Colourful Hexagons

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great neutral 'birthday' card.

The card base is Stampin’ Up Smoky Slate.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Recollections White.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday stamped in Altenew Pure Graphite on Recollections White.  The embellishments are Jolee’s All That Bling Blue Studs.

This is another great piece of printed paper! I consider it a neutral but leaning more to the masculine side.  I absolutely love the different subtle colours of the hexagons.  Grey is a colour that can be tricky but it was a pretty easy choice for this card.  I have used vertical sentiments all that frequently in this commission (don't know why) but I just love it here, sandwiched between simple silver embellishments.

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

Gisèle

Playing Card Cards

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another really fun pair of 'birthday' cards.

The card bases are Stampin’ Up Cherry Cobbler.  The printed papers are Creative Imaginations.  The sentiments are Frantic Stamper stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Stampin’ Up Very Vanilla.  The embellishments are Jolee’s All That Bling Dimensional Stickers and Close To My Heart Enamel Hearts.

These are some more scraps that I couldn't resist using for this commission.  We love playing cards (and dominos) so I have assumed there are folks in the seniors' residence who are avid card players and will get a kick out of receiving these birthday cards.  It was pretty easy to coordinate colours and I got a kick out of using these diamond and heart embellishments.  These are great results!

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

Gisèle

Splashy Thanks

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the last 'thank you' card I crafted for a recent commission.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a green Bazzill and a bright blue of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Verve Amazing Wishes stamped in Altenew Starlight on Recollections White and layered on more Bazzill green and bright blue.  The embellishments are Jolee's All That Bling Variety Studs.

I've always love this piece of paper.  It reminds me of a splash of water.  The layout is not dissimilar to other cards in the commission.  I used the blue strip on the right side to anchor the oval sentiment.  The silver stud embellishments speak to the small circles in the printed paper.  It's a pretty decent result.

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

Gisèle

Vertical Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a very pretty French birthday card.

The card base is Stampin' Up So Saffron.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up Sweet Pea layered on Stampin' Up Rose Red.  The sentiment is Bonnidèe French Greetings #2 stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso.  The embellishments are Jolee's All That Bling dimensional stickers.

This is another fairly old piece of Stampin' Up designer series paper.  It was actually a pad of paper with a wide variety of designs.  It's always been a favourite!  I love this butterfly, from which all the colours were drawn.  With all this blank space, it was a perfect opportunity to use the vertical 'happy birthday' sentiment.  It took me a fair bit to find just the right embellishments.  I think these pink metal dots in various sizes work perfectly!  It's a great result.

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

Gisèle

Mad Science Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the last of the cards I've crafted as part of my brother and his girlfriend's Christmas package.

The card base is Recollections White.  The images are Jolee's Boutique Beakers & Test Tube Repeat layered on more Recollections White and Close To My Heart Sky.  The sentiment is Altenew Birthday Builder stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.

My brother is a specialized science librarian so I couldn't resist crafting him a science card.  This card is actually going to drive him crazy because the images are on an angle, not in straight rows - thus the 'mad' title!  This is actually the second version of the card.  When I finished the first attempt I realized it was upside down!  If I really wanted to disturb my brother I would have left it but I just couldn't live with it!  This is a very basic card but I actually really love the simplicity.

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

Gisèle

Teacher Thank You II

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the second teacher thank you card in this series.

The card base is Paper Accents mirrored silver.  The printed paper is DCWV Rock Star Stack.  The sentiment is Stampin' up Another Thank You stamped in Altenew Dusk on Recollections White and layered on more silver, Recollection White and Close To My Heart Peacock.  The embellishments are Jolee's All That Bling Dimensional Stickers.

This card is particularly special for my girlfriend's family as it's for a teacher who took a special interest in the boys and is now retiring.  Teaching is truly a vocation and it's wonderful to hear of a teacher who imparted an amazing legacy.  My special teacher was Miss Corey in grade five.  We kept in touch for a good 25-30 years until she passed away a few years ago and I was truly affected by the  loss.  I hope this special silver card will do justice to this amazing teacher.

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

Gisèle

Doggone Thanks

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a special thank you card.

The card base is a white Bazzill.  The photo is layered on a silver and a blue DCWV Foiled Cardstock and more white Bazzill.  The sentiment is Recollections stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on more white Bazzill.  The embellishment is Jolee's All That Bling.

We recently bought a new car and it was a fantastic experience.  The dealer is one we've dealt with for many, many years and is a fantastic guy as is his team.  I couldn't resist taking this photo of my handsome Juno in the front seat, sitting there so proud, handsome and ready to go!  It's makes for the perfect thank you card!

