Paw Patrol Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a couple of birthday cards crafted for a sweet grandson/great grandson who is celebrating his first birthday.

The card base is Stampin' Up Night of Navy.  The image is a royalty free clip art layered on Close To My Heart Orange and Willow.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word font also layered on Orange and Willow.  The embellishments are Dress It Up.

The card base is Stampin' Up Pacific Point.  The image is royalty free clip art layered on Close To My Heart Willow.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word font added to the image before it was printed.  The embellishments are Dress It Up.

I have to say that after crafting the recent sympathy card series, these two Paw Patrol birthday cards were a lot of fun to make.  I didn't have any Paw Patrol stamps, paper or stickers so I researched royalty free clip art online, choosing a variety and printed them.  I didn't think to save the URL but I just did a simple Google search of images.  I wasn't sure what I'd use for embellishments or even if I would use any, but as I was going through my stash of embellishments I found these birthday elements that proved perfect!

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

Gisèle

 

Critter Thank You

Hello everyone,

Today I'm posting a custom gift tag that a colleague request for her daycare.

The base is Stampin' Up Pear Pizzazz.  The printed paper is Doodlebug "At The Zoo" Zoo Friends layered on a blue of unknown origin.  The sentiment and text are a Microsoft Word font printed on regular printer paper and layered on more blue and Pear Pizzazz.  The image is free clip art layered on more blue.

My colleagues kids will both be in school in a few weeks and so they'll be saying goodbye to their daycare.  She's gifting them some fancy pastries and requested a special tag.  This is a simple design starting with a 6X6 base which a 3/4" fold that has double-sided tape.  All she needs to do is place it on the box.  It took me a bit to find some suitable printed paper but I think these cute little critters do the trick.  She love the results and I hope the daycare does as well.

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

Gisèle

Camping Commission

Hello everyone,

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

The card base is a white Bazzill.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Real Red and Old Olive.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word layered on more Real Red and Old Olive.  The embellishments are American Crafts mini earth tones glitter brads.

I'd never been asked to craft a camping themed card for a woman's milestone birthday but I aim to please.  I was actually a little worried about the theme until I found this great piece of camping paper in my scrap bin.  I had hoped to add some twine (either a bow or knot) but I really didn't want to cover up any more of this camping paper than necessary.  I really hope this card will work!

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

Gisèle

Blooming Beautiful

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another French good luck card.

The image is Altenew Watercolor Wonders stamped in Altenew Citrus Burst, Forest Glades, Frayed Leaf, Maple Yellow, Sea Breeze, Starlight, Sunkissed, Tide Blue, Turquoise, Warm Sunshine, and Stampin' Up Wild Wasabi on Recollections White.  The images are cut with the coordinating die.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word font layered on a piece of white inked with Turquoise.  The card is highlighted with White Opal Liquid Pearls.

I'm so ready for a spring that seems to being taking a long time arriving so I'm invoking it with some warm and cheerful cards.  I wanted to do something a little different than the last few cards so I put away the paper and pulled out the Altenew sets.  This particular set is really quite fun.  It's a multi-step stamp that is extremely forgiving.  I used dimensionals on the large flower, which already pack a great visual punch, to make it stand out even more.  I think this is the perfect amount, placement and size of Liquid Pearl dots - finally!

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

Gisèle 

Soft And Sweet

Hello everyone,

Today's goodbye card post is soft and subtle.

The printed paper is Recess Sugarplum Paisleys Sparkle Slant layered on Recollections White and Close To My Heart Petal.  The horizontal border was cut with Martha Stewart Infinite Loops border punch from more Close To My Heart Petal.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word font layered on more Petal and white.  The card is highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

Anything paisley always appeals to me but I really wasn't sure about this paper.  The colours are not the greatest and I thought it would be a bit of a challenge to find coordinating colours.  It was actually pretty easy once I settle on this pretty purple which actually makes the other colours work just fine.  I also wanted to do a border that wasn't ribbon and figured this infinite loops border would work really well.  I especially like this border because it's really great for adding Stickles.  The paper also had wonderful bursts and flowers that were also fantastic for adding Stickles.  I was surprisingly pleased with the final result.

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

Gisèle

Cheery Goodbye

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a really happy goodbye card.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Recollections Black and Close To My Heart Thistle.  The sentiment is a Microsoft Word font layered on Bazzill green and more Recollections Black.  The ribbon is American Crafts.  The card is highlighted with Star Dust Stickles.

I think this is such cheerful paper and it's perfect for a goodbye card.  I used black as a layer because I felt it would pop all the other colours and it really did the job. This is also a great paper for coordinating with a bunch of different colours as virtually anything would work.  It is also the perfect paper for adding Stickles.  A great result!

