Get Well Soon

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for one of my best friends who is recovering from breast cancer. It's been a while since I did a challenge so I decided to use Clean & Simple Stamping sketch challenge from this past Friday.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Perfect Plum. The middle layer is Old Olive textured with Sizzix Flowers dry embossing folder and highlighted with Sakura's Clear Star Gelly Roll pen. The patterned paper is BasicGrey Kioshi. The image is Stampin' Up Itty Bitty Buds. The ribbon is Michael's Special Value Ribbon layered on a piece of leftover from the scrap bin. The sentiment is Gina K Fanciful Tags. The embellishments are Recollections Rhinestone Stickers.

I love this card. Purple and green are a really great colour combination and one that my girlfriend really likes. Everyone who has had a chance to sign the card, think is suits my girlfriend perfectly. It is a rather spring-like card which can't get here soon enough. I love this particular BasicGrey paper. The colours and shapes are beautiful and actually really flexible for pretty much any card.

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

Gisèle

Flowery Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for one of my very best friends. Her favourite flowers are pansies so I specifically tailored Friday's Clean & Simple Stamping sketch for her.

The card base is from Recollections. The base layer is DCWV Floral Prints. The top layer is Stampin' Up Certainly Celery textured with Sizzix Flowers dry embossing folder. The pansies are watercolour paper, coloured with Tombow markers, spritzed with water then glittered with DecoArt Glamour Dust after which I applied Peel-Offs outline stickers. The sentiment is Hero Arts Thoughtful Messages. The embellishments are Hero Arts gold Metallic Décor.

I love how much this card evokes springtime. I know my girlfriend will absolutely love it! Glamour-dusted paper and outline stickers are one of my favourite techniques. The shine and sparkle are beautiful. This was the perfect technique for pansies.

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

Gisèle

Generous Thank You

Hello everyone,

Yet another thank you card today. I found yesterday's Clean & Simple Stamping sketch really appealing so thought I give it a try. Thursday's C.R.A.F.T. challenge was to use a die cut so this card works for this challenge as well.

The printed paper is all BasicGrey Sugar Rush. The solid paper is Stampin' Up Brocade Blue, More Mustard and Very Vanilla. The More Mustard element was cut with a Spellbinders die and embossed with the Cuttlebug Floral Fantasy folder. The flower is a Hot Off The Press Dazzles Flower Stickers applied to a piece of watercolour paper that was smooched with water soluble markers and DecoArt Glamour Dusted.

I have to say, I'm certainly having a lot of fun playing with my BasicGrey paper stash. This is another really cheerful and fun, feminine card. I had crafted the flower a long time ago and I'm so glad I got to use it because not only was it perfect for this sketch but it seems as though the colours were made for this Sugarush paper.

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

Gisèle

Happy Birthday

Hello everyone,

My mojo is on a roll and I loved Friday's Clean and Simple Stamping sketch so much I just had to craft a second card. I've taken a few liberties with ribbon and embellishments but my Mom is looking for a really special birthday card for one of her friends and the card just cried for some extras.

The card base is from Recollections. The patterned paper is DCWV Floral Print layered on Stampin' Up Certainly Celery. The ribbon is Dollarama Crafts. The sentiment is Papertrey Ink Wreath for All Seasons. The embellishments are Hero Arts Metallic Décor.

Purple and green have to be one of my favourite colour combinations and this DCWV paper just works! The ribbon and embellishments add just that little extra sparkle. I know my mom and her friend will love this card.

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

Gisèle

Girly Get Well

Hello everyone,

One of my sisters had surgery this week so, of course, I just had to make her a card. From the moment I surfed this week's Clean and Simple Stamping sketch, I knew I would use it in a card. It is the type of sketch that I just love!

The card base is from Recollections. The bottom layer is Close To My Heart Watermelon. The vertical strips are Cosmo Cricket DeLovely. The sentiment is Hero Arts Thoughtful Messages stamped with Stampin' Up Tempting Turquoise. The embellishments are Paper Company Studio Flowers and Frills Jewels.

I love this cheerful card. I think it will really cheer up my sister and I can't wait to get in the mail. This is a great sketch. It is one that I could use over and over again with absolutely any card. Seeing as I've still a large number of thank you cards on my list, I would expect to see one using this sketch.

Please enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Holly Christmas

Hello everyone,

I had a chance to visit some of my favourite card blogs today and once I saw last Friday's Clean and Simple Stamping sketch challenge, I knew I had the perfect stamp to use on a card.

The background paper is Close To My Heart Mistletoe. The image is Heartfelt Creations Elegant Holly Swirls stamped on a scrap of Stampin' Up Very Vanilla and coloured with Faber-Castell markers. It was heat embossed with Stampin' Up clear embossing powder before it was coloured. It is layered with a piece of Bazzill Bling Textured paper. The ribbon is Martha Stewart gold metallic weave and Ribbon Bowtique. The embellishment is of unknown origin. The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions.

The is a great card. I am determined to improve my colouring skills and this is a great image with which to practise. I love the background paper and wish I had more sheets so I wouldn't have to be so stingy with it.

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

Gisèle

Clean & Simple Holly

Hello everyone,

Today's card uses Friday's Clean and Simple Stamping sketch and was absolutely inspired by the paper.

The inspiring background paper is Close To My Heart Mistletoe. The images are Annabelle stamps Holly Branch stamped with Stampin' Up Soft Suede, heat embossed with Close To My Heart silver pearl and coloured with Sakura Gold Shadow pens. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Short & Sweet. The ribbon is Michaels Special Value. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Mocha Opaques.

As I SPI followers know, holly is one of my favourite images and this card is just filled with holly. Of course, Clean & Simple Stamping offers great sketches every Friday. How can a cardmaker go wrong?

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

Gisèle

Clean & Simple Joy

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired by Friday's Clean and Simple Stamping sketch which was just too lovely not to try. This card also fits this week's Tuesday Taggers challenge to use either 'peace', 'hope' or 'joy' on a card.

The background layer is Close To My Heart Ponderosa Pine. The printed papers are K & Company SW Glad Tidings. The ornaments are cut with an ornament punch from a shimmery gold paper of unknown origin. The embellishments are Recollections Adhesive Rhinestones. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Small Script.

I could do this sketch over and over, a million different ways. The K & Company paper, that I found at Michaels this past weekend is fabulous. The pre-cut aspect is wonderful. I'm not certain about the embellishments as they could have been just a little bit better arranged.

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

Gisèle

More Clean & Simple Holly

Hello everyone,

I so loved yesterday's card that when I looked at today's Clean & Simple Stamping one layer sketch, I decided I would use the same coloured holly images on this card.

The card base is from Recollections. The images are Annabelle Stamps Holly Branch stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso, heat embossed with clear embossing powder and coloured with Sakura Gelly Roll Gold Shadow pens. The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions.

I love this card as much as I love the card I made yesterday. I think the holly images have turned out so beautifully that I suspect you'll see a few more of them on my cards over the next few weeks.

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

Gisèle

Clean & Simple Holly

Hello everyone,

This must be the week for clean and simple cards because I came across three during my recent blog surfing. Last Friday's Clean & Simple Stamping provided a great sketch. Both Wednesday's Fab 'n Funky and Thursday's CCEE - Cheers & Challenges Eclectic Ensemble asked for clean and simple cards. Wednesday's Color Throwdown was looking for cards with vanilla, Riding Hood Red and Certainly Celery.


The card base is Recollections vanilla. The remaining papers are Stampin' Up Riding Hood Red, Certainly Celery and Very Vanilla. The red strip was textured with a Cuttlebug Winter Wonderland dry embossing folder. The green squares were cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Small Squares. The images are Annabelle Stamps Holly Branch, stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso and heat embossed with clear embossing powder and coloured with Sakura Gelly Roll Gold Shadow pens. The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Christmas Expressions. The embellishments are Multicrafts Keepsake Memories.

I love this card. Notwithstanding the beautiful holly image, I love the sketch and the colours. Everything works so well together. It is simple and warm. I think I could recreate this card over and over and not tire of it.

