Gloriously Golden

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a really beautiful Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections Natural Linen Texture Cardstock.  The printed paper is Anna Griffin Christmas cardstock layered on more Recollections Natural Linen and Paper Accents Glossy Gold cardstock.  The image is Sizzix Delicate Ornament Thinlets cut from a glossy gold of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up More Merry Messages stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Very Vanilla.

I absolutely love this Anna Griffin paper collection.  I've had it for ages and am never disappointed whenever I use it.  The ornament was die cut when I cut the ornaments for these cards which I posted last Tuesday.  I had originally intended to use three ornaments on the cards but there just wasn't enough space.  I was very pleased to be able to use these gold ornaments on a different card because the result is more spectacular than I'd imagined.

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

Gisèle

More Peace, Love and Joy

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a very traditional Christmas card.

The card base is Darice Great White.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up Under The Mistletoe layered on Recollections Christmas Red.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Wishes Come True stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on more Darice Great White and layered on more Christmas Red.  The embellishment is a bow punched from Stampin' Up Shaded Spruce and a Forever In Time Gemstone sticker.

I just love this designer series paper from Stampin' Up.  It's just the perfect scale for cards!  There is a wide variety of colours with which to coordinate - as expected from Stampin' Up.  This is a very simple layout but was very quick and easy.  A great result!

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

Gisèle

Peace, Love and Joy

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great pair of Christmas card.

The card bases are Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow and Recollections Red.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a vanilla of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Every Good Wish stamped in Altenew Ruby Red and Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow on more vanilla of unknown origin.  The sentiment panels are layered on more Mossy Meadow and Recollections Red.  The holly embellishments are of unknown origin.

I love this pair of holly cards!  Half the cards are in red and half are in green and I couldn't tell you which I like more.  I was quite surprised how well the sentiment and printed paper work together given one is quite modern and the other is rather vintage.  The embellishments work much better in reality than in these images.  They are quite bulky but as with yesterday's card, there are no issues with mailing.

I hope you enjoy these cards and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle 

A Pair of Trees

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great pair of Christmas cards.

The card bases are Recollections White.  The printed papers are Doodlebug Santa Express and one of unknown origin.  The printed papers are layered on a red and a green Recollections.  The sentiment is Sweet & Sassy Seasonal Wreaths stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more red and green.  The tree embellishment is Recollections.

As these cards won't be mailed it was a perfect opportunity to add these somewhat more bulky embellishments.  I love these glitter trees!  The layout is very standard but it really works.  I love the font of this sentiment and am rather kicking myself that I didn't start playing with it years ago.  Both cards are so happy, I just love them!

I hope you enjoy these cards and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Fancy Trees Five Ways

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a fantastic set of Christmas tree cards.

The card bases are a vanilla of unknown origin.  The image is Magenta stamped on more vanilla of unknown origin with Stampin' Up Midnight Muse, Mossy Meadow and Bravo Burgundy, Altenew Hydrangea, and Close To My Heart Peacock.  The sentiment is Penny Black Festive Wishes on more vanilla with Versafine Onyx Black.  The image and sentiment panels are layered on Stampin' Up Midnight Muse, Mossy Meadow and Bravo Burgundy, and Close To My Heart Pansy and Peacock.  The embellishments are Darice Gems.

I love this stamp in five different colours.  They are all just different enough to keep me interested and all they are all beautiful!  You have to give Stampin' Up credit, it's wonderful to be able to coordinate the ink and paper so easily.  I was even able to find rhinestones that coordinated which was just icing on the tree!

I hope you enjoy these cards and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Christmas Bits Two Ways

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another pair of green and red Christmas cards.

The card bases are Recollections Christmas red and green.  The printed paper is Recollections City Sidewalks layered on more Recollections Christmas red and green.  The sentiment is Recollections Christmas stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on yet more Recollections Christmas red and green.  The embellishments are Recollections Rhinestone stickers.