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

Gisèle

Flourished Goodbye

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a more sophisticated French goodbye card.

The printed paper is My Mind's Eye Coastal Comfort layered on Stampin' Up Really Rust and More Mustard.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word font layered on Recollections Vanilla and more Really Rust.  The image is Joy Craft Floral Flourishes 6003/0006 die cut from Close To My Heart Lagoon and highlighted with Wink of Stella Clear 999.

I've had this sheet of My Mind's Eye in my stash for years.  It's not the most pretty piece of paper but there is something about it which I find very appealing.  It's got some wonderful fall colours with slight hints of turquoise with glittered petals.  I wanted this card to be somewhat simple because the paper is pretty spectacular on its own.  Once I'd placed the sentiment however I felt it needed just a little something more so I decided to add this flourished butterfly.  I drew it's colour from the hints of turquoise in the flowers petals and it worked surprisingly well.

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

Gisèle 

Sweet Spring

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a French goodbye card.

The printed paper is a Stampin' Up unknown designer series paper layered on Stampin' Up Mint Macaroon.  The sentiment is a Microsoft Word font layered on more Mint Macaroon.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.  The embellishment is a Stampin' Up Petal Passion metal flower.

I was gifted a number of sheets of Stampin' Up paper at a recent crop and for the life of me, I couldn't find out from which series it originated.  I originally thought I'd at least matched up the right In Colors but in hindsight I'm not so sure.  We're expecting some pretty crappy weather over the next few days so I was inspired to craft a spring inspired card and this paper fit the bill perfectly.  I didn't want to cover up the paper so I just used a simple ribbon and applied the sentiment like a tag.  I think it all works wonderfully!

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

Au Revoir

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a goodbye card that will replenish my stash.

The card base was stamped with Stampin' Up Gorgeous Grunge and Close To My Heart Mink.  The background paper was made with shaving cream and a variety of Stampin' Up re-inkers, and was layered on Stampin' Up Certainly Celery and Crushed Curry.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word font layered on more Certainly Celery and a Crushed Curry banner.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone Strips.

This is a one of the first pieces of paper I crafted using the shaving cream technique.  I just love the swirls.  I'm trying to use up some of the stash of leftover papers I have on hand and it's getting just a little out of hand.  It is spring time and that means moving season so I know I'm going to need a variety of 'goodbye' and 'good luck' cards in both English and French.  This is a start!

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

Gisèle

Bottom's Up One More Time

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the second of two commissioned non-holiday wine bottle tags.

The printed paper is Magenta "Nature" Cold Harmony layered on Recollections White and Close To My Heart Indian Corn Blue. The medallion was punched from more Close To My Heart Indian Corn Blue as well as Garden Green using Martha Stewart's Quilted Edge Punch Around The Page set.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word.  The embellishments are of unknown origin.

I am really loving crafting wine bottle tags!  As they don't need envelops or go in the mail, they offer the chance to add some fantastic dimension that I wouldn't otherwise include.  I just love making the medallions and find the results really spectacular.  I also like being able to include elements which go off the edge of the base, like this banner.  Expect more bottle tags in the future as they're just too much fun to make!

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

Gisèle

Bottom's Up

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a non-holiday wine bottle tag that was commissioned by the mother of a colleague who I had the pleasure of meeting when I was a vendor at a small Christmas show in early December.

The printed paper is Doodlebug "Polar Pals" Ski Sweater layered on Close To My Heart Lagoon and Recollections White.   The medallion was punched from more Close To My Heart Lagoon as well as Thistle using Martha Stewart's Double Loop Punch Around The Page set.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word layered on more Lagoon.  The ribbons are Craftsmart and Multicrafts.

I have to say it was so much fun to craft a bottle tag that wasn't holiday themed.  Besides the sentiment, the only element requested was the medallion so I chose a piece of paper with colours that I really love.  The new light/dark sided Close To My Heart solid paper coordinated beautifully with the colours in the printed paper.  It was also pretty easy to choose a couple of ribbons that worked.  I was going to add another embellishment but couldn't figure out a good placement so decided to just forgo.  In the end, it wasn't needed anyway.

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

Gisèle

Butterfly Blues

Hello everyone,

I'm starting off 2018 by posting all the non-holiday cards I've crafted over the past few months.

The printed paper is Making Cards Wonderful Watercolours layered on Stampin' Up Elegant Eggplant, and a pale blue and green of unknown origin.  The image is Stampendous Butterfly Trio coloured with a variety of Stampin' Up watercolour crayons, spritzed with water and stamped on watercolour paper.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word.  Both the image and sentiment are layered on more Elegant Eggplant.  The card is highlighted with Want 2 Scrap Say It With Pearl White Baby Bling.

