Happy Mother's Day

Hello everyone,

I'm working diligently on my stash of Mother's Day cards. Today's card is based on Saturday's Stamping 411 sketch and Sunday's "Mums the Word" Stamptacular Sunday Challenge.

The background paper is Stampin' Up Not Quite Navy which is textured with Sizzix Bead Strings textured plate. The printed paper is BasicGrey Marjolaine layered on Stampin' Up Certainly Celery. The sentiment is Inkadinkado Happy Days stamped on Very Vanilla in Certainly Celery ink. The ribbon is of unknown origin while the embellishments are from the Dollar Store.

I love this card. Once again I turned to BasicGrey to find a paper which would inspire. I love this colour combination and I think this is a nice, fresh card. My Mother's Day stamp stash is quite limited but this is one I really like because it is substantial enough to use as a focal point.

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

Gisèle

Season's Greetings

Hello everyone,

Another Christmas card tonight. This one is just slightly non-traditional. I used this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch as well as the Stamptacular Sunday Challenge to use layers and Paper Sundaes challenge to use old stash items.

The card base is from Strathmore. The background paper and horizontal strip is part of an old stash of Stampin' Up Ski Slope designer paper. The image is also Stampin' Up, Scandinavian Season, stamped on a scrap of Whisper White and layered on a scrap of Chocolate Chip. The sentiment is Impression Obsession Christmas Sentiments also stamped on a scrap of Whisper White and layered on a scrap of Old Olive. The image and designer paper is highlighted with Star Dust Stickles.

I really like this card. I've loved the Ski Slope paper since I first laid eyes on it and use it sparingly so it will last. I also fell in love with this stamp set at first glance but don't use it as often as I should. Maybe I'll make up for it this year.

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

Gisèle

Robots

Hello everyone,

Today's card came about very weirdly. Over the weekend I came across the Waltzingmouse Sketch and it scared the heck out of me. Then on Sunday, the Stamptacular Challenge was to use stars and stripes which just smacks of July 4th and that's not something I'm into. I was just going to pass when a new blogging friend, Erin T of Homemade Cards by Erin, inspired me with her Waltzingmouse sketch and since we enjoy a lot of the same challenges I thought, why not. I'm really glad I did.

The paper for this card is My Mind's Eye Wild Asparagus and Magnolia. The chipboard elements are My Mind's Eye Lil' Robots. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Vintage Labels.

I decided if I was going to attempt a sketch that scared me, I may as well go totally outside my comfort zone and craft a boy's card. I had picked up these chipboard elements at the Multicrafts garage sale a few weeks ago because it was a really great deal. This type of embellishment is not something I'd generally pick up but these robots are darn cute and I wanted elements that could be used for boy cards instead of stamps. I think this card turned out beautifully. The sketch was the perfect inspiration and the chipboard was perfect. I love that I could add the sentiment to the large star. About the only thing I would add, if I could, would be stamping some background stars on the orange elements. Too bad I didn't think of that before applying the chipboard.

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

Gisèle

Stamptacular Pearls & Swirls

Hello everyone,

I couldn't resist Sunday's Stamptacular Sunday Challenge, which was to make any type of card incorporating pearl and swirls. I'm so glad I just had to take up this challenge.

The background paper is BasicGrey Lilykate. The remaining paper is Stampin' Up Shimmery White and Brocade Blue. The Brocade Blue layer is textured with Sizzix Pattern I. The textured swirls are highlighted with Shimmerz Angel Wings. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Whimsical Words and is embossed with Close To My Heart Silver Pearl. The pearls are Crafts Gem Chic from the dollar store.

I love this card. It is so delicate and beautiful. Perfect for a wedding or anniversary. I wish all my cards came together so easily. The BasicGrey paper is fast becoming a favourite go to paper.

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

Gisèle

Dear Father

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired by two challenges. The Pink Elephant provided the sketch and Stamptacular Sunday provided the theme of trees.

All the paper on this card is Stampin' Up - Sweet Pea, Chocolate Chip, Taken With Teal and Whisper White. The image is Stampin' Up Pocket Silhouettes. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Well Scripted.

I love this card. The Sweet Pea paper is a favourite and there are so many lovely colours with which to coordinate. I also love this paper for male cards and Father's Day isn't too far off. Pocket Silhouettes is also one of my most favourite stamp sets.

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

Gisèle

Finished Another

Hello again everyone,

I love having guilt-free time to craft. I've used three challenges as inspiration for this card. Stamptacular Sunday asked for sugar and spice and everything nice - a girly card. Yesterday's Allsorts challenge was to not use designer paper. Putting together my earlier card for Everything Old Is New Again, I came across a number of unfinished bits that I wanted to use so I'm doing that challenge a second time.


