For the Gentlemen

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the last two French cards I crafted for this 'birthday' card commission.

The card bases are Craft Smith.  The printed papers are PhotoPlay “Here and There” By Land, Air and Sea, and of unknown origin.  The printed papers are layered on a vanilla of unknown origin and Recollections Black, and Close To My Heart Barn Red.  The sentiments are Bonnidée French Wording #1 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a vanilla of unknown origin and are layered on more Black and Barn Red.  The embellishments are Hero Arts Midnight Black Accent Pearls and Close To My Heart Round Durables.

I love finding printed paper that is especially masculine.  These scraps worked beautifully for two really masculine French cards.  The layouts are quite straightforward and were used to maximized the printed paper.  I think the font of the sentiments also works really well with the printed paper.  Also, the embellishments were chosen with the images in mind.  These are two really wonderful results.

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

Gisèle

More French Birthday Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another pair of great French 'birthday' cards.

The card bases are The Paper Studio.  The printed papers are of unknown origin layered on Recollections Black and Stampin’ Up Merry Merlot and Blush Blossom.  The sentiments are Bonnidée French Greetings #2 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Black, Merry Merlot and Blush Blossom.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone Stickers.

I can't resist using a vertical greeting.  In this pair, I decided to craft a masculine and feminine card and I this the results are fabulous.  The green/black/white colour combination is wonderful and the floral is just so pretty.  This sentiment is the perfect size for cards.  I love how different each card is even though they have the same layout.  These are just a wonderful pair of cards!

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

Gisèle

French and Feminine

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a pair of fun French feminine 'birthday' cards.

The card bases are a gold of unknown origin and The Paper Studio.  The printed papers are of unknown origin and BasicGrey “Kissing Booth” Butterfly Kisses layered on Recollections Kraft and Stampin’ Up Merry Merlot.  The sentiments are Bonnidée French Greetings #2 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Kraft and Merry Merlot.  The embellishments are a Dimensional Sticker, Forever In Time, a metal flower of unknown origin and a Crafts brad highlighted with Sequin Stickles.

I don't know that there are a lot of francophones in this particular seniors' residence but I always try to include a few French cards in the commission.  This pair of cards is particularly feminine and uses the same layout.  I had these two flower embellishments that were perfect for this sentiment so decided to do similar cards.  The results are wonderful.

I hope you enjoy these cards 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

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

A Big Thanks

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the last of the French cards I've been crafting.  I'll be giving this card to my teacher along with the set of cards I've crafted.

The card base is Recollections Vanilla.  The various shimmery paper layers are of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Bonnidée French Greetings #2 stamped with Tsukineko Delicata Metals on Recollections Vanilla.  The ribbon is from Michaels.

I just love this card!  I'd been thinking about what type of card I'd craft for my French instructor.  She loves colour and has some lovely jewelry.  I decided layers of browns and golds with different textures and sheen would work for her card.  This is a little more formal than I intended but I still think she'll love it.

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

Gisèle

Lovely Lily Pads

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a very pretty French birthday card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Bermuda Bay.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up Lily Impressions layered on Petal Pink.  The image is Stampin' Up Lovely Lily Pad stamped in StazOn Olive Green on Recollections White and painted with LuminArte Rose Petal and Summer Breeze Twinkling H2Os.  The sentiment is Bonnidée French Greetings #2 stamped in Mossy Meadow on Recollections White.  The image/sentiment panel is layered on more Petal Pink and a Bermuda Bay banner.  The embellishment is Forever In Time Jeweled Gem.

I didn't use many images in this series but used this 'free' Stampin' Up set to go with this wonderful designer series paper.  It took me a while to find a paint colour to match the printed paper.  Most of the pinks I had were too orange so I decided to use this pale pink.  I love this arched sentiment.  The medium sized lily fit perfectly under the sentiment.  It's another great result.

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

Gisèle

Butterfly Thanks

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great French card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Hello Honey.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up English Garden layered on Night of Navy.  The sentiment is Bonnidée Leaves #1 stamped in Close To My Heart Outdoor Denim on Recollections White and layered on more Night of Navy.  The butterfly was cut with the Sizzix Bold Butterfly Framelits from Night of Navy and Hello Honey.  It was highlighted with Star Dust Stickles.

This is another favourite card is this French series.  I love that butterfly!  I've had this set of Framelits forever but obviously don't use it all that often.  The paper is just lovely and one peek at the package reminded me why I bought it!  There are so many colours with which to coordinate and I love them all!  It's a great result!

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

Gisèle

A Get Well Garden

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a cheerful French get well card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Old Olive.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up Share What You Love designer series paper layered on Rich Razzleberry.  The sentiment is Bonnidée French Wording #1 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Old Olive.  The banner embellishments were paper punched from Rich Razzleberry and are highlighted with Sequins Stickles.

This is another great piece of printed paper!  The images are wonderfully simple as are the colours.  I love the watercolour style.  This paper would work perfectly with a multi-step stamp!  The layout is very simple, one I turn to often.  I love the pop of colour from the banners with the Stickles adding a perfect bit of shine!  It's a great result.

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

Gisèle

Vertical Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a very pretty French birthday card.

The card base is Stampin' Up So Saffron.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up Sweet Pea layered on Stampin' Up Rose Red.  The sentiment is Bonnidèe French Greetings #2 stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso.  The embellishments are Jolee's All That Bling dimensional stickers.

