Fall Tree Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a very neutral 'birthday' card.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin’ Up River Rock and Soft Suede.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Happy Birthday stamped in Soft Suede on an ivory of unknown origin and layered on more River Rock and Soft Suede.

I had just a little strip of this paper but managed to make is work for this great, neutral card.  I just love the subtle colours and think the River Rock and Soft Suede layers work perfectly to highlight the printed paper.  I'm really loving adhering the sentiment on an angle!  I think by not layering the sentiment panel it just adds to the simplicity of the overall effect.  This card could easily be turned into a 'sympathy' or 'thinking of you' card with a simple change of sentiment.

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

Fun Floral Wishes

Hello everyone,

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

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin’ Up Lucky Limeade.  The sentiment is Stampin’ Up Birthday Blossoms stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Lucky Limeade.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone Stickers.

I think this is a great card!  I believe I used this paper in the previous Seniors' residence commission.  It's really fun paper with a ton of options for colour coordination.  The rhinestone embellishments really sparkle and there were tons of images just perfect for adding some bling.  Once the elements were selected, this card came together quickly and easily.  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

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

Floral Fabric

Hello everyone,

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

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper (fabric) is of unknown origin layered on Stampin’ Up Real Red and a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Creative Expressions Amazing Sentiments stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Real Red.  The embellishments are Recollections Rhinestone Stickers.

I found this piece of fabric paper in the donation bin and just couldn't help but use it for a card.  I've never used fabric paper before and thought it would be a pain but it wasn't.  I just love all the colours and the design of the images.  I chose big, textured embellishments because I thought they worked well with the fabric.  This would be an awesome card for someone with limited sight because it feels great!

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

Fancy Chevrons

Hello everyone,

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

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is Stampin’ Up layered on Pink Pirouette.  The sentiment is Papercrafts General Sentiments stamped in Stampin’ Up Early Espresso on Recollections White and layered on more Pink Pirouette.  The ribbon and flower embellishments are both of unknown origin.

I know this printed paper is Stampin' Up but I can't remember which collections.  I love the colours in these fancy chevrons and used them to coordinate solid colours.  The layout is nothing fancy and is one I've used often in this commission. I think the simple ribbon and flower embellishments are lovely and the placement, centered below the sentiment panel, works really well!

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

Gisèle

Hibiscus Wishes

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another quick and easy 'birthday' card.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a dark pink of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Serendipity stamped in Altenew Evergreen.  The embellishments are Doodlebug mini pearls.

I found a number of papers in my scrap bin that, when carefully trimmed, allow for the sentiment to be stamped right on the printed paper.  I love doing this type of card.  Not only is it quick and easy but I think the overall result is wonderful.  If the sentiment impression isn't great, you can always cover up with a sentiment panel.  I'm not thrilled with the pearl placement on this card.  It doesn't feel random enough but rather forced.  Still, the overall result is quite pretty.

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

Quick Wishes

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a very quick and easy 'birthday' card.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a vanilla of unknown origin and Recollections Black.  The sentiment is Stamp Barn, stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.

This card probably took less than five minutes to pull together.  The printed paper was trimmed to allow space for this big, bold sentiment.  The colour are neutral so this would be appropriate for anyone.  I decided not to add any embellishments, though a few black gems or pearls would have worked well, because I found the simplicity quite appealing.  It's a great result!

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

Gisèle

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

Butterfly Birthdays

 Hello everyone,

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

The card bases are Craft Smith and Recollections Vanilla Linen Texture.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a purple Recollections and a bright blue of unknown origin and, a moss green a dark tan both of unknown origin.  The sentiments are Stampin’ Up Here’s a Card stamped in Altenew Pure Graphite on Recollections Vanilla and, Close To My Heart Happy Birthday stamped in Stampin’ Up Early Espresso on an ivory of unknown origin.  The sentiments are layered on more purple, bright blue, moss green and dark tan.  The embellishments are Starry Night, Diamond and Waterfall Stickles and purple brads of unknown origin.

I just love butterfly paper but this isn't my favourite.  I find the beige background rather blah though the colours of the butterflies are fine.  I hadn't even realized I'd chosen this paper twice when I was preparing the basic elements.  Both vertical cards are very similar but using different coordinating solids selected from the printed paper.  These are both very simple and standard layouts with the final results coming together quite quickly.

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

Gisèle

Neutral Botanical

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another lovely birthday card.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is Momenta Denise Urban layered on a beige of unknown origin and a dark grey Recollections.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Well Scripted stamped in Altenew Pure Graphite on more beige.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.  The card is highlighted with Platinum Liquid Pearls.

This is a really lovely card.  I love the soft neutral tones.  I used a very straightforward layout with the sentiment placed in the design 'sweet spot'.  I was quite pleased with how the ribbon tails come out on either side of the sentiment.  I don't think I really needed to add the Liquid Pearls but somehow just couldn't resist.

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

Gisèle

Funky Floral

Hello everyone,

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

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is Momenta layered on pink Core'dinations and a dark grey Bazzill.  The sentiment is Stampabilities Happy Birthday 01 stamped in Altenew Pure Graphite on an ivory of unknown origin and layered on more dark grey Bazzill.  The ribbon is also of unknown origin.

I've used this paper a number of times in the past.  I love a pink and grey colour combination!  I thought the font of this sentiment worked great with the folk art style images.  I had a great time finding a ribbon.  I actually think this piece is from the old and long-closed White Rose company.  I actually made this bow on my first try which rather shocked me!  It's a great result.

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

Gisèle

Winter Dream Take II

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another wonderful birthday card.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is Marianne Design Winter Dream layered on Recollections White.  The sentiment is Sweet and Sassy Script Birthdays stamped in Altenew Moon Rock on Recollections White and layered on a light brown of unknown origin.  The ribbon and the flower embellishment are both of unknown origin.

I just couldn't resist using this paper for a second card in this commissioned series.  This piece is just gorgeous and I'll likely use it judiciously.  The layout is pretty straightforward with a simple band of a coordinating solid paper to anchor the sentiment and the embellishment.  The ribbon has a light sheen and is sheer so adds to the overall lightness of the final result.  I wish I could keep this card which is one of my favourites in this series.

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

Gisèle

A Touch of Feathers

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great birthday card.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is Marianne Design Winter Dream layered on Recollections White and a light brown of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Joy Crafts 6410/0308 Sayings stamped in Altenew Jet Black.

I loved this paper pack as soon as I saw it!  There are some lovely patterns and the colours are so soft.  I decided to use this piece to do my favourite layout - stamping the sentiment directly on the printed paper.  I'm so happy with the result even though the sentiment isn't as centered as I would have liked.  No matter!

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

Gisèle

A Retro Floral

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a fun floral birthday card.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Recollections Black.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Happy Birthday stamped in Altenew Jet Black on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more black.  The ribbon is American Crafts.

As soon as I came across this scrap of daisy paper I knew I'd craft a great birthday card.  I think these daisies are awesome!  I couldn't quite figure out which way was up with this paper as the shadow on the centers suggest it's upside down but the buds go every which way.  It took me a while to find the perfect yellow/gold ribbon for the bow.  I tried red and black ribbon too but the yellow/gold seemed to be the best fit.  It's a great result!

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

Gisèle

More Vintage Inspiration

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another vintage inspired birthday card.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is BasicGrey Lucille layered on a shimmery dark pink of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday stamped in Stampin' Up Soft Suede on Recollections Vanilla.  The ribbon is Multicrafts.  The embellishments are Want 2 Scrap LeCreme Baby Bling Pearls.

This is another great piece of printed paper.  I love the big bold flowers!  The colours are warm and were pretty easy for coordinating.  I switched things up with the sentiment by placing it like a tag under the ribbon.  I had to sort through a lot of different ribbons to find something pleasing but am fairly satisfied with this thin sheer gold ribbon.  The extra bling wasn't necessarily needed but the package was just sitting on my desk further to yesterday's card.

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

Gisèle