Masculine Milestone

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a milestone birthday card I crafted for one of my neighbors.

The card base is Stampin' Up Whisper White.  The printed paper is Ella & Viv Paper Company Modern Art Mosaic layered on a navy Core'dinations and Colorböx Watercolor Rainbow.  The numbers are cut from Provo Craft Olivia die with more navy Core'dinations.  The sentiment is a Sizzix/Stampin' Up die cut from more navy Core'dinations.

My neighbor turns 60 today and I wanted to make him a special card.  I didn't have any brilliant ideas like I did for the Boston card but I think this will suit.  I love the colours in the printed paper.  This die cut sentiment has to be one of my favourites.  I glued two together so give it a bit of depth.  It took me a while to place the number before I finally decided to keep it simple and centered.  The two fonts are not the best fit together but it still works well enough.  I'm pleased with the final result.

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

Gisèle

Boston Birthday

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a very special birthday card.

The card base is Recollections Black.  The image is cut with a variety of Spellbinders circle dies from Recollections White and Black and a yellow Bazzill and is layered on a white of unknown origin and more Recollections Black and yellow Bazzill.  The number was cut from Recollections Black with Provo Craft Wordsworth Olivia die.  The sentiment is Altenew Birthday Builder stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed with Stampin' Up white embossing powder.

My neighbor is celebrating his 50th this coming Saturday and so he needed a very special card.  He is a huge Boston Bruins fan so I thought replicating the team logo would be eminently suitable for a milestone birthday card.  This card was not as straightforward as I anticipated.  Finding the appropriate colour was easy but cutting and adhering all the elements was a labor of love!  The most challenging aspects were the stripes within the circle which had to be trimmed, carefully, by hand, so the intersection would be flat.  The final result was better than I anticipated!  I think this is one of my favourite custom birthday cards ever!

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

Gisèle

Fantastic Fern Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's card is part of the commissioned series I've been posting the past couple of weeks.

The card base is Stampin' Up Basic Grey.  The printed paper is Provo Craft Fern's Garden layered on Core'dinations Black and a vanilla of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Magenta stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a vanilla of unknown origin.  The embellishments are from Fabricland.

This is such a serene birthday card.  I love the colour variations in the greens and greys.  The watercolour style of the images is also very appealing.  I intended this to be a masculine birthday card but it really is quite neutral.  This sentiment has always been a favourite.  I love the horizontal and vertical font combination.  The square embellishments coordinate perfectly with the squares of the sentiment.

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

Gisèle

Glittering For Grand Nanna

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a very special card that I crafted for my husband's grandmother who turned 100 years old at the end of October.

The card base is a shimmery grey of unknown origin.  The printed paper is American Craft POW! Glitter Paper Orchid Spring layered on Paper Accents Glossy Mirrored Silver.  The sentiment is a combination of Provo Craft Wordsworth Olivia and Memory Box Happy Birthday Friendship Script die cut from more Paper Accents Glossy Mirrored Silver.  The butterflies are cut with Joy Crafts 6002/0322 die also from Paper Accents Glossy Mirrored Silver and are highlighted with Lavender Stickles.

My husband's grandmother like anything that glitters and is shiny and this card delivers both!  I love the glittered American crafts paper.  It was a bit of a challenge to affix the sentiment and I'm not sure I've got it all that centered.  This particular font is however very forgiving.  Once I'd finally got the sentiment glued, the card needed just a bit more hence, the shiny butterflies.  She loved her card!

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

Gisèle

Celebrating 100

Hello everyone,

Today's card was commissioned by a colleague whose needed a card to celebrate a special 100th birthday.  I can't image I'll craft too many of these special cards.

