Vintage Vines

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another really feminine thinking of you card.

The card base is Close To My Heart Colonial White.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up layered on Soft Suede and Pink Pirouette.  The sentiment is Just Rite Large Fancy Sentiments stamped in Soft Suede on Colonial White and layered a piece of Pink Pirouette that was cut from Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 10 die.  The ribbon is Dashes, Dots and Checks.

This is another piece of Stampin' Up designer series paper that I found in my stash but couldn't figure out the collection from which it came.  I love the vines of roses because they are so delicate and absolutely perfect for a feminine card.  The colour combination is also wonderful and because it's Stampin' Up, it was easy to find coordinating solid papers.  The vintage style of the paper inspired me to affix the sentiment like an old fashioned picture.  It's a wonderful result.

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

Gisèle

Colourful Doodles

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the last of twenty cards I designed for my girlfriend and I to craft for a recent charity crop.  It was ambitious to hope a beginner card maker would be able to craft twenty cards in eight hours on a Friday night.  We actually managed to get all but two done.

The printed paper is Momenta Amylee Weeks layered on Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black and Garden Green.  The image and sentiment is Stampin' Up Happy Moments stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Whisper White, coloured with Tombow 098, 443, and 835, and layered on more Basic Black.  The ribbon is Michael's Dashes, Dots and Checks.

I love the simple doodles of this sheet of printed paper.  The colours are straightforward and pretty.  It works great with this doodled stamp.  I debated the colouring but figured with images this easy, it couldn't be too disastrous.  I wasn't too sure about the ribbon at first but the plaid with the doodled images seemed to go together all right.  I can't explain why but I like it.

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

Gisèle

Garden Thoughts

Hello everyone,

Today I'm posting a card that is part of a series of note cards I crafted for a friend of my mother's.  I posted the Christmas card I crafted for this set a couple of weeks back.

The printed paper is Momenta Amylee Weeks layered on Stampin' Up Basic Black.  The image is Inkadinkado Garden Greetings stamped in Pear Pizzazz on Recollections White, highlighted with Wink of Stella Clear 999, and layered on more Basic Black.  The ribbon is Dashes, Dots & Checks.

I decided with this series to try to use some images that I've had for even but don't use that often.  In this particular case, this is a set which I picked up years ago and really have not played with it all that much.  I picked it for this paper because I felt the line drawing of the flower and butterfly spoke really well with the line drawings in the paper.  It also is a great image for highlighting with my Wink of Stella pen.  I love the black, white and green colour combination.  It is bright and fresh, and I've used many, many times.

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

Gisèle

Bloomin' Birthday

Hello everyone,

I have a couple of friends whose birthdays are just around the corner so while I was in Birthday card mode, I thought I'd see what I could craft.

The printed paper is Stampin' Up Painted Blooms layered on Soft Sky.  The image is Stampin' Up Mother's Love stamped in Wild Wasabi on Recollections White and coloured with Tombow 098, 679, and 772.  The sentiment is Gina Marie All Seasons stamped in Blackberry Bliss on Recollections White and layered on more Soft Sky.  The ribbon is Dashes, Dots & Checks.  The embellishments are Keepsakes Memories.

There are times when you want to go wild and colourful and there are times when you want to go soft and sweet.  This is definitely a soft and sweet card.  My girlfriend is a quietly sweet woman and this card suits her perfectly.  This has to be one of my favourite Stampin' Up papers of all time.  The watercolour style is extremely forgiving making it perfect for this two-step stamp.  I am also quite enamored with this Gina Marie set of sentiments.  It is so versatile and goes with virtually every style of card.

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

Gisèle

Blue Heureuse Retraite

Hello everyone,

Today's charity sale card is a French retirement card.

The printed and solid papers are Generations Pretty Simple Primary Color Collection.  The sentiment is Bonnidee French Wording #1 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White.  The ribbon is Dashes, Dots & Checks and Offray.  The printed paper is highlighted with Silver Stickles.

Like all the earlier cards in this series, it's a pretty simple and straightforward card.  I figured it would work well for either a female or male retirement.  It strikes me as rather impersonal for a retirement as I usually like to creative something more custom but I think this would do as a last minute, in a pinch card.

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

Gisèle

Chalked Christmas

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card is a chalked fooler card.

The printed paper is Little Yellow Bicycle Making Merry layered on Stampin' Up Ridinghood Red.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Christmas Messages stamped in Basic Grey on Whisper White, highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen and layered on more Ridinghood Red.  The ribbon is Dashes, Dots & Checks.  The embellishment is Jolee's Boutique.

