Pretty Pink Wishes

Hello everyone,

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

The card base is Recollections Vanilla Linen Texture.  The printed paper is g.c.d. Studios “Rose Colored Glasses” Tinted Flowers layered on Stampin’ Up Powder Pink.  The sentiment is Altenew Tulip stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Powder Pink.  The ribbon is Close To My Heart Cranberry Organza.  The flower embellishment is of unknown origin and is highlighted with Fruit Punch Stickles.

I think this is such a lovely 'birthday' card.  All that pink is so very feminine.  It's always fun to craft a monochromatic card!  I think the font of the sentiment works really well with the images and the black ink really makes it stand out.  The ribbon and gem flower are the perfect anchor for the sentiment panel.  It's a wonderful result!

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

Gisèle

All A Shimmer

Hello everyone,

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

The card base is Recollections Vanilla Linen Texture.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a pearlized pink and a shimmery copper both also of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Happy Birthday stamped in Altenew Industrial Diamond on an ivory of unknown origin and layered on more pearlized pink and shimmery copper.  The sentiment is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

Every now and again I come across a piece of paper that turns into the most beautiful card and this is one of those.  There are hints of shimmer throughout this paper.  I love all the images and the colours are so soft and pretty.  The shimmery pink and copper layers coordinate wonderfully.  I didn't add any embellishments because the different elements are lovely all on their own.  I had a hard time not keeping this card for myself.

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

Gisèle

Funky Floral Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a great funky floral 'birthday' card.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The printed paper is PhotoPlay Be Loyal layered on a green Bazzill and Close To My Heart Blush.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Happy Birthday stamped in Altenew Industrial Diamond on an ivory of unknown origin and layered on more green Bazzill and Blush.  The embellishments are The Paper Company Flowers and Frills Jewels and Queen & Company Snowflake Rhinestones.

This is not the type of floral paper to which I'm normally drawn but it is such a fun piece of paper I just couldn't resist using it for a card.  It was pretty easy to find coordinating solid colours and I didn't have to worry about trimming.  The flowers were great for adding a variety of gems, allowing me to use up some leftover packages of embellishments.

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

Gisèle

By the Numbers

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a really fun 'birthday' card.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin’ Up Crushed Curry and Ridinghood Red.  The sentiment is Stampin’ Up Tin of Cards stamped in Close To My Heart Outdoor Denim on and ivory of unknown origin and layered on more Crushed Curry and Ridinghood Red.

Normally I'd leave this printed paper for a kid's birthday card but I figured some of the seniors are probably 'kids at heart' so it is completely appropriate.  This paper was just too fun to not use.  I love all the different colours which, as always, makes coordination a lot easier.  I was inspired to use different colour gem embellishments.  This is a layout I've used in the past and just love the results.  

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

Gisèle

A Happy Plaid

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a fun plaid 'birthday' card.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin’ Up Powder Pink.  The sentiment is Stampin’ Up Stylized Birthday stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Powder Pink.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Glitter Gems.

Doesn't matter the occasion, I can't resist a pretty plaid.  This plaid paper is a great backdrop for this sentiment.  It is a fun and happy font!  I'm taking advantage of this large commission to use up some of my embellishment stash and I've had these pink glitter gems for ages and I love how they bump up this card.

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

Gisèle

Fabulously Feminine

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another very pretty 'birthday' card.

The card base is Recollections Vanilla Linen Texture.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Close To My Heart Grey Wool and more Recollections Vanilla.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Happy Birthday stamped in Altenew Industrial Diamond on an ivory of unknown origin and layered on more Grey Wool.  The embellishments are Forever In Time Pearl Accents.

I've used this paper for many, many cards and the results are always fantastic.  It is such pretty and feminine paper with delicate and appealing images.  I love the grey and ivory layers but have also used blue and pink in the past and the cards were equally beautiful.  The font, in grey, is lovely and though not as 'formal' as the images, works really well here.  The grey pearl brad is a little on the larger size so wouldn't mail all that well but that's not an issue with this commission.

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

Gisèle

Fabulous Floral Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a great floral 'birthday' card.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The printed paper is Pink Fresh Studio “Indigo Hills 2” Glen layered on Stampin’ Up Lemon Lime Twist.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Best Wishes stamped in Close To My Heart Outdoor Denim on Recollections White and layered on a navy Bazzill.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone Stickers.

