Happy Santas

 Hello everyone,

Today's post is another quick and easy Christmas card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Old Olive.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Recollections Vanilla and Early Espresso.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Jingle All The Way stamped in Early Espresso on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Early Espresso.  The holly embellishment is of unknown origin.

This is a wonderful piece of Santa paper.  I love the angled images and was tempted to angle the sentiment but thought it would be a little much.  This is a oft-used layout which helped make this a quick and easy card to craft.  It's a great result.

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

Gisèle

Winter Critters

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another great Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Lost Lagoon and a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Celebrate The Season stamped in Altenew Pure Graphite on Recollections White and layered on more Lost Lagoon.  The embellishments are Mark Richards 3mm silver metals.

I absolutely love this paper!  The colours, the image and the scale all really appeal to me!  I love that I can make a less traditional card and it's perfect for a neutral card.  I thought the sentiment was pretty apt for 2020 as the world really needs some 'joy' at this point.

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

Gisèle

Snowman Blizzard

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a very sweet Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Lost Lagoon and a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Classic Christmas Sentiments stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White.  The snowflake brad is of unknown origin.

These are some really cute snowmen!  They are the perfect size and scale for a card.  Though the images are in a row, which I don't really like on cards, it doesn't make a difference here.   The Lagoon Layer isn't the perfect match with the printed paper but I figured because they weren't side by side it was 'good enough'.  I placed the sentiment in the design sweet spot, using a label and a brad because it pleased my eye.  I debated adding some Stickles but decided simple worked just fine.

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

Gisèle

Little Mittens

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another lovely Christmas card.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Dapper Denim and Ridinghood Red.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Classic Christmas Sentiments stamped in Altenew Pure Graphite on Recollections White and layered on more Ridinghood Red.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.  The embellishment is BoBunny Wood Shapes.

I love this mitten paper!  Of course the different shades of blue and grey first drew my attention but I also just love the simple images which are also the perfect scale for a card.  I used a flat knot for the ribbon which makes it easier to add an embellishment.  This little wooden mitten couldn't work any better.  I debated colouring it but in the end, I like the natural look.

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

Gisèle

Sweet Santa IV

Hello everyone,

Today's post is yet another pair of teacher Christmas cards.

 




The card bases are Stampin' Up Mint Macaron.  The printed paper is Stampin' Up Home For Christmas.  The printed paper of the left-side card is layered on a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Classic Christmas Sentiments stamped in Altenew Jet Black on a white of unknown origin and layered on Real Red.  The candy cane embellishment is Recollections Glitter Embellishments.  The printed paper on the right-side card is layered on a white of unknown origin and Early Espresso.  The sentiment is My Sentiments Exactly Holiday Sentiments stamped in Altenew Jet Black on a white of unknown origin and layered on Real Red.  The tree embellishment is Recollections Glitter Embellishments.

This pair of cards is so similar but do show the difference of a vertical versus an horizontal layout.  Once again I used some bulkier embellishments. These two add just a bit of glitter that I really like.  So simple, they took only a few minutes to put together once I had selected the various elements.

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

Gisèle

Sweet Santa III

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another pair of teacher Christmas cards.

 



The card bases are Stampin' Up Mint Macaron.  The printed paper Stampin' Up Home For Christmas.  The printed paper on the left-side card is layered on a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Bonnidee Christmas Wording 3 stamped in Altenew Jet Black on a white of unknown origin and layered on Real Red.  The embellishments are Bazzill WR Adhesive Pearls.  The printed paper on the right-side card is layered on a white of unknown origin and Real Red.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Classic Christmas Sentiments stamped in Altenew Jet Black on a white of unknown origin and layered on Real Red.  The embellishments are TPC Studio Holly Jolly Pearlized and Glittered brads.

One of the great things about these cards is that they will be hand delivered so I didn't have to worry about the bulk of embellishments.  I took the opportunity to use some of the bulkier embellishments in my stash.  I was pleasantly surprised to find some mint green pearls that worked perfectly with the card bases and printed paper.

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

Gisèle

Brocade Blue Duo

Hello everyone,

Today's duo is a great pair of butterflies.

The card base is Stampin' Up Brocade Blue.  The image is Technique Tuesday BoHo Buzz stamped on Recollections White in Brocade Blue ink and heat embossed with Stampendous Kaleidoscope Transparent embossing powder.  The image panel is layered on a mirrored silver and a white of unknown origin.  The card is highlighted with Waterfall Stickles.