I call this a fooler card because it looks like a chalkboard but it's not.  I love the look but have no interest at all in applying the technique on my cards.  I just don't get how the chalk doesn't smudge.  Like yesterday's card, this paper has a great scale for cards, that's the beauty of the 6x6 paper pads.  I love the pop from the ribbon and adding the holly die cut was inspired by the little image in the top left corner.

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

Gisèle

Baby Boy Critters

Hello everyone,

Once I'd dispensed with the grey and yellow, I decided to go full on baby with this paper I'd had in my stash since last summer.

The printed paper is Echo Park Bundle Of Joy It's A Boy layered on a textured Bazzill blue.  The horizontal strip is Stampin' Up Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Teeny Tiny Wishes stamped in Early Espresso on Whisper White and layered on more textured blue.  The ribbon is Dashes, Dots & Checks.

A traditional baby card!  Yea!  This is the greatest baby paper.  The colours are really wonderful giving lots and lots of different options.  This one was a breeze and a joy to craft!

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

Gisèle

Pretty In Pink

Hello everyone,

As you can see, I didn't get quite enough of 'Christmas In July'.

The printed paper is Bazzill Basics Holiday Style Merry Mix layered on Stampin' Up Melon Mambo and Lucky Limeade.  The image and sentiment are Verve Bright Spirits stamped in Melon Mambo on Whisper White and layered on more Melon Mambo.  The image is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The ribbon is Dashes, Dots and Checks.  The embellishments are Recollections Glitter Adhesive Dots.

I fall more in love with this paper each time I use it!  The bright colours and simple line images are wonderful.  It's easy to craft really awesome cards when you've got such great paper to work with.  I wasn't too certain about the embellishments and in hindsight I probably wouldn't have used them like this but would have folded over the corner and used just one small dot.  It needed something however to balance out the element.

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

Gisèle

Sweet Sister

Hello everyone,

Today's card, another in the Loved Ones series, is a full on Stampin' Up card.

The printed paper is Stampin' Up Bella Rose layered on Lucky Limeade.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Loved Ones stamped in Riding Hood Red on Whisper White, layered on Riding Hood Red and Lucky Limeade and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The ribbon is Michael's Dashes, Dots and Checks.  The embellishments are Pebbles Pearl Candy Dots.

I love this card!  It has such a classic 50s feel to it.  I've always loved these roses.  I was so happy to find this ribbon in my stash as it works so perfectly with this paper.  It's rare for me to do such an overwhelming Stampin' Up card but I couldn't resist.  This card had to have a really simple layout because the paper is so busy.  Though I can't imagine either of my sisters would like this particular card, it's a little to frou frou for them, I know there is a sister out there who'd love it.

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

Gisèle 

Be Mine

Hello everyone,

As usual things rather got away from me today.  I pulled out some scraps and just got at it!

The printed paper is Making Memories Love Struck layered on Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler.  The ribbon is Dashes, Dots & Checks.  The sentiment is Gina K Fanciful Tags stamped in Cherry Cobbler on Whisper White.  The embellishments are My Mind's Eye Lost & Found 3 Ruby Enamel Dots.

I didn't think too much about this card before I got going.  Sometimes that works for me as I can really over think things and get totally frustrated.  If I don't think too much and just go for it, the results are usually just fine.  This paper really helped, because it is rather busy, I didn't have to add a lot of extras to make this card work.

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

Gisèle

Niecely Dotted

Hello everyone,

Today I'm posting another of my nieces birthday cards.

The paper is Autumn Leave Fashionfolio (as is the focal oval) and Stampin' Up Pink Passion. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Curly Cute. The ribbon is Michael's Dashes, Dots and Checks. The embellishments are Fire Engine Oregon Raindrops.

I really wanted to craft a cheery and youthful card. I love this card! The pinks and oranges are exactly what I intended and are perfect for one of my young nieces.

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

Gisèle

It's A Boy!

Hello everyone,

Keeping to the baby theme I set for myself this weekend, I put together two cards today. I couldn't resist today's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge so I made a boy card and a girl card (next post). I also was inspired by today's One Stop Craft Challenge to make a monochromatic card for this baby boy card.

The background paper is DCWV Die Cuts With A View Baby Boy. The white strip is Quickutz Quickstripz Manhatten which was scored with a ScorPal. The ribbon is Dashes, Dots and Checks from Michael's. The focal layers are Stampin' Up Bordering Blue and Whisper White. The image is Heidi Grace Baby. The embellishments are Denim Oregon Raindrops.

I just love this card. It is so perfect for a baby boy without being too cutesy.

I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI the baby girl card.

