Celebrate

Hello everyone,

It seems I never walk into a scrapbooking store without finding an extremely appealing piece of paper. These certainly are not colours I would normally gravitate towards but I just found this paper absolutely striking. My jumping off point was this week's Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge.

The background paper is Close To My Heart Sorbet which was stamped with Stampin' Up's Delight In Life and clear heat embossed. The middle layer is BoBunny Olivia Ambrosia. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Wonderful Words. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties.

I really like this very feminine card. This BoBunny paper is just spectacular. It has such a wonderful combination of colours that you could use it over and over again in a multitude of permutations. I'll probably regret that I only picked up one piece.

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

Gisèle

Celebrate The Season

Hello everyone,

Today's card uses Techno Stampers Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge. It was one of those very appealing sketches that I just had to do.



The background paper is Fancy Pants Christmas Magic. The remaining paper is Stampin' Up Whisper White and Baja Breeze. The Baja Breeze layer is textured with Cuttlebug's Winter Wonderland dry embossing folder. The snowflakes are cut with the Sizzix Northern Frost decorative strip from glossy paper that was smooched with Ranger alcohol ink and glittered with DecoArt Glamour Dust. The sentiment is Impression Obsession Christmas Sentiments. The images are Stampin' Up Serene Snowflakes highlighted with diamond Stickles.
This is the type of card I just love! The colours, the sparkle, the texture - what more could a girl want in a card. The only thing that could make is better would be holly or paisley but snowflakes are still a great option.
I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.
Gisèle
PS - I'm off for a week of sun and sand in the Dominican Republic. See you when I return.

Christmastide

Hello everyone,

Today's card started with Monday's Lunchtime Sketch Challenge and was inspired by the paper which I just love working with.

All the paper is Little Yellow Bicycle 25 Days of Christmas and Stampin' Up Whisper White. The background layer was textured with the Sizzix Flourish plate. The image is Denami Design Christmas Holly Vine which was stamped with Color Box gold, clear heat embossed and coloured with Sakura Gelly Roll Gold Shadow pens. The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions.

I love that this sketch really allowed me to play up the beautiful Little Yellow Bicycle paper. It is thick, rich and smooth and just wonderful on my cards. I know I should probably back off of the holly images but to be honest, I've so many that I'd really like to just use them over and over and over. I like how the Gold Shadow ink has come out much differently with the gold outline as opposed to the black. This is an interesting discovery that I will have fun exploring.

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

Gisèle

Vintage Holly

Hello everyone,

Today's card is another all about vintage. I used Monday's Lunchtime Sketch as a starting point and was really inspired to keep it vintage to meet last Thursday's Charisma Cardz challenge.

The background paper is by Anna Griffin as are the two papers in the middle layer. The element on the left was textured with Cuttlebug's Holly dry embossing folder. The image is Annabelle Holly Branch which is stamped is Color Box gold and heat embossed with Close To My Heart gold embossing powder. The sentiment, treated just like the image, is Cornish Heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions. The embellishments are American Crafts mini glitter brads.

I've come across some really nice vintage Christmas papers and stamps in the last while and have been very inspired by the feelings invoked by old Christmas cards and decorations. They just are not made that way any more. I think this is a great vintage card and am so pleased with the results. Holly will always be a favourite holiday image and I love the warmth of this card with just that little sprinkling of gold.

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

Gisèle

Romantic Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for the wife of a newly married colleague whose birthday is this weekend. He wanted something romantic but said his wife wasn't really 'girly'. I used Monday's Lunchtime Sketch as a starting point.

The background paper is Close To My Heart Garden Green, textured with Sizzix Ivy Flourishes and highlighted with Shimmerz Gold Glimmer. The horizontal strips are Basic Grey Marrakesh and Wisteria and a scrap of gold of unknown origin. The image is Gina K Hope Grows stamped in Stampin' Up Soft Suede and heat embossed with Close To My Heart Silver Pearl. It is stamped on a white scrap of unknown origin, layered on a piece of black also of unknown origin and cut with Spellbinders Label Sixteen. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Short & Sweet. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Pearl and Licorice Opaques.

I really like this card and I think it fits the bill for my colleague, but it was sure hard to come by. I wasn't happy with anything that I pulled together tonight. In the end, I think it is a nice balance of romantic without the frou frou. I certainly would be happy if my better half gave it to me.

