Wreaths And Ribbon

Hello everyone,

Today's post is an extraordinarily simple French card.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a Bazzill red and dark green.  The sentiment is Bonnidee C'est Noel stamped in Stampin' Up Soft Suede on a vanilla of unknown origin and layered on more dark green Bazzill.  The ribbon is Ribbon Bowtique.

This is another charity sale card.  Some French cards are needed but I've only a couple of French sentiment sets as well as a couple borrowed from a girlfriend.  I can get bored re-using the same sentiments but once I retire, the number of French cards I needed will be limited.  I love this printed paper, the wreaths are so beautiful.  I debated using an image but this is a smaller card base so it would have covered too much of the paper.  I thought a lovely ribbon was a nice way to complement the images.

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

Gisèle

Christmas Layers

Hello everyone,

Card number four in this holly one sheet wonder series.

The printed paper is Stampin' Up Home For Christmas layered on Mossy Meadow and Bazzill Cardinal red.  The background layers were textured with Sizzix Merry Christmas Phrases embossing folder.  The sentiment is Kaisercraft Christmas Sentiments stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Very Vanilla.  The ribbon is Michael's Craft Narrows Ribbon Bow-tique.

As straightforward as yesterday's card was, today's is all about layers and textured.  I don't believe I've ever embossed two layers of cardstock at the same time and can't believe why on earth I haven't.  This background layer is amazing!  It adds wonderful texture and interest to this card.  I couldn't resist adding the plaid ribbon because it just makes me happy!  

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

Gisèle

Because Of You

Hello everyone,

Today's card is the second using the beautiful 6X6 piece of paper that was gifted to me a few months ago.

The printed paper, of unknown origin, was layered on Stampin' Up Bravo Burgundy, Always Artichoke and Canford Gold.  The sentiment is Gina K Because of You stamped in Bravo Burgundy on Very Vanilla.  The ribbon is Ribbon Bowtique.  The embellishments are Mark Richards 3mm gold metal.

I love the sophisticated tapestry feel of this paper.  It is muted but the deep colours and gold shimmer are really appealing.  This is one of those sentiments that I never thought about before I bought it because it just spoke to me.  I suspect you'll get tired of seeing on my anniversary/wedding cards.

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

Gisèle

Country Holly

Hello everyone,

Yet another Christmas card for you today. 

The printed paper is K&Company Yuletide layered on Stampin' Up Real Red and Garden Green.  The Real Red layer was textured with Sizzix Holly & Berries.  The sentiment is The Rubber Cafe G-751 Vertical Merry Christmas stamped in Real Red on Very Vanilla and layered on more Real Red.  The ribbon is Craft Narrows Ribbon Bowtique.  The embellishments are TPC Studio Timeless Christmas Jewels.

Of all the Christmas cards I've been crafting lately, this is my least favourite.  I think it is because there are just too many different elements.  The more I tried to fix it, the worse it got.  I suspect if I'd left off the Garden Green layer, it would have been fine.  By the time I figured that out, it was too late.  Regardless, this is still a really workable traditional, country card.

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

Gisèle

Five, Four, Three, Two, One

Hello everyone,

Card four in my colleague's Christmas card series. I had some fun with bling!

The background paper is Close To My Heart Mistletoe. The ribbon is Offray and Ribbon Bowtique. The solid paper is Close To My Heart Cranberry, New England Ivy and Colonial White. The strip on the right is Colonial White glittered with Crystal Glitter Ritz Warm Transparent Micro Fine Glitter and textured with Sizzix Snowflakes. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Benedictions de saison. The embellishments are Mark Richards Metallics. The different elements are highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.

I love this card. I couldn't seem to stop with the metallics. This is great paper too - the vintageness really works great.

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

Gisèle

Merry Christmas

Hello everyone,

Today's card is as intentionally traditional as much as yesterday's was not.

The paper is K&Company Yuletide. The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions stamped on Stampin' Up Shimmery White in Nick Bantock Vermillion Lacquer. The ribbon is Ribbon Bowtique. The embellishments are Hero Arts Gold Metallic Décor and Elizabeth Craft Designs Stickers.

This is another card crafted from leftover pieces of cardstock. It is exceptionally traditional and I'm not sure it is one of my favourites. I wanted clean and simple but before I added the embellishments, I found the card lacking. I suspect if I'd tried different ribbon and maybe pearls instead of metal, I'd be happier with the results.

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

Gisèle

Holly Christmas

Hello everyone,

I had a chance to visit some of my favourite card blogs today and once I saw last Friday's Clean and Simple Stamping sketch challenge, I knew I had the perfect stamp to use on a card.

The background paper is Close To My Heart Mistletoe. The image is Heartfelt Creations Elegant Holly Swirls stamped on a scrap of Stampin' Up Very Vanilla and coloured with Faber-Castell markers. It was heat embossed with Stampin' Up clear embossing powder before it was coloured. It is layered with a piece of Bazzill Bling Textured paper. The ribbon is Martha Stewart gold metallic weave and Ribbon Bowtique. The embellishment is of unknown origin. The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms Vintage Christmas Expressions.

