Elegant Thoughts

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is the last of the 'thinking of you' cards that I crafted for a recent commission.

The card base is Recollections Grey.  The printed paper is Marianne Design Winter Dreams layered on Stampin' Up Going Grey and a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Impression Obsession Greeting Set die, cut from Stampin' Up Basic Grey.  The card is highlighted with Platinum Liquid Pearls.

I love this Marianne Design paper collection.  The colours are wonderful and the detailed images are beautiful.  The shades of blue and grey in this particular piece were particularly inspiring.  The careful trimming facilitated the placement of the die cut sentiment whose font works perfectly with the printed paper.  I'm actually very satisfied with the Liquid Pearl dots and wish they'd always come out so well.

I hope you enjoy this card and this 'thinking of you' series and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Purple Sympathy

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the last of the 'sympathy' cards I've been crafting for a neighbor.

The card base is Momenta Textured Cardstock.  The image is Hero Arts Exotic Bloom stamped in Close To My Heart Smokey Plum on Recollections White and layered on more Momenta Textured Cardstock, and Stampin' Up Pale Plum and Rich Razzleberry.  The sentiment is Serendipity Stamps stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Rich Razzleberry.  The embellishment is Marianne Design Butterflies.

I originally intended to use markers on this image but discover a couple of the pinks and purples had dried out so monochromatic it became.  I was surprised how well the Smokey Plum worked with the Momenta card base.  I couldn't resist using a banner for the sentiment - my goodness how I like that look!  The pearl dragonfly embellishment was the nice final touch.

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

Gisèle

Fancy Floral

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a very pretty 'thank you' card.

The card base is a white Bazzill.  The printed paper is Marianne Design Pretty Papers layered on a grey Recollections.  The sentiment is Altenew Halftone Thanks die cut from Close To My Heart Blush and stamped in Altenew Lava Rock on Recollections White.  The embellishments are Recollections faux pearl stickers.

I started working on this card last week end but for some reason, it just wasn't coming together.  I went back to it the other night and it just made itself.  Some times, stepping away is the right choice.  It took me a while to find the proper shade of pink for this sentiment which is actually much more peachy than pink.  I love having the rest of the sentiment tucked under the die cut.  I'm even quite pleased with the pearl placement!

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

Gisèle

Exotic Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another pretty feminine birthday card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The image is Hero Arts Exotic Blooms stamped in Tombow N57, 192, 228 and 772 on Recollections White, and is layered on Marianne Design Basic Paper Watercolour and a grey of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Denami Design Upright Happy Birthday stamped in Altenew Pure Graphite.  The card is highlighted with Platinum Liquid Pearls.

This is a layout that I've done many times before.  I've probably used this image in this layout before as well.  I find the pink and grey colour combination very appealing.  This vertical sentiment is a favourite.  The font is wonderful and the size is perfect for these larger cards.  I love the results.

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

Gisèle

Winter Dream Take II

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another wonderful birthday card.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is Marianne Design Winter Dream layered on Recollections White.  The sentiment is Sweet and Sassy Script Birthdays stamped in Altenew Moon Rock on Recollections White and layered on a light brown of unknown origin.  The ribbon and the flower embellishment are both of unknown origin.

I just couldn't resist using this paper for a second card in this commissioned series.  This piece is just gorgeous and I'll likely use it judiciously.  The layout is pretty straightforward with a simple band of a coordinating solid paper to anchor the sentiment and the embellishment.  The ribbon has a light sheen and is sheer so adds to the overall lightness of the final result.  I wish I could keep this card which is one of my favourites in this series.

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

Gisèle

A Touch of Feathers

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great birthday card.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is Marianne Design Winter Dream layered on Recollections White and a light brown of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Joy Crafts 6410/0308 Sayings stamped in Altenew Jet Black.

I loved this paper pack as soon as I saw it!  There are some lovely patterns and the colours are so soft.  I decided to use this piece to do my favourite layout - stamping the sentiment directly on the printed paper.  I'm so happy with the result even though the sentiment isn't as centered as I would have liked.  No matter!

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

Gisèle

Vintage on the Vertical

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a more vintage style birthday card.

The card base is Recollections Black.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Ridinghood Red.  The sentiment is Creative Expression Celebrations Sentiments stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections Vanilla and cut with Marianne Design CR1299 die.  The flower embellishments is Crafts and is highlighted with Candy Cane Stickles.

This is a very busy piece of printed paper which only adds to the vintage style.  The layers of text and images is wonderful.  The sentiment and die cut are new, I found them at a somewhat local craft store Ectasy Crafts while I was on holidays.  I've had the flower brad in my stash for eons.  Overall, a great result!

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

Gisèle

A Sister's Thanks

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a thank you card I crafted for my sister and her partner.

The card base is Marianne Design Watercolor Basic Paper Bloc.  The image is a die of unknown origin cut from a grey also of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Altenew Many Thanks stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.

