Thinking Of Dragonflies

Hello everyone,

Today's post is one of the thinking of you cards I crafted for this latest commissioned series.

The card base is Close To My Heart Hydrangea.  The printed paper is Hot Off The Press Dragonfly Collage.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Wetland stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a white of unknown origin and layered on more Hydrangea.

This is a very simple card which uses the dragonfly as the jumping off point.  I love the shades of purple and blue.  The sentiment is a simple mix of fonts and is a great scale, not only for the card, but the paper punches I have on hand.  I've had quite a bit of success with layering punched pieces recently.  It's a great result.

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

Gisèle

Nutcracker Sweet

Hello everyone,

These last few cards are ones that I crafted in April.  I couldn't help glittering some awesome Christmas cards at that time but decided to save them as the finale of my annual 'Christmas In July' series.

The image is Hot Off The Press Nutcracker Stickers glittered with Martha Stewart Carrara Marble, Charoite, Onyx and Turquoise glitter.  The image is layered on Stampin' Up Lovely Lilac, Basic Black and Tempting Turquoise.  The sentiment is DeNami and is stamped in Lovely Lilac ink.  The embellishments are Doodlebug Spring Assortment mini pearls.

I first got really interested in Christmas nutcrackers a few years ago and look forward to adding to my collection each year.  I couldn't resist these stickers when I came across them, knowing I'd craft something special.  I decided to go a step further and use non-traditional colours for this card and I'm not at all disappointed.  This card turned out so much better than I expected.

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

Gisèle

Thank You Encore

Hello everyone,

Just one more time! I've got a heck of day today and my evening is booked so there won't be any opportunity to craft a card or cards tonight. I decided that I'd post a couple of the thank you cards that I've made the past few days but have not posted.


The background paper is My Mind's Eye Trés Jolie Mon Cheri "Beauty" Floral which is layered on Close To My Heart Cocoa. The image is Stampin' Up Asian Artistry stamped in Nick Bantock Van Dyke Brown and coloured with Faber-Castell Watercolour pencil crayons. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Warmest Regards. The ribbon is of unknown origin from the scrap bin and the embellishments are Hero Arts Pearls.

The background paper is DCWV textured pastel cardstock. The vertical strips are Close To My Heart Chocolate which are textured with Cuttlebug's Perfectly Paisley dry embossing folder. The printed layer is We R Memory Keepers Precious Metal Vintage Brass Crush. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Flight of the Butterfly which is stamped on Very Vanilla and layered on another piece of DCWV textured pastel cardstock. The embellishments are Hot Off The Press Stitched Butterfly stickers applied to the patterned paper and glittered with Glitter Ritz Warm Highlight Transparent Microfine Glitter.

Though these are both lovely cards, I'm not as fussy about them. I think it may be the aged looking paper. The paisley paper wasn't too difficult to coordinate but the flowered paper was. I ended up using my Sakura Gold Shadow pens to make the flower look a little better. Still...

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

Gisèle

Generous Thank You

Hello everyone,

Yet another thank you card today. I found yesterday's Clean & Simple Stamping sketch really appealing so thought I give it a try. Thursday's C.R.A.F.T. challenge was to use a die cut so this card works for this challenge as well.

The printed paper is all BasicGrey Sugar Rush. The solid paper is Stampin' Up Brocade Blue, More Mustard and Very Vanilla. The More Mustard element was cut with a Spellbinders die and embossed with the Cuttlebug Floral Fantasy folder. The flower is a Hot Off The Press Dazzles Flower Stickers applied to a piece of watercolour paper that was smooched with water soluble markers and DecoArt Glamour Dusted.

I have to say, I'm certainly having a lot of fun playing with my BasicGrey paper stash. This is another really cheerful and fun, feminine card. I had crafted the flower a long time ago and I'm so glad I got to use it because not only was it perfect for this sketch but it seems as though the colours were made for this Sugarush paper.

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

Gisèle

Happy New Year

Hello everyone,

I know it's been a while since I've posted but I've not even made a card since New Year's Eve. I came down with kidney stones in the early hours of the new year and it's taken me a week to get it together. I never want to go through that again as long as I live.

I am still so not done with crafting Christmas cards so that is what's on tap for today's card. I used today's Stars and Stamps sketch to get started.

The card base is from Recollections. The paper is all Little Yellow Bicycle 25 Days of Christmas. The sentiment is Papertrey Ink Signature Christmas. The sticker is Hot Off The Press Elegant Holly.

I just love the Little Yellow Bicycle paper. It really is a joy to use and is so rich and elegant, a card comes together easily. I picked up these sentiment stamps because I've seen Susan Raihala use them on her Simplicity blog and just love them.

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

Gisèle

Sweet Gold

Hello everyone,

Every now and again I make a card that absolutely stuns me. This is one of those cards. It is inspired by this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch from Karen Giron.

The red and gold layers are of unknown origin from my paper stash. The red layer has been textured with Sizzix Flourish Texture plate. The black layer is Stampin' Up Basic Black. The images are Hot Off The Press Dazzles Flower stickers that are applied to vellum which was smooshed with Ranger Adirondack alcohol ink.

I love this card. Red, black and gold is such a classic combination. The stickers and the coloured velum turned out better than I expected. I just love it when that happens! I played with adding a sentiment - something heat embossed in gold or black but in the end decided I liked the impact of the three images as they are.

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

Gisèle