The is a great card. I am determined to improve my colouring skills and this is a great image with which to practise. I love the background paper and wish I had more sheets so I wouldn't have to be so stingy with it.

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

Gisèle

Five For Friday

Happy New Year!

It was a spectacular lazy day today and frankly, much needed. Amidst all the laziness, I still found some time to make up a card. I turned to the 365 Cards blog which has called for a five for five challenge. Five elements, five times on one card.

The card base is my standard Halcraft. The five turquoise strips are DCWV textured card stock. The five brads are from Multicraft. The five flowers and five flourishes are Stampin' Up Itty Bitty Bits in Bermuda Bay. The flowers are highlighted with Star Dust Stickles. The bows are Holiday Ribbon Bow-tique from Michaels.

I'm not sure how I would use this card. It would be good for a wedding, birthday, thank you. I'll figure it out at some point. It was very easy to put together once I figured out the five elements I wanted to use. It is a more graphic card than I usually make but I like it none-the-less.

I hope you had a wonderful new year and I wish you all the best in 2010. Enjoy this card and please come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Not A Card

Hello everyone,

Today's post is not a card but ornaments and is inpired by this past Thursday's Three Clovers Designs Challenge. Next to anything holly, I just love ornaments and have been making them for years. My entire tree is decorated with either handmade ornaments or one of kind ornaments from from my travels. Sometimes I'll buy an ornaments simply because it appeals to me.

Both of these ornaments are made with paper from my scrap box. I know there is some Stampin' Up Real Red, Very Vanilla and Whisper White in there but the rest, could be from anywhere. The two shapes are Spellbinders Nestabilities which I've been dying to try. Each layer is textured with a Sizzix texture plate - Holly and Berries, Flourish, Pattern 1 and Small Dots. I highlighted with both Stickles and Shimmerz. The silver ribbon is Holiday Ribbon Bow-tique from Michael's and a scrap from who knows where. I used dimensionals to attach the three layers. The star brad is from Multicrafts.

I really like these ornaments. At first, using the Nestabilities seemed a cop-out, but I really liked the idea of multi-layered ornaments. I really liked the way these cards came together and as usual, I see so many possibilities for other ornaments and cards. To be fair thought, I did need something quick and easy as I've still a million things on my plate this week.

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

Gisèle

Sketchy Christmas Berries

Hello everyone,

I found this sketch on Sunday while surfing. It is from the Sketchy Thursdays blog. I'm not sure where the blog title comes from or why they post on Sunday instead of Thursday but I just loved the sketch and thought I'd give it a try.

The background is Stampin' Up Mellow Moss textured with the Sizzix Holly and Berries plate. the ribbons are Crafts from Dollarama and Holiday Ribbon Bow-Tique from Michael's The image is Inkadinkado Cool Christmas. The sentiment is Close To My Heart Christmas Scripts. I've highlighted the image and sentiment with Xmas Red and Crystal Ice Stickles. The snowflake brads are from Multicrafts.

I used up all my Christmas card stash this year. I had hoped not to have to make even one card but I did have to make a half dozen or so. I really love making Christmas cards, so I've started rebuilding the stash. Even though the holidays will so be gone for another year, I'll keep the Christmas stamps and ribbons out for a while yet. Fair warning.

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

Gisèle

Letting It Shine

Hello everyone,

Today's card is a new challenge that I found on the weekend. It is the Stamptacular Sunday Challenge which gave me carte blanche to glitter up a card. I couldn't resist.

I used atd Snow Days for the background which I textured with the Sizzix Ornaments plate. The ornament is a DecoArt Glamour Dusted Peel Off's outline sticker. The ribbon is Ribbon Bowtique from Michael's. There is tons of Gold Stickles wherever I could find a spot to lay it down. The sentiment is Waltzing Mouse as is the outline of the Spellbinders label. The holly images is Inkadinkado Warm Holiday Wishes.

I love this card. It has just about all my favourite elements for a Christmas card even if it is not traditional red or green. Any excuse to add sparkle to a card and you can count me in.

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

Gisèle

Friday Sketch

Hello everyone,

Today's card is a sketch challenge from the Friday Sketchers blog. I liked the possibilities of this card but had to adjust to a rectangular card as opposed to a square card. I don't particularly like square cards as envelopes become an issue.

The background paper for this card is Recollections Christmas. The patterned paper is atd Under the Tree. The ribbon is Holiday Ribbon Bow-tique. The image is Stampin' Up The Snowflake Spot while the sentiment is Circle of Friendship. The snowflake brads are from Multicrafts.

This is an all around jolly card! I like the cheeriness of the all the circles and the blue and red together are just fun.

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

Gisèle