Kitty Cat Wishes

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a trio of fun cat 'birthday' cards.

The card bases are Recollections White, Close To My Heart Crystal Blue, and Darice White.  Two of the printed papers are of unknown origin while the third is Echo Park "Little Girl".  The printed papers are layered on Stampin’ Up Cherry Cobbler, a black Bazzill, a vanilla of unknown origin, Close To My Heart Eggplant and an orange Bazzill. Some of the images are Wish “Cat” dies while others were punched with the Stampin' Up cat paper punch.  They were cut from a white of unknown origin, Recollections Black and more orange Bazzill.  Two of the sentiments are Frantic Stamper while the third is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday.  All three are stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and Vanilla, and are layered on more Cherry Cobbler, Crystal Blue and orange Bazzill.  The embellishments are Frantic Stamper.

I think this is the first time I crafted cats cards for the seniors' residence birthday card commission and I can't figure out why I hadn't done it before because these are three great cards!  I just had a ton of fun pulling all the elements together!  I think any cat-minded person will love getting one of these cards.

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

Gisèle

Pretty Paisley

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a trio of pretty paisley 'birthday' cards.

The card bases are Darice White, Recollections White Linen Textured cardstock and Close To My Heart Crystal Blue.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Close To My Heart Sweetleaf and Peacock, and Stampin’ Up Sahara Sand and a white of unknown origin.  The sentiments are Stampin’ Up Warmest Regards stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Sweetleaf, Peacock and Sahara Sand.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Glitter Triangles, Frantic Stamper, Offray Ribbon, Recollections adhesive faux pearls and more pearls of unknown origin.

I just love paisley so these cards are some of my favourites in this commission.  To be fair, the colours are part of the draw.  There were lots of options for colour coordination and I tried to take advantage of all the possibilities.  I played with embellishments and loved the results except for the glitter triangles - am not sure what I was thinking there!  Three great results none-the-less.

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

Gisèle

Cottage Wall Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another series of Stampin' Up cards.

The card bases are Stampin’ Up Old Olive, Orchid Opulence and Rich Razzleberry.  The printed paper is Stampin’ Up Cottage Wall layered on more Old Olive, Orchid Opulence and Rich Razzleberry.  The sentiments are Stampin’ Up It’s Your Birthday, Warmest Regards and Curly Cute stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Old Olive, Orchid Opulence and Rich Razzleberry.  The die cut sentiments are Sizzix Happy Birthday Thinlits and Crafter's Companion Die’sire Happy Birthday.  The embellishments are Darice Rhinestone, Crafts Rhinestone Stickers and Silver Stickles.

Cottage Wall is one of my most favourite Stampin' Up papers ever!  I use it judiciously so it will last as long as possible.  Before it retired, I bought an extra package just to always have some available.  The coordinating colours are really beautiful and all the cards I've made turned out really well.  I changed things up with different sentiments, including a few die cuts that I've used before.  The results are as great as I'd hoped.

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

Gisèle

Cheerful Birthdays

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a pair of very cheerful 'birthday' cards.

The card bases are Darice White and Recollections White.  The printed papers are of unknown origin layered on Recollections Black and a white of unknown origin.  The sentiments are Stampin’ Up Happy Thoughts and Delightful Dozen stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White ad layered on more Recollections Black.  The ribbons are both of unknown origin.

I love this yellow/white/black colour combination.  I suspect the printed paper is from the same source because the yellows match so closely.  I wasn't sure the striped and dotted ribbons would work with the checks but both cards turned out just fine.  Both layouts are very simple and the results are great.

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

Gisèle

Paisley Thanks

Hello everyone,

I have yet another 'thank you' card today.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is also Recollections and is layered on Stampin' Up Basic Grey and River Rock.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Perfectly Penned stamped in Altenew Industrial Diamond on Recollections White and layered on more Basic Grey and River Rock.  The horizontal Basic Grey strip was textured with the Darice Paisley Background embossing folder.

