Coppered Friend

Hello everyone,

I know I've said this before, but every now and again I craft a card that blows my mind. This is one of those cards. It all started with Friday's Everything Old is New Again Challenge which asked for a technique that we'd not used in a while. That got me thinking to the copper foil technique that I'd last done in the fall. Today's Tuesday Throwdown was dry embossing so I got to wondering how the copper foil would look after going through the Big Shot in a Cuttlebug folder. I then decided that Mercy Kerin's Tuesday Sketch Challenge would be the perfect sketch to showcase the copper.

The background papers are Stampin' Up Ruby Red and BasicGrey Porcelain. There is no brand name on the copper craft foil which has been smooched with Ranger Alcohol Ink and dry embossed with Cuttlebug's Stylized Flowers. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Pocket Silhouette. The embellishments are Rust Oregon Raindrops.

I love this card. When I first saw Heather's Stamping Haven showcase this technique at last October's Creativ Festival in Toronto, I knew I had to try it and bought all the supplies on site. I've not played with it as much as I would have liked so I really did have to experiment somewhat. This means, of course, there will be other cards with inked copper. The foil worked wonderfully in the Cuttlebug folder. I have to say I had a heck of a time photographing this card. The light is the biggest issue and I'm not all that thrilled with the final photo. That doesn't take away from my love of this card. I can't wait to try more.

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

Gisèle

Happy Retirement

Hello everyone,

I just found out that one of my favourite former bosses is retiring so I just had to make her a card. She is one of the sweetest and most lovely women I've ever had the pleasure to meet. Congratulations Ruth, enjoy your much deserved retirement!

The printed paper is Stampin' Up Raspberry Tart. The red paper is Stampin' Up Rose Red which was trimmed with Martha Stewart's Quilted edge punch and highlighted with Smooch Spritz. The white paper is a scrap of Recollections. The image is Stampin' Up Itty Bitty Buds - a former hostess set. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Warmest Regards from 2006.

I used today's Everything Old Is New Again Challenge which provided a sketch from Splitcoaststampers and asked us to use a retired Stampin' Up stamp set.

I just love this card. Though the paper is retired, it is one of my favourites. I love how this card came together. It was a challenge to center the modern label punch on the Rose Red stripe. Regardless, I know that Ruth is going to love it!

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

Gisèle

Punchy Sketch

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired by Friday's Everything Old Is New Again Challenge which was looking for cards that had punched elements. It also provided a great sketch from last week's Clean & Simple Stamping sketch. I used that same sketch for this Father's Day card.

The card base is from Recollections. The image is Stampin' Up Medallion, stamped in Soft Suede, embossed with Close To My Heart Silver Pearl embossing powder, and punched with a small oval punch. The background layers are Stampin' Up Bashful Blue, Barely Banana and Pale Plum, cut with a large oval and textured with Cuttlebug's Victoria dry embossing folder. The ribbon is Sheer Creations from Michaels. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Warm Words.

I really can't say this card turned out as I had pictured it. I started with my favourite ribbon and built the card from there. I also love the Medallion stamp. Heat embossing the Soft Suede was an experiment which turned out great! I'll definitely use that again. Thinking that if I combined all my favourite things the card would be perfect - not exactly. I don't dislike this card, I just don't love it.

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

Gisèle

Four Father's Day

Hello everyone,

I couldn't wait to get at this card tonight. It combines four challenges. Clean & Simple Stamping provided the sketch, which I flipped. Paper Cutz was looking for a card with a dog or a cat. Stampin' For The Weekend asked for a male card. Everything Old Is New Again was looking for brads. Whew! It's been a long time since I've combined so many challenges in one card. I usually find it really difficult but today, it all came together beautifully.

The card base is Recollections. The bottom layer is Close To My Heart Citrus Leaf. The top layer is Stampin' Up Whisper White. The images are from an unknown stamp set that I bought through Crafters Choice Book Club. The paw prints are heat embossed with Close To My Heart Cocoa embossing powder. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Well Scripted. The brads are Making Memories from Michael's. The ribbon is a dollar store find.

I really like this Father's Day card. It is really quite cute. The green, white and brown are a lovely colour combination without being drab. The only issue I have with this card is that I managed to get a few smudges on it which I find irritating in the extreme.

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

Gisèle

Scrapped Sketch

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired by Friday's Everything Old Is New Again challenge to use only scraps and yesterday's Sketch Saturday. Again, I couldn't resist the challenge of going through my scrap box and I think Sketch Saturday's sketch was just made for scraps.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Ruby Red textured with Sizzix Pattern 1. The brown paper is Stampin' Up Bella Rose. The lighter paper is Stampin' Up Very Vanilla. The four strips were also textured with Sizzix Pattern 1. The patterned paper is a free gift that I got with an order from Scrap 'n Stamp. The image is Stampin' Up Pockette Silhouettes. The sentiment is Hero Arts Thoughtful Messages. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties.

