Curler's Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a curler's birthday card crafted as part of this latest commission.

The card base is Stampin' Up Smoky Slate.  The images are Karen Foster Curling stickers adhered to a dark red Bazzill layered on a blue Bazzill.  The sentiment is Avery Elle So Happy stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a white of unknown origin.  The banners were punched from a white of unknown origin and are highlighted with Fabricland silver embellishments.

I really love getting creative with these custom cards.  I find it very rewarding to make something special that takes into account the recipients interests.  Unlike yesterday's card, all the papers selected for this card were coordinated with the stickers.  This card is for a young man so I kept it simple and straightforward.  I'm very pleased with the results.

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

Gisèle

Golfer's Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another card in the commissioned series I've recently crafted.

The card base is Stampin' Up Wild Wasabi.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a white also of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Flonz Happy Birthday stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a white of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Karen Foster Men's Tee Time stickers and silver brads.

I often use stickers on these types of special cards.  In this case I rather liked the neutral background paper as it made it rather easy to find stickers that worked.  I didn't worry all that much about coordinating the colours in the stickers as the rest of the card is so neutral.  It's a pretty decent result.

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

Gisèle

Sporty Congratulations

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for a friend of my daughter who just graduated from University with a sports management program.

The card base is Stampin' Up Smoky Slate.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Double Take stamped on a white of unknown origin with Altenew Forest Glades and Silver Stones.  The sentiment panel is layered on more white and a green of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Paper House 3D stickers, Recollections stickers, Karen Foster Design stickers, and ATD (Momenta) Metallic stickers.

This is a fantastic sporty congratulations card!  I chose really neutral colours so the stickers would be the primary focus.  I include all different types of sports stickers because I wasn't aware of his interest in any single sport.  I think it turned out particularly well.

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

Gisèle

Golfing Father's Day

Hello everyone,

While I was already focused on the golf-theme I decided it was a good time to craft my husband's Father's Day card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Wild Wasabi.  The image is Karen Foster Men's Tee Time Stickers adhered on Stampin' Up Pacific Point and Recollections White.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Delightful Dozen stamped in Pacific Point.  The embellishments are Eyelet Outlet golf ball brads affixed to banners punched from more Pacific Point.

This card turned out so much better than I anticipated.  While choosing coloured card bases isn't terribly difficult, it's not as easy as I think it should be.  I seem to be choosing all the elements before the card base so I find a colour that coordinates reasonably well.  That's a step I don't have to do when using only white or vanilla card bases.  I've also had to keep in mind adding a white panel on the inside of the card so the writing is suitably visible.  I'll get the hang of it!

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

Gisèle

For A Curler

Hello everyone,

This birthday card was a lot of fun to craft.

The background layer are stripes of black, grey, blue and red Bazzill.  The images are Karen Foster Design Curling stickers.  The sentiment is Stampin’ Up It’s Your Birthday stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White.

I knew that one of these card recipients is a 17-year-old male curler so I had a lot of fun crafting something really custom for him.  I suspect he'll get a kick out of this card but he certainly won't admit it!  I don't have any curling stamps so I dug into my daughter's sticker stash to find this set of curling stickers.  Using the colours in the stickers for the background layers ensured it all worked really well together.  No extra muss or fuss, this is a teenage boy's card after all.

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

Gisèle

Hello Sweet Baby Boy

Hello everyone,

My girlfriend had a beautiful baby boy in April and we are finally going to meet the little fella!  Of course, he deserves a special card.

The printed is Karen Foster Stuffed With Love layered on Bazzill Bitter Chocolate.  The images are Inkadinkado Baby Animals stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso on Very Vanilla and layered on more Bitter Chocolate.  The colouring is Tombow 452.  The sticker is Recollections.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Teeny Tiny Wishes stamped in Close To My Heart Peacock.

Today's card wasn't quite as laborious as my daughter's card but I can tell I'm out of practise.  I am utterly encouraged however and hope to ensconce myself in my studio this afternoon.  I love this stuffed animal paper.  It's perfect for a baby boy card.  I don't regret for a single second picking up this set of baby animal stamps.  I just love them!  I don't think there is card that I've crafted with this set that hasn't turned out lovely.

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

Gisèle

Baby Boy Blue

Hello everyone,

I'm posting a lovely baby boy card today.

The printed paper is Karen Foster Bedtime Friends layered on Bazzill Bitter Chocolate and Blue.  The images are Inkadinkado Baby Animals stamped in Baja Breeze on Stampin' Up Very Vanilla and layered on more Bitter Chocolate.  The sentiment is Penny Black Baby Baby stamped in Early Espresso.  The embellishments are Platinum Liquid Pearls.

If this card looks familiar it's because I crafted a very similar card in January.  I really goofed in the brad placement so ended up starting from scratch.  I didn't want to throw out this baby animal paper (I only have a single sheet) as I'd hoped to be able to salvage at least some of it.  Once the frustration had passed, I realized that I only needed to enlarge the sentiment panel.  I used the images in the background to help cover some of the large amount of white space that could easily overwhelm the airy sentiment.  I used blue ink to help blend in somewhat with the background.  I wish I could have found a way to leave the giraffe's head in the bottom right corner revealed, but at the time, I didn't have any brilliant ideas.

