Funky Floral Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a great funky floral 'birthday' card.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The printed paper is PhotoPlay Be Loyal layered on a green Bazzill and Close To My Heart Blush.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Happy Birthday stamped in Altenew Industrial Diamond on an ivory of unknown origin and layered on more green Bazzill and Blush.  The embellishments are The Paper Company Flowers and Frills Jewels and Queen & Company Snowflake Rhinestones.

This is not the type of floral paper to which I'm normally drawn but it is such a fun piece of paper I just couldn't resist using it for a card.  It was pretty easy to find coordinating solid colours and I didn't have to worry about trimming.  The flowers were great for adding a variety of gems, allowing me to use up some leftover packages of embellishments.

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

Gisèle

For the Gentlemen

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the last two French cards I crafted for this 'birthday' card commission.

The card bases are Craft Smith.  The printed papers are PhotoPlay “Here and There” By Land, Air and Sea, and of unknown origin.  The printed papers are layered on a vanilla of unknown origin and Recollections Black, and Close To My Heart Barn Red.  The sentiments are Bonnidée French Wording #1 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a vanilla of unknown origin and are layered on more Black and Barn Red.  The embellishments are Hero Arts Midnight Black Accent Pearls and Close To My Heart Round Durables.

I love finding printed paper that is especially masculine.  These scraps worked beautifully for two really masculine French cards.  The layouts are quite straightforward and were used to maximized the printed paper.  I think the font of the sentiments also works really well with the printed paper.  Also, the embellishments were chosen with the images in mind.  These are two really wonderful results.

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

Gisèle

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 

Merry Christmas Gifts

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is Photoplay Mad 4 Plaid Christmas layered on Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler.  The sentiment/image is cut from Recollections Black, Cherry Cobbler and a green of unknown origin with Echo Park's Merry Christmas & Holly die.

I can't resist a great Christmas plaid so the Photoplay 6x6 pad was in my card without hesitation.  I have a fair number of Christmas sentiment dies and this was a great opportunity to experiment.  I was drawn to this Echo Park die because of the holly sprig that was included.  It did not disappoint!  This is a fairly simple card that makes a big impact!

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

Gisèle

Polar Bear Fun

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a really fun Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is Photoplay Polar Games layered on Pacon green.  The sentiment is Flonz 804 stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on more Recollections White and layered on a blue of unknown origin.  The card is highlighted with Xmas Red and Star Dust Stickles.

I will admit it was rather fun to craft such a jolly card after all the more formal Italian Christmas cards.  I sent this card to my cousin in Australia because I figured she'd love these bears!  It's so Canadian!  I love the angled sentiment and am so glad I've not shied away from this layout because it's just awesome!

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

Gisèle

Shark Attack

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a card I crafted for my brother's girlfriend.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is Photoplay Shark Attack layered on Recollections Black.  The sentiment is Stampendous Friendly Messages stamped in Altenew Jet Black on Recollections White and layered on more Recollections Black.  The card is highlighted with Waterfall Stickles.

I don't get the appeal, but my brother's girlfriend has a thing for sharks. A friend gifted me this shark paper which I knew I'd use for her.  It seems rather ironic that you'd wish someone 'a great day' with a shark card but she'll get the quirky!  It's a simple card and a great result!

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

Gisèle

A Christmas Cardinal

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the final Christmas card of the season.

The card base is Recollections Vanilla.  The printed paper is Photoplay Holiday Cheer layered on Recollections Kraft and Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler.  The sentiment is Bonnidée C'est Noël stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Cherry Cobbler.  The cardinal embellishment is Little B Winter Cardinals.

It somehow seemed fitting to end this year's Christmas cards with this lovely cardinal card.  It will go to another colleague who has a lovely photo of a cardinal in her office.  This is another piece of printed paper that works great for a card.  It is actually rather neutral and allows for any number of options, either trees, wreaths or holly would work well with this background.  We'll see what I come up with for next year.

I hope you enjoyed this card and this year's Christmas cards, and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Playful Kitties

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a very playful cat birthday card.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The printed paper is Photoplay "Whiskers" Cat Nip layered on a mustard Bazzill.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up All Holidays stamped in Early Espresso on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more mustard and a green Bazzill.  The brads are of unknown origin.

Like his girlfriend my brother has a love of cats.  I thought this particular piece of paper was especially fitting because we had a cat named Whiskers when we were younger.  As I've mentioned many times, I'm not a fan of using paper with rows or columns for cards but this piece worked well because the scale of the images is small and it worked well on this card.  I had to be careful when placing the sentiment because I didn't want to cut off the images.  I love the wide variety of colours which made colour coordination pretty straightforward.  It's a great card!

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

Gisèle

More Happy Cats

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another fun cat card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Crumbcake.  The printed paper is Photoplay Meow Mix layered on Recollections Black.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Sweet Essentials stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso on Recollections Vanilla.  The embellishment is EK Success Brights Dots.

This is another card I'll add to the half dozen I've been crafting for my brother's girlfriend.  She has a thing for cats.  These are as funky as the ones on yesterday's card.  I'm not as fussy on the background colour, preferring the red.  I do love the paw prints flowers and the cute little mouse.  Placement of the sentiment was chosen so the cats wouldn't be hidden.  That smiling blue cat above the sentiment is a bit of an accident.

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

Gisèle 

Funky Kitties

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a sweet kitty birthday card that will be part of the Christmas package I'm putting together for my brother's girlfriend.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is Photoplay "Here Kitty Kitty" layered on Stampin' Up Basic Grey.  The sentiment is Verve Treasured Words stamped in Altenew Lava Rock and Velvet on Recollections Vanilla.  The twine is from Target.

This cat paper is just too fun!  I love the wide variety of colours which make coordinating solid layers really easy.  The two flat twine bows were a challenge and lead to an inordinate amount of cursing.  I wanted to use flat bows in the event that this card will be mailed but the holes were a little to close together and smaller than was needed.  Once committed however, I stuck with it even though it probably would have been easier to just start over.  On top of it all, my broken, though jury-rigged, corner rounder punch finally gave up the ghost.  I'm surprised at how much I like the result given the angst endured.

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

Gisèle

O Canada Encore

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another Canadian card crafted for my brother.

The card base is Stampin' Up Crumbcake.  The printed paper is Photoplay "O Canada" Canadian Critters layered on a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Gina K Hope Grows stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso on a white of unknown origin and layered on a red also of unknown origin.

This is really fun Canadiana paper.  This critters are a hoot!  I love the bear with the bottle of maple syrup.  Like yesterday's paper, this is a great neutral paper with the scale of the images being great for cards.  I purposely kept the layout very simple so as much of the printed paper was a visible as possible.  I didn't add any embellishments because I really couldn't figure out what to use or where to put them.

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

Gisèle

O Canada

Hello everyone,

Today's post is part of a series of cards I'm crafting for my brother and his girlfriend as part of their Christmas gift.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is Photoplay "O Canada" EH! layered on Bazzill Red Devil.  The sentiment is Stampabilities Happy Birthday 01 stamped in Close To My Heart Twilight on Recollections White with Altenew Lava Rock and layered on Close To My Heart Twilight and more Red Devil.  The embellishments are Recollections Cord Dots.

I found this Oh Canada paper at my local scrapbooking store Crop A While.  I didn't have any particular plans for it but just knew it needed to be in my stash.  When I decided to craft a few cards for my brother's Christmas package, I knew this paper would be perfect!  He spent a number of years living in the states and overseas which gives him a real appreciation for all things Canadian.  This paper is particularly well suited to cards because the images are a great scale and are randomly printed.  I'm so happy with the final result.

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

Gisèle

Poinsettias And Plaid

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a Christmas card that uses stamped images that I found in my stash of leftover pieces.

The card base is Recollections Black.  The printed paper is Photoplay Made 4 Plaid Christmas layered on Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler.  The images are Stampin' Up Watercolor Winter stamped on Whisper White in Versafine Onyx Black, and Stampin' UP Mossy Meadow and Cherry Cobbler.  The poinsettias are highlighted with Mercury Glass Stickles.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Clear Stamp Set also stamped on Whisper White with Versafine Onyx Black.  The ribbons is Michael's and the brad is American Crafts.