I'm not sure if I've ever crafted an entire card with virtually only Recollections products, let alone ten.  This pair turned out even better than I'd imagined.  The scale of the printed is perfect for smaller cards.  I love the sentiment and will likely use it often.  I will say I'm extremely grateful for my MISTI!

I hope you enjoy these cards and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Ornaments Two Ways

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a pair of great ornament Christmas cards.

The card bases are Paper Accents Glossy Gold Cardstock.  The images are Stampin' Up Embellished Ornaments stamped in VersaMark on Stampin' Up Very Vanilla and heat embossed in Stampendous Green and Red Tinsel embossing powder.  The die cuts are Sizzix Delicate Ornaments Thinlits cut from a red and a green mirrored paper of unknown origin and more Paper Accents Glossy Gold Cardstock. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Teeny Tiny Wishes stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on more Stampin' Up Very Vanilla. The ribbon is a green of unknown origin and a sheer red from Multicrafts.

I love these ornaments cards!  I changed things up a little on each card by switching out the ribbon colours and the images.  Though the layout of each card is virtually the same, with each small difference they are still unique.  These ornaments were a lot more work than I thought they'd be due to the sheer repeating of the elements.  It was worth the effort!

I hope you enjoy these cards and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Santa Two Ways

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a pair of great Christmas cards is red and green.

The card bases are Recollections White.  The printed paper is of unknown origin.  The image is Delta Santa Collage stamped in Close To My Heart Topiary and Tulip on Recollections White and layered on more Topiary and Tulip.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone Stickers.

This is my favourite Santa stamp!  I use it every year when crafting Christmas cards and it never disappoints.  It is wonderful 'plain' like this but it is also spectacular 'covered' with transparent glitter.  I'm not in the habit of mass producing cards but I've been working on a 250 Christmas card project and I'm fast running out of time so I've had to be a little more flexible.  That said, I've decided I can recreate the same card while at the same time switching things up.  This card in five red and five green still makes be very happy!

I hope you enjoy these cards and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Perfect Polar Bears

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a wonderful, non-traditional Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a shimmery white of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Pool Party.  The sentiment is Penny Black Joy Filled stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on a shimmery light blue of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Bazzill Basics adhesive pearls.

I absolutely love this card!  The polar bears are wonderful and this layout is works perfectly!  The non-traditional winter colours really appeal.  I was thrilled to find two great pearl embellishments in just the right shade of pale blue/green.  I'm always thrilled when this kind of thing happens.

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

Gisèle

Another Nutcracker

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great nutcracker Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections Vanilla.  The printed paper is Kaisercraft Christmas Wishes layered on a pale green metallic of unknown origin.  The image is Old Island Stamp Company stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and coloured with Tombow 992 and 800, and Sakura Red, Green, Black, Yellow and Clear.  The image is layered on more pale green metallic.  The embellishment is a Close To My Heart Bitty Sparkle.

I'm loving this nutcracker stamp!  I've only played with it for a wee bit but so far the results are awesome.  The Sakura gel pens are a little on the pale side so it was a bit of a challenge finding a printed paper with which it would work.  The final result actually turned out better than I'd figured.

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

Gisèle

Nutcracker Season

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a wonderful nutcracker Christmas card.

The card base is an ivory of unknown origin.  The image is Old Island Stamp Company stamped in Versafine Onyx Black and coloured with Copic R29 and G09, Tombow N35 and 800, and Pentel gold.  The image is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Merry Christmas To All stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections Vanilla.  The image and sentiment panels are layered on Stampin' Up Glorious Green.  The embellishment is a TPC Studio jewel.

Over the past number of years, nutcrackers have become a big part of our family's Christmas traditions and our collection keeps growing.  This year, my husband gave me an early birthday present of this nutcracker rubber stamp.  It is awesome!  The size is perfect for cards and it's so easy to colour.  I'll be posting a few cards with this image over the next few weeks.

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

Gisèle

Vintage Christmas Drive-By

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another really fun vintage style Christmas card.

The card base is an ivory Bazzill.  The printed paper is layered on more ivory Bazzill, Stampin' Up Ridinghood Red and Recollections Black.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart A Holiday stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The embellishments are TPC Studio Christmas Cheer Jewels.

Slimline cards are a bit of rage at the moment so when I found this piece of printed paper I knew it would be perfect for a more oblong card.  It actually worked so much better than I had imagined.  The image is so fun I'm glad I hadn't trimmed it down to use on two smaller, traditional sized cards.  The layout is so straightforward and really focuses on the paper.

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

Gisèle

Vintage Holiday Bustle

 Hello everyone,

I'm posting another great vintage style Christmas card.

The card base is an ivory of unknown origin.  The printed paper is also of unknown origin layered on a dark green Bazzill.  The sentiment is Penny Black Vintage Snippets stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections white and layered on more dark green Bazzill.  The embellishment is TPC Studio Holly Jolly.

As with yesterday's card, this is another wonderful piece of printed paper with a definite vintage style.  Though I doubt we'll see the kind of Christmas shopping bustle in 2020 that many enjoy, it's rather fun to remember how things use to be.  The sentiment placement was a little more challenging given the 'Merry Christmas' on the printed paper but I think the banner style on the left side works rather well.  It's a pretty great result.

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

Gisèle

Joyfully Tree Shopping

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another vintage style Christmas card.

The card base is an ivory of unknown origin.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a dark green Bazzill.  The sentiment is Verve Glad Tidings stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections Vanilla.  The embellishments are BoBunny jewels.

This is more of a different style of vintage Christmas card - perhaps more 1940s or 1950s.  It is a style to which I'm particularly drawn.  I really love the images. There are a wide variety of colours with which to coordinate which makes for a very quick and easy card.  I love this simple sentiment and I think the font works pretty well for the style.  I used a paper punch to cut out the and took some time with the placement.

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

Gisèle

Another Vintage Winter Scene

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another lovely winter scene Christmas card.

The card base is an ivory of unknown origin.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a red Bazzill.  The sentiment is Impression Obsession Triangle Trees stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso.  The embellishments are TPC Studio Holly Jolly.

This printed paper is obviously from the same collection as yesterday's card I just have no idea to which company is should be attributed.  It does have the look and feel of a Heartfelt Creations collection. I love the pop of the deep red layer.  I used these rather large embellishments because I don't have to worry about mailing bulk.  The red in the embellishments works wonderfully with the red Bazzill layer.  This was yet another very quick and easy card.

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

Gisèle

Vintage Winter Scene

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a wonderful vintage styled Christmas card.

The card base is an ivory of unknown origin.  The printed paper is also of unknown origin layered on Stampin' up Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Impression Obsession Christmas Sentiments stamped in Early Espresso on Recollections Vanilla.  The ribbon and pearl snowflake embellishment are both of unknown origin.

I do love crafting vintage styled cards be they birthday or Christmas or any other occasion.  I find the style so appealing and love mixing traditional and modern elements.  This card is a perfect example with the organza ribbon and pearl snowflake button.  The bow is a little lopsided but with the sheer ribbon, it's not quite so obvious.  As these cards won't be mailed, I didn't worry about any extra bulk.  I really love this result!

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

Gisèle

Christmas Holly

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a great holly Christmas card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Lucky Limeade. The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' up Cherry Cobbler.  The sentiment is Penny Black Holly Xmas stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Cherry Cobbler.  The holly is coloured with Copics G94 and R39.

I could probably craft all my Christmas cards using holly images, paper or embellishments. I'm pretty certain I've used a piece of this printed paper before.  I quite like the pale blue background.  The sentiment is great with just a few small elements that even a beginner can colour quite easily.  I didn't really think to add any embellishments though a tiny bow in the top left corner of the sentiment panel would probably be quite lovely.

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

Gisèle

A Crowd of Santas

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another fun Christmas card.

The card base is a red Bazzill.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Hero Arts We Wish You Message stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White.  The sticker embellishments are of unknown origin.

So this sentiment was a little bigger than I realized, covering much more of the printed paper than I intended. That said, there were enough Santa images still visible that I decided to go ahead.  I did forgo adding a layered to the sentiment because I didn't want to cover up any more of the paper.  The sticker embellishments have been in my stash for eons and they work pretty well here despite being a titch lopsided in relation to placement.

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

Gisèle

Holiday Mittens

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a rather fun Christmas card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Crumb Cake.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Flonz Merry Christmas 824 stamped in Altenew Sapphire on Recollections White.  The embellishments are of unknown origin and are highlighted with Cranberry Stickles.

This is another great piece of printed paper.  I love the mittens!  They are a little large in terms of scale but the randomness of the pattern helps make this a great paper for a card.  I love using these cookie cutter embellishments but because of the bulk, they can't go in a mailed card.  The layout is simple making this a very quick and easy card to craft.

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

Gisèle

More Christmas Plaid

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great plaid Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections Vanilla.  The printed paper is Simple Stories Merry & Bright layered on Stampin' Up Always Artichoke.  The sentiment is Crafter's Companion Festive Phrases cut from and stamped on more Recollections Vanilla and stamped in Early Espresso.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.

I just love this big, bold bow!  I just couldn't resist using it with this great plaid paper.  It works well to anchor the two elements of the sentiment.  The layout is quite simple and one I've used quite often.  I think the different elements came together wonderfully.  It's a great result.

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

Gisèle

Pretty In Plaid

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a fantastic plaid Christmas card.

The card base is a vanilla of unknown origin.  The printed paper, also of unknown origin, is layered on a red Bazzill.  The sentiment is cut with Creative Expressions Festive Collection die from more red Bazzill.  The holly embellishment is of unknown origin.

I love using plaid for Christmas cards!  I find this particular quite wonderful as it's feels more argyle than plaid.  This is a great die cut sentiment.  It's a little on the larger size but the light font makes it perfect for cards both larger or smaller sized.  The holly embellishment couldn't have been coordinated any better.

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

Gisèle

Stockings Hung With Care

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a lovely Christmas stocking card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler.  The printed paper is Forever In Time layered on Stampin' Up Garden Green.  The sentiment is Flonz Merry Christmas 808 stamped in Early Espresso on Recollections White.  The embellishments are Recollections Rhinestone stickers.

I love this stocking paper!  The traditional colours are perfect as are the hints on glitter that don't show in the image.  I think the font of the sentiment works great with the images and I love how the white strip just pops .  This is layout is one which I use often making this a very quick and easy card.

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

Gisèle

Hanging Ornaments

 Hello everyone,

Today's is a lovely ornament Christmas card.

The card base is a mirrored blue of unknown origin.  The printed paper is Heartfelt Creations Snow Kissed layered on Recollections White.  The sentiment is Gina K The Magic of Christmas stamped on Recollections White with Altenew Permanent Black, and layered on more mirrored blue.

I love these hanging ornaments!  I ended up with a full 12x12 sheet so was careful cutting it in order to get at least one, if not two, more cards.  I kept the layout simple because I thought the printed paper was fancy enough.  I debated stamping the sentiment directly on the printed paper but couldn't find a placement that pleased my eye.  No extra embellishments were required!

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

Gis&le

Christmas Snowflakes

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a lovely winter Christmas card.

The card base is a shimmery grey of unknown origin.  The printed paper is also of unknown origin.  The sentiment was cut from a shimmery white of unknown origin with Dee's Distinctively Classic Merry Christmas die.  The snowflake embellishments are also of unknown origin.

If I'm not mistaken, I've crafted another card quite similar to this except with a different colour scheme.  I do love the blue/white/navy colour scheme here.  I also quite like the layered snowflake embellishments which coordinates wonderfully with the snowflakes in the printed paper.  It's a great result!

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

Gisèle

Smiling Santa

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a great Santa Christmas card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Very Vanilla.  The background image is Stampendous Christmas Background stamped in Altenew Dark Night on Very Vanilla and layered on Cherry Cobbler.  The Santa image is Flonz stamped in Cherry Cobbler on Very Vanilla and layered on more Cherry Cobbler.

This care is a little less traditional even though the elements are quite vintage.  I'd purchased this Flonz Santa a few years ago and didn't quite know how I was going to use it.  I really love this particular application!  The background stamp is a very appealing collage of classic/vintage sentiments.  I love the grey/vanilla/red colour combination!  I debated adding embellishments but in the end, couldn't figure out how to apply them without it being over-the-top.  I'm just thrilled with the results and am looking forward to experimenting with the other Santa stamps I had purchased.

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

Gisèle

Another Holiday Tree

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another beautiful tree Christmas card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Very Vanilla.  The image is Inkadinkado stamped in Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow on Very Vanilla, heat embossed with Close To My Heart Silver Pearl embossing powder and layered on more Mossy Meadow.  The sentiment is Frog's Whiskers stamped in Mossy Meadow.  The card is highlighted with Holly Stickles.

This is another tree stamp which I love to use when crafting Christmas cards.  It is beautiful even without embossing.  As with the image I used on Monday's card, the details are really exquisite.  I love using the Close To My Heart silver pearl embossing powder.  It is magical how it transforms an image.  I'm never quite sure how the colour will change but it's rare that I don't like the results.  I wish I'd managed a better job with the row of Stickle dots anchoring the sentiment, it's a little crooked and uneven but you really only get one chance.  I doubt anyone will complain.

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

Gisèle 

More Christmas Words

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another easy quick and Christmas card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Very Vanilla.  The image is Denami Design Christmas Tree Script stamped in Altenew Hunter Green and Tombow 055, and layered on Stampin' Up Garden Green and a printed paper of unknown origin.  The star is highlighted with Yellow Stickles.

I learned from this earlier 'wordy tree' card to use yellow ink for the star so it would be more visible.  I like this version much more.  I hadn't originally intended to add a printed paper layer but felt this card needed just that little extra layer to add more interest.  It was a good decision because the result is wonderful!

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

Gisèle

A Holy Night

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a very serene Christmas card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Very Vanilla.  The image is Inkadinkado stamped in Altenew Desert Night on Very Vanilla and layered on Midnight Muse.  The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Christmas Expressions also stamped in Altenew Desert Night.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Bitty Sparkles.

I' love this image and it's one I use often when crafting Christmas cards.  It's a great size for a card and allows for great embellishments.  I've also found it excellent for heat embossing.  In this case, I added a sentiment but it truly doesn't need one.  It's a great result as usual.

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

Gisèle

An Embellished Tree

 Hello everyone,

I'm posting another 'tree' Christmas card today.

The card base is Stampin' Up Very Vanilla.  The image is Penny Black Christmas Constellation stamped in Altenew Emerald on Stampin' Up Very Vanilla and layered on a dark green Bazzill.  The sentiment is Papertrey Ink Signature Christmas also stamped in Altenew Emerald.  The card is highlighted with BoBunny Jewels and Green Stickles.

I've always loved this stamp but just hated using it!  I find triangular images (trees) challenging to use but this image is also offset to the left making it even more of a challenge.  That said, it's the perfect image for embellishing and I love the jewel/Stickles combination.  The font of this sentiment coordinates beautifully with the image. I just now realized that the sentiment is also offset to the left and I wonder if that's why I'm so pleased with the results.

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

Gisèle

Snowy Tree Trio

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another wonderful Christmas card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Very Vanilla.  The image/sentiment are Denami Design stamped in Close To My Heart Ponderosa Pine on more Very Vanilla and layered on Ponderosa Pine.  The trees are highlighted with Crystal Glitter Ritz Microfine Cool Highlight Glitter.

This is a favourite stamp whenever I work on Christmas cards.  These trees are perfect for adding glitter snow.  It is also the perfect scale stamp for a card.  This great result came about in just minutes, not including drying time!

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

Gisèle