I came across a number of cards which used the negative of the punched image.  I've seen it before but have never given it a try so figured this series of cards was the perfect opportunity.  It's certainly not difficult but it took me a little more time to find a backing paper.  I thought this origami paper was perfect because the scale of the images are great.  I drew the solid colours from the origami paper.  I spent some time looking for a sentiment that would fit in the space, finally settling on a simple 'hello' card which can be used for any occasion.  I'm quite happy with the results.

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

Gisèle 

Just Delightful

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great cat card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The images are from Wish stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and coloured with Faber-Castell watercolour pencil crayons.  The image panel is layered on Recollections Black and brown of unknown origin and BasicGrey Porcelain.  The sentiment is My Sentiments Exactly Handwritten Sentiments also stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Recollections Black.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone stickers.

This Wish stamp set was borrowed from my cardmaking neighbor.  I couldn't resist this cute kitten and I loved the anticipation of a tussle with a ball of yarn.  How delightful!  I spent quite a while colouring.  First trying crayons then, a variety of watercolour pencil crayons.  I do so wish colouring came easier to me.  These are really simple images and shouldn't have caused such anxiety.  I love how well the sentiment applies to the images.  It's a wonderful result!

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

Gisèle

Cat Friends

Hello everyone,

After a week long break, I'm finally back to crafting.  Today's post is a great cat card!

The card base is Recollections Vanilla.  The image are cut with the Stampin' Up Cat paper punch from DCWV Pet Stack, Close To My Heart, Recollections Black and a dark grey of unknown origin and adhered to an ivory of unknown origin.  The cat images are layered on an orange of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Sweet Essentials stamped in Soft Suede on more ivory and layered on more orange.

This card was CASED from this PIN.  I was drawn to the simplicity of the card.  I switched things up a little bit by punching some of the images from printed paper.  While the PIN was a sympathy card, I decided to make this a 'friends' card because with that many cats on one card, how could you not send it to a friend.  I'm really happy to have found the PIN because this is a great result.

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

Gisèle

Golden Trio

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great cat trio card.

The card base is Recollections Vanilla.  The images are from Wish stamped in VersaMark on Recollections Vanilla and heat embossed in detail gold.  The image panel is layered on DCWV All About Girls card stock and a burnished gold of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Annabelle Stamps Square Posies stamped in Stampin' Up Soft Suede.

These cats are wonderful!  I love the funky patterns and couldn't resist heat embossing.  I was going to try embossing in different colours but that is going to take some experimenting!  I wanted the focus to be entirely on the images so I kept the sentiment short, sweet and small.  I think it's the perfect expression for these three kitties.  It's a better result than I even imagined!

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

Gisèle

Vintage Kitten

Hello everyone,

Today's card uses a great piece of vintage paper.

The card base is Recollections Vanilla.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Lucky Limeade and Recollections Black.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Perfect Punches stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections Vanilla.  The flower embellishment if of unknown origin.

My mom gave me this paper a while back.  It was a paper placemat in a party kit.  The cat is a little large for a card but carefully trimming it to fit this larger card base is doable.  I love using vintage paper but it's hard to find.  I couldn't decide what type of card I wanted to craft so just kept it all purpose.  It's a great result.

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

Gisèle

Get Well Kitty

Hello everyone,

Today's post is happy cat get well card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on DCWV All About Girls card stock and a yellow Bazzill.  The image is Plaid All Night Media stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more DCWV and Bazzill.  The brad embellishments if of unknown origin.

I wanted to include a get well card in this series and decided to make it a happy one, more of a pick me up than a sympathetic card.  This plaid paper is wonderful and has tons of solid colour coordination options.  Except for pink, I think I used every possible colour option.  This is a really fun image which I thought was perfect for this happy card.  I this card helps put the recipient in a happier place.

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

Gisèle

Paw Prints

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another awesome cat card!

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a red Core'dinations.  The images are Plaid All Night Media Cats stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered  on more red.  The sentiment is Flonz Happy Birthday stamped in Altenew Velvet.

How cute are these paw prints!  I wasn't quite sure where I was going with this card when I started but I love the paw prints!  The red, white and black colour combination is also great but those paw prints are what makes this card fantastic!  Enough said!

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

Gisèle

Cat Love

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great cat card.

The card base is Recollections Vanilla.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Close To My Heart Smoothie and Olive.  The image is Stamp Barn stamped in Altenew Dark Chocolate on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Smoothie.  The sentiment is of unknown origin stamped in Altenew Dark Chocolate on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Smoothie.  The card is highlighted with Frayed Burlap Stickles.

I think this is a great card.  The lines of the image work really well with font of the sentiment. This cat image is a favourite.  I could use it over and over!  I love this cat image  I love the little hearts on the right of the words.  This is a pretty straightforward layout, one I've used multiple times before.  I'm not totally fussy on the dots of Stickles but I'm learning to live with never being perfectly happy with it!

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

Gisèle

Silhouette Trio

Hello everyone,

Today's card post is a trio of cat silhouettes.

The card base is Recollections White.  The images were cut with the Stampin' Up cat silhouette paper punch from Recollections white and layered on a light and dark Recollections grey and a medium grey of unknown origin. The silhouettes were further layered on Recollections Black.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Say It All stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.

This card was inspired by this Pin.  I adapted a bit with different shades of grey for the silhouettes.  I love doing a trio card with this layout being a favourite.  It's so simple but extremely effective.  I added no extra embellishments, I wouldn't have known what to put where.  It's a great result!

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

Gisèle

Tabby Thoughts

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the start of a series of cat cards I'm crafting for a local cat rescue organization.

The card base is Stampin' Up Very Vanilla.  The background stamp is Stampin' Up You've Got This stamped in Altenew Sunkissed on more Very Vanilla and layered on Close To My Heart Orange and a brown Bazzill.  The cat was punched from a piece of Ranger alcohol inked glossy paper.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Teeny Tiny Wishes stamped in Early Espresso.

My neighbor adopted two sweet kittens from a local cat rescue organization which is always looking for ways to raise funds.  She crafted a couple of sets of cards for them to sell and they were snapped up quickly.  I thought I'd craft a couple of simple cat card sets to help in the effort.  This cat punch was part of a recent Stampin' Up order and given all the cat cards I craft, I thought it a good investment.  I've had this idea of using alcohol inked paper with the paper punch floating around my head for a while and it turned out even better than I imagine.  I'm going to get a lot of use out of this punch!

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

Gisèle

Happy Hearts

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the last of the Valentines I've been crafting.

The card base is Stampin' Up Raspberry Ripple.  The printed paper is K&Company Sweet Talk Pattern Hearts layered on a shimmery white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is TPC Studio Hugs and Kisses stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Raspberry Ripple.  The embellishment is Close To My Heart Enamel Hearts.

This is a really sweet Valentine.  I've used this paper before and love all the hearts.  They're a great scale for cards.  The variety of colours allows for easy colour coordination.  I've had this TPC Valentine stamp set forever and love the variety of stamps in the set.  I thought this font worked particularly well with the hearts in the patterned paper.  It's a great result!

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

Gisèle

A Shiny Heart

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a card I meant to post yesterday but it completely slipped my mind!  It's another great, simple Valentine.

The card base is Stampin' Up Real Red.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Primrose Petals and a vanilla of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Say It All stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections Vanilla.  The heart was cut with Sizzix Embosslits Scalloped Heart of Hearts.

I love this Valentine!  The printed paper is just wonderful!  I knew I wanted to use this die cut heart on one of these cards and I thought this one was pretty appropriate.  I love the sentiment on the diagonal and am pretty pleased with how well it is centered.  I didn't add any extra embellishments as the shiny heart was enough.

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

Gisèle

Loving Words

Hello everyone,

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

The card base is Stampin' Up Real Red.  The printed paper is BoBunny Crush layered on a white of unknown origin and Recollections Black.  The sentiment is Rubber Cafe Love Words stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Real Red.

I don't always get a ton of Valentines crafted but I always try to make something special for my husband.  This is an all time favourite sentiment.  I love  the font and the words are everything Valentines.  I don't mind the black, it suits my husband, and these love birds are great!  We are getting sappier as we get older.

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

Gisèle

Glittered Valentine

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a glittering Valentine that I crafted for my grandmother-in-law.

The card base is Stampin' Up Raspberry Ripple.  The printed paper is American Crafts layered on a shimmery white of unknown origin and more American Crafts Glitter paper.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up A Wish for Everything stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on Crafts Ribbon and more Raspberry Ripple.

My grandmother-in-law is the sweetest woman I've ever known.  She utterly loves whenever I send a card so I decided a custom Valentine would just thrill her to no end.  She loves anything that sparkles or shines so I broke out the glitter paper!  This heart paper isn't the greatest for cards but I carefully placed the sentiment element so I wouldn't cover up too much of the hearts.  She's going to love this card!

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

Gisèle

A Simple Valentine

Hello everyone,

While I'm in a Valentine's frame of mind I thought I'd keep the heart mojo going.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is Recollections All Seasons layered on a white of unknown origin and Stampin' Up Melon Mambo.  The sentiment is Paper Smooches All Year Cheer stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The heart brads are of unknown origin.

I love this simple Valentine.  The patterned paper is with the line drawn hearts makes for a great background.  The small reveals of the layers adds some depth to what would otherwise be a pretty flat result.  I didn't have dark pink heart embellishments but these red ones work just fine.  It's a great result.

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

Gisèle

A Little Reminder

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a bit of a funky Valentine card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper and pink layer are of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up A Wish For Everything stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on two different pink Worldwin Petallics.  The heart brads are Recollections.

One of my girlfriends hasn't had the best start to 2020 so I thought I'd craft her a real one of a kind Valentine.  I thought this pink zebra strip was perfect for a Valentine card.  The sentiment is part of the Stampin' Up order I got in the mail this week.  I have a ton of different heart brads and these pink ones work perfectly with the pink in the printed paper.  It's a great card and I'm sure it will lift her spirits.

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

Gisèle