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

Gisèle

Christmas Cheer

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired by Friday's Clean and Simple Stamping sketch. It was one I just couldn't resist.
The background paper is Stampin' Up Christmas Cocoa designer paper. The middle layer is glossy paper that was textured with one of Cuttlebug's Winter Wonderland folders after being covered with Stampendous Crystal Snow ultra fine glitter. The top layer is another piece of glossy paper that was smooshed with Ranger Adirondack Latte, Espresso, Pearl and Silver alcohol ink. The snowflake was cut with Spellbinders Create A Flake 1 from the same paper as the middle layer. The sentiment is Cornish heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions. The ribbon is Michael's Special Value.
I love this card. I find the metal appearance of the papers very appealing. I also love using glitter covered paper as the effect is pretty impressive for such an easy technique. This really is a wonderfully clean and simple card.
I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.
Gisèle

Clean & Simple Sympathy

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired by Monday's Cuttlebug Spot challenge to create a sympathy card. I never have enough sympathy cards in my stash so I felt this was a good choice. I used Friday's Clean & Simple Stamping sketch challenge as a starting point.

The background paper is BasicGrey Cappella. The green layer is Stampin' Up Mellow Moss textured with Cuttlebug's Birds and Swirls folder. The sentiment, from the Stamp Barn, is stamped on a scrap of Whisper White which was stamped with Stampin' Up's Watercolour Vine jumbo wheel in Close To Cocoa. The ribbon is Home & More Classic Collections.

I think this works very well as a sympathy card. It is subtle and natural. I'm very pleased with the sentiment stamped on top of a stamped scrap. The ribbon has been part of my stash for ages, I just couldn't resist when I saw it in the sale bin.

I'm going to be a rather sporadic blogger for the next few weeks. I'm on holidays and while I'll be visiting my sisters for a few days, we're also working on renovations which is just killing my creativity. Everything should get back to normal after Labour day.

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

Gisèle

Mum's The Word

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired by last Friday's Clean & Simple Stamping sketch. I used some more of the images sent to me by Erin T. as they were perfect for this sketch.

The card base is from Recollections. The images are Waltzingmouse Big Blooms Chrysanthemums. The leaves are BasicGrey Sugar Rush punched with a five-petal punch and affixed to the flowers with American Crafts mini jewel brads. The sentiment is Stampin' Up It's Your Birthday.

This is a different card for me but I love it. I think the colours just pop and attaching the flowers with pop dots really adds dimension. This is my second take on this card. The first time around I just used plain metal brads but it was too bland. I love the little bit of sparkle these simple mini brads add.

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

Gisèle

Yet Another Clean & Simple Birthday

Hello everyone,

I couldn't resist attempting to use yesterday's 100th Clean & Simple Stamping sketch for today's card. It took me three attempts before I found something I was thrilled with.

The card base is from Recollections. The images are Inkadinkado Delicate Branches and Stampin' Up Itty Bitty Buds. The sentiment is Hero Arts Thoughtful Messages. The embellishments are Hero Arts pearls.

I wish I had a better photo but my camera just hates all that clean space. None-the-less, I really love this card. It is soft, sweet and romantic and I can't wait to give it away. I can't say enough about the Hero Arts pearls which really make this card what I envisioned in my mind.

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

Gisèle

Mojo's Back!

Hello everyone,

I have a card today! It's only one card mind you, I had too many other jobs today to indulge in more than one card. I used Friday's Clean & Simple Stamping sketch challenge as a starting point.

The paper is BasicGrey Wisteria. The image is Close To My Heart You Are Beautiful in Stampin' Up Eggplant Envy and Soft Suede on Whisper White paper. The sentiment is Gina K Tag, You're It. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Sparkles.

The paper is what makes this card. It's BasicGrey so what can I say. I think this is a great card. I can't wait to give it away and I know exactly who is getting it.

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

Gisèle

Clean & Simple Baby

Hello everyone,

My plan last weekend was to build up my stash of baby cards as I've not a one. What I ended up doing instead, was make a handful of wedding cards. I'm sticking to my plan this weekend and have started off with today's Clean & Simple Stamping sketch.

The background paper is DCWV Textured Pastels. The polka dotted strip is DCWV Nanna's Kids. The remaining paper is Stampin' Up - Very Vanilla, Certainly Celery and Apricot Appeal. The images are Heidi Grace Baby. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Short & Sweet.