I love this card! I started with the patterned paper and drew everything from there because my scrap was only 1.5" by 5.5". I also found that texturing really added dimension to the scrap pieces. The image and sentiments are favourites of mine. I couldn't not do the Everything Old Is New Again challenge after last week's bonanza. I promise Allison, only one card this week.

Please enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Finished A Third

Hello again!

It's been a very, very productive day. As per Friday's Everything Old Is New Again challenge to finish up some products, I've managed to combine two unfinished pieces into one card. That is certainly not what I planned when I first played around with these elements but I think it actually worked OK.

The card base is the usual Recollections. The designer paper is Stampin' Up Delicate Dots. The blue layer is part of my stash, likely Recollections, and is textured with the Cuttlebug Argyle dry embossing folder. The image is Penny Black paisley pattern. The sentiment is Sweet 'n Sassy Birthday Greetings. The twine is from Stampin' Up. The gems are from the dollar store.

I was playing with the argyle embossing folder and a wooden frame when I made the blue layer. It really didn't do much for me at the time. The image was stamped and coloured eons ago when I was playing with markers. I wish I coloured better.

I really like how this card turned out. I just pulled layers together and if they didn't seem offensive, I just ran with it. Maybe I should run more and think less some days.

Please enjoy and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Finished Another

Hello again everyone,

I love having guilt-free time to craft. I've used three challenges as inspiration for this card. Stamptacular Sunday asked for sugar and spice and everything nice - a girly card. Yesterday's Allsorts challenge was to not use designer paper. Putting together my earlier card for Everything Old Is New Again, I came across a number of unfinished bits that I wanted to use so I'm doing that challenge a second time.


The card base is from Recollections. The purple and green layers are Bazzill Basics Textures card stock scraps. The patterned layered is Local King Rubber Stamps Garden Delight stamped on a piece of glossy card stock and highlighted with Stickles. The yellow layer is an unknown scrap textured with Cuttlebug Floral Fantasy dry embossing folder. The sentiment is Sweet 'n Sassy Birthday Greetings, stamped on Stampin' Up Whisper White then heat embossed with Stampendous Amethyst embossing powder. The ribbon is a dollar store find.

I wasn't all that happy with the image when I first stamped it as it is challenging on glossy paper. The Stickles certainly helped but didn't solve the entire problem. I think the butterfly colours are flat and that's why it's off. Anyway, I didn't want to throw the piece away because it wasn't totally horrid. I do think it works well with the solid layers and I do like how it eventually came together. I also thought it would be difficult to avoid using designer paper but it wasn't at all. Thanks to this large stamp and texture, this card didn't even need anything designer. I like that.

I love the freshness of this card. This is a nice 'spring' birthday card and I can't wait to give it away.

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

Gisèle

Finished Already

Hello everyone,

Happy Easter! Today is my day! Chores are done, obligations are few and my Stamp, Paper and Ink are calling. I get to make cards. What a beautiful day!

Today's card is inspired by Friday's "Everything Old Is New Again" challenge which was to finish a project. I always have a bunch of bits and pieces lying around some are failed projects others are test results for new purchases. Today's card is a test piece that I've been looking at for a couple of months.


The background paper is My Mind's Eye Magnolia. The layers are Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery and Whisper White. The blue element is a piece of textured scrap likely DCWV. The image is Cuttlebug Friends Forever embossing folder. It is highlighted with Cinnamon and Lime Green Stickles. The sentiment is Sweet 'n Sassy Autumn Blessings. The brad is part of an unknown stash likely Making Memories.

I really like this card. I'm glad I finally used the image in a card. I bought the folder because I felt it was perfect for Stickles. I really love how all the colours came together in this card. Once I found the background paper, it really came together easily.

Please enjoy and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Creative Thank You

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired by two challenges with three requirements. Everything Old Is New Again asked that we use a forgotten colouring medium. The Belli Challenge provided a sketch and asked that clips be incorporated.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Sweet Pea designer series paper. The red element is Stampin' Up Ruby Red and was textured with Sizzix Large Dots. The image, Hero Arts Native Grass, was coloured with Stampin' Up Watercolour crayons, spritzed with water and stamped on watercolour paper. The sentiment is Hero Arts Thoughtful Messages. The clips are Keepsakes Memories from Multicrafts. The ribbon is American Crafts Brown Ruffles.

Though not necessarily a fun card perse, I had a great time incorporating these challenges into a single card. I really love the results. The watercolour crayons are very easy to apply directly onto the rubber stamp and the effect is so lovely. It actually makes me feel more like an artist. I'd never used clips before either, I couldn't quite figure them out, but am rather pleased with the results. I'll certainly find a way to incorporate them in future projects.

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

Gisèle