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

Gisèle

Jolly Swap

Hello everyone,

In honor of World Card Making Day this coming Saturday, I'm attending a potluck and Christmas card swap at a friend's. I need to make seven cards for the swap and used Techno Stamper's Monday Lunchtime Sketch as inspiration.

The card base is and solid papers are all Recollections Christmas cardstock. The patterned paper is Little Yellow Bicycle 25 Days of Christmas. The gold layer is from Canford. The red layer was textured with Cuttlebug's Holly embossing folder. The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Christmas Expressions which was heat embossed with Close To My Heart gold embossing powder.

I'm really happy with this card. I love all the layers and the classic Christmas colours. The Little Yellow Bicycle paper has a really smooth feel to it and is just wonderful to work with. I can't wait to use it for more Christmas cards. Now of course, I just have six more cards to put together.

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

Gisèle

Wedding Traditions

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired from yesterday's Papertake Weekly Challenge for Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Blue. I used Techno Stamper's Monday Lunchtime Sketch as a starting point. I really wanted to get started using the fabulous stamped images I got in the mail today from my card making blogging buddy, Erin T. and these challenges fit the bill.

The card base is from Recollections. The bottom layer is Stampin' Up Brocade Blue which was punched with Martha Stewart's Optic Drop border punch. The patterned layer is My Mind's Eye Coastal 'Curious'. The ribbon is previously enjoyed and of unknown origin. The image is Waltzingmouse Big Blooms Chrysanthemums and is highlighted with Waterfall Stickles. The bottom oval layer was punched from another Big Blooms Chrysanthemums. The sentiment is American Crafts Wedding which is stamped on a scrap of Stampin' Up Very Vanilla.

The 'something old' is the ribbon. The new is the sentiment. I'm calling the 'something borrowed' the images from Erin T. The blue is pretty self-evident. Overall this is a very traditional wedding card. Overall, I love this card - the colours, the sparkle and just the entire feel. Thanks Erin for the great images, they've got me feeling really creative.

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

Gisèle

Coppered Thinking

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired by the Techno Stamper's Monday Lunchtime Sketch. I've a number of things on my plate tonight so I purposefully kept the card very simple.

The background paper is Stampin' Up River Rock that was textured with Sizzix's Flourish Blooms plate. Martha Stewart's Rain Drop border punch was used on the edges of the background layer. The focal layer is a piece of copper that was smooched with Ranger Adirondack alcohol ink and textured with Cuttlebug's Floral Fantasy folder. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Warmest Regards.

I love this card. It is so elegantly simple. The copper and alcohol ink technique is really easy and has a ton of impact. The copper sheets and the Cuttlebug folders work together wonderfully.

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

Gisèle

You Totally Rock!

Hello everyone,

My mojo is really lagging today. I think it must be the heat. Today's card is based on the Techno Stamper's Monday Lunchtime Sketch which was just too appealing to resist.

The card base is from Recollections. The background paper is Stampin' Up Pretty In Pink, the bottom of which was scalloped with the Martha Stewart Layered Arches border punch. The remaining paper is BasicGrey Eva. The sentiment is Gina K Tag Lines.

I really like this card. This is the type of sketch that I really enjoy. I think part of the appeal was that it seemed made for the BasicGrey papers that I so love. I had in mind a teenage girl when I made this card. I think it works rather well.

Please enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Rock Star

Hello everyone,

First off, apologies for not posting yesterday. Life just got completely away from me and I couldn't swing either a card nor a post.

Second, I'm playing with some new templates for my blog as I'm finding the green a little distracting. I am looking for something more neutral and professional that will better highlight my cards. Opinions and feedback (Cynthia) are most welcome.

Today's card is for the brother of a colleague. He is a deejay, working hard to establish himself, and she is trying to encourage him as much as possible. This has given me a chance to try some new things and in this case, I think it really worked. I used Technostamper's Monday Lunchtime Sketch to highlight the focal image.


The background paper is DCWV Retro Prints. The two vertical layers are Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip and Ruby Red. The Ruby Red strips are textured with Cuttlebug's Spots & Dots. The focal image is an EK Success Jolee's Boutique sticker, Rock Star.

