Colourful Hexagons

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great neutral 'birthday' card.

The card base is Stampin’ Up Smoky Slate.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Recollections White.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday stamped in Altenew Pure Graphite on Recollections White.  The embellishments are Jolee’s All That Bling Blue Studs.

This is another great piece of printed paper! I consider it a neutral but leaning more to the masculine side.  I absolutely love the different subtle colours of the hexagons.  Grey is a colour that can be tricky but it was a pretty easy choice for this card.  I have used vertical sentiments all that frequently in this commission (don't know why) but I just love it here, sandwiched between simple silver embellishments.

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

Gisèle

Fabulous Floral Wishes

Hello everyone,

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

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The printed paper is Pink Fresh Studio “Indigo Hills 2” Glen layered on Stampin’ Up Lemon Lime Twist.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Best Wishes stamped in Close To My Heart Outdoor Denim on Recollections White and layered on a navy Bazzill.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone Stickers.

It's rare that I can resist a piece of navy printed paper.  This piece is particularly appealing because the images are wonderful and the different hits of colour are wonderful.  I love the Lemon Lime Twist elements.  It's not a green anyone should like but it really works with navy.  I love the sentiment element with the crisp colours and interesting layers.  This is a card that I could repeat often!

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

Gisèle

Kitty Cat Wishes

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is a trio of fun cat 'birthday' cards.

The card bases are Recollections White, Close To My Heart Crystal Blue, and Darice White.  Two of the printed papers are of unknown origin while the third is Echo Park "Little Girl".  The printed papers are layered on Stampin’ Up Cherry Cobbler, a black Bazzill, a vanilla of unknown origin, Close To My Heart Eggplant and an orange Bazzill. Some of the images are Wish “Cat” dies while others were punched with the Stampin' Up cat paper punch.  They were cut from a white of unknown origin, Recollections Black and more orange Bazzill.  Two of the sentiments are Frantic Stamper while the third is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday.  All three are stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White and Vanilla, and are layered on more Cherry Cobbler, Crystal Blue and orange Bazzill.  The embellishments are Frantic Stamper.

I think this is the first time I crafted cats cards for the seniors' residence birthday card commission and I can't figure out why I hadn't done it before because these are three great cards!  I just had a ton of fun pulling all the elements together!  I think any cat-minded person will love getting one of these cards.

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

Gisèle

Cheery Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a bright and cheery birthday card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Poppy Parade.  The image is Sunshine Designs stamped in Tombow 062, 228, 249, and 845 on Recollections White.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The image/sentiment panel is layered on Stampin' Up Always Artichoke and Hello Honey.  The card is highlighted with Yellow Stickles.

There is nothing more cheerful than a red card!  It is just a lovely pop of colour.  I was quite surprised how well the Poppy Parade worked with the Hello Honey.  This is a really simple image that is easily coloured and stamped.  I think I may have it upside down when I look at it now - oops!  I can't say enough about yellow Stickles.  I love it!

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

Gisèle

Little Panda Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a birthday card I crafted for my daughter.

The card base is Recollections White.  The bamboo stem images are Local King Rubber Stamps Panda Bear 4, stamped in Altenew Parrot, Olive and Moss on Recollections White and layered on a dark and medium green Bazzill, and Close To My Heart Citrus Leaf.  The panda images are Stamp Magik stamped in Altenew Jet Black.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday also stamped in Altenew Jet Black.  The card is highlighted with Lime Green Stickles.

The more I worked on this card, the more it changed.  Thank goodness I have a wide selection of panda bear stamps!  The multiple iterations have also resulted in a few other panda cards being crafted.  I wish I'd thought of adding the three little pandas before I'd adhered the panels together.  I think they would have looked much better had they been stamped off the edge.  Hindsight!!!!!!  I'm still quite happy with the results and I know my daughter will love this card.

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

Gisèle

More Vintage Inspiration

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another vintage inspired birthday card.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is BasicGrey Lucille layered on a shimmery dark pink of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday stamped in Stampin' Up Soft Suede on Recollections Vanilla.  The ribbon is Multicrafts.  The embellishments are Want 2 Scrap LeCreme Baby Bling Pearls.

This is another great piece of printed paper.  I love the big bold flowers!  The colours are warm and were pretty easy for coordinating.  I switched things up with the sentiment by placing it like a tag under the ribbon.  I had to sort through a lot of different ribbons to find something pleasing but am fairly satisfied with this thin sheer gold ribbon.  The extra bling wasn't necessarily needed but the package was just sitting on my desk further to yesterday's card.

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

Gisèle

Dotted Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is one of the more funky cards in this commission.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on an orange and a dark teal both of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Best Wishes stamped in Altenew Jet Black on Recollections White.  The sentiment panel is layered on a piece of Recollections White stamped with Stampin' Up Playful Backgrounds in Altenew Teal Dave and Caramel Toffee and is layered on more orange and teal.

I was inspired by the dots.  This is certainly note a colour combination I would have been looking at but decided to use orange and teal as they're found in the printed paper.  I'm not sure I'd go this route again but as a one off, it's not a terrible card. 

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

Gisèle

A Blue Folk Art Floral

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a very pretty and feminine floral birthday card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Close To My Heart Glacier and Slate.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Best Wishes stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White.  The ribbon and embellishment are of unknown origin.

I'm always up for a blue themed card.  This pretty blue floral is also what I would describe as a folk art style.  The images are quite simple without any defined outline.  I hesitated using the Slate as a layer but it coordinated well with the colour of the leaves.  It is another great result.

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

Gisèle

Feminine Botanical

Hello everyone,

Today's birthday card post is more vintage, quite lovely and very feminine.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Recollections Vanilla and Close To My Heart New England Ivy.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday stamped in Close To My Heart Ponderosa Pine of more Recollections Vanilla.  The embellishments are Oregon Raindrops.

I love this piece of botanical paper.  The colours are wonderful and the background text adds just the right touch.  It wasn't a large piece of scrap so I used a number of layers with a variety of reveal sizes to accommodate the card base size.  The sentiment, once again, is in the design sweet spot.  I like this card so much it's going to be hard to give it away.

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

Gisèle

More Natural Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another outdoorsy birthday card that I crafted for a girlfriend.

The card base is Stampin' Up Soft Sky.  The images are Gina K Follow Your Dreams coloured in Tombow N35, N57, N89, 098, 126, 528, 969 and 985, stamped on a white of unknown origin and layered on Stampin' Up Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday stamped in Altenew Moon Rock on a white of unknown origin and layered on more Early Espresso.  The image and sentiment panels are layered on a piece of Ranger alcohol inked glossy paper and more Early Espresso.

This card is for another nature lover.  She lives by the river and kayaks whenever possible.  I love this piece of alcohol inked paper and it works so wonderfully for this nature inspired card.  I used the same stamp set as I did for yesterday's card but ended up with an entirely different card.  I absolutely love that aspect of card making.

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

Gisèle

Romantic Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a beautiful hand coloured floral birthday card.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The images are Stampin' Up Bordering On Romance stamped in StazOn Jet Black on Recollections White and coloured with a variety of Faber-Castell and Reeves watercolour pencil crayons.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday also stamped in StazOn Jet Black.  The image/sentiment panel is layered on Recollections Black, Close To My Heart Orange and Recollections White.

I was so pleased with yesterday's colour combination I decided to repeat it with this card.  I also love the reveal of black as it just makes the image/sentiment panel pop.  I chose more warm colours for this card and kept the layout simple.  This is actually reminiscent of cards I've crafted in the past and I love it every single time.

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

Gisèle

A Terrific Tulip

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another lovely spring birthday card.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The image is Art Impressions stamped in Tombow 772, 873, 062, 158 and 098 on Recollections White.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday stamped in Stampin' Up Always Artichoke on more Recollections White.  The sentiment and image panels are layered on Close To My Heart Tangerine and Always Artichoke.  The card is highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

Like yesterday's strawberry card, this Art Impressions tulip stamp is great!  It's easy to colour with markers and always leaves a wonderful image.  I love the layered sentiment; a combination I cased from a girlfriend.  The Tangerine layer on this pink card base is unexpectedly pleasing.  So much so that I'd easily repeat it.  A great result!

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

Gisèle

The Perfect Bouquet

Hello everyone,

Today's post is one of my favourites in this commission of birthday cards.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The image is the Artful Stamper stamped in StazOn Jet Black on Recollections White, coloured with a variety of Stampin' Up watercolour crayons and layered on Close To My Heart Sweet Leaf and Recollections Black.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday also stamped in StazOn Jet Black on Recollections White and layered on more Sweet Leaf.  The card is highlighted with Lime Green Stickles.

Oh my goodness how I just love this stamp!  The possibilities are absolutely endless!  It stamped beautifully and was remarkable easy to colour.  I can't wait to play with it some more.  The sentiment placed at the bottom of the card provides a great anchor.  Though this image would work very well horizontally too.  I'm extremely happy with the Stickle placement - something which I wish would happen more often.

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

Gisèle

Simple Purple Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another simple floral birthday card.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The image is Close To My Heart Thoughtful You stamped in Altenew Moss and Stampin' Up Perfect Plum on Recollections White and layered on Stampin' Up Old Olive.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday stamped in Moss on Recollections White and highlighted with Lavender Stickles.  The ribbon is Stampin' Up Organza.

This is a set I've had for eons.  I actually think it was one of the first two-step stamps I ever purchased.  It's very easy to use as the simple lines and solid fill don't have to be perfectly aligned.  I actually love the simplicity. 

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

Gisèle

Lavender Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a lovely lavender birthday card.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The image is Stampin' Up Lots of Lavender stamped in Altenew Frayed Leaf, Deep Iris and Lavender Fields on Recollections White.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday stamped in Close To My Heart Ponderosa Pine on Recollections White.  The image and sentiment are layered on a purple Bazzill and more Ponderosa Pine.

This is yet another two-step stamp that I absolutely love.  To be fair, I've only ever used the lavender image and there are a few more that could be interesting when I find more time to play.  I love this stamp because it really isn't meant to be perfect!  As I look at the photo, I realize I should have added a bit of glitter to some of the branches for more interest.  No matter, it's still a great result.

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

Gisèle

Another Birthday Floral

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another lovely floral birthday card.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The image is Stampin' Up Mother's Love stamped in Altenew Moss, Frayed Leaf and Rouge on Recollections White.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday stamped in Altenew Moss.  The image/sentiment panel is layered on Close To My Heart Smoothie and an olive green of unknown origin.  The card is highlighted with Recollections Rhinestone stickers.

This is a fantastic two-step stamp.  It's a particularly easy stamp to use and makes for simple and quick card.  I love the options it offers.  In this particular instance I chose to make it vertical card because I wanted the chance to use a vertical sentiment.  The results are even better than I had imagined.

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

Gisèle

Swallowtail Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a birthday card that uses one of my favourite stamps.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The image is Stampin' Up Swallowtail stamped in Night of Navy, Brocade Blue, Bordering Blue and Not Quite Navy on a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Best Wishes stamped in Close To My Heart Outdoor Denim. The card is highlighted with White Opal Liquid Pearls.

I cased myself when I crafted this card.  I didn't even actually realize until I came across this thank you card.  Obviously I like the diagonal swallowtail image.  This card, in blue, is just as lovely as the thank you card.  I did okay with the placement of the Liquid Pearls and the darker navy sentiment is in the design 'sweet spot'.  Really another great result.

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

Gisèle 

Such Pretty Poppies

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another birthday card using a stamp I had to dust off.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The image is Rubbernecker Watercolor Poppies stamped in Versafine Onyx Black and Tombow 845, 856, 098 and 158, stamped on Recollections White and layered on Recollections Black.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Botanical Bliss also stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White.

This is another OMG result!  I can't believe I've not used this stamp in such a long time.  It's even a two-step stamp which is a real favourite of mine.  I love that the watercolour style of the image means you don't have to make an absolutely perfect impression to get a great result.  I love the reveal of black which seems to make the image pop even more.  The angled sentiment is fun and provides a great anchor for the image.  I'm still resisting the Rubbernecker website but I don't know how long I'll last.

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

Gisèle

Cheerful Cherry Blossoms

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a birthday card that had me rediscovering a stamp I'd not used in a long, long time.

The card base is The Paper Studio.  The image is Rubbernecker Cherry Blossoms.  The image was coloured with Tombow 772, 076 and 055 then stamped on Recollections White and layered on Close To My Heart Sunflower and Blush.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday stamped in Altenew Moss on Recollections White and layered on more Sunflower.

I've had this stamp in my stash for eons but I had to dust it off to use it for this commission.  It's such a great stamp I can't believe I have not used it for so long.  I used just three colours on the image and it stamped beautifully.  I drew the colours for the layers from the image colours.  It's the perfect scale for this smaller sized cards.  I was so thrilled with the results I went to the website to see what was new.  I resisted!  It was hard!

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

Gisèle

Cattail Wishes

Good morning everyone,

Today's post is another lovely natural birthday card.

The card base is Craft Smith.  The image is a stamp of unknown origin stamped in StazOn Jet Black on Recollections Vanilla and coloured with a variety of Stampin' Up watercolour crayons.  The image panel is layered on Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip and Close To My Heart Twilight.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Best Wishes stamped in Chocolate Chip.  The embellishments are My Mind's Eye Remarkable "Handsome" enamel dots.

I really love this card.  As a relatively simple line drawing, I didn't stress about colouring within the lines and I used a wetter brush to spread the colour around.  It's much easier to be pleased with the final results that way.  I also love how the colours ended up quite subtle.  The pleasing pop of blue was somewhat unexpected.  The sentiment is perfect in the design 'sweet spot'.  A great neutral and natural result!

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

Gisèle