The card base is Stampin' Up Brocade Blue.  The image is Magenta stamped on Recollections White in Brocade Blue ink and heat embossed with Stampendous Kaleidoscope Transparent embossing powder.  The image panel is layered on a mirrored silver of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Me & My Big Ideas Rhinestone stickers.

I couldn't craft a commission of this type without including a few butterflies.  I like how different these images are even though I used the same ink and embossing powder.  I think I did well with the embellishment/Stickles placement - not too many, not too few.  I find the blue/white/silver colour scheme really appealing.  Though it's not really visible in these photos, the Kaleidoscope embossing powder is really nice.

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

Gisèle

Candy Cane Season

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another really fun non-traditional Christmas card.

The card base is Stampin' Up Bermuda Bay.  The printed paper is American Crafts Holiday layered on a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday stamped in Stampin' Up Real Red on a white of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Jolee's All That Bling Dimensional Stickers.

I was so happy with Wednesday's pink card that I thought another non-traditional card was in order.  After finding this funky candy cane paper, I knew I could come up with a pretty neat card.  As I've mentioned before, I'm not crazy about images in rows for cards because it often just doesn't work.  In this case, the scale of the images is small enough for cards and that the rows are irregular is just perfect.  The card base doesn't coordinate perfectly with the blue background but it's not bad either.  I love the result.

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

Gisèle

Red And White

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card is traditional in it's colours but modern in it's graphics.

The printed paper is Penny Black Winter Time layered on Stampin' Up Real Red and a white of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Celebrate The Seasons stamped in Real Red on more white of unknown origin.  The card is highlighted with White Opal Liquid Pearls.

Sometimes a 'holiday' card is more appropriate than a 'Christmas' card and I really like this particular example.  I chose this sentiment because the font really works with the images.  It was also a perfect opportunity to use the little banners that I like so much.  The white Liquid Pearls were a great embellishment and keep the card flat for mailing.

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

Gisèle

Gingerbread Sweetness

Hello everyone,

Today's Christmas card post is another great teacher card.

The printed paper is Stampin' Up Christmas Around The World layered on Garden Green.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday stamped in Cherry Cobbler on Recollections Vanilla and layer on more Garden Green.  The gingerbread house is Handmade Art Dimensional Embellishments.

I picked up a number of packages of these felt embellishments and have been looking for the perfect excuse to use them.  I thought it worked beautifully with the background paper and isn't so frou frou for a young man to give to his teacher.  I also love this set of sentiments and they couldn't have worked better for this card.

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

Gisèle

A Simple Ornament

Hello everyone,

I'm posting another Christmas card using pieces that I found in my stash of leftover bits and pieces.

The image is a Memory Box Drop Ornament die cut with a burnished gold of unknown origin.  The ornament overlay is Memory Box La Rue Ornament die cut from a shimmery blue also of unknown origin.  The ornament is layered on more blue and gold.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Jingle All The Way stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Recollections White.  The embellishment is Dress It Up Pearl Snowflake.

I can't recall why I didn't use this ornament when I first made it.  I must have been 'playing'.  I really like the size of this ornament and the flourished overlay is just spectacular.  Given it's large scale you don't need to go 'over-the-top' with extras.  I especially like this small sentiment added as a tag.  I think the simple pearl snowflake is what really finishes off the card, just like it's supposed to.

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

Gisèle

Snow Globe Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another lovely Christmas card.

The printed paper, highlighted with Wink of Stella Clear 999, is of unknown origin layered on American Crafts Crimson Red.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Celebrate The Season stamped in Close To My Heart Tulip on Stampin' Up Whisper White and layered on more Crimson and a green of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Martha Stewart Sleigh and Presents stickers.

This is such a fun card.  I love the print on this paper.  It was perfect for applying the sparkle of the Wink of Stella.  I love how the Martha Stewart embellishments have the same colours as the printed paper.  That Martha Stewart green can be really hard to coordinate.  A really great result.

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

Gisèle

All Santas

Hello everyone,

Today's card is a blip in the wooden sticker series.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Bazzill white.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Jingle All The Way stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on more Bazzill white and layered on Bazzill Red Devil.  The card is highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

This card was suppose to use another sweet wooden sticker but once I got everything together, the wooden stickers just didn't work.  I thought, given how busy yesterday's background paper was, this Santa paper would work equally well.  I was wrong.  Every sticker I laid out either got lost or looked awful against the all these images.  Instead of getting frustrated by the issue, I just decided to add some Stickles and let it go.  Funnily, I really like this card!  It's as fun as yesterday's! Go figure!

I hope you enjoy this card 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

Nutcracker In Green

Hello everyone,

Today's posts is a nutcracker card that worked exactly how I intended.

The image is a Tattered Lace Nutcracker die, cut from a shimmery green of unknown origin.  The image is layered on a burnished gold and more green.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Jingle All The Way stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.

Finally!  It took so much effort to finally craft the card I've been envisioning since Sunday.  Believe it or not this was the first and only attempt.  There were no smears, everything is straight (except the actual photo), no glue splotches, or any other mistake, flub or crisis.  Notwithstanding the colours, it's exactly what I intended and I just love the results!

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

Gisèle

Nutcracker In Silver II

Hello everyone,

Today's nutcracker card tried to accomplish what Sunday's card couldn't/didn't.

The image is Tattered Lace Nutcracker die, cut from Paper Accents Mirrored Silver.  The image is layered on a piece of Ranger alcohol inked glossy paper (sponged with Colorbox white) and a silver of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Jingle All The Way stamped in Stampin' Up Midnight Muse on Whisper White.  The embellishment is Recollections.

This is more what I had in mind for Sunday's card except that the sentiment panel covers up the original smeared sentiment.  The issue is that this glossy paper is actually photographic paper and it didn't hold up at all well with the alcohol ink.  To 'fix' the problem I decided to sponge some white ink to the panel to soften the flaked off areas.  The sentiment then smooshed because the Colobox ink takes time to dry.  I don't hate this card because it turned out just fine but I don't know if I'm going to put it in the sale or send it to one of an unsuspecting recipient.

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

Gisèle

Chocolate And Gingerbread

Hello everyone,

Today's post is the last Christmas card.  Not forever, just for a little while.

The card base is a shimmery green of unknown origin.  The printed paper is K & Company Tim Coffey layered Bazzill Cardinal red.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Celebrate The Season, heat embossed in Close To My Heart Cocoa embossing powder and painted with LuminArte Cinnamon Brown Twinkling H2Os.  The ribbon is American Crafts.  The card is highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

I often find the last card of a commission such as this one cane be difficult and I often use what's already out and open on my desk.  In this case it was the Technique Tuesday stamp set and the Stickles.  I had originally planned to paint anything for this set of cards (it can be time consuming) but this font screamed for paint.  I like how the slight shimmer works with the Stickles (also on my desk).  The chocolate brown ribbon was a must given the dark brown sentiment.  A great, if pretty simple, result.

I hope you enjoy this card, the series and all the Christmas cards that I've so enjoyed crafting this year.

Gisèle

List of Christmas Goodness

Hello everyone,

I'm still enjoying these Christmas cards even though the season has ended.

The card base is a shimmery green of unknown origin.  The printed paper is K & Company Tim Coffey layered Bazzill Cardinal red.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Celebrate The Season stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso on Whisper White.  The ribbon is Multicrafts.  The card is highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

This commission came in rather late so I knew I needed to keep things super simple if I was to finish on time.  This is a card that took me less than five minutes.  I particularly love this sentiment and think I've used it every year since I bought it.  I love the vertical aspect of the list.  I paired it with the perfectly matched, simply knotted, red ribbon.  The Stickles add just that perfect little hint of glitter.

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

Gisèle

Candy All A Glittering

Hello everyone,

Yet another Christmas card post today.

The card base is a shimmery green of unknown origin.  The printed paper is K & Company Tim Coffey layered Bazzill Cardinal red.  The sentiment is Technique Tuesday Jingle All The Way stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso on Whisper White and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The ribbon is American Crafts glitter ribbon.  The embellishment is Dollarama Chip Board Stickers.

I wasn't sure about these stickers when I saw them at Dollarama.  I had previously bought similar red and white stickers and at first, had a hard time using them but once I did, I crafted some really beautiful cards.  I decided to risk it with these.  I'm particularly happy with this sticker.  It works great with the glitter ribbon.  I could probably have crafted this card without the printed paper and it would still have turned out great!

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

Gisèle