I just love this card. I think everything works together beautifully. The colours are great and the sticker is awesome! I've only recently started looking at stickers as an option for my cards. I've discovered that stickers provide a very reasonably priced alternative to purchasing dedicated stamps. The theme of this card will certainly not be for everyone (it doesn't really appeal to me either) but I really wanted to share the idea of this card. Using stickers and a great sketch helped me craft a really personal card that I'm sure my colleague will love.

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

Gisèle

Aqua Sketch

Hello everyone,

Today's card is based on two challenges, Techno Stamper's Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge provided a very interesting sketch to follow and the Pink Elephant challenge was to use the colour aqua. Given the idea that came to me when I saw the sketch, aqua was pretty easy.

The paper is all Stampin' Up - Bermuda Bay, Whisper White and Shimmery White. The background layer is textured with Sizzix Pattern 1. The image is Hero Arts Starburst Lace and is highlighted with a Peggy's Pretties. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Well Scripted. The ribbon is Stampin' Up polka dot grosgrain.

I think this is one of my favourite Mother's Day cards so far. I love the colour combination of Bermuda Bay and white. It is so clean and crisp. I also love the Starburst Lace stamp. It is so very, very striking. I suspect I'll be tempted to overuse it.

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

Gisèle

Mother's Sketch

Hello everyone,

Today's card uses the Monday Lunchtime Sketch from Techno Stamper. It was one of those sketches that I find absolutely appealing and irresistible.

The paper is all Autumn Leaves Emily. The image is Stampin' Up Medallion which is highlighted with Star Dust Stickles. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Well Scripted.

This is a much more simple card than it actually appears. Keeping to just one type of fantastic paper made all the difference. I really like this card. The medallion stamp is one of my very favourites. I actually worry that I use it too often and I know I would use it even more. I actually stamped the medallion on the wrong side of the paper - I meant it to be on the lavender side as opposed to the white. Oh well, it still works just fine.

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

Gisèle

Yet Another Three Challenge Birthday

Hello everyone,

I used three challenges for today's card. This week's Monday Lunchtime Sketch challenge provided a really appealing sketch. Monday's Color Chef challenge asked for pink, black and white. This week's Pink Elephant Challenge was actually a recipe challenge to use one image, two dies and three embellishments.


The background and striped layers are DCWV All Dressed Up. The pink layer is Multicrafts Forever In Time. The black and white layers are Stampin' Up Basic Black and Whisper White. The focal image is Stampin' Up Itty Bitty Buds stamped on a piece of Whisper White cut with the Spellbinders Label Eleven. The image was embossed with Close To My Heart black embossing powder. The focal image is layered on a piece of Basic Black cut with the Spellbinders Label Ten which was textured with Cuttlebug Floral Fantasy dry embossing folder. The metal brad is from Multicrafts. The ribbon is Michael's Celebrate It. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Short & Sweet. The pearls are from Hero Arts.

Filling the Pink Elephant recipe:
1 image - Stampin' Up Itty Bitty Buds
2 dies - Spellbinders Labels Ten and Eleven
3 embellishments - ribbon, flower brad, pearls

I just love this card. Pink, black and white are a beautiful colour combination. The flower brad was a stroke of genius on my third attempt and it turned out better than I expected. I wish all my cards turned out like this.

Please enjoy and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Sentiment-less

Hello everyone,

Today's card is a very different one because I stamped absolutely nothing on this card except my signature stamp on the back. I was inspired by the Monday Lunchtime Sketch from Technostamper and today's Flourishes Timeless Tuesday "bought it, use it" challenge.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Bella Bleu. The remaining paper is Stampin' Up Kraft and Not Quite Navy. The solid paper elements were textured with the Cuttlebug Victoria dry embossing folder. The leaves are Craft Medley from Multicrafts.

I pick up interesting bits and pieces wherever I go and these leaves are one of those finds. I've had them for months and bought them because I thought they were interesting, not because I had a plan for them. Today's challenge from Flourishes was the impetus I needed to get them on a card. I love the results. The sketch was fantastic for this card. I've been anxiously awaiting my recent Stampin' Up order to get my hands on this Bella Bleu paper and I'm not at all disappointed. I didn't stamp anything on this card. I thought about adding a sentiment but decided against it as I really wanted the leaves to stand out. I also couldn't figure out what kind of a card it was - wedding, get well, friendship, it could be any of these things.

Please enjoy and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle