Cheerful Bell

Hello everyone,

Only a couple of more cards to post in this recent holly one sheet wonder series.

The printed paper is Stampin' Up Home For Christmas layered on Bazzill Cardinal red and Mossy Meadow.  The sentiment is Penny Black Christmas Cheer stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Very Vanilla and layered on more Mossy Meadow.  The image is Cottage Cutz Filigree Ornament Trio die cut from a gold of unknown origin.  The embellishment is BoBunny Elf Magic Jewels.

I found the holly flourish die cut from a few days back so appealing I decided to try another one.  This time I used a bell image that has a little piece of holly at the bottom.  This image is one of three in the package and while I love them, it is a real pain to use.  It doesn't always cut all the way through when I run it through my Big Shot, even with the precision cutting plate.  Given this scrap of gold paper is not particularly heavy, I decided to add a shim, just in case.  It was a smart move because it made removing the image and all the little pieces from the die so very easy.  I'm rather glad I didn't give up on this die.  This is a fabulous card!

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

Gisèle

Christmas Simplicity

Hello everyone,

The third case is this current one sheet wonder series.

The printed paper is Stampin' Up Home For Christmas layered on Bazzill Cardinal red.  The image is Winterland Holly Cottage Cutz die cut from Mossy Meadow and Bazzill Cardinal.  The sentiment is My Sentiments Exactly Holiday Sentiments stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Very Vanilla and layered on more Cardinal.

As with holly images, I've got quite a collection of holly dies and this series is the perfect excuse to experiment with some of them.  This particular die cut has both a large and a small branch.  I couldn't figure out how to use the smaller branch is a pleasing way so decided to just use the large branch.  It was a good choice because I think this would have appeared quite cluttered if I'd tried to use both.  I really like all the 'white' space that is behind the branch.  The font of this sentiment is quite effective too, not overpowering so that 'white' space is still effective.

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

Gisèle

Ornaments A Shimmering V

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the last of the shimmery green ornament cards that I crafted for a colleague before the holidays.

The card base is a shimmery green of unknown origin.  The ornament is die cut with Cottage Cutz Filigree Ornament Trio from glossy paper smooshed with Ranger Clover, Wild Plum, Citrus, Watermelon, Cool Perl, Snow Cap and Pearl alcohol ink, and covered with DecoArt Crystal Glamour Dust.  The sentiment is Hero Arts CL722 heat embossed with Close To My Heart black embossing powder.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone Stickers.

I think this is my favourite of this series.  These embellishments are like tiny opalescent flowers that could have been made for this paper.  I chose them because of the flower in the center of the ornament.  This big bold black sentiment is really spectacular!  I enjoyed using this shimmery green paper more than I thought I would.  I suspect its because all of the ornament cards turned out really wonderful.

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

Gisèle

Ornaments A Shimmering II

Hello everyone,

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Yet another glittered ornament Christmas card for you today.

The card base is a shimmery green of unknown origin.  The bell is a Cottage Cutz Filigree Ornament Trio die cut from glossy paper smooshed with Ranger Clover, Wild Plum, Citrus, Watermelon, Cool Perl, Snow Cap and Pearl alcohol ink and covered with DecoArt Crystal Glamour Dust.  The sentiment is Kaisercraft St. Nicholas heat embossed with Close To My Heart black embossing powder.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone Stickers.

I don't often use these particular dies because they are a total bear to release.  They're even more of a bear when using the glittered glossy paper.  The new Stampin' Up Precision Base Plate helps but there is just something about these dies that just doesn't work very well.  All that said, it was worth the aggravation because this card turned out beautifully.  I just love the bold black sentiment and with the heat embossed shine, it's really great!

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

Gisèle

Popping Poinsettia

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card is a very simple die cut poinsettia similar to this card I did recently.

The background is Stampin' Up Soft Suede textured with Craft Concepts Merry Christmas embossing folder, layered on Real Red and sprayed with Vanilla Smooch Spritz.  The poinsettia is die cut with Cottage Cutz Winter Poinsettia Bouquet cut from Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow and a red of unknown origin.  The poinsettias are highlighted with Gilded Gold Stickles.

I had intended to use the same printed paper as I did on yesterday's card but when I placed the poinsettia over the paper, it didn't stand out all that much.  I chose to use this particular embossing folder because there is no need to add a sentiment.  Over all, a great Christmas card.

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

Gisèle

Poinsettia Pleasure

Hello everyone,

Some of the last few Christmas In July cards make use of the dies I've been acquiring over the past little while.  I've had quite a bit of fun with them so I decided to keep going and see how my mojo flowed.

The printed paper is K&Company Susan Winget Glad Tidings layered a textured red Bazzill.  The die cut is Cottage Cutz Winter Poinsettia Bouquet cut from textured red and green Bazzill and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The sentiment is Denami Designs stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone Stickers.

I quite like the size and delicacy of this die cut.  I hesitated to get it at first because, for whatever reason, I didn't want to just use the die cut in a single colour.  I then realized that I just had to die cut in both colours and adhere the red flowers over the green stems.  It's completely logical but it just didn't register with me until I started playing with my Christmas dies.  I feel rather dumb admitting it but figure I'm probably not the only person out there thinking this.  I did use a green background because the flowers don't perfectly cover the green underneath and it doesn't show quite so starkly against this subtly printed paper.

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

Gisèle

Simple Elegance

Hello everyone,

Yet another charity Christmas card for you today.

The textured card base is DCWV.  The printed paper is Anna Griffin Winter Wonderland layered on a brushed silver of unknown origin.  The ornament is Cottage Cutz Filigree Ornament Trio die cut from a brushed gold of unknown origin.  The brad is also of unknown origin.

I'm still working with pieces from my scrap bin of Christmas papers and going sentiment-less.  This card couldn't be more quick and easy.  I have to qualify that because this particular die is a right, royal pain in the butt.  No matter how I put together the sandwich, I have to use an Exacto knife to remove the intricate pieces from these dies.  It's so frustrating that every time I use this die, I swear I'll throw it out.  All that said, this card turned out great!

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

Gisèle

Playing Nice

Hello everyone,

Today's charity card uses the last of the bright green textured card bases.

The textured card base is DCWV. The printed paper is Cosmo Cricket DeLovely layered on Stampin' Up Whisper White.  The butterfly is a Cottage Cutz Ornate Butterfly dies from Close To My Heart Juniper and highlighted with Wink of Stella Clear 999.  The sentiment is Stampabilities Happy Birthday 01 stamped in Juniper on Whisper White and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishments are ZVA crystals.

In addition to making sure colours speak nicely to one another, image and font also need to play nice.  I have a couple of dozen butterfly die cuts and punches.  Some are quite simple, while others are very detailed and precise.  Against this particular printed paper, a detailed and precise butterfly would look awkward but the butterfly used here, though quite intricate, uses flowing lines and edges that speak well to the flowered background.  I painted the butterfly with the clear Wink of Stella to add just that little extra pop.  The crystals, are intended to work with the numerous circles in the printed paper and on the butterfly.  So very, very different from yesterday's card yet another great result!

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

Gisèle

The More The Merrier

Hello everyone,

I've finished the Christmas cards for my siblings and am now starting on cards for my colleagues.

The printed paper is Martha Stewart Snowflace mat pad layered on Worldwin shimmery white and Stampin' Up Real Red.  The ornament is a Cottage Cutz die cut from glossy paper that was smooshed with Ranger alcohol ink and affixed to a piece of white that was covered with Martha Stewart coarse crystal glitter.  The sentiment is Stampabilities Merry Christmas 06 stamped in Real Red on Recollections white.  The embellishment is a TPC Studio Holly Jolly brad.

I wish the photo did justice to the shimmery white layer as it plays beautifully with the glittered layer of the ornament.  I love the basic red and white color combination of this card.  Very Christmasy.

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

Gisèle

Christmas Ice

Hello everyone,

I'm slowly working on the Christmas parcel for my family, part of which includes a number of cards which will carry this year's school photos.  This is for one of my sisters.

The printed paper is Martha Stewart Frosty Elegance mat pad.  The snowflake is Cottage Cutz Crystal Flurry Snowflake die cut from DCWV Glitter cardstock.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up More Merry Messages stamped in ColorBox ink on Whisper White, layered on more DCWV Glitter cardstock and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The ribbon is Offray.

This is really beautiful paper with just a little bit of shimmer that works perfectly with this glittering snowflake and the silver border of the ribbon.  This is a new die for me that I really love.  It is very intricate, requiring a layer of wax paper to facilitate removing the image from the die.  Patience is required.

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

Gisèle