It's rare that I can resist a piece of navy printed paper.  This piece is particularly appealing because the images are wonderful and the different hits of colour are wonderful.  I love the Lemon Lime Twist elements.  It's not a green anyone should like but it really works with navy.  I love the sentiment element with the crisp colours and interesting layers.  This is a card that I could repeat often!

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

Gisèle

A Teacup Birthday

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another lovely 'birthday' card.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin’ Up Hello Honey.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Happy Birthday stamped in Stampin’ Up Early Espresso on an ivory of unknown origin and layered on more Hello Honey and Close To My Heart Garnet.  The ribbon is American Crafts.

This is another piece of printed paper that I'm not all that sure about.  It's all teacups with different patterns.  I think it may be just a little too avant-garde when all is said and done because it can be rather difficult to figure out that it's teacups.  I do however love the colours and the different floral patterns. I placed the sentiment right in the center as I wasn't too worried about hiding the printed paper.  I'd hoped to like the final result but it's not a favourite.

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

Gisèle

Lovely Worn Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another fantastic 'birthday' card.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Close To My Heart Vineyard Berry and a vanilla of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Creative Expressions Amazing Sentiment stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a vanilla of unknown origin and layered on more Vineyard Berry.  The metal embellishment is of unknown origin.

Aren't the colours in this card beautiful!  I wasn't too fussy on the printed paper at first but the end result is just lovely!  I've had this metal square (and a few others) in my stash for ages but it's not all that practical for mailing.  I had to dig for the brad to find just the right colour and the right size to fit in the hole.  This is a real tried and true layout that just never disappoints.

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

Gisèle

More Floral Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a very pretty blue and white 'birthday' card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin’ Up Bordering Blue and a navy Bazzill.  The sentiment is Creative Expressions Butterfly Field Collection stamped in Close To My Heart Outdoor Denim on Recollections White and layered on more Bordering Blue and navy Bazzill.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Floral Accents.

The Bordering Blue and metal flower embellishment on this card are supplies that I dole out carefully because once gone, there is no re-ordering and I absolutely love both!  I think Bordering Blue is one of the best blues every put out by Stampin' Up!  Ditto for the metal flower from Close To My Heart.  I took advantage of using this flower because I know this card won't have to go in the mail.  I love this colour combination because it's always clean and crisp.  It's a great result!

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

Gisèle

Fantastic Floral Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great 'birthday' card.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is Graphic 45 layered on Stampin’ Up Dusty Durango.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Happy Birthday stamped in Stampin’ Up Early Espresso on an ivory of unknown origin and layered on more Dusty Durango.  The ribbon is Michael’s Celebrate It.

This is another great piece of printed paper!  The images are perfect for a smaller card and the colours are just wonderful.  Normally I would have paired this paper with a green drawn from the leave but I found this deep rust colour is beautiful.  I used my MISTI to stamp a bunch of sentiments at once and was happy I had because it really does save a lot of time.  I love the ribbon to the left of the sentiment, again, the darker rust looks great.

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

Gisèle

The Gift of You IV

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another wonderful 'birthday' card.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed origami paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin’ Up Certainly Celery and Joy Crafts mirrored dark pink.  The sentiment is Verses Gift of You stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Certainly Celery.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Green Triangles.

A number of years back I was gifted some beautiful scraps of origami paper.  I so loved the paper I bought a few packs at a local paper store.  It is great paper to work with but the designs can be somewhat limiting in terms of theme.  I thought the font of the 'Celebrate' in the sentiment had a bit of an Asian calligraphy style so I chose to use this beautiful fan-themed paper.  I love the colours and had just the enough Certainly Celery (a perfect colour match for the background of the origami paper) left for layering.  It's another great result.

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

Gisèle

The Gift of You I

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the first of a half dozen cards using this awesome sentiment. 

The card base is Recollections White Linen Texture.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Recollections Black.  The sentiment is Verses Gift of You stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Black.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Licorice Opaques.

I'm really trying not to buy new stamps because I have more than I'll ever, every need but I just couldn't resist this one from Verses.  I just love the 'sentiment' and it is perfect for this commission!  This paper has image that are the perfect scale for cards but with just two colours, coordinating solids is pretty limited.  I chose black because it just pops!  I think it was a wise choice because this is a fantastic result!

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

Gisèle

Pretty Floral Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another lovely 'birthday' card.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin’ Up Pool Party and More Mustard and an ivory of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Happy Birthday stamped in Stampin’ Up Early Espresso on more ivory of unknown origin.  The ribbon is of unknown origin and the embellishments are Doodlebug Mini Pearls.