This is another fairly old piece of Stampin' Up designer series paper.  It was actually a pad of paper with a wide variety of designs.  It's always been a favourite!  I love this butterfly, from which all the colours were drawn.  With all this blank space, it was a perfect opportunity to use the vertical 'happy birthday' sentiment.  It took me a fair bit to find just the right embellishments.  I think these pink metal dots in various sizes work perfectly!  It's a great result.

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

Gisèle

Cute Condolences

Hello everyone,

So I totally forgot to post the card I had crafted for yesterday.  Social distancing has my routine totally out of whack.  I need to get some kind of routine in place!  All that said, today's post is another pretty French card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Lucky Limeade.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up Berry Blossoms layered on a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Bonnidée French Wording #1 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections white and layered on Stampin' Up Cameo Coral.  The embellishments are Recollections Pearl stickers.

I have only one sheet of this designer series paper left but it's time to use up the stash.  I love these simple images and the colours are wonderful!  It's probably a little on the cheerful side for a sympathy card but sometimes a condolence card should be sent to cheer someone up.  The printed paper is quite busy so I kept the layout simple and didn't add any extra embellishments.  I did choose pearls as opposed to rhinestones in deference to the fact that this is a cute enough sympathy card.

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

Gisèle

Thinking Of You

Hello everyone,

Today's post is an awesome French thinking of you card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Baja Breeze.  The printed paper is Stampin' up Paisley Petals layered on Bravo Burgundy.  The sentiment is Bonnidée French Greetings #2 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Bravo Burgundy and Baja Breeze.  The card is highlighted with Antique Linen Stickles.

I really wasn't sure if I could make this piece of designer series paper work as the image is only in the bottom right.  Once I decided to angle the sentiment, the card came together easily.  I found the Antique Linen Stickles in my stash and I thought would be perfect with the background of the printed paper.  I love the results!

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

Gisèle

Beautiful Roses

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a really beautiful birthday card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Ridinghood Red.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up Bella Rose layered on Pink Pirouette and Close To My Heart Pear.  The sentiment is Bonnidée French Greetings #2 stamped in Altenew Moss on Recollections White and layered on more Pink Pirouette.  The brad is of unknown origin.  The paper banners are die cut from Pink Pirouette, Ridinghood Red and Pear and is highlighted with Fruit Punch Stickles.

I've always love this Bella Rose paper and have only a very little bit left.  The colours and graphics are just beautiful.  The green in the printed paper is Kiwi Kiss which I've long run out of, so I used Close To My Heart Pear which I think works just as well.  I originally planned to use three different ribbons but just couldn't get it to work so I decided to use die cut banners.  It's not what I envisioned but I can easily live with these results.

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

Gisèle

Vintage-Styled

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a great vintage-styled French all purpose card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Pool Party.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up Spice Cake layered on More Mustard and Very Vanilla.  The sentiment is Bonnidée French Greetings #2 stamped in Soft Suede on Very Vanilla and layered on more Pool Party and More Mustard.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Brown Sparkles.

This French card series has led me to sort through my printed paper in search of inspiration.  I'm trying to use some of my solid Stampin' Up paper so it just made sense to see what I could use in terms of printed paper.  I found a number of older designer series papers which have been great to use.  This one is from 2011.  I love the colours and the paisley shapes.  I absolutely remember why I bought it in the first place.

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

Gisèle

Colourful Leaves

Hello everyone,

Today's post is an awesome French birthday card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Rich Razzleberry.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up International Bazaar layered on Stampin' Up Lucky Limeade.  The fan of leaves is cut with a Docrafts Xcut Leaves die from Stampin' Up Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango, Pool Pary and Lucky Limeade.  The leaves are highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The sentiment is Bonnidée French Greetings #2 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Lucky Limeade.

I'm absolutely in love with this card!  It's just as good as I had imagined!  I was inspired, of course, by the leaves on the printed paper.  I was thrilled to have the perfect die for cutting the leaves whose colours were drawn from the printed paper.  I have visions of using this leaf fan for a peacock card.

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

Gisèle

A Cheerful Treat

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another lovely French card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Lucky Limeade.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up Cheerful Treat layered on Concord Crush.  The sentiment is Bonnidée French Greetings #2 stamped in Stampin' Up Elegant Eggplant on Recollections White.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Recollections rhinestones.

I found out that my French instructor loves this shade of green so it was logical to use it for a couple of card bases.  This is a pretty and delicate printed paper.  I was thrilled to find this lovely polka dot ribbon which couldn't be more perfect for this card.  I love the jaunty angle of the sentiment, very risque for one of my cards.  It's a great result.

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

Gisèle

Un Petit Mot

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great French wildflower stem card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Baja Breeze.  The image is a Sizzix Thinklits Wildflower Stems #2 die, cut from a piece of Ranger alcohol inked glossy paper.  The sentiment is Bonnidee Leave #1 stamped in Altenew Desert Night on Recollections White and layered on Stampin' Up Night of Navy.  The White layer was stamped with Hero Arts La Letter in Altenew Sea Glass.  The card is highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

I really love this card.  The shades of blue and white are very appealing.  The background image is, of course, French words.  I borrowed a couple of French stamp sets from a girlfriend and I really love this particular sentiment with the flowing font and it's overall size.  I had to add a little glitter because it's perfect for my instructor.  This is another great result.

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

Gisèle