The card base is from Recollections. The purple and green layers are Bazzill Basics Textures card stock scraps. The patterned layered is Local King Rubber Stamps Garden Delight stamped on a piece of glossy card stock and highlighted with Stickles. The yellow layer is an unknown scrap textured with Cuttlebug Floral Fantasy dry embossing folder. The sentiment is Sweet 'n Sassy Birthday Greetings, stamped on Stampin' Up Whisper White then heat embossed with Stampendous Amethyst embossing powder. The ribbon is a dollar store find.

I wasn't all that happy with the image when I first stamped it as it is challenging on glossy paper. The Stickles certainly helped but didn't solve the entire problem. I think the butterfly colours are flat and that's why it's off. Anyway, I didn't want to throw the piece away because it wasn't totally horrid. I do think it works well with the solid layers and I do like how it eventually came together. I also thought it would be difficult to avoid using designer paper but it wasn't at all. Thanks to this large stamp and texture, this card didn't even need anything designer. I like that.

I love the freshness of this card. This is a nice 'spring' birthday card and I can't wait to give it away.

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

Gisèle

Stamptacular Build-A-Card

Hello everyone,

This is my second card today because once I'd finished all my chores, I just couldn't resist the first birthday celebration Build-A-Card blog hop at Stamptacular Sunday Challenge. The blog hop required visiting each of the design team's blogs (there were 11) to find a different item with which to build a card. I've never done anything like this before. Not only was it a lot of fun but it was really challenging putting all the different elements into a card.

1. Brown - Close To My Heart Chocolate
2. Rectangle - Spellbinders Nestabilities
3. Favourite colour - Close To My Heart Ocean
4. Matting
5. Stamped focal image - Stampin' Up Asian Artistry
6. Two more colours - Stampin' Up Confetti White; Close To My Heart Gold Rush
7. Ribbon - Michael's Special Value
8. Flowers - Stampin' Up Flower Factory and VersaMark Watermark
9. Charm - Karen Foster Word Charms Celebrate
10. Sparkle - Cinnamon and Turquoise Stickles
11. Friendship Sentiment - Gina K. Tag, You're It

Happy Birthday Stamptacular Sunday Challenge!

Gisèle

Stamptacular Girl

Hello everyone,

Today's card is inspired by two challenges. The Sketch Girl blog had a really interesting sketch and the challenge at Stamptacular Sunday was to go back in time. I'm really quite excited about this card. I think it may be one of the prettiest cards I've ever made.


The card base was stamped with Stampin' Up Cornelli Lace jumbo wheel then heat embossed with Close To My Heart Silver Pearl. The focal element is an old, old card that I've repurposed by cutting with a Spellbinder Nestabilities Label die. It is mounted on a piece of pale, pale pink paper of unknown origin. The ribbon is Sheer Creations from Michaels (thanks for the tip Eleanor). The sentiment is Stampin' Up Short and Sweet.

I just love this card! I don't often make kid cards but I was utterly inspired by this ballerina. I had a lot of fun going 'back in time' for the Stamptacular Sunday Challenge. I went through my desk drawers and my 'Tickle Trunk' looking for old bits that I could use in a card. I found a bunch of stickers that are at least 20 years old now. I also happened upon a stash of vintage cards. When my mother was decluttering a number of years back, she gave me a bunch of old cards, some of which I'm guessing go back at least 40 years. She also gave me a 'Birthday Party Ensemble' which is just striking and likely of the same vintage as the cards. I find all of it inspiring and can't wait to repurpose it into some really great cards.

Please enjoy and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Boys Valentine Challenge

Hello everyone,

My card today is based on today's "Love Is In The Air" challenge from Stamptacular Sunday Challenge . They've asked for a card which demonstrated love without using a heart. Now this particular card is not for my love, but it is a commissioned card for the young son of a colleague (her older son will get the blue Valentine).

I used a Halcraft card base. The airplane is from Visuation Design and is a stamp that was once in my daughter's craft box when she was just a tot. I coloured it with a red Tombow and embossed with Stampin' Up clear embossing powder. The sentiment was stamped with letters, again, found in my daughter's craft box. I suspect they were part of an Inkadinkado set that I found years and years ago at Costco. I sponged the sky and sun and I drew in the OX string with a Staedtler pen.

This is most definitely not the type of card I usually create but then it is rare for me to make kids cards, let alone little boy cards. I'm quite happy with the playfulness of this card. I like how it is not a really mushy Valentine which I believe could be much more appealing to a young boy.

Please enjoy and come back to SPI again soon.

Gisèle

Stamptacular Valentine

Hello everyone,


Today's card is based on the sketch from the Stamptacular Sunday Challenge. It was a great layout for something clean and simple.





This is the usual Halcraft card base. The Stampin' Up Rose Red strip was textured with Sizzix Small Dots. The smaller strip is g.c.d. Tinted Flowers designer paper. The image is Inkadinkado Hearts highlighted with Crystal Ice Stickles on a scrap of Whisper White and My Mind's Eye Magnolia. The sentiment is Stampin' Up Short & Sweet.

I really like this Valentine. The sketch made it quite easy. I can't wait for my new Stampin' Up order though, I need a little more variety in my Valentine paper.

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