This is another simple floral birthday card.  I love the paper because it reminds me of vintage floral fabric.  The layout again is one I've used often though angling the sentiment is a little different and I really like it!  The ribbon is maybe a little more stark than I'd like the but the blue works with the background and the brown matches the ink colour.  It's a great result!

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

Gisèle

Soft and Simple

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another lovely floral 'birthday' card.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is Close To My Heart Miracle layered on Bamboo and Crystal Blue.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Happy Birthday stamped in Altenew Industrial Diamond on an ivory of unknown origin and layered on more Bamboo and Crystal Blue.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.

I think this is some of the first Close To My Heart paper I ever purchased and it's the last piece in my stash.  I love it as much now as I did when I first bought it.  This layout should be getting pretty familiar at this point as I've used it multiple times now for this commission.  I think the green ribbon is wonderful, adding just that little bit more interest but still keeping to the soft pastel colours.  It's a great result!

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

Gisèle

Vintage Fashion Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great 'birthday' card.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin’ Up Crumbcake and Baja Breeze.  The sentiment is Stampin’ Up It’s Your Birthday stamped in Soft Suede on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Crumbcake and Baja Breeze.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Mocha Opaques.

I've crafted a number of variations of this card with this great printed paper.  I just love this paper!  There are a ton of coordinating colour options and I chose blue and beige in this case though I was tempted to use some dark pinks.  The paper looks great either horizontal or vertical because the scale of the images are perfect for a card.  This is another great result!

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

Gisèle

Tea Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great 'birthday' card.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a dark brown Bazzill.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Happy Birthday stamped in Stampin’ Up Early Espresso on a vanilla of unknown origin and layered on more dark brown Bazzill.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Mocha Opaques.

I've used variations of this paper for a good number of birthday cards and am always so happy with the final results.  Though I'm usually more drawn to greens, blues and purples, I do love the colours in this paper.  I trimmed this one carefully to have both the bird and a bit of the tea bag label showing. It's almost as though the bird is tweeting the wishes!  

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

Gisèle

Pretty Circles

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another lovely pair of 'birthday' cards.

The card bases are The Paper Studio and Recollections Vanilla Linen Texture.  The printed paper is My Mind’s Eye “Deena’s Penny Lane” Graceful Circles layered on Close To My Heart Baby Pink and Stampin’ Up Certainly Celery.  The sentiments are Flonz Happy Birthday stamped in Stampin’ Up Early Espresso on Very Vanilla and layered on more Baby Pink and Certainly Celery.  The cards are highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone Stickers.

This is some more very pretty paper.  I love all the paler pinks, blues and greens, which made coordinating solids really easy.  This set of Flonz sentiments is fantastic as there are a lot of options from which to choose and they're a great size for cards.  I love the bits of glitter from the rhinestone stickers!  More great results!

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

Gisèle

Fancy Celebration

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another lovely pair of 'birthday' cards.

The card bases are Stampin’ Up Glorious Green and Recollections Vanilla Linen Texture.  The printed paper is Graphic 45 “Time To Celebrate” Let’s Get Together layered on Close To My Heart Smoothie.  The sentiments are Just Rite Large Fancy Sentiments stamped in Altenew Industrial Diamond on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Glorious Green and Smoothie.  The embellishments are Recollections Adhesive Faux Pearls and Forever In Time Diamond Gem Strips.

This collections of Graphic 45 paper is really pretty.  I love the corals and greens even though they rather limit coordinating colour options.  I chose to use the Just Rite sentiment because I thought it really suited the style of the paper.  The layout is one I've used often because it works really well for this large card commission.  Another great pair of results.

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

Gisèle

Playing Card Cards

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another really fun pair of 'birthday' cards.

The card bases are Stampin’ Up Cherry Cobbler.  The printed papers are Creative Imaginations.  The sentiments are Frantic Stamper stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Stampin’ Up Very Vanilla.  The embellishments are Jolee’s All That Bling Dimensional Stickers and Close To My Heart Enamel Hearts.

These are some more scraps that I couldn't resist using for this commission.  We love playing cards (and dominos) so I have assumed there are folks in the seniors' residence who are avid card players and will get a kick out of receiving these birthday cards.  It was pretty easy to coordinate colours and I got a kick out of using these diamond and heart embellishments.  These are great results!

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

Gisèle