Grateful

Hello everyone,

I'm so grateful to be able to bring you yet another thank you card. I used some really fun challenges while crafting this card. Today's Crop Stop offered a really cool sketch. CCEE Stampers was looking for a punched piece. Today's Charisma Cardz Challenge was to use no embellishments - nary a one! Finally, PaperPlay Challenges asked that crafters use a stamp on their projects.

The card base is from Recollections. The paper is BasicGrey Urban Prairie and watercolour paper. The embossing is a Cuttlebug border Organic Flourish. The image is Hero Arts Native Grass which was coloured with Stampin' Up watercolour crayons and misted with water before being stamped. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Small Script, cut with a medium oval punch.

I love this cheerful thank you card. After so many rather masculine cards, this is all female. It was rather fun to forgo embellishments with the cheery paper and embossing more than making up for it. While the sketch first suggested the use of ribbon to me, I thought it was rather inspired to use the embossing border instead.

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

Gisèle

Noel

Hello everyone,

As easy as yesterday's card was crafted, today's took forever. Thank goodness there are so many really wonderful challenges in blogland because I really needed them for today's card. I started with this month's In Style Stamps Blog sketch. challenge. Today's C.R.A.F.T. Challenge was to incorporate dry embossing while Charisma Cardz asked for a Christmas card.

The background paper is Close To My Heart New Englad Ivy which is embossed with a Cuttlebug Winter Wonderland folder. The patterned layer is Close To My Heart Mistletoe. The image is Inkadinkado Holiday Silhouettes, stamped on a piece of Stampin' Up Very Vanilla in Wild Wasabi and heat embossed with Close To My Heart Silver Pearl. The sentiment was cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities Label Four. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Pearl Opaques.

For as difficult as this card was to craft, it certainly turned out beautifully. I love how Inkadinkado has incorporated holiday images within the overall image. They always turn out wonderfully and heat embossing makes it really special. This card is actually very simple which allows the image to really shine.

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

Gisèle

Vintage Holly

Hello everyone,

Today's card is another all about vintage. I used Monday's Lunchtime Sketch as a starting point and was really inspired to keep it vintage to meet last Thursday's Charisma Cardz challenge.

The background paper is by Anna Griffin as are the two papers in the middle layer. The element on the left was textured with Cuttlebug's Holly dry embossing folder. The image is Annabelle Holly Branch which is stamped is Color Box gold and heat embossed with Close To My Heart gold embossing powder. The sentiment, treated just like the image, is Cornish Heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions. The embellishments are American Crafts mini glitter brads.

I've come across some really nice vintage Christmas papers and stamps in the last while and have been very inspired by the feelings invoked by old Christmas cards and decorations. They just are not made that way any more. I think this is a great vintage card and am so pleased with the results. Holly will always be a favourite holiday image and I love the warmth of this card with just that little sprinkling of gold.

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

Gisèle

Christmas Wishes

Hello everyone,

I'm really feeling the Christmas card spirit so today's card is based on Thursday's CCEE Stampers sketch challenge and Charisma Cardz Christmas challenge.

The paper for this card is all Stampin' Up - Christmas Jingle designer paper, Old Olive, Real Red and Very Vanilla. The green snowflakes are highlighted with Platinum Stickles. The sentiment is Impression Obsession Christmas Sentiments.

I just love this card. The colours are so cheery. The sketch is one that I'll use more than once as it came together so beautifully after I'd picked out the papers I wanted to use. This sketch would probably also look really nice with some ribbon on the left-side layer. The possibilities are endless.

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

Gisèle

Girly, Girly, Girly

Hello everyone,

This is another crop card from yesterday. It is inspired by Thursday's Charisma Cardz challenge which was to make a girly card.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Sweet Pea which is textured with Sizzix Pattern 1. The butterfly, in DCWV Fashionfolio, is die cut with Sizzix Bigz Beautiful Butterflies and textured with Cuttlebug's Perfectly Paisley. The candle is a Peel Off's outline sticker mounted on a piece of Ranger Alcohol Inked and DecoArt Glamour Dusted glossy paper. The sentiment is from DCWV Birthday and is mounted on a scrap of Fashionfolio. The brads were donated by Michelle - thank you! The ribbon is Michael's Sheer Creations.

I think this is one of the cutest girly cards I've ever made. I love the butterfly with the candle! All that creativity at the crop must have been inspiring because I don't think I would have come up with it if I hadn't already been playing with the Glamour Dust. The only criticism I have is I didn't gets the brads in all that well. I will be making more of these for sure.

Please enjoy and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

When It's A Good Thing

Hello everyone,

After the success of the panda card the other day, I thought it would be fun to explore some of the other panda stamps in the stash. Ironically, today's Charisma Cardz Challenge was animal magic - how fitting.

The black paper is all part of the unknown origin stash. The white is Stampin' Up Whisper White. The green paper is Autumn Leaves Emily. The bamboo image is Hero Arts Decorative Bamboo. The panda is Imaginisce. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Short & Sweet.

I couldn't resist this panda stamp. He is so adorable. I love this card. Notwithstanding the cute panda, I thought the bamboo, stamped on the green paper, turned out really well. It is not something I usually do but I like it.

Please enjoy and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle