Better With Butterflies

Hello everyone,

The original card was posted on April 26, 2010.

Like yesterday's card, I didn't remove anything from the original card but instead added three double layer butterflies which were punched with two EK Success butterfly punches from Stampin' Up Shimmery White and Bermuda Bay.  The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties.

I'm no design expert by any stretch of the imagination so I can't pin point exactly what is the problem with the original card.  I think the main issue is that it seems unfinished.  With the addition of the butterflies, the card just seems to look more complete.  I wonder if it is because the three original elements, though placed well in the layout, are small, medium and large with the focal element smack in the middle of the card, competing with the busy Hero Arts Starburst Lace stamp.  The three butterflies seems to spread out the line of sight and balance the simple sentiment with the busy stamp.

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

Gisèle

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

Sympathy Poppies

Hello everyone,

I got the rest of my sympathy cards crafted last night but didn't manage to get them posted. These two cards are for a colleague who lost her mother last week. This colleague is a colourful person. She always wears eclectic jewelry and her office is chock-a-block full of plants and colourful trinkets. Needless to say, I made these sympathy cards more bright and cheerful than usual because it was much more suited to the wonderful woman receiving them.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Daffodil Delight textured with Sizzix Small Dots. The patterned layer is DCWV Green Stack. The image, Stampendous Poppy Trio, is stamped on Whisper White and coloured with Martha Stewart Opaque Spring Colour markers, Adirondack Red Pepper marker and Bic Rambunctious Red. It is sponged with Daffodil Delight ink and layered on a scrap of Basic Black. The sentiment is Verve Forever In Our Hearts. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties.

The card base is Recollections. The image, stamped on Whisper White and layered on a scrap of red of unknown origin and a piece of Stampin' Up Handsome Hunter, is Stampendous Poppy Stems. The image is coloured with Bic's Rambunctious Red. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Warmest Regards. The embellishments are Crafts Gem Chic.

I really love both these cards. They are wonderfully different and so suited to my colleague. I know she'll appreciate them.

Please enjoy these cards and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Fall Colours

Hello everyone,

As much as I'm enjoying crafting Christmas cards, I'm really in need of replenishing my 'thinking of you' card stash. My husband and I drove out to the nursery on Sunday and on a perfect fall day in Canada's capital, the fall scenery was absolutely resplendent. It was much too inspiring not to use in a card.

The card base is from Recollections. The images and sentiment are Sweet 'n Sassy Autumn Blessings stamped with Stampin' Up More Mustard, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust and Ruby Red. The sentiment is stamped on a scrap of Whisper White layered on a scrap of Old Olive. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties.

The card is based on Saturday's Waltzingmouse sketch. It also meets last Tuesday's My Time To Craft challenge which was autumn themes and colours. Last week's Tuesday Taggers challenge was anything autumny so this card all fits that bill.

I just love this card. The colours and images are as striking as the scenery on Sunday. There is just something about fall colours that is so very appealing. It makes me glad that I live somewhere where the fall colours are so blatantly striking.

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

Gisèle

Thinking of You

Hello everyone,

Today's card is for a colleague who is undergoing prostate cancer treatment. He is halfway through treatment and I thought he could you a bright, yet masculine card pick-me-up from the gang at the office. I used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge as a starting point and incorporating a tree fits today's Cute Card Thursday challenge.

The background layer and horizontal strip is Stampin' Up Certainly Celery. The remaining paper is Martha Stewart Playful Blue and Stampin' Up Whisper White. The blue layer and green strip were textured with Cuttlebug's Leafy Branch embossing folder. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties. The image is Gina K Tree Silhouettes. The sentiment is Annabelle Sentimental Bluebells.

I love this card. I think it will be perfect for my colleague and I hope it will brighten his day. I just love the tree image, I've not used it before but I will certainly use it more often now.

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

Gisèle

Sketched Male Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today's card is based on two sketches. Thursday's Just Add Ink had a colour challenge - Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip and Kraft - crafted into a male card. Today's Card Positioning Systems sketch was the perfect jumping off point for a clean and simple male card.

The paper is all Stampin' Up - Baja Breeze (Urban Oasis), Chocolate Chip and Kraft. The background layer is textured with Sizzix Small Dots. The Chocolate Chip layer is textured with Cuttlebug Argyle, positioned horizontally. The sentiment is Sweet 'n Sassy Birthday Greetings. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties.

I think this is a great male Birthday card. It is wonderfully clean and simple and will really appeal to those who like that minimalist feel.

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

Gisèle

Out Of The Box, Into The Lagoon

Hello everyone,

Today's card is so out of my comfort zone that I'm still wondering if it is worth posting. It may be one of those cards that was nicer in my mind that in reality. Last Thursday, Simon Says Challenge offered up a really interesting photo for inspiration and while I loved the colours, I couldn't figure out a card that really jazzed me. Monday, however, the Cupcake Craft challenge was to use acetate and that got me thinking of possibilities. It didn't hurt that Monday's Practical Scrappers challenge was to use embossing, a favourite technique.