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

Gisèle

Baby Boy Beautiful

Hello everyone,

One of my colleagues recently had a baby and I crafted this card for her upcoming baby shower.

The printed paper is Karen Foster Bedtime Friends layered on Stampin' Up Very Vanilla and Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Penny Black Baby Baby stamped in Early Espresso on Very Vanilla and layered on more Early Espresso.  The ribbon is American Crafts.  The embellishments are of unknown origin.

One of the pleasures of having a baby shower after the baby is born is that you can craft a card for either a boy or a girl.  I fell in love with this paper from the moment I laid eyes on and there was no way it wasn't going to become part of my stash.  This is actually the second attempt because I royally messed up the brad placement the first time around.  I managed to salvage the printed paper of the first attempt but I don't know how usable it will be given there are holes and tears,  I'm not totally giving up on it though as I've only the one sheet so I don't want to waste one little bit.

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

Gisèle

Bravo Birdie

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the last charity card using the beautiful leftover Birds and Blooms and the darker blue DCWV card bases.

The textured card base is DCWV.  The printed paper is Karen Foster Birds and Blooms layered on Momenta Textured Cardstock.  The sentiment is Avery Elle stamped in Close To My Heart Whisper ink on Stampin' Up Whisper White, and layered on more Momenta.  The printed paper is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishments are Want 2 Scrap Baby Bling Pearls.

This card took me much longer to craft than I thought it would as I couldn't quite figure out what to do to take best advantage of the printed paper.  I eventually decided to just let the paper be and work with pearls and glitter.  I think it was the right choice.  I don't often mix pearls and glitter but using the two in this case worked really well.  The pearls fit great on the flowers and the glitter is wonderful on the dots.  I love the results and am glad I didn't mess with the layout and extras.

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

Gisèle

Loving Promise

Hello everyone,

Today's charity card uses another dark blue card base and another beautiful piece of Karen Foster scrap paper.

The textured card base is DCWV.  The printed paper is Karen Foster Birds & Blooms layered on Recollections White.  The sentiment is Magenta stamped in Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler on Recollections White and layered on more scrap red of unknown origin.  The ribbon is Michael's Sheer Creations.

I hadn't originally intended to make this a wedding card but there was something about this little bird that prompted a loving sentiment.  When I first used this paper I was very careful when cutting to take the best advantage of the various images. I'm so glad I did because I've been able to use every last little bit to best advantage.

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

Gisèle

Strips Of Beauty

Hello everyone,

Today I'm posting cards using the darker of the blue card bases in the box I've been hoarding.

The textured card base is DCWV.  The printed paper is Karen Foster Birds & Blooms.  The sentiment is Avery Elle Oh Happy Day stamped in Close To My Heart Slate on Stampin' Up Whisper White and layered on a red of unknown origin.  The embellishment is K&Company Brenda Walton Flora & Fauna Butterfly Vellum sticker.

This card, and the next couple, use some wonderful scrap pieces from a sheet of paper that I've used so very judiciously for a long time.  I really love this paper.  It actually pains me to use up these last little bits.  They've made for some exceptionally beautiful cards.

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

Gisèle

Starburst Thanks III

Hello everyone,

Today's card uses the opposite triangle pieces from yesterday's card.

The printed paper are Karen Foster, K&Company and My Mind's Eye and four others of unknown origin.  The solid papers are Stampin' Up Close To Cocoa, Pink Pirouette and Crumb Cake, Recollections Vanilla, and Close To My Heart Sweet Leaf.  The Crumb Cake layer was punched with Martha Stewart's Quilted border punch.  The Sweet Leaf layer was textured with Spellbinders M-Bossabilities Paisley embossing folder.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Thank You Messages stamped in Soft Suede.  The embellishments are Multicrafts Keepsakes Memories.

It amazes me that today's card and yesterday's card are so incredibly different when I used the same pieces of scrap paper.  I thought it was really inspired to use the Martha Stewart Quilted border punch for one of these cards and it works so wonderfully.  Though you can't see them all that well, I used two different sizes of embellishments on the border and it looks really cool.  I am not usually so happy with cards that have this many different elements but I do like this one.

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

Gisèle

Starburst Thanks II

Hello everyone,

I wanted to try a starburst card with eight different pieces.  This meant, of course, two cards.  Two very different cards using the same eight pieces of paper.

The printed papers are Karen Foster, K&Company, My Minds Eye, and four others of unknown origin.  The solid papers are Stampin' Up Close To Cocoa and Very Vanilla, Recollections and Bazzill.  The images are Stampin' Up Delicate Doilies stamped in Crumb Cake.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Curly Cute stamped in Ruby Red.  The flower is a Stampin' Up Five Petal flower punch from a piece of the red Bazzill.  The brad is of unknown origin.

I'm so impressed with this card!  Even though not all the patterns work perfectly together, this starburst really works nicely.  I'm impressed that I could remember as many of the brand names as I did!  I hadn't originally intended to use a flower but I had to mask the quilted part to stamp the images and part of the paper came off with the tape.  This flower is a total cover-up!