I think this is a great gender-neutral baby card. I like the offset images and the colours work so well together. I'm hoping all my baby cards this weekend come together so well.

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

Gisèle

Wedding Flight

Hello everyone,

Today's card, based on the latest Clean & Simple Stamping sketch challenge, is kind of a shower card. It is one of those card that I thought up while in the shower. I've thought up cards this way before, sometimes I make them, sometimes I don't, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. I think this one really works.

The card base is from Recollections. The birds are American Craft Townhouse Chipboard covered with BasicGrey Lily Kate paper then DecoArt Glamour Dusted. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Wonderful Words II embossed with Close To My Heart Silver Pearl. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Bitty Sparkles.

I love this card! I think it is a perfect wedding or anniversary card. I love all the BasicGrey paper and I've been wondering (in the shower) what it would look like if I applied some Glamour Dust. I wasn't particularly thrilled with the colour of the chipboard birds so this was the perfect chance to see what BasicGrey would look like with Glamour Dust. Pretty awesome if I do say so myself. How wonderful are these birds!? How much more perfect could this sketch have been to showcase these birds. I can't wait to try Glamour Dusting other piece of BasicGrey paper. Watch for it!

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

Gisèle

Two For One

Hello everyone,

You would think, having taken yesterday off, I would have managed to make a card. Things rather got away from me. I'll make up for it today. I love sketch challenges that inspire me to make multiple cards and yesterday's Clean & Simple Stamping sketch challenge was just such a sketch.

The card base is Recollections in vanilla. The background paper is Martha Stewart Heirloom. The focal layer is BasicGrey Wisteria. Both of which are textured with Sizzix Flourish and highlighted with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Dazzzling Diamonds. The sentiment is Stampabilities Changes Everything. The embellishments are Hero Arts Pearls.


The card base is Recollections in white. The background layer is Close To My Heart Hollyhock. The focal layer is BasicGrey Porcelain which is textured with Sizzix Pattern 1. The sentiment is Hero Arts Thoughtful Messages embellished with Hero Arts Pearls.
I just love both of these cards. I know I could probably make another dozen cards with the same sketch and different themes. We'll see how the rest of my weekend goes.
This sketch just cried out for BasicGrey paper of which I'm such a huge fan. It also suits Hero Arts pearl embellishments perfectly. I've used the pearls on the Hero Arts sentiment and you'd think they were made for one another.
I hope you enjoy these cards and come back to SPI again soon.
Gisèle

Clean & Simple Congratulations

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for our neighbor's eldest son who just finished university. Where does the time go? I used today's Clean & Simple Stamping Sketch because I thought I could easily adapt it to a male-oriented congratulations card.

The patterned paper is Chatter Box Fabulous Buttons. The remaining paper is Stampin' Up Certainly Celery, Tempting Turquoise and Whisper White. The Certainly Celery strip is textured with Sizzix Circle Circus. There is also a small piece of Close To My Heart Chocolate. The sentiment is Gina K Tag Lines.

This card turned out great. It wasn't a really fussy sketch which is why I liked it for Adam's card. I love the colours in the Chatter Box paper. It was so easy to pull all the remaining colours from this great sheet of circles.

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

Gisèle

Another Clean & Simple Father's Day

Hello everyone,

Today's card was requested by one of my colleagues. Her husband dreams of his very own tractor and this is as close as he'll get for the moment. Once, I got my hands on the sticker set, I used Friday's Clean & Simple Stamping sketch to bring everything together.

The two background layers are Chatter Box Big Rec Blocks. The horizontal blue strip is from the scrap bin and went through the crimper before being attached to the card. The sticker, applied to a scrap of Stampin' Up Very Vanilla, is from EK Success. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Well Scripted. The embellishments are Oregon Raindrops.

I think this is a wonderful card. It took me forever to find the perfect tractor sticker and I'm glad I was so patient. This is similar to this card that I crafted at the 12-hour crop a month back.

I don't have much in my stash when it comes to 'boy' stamps. I've hesitated to invest in them because I really don't know how often they'll be used. I've found that some really nice stickers will go a long, long way. I've recently picked up truck, airplanes, dinosaurs and now tractors stickers. That is an awful lot of boy cards which are very impactful and whose costs are extremely reasonable.

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

Gisèle