A Bird's Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great birthday card.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The printed paper is Autumn Leaves Rhonna Farrer layered on Recollections White.  The sentiment is Stampendous stamped in Altenew Crimson on Recollections White.  The embellishments are Carta Bella Flora enamel dots.

I wasn't sure about this paper when I came across it but decided to give it a go.  I actually ended up keeping this card for myself I was so happy with the results.  It's another really simple card because the paper is just wonderful.  I used a simple sentiment, using the banner to echo the wings of the bird (sort of).  It's a great result and I can't wait to send it to someone.

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

Gisèle

Pretty Pansies

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for my girlfriend's birthday.  She loves pansies and this was the perfect excuse for trying these butterfly punch flowers.

The background paper is Autumn Leaves Emily textured with Darice Flower embossing folder and highlighted with Tattered Angels Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Mist.  The flowers are textured DCWV, highlighted with Y&C Gold Gel Xtreme and Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The brads are of unknown origin.  The horizontal strip is more textured DCWV punched with EK Success Bangle Chain Trim.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Joyful Birthday stamped in Stampin' Up Elegant Eggplant on Whisper White.

I've always thought these butterfly punched pansies are really sweet.  Best of all they are so easy!  I love the purple and yellow combination which always speaks pansies to me.  I think my girlfriend will love this card.

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

Gisèle

November Crop Card

Hello everyone,

This is one of those cards that didn't come easily.  The results are pretty good though.  This November card had to be a sympathy card.

The printed papers are Autumn Leaves Emily.  The images are Gina K Botanicals stamped in Close To My Heart Sweet Leaf and Stampin' Up Elegant Eggplant on Recollections white.  The sentiment is Impression Obsession stamped in Elegant Eggplant on Recollections white and layered on Autumn Leaves Emily.  The embellishments are Crafts Pearl Halves.

Purple and green have always been a favourite colour combination.  The pearls may be a little large but I wanted to make sure I had enough for the remaining cards.  I actually originally planned to put the flower on the diagonal but once I pulled out this sentiment, I realized it just wouldn't work.  Regardless of what I may see as imperfections, this is a great card.

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

Gisèle

Special Day

Hello everyone,

One of my girlfriends has commissioned a number of cards.  Today's wedding card is the first.

The printed paper is Autumn Leaves Emily layered on Stampin' Up Elegant Eggplant.  The image is Stampin' Up Always Elegant stamped in Elegant Eggplant on Whisper White and layered on more Elegant Eggplant.  The sentiment is Stampendous Special Messages also stamped in Elegant Eggplant on Whisper White and layered on Elegant Eggplant.  The embellishments are Jolee's All That Bling Pearls and Close To My Heart Bitty Pearl Opaques.

My girlfriend said the wedding colours were purple and yellow.  I could get my head around one colour or the other but not both together.  I decided to stick with purple as I think it is a wonderful colour for a wedding card.  I love how the image compliments the printed paper so beautifully.  And what about all those pearls!!!!

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

Gisèle

Girly Girl IX & X

Hello everyone,

Today I'm posting the last two cards in the girly one sheet wonder series for the Fall charity card sale at work.  It's been a wonderful series.  Next up, the little boy series.

The printed paper is K&Company Butterfly Flat Paper layered on Stampin' Up Gable Green.  The sentiment is Serendipity stamped in Melon Mambo on Whisper White and layered on textured Melon Mambo.  The embellishments are Doodlebug Spring Assortment mini pearls.

The printed paper is K&Company Butterfly Flat Paper layered on Stampin' Up Melon Mambo and Gable Green.  The sentiment is TOGA which is stamped in Melon Mambo.  The embellishments are Autumn Leaves adhesive rhinestones.

Like some of the earlier cards in this series, these cards use simple layouts, scrap paper and minimal embellishments to crafts very lovely cards.  Just what one sheet wonder cards ought to be.

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

Gisèle

Girly Girl VII & VIII

Hello everyone,

I've cards seven and eight in this latest one sheet wonder card series.

The printed paper is K&Company Butterfly Flat Paper layered on textured Stampin' Up Melon Mambo.  The sentiment is Stamp Barn.  The embellishments are Autumn Leaves Rhinestone.  The printed paper is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

The printed paper is K&Company Butterfly Flat Paper layered on textured Stampin' Up Melon Mambo and Gable Green textured with Crafts Concepts Wings.  The sentiment is Bonnidee French Wording #1 stamped in Melon Mambo.  The embellishments are Stampin' Up Basic Jewels.  The entire card is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

I really love the first card.  It is so very, very simple and the sentiment is totally awesome.  I'm not so fussy on the second card.  I love the embossing and the layers but the triangles don't do a thing for me.  I tried to jazz them up with the jewels but it just doesn't work.

