A Fancy Trio

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a lovely trio of 'birthday' cards.

The card bases are The Paper Studio and Recollections Black.  The printed papers are of unknown origin layered on Recollections Black and Stampin’ Up Ruby Red.  The sentiments are Inkadinkado Calligraphy Celebration stamped in Versafine Onyx Black and Rubber Stampede Elegant Happy Birthday also stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestones.

I love this trio of fancy cards.  The printed paper is really lent to stamping the sentiment without having to use a separate panel.  The sentiment panel on the middle card actually covers up a bad impression.  There are no second chances when you stamp right on the printed paper.  I think bling placement on all three cards worked really well as it's not over the top, too close or too far apart.  I'll take these wonderful results!

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

Gisèle

Sweet Birthday Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a really sweet feminine birthday card.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a light green Bazzill and a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Rubber Stampede Elegant Happy Birthday stamped in Altenew Pure Graphite on Recollections White and layered on more light Bazzill and a pink of unknown origin.  The flower embellishments are of unknown origin.

I love this sweet feminine birthday card.  It's soft and lovely.  The font of the sentiment may be a little more formal and flourished than I'd normally choose but it still works well.  I ran out of light green Bazzill for layering for the sentiment but improvised with some pink.  It worked better than I anticipated.  The flower embellishments work very well with the printed paper.  A fantastic result.

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

Gisèle

Sparkling Santa

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another Christmas beauty!

The printed paper is Kaisercraft Silver Bells layered on Paper Accents Glossy Mirror Silver.  The image is Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamped in Close To My Heart Pewter on a white of unknown origin, glittered with Glitter Ritz cool highlight microfine transparent glitter and layered on more silver.  The sentiment is Bonnidée C'est Noël also stamped in Close To My Heart Pewter on a white of unknown origin.

This is another beautiful card that I wish I could repeat over and over again.  I love the colours in the printed paper and different size of ornaments just add even more interest.  I thought this would be a difficult paper to use because of the scale of the ornaments but it was super easy.  I never regret including this Santa image on any commissioned Christmas cards, he is just so lovely.

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

Gisèle

Another Glittered Santa

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card uses the same Santa image as yesterday but resulted in a very different card.

The image is Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamped in Avery Elle New Moon on Recollections White and covered with Glitter Ritz Warm Highlight Micro Fine Transparent Glitter.  The image is layered on Worldwin Silver and shimmery dark and pale greys of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Fiskars Vintage Christmas stamped in Close To My Heart Pewter on Recollections White and layered on more silver.

This is another favourite in this Christmas card series.  I love all the natural colours with the glitter and shine just putting this card over the top.  I really love the layout, especially the placement of the sentiment.  The curliness of the font also coordinates beautifully with the swirls in Santa's beard.  I wish I could keep this card too!

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

Gisèle

Glittered Santa

Hello everyone,

Today's post is one of the most awesome Christmas cards I think I've crafted in this series.

The image is Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamped in Avery Elle New Moon on Recollections White and glittered with Glitter Ritz Warm Highlight Transparent Micro Fine Glitter.  The image is layered on Worldwin Silver and a mirrored teal of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Sweet & Sassy Poinsettias stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.

This is, by far, my favourite Santa Clause stamp ever.  Glittered, it's exceptionally incredible.  Any time I use it, especially with glitter, the card is always well received.  I thought it was inspired to trim the corners, one of which was a little damaged.  I really like the final shape of these layers.  I also decided to leave a fairly large reveal of the layers because the teal is a really pretty shade.  I wish I could have kept this card.

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

Gisèle

In Lavender

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the last Christmas card of the extended 'Christmas In July' series.

The printed paper is of unknown origin.  The background text panel is a stamp of unknown origin stamped in an ink of unknown origin on a white of unknown origin and layered on Close To My Heart Gypsy.  The image is Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamped in Altenew Deep Iris on a Bazzill white and layered on more Gypsy.  The image is highlighted with Lavender Stickles.