My sister and her partner were in town last month and helped me with a couple of home improvement projects.  Re-insulating is not a fun job!  I'm so very grateful for their help as the projects wouldn't not have been so easily completed on my own.  Should my un-handy hubby and I have attempted them together we would have fought and, given previous experience, it would have been ugly!  I have a few of these die cuts in my leftover stash so it was a no-brainer for this particular card.  Against the grey die cut, a yellow toned background works beautifully.  It's a colour combination that always reminds me of one of my card making girlfriends - thank you Kairn!

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

Gisèle

Barely Banana Duo

Hello everyone,

Today's pair of cards have a distinct Asian feel.

The card base is Stampin' Up Barely Banana.  The image is Stampin' Up Asian Artistry stamped on Recollections Vanilla after being coloured with Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Cajun Craze and More Mustard watercolour crayons.  The image panel is layered on Close To My Heart light and dark Fern.  The embellishments are Recollections Adhesive Pearls.

The card base is Stampin' Up Barely Banana.  The image is Stampin' Up Asian Artistry stamped on Recollections Vanilla after being coloured with Early Espresso, Wild Wasabi, Old Olive, Rose Red and Summer Sun watercolour crayons.  The image panel is layered on Close To My Heart Fern and Ruby.  The embellishment is Marianne Design Butterflies.

This is a favourite and easy stamping technique.  The only trick is not to use too much water otherwise you'll end up with a muddy and blurry image.  I often use this stamp set when doing the watercolour crayon technique because the images are pretty easy to colour and the results are wonderful.  I'm not happy with my choice of light yellow card base.  Yellow has always been a challenging colour for me to work with.  Still, these are a lovely pair of cards.

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

Gisèle

Tragic Sympathy

Hello everyone,

Today's post is one of the most difficult sympathy cards I've ever crafted.  It is for a colleague whose new born baby tragically passed away earlier this summer.

The image is a recycled baby card layered on Stampin' Up Mint Macaroon and Pink Pirouette.  The Mint Macaroon was textured with Crafts-Too Butterflies embossing folder.  The sentiment is Verve Forever In Our Heart stamped on Recollections Vanilla in Stampin' Up Soft Suede.  The embellishment is Marianne Design Butterflies.

This was a very difficult card to craft.  It is rare, in my experience, for babies to pass away in this day and age.  When crafting this card I focused on the parents, a very wonderful couple, whose sadness I'm certain knows no bounds.  I felt this particular sentiment was especially heartfelt and I hope this card made them feel better, if only for a moment.

Please come back and SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Retro Baby Welcome

Hello everyone,

Today’s post is another recycled baby card that my mother had stashed away for the past 50 odd years.

The image panel is a recycled card layered on Close To My Heart Heavenly Blue and Marianne Design Basic Watercolour Bloc.  The sentiment is Stampin’ Up Short and Sweet stamped in Altenew Ocean Waves.  The ribbon is Sheer Creations.  The button embellishment is of unknown origin.

I really love the soft blues and pinks in this card and the shaped edge is wonderful.  I dug out some of my favourite rainbow ribbon for an accent and found the button embellishment couldn’t be a better match.  I debated placing the sentiment on an angle beneath the image but I don’t think that would have worked all that well with the overall ‘vintage’ style of the card.  It’s a lovely result.

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

Gisèle

Sweet Sympathy

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another card with a Yupo paper background.

The image is Stampin' Up Serene Silhouettes stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Stampin' Up Whisper White.  The background layers are Yupo paper dipped in water that was sprinkled with Ranger alcohol ink, Stampin' Up Whisper White, and Close To My Heart Sweet Leaf.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Sincere Expressions stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on more Whisper White.  The embellishment is Marianne Design Butterflies.

This card just didn't want to be crafted!  I originally planned to stamp the image directly on the background but I dropped the stamped and made a big smoosh so I had to use a cover-up.  The sentiment also smooshed so that needed a cover-up too.  I came across this marbling Yupo paper / alcohol ink technique with this Jennifer McGuire technique video.  It didn't turn out like I expected but I do love how soft it turned out.  I'm going to keep working on it.

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

Gisèle

Birthday In Blue

Hello everyone,

Today's birthday card post is everything that I love in a card!

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Whisper White and a blue also of unknown origin.  The image is Stampin' Up Oh, So Lovely!  stamped in Versafine Onyx Black and coloured with a variety of Stampin' Up Chalks.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Best Wishes stamped in Altenew Lava Rock on Whisper White and layered on more blue.  The embellishment is Marianne Design Butterflies.

Oh how I just love this card!  The blues, the layout, the fine lines, and even the little pearl dragonfly.  It puts me in an especially happy place when a result is so pleasing. 

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

Gisèle

Patchwork Flower

Hello everyone,

Today's birthday card is a great way to use up some smaller scraps.

The printed papers are BasicGrey.  The pink squares are of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Joyful Birthday stamped in Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishment is Marianne Design Flowers highlighted with Lime Green Stickles.

I don't think I've made one of these quilt flowers in eons.  I thought it would be particularly appropriate for this series of cards.  I actually remembered to keep it very simple otherwise the flower can easily get lost.  I actually quite like how the this big size flower really pops!  I'm particularly happy with the results.

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

Gisèle

A Simple Snowflake

Hello everyone,

Today's French Christmas card post is as simple as yesterday's tree card.