Gisèle

Mother's Day Sketch

Hello everyone,

Today's card is based on Wednesday's Diva Coffee Break Design Sketch. It is one of those sketches that I just find I absolutely have to try. I rarely regret it and today is no exception.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Mellow Moss, textured with Sizzix small dots, and Barely Banana, textured with Sizzix Pattern 1. The 'petals' are punched with Stampin' Up's large oval punch from BasicGrey Wisteria paper. The ribbon is Dashes, Dots and Checks from Michael's. The pearls are an unknown part of my stash but likely from the dollar store. The sentiment is Stampin' Up All Holidays.

I just love this card. It is very spring-like. A lot of the blogs have been asking for 'spring time' cards and I wasn't sure what they meant by it, now I do. I think the colours, textures and proportion on this card worked perfectly - and that is not always the case. If none of my colleagues pick this card up tomorrow, I think I'll put it in my stash for next year.

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

Gisèle

Clean & Simple Celebration

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired by Friday's Clean & Simple Stamping sketch. I love Clean & Simple Stamping, the cards and sketches are always beautiful.

This card base is Close To My Heart Heavenly Blue. The patterned layer is Close To My Heart Top Stitch. The remaining layer is Stampin' Up Very Vanilla stamped with Stampin' Up Polka Dots and Petals. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Wonderful Words. The ribbon is Dashes, Dots & Checks.

I really like this card. The vanilla, chocolate and light blue is always so appealing. I really love this sketch, couldn't resist it actually. The card is clean and simple but also sophisticated. That works for me.

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

Gisèle

Sleigh Bells Ring

Hello everyone,

I can't say that I'm any further ahead today than I was yesterday but I did steal time to make a card. Once again I turned to the 365 Cards blog which asked for a card based on a song.

I've just been looking for an excuse to use this stamp from Close To My Heart. This is from the Magical Season set which is wonderfully whimsical. I embossed the image with my favourite Close To My Heart Silver Pearl embossing powder on top of black StazOn. I used Sakura 3-D glaze pens to colour the image. I also highlighted with a variety of Stickles. The paper is Stampin' Up Whisper White, a dollar store find and a scrap of atd Holiday Cheer. There are three different ribbons - Holiday Bow-tique, Dashes, Dots & Checks and Textured Trios - all of which were found at Michaels. I used four Making Memories eyelets.

I'm quite pleased with this card. It was a much needed fix after not getting an opportunity to be creative yesterday. I can't wait to use more of the Magical Season stamps, they are so fun and cheery, I see so many possibilities.

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

Gisèle

Lost Challenges

Hello everyone,

I'm a former researcher and have been working on-line for a good fifteen years. I now love to surf stamping and card-making sites and probably look at hundreds of blogs each week. I also have some favourite sites that I visit regularly. I often subscribe to those blogs with which I am especially enamoured so updates get sent directly to my email. When I find cards that are particularly appealing I save them to an ideas file. I also bookmark sites that I know I'd like to visit again. Interesting tutorials and helpful reference pages are also bookmarked. When I come across a challenge that looks particularly interesting, I bookmark it and will also mail it to myself so I can easily cross-reference it to I SPI. All this being said, sometime I forget to follow good research principles and come across really interesting things that I can't ever find again. Because I look at so many sites and blogs the chances of finding challenges again are pretty slim. When I try re-researching, I usually just end up finding other very neat things. I would promise that it won't happen again, but that just wouldn't be realistic and frankly sometimes it's fun to get lost on the World Wide Web.

Anyway, there were two challenges over the past week or two that really appealed to me but I can't, for the life of me, find them again. One of the challenges was to use text (not a sentiment) as a design element. The other challenge was to make a card for a child. If anyone has come across either of these challenges, please email them to me and put me out of my misery. Needless to say, I've decided to make the cards anyway. Instead of making a card for each challenge though, I'm going to combine the challenges and make a girl's card and a boy's card.

For the girl's card I used Making Memories Cheeky Collection - Abby paper and scrap Stampin' Up Whisper White and Lovely Lilac. I used the Spellbinders Scallop Rectangle Nestabilities. The ribbon is from the dollar store. The stars are Lovely Lilac punched with the small star punch. The sentiment is Stampin' Up For A Friend. I highlighted here and there with some Star Dust Stickles.


The background paper for the boy's card is DCWV Birthday Stack. The ribbon is Dashes, Dots and Checks. The stars were punched with my Stampin' Up large and small star punches. The sentiment is Stampin' Up It's Your Birthday.

I like these cards and think they are pretty suitable kid cards. The challenges were fun even if I can't link them. I'll have a couple more kid cards tomorrow because I had fun once I got going and couldn't stop at two.

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

Gisèle