This is such a beautiful summery card most welcome on a bitter cold January day.  I really tailored this card to the recipient who loves these colours and the nature theme.  I didn't have these actual French words so I used Microsoft Word and printed them.  It's a great way to get one-off sentiments without having to purchase stamps.  I love the colours and the technique used on this card and am so very pleased with the result.

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 Italian XI

Hello everyone,

Today’s post is as different from yesterday’s Italian card as I could possibly imagine.

The printed papers are Stampin’ Up Birds of a Feather.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word printed font layered on Stampin’ Up Crumbcake.  The banners are punched from Recollections White that was stamped with Close To My Heart Brushstrokes stamped in Altenew Dusk and Ruby Red, and Stampin’ Up Crushed Curry.  The card is highlighted with Diamond Stickles. 

I think one of the things that makes this card so very interesting is the layers of patterns.  It's subtle, but still visible enough to add interest.  I didn't originally intend to add banners but had planned a stamped background for the sentiment.  I just couldn't get it to work so punched the banner from the stamped background.  The colours of the banners are meant to replicate the colours of the birds.  It's a little strong for the subtle colours of the paper but I can live with it.  A pretty decent card given I was pretty much flying by the seat of my pants.

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

Gisèle

All Italian X

Hello everyone,

Today’s Italian card post is a little different that my usual.

The printed paper is Kaisercraft Elegance ‘Boho’ layered on Close To My Heart Juniper and Recollections White.  The images are Stampin’ Up Four Feathers, Close To My Heart gold heat embossed, and die cut with Sizzix Feathers Framelits.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word printed font layered on more Juniper.

I've always loved feather cards even though I resisted the stamps and dies for quite a while.  I really wanted to use this unusual feather paper and thought gold embossed feathers would be the perfect combination.  It's not exactly as I'd hoped.  I think it may be too much of a good thing.  The other issue I had was finding coordinating paper.  The Juniper works pretty good but I would have loved to have a dark teal as I think the entire card would have popped just that little bit more.  It's not a terrible card but I don't think it's necessarily my best either.

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

Gisèle

All Italian IX

Hello everyone,

Today’s post is a beautiful Italian anniversary card.

The patterned paper is BasicGrey Cappella – Bellini layered on American Crafts and Recollections White.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word printed font layered on more American Crafts.  The ribbon is Michael’s Sheer Creations.  The pearl heart embellishment is of unknown origin.

I thought it was very ironic that I chose this very Italian BasicGrey paper for this anniversary card.  I didn't know it when I picked it out of my stash.  Obviously it was meant to be.  Given this is quite busy printed paper, I picked out a more subtle layering paper but something with a bit of shine.  The ribbon mimics the layered paper with it's own bit of shine.  The heart embellishment adhered to the knot, just seemed perfect.  I love this card.

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

Gisèle

All Italian VIII

Hello everyone,

I’ve another Italian card today.

The patterned papers are is Close To My Heart You Rock.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word printed font layered on Olive, Outdoor Denim and Goldrush.  The banners are Sizzix Banners Framelist.  The star embellishment is of unknown origin.

This is one of my favourite Close To My Heart papers.  I've used it sparingly over the years.  I wanted  to include a more masculine card in this hostess gift set and I thought this would be just right.  I felt the font of the sentiment also worked well with the printed paper.

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

Gisèle

All Italian VII

Hello everyone,

Today’s post is another Italian card in the hostess gift series I’ve been crafting.

The patterned paper is Stampin’ Up Shades of Spring layered on So Saffron and Pretty In Pink.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word printed font.  The butterfly is Joy Crafts Vintage Flourishes die 6003/0023 cut from So Saffron.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone Strips.

I really love pink and yellow together which is probably what drew me to this paper in the first place.  Unfortunately the scale of these flowers is quite large for cards.  I had to try a few different butterfly dies to find one which I liked.  This flourished one is maybe a little over the top but it's not too bad overall.  I'm happy with the final result.

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

Gisèle

All Italian VI

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the first of a bunch of Italian birthday cards I'm crafting for this hostess gift.

The printed paper is Bella Blvd Classic Calendars layered on Close To My Heart Lagoon.  The image is Stampin' Up Thanks For Caring stamped on Whisper White in Altenew Forest Glades, and coloured with Faber-Castel Watercolour Pencils.  The sentiment is Microsoft Word printed font layered on more Lagoon.  The image and sentiment panel are layered on Recollections Black.

This is one of my favourite printed papers.  I love all the flourishes and the colours are just wonderful.  You can coordinate this paper with absolutely any colour combination.  I used the black on the image layer to ensure it didn't disappear against the strong background.  I often lament about my colouring abilities but I don't think I did too back with this one.  I had hoped that the watercolour aspect of these pencil crayons would help this endeavor.

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

Gisèle