The printed paper is Marianne Design Country Christmas layered on a brushed silver of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Bonnidee C'est Noel stamped in Altenew Desert Night on Recollections White and layered on more brushed silver.  The snowflake and brad are of unknown origin.

The 'flocon de neige' sentiment is what got me started on the snowflake theme for this card.  I do love a blue Christmas card!  The snowflake embellishment was gifted to me by a friend a few years back.  I can't believe it took me so long to figure out that a small brad would fit in the center.  Duh!  This card was intended to be as neutral as possible and I think it succeeds.

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

Gisèle

Vintage Get Well

Hello everyone,

Today’s charity card uses another wonderful piece of printed paper.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on DCWV Luxury Stack.  The image is Stampin’ Up Faith In Nature stamped in Early Espresso on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more DCWV Luxury Stack.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Sincere Expressions stamped in Altenew Pure Graphite.  The ribbon is Michael’s Special Value.  The pear embellishment is Marianne Design Flowers.

The most difficult part of this card was getting the image stamped.  I have to say, I'm not a fan of the 'new' Stampin' Up ink pads.  They either leave too much ink on the stamp or dry out more quickly than they should.  This was especially frustrating with this delicate image.  I must have made four attempts before I decided to try it with a 'second' impression which is what actually worked.  I added the delicate pearl flower embellishment because I didn't get the ribbon placed well and ended up with too much space at the bottom of the card.  I really love this card and will have a hard time putting it in the sale box.

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

Gisèle

All Italian XII

Hello everyone,

Today I’m posting the last of the Italian card series I've been working on for the past week.

The background image is Stampin’ Up You’ve Got This stamped in Altenew Frayed Leaf.  The images are Altenew Painted Flowers stamped on Recollections White with Altenew Coral Berry, Forest Glades, Frayed Leaf, Frosty Pink, Jet Black, Moss and Ruby Red.  The images were cut with the coordinating Altenew die.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word printed font layered on Bazzill Black.  The embellishment is Marianne Design Butterflies.

A few weeks back I order the coordinating die cut for the Altenew Painted Flowers stamp set and I thought this was the perfect time to play.  I'm thrilled with this card.  I love the hints of black in the flowers and layering the sentiment with more black just adds more pop.  I really love these painted flowers.  They are multi-step but really don't have to be perfectly stamped to get a great result.  Having the ability to die cut just adds more layout options.  One of my favourite cards in this series.

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

Gisèle

All Floral For Mom

Happy Mother's Day!

Today's post is the card I crafted for my own Mom.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a Bazzill yellow and a sage green of unknown origin.  The image and sentiment are Altenew Extra Special stamped on Recollections White with Altenew Mango Smoothie, Olive, Parrot, Pure Graphite and Warm Sunshine ink.  The flowers were cut with the coordinating die.  The embellishment is Marianne Design Butterflies.

My mother is currently spending some time in her beloved mountains on the west coast and I'm hoping things are starting to bloom.  I thought this flower sprig in cheery yellow would brighten her day.  I love how well this image works with the very pretty background paper.  It's all so happy!

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

Gisèle

Stopping For Poppies

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another cheerful card to dispel the winter doldrums.

The images are Altenew Painted Butterflies stamped in Altenew Espresso, Rouge and Velvet, and Rubbernecker Watercolor Poppies stamped and painted in Altenew Forest Glades, Evergreen, Dark Chocolate, Crimson and Warm Sunshine, on a vanilla of unknown origin and highlighted with Wink of Stella Clear 999.  The sentiment is Creative Expressions Scribbled Sentiments stamped in Altenew Dark Chocolate.  The image and sentiment elements are layered on Marianne Design Basic Paper Bloc Watercolor and Stampin' Up Regal Rose.

A butterfly this size needed another decent sized image to provide some eye pleasing balance.  This Rubbernecker stamp was perfect.  It is also a two-step stamp but I wanted to try watercolouring with the Altenew ink so I didn't use the 'filler' stamp.  While the leaves turned out great, the flowers are not as shaded as I'd intended.  Also, believe it or not, the colours in the poppies are the same as those in the butterfly.  The ink colour really changed when I watered it down for painting which is something I'll have to keep in mind for next time.

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

Gisèle

A Garden In Bloom

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a birthday card I crafted for a colleague.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Bazzill Basics.  The images are Stampin' Up Heartfelt Thanks stamped on Recollections White with Stampin' Up Sage Shadow, Pale Plum, Mauve Mist, Close To My Heart Ponderosa Pine, and Ranger Spun Sugar Distress Ink.  The images are highlighted with Gold Pearl Liquid Pearls.  The sentiment is Gina Marie All Seasons stamped in Ponderosa Pine on Recollections White.  The embellishment is Marianne Design Butterflies.

My colleague's birthday was at the end of November and she was so sick she didn't even make it into the office that day.  I wanted to craft a bright and cheerful card that would really lift her spirits.  She is also a bit of a gardener so I thought this beautiful floral card would do the trick.  I borrowed this stamp set from a friend and now I am just coveting it.  I'll have to start searching eBay.

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

Gisèle