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

Gisèle

Sweet Santa V

Hello everyone,

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

 



The card bases are Stampin' Up Mint Macaron.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up Home For Christmas.  The printed paper on the left-side card is layered on a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Impression Obsession Christmas Sentiments stamped in Altenew Jet Black on a white of unknown origin and layered on Real Red.  The embellishment is Jolee's Boutique Christmas Candy Cane Repeats Dimensional Stickers.  The printed paper on the right-side card is layered on Real Red and Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Impression Obsession Christmas Sentiment stamped in Early Espresso on a white of unknown origin and layered on more Early Espresso.  The ribbon is Multicrafts and the embellishment is a Maildor Cooky sticker.

This is another really cute pair of cards.  All the layouts in this series are pretty straightforward.  There were just too many cards to craft really complex cards (not that my cards are all that complex).  I love the bit of sparkle incorporated in the candy cane embellishment and the reindeer sticker is perfect for a teacher card.

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

Gisèle

Daisy Thank You

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a lovely delicate floral thank you card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Wisteria Wonder.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Close To My Heart Honey and a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Impression Obsession Greeting die, cut from Close To My Heart Honey.  The metal butterfly embellishment is of unknown origin.  A Jolee's Boutique Swarovski crystal was affixed to the butterfly.

 This card is little more traditional and even a little on the vintage side.  I love the random daisies and they are the perfect scale for this sized card.  It took me a bit to find a card base colour that worked and I wouldn't normally choose a purple but the daisy petals have a hint of purple and with the white layer, I thought it worked really well.  Though you can't really tell, I used the crystal to hide a brad hole because I forgot to add a brad before I'd adhered the paper panel to the card.  It works!

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

Gisèle

Candy Cane Season

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another really fun non-traditional Christmas card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Bermuda Bay.  The printed paper is American Crafts Holiday layered on a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday stamped in Stampin' Up Real Red on a white of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Jolee's All That Bling Dimensional Stickers.

I was so happy with Wednesday's pink card that I thought another non-traditional card was in order.  After finding this funky candy cane paper, I knew I could come up with a pretty neat card.  As I've mentioned before, I'm not crazy about images in rows for cards because it often just doesn't work.  In this case, the scale of the images is small enough for cards and that the rows are irregular is just perfect.  The card base doesn't coordinate perfectly with the blue background but it's not bad either.  I love the result.

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

Gisèle

Camouflage Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's birthday card is totally masculine.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Crumbcake.  The sentiment is Flonz Happy Birthday stamped on Recollections Vanilla with Altenew Lava Rock and layered on more Crumbcake.  The embellishments are Jolee's All That Bling Bronze Studs.

I'm a military brat so I have a funny thing for camouflage.  When I came across this piece of paper it was inevitable that I'd craft a card with it.  I thought it would be great for one of the senior's residence cards as it's highly likely there's a former military veteran in residence who'd appreciate this card.  It's a very simple card that turned out really well.

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

Gisèle

Lucky Layers

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a 'good luck' card that doesn't thrill me.  Never make a card when you're tired!

The vertical panel is a piece of Brusho painted watercolour paper layered on Stampin' Up Night of Navy, highlighted wit Ranger Alcohol ink Silver Mixative.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word layered on more Night of Navy and Recollections green.  The embellishments are Jolee's All That Bling Dimensional Variety Studs Stickers.  The card is highlighted with Platinum Liquid Pearls.

It's been a long time since I crafted a card that I'm really not crazy about.  There isn't a whole lot about this card that I like and the more I tried to do so I would like it, the worse it seemed to get.  NEVER MAKE A CARD WHEN YOU'RE TIRED.

Gisèle

Sprigs Of Holly

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card is full of holly.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Bazzill green.  The sentiment is Bonnidee C'est Noel stamped in Altenew Olive on Stampin' Up Very Vanilla.  The ribbon is Crafts.  The embellishment is Jolee's Boutique Holly Repeats.

It's inevitable that when I'm in Christmas card mode, I'll craft some holly cards.  I found a pretty decent size scrap of this holly paper from the Crop A While donations.  I decided to use the sole vertical French Christmas sentiment is my stash because I didn't want to cover up any more of this great paper than necessary.  This sentiment is not too wide and it is the perfect scale for this size card.  The ribbon and stickers add just that extra bit of sparkle that make this a really great, if somewhat simple, Christmas card.

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

Gisèle

Nutcracker In Red

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another nutcracker Christmas card.

The image is Tattered Lace Nutcracker die cut from a mirrored red of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Magenta stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The embellishment is Jolee's Boutique Christmas Holly Repeats.

