Retro Merry Christmas

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is the final Christmas card of the year!

The card base is Recollections Vanilla.  The printed paper is October Afternoon Silent Night layered on Stampin' Up Lost Lagoon.  The sentiment is Dee's Distinctively small Merry Christmas die, cut from Stampin' Up Ruby red and layered on a strip of Recollections Vanilla that was textured with Quickutz Ornaments Border embossing folder.  The card is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

The various elements of this card had been sitting on my desk for weeks until I finally had some time on Christmas afternoon to put them all together.  There is something about 'retro' that I find especially appealing.  It somehow seems especially fitting to think about better decades after the dumpster fire that has been 2020.  It's also a pretty nice capper to this year's cards if I do say so myself.

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

Gisèle

A Colorful Snowfall

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is the last of the French Christmas cards I crafted for a colleague.

The card base is Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler.  The printed paper is Echo Park Celebrate Christmas layered on a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Bonnidee C'est Noël stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Cherry Cobbler.  The card is highlighted with Star Dust Stickles.

This is another wonderful card.  I love having an opportunity to use a vertical sentiment and having a French one is fantastic.  Again, the layout is very simple.  The snowflakes on the printed paper are the perfect scale for a card and facilitate the easy placement of the sentiment.  I debated using a kraft coloured card base but it likely would have been just too much brown.  This is so much more jolly!

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

Gisèle 

Perfectly Patterned Trees

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another lovely French Christmas card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler.  The printed paper is Photoplay Mad 4 Plaid Christmas layered on Stampin' Up Smoky Slate.  The sentiment is Bonnidee Xmas Wording #3 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Smoky Slate.  The embellishment is Me & My Big Ideas Mambi Chips.

I love this card!  This patterned modern style tree paper is fantastic!  The grey/white/deep red colour combination really works and the pop of the green holly leaves is just great.  The scale of the trees is perfect for a card.  I think the contrast between the old style font of the sentiment and the modern paper really works and the angled placement speaks to the angled trees.  It's a wonderful result!

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

Gisèle 

It's Christmas

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another lovely French Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections Vanilla.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Bravo Burgundy.  The sentiment is Bonnidee C'est Noël stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a vanilla of unknown origin and layered on more Bravo Burgundy.  The card is highlighted with Gold Stickles.

This is a very simple, simple card thanks to the great printed paper.  I love the folk art style of the paper which really allows for crafting a straightforward card.  I trimmed the paper carefully in order to keep the scene aspect intact.  I love have the oval of the sentiment trimmed to align on the right side.  It works well in the design 'sweet spot' without detracting from the scene.  It's a great result!

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

Gisèle

Winter Woodland Critters

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is yet another wonderful Christmas card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Baja Breeze.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a white of unknown origin and Stampin' Up Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Bonnidee C'est Noel stamped in Early Espresso on Recollections White and layered on more Early Espresso.  The brads are American Crafts.

One of my colleagues requested a number of last minute French Christmas cards which I was more than happy to craft!  I love this printed paper and wish I had more of it because every card I've made with it is just awesome.  This colour scheme is a favourite and works perfectly with the printed paper.  I don't have a ton of French sentiments but the few I have work really well.  I chose to use an oft used layout because of the time crunch but it works great!

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

Gisèle

Christmas Snowman

Hello everyone,

I hope you enjoyed a lovely Christmas day.  Today's post is another great Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections Vanilla.  The printed paper is Simple Stories Merry & Bright layered on Stampin' Up Basic Grey and Ridinghood Red.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Christmas Messages stamped in Altenew Lava Rock on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Ridinghood Red.  The brad is Recollections.

One of my girlfriends has a big thing for snowmen so when I came across this paper I knew it would be perfect for her family's Christmas card.  The image is a little on the large size for a card but by making it a focal point instead of the background it works perfectly.  I was inspired to hang the sentiment from his arm and I just love the result.

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

Gisèle

Merry Christmas!

 Merry Christmas everyone!

Today's post is yet another lovely Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed papers are American Crafts layered on a green of unknown origin and a red Core'dinations.  The sentiment is from Wish stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more green and red.  The card is highlighted with Holly Stickles.

Yet another striped card!  I couldn't help it!  These are awesome papers and I couldn't just choose one.  I love these vehicles!  The sentiment is perfect in the design 'sweet spot'.  The Stickles adds just that little bit of sparkle which just makes a Christmas card as far as I'm concerned.

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

Gisèle

Blue Plaid Christmas

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed papers are Echo Park Celebrate Winter layered on Stampin' Up Night of Navy.  The sentiment is Echo Park Merry Christmas die set cut from more Night of Navy.  The card is highlighted with Waterfall, Diamond and Silver Stickles.

I just love a blue Christmas card!  This plaid makes it even more perfect!  I layered the sentiment with some scrap white card stock to add a little more depth.  This was a very easy layout though I could have placed the 'Merry' a little straighter.  The little dots of Stickles are great, adding a little bit of glitter without going overboard.  It's a great result.

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

Gisèle

Christmas Joy

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a very joyful Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed papers are Bazzill Countdown to Christmas layered on Recollections Black.  The sentiment is from Wish stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White.  The card is highlighted with Xmas Red Stickles.

I had a bit of thing for stripes happening when I crafted these last few Christmas cards.  I was playing with this set of Wish stamps which are really quite wonderful.  This card was given to our neighbors who both retired this year and got a new grandchild.  It is going to be a very joyous year for them!

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

Gisèle

More Christmas Gifts

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed papers are American Crafts Deck the Halls layered on Stampin' Up Basic Grey and a red of unknown origin.  The image/sentiment is from Wish stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more red.  The card is highlighted with Xmas Red Stickles.

I'm really impressed with this card.  I wasn't sure about the grey at first but it just came together beautifully.  My neighbor twisted my arm to pick up this set of Wish stamps and I'm rather impressed with this one.  They are very detailed so I think Versafine is a must to get a good impression.  The pops of red are just awesome!  It's a fantastic result!

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

Gisèle

Merry Christmas Gifts

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is Photoplay Mad 4 Plaid Christmas layered on Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler.  The sentiment/image is cut from Recollections Black, Cherry Cobbler and a green of unknown origin with Echo Park's Merry Christmas & Holly die.

I can't resist a great Christmas plaid so the Photoplay 6x6 pad was in my card without hesitation.  I have a fair number of Christmas sentiment dies and this was a great opportunity to experiment.  I was drawn to this Echo Park die because of the holly sprig that was included.  It did not disappoint!  This is a fairly simple card that makes a big impact!

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

Gisèle

Winter Village Greetings

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a wonderful folk art Christmas card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Crumbcake.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Flonz 807 stamped in Early Espresso on Recollections White and layered on more Early Espresso.  The glittered brad is of unknown origin.

There was just something about this printed paper that I found particularly appealing.  The folk art style is really wonderful and the colours are quite soothing.  I think I coordinated the font of the sentiment with the image style really well.  The glittered brad should be jarring but the colours matches the trees so perfectly that it doesn't seem at all over the top.  I think it's the perfect 2020 Christmas card!

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

Gisèle

Christmas Critters

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another really fun Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Darice Great White and a dark pink Recollections.  The sentiment is Flonz 808 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on more Darice Great White and layered on more dark pink.  The card is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen and Silver Stickles.

I couldn't resist the critters on this printed paper! I trimmed it carefully and used this particular layout so as not to cover either the dog or the bear.  The holly wreaths just added to my joy!  I also like the pink accents which lead me to choose the solid pink for layering.  It's an even better result than I'd imagined!

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

Gisèle

European Flare

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a beautiful European-inspired Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Recollections Black.  The sentiment is Flonz 807 stamped in Altenew Pure Graphite on more Recollections White and layered on more Recollections Black.  The card is highlighted with Silver Stickles.

I love this card!  The shapes and design of the images has a European style and I just love the non-traditional colours.  I took advantage to use black and grey as coordinating colours and it couldn't have turned out better.  The Stickles adds a perfect amount of sparkle.  It's a fantastic result!

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

Gisèle

Polar Bear Fun

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a really fun Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is Photoplay Polar Games layered on Pacon green.  The sentiment is Flonz 804 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on more Recollections White and layered on a blue of unknown origin.  The card is highlighted with Xmas Red and Star Dust Stickles.

I will admit it was rather fun to craft such a jolly card after all the more formal Italian Christmas cards.  I sent this card to my cousin in Australia because I figured she'd love these bears!  It's so Canadian!  I love the angled sentiment and am so glad I've not shied away from this layout because it's just awesome!

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

Gisèle

Italian Christmas V

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is the last of the Christmas cards using the reproduction Italian paper.

The card base is Recollections Vanilla.  The printed paper is Grafiche Tassotti Italian paper layered on a vanilla of unknown origin and Stampin' Up Bravo Burgundy.  The sentiment is Flonz 807 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on more unknown vanilla and layered on a strip of Bravo Burgundy and Offray ribbon.  The snowflake embellishment were punched with two different paper punches from scrap pieces of vanilla and gold and were highlighted with Cranberry Stickles.