The inspirational photo.

The card base is from Recollections. The blue paper is BasicGrey Marrakesh, textured with Sizzix Retro Squares and highlighted with Vanilla Smooch Spritz. There is also scraps of acetate, vellum and a textured/flocked piece of white paper of unknown origin. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Wonderful Words which were heat embossed with Close To My Heart Silver Pearl. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties.

I was trying to evoke a sense of the ice cubes, all rounded squares, shiny and cold. This really is rather abstract and certainly not something I'd normally try. It's not a bad card but in the final analysis, I'm really not sure about it and I'm not confident putting it in the sale pile.

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

Gisèle

Another Baby Boy

Hello everyone,

As promised, today's card is baby boy card. Once again I used Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch and bright, bold, boy papers. It worked great!

The paper is all Stampin' Up - Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Brilliant Blue and Tall Tales designer series paper. The Old Olive and Chocolate Chip were textured with Sizzix large dots. The Brilliant Blue was crimped. The brad is of unknown origin from the stash but is likely either from Multicrafts or the dollar store. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Sweet Little Sentiments. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties and Oregon Raindrops.

I think this is an awesome baby boy card. I couldn't resist the animal paper because it had so many great colours which makes it so easy to coordinate all the remaining paper.

It has been a lot of fun making these baby cards. Boy and girl, subtle and bright. It is pretty amazing how using the same sketch, you can still get really different cards.

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

Gisèle

Good Luck, Good Luck, Good Luck

Hello everyone,

Today's card is another goodbye. One of my colleagues is transferring to another section. He has been absolutely wonderful to work with and I hope I will be fortunate enough to have another opportunity to do so in the future.

This card is inspired by two challenges, Pals Paper Arts provided the sketch while Terrifically Thrilling Thursday Challenges offered up a theme of three.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Bordering Blue that has been textured with Sizzix Circle Circus. The patterned paper is three different sheets of BasicGrey Granola. The sentiment is Waltzingmouse Say It With Style stamped on Stampin' Up Whisper White. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties.

Have I said how much I love BasicGrey Paper? How great is this paper for a male colleague? I know male cards can be tough but it is even worse for a male colleague. I'm actually pretty excited about this card because I'm pretty sure Phil will be touched knowing that I made it especially for him - he won't show it though...

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

Gisèle

Scrumptious Sketch

Hello everyone,

Today's card is a goodbye card for a friend who is following her hubby on an overseas posting. I'll miss her dearly but I know that she'll make the most of her time away and I'll see her when she comes home. I used today's Truly Scrumptious sketch as inspiration for this card.


The background paper is from my scrap bin and I believe it is Recollections. It has been dry embossed with Sizzix Flourish texture plate. The printed paper is BasicGrey Marrakesh layered on top of Stampin' Up Ruby Red. The image is Close To My Heart You Are Beautiful stamped on a piece of Stampin' Up Whisper White and layered on a piece of Ruby Red. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties.

I like this card. The colours are not traditional and neither is my friend so I know she'll love it. Have I said how much I like the BasicGrey paper. It really is wonderful.

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

Gisèle

Darling Dad

Hello everyone,

I really should be taking care of some housecleaning but am procrastinating with card making. Ha! I'll feel guilty later. This card is for my darling hubby. I think he is an awesome dad! I found another new sketch from Creative Clear Stamps. Check out the Creative Vision Sketch Challenge if you're looking for inspiration.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Sweet Pea. The remaining paper is Stampin' Up Certainly Celery and Whisper White. The image is by Inkadinkado. The sentiment is Loopy Letters by Image Tree. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties.

I really like this card. It is very clean. I used Stampin' Up Soft Suede for the image and sentiment and like how it comes out much softer than black. I know that hubby will keep this one in his sentimental stash.

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

Gisèle

Sketched Baptism

Hello everyone,

Today's card was commissioned by a colleague. She asked for a boy's baptism card. I used yesterday's Sweet Sketch Wednesday as a jumping-off point and am really glad I did because the card turned out wonderfully and my colleague was really pleased.

The card base is from Recollections. The remaining paper is Martha Stewart Playful Blue and Stampin' Up Whisper White. The background layer was textured with Sizzix Circle Circus. The sentiment is Gina K Lovely Labels. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties.

I don't have any religious-inspired images but I felt that this sentiment, highlighted in the ovals, would work just fine. I'm actually really happy with the results. The layers, combined with the simplicity of the sketch, come together beautifully.