I had pretty much free reign for this commission so was able to get creative with all of my favourite patterns.  I've had this paisley paper forever and I love every card I've made with it.  Paisley is a great pattern for a tie so works perfectly for this corporate card commission.  I love this sentiment even though I don't use it all that often.  As I was pulling the elements together I decide a little paisley texture would be a nice addition even thought you don't see all that much of it.  This is a better result that I'd pictured in my mind and is a card I could easily repeat.

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

Gisèle

Christmas Critters

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another really fun Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Darice Great White and a dark pink Recollections.  The sentiment is Flonz 808 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on more Darice Great White and layered on more dark pink.  The card is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen and Silver Stickles.

I couldn't resist the critters on this printed paper! I trimmed it carefully and used this particular layout so as not to cover either the dog or the bear.  The holly wreaths just added to my joy!  I also like the pink accents which lead me to choose the solid pink for layering.  It's an even better result than I'd imagined!

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

Gisèle

Ornament Joy

 Hello everyone,

I was so distracted by good news yesterday that I forgot to post a card!

Today's post is a lovely ornament Christmas card.

The card base is Darice Great White.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Clear Stamp Set stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on more Darice Great White and layered on Stampin' Up Taken With Teal.  The background layers are Stampin' Up Soft Sky, textured with Sizzix Thin Ice embossing folder, a white of unknown origin and more Taken With Teal.  The ornament is a Recollections sticker.  The other embellishments are Crafts.

I've had these Recollections ornament stickers for eons but just hadn't found an opportunity to use them.  I love that it's somewhat non-traditional.  The colours are wonderful and the texture of the Soft Sky layer is magnificent.  The layout isn't at all complex but was chosen to fit the hanging ornament. This card is absolutely perfect!

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

Gisèle

A Wee Wreath

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a really quick and easy Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections Green.  The printed paper is Recollections Retro Christmas.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Joy To All stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Darice Great White and layered on Recollections Red.  The embellishment is also Recollections.

A great card doesn't need to be elaborate or complex.  This card is beautiful in it's simplicity. Once I'd selected all the elements for this card, it took less than five minutes to craft.  I did end up crafting multiples but thanks to my MISTI, it was a breeze!  I love this glittered wreath embellishment.  It has a fair bit of bulk but as these cards won't be mailed, it isn't an issue.

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

Gisèle

Serene Snowflakes

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another wonderful Christmas card.

The card base is Darice Great White cardstock.  The images are Stampin' Up Scandinavian Season stamped in Altenew Iceberg, Ultramarine and Eastern Sky on more Great White and layered on DCWV Arctic Wishes.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Holiday Sayings stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone Stickers.

I really wanted to craft a cool light blue card so I pulled out this old Stampin' Up set.  I love these snowflakes and the tree is just beautiful.  I wish I'd chosen a lighter blue for the darkest snowflake but it's not absolutely terrible.  The embellishments are truly perfect for this card and they add just the right amount of sparkle.

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

Gisèle

More Peace, Love and Joy

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a very traditional Christmas card.

The card base is Darice Great White.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up Under The Mistletoe layered on Recollections Christmas Red.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Wishes Come True stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on more Darice Great White and layered on more Christmas Red.  The embellishment is a bow punched from Stampin' Up Shaded Spruce and a Forever In Time Gemstone sticker.

I just love this designer series paper from Stampin' Up.  It's just the perfect scale for cards!  There is a wide variety of colours with which to coordinate - as expected from Stampin' Up.  This is a very simple layout but was very quick and easy.  A great result!

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

Gisèle

Fancy Trees Five Ways

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a fantastic set of Christmas tree cards.

The card bases are a vanilla of unknown origin.  The image is Magenta stamped on more vanilla of unknown origin with Stampin' Up Midnight Muse, Mossy Meadow and Bravo Burgundy, Altenew Hydrangea, and Close To My Heart Peacock.  The sentiment is Penny Black Festive Wishes on more vanilla with Versafine Onyx Black.  The image and sentiment panels are layered on Stampin' Up Midnight Muse, Mossy Meadow and Bravo Burgundy, and Close To My Heart Pansy and Peacock.  The embellishments are Darice Gems.