How much more different could this nutcracker card be from yesterday's?  So clean and simple yet with one heck of an impact!  Just three elements in a simple layout, it couldn't be an easier card to craft.  I borrowed this French sentiment from my girlfriend and with this size and scale couldn't be a better fit for this die cut.  I will, most certainly be crafting more of these cards.

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

Gisèle

Perfect Plaid II

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another masculine plaid card.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow and Basic Black.  The Mossy Meadow layer was textured with Cuttlebug's Swiss Dots embossing folder.  The sentiment is Gina K Labeled With Love stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on an ivory of unknown origin.  The embellishment is Jolee's Boutique Metallic Ornaments Stickers.

In addition to crafting some great masculine plaid cards with this paper, I decided to only use sentiments from this particular Gina K set.  It is a great stamp set with a variety of sentiments that all work well for masculine cards.  I came across this sticker when I was looking for a cardinal for Sunday's card and thought it would be perfect for this masculine Christmas card.  I love the result.

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

Gisèle

Simply Situated

Hello everyone,

Today's one sheet wonder card could be a little strange to some.

The printed paper is Stampin' Up Home For Christmas layered on Mossy Meadow and Bazzill Cardinal red.  The sentiment is Impression Obsession Triangle Trees stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The embellishment is Jolee's Boutique Embellished Trees.

I couldn't not craft a card in this series without stamping a horizontal sentiment on the vertical.  I can't quite figure out why I like doing this so much.  I came across this set of stitched and sequined felt trees when I found yesterday's wreath sticker.  It's a little more folksy than the more sophisticated holly paper but I thought with the simple font of the sentiment and the reds of the trees it would work just fine.  I actually really like the contrast.

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

Gisèle

Christmas Wishes

Hello everyone,

After a bit of a break to do some gardening work, I'm back with some great Christmas cards.

The printed paper is Stampin' Up Home For Christmas layered on Mossy Meadow and Bazzill Cardinal red.  The Mossy Meadow layer was textured with Embossalicious Die'sire Holiday Holly embossing folder.  The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Very Vanilla and layered on more Cardinal.  The sticker is Jolee's Boutique Christmas Stockings Repeat.

The next few posts are one sheet wonder cards that I started crafting at a recent day long crop.  I didn't get as much done (only five cards and some painting) as I'd hoped, but I don't think you ever do at these types of events.  Regardless, I'm very happy with these cards.  This holly paper is utterly gorgeous and really got my creativity flowing.  It's holly so that just puts me in a happy place.

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

Gisèle

Glittering Sweet Set

Hello everyone,

When I was looking for embellishments for the French Christmas cards I came across a couple of sets of stickers and chip board that I'd picked up for a beginners card making class.  I decided to use up the leftovers for a couple of quick and easy sets of Christmas cards for the charity card sale at work.

The stickers are Me & My Big Ideas Mambi Chips.  Embellishments include Christmas Red, Silver and Crystal Ice Stickles, EK Success Shimmering Silver Dots, and Jolees All That Bling Red Studs.

I wanted to show a group of beginner card makers that you could craft some beautiful Christmas cards with some great stickers and plain card bases that can be found at your local craft store.  No tools or techniques are needed.  The best thing, each card took only minutes to craft.

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

Gisèle

Silver Snow

Hello everyone,

I couldn't believe I found this big piece of scrap in the Kaisercraft envelope.

The printed paper is Kaisercraft Just Believe.  The sentiment is Bonnidee C'est Noël stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections Vanilla and layered on Recollections Silver.  The embellishments are Jolee's All That Bling Round Silver Studs.

I was playing with a ton of elements when I was doing the dry run for a layout and was having a terrible time finding bits and pieces that appealed.  When I finally stopped messing around and just looked down, I realized that all that was needed was this one piece of paper and a few pieces of silver bling.  This, to me, is a perfect card!

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

Gisèle

Another Post Card Christmas

Hello everyone,

Today's card uses an element that I'd planned to use on yesterday's Christmas card.

The background image is Stampendous Christmas Background stamped in Stampin' Up Ridinghood Red on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Recollections Vanilla.  The stamp image is Stampin' Up Merry & Type also stamped in Ridinghood Red on Recollections Vanilla, layered on more Recollections Vanilla, and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishment is Jolee's Boutique Candy Cane Repeats.

My original intention with this particular background element was to layer it on the printed paper from yesterday's card but it was way, way too busy.  I've become rather enthralled with layering the same colour papers together and when I tried it with this card, I just fell in love.  I thought using this Merry & Type image as a stamp was utterly inspired!

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

Gisèle