I know Santa should not be purple but this snowflake paper just cried out for purple!  All the elements in this card stem from the donated printed paper which I thought worked particularly well with the donated light blue card base.  Given the busy background paper, the busy text panel and the very detailed image, I chose to layer with a solid paper to break up all the patterns.  I don't think these three patterns would work so well together if  they weren't separated by the Gypsy.

I have really enjoyed crafting all of the cards in this year's Christmas In July series.  There will be more Christmas cards to come as I've a few holiday orders and a swap still to craft.

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

Gisèle

In Black

Hello everyone,

For today's Christmas card I decided to stamp the image is black.

The printed paper is Echo Park The Story of Christmas.  The background text panel is a stamp of unknown origin stamped in an ink of unknown origin on a white of unknown origin.  The image is Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a Bazzill white and layered on a Bazzill green.  The image is highlighted with Black Soot Stickles.

Sometimes it's just right to stamped an image in black.  Versafine is the perfect ink for stamping this image and this is a great impression.  This card traditional all the way around.  

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

Gisèle

In Red And White

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a pretty traditional Christmas card using all those same elements I've been experimenting with for the past few days.

The printed paper is of unknown origin.  The background text panel is a stamp of unknown origin stamped in an ink of unknown origin on a white of unknown origin.  The image is Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamped in Altenew Velvet a on Bazzill white and layered on more printed paper.  The image is highlighted with Silver Stickles.

This is another sheet of donated paper that I found very appealing.  I don't often gravitate to stripes but after loving this Christmas In July card I wanted to give it another try.  It actually turned out better than expected.  It's rather like a piece of candy.  I didn't use any solid papers for layering because I really like the look of the strips and didn't want to break them up any more than necessary.  

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

Gisèle

In Red

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another Christmas card is the 'same elements different look' series I've been crafting.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a Bazzill red.  The background text panel is a stamp of unknown origin stamped in an ink of unknown origin on a white of unknown origin and layered on more Bazzill red.  The image is Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamped in Stampin' Up Cherry Cobber of a Bazzill white and layered on more Bazzill red.   The image is highlighted with Xmas Red Stickles.

This scrap of paper, along with the text panel, was part of the donations from Crop A While, that I just couldn't resist using for this series.  The minty green is not a colour I really associate with Christmas but along with the line drawn snowflakes, I think it's a great piece of paper.  It was also the perfect excuse to go red with all the other elements.  A great Christmas card!

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

Gisèle

Another In Green

Hello everyone,

Though July has just flown by, Christmas is being extended so I can post the remainder of the Santa/text background card series that I've been working on for the past few weeks.

The printed paper is of unknown origin.  The background text element is a stamp of unknown origin stamped in an ink of unknown origin on a white of unknown origin.  The image is Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamped in Close To My Heart Topiary on Bazzill White and layered on Bazzill green.  The image is highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

All the background text elements had to be trimmed down because some were too crooked to use as is.  This trimming resulted in some panels being smaller than others.  This particular panel was quite a bit smaller so I decided not to layer it in order to allow a larger reveal of the printed paper.  This card is very similar to the two cards posted on Sunday especially given the colour of the card bases somewhat limit the printed papers with which I could coordinate.

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

Gisèle

In Dark Teal

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card uses more non-traditional colours.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Bazzill white.  The background text layer is a stamp of unknown origin stamped in an ink of unknown origin on a white of unknown origin.  The image is Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamped in VersaMark on Bazzill Mysterious Teal and heat embossed with Stampin' Up White embossing powder.  The image is highlighted with Star Dust Stickles.

I thought I would give embossing this Santa image another try.  I'm still not happy with the results.  It's too fine and detailed an image for embossing.  I love the idea of a white image on a dark background to work with the dark blue in the printed paper.  It's not a truly terrible card but not a seller either.

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

Gisèle

In Mirrored Teal

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another version of yesterday's cards.

The image is Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamped in Altenew Dusk on Bazzill White and layered on a mirrored Teal of unknown origin.  The background text panel is a stamp of unknown origin stamped in an ink of unknown origin on a white of unknown origin and layered on Bazzill Metallic Silver Foil.  The image is highlighted with Silver Stickles.

Not only did Crop A While donate the wonderful text backgrounds but also a huge number of card bases including this gorgeous one in metallic teal.  I ended up crafting three of these exact cards.  I love the silver, white and teal combination.  I think the contrast between the very traditional images in the non-traditional colours are especially appealing.  It is always amazing to me that using similar elements in different colours leads to such different, but still beautiful, results.

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

Gisèle

In Red And Green

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a two-carder!

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Bazzill red and green.  The background text panel is a stamp of unknown origin stamped in an ink of unknown origin on a white of unknown origin.  The image is Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamped in Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler and Close To My Heart Topiary on Bazzill White.  The images are highlighted with Holly Stickles.

In the latest boxes of donated supplies from Crop A While, I found a whole bunch of these fantastic Christmas words stamped background panels and figured they'd be perfect for a series of cards which show how the same elements can be used to create very different cards.  These two cards are exactly the same just switching out the red and green in the card bases and layers.  I didn't add any sentiments because the background provides enough text.  This is, by far, my favourite Santa stamp.  Whenever I use to craft cards for the charity sale we can be guaranteed that they won't stick around long.

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

Gisèle

Santa's Window II

Hello everyone,

Yesterday's card turned out so well (notwithstanding the smooshed ink on the inside) that I decided to try again with a red card base.

The image is Rubber Stamped Santa Collage stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed with Stampin' Up white embossing powder.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Jingle All The Way also stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed with Stampin' Up white embossing powder.  The embellishments are Recollections enamel dots.

I knew that using this red card base would require embossing for any image/sentiment to work.  Unfortunately, this image is so detailed, it wasn't the best choice for heat embossing.  I did everything right, I used my embossing buddy, I tried not to press the stamp to hard, I wasn't overly generous with the embossing powder, but the image still isn't as sharp as I would have liked.  The sentiment is perfect!  I'll likely keep this card for myself too just because the quality of the image isn't what I'd want to put forward for the sale.

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

Gisèle

Santa's Window

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card has the most wonderful window panel.

The image is Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamped in Altenew Desert Night ink.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Jingle All The Way also stamped in Desert Night.  The embellishments are TPC Studio Heartfelt Travel mini jewels.

I've had this card base for years but never had the nerve to try a card.  It was a little finicky trying to get the image properly centered.  I'm grateful for Post-It Notes.  This card, as beautifully clean and simple as it is, won't be going in the charity sale because I managed to smoosh some blue ink from my fingers onto the inside.  I tried my best to cover them up but it's really hard to hide dark blue ink. Thankfully it was on the inside, not the front. I'm going to use it for myself as I know a few people who won't mind a few blotches.

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

Gisèle

Modern Vintage

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas In July card is vintage with a real modern vibe.

The background image is Stampendous Christmas Background stamped in Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler on Recollections White and layered on Basic Black and Cherry Cobbler.  The image is Rubber Stampeded Santa Collage stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White, covered with Crystal Glitter Ritz microfine transparent glitter and layered on Cherry Cobbler.  The embellishments are TPC Studio Class Act mini jewels.

I can't craft a Christmas card without using this Santa image.  I think it is one of the most perfect Santa images I've ever come across.  It doesn't necessarily need to be coloured (but it could be), it works well glittered or simply stamped, and it is awesome in absolutely any colour.  What more could you ask for in an image.  Once again I really offset the image because I didn't want to cover up too much of the great background.  I'm getting closer to the sweet spot too!

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

Gisèle

Sparkly Santa

Hello everyone,

The next few weeks are incredibly busy so I took some time to craft a number of cards to feed the blog for the next while.  I am finishing with the DCWV textured card bases by crafting Christmas cards for the Fall card sale.

The textured card base is DCWV.  The printed papers are American Crafts Kringle & Company.  The image is Delta Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamped in Stampin' Up Ruby Red on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more vanilla and Kringle & Company.  The image is highlighted with Xmas Red Stickles.  The ribbon is American Crafts.

I have never used this stamp and not had it be one of the first cards to go at the card sale.  I am hoping the same will hold for this beauty.  I've challenged myself to use only scrap Christmas paper and no sentiments.  The scraps were easy, sentiment-less was more difficult.  I really like all the different reds at play on this card.  The glitter is a great contrast to the vintage strip of scrap paper.
 I hope you enjoy this card and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Sparkling Santa

Hello everyone,

At the end of last season I picked up some new Christmas paper pads.  New always inspires me.

The printed paper is BoBunny Rejoice layered on Stampin' Up Glorious Green, Very Vanilla and Early Espresso.  The image is Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamped in Early Espresso on Very Vanilla.  The image is covered with Glitter Ritz Warm Highlight transparent microfine glitter and layered on Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Gina K The Magic of Chrsitmas.  The embellishments are Close To My Heart Mocha Opaques.

I often find this kind of paper rather intimidating.  Some of the Christmas background papers don't always look all that Christmasy.  I decided to try to focus on having the busy background paper highlight the image.  It sure worked well on this card.  This is an image I really love and the technique is one I often use.  It made it a lot easier to craft this great card!

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

Gisèle

Glitter Santa Clause

Hello everyone,

I've been asked to do a card class for some of my colleagues who were impressed with the cards we crafted for the charity card sale last month.  This is my sample.

The printed paper is Lily Bee Design Jingle Merry and Bright layered on Stampin' Up Bravo Burgundy.  The image is Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamped in Bravo Burgundy on Very Vanilla and layered on more Bravo Burgundy.  Once stamped, the image was covered with double-sided adhesive paper and covered with Crystal Glitter Ritz Transparent Cool Highlight Micro Fine Glitter.  The sentiment is Stampabilities Merry Christmas 07 stamped in Bravo Burgundy on Very Vanilla and layered on Bravo Burgundy.  The embellishments are Kaisercraft Basic pearls.

I think this will be a great Christmas card class.  I first used this image when at a glitter class and just had to buy it.  Every time I've used it, I've had great reviews.  The only thing I've changed for the class is the sentiment.  I decided to use a clear acrylic stamp because it will be easier to stamp on the Very Vanilla strips I've precut.  I really hope the girls will like this card as much as I do.

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

Gisèle

One Sheet Wonder 5 & 6

Hello everyone,

I have the non-traditional Christmas one sheet wonder cards five and six for you today.

The patterned paper is Close To My Heart Wonderland - Let It Snow. The seventeen card bases are a mix of Close To My Heart Grey Flannel, Crystal Blue or Twilight. Additional card bases are DCWV Textured Jeweled; Stampin' Up Blue Bayou, Shimmery White or Whisper White; or Recollections.


The bottom layer is Recollections dry embossed with Sizzix Northern Fleury and spritzed with Vanilla Smooch Spritz. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Curly Cute stamped on Whisper White and layered on Crystal Blue. The focal element is highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Sparkles.


The patterned paper is layered on Whisper White and brushed silver of unknown origin. The image is Rubber Stampede Santa Collage stamped in Bermuda Bay on Whisper White, glittered with Glitter Ritz Cool Transparent microfine glitter and layered on Twilight. The sentiment is Stampavie Tina Wenke Holiday Wishes stamped in Nick Bantock Charcoal Grey on Whisper White and layered on brushed silver. The embellishments are Close To My Heart Bitty Sparkles.

The first card is not my most favourite ever. I like the colours but the layout seems off and there just isn't 'enough' on it. Maybe more bling? More sparkle? Ribbon? I think the second card may be one of the most beautiful cards I've ever crafted. I love absolutely everything about it! If I had to mass produce a card, this one would be it!

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

Gisèle