Pretty Floral Wishes

Hello everyone,

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

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin’ Up Pool Party and More Mustard and an ivory of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Happy Birthday stamped in Stampin’ Up Early Espresso on more ivory of unknown origin.  The ribbon is of unknown origin and the embellishments are Doodlebug Mini Pearls.

This is another simple floral birthday card.  I love the paper because it reminds me of vintage floral fabric.  The layout again is one I've used often though angling the sentiment is a little different and I really like it!  The ribbon is maybe a little more stark than I'd like the but the blue works with the background and the brown matches the ink colour.  It's a great result!

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

Blue Suited Thanks

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a great blue 'thank you' card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a white of unknown origin and Stampin' Up Bordering Blue.  The Bordering Blue layer was textured with Stampin' Up's Square Lattice embossing folder.  The sentiment is cut with a Lawn Fawn die from Recollections White.  The embellishments are Doodlebug boy assortment mini pearls.

This card is completely inspired by a man's suit.  I love the tone on tone blues with hints of crisp white.  I didn't originally plan to embossing the Bordering Blue layer but the texture made all the difference overall.  The blue pearls are, of course, representative of buttons.  It's not that much of a stretch!

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

Gisèle

A Pair of Trees

 Hello everyone,

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

The card bases are Recollections White.  The printed papers are Doodlebug Santa Express and one of unknown origin.  The printed papers are layered on a red and a green Recollections.  The sentiment is Sweet & Sassy Seasonal Wreaths stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more red and green.  The tree embellishment is Recollections.

As these cards won't be mailed it was a perfect opportunity to add these somewhat more bulky embellishments.  I love these glitter trees!  The layout is very standard but it really works.  I love the font of this sentiment and am rather kicking myself that I didn't start playing with it years ago.  Both cards are so happy, I just love them!

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

Gisèle

Peacock Feather Sympathy

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another sympathy card in the series I've been crafting.

The card base is Recollection Vanilla.  The printed paper is Close To My Heart Magnifique layered on Close To My Heart Colonial White and Pacifica.  The sentiment is Stamp Barn stamped in Altenew Desert Night on Colonial White and layered on more Pacifica.  The embellishments are Doodlebug boy assortment mini pearls.

This is another Close To My Heart paper collection that I just love.  The blues and creams are beautiful and the layers of images are very appealing.  The layout is another familiar one, with the sentiment in the design sweet spot.  I can't seem to resist these small banner embellishments.  It's a great result.

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

Gisèle

Critter Thank You

Hello everyone,

Today I'm posting a custom gift tag that a colleague request for her daycare.

The base is Stampin' Up Pear Pizzazz.  The printed paper is Doodlebug "At The Zoo" Zoo Friends layered on a blue of unknown origin.  The sentiment and text are a Microsoft Word font printed on regular printer paper and layered on more blue and Pear Pizzazz.  The image is free clip art layered on more blue.

My colleagues kids will both be in school in a few weeks and so they'll be saying goodbye to their daycare.  She's gifting them some fancy pastries and requested a special tag.  This is a simple design starting with a 6X6 base which a 3/4" fold that has double-sided tape.  All she needs to do is place it on the box.  It took me a bit to find some suitable printed paper but I think these cute little critters do the trick.  She love the results and I hope the daycare does as well.

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

Gisèle

Bottom's Up

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a non-holiday wine bottle tag that was commissioned by the mother of a colleague who I had the pleasure of meeting when I was a vendor at a small Christmas show in early December.

The printed paper is Doodlebug "Polar Pals" Ski Sweater layered on Close To My Heart Lagoon and Recollections White.   The medallion was punched from more Close To My Heart Lagoon as well as Thistle using Martha Stewart's Double Loop Punch Around The Page set.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word layered on more Lagoon.  The ribbons are Craftsmart and Multicrafts.

I have to say it was so much fun to craft a bottle tag that wasn't holiday themed.  Besides the sentiment, the only element requested was the medallion so I chose a piece of paper with colours that I really love.  The new light/dark sided Close To My Heart solid paper coordinated beautifully with the colours in the printed paper.  It was also pretty easy to choose a couple of ribbons that worked.  I was going to add another embellishment but couldn't figure out a good placement so decided to just forgo.  In the end, it wasn't needed anyway.

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

Gisèle

Bold Sentiment

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another commissioned birthday card that has a marker coloured image.

The image is Hero Arts Native Grass coloured with Tombow 076, 373 and 452 and stamped on Recollections vanilla.  The image is layered on Quickutz Tropical Quick Strips.  The sentiment is Inkadinkado Calligraphy Celebration stamped in Altenew Olive.  The embellishments are Doodlebug Spring and Boy mini pearls.

This is an image on which I often apply marker.  It's a very simple image that is easy to stamp.  I love the contrast between the small image and the big, bold sentiment. I think I did pretty well with the embellishment placement. I wish I wonder if it's as random as it seems or if there is a method to the placement that I just don't get.

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

Gisèle

Bouquet Of Blue

Hello everyone,

Today's birthday card is another coloured bouquet of roses.

The image is Hero Arts Delicate Rose Stems stamped in StazOn Olive Green on Recollections white and coloured with Chameleon BL3 and BG4 markers.  The image is layered on a shimmery aqua and light blue of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Gina K Tag Line stamped in Altenew Pure Graphite.  The embellishments are Doodlebug Spring mini pears.

This colouring is probably as close to perfection as I'll ever achieve.  The colour gradients couldn't have worked better.  There are virtually no visible shading lines as the ink moves from light to dark.  I wish I could figure out how to do this with the other markers I've collected over the years...

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

Gisèle

Blossoms In Pink

Hello everyone,

Today's birthday card post is much different from yesterday's card and much more in my usual style.

The image is Stampin' Up Too Kind stamped in Altenew Crimson, Moss and Rouge on Recollections White and layered on Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow.  The sentiment is from an unknown Stampin' Up set stamped in StazOn Olive on Whisper White and layered on a pink of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Doodlebug Baby Boy mini pearls.

I absolutely love this simple card.  These flowers are another two-step stamp set that I really enjoy using.  It's very straightforward so making the impressions are not too difficult.  I found using the Altenew ink sets worked especially well.  I've previously placed the sentiment on an angle in earlier cards and liked it so much I decided to do it again for this card.  I'm just as happy with the result this time around.

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

Gisèle

Season Of Beauty

Hello everyone,

The next few posts will be charity cards that are crafted with some spectacular material donated by a very generous local scrapbooking shop - Crop A While.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Bazzill white and Close To My Heart Twilight.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Clear Stamp Set stamped in Twilight on Recollections white and layered on Stampin' Up Whisper White.  The embellishment is Doodlebug Frosty Flakes Braddies.

I know it's Spring and today's temperatures are quite warm but when I cam across this beautiful piece of paper, I just had to craft a winter card.  I was thinking it would be a perfect masculine or neutral holiday card.  It's so soft and simple.  These are the types of cards I just love to craft.

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

Gisèle

Shades of Green

Hello everyone,

After taking a bit of a weekend break, I thought it would be smooth sailing as I crafted today.  Not so much really!

The background image is Stampin' Up Watercolor Wash stamped in Pearl Pizzazz.  The focal image is Stampin' Up Just Believe stamped in Mossy Meadow on Very Vanilla and layered on more Very Vanilla.  The sentiment is Sweet Essentials stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The embellishments are Doodlebug Mini Pearls.

My original plan was to use a kraft card base and over stamp the image over the background then heat emboss in white.  After two attempts, I had to change my plan.  This is the fourth attempt because the image panel is actually a cover-up because I totally smooshed the sentiment.  I loved the concept but my executive was way off.  I think it has been salvaged fairly well.  I love the idea and I'm going to try again - I just have to figure out how to make it work.

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

Gisèle

Butterflies Three

Hello everyone,

Today's feminine French birthday card has taken me days to craft.  Not so much fun!

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a shimmery brushed gold also of unknown origin.  The images are Altenew Painted Butterflies stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso and More Mustard, and Close To My Heart Blush on a Vanilla of unknown origin.  The butterflies were die cut from the coordinating Altenew die.  The sentiment is Bonnidee French Wording #1 stamped in Early Espresso on more Vanilla and layered on more brushed gold.  The embellishments are Doodlebug mini pearls.

Finding inks that worked with this flower almost drove me insane.  I finally had to put this card aside otherwise it would have ended up in the garbage.  I finally settled on More Mustard and Blush and I think it works well.  I used the second impression on the butterfly in the bottom right to make it a little more pale and I think its pretty good.  The Blush isn't as much of a contrast as I'd hoped but sometimes, you just have to settle.

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

Gisèle

Butterfly Beauty

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a card that I crafted for the many people who help my girlfriend and I with the charity crop we are hosting at the end of February.

The card base is Studio G.  The butterfly is Joy! Crafts Floral Flourishes 6003/0006 die cut from a sheet of glossy paper smooshed with a variety of Ranger alcohol ink then stamped with StazOn Midnight Blue.  The sentiment is Sentimentally Yours Creative Expressions Scribbled Sentiments stamped in Close To My Heart Outdoor Denim.  The embellishments are Doodlebug Baby Boy mini pearls.

I love this beautiful bold butterfly!  It uses some of the smooshed paper I played with a few weeks ago.  I have had, and continue to have, a lot of fun with this paper.  I'm especially pleased with how this sentiment works with the border of the card base.  Overall this is a very simple card taking advantage of a great bold butterfly die cut.

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

Gisèle

Prettiest Paisleys

Hello everyone,

Today's post uses more yellow.  It's pretty but its yellow.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Whisper White and Bashful Blue and a solid yellow also of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Creative Expressions Amazing Sentiments stamped in Wild Wasabi on Whisper White and layered on more yellow.  The butterfly is also punched from the unknown yellow.  The embellishments are Doodlebug mini pearls.

For a crafter so afraid of yellow, I used it a lot in this latest series of cards.  I picked up this paper because it was cheerful and I love paisley.  I have not used it all that often because of the yellow but there is enough blue and green that I don't always feel the need for yellow.  Part of my design strategy in these cards was to use up some scraps.  That's probably why there have been so many yellow cards.  My girlfriend actually turned this card into a baby card thanks to a fellow cropper who had a great baby sentiment.  It was a great baby card too.

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

Gisèle

Tri-Fold Paisley Thoughts

Hello everyone,

I just couldn't resist crafting a couple of more tri-fold cards.

The card base is Recollections Vanilla.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up Spice Cake layered on Pool Party.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Best Wishes stamped in Soft Suede on Recollections Vanilla.  The embellishments are Doodlebug mini pearls.

This card is for my grandmother who has had some medical issues over the last while.  I've crafted her a couple of 'thinking of you' cards just to let her know that she's on my mind.  She was an incredible crafter and in particular, a quilter.  I thought she'd really enjoy this tri-fold card because it's evocative of a quilt.  This printed paper strikes me as vintage and I think she'll really like it.

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

Gisèle

Painted Poinsettia

Hello everyone,

Today's charity Christmas card is one of those that just amazed me once I'd finished it.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Soft Suede.  The image is Sweet 'n Sassy Poinsettias stamped on Soft Suede in VersaMark, clear heat embossed, painted with LuminArte Olive Vine and Poppy Red Twinkling H2Os, and highlighted with yellow Sakura Gelly Roll pen.  The sentiment is also Sweet 'n Sassy Poinsettias stamped in Soft Suede on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Soft Suede.  The embellishments are Doodlebug mini pearls.

For some unfathomable reason, I've never clear heat embossed then painted Soft Suede.  It's absolutely amazing!  It has some really incredible depth that you just don't find with white and vanilla.  I've little doubt I'll be trying this on other coloured cardstock, if only to see what happens.  This stunning embossed and painted poinsettia is amazing against the printed paper.  One of those cards I could craft over and over again.

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

Gisèle

Blossoms In Orange

Hello everyone,

I'm not usually all that fussy on dots but I found this donated scrap appealing.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow.  The images are Stampin' Up Garden In Bloom stamped in Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, and Mossy Meadow, and Close To My Heart Sunset on Whisper White.  The sentiment is Avery Elle Oh Happy Day stamped in Mossy Meadow.  The embellishments are Doodlebug assorted mini pearls and Keepsakes Memories.

I find dots can sometimes be a challenge because its can be hard not to make them appear off once the paper is cut.  These dots are a great scale for a card and I love the colours.  The two-step flowers are always a favourite as is this layout.  I had to mix up the embellishments because I didn't have enough of one type for all the flowers but it worked out wonderfully.  It's a great result.

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

Gisèle

Blossoms Of Blue

Hello everyone,

Now that I've used all the yellow card bases, it's time to move on to the bright green ones.  Again, what the heck was I thinking!

The textured card base is DCWV.  The patterned papers are Cosmo Cricket DeLovely layered with Stampin' Up Whisper White.  The images are Stampin' Up Stippled Blossoms stamped in Marina Mist, Baja Breeze, Nick Bantock Chartreuse Leaf, and Close To My Heart Sweet Leaf.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Curly Cute stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The embellishments are Doodlebug mini pearls.

While this printed paper is not an absolute match to the card base, the tone works extremely well, especially layered with white.  I can't quite figure why I love the printed paper so much yet the green card base I'm less than excited about?  I played with a number of images before settling on this favourite two-step stamp.  I was easily able to match the blue colours of the image with those in the paper.  The blue rather calms all that bright green I think.

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

Gisèle

Sunburst of Butterflies

Hello everyone,

Today's charity card is somewhat outside of my comfort zone.

The textured card base is DCWV.  The printed paper is Momenta Patty Young Designs layered on Close To My Heart Smoothie.  The images are Stampin' Up Kinda Eclectic stamped in Barely Banana and Blush Blossom on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Smoothie.  The butterflies were highlighted with Illuminate ink.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Express Yourself stamped in Pear Pizzazz and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishments are Doodlebug mini pearls and Queen & Company Shamrock Green pearls.

A girlfriend recently remarked that I don't often use images on my cards.  She's right, I really favour printed papers, layers and great sentiments.  I decided it was time to see what I could do with some of the images I have in my stash.  This particular Stampin' Up set was recently acquired because I loved the rows of dots.  I thought it worked exceptionally well with this printed paper.  The butterflies were a pretty easy pick as I've loads of butterfly stamps.  The sunburst though made me wonder what the heck I was thinking!  I'm not particularly fond of yellow as I find it so very hard to work with and have very limited yellow inks available.  In this particular case I'm very grateful for the retired ink pads I've not unloaded.  I love the results!

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

Gisèle