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

Gisèle

Womanly Sweet Sunday

Hello again everyone,

If you've just come from my previous post, you should be expecting this card. It is the ladies Birthday card using the exact same Sweet Sunday sketch.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Bashful Blue, textured with Sizzix Small Dots. The patterned paper is BasicGrey Lilykate. The images, stamped on Whisper White, are Stampin' Up Playful Petals. The images are coloured with Tombow markers and highlighted with Close To My Heart Liquid Glass. The sentiment is Sweet 'n Sassy Birthday Greetings. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties.

I love the femininity of this card. It is so soft and romantic. These watery colours are amongst my very favourites. I also really like the effect of coating images with liquid glass, it adds just that little extra sheen to the flowers.

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

Gisèle

Manly Sweet Sunday

Hello everyone,

Happy Mother's Day. My Mother's Day treat was time to craft so I've two posts for you today. I so liked Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch that I used it to make two cards. A man's Birthday card and a woman's Birthday card. They both turned out great!


The paper is all Stampin' Up - Sweet Pea and Whisper White. The image is Sweet 'n Sassy Autumn Blessings. The sentiment is Sweet 'n Sassy Birthday Greetings. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties.

This is a wonderfully manly birthday card. So very simple but effective. I really like it.

I hope you enjoy 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

Yet Another Sketched Sympathy

Hello everyone,

I know, I know, it's another sympathy card. This one, unfortunately, is not for my stash but for a friend and colleague whose mother has just passed away. As my creativity is still not up to par I used today's Eat, Sleep, Stamp sketch to help me focus.

The paper is DCWV Far East Stack, Close To My Heart Vineyard Berry and Stampin' Up Very Vanilla. The image and sentiment are Verve Forever In Our Hearts and Thankful Accents. The focal element was cut with the Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Three. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties.

This card was extremely difficult to pull together. Not because of the topic but I'm just not feeling all that creative. I sat at my desk for the longest time to try to come up with something and it just took forever to find paper and a sentiment. If it weren't for the sketch, I don't think it would have happened tonight. I have to say I really like DCWV's Far East paper. Although I don't dislike Asian inspired material, I don't necessarily gravitate towards it however, I see tremendous possibilities in each and every sheet of this particular stack.

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

Gisèle

Dance, Sing, Love, Live

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired by Saturday's Stamping 411 sketch challenge.

The card base is Stampin' Up Very Vanilla. The orange and patterned papers are of unknown origin. They were part of a free gift with an order from Scrap 'n Stamp, one of my favourite stores. The sentiment is from Penny Black. The ribbon is from Michaels. The image is Verve Thankful Accents and is highlighted with a Peggy's Pretties.

I love everything about this card, the earth tones, the verse and the sketch. Isn't is great when you fall in love with a card after it's finished.

Please enjoy and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Clean & Simple Triple Birthday

Hello everyone,

Why just do one card when you can do three? I was so inspired by Friday's Clean & Simple sketch that I just couldn't leave it at one card.

The card bases are all Recollections. The images in the first card are Stampin' Up Big Pieces and the sentiment is Vintage Labels. The images on the second and third cards are Stampin' Up Circle Circus. The sentiments are Sweet 'n Sassy Birthday Greetings. The images on the second card are highlighted with Diamond Stickles. The images on the third card are highlighted with Peggy's Pretties.

I love these cards. My thinking was to do a male card, a girl's card and a woman's card. I think it worked out just fine. I could have kept going. I'm certainly much more confident at making clean and simple cards.

Please enjoy and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Ve, Ve, Ve, Verve - Part V

Hello everyone,

Verve's fifth challenge was to Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose.

The card base is from Recollections. The focal image is from an old, old party invitation and was cut with a Spellbinder label die. The paper is Stampin' Up Pale Plum and Tempting Turquoise. The images and sentiment are Verve Thankful Accents. The embellishments are Peggy's Pretties.

Like the ballerina card from last week, I just love this pretty card. How cute is that kitten? The party invitation was part of the decluttered treasures from my Mom. I'm so glad she passed them along because I see so many possibilties.

I've had a great day playing along with Verve's Spring Fling challenges. I love the new stamps and can't wait to do a wee bit of shopping. I love the quality of Verve's acrylic stamps. They stamp like a dream and are so very versatile. If ever you have a chance to give them a try, don't hesitate!

Please enjoy and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Ve, Ve, Ve, Verve - Part II

Hello everyone,

The second Verve challenge was a very appealing sketch.

All the paper is Close To My Heart Grace. The solid papers were textured with Sizzix Circle Circus. The ribbon is American Crafts Red Ruffles. The image is Verve Filigree Fantasy and is highlighted with a Peggy's Pretties. The sentiment is Verve Thankful Accents.

I really like this card. The sketch was wonderful. The paper coordinates beautifully.

Please enjoy and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle