Painted And Perfect

Hello everyone,

Today post is for another Christmas card I designed for a girlfriend and I to craft at a recent crop.

The image is Deep Red Poinsettia Blossom stamped on Recollections Kraft with Ranger Glacier White and heat embossed with Stampin' Up White embossing powder.  The image is painted with LuminArte Coral Berry, Deep Coral, Mango Mamba, Persimmon, Poppy Red and Ruby Red Twinkling H2Os.  The image is layered on Stampin' Up Whisper White and Simple Stories December Documented Red Snowflakes.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Very Merry Christmas stamped in Stampin' Up Soft Suede.

I was inspired to design this card because I was so very pleased with the 'Kraft Magic' cards I crafted in September.  I love these 'magic' cards.  The white just pops against the Kraft paper and I think I used every red Twinkling H2O I have in my stash.  Again, I kept the sentiment simple and didn't even bother with embellishments so as not to detract from this pretty poinsettia.

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

Gisèle

Glittered And Gorgeous

Hello everyone,

Today's card is one that I designed for a girlfriend and I to craft at a crop in October.

The image is an Elizabeth Crafts Designs outline sticker glittered with Classic Red Glamour Glitter and a variety of Martha Stewart glitter.  The image is layered on Worldwin gold, Stampin' Up Whisper White and a shimmery green of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Hero Arts Very Merry Christmas stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone stickers.

All that glitter just puts me in the happiest of places.  These types of images are incredibly time consuming and finicky but the results are so very worth it.  They make for utterly mind-blowing beautiful.  I kept the rest of the card pretty simple so as not to have to compete with this poinsettia.

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

Gisèle

Diamond Beauty

Hello everyone,

I've been wicked busy the last few weeks designing and crafting Christmas cards.  It has been a crazy, crazy time.  Now its time to, hopefully, get back to something resembling normal

Today's card was commissioned by a colleague for a wedding.  I wanted to try something different and I had some fun crafting this fancy-folded beauty.

The card base is Recollections White.  The printed paper is of unknown origin.  The remaining papers are American Crafts Charcoal Damask glitter paper and Worldwin Shimmery Black.  The images are Technique Tuesday Fan Fare stamped in Ranger Glacier White pigment ink heat embossed with Stampin' Up white embossing powder.  The sentiment is Fiskars Just Married Quotes stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Whisper White and layered on a silver of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Stampin' Up Frosted Finishes and Crafts Rhinestone Strips.

I think this card is an absolute thing of beauty.  The diamond fold was a bit of challenge to figure out but when I finally got it, I fell in love.  I was inspired by a tri-fold wedding card that I crafted in September.  It turned out so well, I got ambitious.  It paid off.

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

Gisèle

Purple Blossoms

Hello everyone,

I decided to use some more of the watercoloured paper that I used yesterday because I was so very happy with the results.

The printed paper is Ken Oliver Watercolored Memories layered on Stampin' Up Almost Amethyst.  The image is Penny Black Delicate Florals stamped in Tombow 158, 228, 553, and 623 on Whisper White and layered on more Almost Amethyst.  The sentiment is Creative Expressions Amazing Sentiments stamped in Versafine Onyx Black.  The embellishments are Keepsakes Memories.

I really liked yesterday's card but I absolutely love today's card!  I played with watercolour crayons on the image but I didn't like the results - they were rather muddy and soupy.  Too much water which is one of the drawbacks of stamping with watercolour crayons.  I think turning to markers was a better call.  The image is a littler crisper than I'd intended but the colours are just perfect.  I'd do this again!

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

Gisèle

Watercoloured Roses

Hello everyone,

Now that I've finished with the recent Christmas card series and with now commissions on my plate, I'm little lost for inspiration.

The printed paper is Ken Oliver Watercolored Memories layered on Stampin' Up Soft Suede and River Rock.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Four You stamped in Soft Suede on Recollections Vanilla.  The ribbon is Crafts.  The embellishments are Marianne Design Butterflies.

I sometimes find that when my mojo is lagging, finding some beautiful paper and keep it simple will help spur on the creativity.  This card is a perfect example.  I found this 6 X 6 pad at my local scrapbooking store and couldn't resist the beautiful watercolours.  I find it especially appealing because one side of the sheet is muted while the other, with the same image, is quite bold.  A very interesting perspective that could make for some really beautiful cards.  I think I'd like to try using both muted and bold sides on one card as it would probably be quite phenomenal.  I found these wonderful pearl embellishments at Ecstasy Crafts which is a truly marvelous store just off highway 401 on the way to Toronto.  It also has an online store which is well worth checking out.  I'm not certain my creativity is completely back but I'll keep slogging through.

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

Gisèle

Texture and Glitter

Hello everyone,

This is the last post of the green card base ornament Christmas cards that I'll be donating to the Fall charity card sale at the office.

The card base is a shimmery green of unknown origin.  The ornament is die cut with Sizzix Delicate Ornaments Thinlets from glossy paper smooshed with Red Pepper, Meadow, Clover and Snow Cap Ranger Alcohol ink, then covered with DecoArt Glamour Dust.  The ornament is layered on a shimmery ivory that was textured with Sizzix Thin Ice embossing folder and layered on a shimmery pink of unknown origin.  The ribbon is of unknown origin.  The embellishments are Crafts Rhinestone stickers.

I have to say I'm quite relieved to have used up so much of this shimmery green cardstock.  I really don't know what I was thinking when I bought such a big batch.  I could see one or two pieces but that's pretty much it.  I have had a lot fun crafting all these ornaments cards and challenging myself not to use sentiments.  I think they turned out really well and I hope they sell well.

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

Gisèle

Glittered Snowflake Trio

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another glittered ornament Christmas card from the series I've been crafting for the Fall charity card sale at work.

The card base is a shimmery green of unknown origin.  The ornaments are die cut with Memory Box Classic Ornament from Glossy white paper of unknown origin and Sizzix Delicate Ornaments Thinlets from glossy paper smooshed with Red Pepper, Meadow, Clover and Snow Cap Ranger Alcohol ink, then covered with DecoArt Glamour Dust.  The ribbon is Offray Sheerly Yours.  The embellishments are Crafts.

I hadn't intended to craft another trio ornament card but some of the leftover glittered scraps were just big enough for this snowflake die.  I managed to squeeze three snowflakes from various pieces and I love that they're all different colours.  The glossy bottom layers were die cut pieces that I used a few days ago.  I'm glad I thought to cut some extras because this card is just wonderful!

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

Gisèle