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

Gisèle

Basic Birthday

Hello everyone,

Another card from the series I crafted for the beginner class I taught on Friday.

The printed paper is Karen Foster Birds and Blooms layered on Recollections Kraft, Stampin' Up Cheerful Treats and Rose Red.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Well Scripted stamped in Marina Mist on more Recollections Kraft.   The ribbon is White Rose.

This is a soft and pretty birthday card.  I love the washed out feeling of the Birds and Blooms paper.  I could have used a lighter coloured ribbon but I didn't have enough of any other suitable ribbon on hand.  I've had this White Rose ribbon for years and it works well enough with the blue in the printed paper that it just didn't make sense to go out and buy something different.  I really do want to work though some of my craft supply stash.

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

Gisèle

Dynamite Dinosaur

Hello everyone,

Today's card is another little boy birthday card.  It is for my girlfriend's second son.  While his first cake was a spaceship, I couldn't resist this dinosaur.

The letters and number are K & Company Fun Alphabet Flip Pack which are adhered to Stampin' Up Whisper White and Scrapbook Walls Mini Rec Squares.  The vertical element is also Scrapbook Walls Mini Rec Squares.  The dinosaur and footprints are Karen Foster Design Dinosaurs stickers.  The 'IS' is an alphabet stamp of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Stampendous Friendly Messages.

This card is so cute I can barely contain myself.  I know my girlfriend keeps the cards I craft for her sons so I really like personalizing the boys cards.  My name is unusual enough that I know that personalisations are pretty special keepsakes.

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

Gisèle

Father's Day Green

Hello everyone,

The next few cards are for the special fathers in our family.  Today's is for my father-in-law.

The printed paper is Generations Primary Color Collection layered on Recollections.  The images are Karen Foster Men's Tee time cardstock stickers.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up All Holidays stamped in Glorious Green on Whisper White.

These particular stickers are a real challenge.  I don't know what I was thinking when I bought them.  The scale is rather large for cards and the bright green and yellow are tough to match.  I think this card worked out pretty well.  Not a favourite card by any means but it will work.

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

Gisèle

Dino Birthday

Hello everyone,

Another juvenile boy card today.  It is a good thing these cards are on the easier side as I'm utterly bagged tonight.

The printed papers are Bella Blvd Skippin' Stones.  The image is Karen Foster Designs Dinosaurs affixed to Stampin' Up Whisper White and layered on more Bella Blvd.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Birthday stamped in Wild Wasabi on Whisper White.  The brad is Making Memories.

I thought the circles on this paper were reminiscent of dinosaur eggs - well kind of anyway.  I love all these cheery colours.  They are not overpoweringly bright and just so perfect for a little boy card.  This is a really cute dinosaur too when all is said and done.

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

Gisèle

Retro Christmas

Hello everyone,

This is the final commissioned Christmas card.

The printed paper is Karen Foster Retro Christmas layered on Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler and Always Artichoke.  The sentiment is Gina K The Magic of Christmas stamped in Cherry Cobbler on Very Vanilla and layered on Always Artichoke.  The focal element is a Sandylion sticker.

This is a fantastic card.  My colleague is male and I think this is a great card to come from a guy.  Not too fussy but certainly in the spirit of the season.  A pretty usual layout for me but great paper and colours.  I could craft cards like this all day long and never get bored.

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

Gisèle

Speed Recovery

Hello everyone,

Today's card, another commissioned by my girlfriend, is intended for an avid golfer.

The printed paper is BasicGrey Oliver layered on Stampin' Up Not Quite Navy.  The sentiment is Verve Wishing You stamped in Not Quite Navy on Whisper White and layered on more Not Quite Navy.  The embellishments are Karen Foster Men's Tee Time stickers.

Isn't this card fantastic!  It's a man's card and I loved being able to use these stickers.  I was a little worried about that huge golf club sticker at first blush but it fit just right on the diagonal.  I also thought using the tee to break up the sentiment was inspired.  I know this particular card will be well received.

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

Gisèle

Challenged Thank You

Hello everyone,

Today's card is out of my comfort zone and as much as I've played with this card, I've still no confidence in it. Saturday's I{heart}2 Stamp Sketch For You To Try was really appealing this week so I wanted to use it. I thought the colours in this week's Curtain Call Color Challenge, Basic Black, Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Tempting Turquoise and Real Red were ones I could work with. Monday's Shabby Tea Room offered up a recipe challenge to use one ribbon, two buttons and three die cuts or punches.

The white card base is from Recollections. The remaining papers are as required Stampin' Up - Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red and Old Olive (Urban Oasis). The buttons are Karen Foster Pacific button brads. The Tempting Turquoise layer is a Sizzix Top Note die cut in half. The focal image is BossKut Petite Flowers die and Sizzix Little Leaves Sizzlit die. The flowers are highlighted with Black Soot Stickles. The ribbon is Michael's Special Value. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Short and Sweet.

I think it is the colour combination that throws me off. Trying to amalgamate so many colours with specific elements isn't easy and I think it is apparent in the final card. I don't hate this card but it isn't a favourite.

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

Gisèle