I love this Stampin' Up set.  It's a two-step stamp that is really quite easy to use and is just striking when stamped.  I can't figure out why I'd not used it earlier but suspect it was an extra from a square card.  I took advantage of the red to use more of the sheer red Michael's ribbon.  Instead of using an embellishment, I was inspired to place the sentiment on the knot.  It was a bit tricky to level it properly so it would get crushed.  A great Christmas card!

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

Gisèle

Mom's Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today is my Mother's birthday and I'm posting the special card I crafted for her.

The card base is a rust Bazzill.  The printed paper is Photoplay Here Kitty Kitty layered on a light yellow Bazzill.  The sentiment is Elizabeth Craft Design Sentiment 1 - Celebration stamped on Recollections Vanilla in Altenew Pure Graphite.  The punch are cat is made with Stampin' Up Going Grey and the Owl punch.

My mom loves cats and when I came across this comic kitty paper with a red background, I knew I'd use it for her birthday card this year.  Ironically, I didn't have a cat embellishment that worked with the paper so I scoped out my punch art board on Pinterest and found this cute cat.  I think he's puuurfect for my Mom's card.

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

Gisèle

Perfect Holiday Plaid

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas In July post is a great plaid Christmas card.

The printed paper is Photoplay Holiday Cheer layered on Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow.  The sentiment is Frog's Whiskers stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a white of unknown origin, coloured with Stampin' Up Blendabilities Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive, and layered on Real Red.  The card is highlighted with Star Dust Stickles.

I wanted to craft a card which had at least a little bit of colouring even though it's not something I'm terribly good at.  In this case, the image is pretty straight forward so it was really easy.  That I could combine it with some beautiful holiday plaid was just a bonus.  I added the Stickles to the printed paper because I so liked the results when I did on a one of the birthday card series that I've yet to post.

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

Gisèle

Reindeer Plaid

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card post is a very masculine card.

The printed paper is Photoplay MAD 4 Plaid Christmas layered on Stampin' Up Basic Grey.  The sentiment is Altenew Halftone Holiday stamped in Stampin' Up Real Red and Altenew Pure Graphite on a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment was cut with the coordinating Altenew die.

I always love using plaid on Christmas cards and this reindeer paper is perfect for a masculine Christmas card.  With the sentiment in the design sweet spot, I debate adding some kind of embellishments but really, couldn't find a way to make it work.  The paper is busy so any smaller embellishment just got lost.  I didn't want to add any glitter because it's a man card after all.  As I've realized on cards past, sometimes less is just more.

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

Gisèle

More Meow Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post was commissioned by a colleague for his wife's birthday.

The card base is Stampin' Up So Saffron.  The printed paper is Photoplay Meow Mix layered on a Bazzill white and Stampin' Up Bashful Blue.  The images are Plaid All Night Media Cats stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a white of unknown origin and layered on more Bashful Blue.  The embellishments are Eyelet Outlet Enamel Dots.

My colleague didn't offer much when I asked what he'd like for this card but he did say that he wife liked cats.  I hope she really, really likes cats!  She's mom to two boys so I was tempted to go girly but then decided my colleague would be more comfortable giving her a more neutral card.  It's got cats!  I truly love this paper (I have the dog version too) but it's hard to place the pieces without covering up these awesome kitties.  I also need to be careful that I don't trim it and leave a cat butt highlighted!  That would just be wrong!

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

Gisèle

Meow Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the birthday card I crafted for my brother.

The card base is Stampin' Up So Saffrom.  The printed paper is Photoplay Meow Mix layered on Recollections Black.  The sentiment is cut with Altenew Halftone Happy die from a white of unknown origin and stamped with Marina Mist.  The embellishments are My Mind's Eye "Lost & Found" Oliver enamel dots.

I always love crafting funny cat cards for my brother.  In this case, I love how the brown cat with the glasses is peeking over the 'happy'.  It actually took me a while to figure out the best placement for the word.  This is a great sheet of paper which works equally well for either masculine or feminine cards.

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

Gisèle