This is not my most favourite piece of the Italian reproduction paper.  I find it a bit of a challenge to find coordinate colours and red is just weird for snowflakes.  The dark dots are actually jewel images which is also strange.  All that said, this isn't a terrible card.  I think the layered snowflake embellishments work pretty well as does the burgundy and gold strip.  

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

Gisèle

Italian Christmas IV

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great Christmas Greetings card.

The card base is Recollections Vanilla.  The printed paper is Rossi 1931 layered on Simple Stories December Documented.  The sentiment is Flonz 807 stamped in Close To My Heart Ponderosa Pine on a vanilla of unknown origin and layered on a strip of more Simple Stories December Documented.  The felt tree embellishments are from Artemio.

This is one of my favourites in this series.  I just love these rows of trees!  I'm not usually a fan of rows of images because they don't often work all that well on cards but these images are the perfect scale for a card.  I think these felt trees are absolutely perfect embellishments!  A fantastic result.

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

Gisèle

Italian Christmas III

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another Italian vintage style Christmas card.

The card bae is Recollections Vanilla.  The printed paper is Rossi 1931 layered on Pacon Red and Simple Stories December Documented.  The sentiment is Flonz 807 stamped in Close To My Heart Ponderosa Pine on a vanilla of unknown origin and layered on more Pacon Red and Simple Stories December Documented.  The sentiment panel is highlighted with Holly Stickles.

I think this is another great card.  It was another mass produced using the replica Italian paper and the Flonz sentiment.  I will admit I didn't feel very imaginative but once I'd put all the elements together, I did try to change things up with embellishments.  This is definitely not my favourite way for crafting cards but when short on time, it works.

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

Gisèle

Italian Christmas II

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another pair of Christmas cards using reproduction Italian paper.

The card bases are Recollections Vanilla.  The printed paper is Grafiche Tassotti layered on Simple Stories December Documented.  The sentiment is Flonz 807 stamped in Close To My Heart Ponderosa Pine on a vanilla of unknown origin and layered on Pacon Red and more December Documented.  The embellishments are Mark Richards 3mm gold metals and Xmas Red Stickles.

I love both of these cards. Obviously they were part of a batch which I mass produced but as I was able to change things up a bit with each card I didn't get bored.  This great sentiment works great with the vintage style and convey the message perfectly in 2020.

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

Gisèle

Italian Christmas I

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is one of a mishmash Christmas cards using beautiful reproduction Italian paper.

The card bases are Recollections Vanilla.  The printed paper is Grafiche Tassotti layered on Pacon Red and Simple Stories December Documented.  The sentiment is cut from more Pacon Red using Couture Creations Merry Christmas decorative die.  The embellishments are Recollections stickers and Golden Rod Stickles.

I purchased a wide variety of this reproduction paper quite a while ago.  I think it's suppose to be wrapping paper but it works wonderfully for cards.  I've tried to resist craft shopping lately in the hopes that I use up some of my stash.  Realistically, I wouldn't need to buy any Christmas products for the rest of my life.  I'm moderately pleased with these cards but they're not the best I've ever done. I was mass producing which doesn't always bode well for my creativity.

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

Gisèle

Christmas Foliage

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another simple Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections Vanilla.  The printed papers are of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Altenew Halftone Holidays stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections Red and Vanilla and cut with the coordinating die.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone Stickers.

I love this card!  I don't think I've ever stamped a sentiment on coloured paper (except for white/vanilla on black) but I just love these results! I was quite surprised how well it turned out as I was concerned it wouldn't be so clear.  I chose this particular option because a white/vanilla die cut definitely wouldn't be as visible.  The little pops of glitter from the rhinestone stickers is the perfect finish!

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

Gisèle

Silver Snowflakes

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a wonderful shiny snowflake Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections Vanilla.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Recollections Silver Foil and a vanilla of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Verve Bright Spirits stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections Vanilla.  The ribbon is from Michael's.  The snowflake embellishment is of unknown origin.

I crafted a couple of hundred Christmas cards for the senior's residence this year which gave me an opportunity to use some sentiments that I've really used.  This one from Verve is wonderful but a little awkward in terms of size and layout.  I was grateful for this tag punch because the sentiment fit perfectly.  It also facilitated this great layout.  A wonderful result.

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

Gisèle

Awesome Christmas Bits

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another wonderful Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is American Crafts layered on Recollections Black.  The sentiment is Bonnidee Xmas Wording 3 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Recollections Black.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone Stickers.

It feels as though I've been using this printed paper for ages as it ends up on at least one card each season.  It is however perfect for cards.  The random placement of the 'folk' style images as well as the scale are perfect for cards.  I am loving placing the sentiment on the diagonal!  The font of this sentiment is just perfect with the printed paper.

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

Gisèle

Ornament Joy

 Hello everyone,

I was so distracted by good news yesterday that I forgot to post a card!

Today's post is a lovely ornament Christmas card.

The card base is Darice Great White.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Clear Stamp Set stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on more Darice Great White and layered on Stampin' Up Taken With Teal.  The background layers are Stampin' Up Soft Sky, textured with Sizzix Thin Ice embossing folder, a white of unknown origin and more Taken With Teal.  The ornament is a Recollections sticker.  The other embellishments are Crafts.

I've had these Recollections ornament stickers for eons but just hadn't found an opportunity to use them.  I love that it's somewhat non-traditional.  The colours are wonderful and the texture of the Soft Sky layer is magnificent.  The layout isn't at all complex but was chosen to fit the hanging ornament. This card is absolutely perfect!

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

Gisèle

Christmas Fun

 Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card post is another fun card.

The card base is Recollections White Linen Texture cardstock.  The printed paper is Penny Black Wintertime layered on a white of unknown origin and Stampin' Up Real Red.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Clear Stamp Set stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on Stampin' Up Wild Wasabi.  The stickers are of unknown origin.

This card is part of a set of ten which used a variety of holiday themed stickers as embellishments.  The layout was determined based on the stickers available.  The entire set took me less than 30 minutes once I'd pulled all the elements together.  I used the MISTI to stamp all the sentiments which was likely the biggest time saver.  It's a great result!

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

Gisèle

A Simple Christmas Plaid

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another wonderful Christmas card.

The card base is a vanilla of unknown origin.  The printed paper is Graphic 45 Happy Holly Day layered on Stampin' Up Wild Wasabi and Ruby Red.  The sentiment is from Magenta stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Wild Wasabi and Ruby Red.  The embellishment is from Martha Stewart.

Plaid, next to holly, is one of my favourite papers for crafting Christmas cards.  I love all the possible options.  This is a bit of a brighter colour scheme but it still works just as well.  I used a very simple layout that allowed enough space on the left side to add a sticker.  These Martha Stewart Christmas stickers have been in my stash for eons and I just love them!

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

Gisèle

A Wee Wreath

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a really quick and easy Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections Green.  The printed paper is Recollections Retro Christmas.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Joy To All stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Darice Great White and layered on Recollections Red.  The embellishment is also Recollections.

A great card doesn't need to be elaborate or complex.  This card is beautiful in it's simplicity. Once I'd selected all the elements for this card, it took less than five minutes to craft.  I did end up crafting multiples but thanks to my MISTI, it was a breeze!  I love this glittered wreath embellishment.  It has a fair bit of bulk but as these cards won't be mailed, it isn't an issue.

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

Gisèle

Elegant Holly

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a simple Christmas holly card.

The card base is a vanilla of unknown origin.  The image is Impression Obsession Holly stamped in Close To My Heart Topiary on more vanilla of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Flonz Merry Christmas 808 stamped in Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler.  The image/sentiment panel is layered on more Cherry Cobbler.  The embellishments are Crystal Stickers Red Glitter Dome stickers.

I truly love using holly images for Christmas cards and I've a ton of options from which to choose.  I don't use this particular one all that often because it is extremely intricate.  It would be best to use a green Versafine ink but I only have black.  I love the three red glittering 'berries' which, if I may say so myself, are very well placed.

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

Gisèle

A Pretty Pair of Poinsettias

 Hello everyone,

Today I'm posting yet another great Christmas card.

The card base is a vanilla of unknown origin.  The images and sentiment are Stampin' Up Stylish Christmas stamped in Altenew Crimson and Moss, and Versafine Onyx Black on more vanilla.  The image/sentiment panel is layered on Pacon red which was textured with Ultimate Crafts Christmas Poinsettia embossing folder.  The flowers are highlighted with Gold Stickles.

I'm not always that fussy on poinsettias but I really love this stamp!  I used a mask to stamp the holly leaves but didn't get it quite perfectly cut.  I don't mind however because the style of the image isn't so detailed that it matters.  I love, love, love this sentiment!  It's the perfect choice for Christmas 2020!

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

Gisèle

Serene Snowflakes

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another wonderful Christmas card.

The card base is Darice Great White cardstock.  The images are Stampin' Up Scandinavian Season stamped in Altenew Iceberg, Ultramarine and Eastern Sky on more Great White and layered on DCWV Arctic Wishes.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Holiday Sayings stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone Stickers.

I really wanted to craft a cool light blue card so I pulled out this old Stampin' Up set.  I love these snowflakes and the tree is just beautiful.  I wish I'd chosen a lighter blue for the darkest snowflake but it's not absolutely terrible.  The embellishments are truly perfect for this card and they add just the right amount of sparkle.

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

Gisèle