Perfectly Patterned Trees

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another lovely French Christmas card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler.  The printed paper is Photoplay Mad 4 Plaid Christmas layered on Stampin' Up Smoky Slate.  The sentiment is Bonnidee Xmas Wording #3 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and layered on more Smoky Slate.  The embellishment is Me & My Big Ideas Mambi Chips.

I love this card!  This patterned modern style tree paper is fantastic!  The grey/white/deep red colour combination really works and the pop of the green holly leaves is just great.  The scale of the trees is perfect for a card.  I think the contrast between the old style font of the sentiment and the modern paper really works and the angled placement speaks to the angled trees.  It's a wonderful result!

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

Gisèle 

A Cheerful Stem

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a very feminine floral die cut birthday card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Melon Mambo.  The image is Sizzix Wildflower Stems #1 die cut from Close To My Heart Pear and Melon Mambo and layered on a piece of white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Gina Marie All Seasons stamped in Altenew Parrot on Recollections White and layered on more Melon Mambo.  The embellishment is Me & My Big Ideas Rhinestone Singles.

I found this piece of textured white in my scrap bin and thought it was perfect for this die cut flower.  The texture is fantastic!  I love how the stem goes right off the paper.  I also find the bannered sentiment, crossing over the stem very appealing.  I messed up when attaching the flower to the stem so I covered it up with a few rhinestones adding a bit of unexpected glitter.  I'm so happy with this card that I'd like to try it in other colours!

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

Gisèle

Brocade Blue Duo

Hello everyone,

Today's duo is a great pair of butterflies.

The card base is Stampin' Up Brocade Blue.  The image is Technique Tuesday BoHo Buzz stamped on Recollections White in Brocade Blue ink and heat embossed with Stampendous Kaleidoscope Transparent embossing powder.  The image panel is layered on a mirrored silver and a white of unknown origin.  The card is highlighted with Waterfall Stickles.

The card base is Stampin' Up Brocade Blue.  The image is Magenta stamped on Recollections White in Brocade Blue ink and heat embossed with Stampendous Kaleidoscope Transparent embossing powder.  The image panel is layered on a mirrored silver of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Me & My Big Ideas Rhinestone stickers.

I couldn't craft a commission of this type without including a few butterflies.  I like how different these images are even though I used the same ink and embossing powder.  I think I did well with the embellishment/Stickles placement - not too many, not too few.  I find the blue/white/silver colour scheme really appealing.  Though it's not really visible in these photos, the Kaleidoscope embossing powder is really nice.

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

Gisèle

Retro Sweetie

Hello everyone,

Today's post is one of the last retro/vintage recycled cards in this series.  I still have lots of images to use but I need to move on to other cards.

The image is from a recycled card layered on Close To My Heart Poppy and Fern.  The sentiment is Denami Design Upright Happy Birthday stamped in Altenew Velvet and is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishments are Me & My Big Ideas Green Rhinestone Singles.

I love this sweet girl.  She rather reminds me of Holly Hobby, which I was really into when I was little.  The images and colours from this card are really wonderful.  I'm thrilled that I managed to salvage two cards from the original.  This image was the front of the card which included the images from the earlier Vintage Birdies card in this vintage series.

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

Gisèle

Cheerful Greetings

Hello everyone,

Today's commissioned Christmas card is so cheerful and fun.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a red and green Bazzill.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Very Merry Christmas stamped in Close To My Heart Tulip on Recollections White.  The embellishments are Me & My Big Ideas Mambi Chips which are highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

The girlfriend who commissioned this set of Christmas cards is one of the most fun women I've ever known.  When it came to choosing papers for her cards, I knew I would use this particular piece because it's just so much fun!  I thought using this paper would be easy but it was actually quite a bit of a challenge.  Finding a sentiment with a font that wouldn't be swallowed up by the words on the paper was difficult.  Thank goodness I have plenty of Christmas sentiments from which to choose.  The embellishments also needed to be substantial for the same reason.  I love how the glittered candy really work fantastically with the paper.  A really super result!

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

Gisèle

Gone Golfing

Hello everyone,

Father's Day is just around the corner and I'm actually quite pleased I didn't leave my husband's card until the last minute.

The background papers are Stampin' Up Bashful Blue and Glorious Green.  The images are Me & My Big Ideas Soft Spoken stickers.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Delightful Dozen stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.

The most complicated aspect of this card was actually basket weaving the paper strips straight!  Who knew! And there is just so much more which could be said...  With my husband being such as avid golfer, I have a pretty decent stash of golf stickers on hand.  In fact, I actually had two packages of these, one I started using previously.  I decided to use up the rest of one of the packages to ease my guilty conscience.  In fact, all the background strips are leftovers too.  Hubby won't have a clue!

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

Gisèle

Happy Scallops

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the feminine version of yesterday's card.

The printed paper is Me & My Big Ideas Mambi Sheets layered on Stampin' Up Lucky Limeade.  The sentiment is Verve Treasured Words stamped in Stampin' Up Night of Navy on Whisper White, layered on Recollections Yellow and more Lucky Limeade, and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The entire card is highlighted with Star Dust Stickles.

I was so very happy with yesterday's card that I decided to really CASE myself.  I'm just as happy with this card.  I went scalloped because I felt it would be a little more feminine.  I also chose to use Stickles because this paper has so many spots crying for glitter and it would be utter overkill if I used gems.

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

Gisèle

Happy Circles

Hello everyone,

After yesterday's special commission, I'm back to posting goodbye/good luck/retirement cards.  Today's card is a super fun masculine version.

The printed paper is Me & My Big Ideas Mambi Sheets layered on Stampin' Up Night of Navy and Lucky Limeade.  The sentiment is Verve Treasured Words stamped in Night of Navy on Whisper White and layered on more Night of Navy and Lucky Limeade that was die cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities.  The embellishments are Fabricland.

This card is maybe a little more sparkly and shiny than I would normally try on a masculine card but I figured that would be offset by the more masculine colour palette.  It is actually quite a simple card that looks like so much more because of the busy paper and all the added embellishments.  I thought the embellishments were quite like nail heads.  I think this card works quite well overall.

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

Gisèle

Busy And Bright

Hello everyone,

This is my last 'kid' card of the gift set I've been working on.

The printed papers are Me & My Big Ideas Mambi Sheets layered on Stampin' Up Pale Plum and Lucky Limeade.  The sentiment is Rubber Cafe Happy Birthday C-385 stamped in Night of Navy on Recollections White, highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen, and layered on more Pale Plum and Lucky Limeade.  The butterflies are Stampin' Up Flight of the Butterfly stamped and punched from Pale Plum, Lucky Limeade and Wild Wasabi and Night of Navy.  The butterflies are heat embossed with Stampendous Kaleidoscope embossing powder.

I wanted to craft a really fun and cheerful card and this one certainly fits that bill.  This is the greatest paper for making kid cards.  There are so many elements incorporated which provide a multitude of options.  There are also a ton of different colours and because it is so busy, you don't have to worry about perfect colour matches.  In this case, I was particularly inspired by the butterfly in the bottom left, giving me the perfect excuse to use the Flight of the Butterflies stamps and the handy coordinating punch.

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

Gisèle

Golfing Birthday

Hello everyone,

I'm interrupting the French cards series because today is hubby's birthday and I wanted to post the card I crafted for him.

The printed papers are Stampin' Up To The Nines.  The image is Stampin' Up On The Green stamped in Always Artichoke on textured Bazzill Vanilla.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Happy Birthday stamped in Always Artichoke on Recollections White.  The embellishments are Me And My Big Ideas Soft Spoken.

As those of you who follow my blog know, my husband is an avid golfer and I usually craft golf-themed cards for him.  This image was borrowed from a friend and I've a pretty decent stash of pre-stamped images.  I'm not quite sure how I'm going to use them all however I suspect I could craft a pile of cards for the charity sale.  Not the most sentimental of guys, hubby does keep all the cards I craft for him - it must be love!

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

Gisèle

Glittering Holly Set

Hello everyone,

This is the second set of quick and easy Christmas cards that I crafted with some leftover class supplies.

The stickers are Me & My Big Ideas Mambi Chips.  Additional supplies include Stampin' Up Real Red and Lucky Limeade card stock, Bazzill card stock, and Sizzix Christmas Phrases embossing folder.

I was so keen on these cards that in a couple of cases, I rushed the placement and ended up crooked.  I had to do some covering up.  It all worked out well however as this set is really pretty!  The photo doesn't do these cards justice.  I didn't use any extra embellishments as I did with yesterday's cards because the holly just didn't lend itself to embellishing like the candy stickers did.

I hope you enjoy these cards 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

Paisley Banners

Hello everyone,

I'm coming to the end of the larger paper pieces in my girlfriend's prize pack so it's time to get creative.

The printed paper is Me & My Big Ideas Mambi sheets highlighted with Crystal Ice Stickles.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Everyday Sayings stamped in Stampin' Up Dusty Durango ink.

This card really couldn't be any simpler.  I was utterly inspired by the multitude of 'banner' cards that are all the rage right now.

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

Gisèle

Busy Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today's card just pops with this really busy paper.

The printed paper is Me & My Big Ideas Mambi Sheets layered on a printed paper of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Delightful Dozen stamped in ColorBox Aurora on Whisper White and layered on Quickutz Tropical QuickStripz.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.

Your eyes rather pop out when you first look at this card but when busy is what you've got, just run with it.  Not much else is needed when you've got this much print so the ribbon was somewhat of an after thought.  I do think it helps draw the eye to the sentiment and provide some texture to bring it all together.

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

Gisèle

Puttering

Hello everyone,

A little golf anyone?

The printed paper is of unknown origin.  The image is A Muse Art Stamps Putter stamped in StazOn Jet Black on Stampin' Up Whisper White, coloured with Tombow markers and layered on Recollections and My Mind's Eye.  The sentiment is Annabelle Hold A Candle stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Whisper White.  The embellishment is Me & My Big Ideas Soft Spoken Embellishments.

I picked up this package of embellishments in the Fall to craft this card and knew at the time that the embellishments would easily be used.  I wasn't entirely sure of this particular sticker for this card because the navy didn't fit but because all the other colours did, I went for it.  I've had this stamped and coloured image in my bin for ages and think it's perfect.  This turned into a fantastic guy card and with leftover to boot!

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

Gisèle

Pretty Paisley

Hello everyone,

Today's card is another in the set I crafted for a girlfriend.

The printed paper is Me & My Big Ideas Mambi Sheets.  The sentiment is Magenta stamped in Stampin' Up Tangerine Tango on Whisper White and layered on Tangerine Tango.  The embellishments are Doodlebug Spring Assortment and Baby Girl Assortment mini pearls.

The purpose of this latest set of cards was to use up the goodies in my girlfriends prize pack and to keep the cards very simple.  This card couldn't be more simple, using a great piece of paper, an awesome stamp and a few embellishments.  It took only a few minutes and turned out just great!

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

Gisèle

Busy, Busy, Busy

Hello everyone,

Today's card is another very sweet and simple card.

The printed paper is Me & My Big Ideas Mambi Sheets.  The butterfly was punched with an EK Success punch from Stampin' Up Melon Mambo which was stamped with Stampin' Up Itty Bitty Buds in Melon Mambo ink and highlighted with Martha Stewart Icing White pigment ink.  The sentiment is Stampendous Retro Happy Birthday stamped in Melon Mambo on Whisper White.

I really love this card.  Crafted with a young girl in mind, this busy paper requires everything else be kept super simple.

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

Gisèle

Christmas Owls VIII

Hello everyone,

I have card number eight for you today.

 

The printed papers are Stampin' Up Snow Festival layered on Cherry Cobbler and Gumball Green.  The sentiment is Stamp Barn stamped in Cherry Cobbler on Confetti white.  The snowflake is die cut from glitter white Recollections with Spellbinders Create-A-Flake #1.  The embellishments is Me and My Big Ideas Mambi Chips stickers.

 

I think it must be the glitter that is making me fall in love with these last few cards.  The snowflakes, which I'd originally planned to use all on one card, have turned out great.  These photos really don't do the cards justice as the colours pop a lot more than the photos show.  These cards have turned out really great!

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

Gisèle

Christmas Owls V

Hello everyone,

After the last time I used roman numerals for a card series I'd planned never to do it again.  There is a finite number of cards this time however and today's is number five.

The printed papers are Stampin' Up Snow Festival.  The sentiment is Rubber Cafe G-751 Merry Christmas stamped in Cherry Cobbler on Confetti White.  The ribbon is Offray.  The candy cane is Me and My Big Ideas Mambi Chips stickers.

When you're doing a bunch of cards is one fell swoop, quick and easy is key.  I crafted all twelve of these cards on Sunday morning and with all that is on my plate at the moment, I wanted quick and easy but I also wanted to have a lot of impact.  These Mambi chip stickers are the perfect element for quick and easy.

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

Gisèle

Merry Little Patterns

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card was crafted with my brother in mind.

The patterned papers are Recollections Bright Christmas layered on Stampin' Up Real Red.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Jingle All The Way stamped in Real Red on Whisper White.  The candy cane is Me & My Big Ideas Mambi Chips.

I don't know what it is about this bright and cheerful paper that I like so much.  I hadn't intended to use some much pattern when I first started crafting this card but somehow, when I added the top layer, it just seemed to work.  I'm pretty confident my brother will like this card.

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

Gisèle