The printed paper is K&Company Susan Winget Nature layered on Stampin' Up Early Espresso.  The image is Stampin' Up Branch Out stamped in Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, Mossy Meadow, Certainly Celery, and Wild Wasabi on Recollections White and layered on Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Bonnidee French Wording #1 stamped in Early Espresso on Recollections White and layered on more Early Espresso.  The number was die cut from Provo Craft Olivia dies from Early Espresso.  The vertical strip is Stampin' Up Gold Magic Mesh.

The recipient of this card has an affinity for nature so this tree stamp set was a given though I had thought about using a sea scape.  My colleague asked for texture because his eye sight is diminished.  I thought the mesh would be interesting and the number is just a little raised so it will be an interesting feeling when he touches it.  I used white and brown because I thought the contrast would make it easier to see.  The was a very interesting card that I quite enjoyed thinking through.

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

Gisèle

Sparkling Holly

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card uses some holly paper that I've had in my stash forever.  I think I may actually use up the last little bits this year.

The printed paper is Provo Craft Holly Argyle layered on Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler and Soft Suede.  Th ribbon is Crafts.  The sentiment is Serendipity stamped in Soft Suede on Very Vanilla, layered on more Soft Suede and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The embellishments are Queen & Co Twinkly Goosebumps.

This argyle paper is just wonderful.  It is a challenge to cut it so it doesn't split any of the diamonds.  It leaves some strange leftovers that will make for an interesting card in the future.  I've had these embellishments in my stash for a little while and finally decided to break open the package.  I don't know why I waited so long and they add just that extra sparkle that makes a Christmas card awesome!

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

Gisèle

Blessed Holly

Hello everyone,

I'm posting a holly masterpiece today.  A fitting card for the final commissioned card.

The printed paper is Provo Craft Holly Argyle layered on Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler.  The image is Impression Obsession Holly stamped in Versafine Onyx Black and heat embossed with Close To My Heart Silver Pearl embossing powder.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Christmas Blessings stamped in Cherry Cobbler on Very Vanilla and layered on Cherry Cobbler.  The embellishments are Queen & Company Classy Red pearls.

This is one of my favourite holly images.  It has just a hint of paisley in the leaves, which is perfection from my point of view.  I could use this image all the time, but as it is so very distinctive, I restrain myself.  It works really, really well with this somewhat elegant paper and the Silver Pearl plays up the grey tones wonderfully.  I just love everything about this one!

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

Gisèle

Christmas In July Encore

Hello everyone,

Today's card is one that I crafted in July and intended to give it to my sister but once I'd finished, I loved it so much I decided to keep it for myself - sorry D!

The printed paper is Provo Craft, layered on Bazzill Glazed Christmas and Stampin' Up Brushed Gold and Cherry Cobbler.  The sentiment is Inkadinkado stamped in Cherry Cobbler on Very Vanilla and layered on more Cherry Cobbler.  The holly element is Spellbinders Holly Accents die cut from Stampin' Up Brushed Gold.  The embellishments are TPC Studio Timeless Christmas.

This is yet another card crafted from my scrap bin.  When I pulled out this teeny, tiny scrap of printed paper, I really didn't think I could pull a card together based upon it but I'm so glad I proved myself wrong.  All this holly just makes my heart happy!  Even the die cut holly was leftover from a previous card.

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

Gisèle

Holly Christmas

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card is crafted with more scrap paper. It took forever to put it together because I was trying to find scraps that would work.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Basic Grey flanked by red of unknown origin which was textured with Sizzix Harlequin texture plate. The patterned paper is Provo Craft Holly Argyle layered on Stampin' Up Handsome Hunter. The sentiment is Papertrey Ink stamped in Nick Bantock Charcoal Grey on Stampin' Up Confetti White. The embellishments are Kaisercraft Pearls.

I love this card. For those who regularly follow I SPI you'll know that I've a soft spot for holly which is why I fell in love with this paper the moment I saw it. I never anticipated using Basic Grey for a Christmas card but it works really well with this paper. I also love the pearls with this paper as the argyle pattern provides a natural point on which to adhere the pearls.

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

Gisèle

Many Many Thanks

Hello everyone,

Another great thank you card today. I used Saturday's Twisted Card Sketch to get started and this week's Stamptacular Sunday 'Whateva' challenge.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Not Quite Navy dry embossed with Sizzix Harlequin texture plate. The printed paper is BasicGrey Pyrus. The focal element is Stampin' Up More Mustard cut with a Spellbinders label die. The Not Quite Navy 'thanks' is cut with Provo Crafts Wordsworth Olive die. The stamped sentiments are Craft Lounge Friendly Flowers, Stampin' Up Warmest Regards, Happy Moments, Pocket Silhouettes and Short & Sweet, Waltzingmouse Say It With Style, Gina K Spring Blooms, and Annabelle Stamps Sentimental Bluebells.

I love this card. As my repertoire of thank you cards grows, I've getting more creative and this card turned out better than I had in my mind. I love the colours and the texture. All the thank yous are so cool and combine so many different sets, which I just love doing. This is also the first time I've used this particular Provo Craft die cut and it came out great!

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

Gisèle

Holly Christmas

Happy World Card Making Day!

I want to take a quick moment to thank everyone who follows I SPI. Today is it's first anniversary and it has been a really wonderful year of blogging. Thanks so much for following along.

There were just a ton of great challenges in the blogosphere today. Almost too many to choose from so I expect you'll see quite a few over the next week. As I said yesterday, I've really got my Christmas card making mojo going so that's exactly what I've crafted today. My jumping off point was today's Card Patterns sketch.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler. The patterned layer is Provo Craft Creating Keepsakes Holly Argyle. The sentiment, Impression Obsessions Christmas Sentiments, stamped on a scrap of Very Vanilla and cut with a Spellbinders Ribbon Tag Trio. The ribbon is Offray Firefly Gold.

I just love this card! Holly is one of my favourite Christmas symbols and this is lovely piece of paper. I wish I'd bought more than one sheet. The ribbon is really more burnished than it appears in the photo and suits the card beautifully.

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

Gisèle

Birthday Boy

Hello everyone,

The son of one of my best friends is turning one today. He likes things he can chase, books and things with wheels. I used this week's Eat, Sleep, Stamp sketch as a starting point and though I really took some liberties with the sketch, I am really pleased with the final card.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Old Olive. The orange strip is Stampin' Up Only Orange which was textured with Cuttlebug's Happy Birthday embossing folder. The stickers are felties from Sassafras. The personalization was cut with Provo Craft Olivia by Wordsworth letters in Stampin' Up Real Red. The sentiment is Stampin' Up It's Your Birthday.

I think this is a great little boy's birthday card. I drew the colours for the card from the felties because I needed the focus. As Xavier will only be one, I can't wait to see his parents' faces because I know they'll love this card.

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

Gisèle

Wedding Blitz

Hello everyone,

I had planned to make baby cards this weekend because I've none in my stash but instead, it looks like it's all about weddings. My mom has requested a wedding card and was actually very specific so it was rather fun to rise to the challenge. I've use today's i{heart}2stamp Sketch For You To Try (SFYTT) as a starting point. Mom wanted a blue bird and the bride and groom initials incorporated in the design.


The background paper is DCWV Floral Prints. The verital strips are Stampin' Up Shimmery White textured with Sizzix Pattern 1 and Vanilla Smooch Spritzed. The blue elements are all glossy paper to which Ranger Adirondack alcohol ink was applied. The initials are Provo Craft Olivia font. The bird and leaves are Sizzix dies and are applied to a scrap of acetate which has been textured with the Victoria Cuttlebug folder.
This is a very pretty card. I love all the blues and white as well as the sparkle. The acetate was a bit of an experiment. My girlfriend Michelle had seen it at a Close To My Heart class and I thought it was a great idea. It may have been just one too many a technique for a single card but it does make for some great texture.
I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.
Gisèle