I love this stamp in five different colours.  They are all just different enough to keep me interested and all they are all beautiful!  You have to give Stampin' Up credit, it's wonderful to be able to coordinate the ink and paper so easily.  I was even able to find rhinestones that coordinated which was just icing on the tree!

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

Gisèle

Panda Bear Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a card I crafted for my sister's birthday earlier this month.

The card base is Darice white cardstock.  The image is Woodware Pandamonium stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on more Darice white and layered on Stampin' Up Berry Burst and Recollections Black.  The sentiment is Flonz Happy Birthday stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The embellishments are Recollections Glitter Adhesive Dots.

My sister (and my daughter) have a thing for pandas so I've a fair number of panda bear stamps.  This one I found at Ecstasy Crafts a while ago.  I didn't really need another panda stamp but I really loved this row of cute bears.  It's a long and somewhat skinny stamp which is different and I think will allow a fair bit of creativity.

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

Gisèle

Butterfly Kaleidoscope

Hello everyone,

Today's post is yet another sweet birthday card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is Crafts layered on an orange Bazzill.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Banner Greeting stamped in Altenew Turquoise on Recollections White and layered on more orange.  The embellishments are Darice Glitter Crystal gems.  The card is highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

As much as I love butterflies, this is not a favourite piece of printed paper.  It's just a little to orange and light blue.  That said, I ran with those colours and came up with a card that's not too bad in the overall scheme of things.  I also added some dots of Stickles which always seems to making everything better.  I think I should have used a darker colour for the sentiment as there is not as much as of a contrast as I would have liked.

By the way, a group of butterflies can be known as a kaleidoscope, a flutter, or a swarm.

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

Gisèle

Retro Tulips

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another simple birthday card.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up layered on Close To My Heart Whisper.  The sentiment is My Sentiments Exactly Handwritten Sentiments stamped in Altenew Industrial Diamond on Recollections White.  The embellishments are Darice Self-Stick Gems.

This was a very unexpected result.  I never anticipated using orange and grey together but I really like the combination.  I played with any number of solid colours but wasn't thrilled by my choices until I layered the grey.  I decided to try angling the sentiment once again but still didn't manage to get it as centered as I'd hoped.  I'm still very pleased with the result.

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

Gisèle

A Pretty Trio

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a pretty feminine birthday card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The images are Inkadinkado stamped in Altenew Aqualicious, Teal Cave and Galactic Stream stamped on Recollections White and layered on Close To My Heart Peacock.  The sentiment is Creative Expressions More Scribbled Sentiments stamped in Altenew Aqualicious.  The embellishments are Darice self-stick clear gems.

I don't have a particular commission at the moment so I'm experimenting with stamps and colours.  I've always loved a trio layout and this doesn't disappoint.  The stamp is a great scale to punch three squares.  I used both the darker and lighter shade of the Peacock paper and love the contrast.  The flower is perfect for adding a simple gem.

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

Gisèle

A Better Birthday Cat

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the birthday card that I am going to send to my brother.  It's a much better cat card!

The printer paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Whisper White and Recollections Kraft.  The image is Stamp Barn stamped in Altenew Dark Chocolate.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Happy Birthday also stamped in Dark Chocolate.  The cats tail is Darice hemp.

This is the card I wanted to craft for my brother the first time around.  I love this cat paper.  I've only a wonky cut piece, hence this somewhat bizarre shape.  This off-cut did allow me to be creative with the sentiment placement and I quite like the angle.  I had hoped to have more of the left side of the cat under the printed paper but that miss facilitated the creative hemp tail.  I really love this tail!

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

Gisèle

Flakes In Blue And Grey

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the second non-traditional card crafted with the same image/sentiment as yesterday's card.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Recollections grey and a shimmery blue Bazzill.  The grey layer was embossed with Darice Snowflakes embossing folder.  The image/sentiment is Stampin' Up Nature's Secret stamped in Altenew Desert Night on Very Vanilla.  The card is highlighted with Disco Ball Stickles.

Of all the cards I crafted, this was the one which gave me the most challenges.  I thought about it too much in choosing the layering papers.  I even spent time considering using the printed paper as a layer for the image.  Once I finally settle on these papers, things came together rather well.  I love the grey, and embossed with the snowflakes, it's really lovely.  I think my bottle of Disco Ball Stickles is getting old because it doesn't flow like the others.  It's very dry and I have to carefully manipulate it into a dot.  I think it was inevitable given the issues I had with this card.

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

Gisèle

A Corporate Christmas

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a sample of a Christmas card for a (fingers crossed) corporate order.

The green is Bazzill Intense Kiwi layered on a shimmery black and copper of unknown origin.  The copper is embossed with Darice Snowflakes embossing folder.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up More Merry Messages stamped in Tsukineko Brilliance Pearlescent Rust on a shimmery white of unknown origin.  The snowflakes are cut from more shimmery white with Spellbinders Create A Flake 1 and are highlighted with Copper Pearl Liquid Pearls.

This is the first time I've done a sample for a corporate Christmas card.  It was rather fun as I really played on the company logo and colours.  I'm not fussy on the three snowflakes but they were the right scale for the card.  If I get the order, I'll find a better option.  I also debated layering the copper on more black as I find it is kind of floating.  I can easily change the embossing and the sentiment to provide a variety of cards.  I'm quite pleased with this card and regardless of whether I get the order or not, this was a fun card to craft.

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

Gisèle

Pretty, Purple And Plaid

Hello everyone,

Today's birthday card is all about purple.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on dark and light textured purple papers also of unknown origin (likely Bazzill).  The sentient is Serendipity stamped in Stampin' Up Elegant Eggplant on Recollections White and layered on more dark and light textured purple.  The butterfly is die cut with Sizzix Bold Butterfly Framelits from Ranger alcohol inked glossy paper and highlighted with Wink of Stella Clear 999.  The embellishment is Darice Gems.

I was so taken with the colours in this plaid paper there was no way I wasn't going to use it for a card in this series.  I really wanted to play up this plaid so chose to use a striking sentiment.  I have tons of butterfly options in my stash so it's pretty inevitable that at least a few would end up in this series.  I couldn't believe that I had a piece of alcohol inked purple paper that coordinated so perfectly with plaid.  It certainly speaks to the colours that I'm drawn to and the obscene amount of stuff I've got on hand.

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

Gisèle

Fall Texture

Hello everyone,

Today's post uses an embossing folder that I also picked up this past Saturday.

The background layers are Stampin' Up Crushed Curry textured with Darice Fall Leaves Swirl embossing folder and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen, Gina K Chocolate Brown and a textured rust of unknown origin (likely Bazzill).  The printed paper was made using the shaving cream technique with Stampin' Up Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango and River Rock ink on Recollections Vanilla, die cut with DoCrafts X Cut Leaves and highlighted with Wink of Stella Clear 999.  The sentiment is Avery Elle So Happy stamped in Dusty Durango on Recollections Vanilla.

These die cut leaves are amazing!  With a little bit of glitter (which doesn't show up in the photo), they are just about over the top.  I knew, as soon as I SPI'd this embossing folder, I'd be taking it home.  It's a folder that I will use over and over.  I don't often pair yellow and brown together but in this case, I really wanted a bit of pop.  I think it grounds what is actually a pretty busy card.  You can't see it but I've actually put another leaf inside the card.  I had planned to use all five (odd numbers) die cut leaves but couldn't find a way to make it work.  I then realized that the sentiment panel makes up the odd numbered element and I'm quite happy!

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

Gisèle