A Musical Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a card that I crafted for a girlfriend a couple of months back.

The printed paper is Forever In Time layered on Paper Accents Glossy Gold and Stampin' Up Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Crafter's Companion Happy Birthday Die'sire cut from more gold and layered on a Bazzill Vanilla that was textured with Crafts-Too Musical Notes embossing folder.  The ribbon is Offray.  The '50' is a Making Memories Sticker.

My girlfriend wanted a special 50th birthday card for a musical friend.  I love making musical cards!  The colours in this printed paper offer wonderful coordinating options.  Having a chance to use this musical notes embossing folder just makes me happy!  She loved the results as much as I did!

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

Gisèle

Tragic Sympathy

Hello everyone,

Today's post is one of the most difficult sympathy cards I've ever crafted.  It is for a colleague whose new born baby tragically passed away earlier this summer.

The image is a recycled baby card layered on Stampin' Up Mint Macaroon and Pink Pirouette.  The Mint Macaroon was textured with Crafts-Too Butterflies embossing folder.  The sentiment is Verve Forever In Our Heart stamped on Recollections Vanilla in Stampin' Up Soft Suede.  The embellishment is Marianne Design Butterflies.

This was a very difficult card to craft.  It is rare, in my experience, for babies to pass away in this day and age.  When crafting this card I focused on the parents, a very wonderful couple, whose sadness I'm certain knows no bounds.  I felt this particular sentiment was especially heartfelt and I hope this card made them feel better, if only for a moment.

Please come back and SPI again soon.

Gisèle

For The Kiddies V

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great girl card.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a Bazzill pink textured with Crafts-Too Butterflies embossing folder and Pion Design Palette Pion Blue I.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Four You stamped in Melon Mambo on Whisper White and layered on more Pion Blue I.  The stickers are Twin Seven.  The sentiment and pink Bazzill are highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

It was a no brainer that a set of Twin Seven butterfly stickers would end up in my stash.  While I love all the stickers, the butterflies are really sweet and perfect for a little girl card.  I didn't worry overmuch about coordinating the background papers perfectly with the stickers as I really wanted the butterflies to pop and as long as the colours were not totally out of whack, I figured it would work just fine.  This card ended up being really great.

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

Gisèle

Masculine Banners

Hello everyone,

Today's Crop card was intended for a masculine recipient.

The printed paper is of unknown origin.  The remaining papers are Core'dinations Jim Holtz Kraft-Core Shattered Collection and Recollections.  The tan layer was embossed with a Crafts-Too Tools folder.  The sentiment is Papertrey ink Signature Greetings stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso on Recollections Vanilla.  The brads are of unknown origin.

I bought this embossing folder eons ago because it is perfect for masculine cards.  I really don't use it often enough.  I chose a sentiment that isn't necessarily 'birthday' as the beginners may not want to use it for that type of occasion.  I decided to add a couple of banners to the card because in this brown card stock, they are a great and really simple addition to the card.  They are also the perfect excuse to use a couple of metal brads that I always like on a masculine card.

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

Gisèle

Mother-In-Law Special

Hello everyone,

Today I'm posting another birthday card for my mother-in-law.  It was commissioned by my sister-in-law and was quickly crafted yesterday afternoon with a bunch of leftover pieces from the scrap bin.

The printed paper is K&Company Que Sera Sera In Bloom, layered on Stampin' Up Island Indigo and Daffodil Delight.  The top Island Indigo layered was textured with Crafts Too Daisy Flourish embossing folder and highlighted with LuminArte Caribbean Mist Twinkling H2Os.  The sentiment is Stampendous Special Messages stamped in Taken With Teal ink on Very Vanilla and layered in more Island Indigo.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Blue Sparkles.

This is a really bright and cheerful card.  When I first saw Daffodil Delight I wondered what on earth I'd do with such a strong yellow as it's nowhere close to anywhere in my comfort zone.  It works rather well with this printed paper and I think it's somewhat tempered with the Island Indigo.  My sister-in-law loved the card and I'm confident my mother-in-law will as well.

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

Gisèle

Birthday Blitz VI

Hello everyone,

I'm posting my mother-in-law's card today.  I love crafting cards for her because I can use different colours and go a little overboard with glitter and such.

The printed paper is BoBunny Olivia Ambrosia layered on Stampin' Up Lucky Limeade.  The sentiment is from Serendipity, stamped in Bravo Burgundy on Very Vanilla.  The sentiment element is layered on Bravo Burgundy and an orange of unknown origin which was textured with Crafts-Too Daisy Flourish embossing folder and highlighted with LuminArte Dreamsicle Twinkling H2Os.  The embellishments are Doodlebug Boy Assortments Mini Pearls.

If these colours didn't work so well in the printed paper there is no way on earth I would have tried them on my own.  These are just scraps of paper that I kept layering until I was happy with the results.  I'm sure she'll like it too.

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

Gisèle

Girly Girl V & VI

Hello everyone,

The bonus of doing small 8X8 one sheet wonders is that the roman numerals won't be over the top as I only get ten smaller cards from one piece of paper.  They are still as lovely just not quite so many.

The printed paper is K&Company Butterfly Flat Paper layered on Stampin' Up More Mustard.  The embellishments are Crafts and Stampin' Up Basic Jewels.  The sentiment is Gina K Framed Greetings stamped in Melon Mambo.

The printed paper is K&Company Butterfly Flat Paper layered on Stampin' Up Melon Mambo that was textured with Crafts-Too Butterflies.  The sentiment is Bonnidee French Wording #1 stamped in Melon Mambo on Whisper White.  The embellishments are Recollections Glitter Shapes and jewels of unknown origin.

Both of these cards are really cute.  I never need an excuse to glitter up a card and these girly cards are just the ticket.  I think they are absolutely perfect for little girls.

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

Gisèle

Happy Birthday Sister

Hello everyone,

Today is my middle sister's birthday.  I know she'll love this specially made card.

The printed paper is BasicGrey Sultry layered on textured Stampin' Up Always Artichoke.  The vertical element is Melon Mambo textured with Crafts-Too Musical Notes embossing folder.  The sentiment is Stampabilities Happy Birthday 01, stamped in Early Espresso on Whisper White.  The image is Technique Tuesday Glee also stamped in Early Espresso on Whisper White.  The embellishments are Kaisercraft December 25th pearls.

My sister is extremely into music, playing the clarinet in the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry band.  I bought this embossing folder with her in mind and can't wait to see her reaction.  The image, also a new stamp set, was picked up so my daughter can do some fund raising for her school band.  I also figured I could use it for my sister's cards.

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

Gisèle

Thank You Marathon XXX - Encore

Hello everyone,

I thought I'd finished all the thank you cards on my list but found myself in need of two more. This is for a couple who've been a tremendous help to myself and my mother over the last couple of weeks.

The background layer is Stampin' Up Brocade Blue textured with Crafts-Too Tools embossing folder. The printed paper is Chatter Box Big Rec Blocks layered on Dusty Durango. The sentiment is Gina K Tag Lines stamped in Brocade Blue on Very Vanilla. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Antique Gold Square Durables.

I really like this card. It was crafted mostly with a man in mind, hence the tools, but I know his wife will really appreciate that it was crafted especially for them. I love using this Chatter Box paper for masculine cards. Not only does it have some great coordinating colours to pair it with, the pattern itself lends to some great square options.

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

Gisèle

One Sheet Wonder 11 & 12

Hello everyone,

I have cards 11 and 12 in my masculine one sheet one charity project for you today. The theme for these cards is interesting backgrounds. I think I'll actually get two more, possibly three, cards out of the leftover scraps I have on hand. We'll see how my mojo holds up.

The card bases are Stampin' Up Kraft, Very Vanilla or Whisper White. The printed paper is Stampin' Up Well Worn.


The background paper is Gina K Timeless Textures, stamped on Stampin' Up Whisper White in Crumb Cake, Dusty Durango, Not Quite Navy and Soft Suede. The sentiment is Impression Obsession Vertical Greetings in Not Quite Navy on Whisper White. The embellishments are Rust and Denim Oregon Raindrops.


The background paper, Stampin' Up Early Espresso, is textured with Crafts-Too Tool embossing folder. The patterned paper is layered on Not Quite Navy and Very Vanilla. The sentiment is Hero Arts Small Greetings and is layered on Kraft.

I love both of these cards. I'd almost forgotten about the Tools embossing folder which works great for these cards. I'd bought it because it is so perfect for male cards. I'm not as fussy about the first card. If anything it is more gender neutral than masculine. It will do just fine for this particular charity project.

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

Gisèle

Father's Music

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for the father of a colleague. He is a physician who has a really phenomenal musical streak so I decided to use that as a jumping off point.

The background and patterned paper is Close To My Heart Lagoon which was textured with a Scor-Pal, and Wings. The black layer is Stampin' Up Basic Black textured with Crafts-Too Musical Notes. The sentiment is Stampin' Up All Holidays stamped in River Rock on Very Vanilla and layered on more Wings. The embellishments are Robin's Nest Dew Drops

I love this card but am not really confident it will work for my colleague's father. She's a pretty colourful woman and this is a rather organic card. We'll see. I've had this particular embossing folder for a while and bought it with my similarly musically inclined sister in mind. I can't wait to use it to make her birthday card.

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

Gisèle

Anniversary Special

Hello everyone,

Today's card celebrates my sister and brother-in-law's 25th wedding anniversary. As siblings (there are four of us) we don't really acknowledge wedding anniversaries but 25 years is not an easy feat in this day and age and I'm really happy for them.

The background paper is Prima Fairy Floral Garden Party. The sentiment, Gina K Fanciful Tags, is stamped in Stampin' Up Old Olive on Whisper White and layered on Close To My Heart Smoothie and more Old Olive. The Smoothie layer is textured with Crafts-Too Daisy Flourish dry embossing folder then highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Bitty Sparkles.

This card ended up much more feminine than I intended. I wanted to use some really special paper and I love this Prima sheet which really speaks for itself. It was challenging to find the right solid paper to accompany this paper because there are just so many options to choose from. I suspect my brother-in-law will overlook this cards femininity knowing that it truly comes from the heart.

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

Gisèle

Comfort, Strength, Peace

Hello everyone,

I crafted today's card for my girlfriend whom I wrote about yesterday.

The patterned paper is BasicGrey Urban Prairie layered on Stampin' Up Certainly Celery and Basic Black. The verse is Verve Forever In Our Hearts, stamped on Whisper White in black VersaFine and layered on Baja Breeze which was textured with Crafts-Too Daisy Flourish and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

My girlfriend's background is Polish and while she didn't want a bright and colourful card for her father's card, this piece of BasicGrey had me thinking 'old world European'. I didn't want to craft a completely somber card so, once again, I drew from the BasicGrey for inspiration. I figured a little Clear Star glitter wouldn't be too much. I was also inspired by this particular verse. While her father was in his eighties, death in a house fire was not how she expected him to pass and I hope these thoughtful words will provide some comfort in the tough days she has ahead of her.

Please come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Many Merry Christmas's

Hello everyone,

This should be one of my last Christmas cards this year although given my depleted stash, I'll have to work hard to build it up again. This card is for one of my best friends. I had a chance to do some blog surfing today and there are any number of challenge for which this card will suit. Last Friday's Stampin' for the Weekend asked for a Christmas card. Saturday's Allsorts challenge was anything goes. Tuesday's A Spoon Full of Sugar was a Christmas challenge and Papertake Weekly's challenge was anything goes. Today's ABC challenge was to keep it simple; the Fab 'n Funky challenge was to do a quick and easy project; the For Fun challenge was anything goes and the Belli challenge was anything goes.

The focal image is Stampin' Up Brushed Gold textured with Crafts-Too Christmas Greeting folder layered on a piece of Cherry Cobbler and Early Espresso textured with Sizzix Small Dots. The image was highlighted with Star Dust Stickles.

This was a super easy and very quick card. I've been trying to use this embossing folder since I first picked it up and I'm not disappointed. This card turned out beautifully and my friend will just love it!

Gisèle