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

Gisèle

Girly Girl III & IV

Hello everyone,

Today I'm posting the next two card is my girly girl one sheet wonder project.

The printed paper is K&Company Butterfly Flat Paper layered on Stampin' Up Gable Green and Melon Mambo.  The sentiment is from Verve stamped in Melon Mambo on Whisper White. The embellishments are brads of unknown origin.

The printed paper is K&Company Butterfly Flat Paper layered on textured Stampin' Up Melon Mambo.  It is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The sentiment is Toga stamped in Melon Mambo on Whisper White. The embellishments are Autumn Leaves.

I'm so happy with these cheerful and oh so colourful cards.  I never thought I'd ever use this bright Gable Green paper but it works great with this paper.  To me, part of the point of a one sheet wonder is to keep it very, very simple and these cards do that exactly.  These are scraps of paper, easy layouts and basic embellishments.  They are just perfect for what I had in mind for girly girl cards.

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

Gisèle

Girly Girl I & II

Hello everyone,

It looks like I'm back to roman numerals.  I've finished 'Christmas In July' and the commission cards that were on my plate so I'm back with cards for the charity Fall card sale at the office.  I decided to craft two, ten card 8X8 one sheet wonders.  One is for girls and one for boys.

The printed paper is K&Company Butterfly Flat Paper layered on Stampin' Up Gable Green and Melon Mambo.  The Gable Green layer was textured with a Scor-Pal.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Small Greetings stamped in Melon Mambo on Whisper White.  The embellishments are Recollections Glitter Shapes.

The printed paper is K&Company Butterfly Flat Paper layered on textured Stampin' Up Melon Mambo.  The sentiment is Bonnidee French Wording #1 stamped in Melon Mambo on Whisper White.  The embellishments are Autumn Leaves and Crafts.

I had so much fun sorting through my stash looking for the girliest sheet of paper I could find.  This particular sheet was gifted to me from a friend (Thanks Luckie!) and was so much fun to work with.  I didn't use the entire 12X12, only cutting enough for this small series.  I used only scraps of leftover solid papers and a number of embellishments that have been in my stash for eons.

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

Gisèle

Christmas In July Gift Tags V - VIII

Hello everyone,

I've got four more gift tags for you today.

The tag base is American Crafts Lavender.  The image and sentiment is Close To My Heart Christmas Love which were heat embossed with Stampendous Amethyst embossing powder on textured Bazzill card stock.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Bitty Sparkles.  The card was highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

 The tag base is American Crafts Robin's Egg.  The image is Verve Glad Tidings stamped in Stampin' Up Lavender Lace on texture cream Bazzill card stock and layered on American Crafts Lavender.  The embellishments are BoBunny iCandy Dimensionals and Close To My Heart Bitty Sparkles.

The tag base is American Crafts Lavender.  The image is Annabelle Stamps Ornamental Christmas.  The sentiment is Verve Glad Tidings.  Both the image and sentiment were stamped in Stampin' Up Lavender Lace on textured white Bazzill cards stock and layered on American Crafts Robin's Egg.  The entire tag was highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

The tag base is American Crafts Robin's Egg.  The image is Stampin' Up Dasher stamped in Lavender Lace on textured white Bazzill card stock.  The embellishments are Autumn Leave Adhesive Rhinestones.  The entire tag was highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

Another four lovely Christmas tags.  These tags take just minutes to pull together.  I love just letting my mojo flow to see what happens.  I don't think about it all that much and I'm thrilled with the results.

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

Gisèle

Happy Butterflies

Hello everyone,

Another card for another niece.  I've followed the same theme for the three nieces cards bright patterned paper and butterflies.  This was a great series.

The patterned paper is Me & My Big Ideas Mambi Sheets layered on Stampin' Up Melon Mambo.  The butterflies were punched from textured Melon Mambo affixed to So Saffron which was textured with Spellbinders M-Bossabilities Garden Delight and layered on more Melon Mambo.  The sentiment is Impression Obsession Vertical Greetings stamped in Melon Mambo on Whisper White and layered on Melon Mambo.  The embellishments are Oregon Raindrops and Autumn Leave Adhesive Rhinestones.

This is a really cute card and I can't wait to give it to one of my nieces.  The pictures don't necessarily do these cards justice because they are so bright and cheerful and perfect for these tween girls.

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

Gisèle

Happy Stripes

Hello everyone,

Today's I'm posting niece birthday card number three.  I used the same brand of patterned paper and a sparkly butterfly die as yesterday's so there is a very similar feeling but it really is two very different cards.

The patterned paper is Me & My Big Ideas Mambi Sheets layered on Recollections pink, Stampin' Up Summer Sun and a green and blue of unknown origin.  The butterfly is a Spellbinders Wonderful Wings die cut from a scrap of colour-washed glittered watercolour paper.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Small Greetings stamped in Stampin' Up Melon Mambo on Whisper White layered on Recollections pink and Summer Sun.  The embellishments are Autumn Leaves adhesive gems.  The sentiment and butterfly is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

I think this is another really fun card.  It is going to be wonderful for one of my nieces (I'm not yet sure which one).  This is really fabulous paper for these types of cards and coordinates really well with a whole bunch of different colours.  Now if only they made a paper of boy paper along these lines.

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

Gisèle

Sparkling Scraps

Hello everyone,

I decided to look for some inspiration in my scrap bin today.  It is actually a drawer which is getting rather difficult to close.  The next three cards use up some of these great scraps.  This is card four in the series that I'm crafting for my father's home care worker.

The printed paper is DCWV Glitter Stack layered on Recollections pink and Stampin' Up Basic Black.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Curly Cute stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The embellishments are Autumn Leaves Adhesive Rhinestones.

I know I love a lot of things, I share so very many of my 'loves' that I know I repeat myself frequently.  I just have to say however, that pink, grey and black have to be one of the most beautiful colour combinations ever.  Add the glitter of this paper and it becomes virtually irresistible.  I'd actually forgotten about the heart embellishments so when I found them in the drawer, it was a no brainer.

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

Gisèle

New Baby Girl

Hello everyone

Today's baby girl card is for one of my husband's colleagues. This is their second baby and from what I can gather, it hasn't been easy.

The printed paper was given to me by a card making friend and the brand is unknown. It is layered on Stampin' Up Pink Pirouette and Certainly Celery. The sentiment is Gina K Pleasant Plurals. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Green Sparkles and Autumn Leaves Adhesive Rhinestones.

I love, love, love this pink and green colour combination. Isn't think paper fantastic! Some of the images are glittered so it's got that little bit of sheen that I just love! This was a super simple card because the mojo is lagging but I think this pretty paper rather makes up for it.

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

Gisèle

Christmas Gift Tag

Happy Christmas Eve everyone!

I've a really quick gift tag for you today. It was crafted for one of my girlfriend's Christmas gifts. She gave me a great Martha Stewart punch for my birthday and I just had to do some playing.

The tag base is Bazzill. The focal layer is Recollections punched with Martha Stewart Crochet Flower Punch All Over The Page. The sentiment is PaperTrey Ink Signature Christmas. The embellishments are Autumn Leaves Adhesive Rhinestones. The tag is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

It was so much fun playing with this punch. I'd been looking at them but had so far resisted indulging. I'm so happy that my girlfriend indulged for me. Though not necessarily a Christmas image, I think, in the right red paper, this punch worked wonderfully for a Christmas gift tag.

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

Gisèle

Holly and Shimmer II

Hello everyone,

Today's card is the second post using one of the new stamps I recently acquired. Where yesterday's was horizontal, today's is vertical. Either plane works great!

The card base is Autumn Leaves. The image is Outlines Large Holly Leaves Topper. It is stamped in Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, clear heat embossed and painted with Ruby Red, Douglas Fir and Golden Opal LuminArte Twinkling H2Os. The sentiment is PaperTrey Ink Signature Christmas stamped in Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler on Very Vanilla and layered on brushed gold of unknown origin. The embellishments are TPC Studio Holly Jolly and Holly Jolly mini jewels.

I think this may be my favourite of the three cards I've got for you using this stamp. I just kept going and going with the embellishments. It turned out even better than I thought it would.

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

Gisèle

Holly and Shimmer I

Hello everyone,

Today's card uses a new holly stamp that I just picked up on a recent trip to Montreal with a cardmaking friend. It was an overwhelming trip in that we visited two stores (Scrapbook Centrale and Bonnidee) and saw a ton of great stuff we'd never seen before. I've lots of new things to play with and I can't wait to 'show and tell'.

The card base is Autumn Leaves. The image is Outlines Large Holly Leaves Topper. It is stamped in Nick Bantock Charcoal Grey, clear heat embossed then painted with Ruby Red, Douglas Fir and Golden Opal LuminArte Twinkling H2Os. The sentiment is Annabelle Stamps Holly Leaves stamped in Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler on Whisper White and layered on a gold paper of unknown origin. The embellishments are EK Success Shimmering Gold Dots.

I love this card! Is it any surprise that I was drawn to this stamp? I wasn't sure about the size at first, there wasn't a smaller size, but figured if I used a larger card base, it would work. I thought using just half the stamp was inspired. Another reason why this stamp appealed was because it is perfect for painting.

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

Gisèle

Twinkling Holly

Hello everyone,

Today's card is another one of with an image that I painted weeks ago while playing with some Twinkling H2Os. I just had to see how it looked


The card base is Autumn Leaves. The background paper is Recollections, stamped with Annabelle Holly branch in VersaMark and clear heat embossed. The top layer is Denami Designs Holly Cluster stamped on Stampin' Up Very Vanilla and layered on Cherry Cobbler. All the images are painted with a variety of LuminArte Twinkling H2Os. The sentiment is Bonnidee Xmas Wording 3. The embellishments are Multicrafts Keepsake Memories.

How could I not love this card? All that holly just makes my heart sing! I love the Twinkling H2Os against the coloured paper. The colour is somewhat subtle but the shimmer is fabulous. I'm sure I'll craft an entire card with it because I'm really not getting tired of these paints.

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

Gisèle

Birthday Blitz 4

Hello everyone,

Today's is the last card in my Birthday Blitz. This card is for my husband. Generally, he is not a really particular kind of guy, he usually just goes with the flow. Except, when it comes to his beloved golf. He can be worse than a teenage girl in terms of his golf wear, gear, games, you name it! I have to admit, I really enable this obsession. I often enable him, given the pleasure he gets from this hobby. Of course, this certainly gives me a running theme for any cards I craft for him, including this one. Much of his gear is from a company called Mizuno and is a lovely cobalt blue, black and white.


The card base is from Autumn Leaves. The image is Inkadinkado, stamped in VersaFine and Stampin' Up Pacific Point. The three elements are layered on Stampin' Up Pacific Point and Basic Black. The sentiment, also from Stampin' Up, is it's Your Birthday.

I love this card! It is absolutely perfect and I know he'll not only 'get' the colours but he'll love it! This is a super simple card but the striking colours and layout make it very effect. It really didn't need any glitz or embellishments, although I could have easily added some. It actually gives me an idea, or two, or three.

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

Gisèle

PS - The birthday surprise from one of his friends, which I post about here, was a huge success. He enjoyed a spectacular lobster sandwich, one of his favourites.

Purple Wedding

Hello everyone,

I'm not super sure about today's card. It's for a wedding that my father's home care helper is going to attend.


The background paper is Autumn Leaves Emily. The sentiment is Inkadinkado heat embossed with Close To My Heart black embossing powder on watercolour paper and layered on a shimmery paper of unknown origin. The flowers are Stampin' Up Playful Petals. The watercolour paper and flowers were painted with LuminArte English Lavender, Icy Iris, Razzleberry, Royal Orchid, Sweet Thistle, Wild Plum and Wisteria Twinkling H2Os. The embellishments are Crafts Gem Chic, Close To My Heart Bitty Bits and Multicrafts Bridal Accents.

This is a really, really purple card. I love all the different shades, I'm just not convinced how well they work together. Maybe I needed a little more white to balance things out. The shimmer from the Twinkling H2Os is wonderful and that is certainly not captured in the photo.

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

Gisèle

Christmas Blessings

Hello everyone,

I'm having a ton of fun with LuminArte's Twinkling H2Os.


The card base is Autumn Leaves. The image, Stampin' Up Holy Triptych, is stamped in black StazOn, clear heat embossed and painted with a variety of LuminArte Twinkling H2Os. It is layered on ANW Crestwood Starry Blue India Beadwork, the Paper Company translucent silver and brushed silver. The sentiment is Papertrey Ink Signature Christmas stamped in Nick Bantock Charcoal Grey. The embellishments are Recollections silver rhinestone stickers.

I'm not sure how I feel about this card. I don't hate it but it's not my favourite either. I think I need more practise with my painting. I'm glad I kept everthing pretty simple otherwise it could have gone over the top rather quickly.

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

Gisèle