Berries Of Blue

Hello everyone,

While I was on a roll with my stash of not often used stamps, I came across some really great stamps and just had to see what I could create.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Recollections White and Close To My Heart Glacier.  The images are Stampin' Up Oh, So Lovely stamped in Baja Breeze and Close To My Heart Twilight on Recollections White and highlighted with Sakura Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  The sentiment is Annabelle Stamps All Things Grow stamped in Twilight on Recollections White and layered on more Glacier.

Oh the things you can do when you find old stamps in your stash.  This is a 2007 set that I know I bought second-hand years ago and can't, for the life of me, figure out why I don't use it more often.  I did some Google searches to find it's date and came across some really spectacular cards that I know I'm going to have to CASE.  I love over stamping.  It's one of my favourite techniques and this set was made for it.  I used a second impression for the background image because the Baja Breeze was a little harsher than I wanted for this monochromatic card.  My mojo is on fire!

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

Gisèle

Roses Are Red

Hello everyone,

Today's post is another lovely floral birthday card.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Close To My Heart Blush.  The image is Stampin' Up Both Way Blossoms stamped in Tombow 158 and 837 on Recollections White and layered on more Blush.  The sentiment is Gina K Labeled With Love stamped in Tombow 837.  The ribbon is Crafts.  The embellishments Mark Richards 3mm Gold Metals.

These are two more stamps that I've not used in eons.  The Both Way Blossoms set is from 2006.  It's a set of four stamps that has the full bloom on one end and the bud on the other.  It's a very striking set and though I love it, I don't use it that often.  It's a fairly long stamp and can be hard to fit on even a large card base.  I chose this rose because I felt it 'spoke' really well to the roses on the printed paper.  I'd never thought about stamping each end of the stamp in the same direction - kind of a 'duh' moment.  I can't wait to try it with the other stamps.

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

Gisèle

Funky Floral

Hello everyone,

Today's feminine birthday card is a stark contrast to the last couple of cards.

The printed papers are of unknown origin layered on Close To My Heart Thistle.  The image is Stampin' Up Botanical Blooms stamped in Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery and Marvelous Magenta on Whisper White and layered on more Thistle.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up It's Your Birthday stamped in Wild Wasabi.  The embellishment is of unknown origin.

One of the most fun things about this series of cards is that I've taken the opportunity to use some stamps that I've not used in a long time.  This image and sentiment are two of those stamps.  These are old wooden stamps that I've not yet converted to cling stamps so they're kind of tucked away.  Obviously, with this card turning out so beautifully, I've got to get the rest of these stamps switched over.

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

Gisèle

Back In Time

Hello everyone,

I knew I was going to use this paper one of these birthday cards.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Close To My Heart Cocoa.  The sentiment is Close To My Heart Happy Birthday stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso on Recollections Vanilla.  The embellishment is from Multicrafts.

This card, which is very clean and simple notwithstanding the dearth of white space, didn't come together as easily as I thought it would.  I originally planned to add an image of some kind but I didn't have anything that worked with these watches.  After a somewhat frustrating search, I decided a well placed sentiment would work just fine.  I kept the sentiment skinny and off-set so it didn't hide too much of the printed images.  The round embellishments speaks perfectly with the round watches.  When I came across this paper I thought the end result would be entirely different.  I not at all disappointed though because this is a great card.

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

Gisèle

All On The Vertical

Hello everyone,

Today's birthday card is a little more on the masculine side.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Close To My Heart Glacier.  The images are Stampin' Up Mosaic Madness stamped in Old Olive, Really Rust and Creamy Caramel on Recollections Vanilla.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday stamped in Old Olive on Recollections Vanilla.  The embellishments are from Fabricland.

I really love all the vertical things happening on today's card.  They were, of course, all inspired by this great printed paper.  It's one of my favourite masculine scraps.  I love all the colours because it's so easy to find coordinating paper and inks.  The embellishments, which I use often on masculine cards, are clean and simple.  I didn't really need to add these shiny metal dots but I do like they emulate studs on furniture.  They add a bit of shine without any femininity.

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

Gisèle

Sweetly Simple

Hello everyone,

A very retro birthday card today.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Close To My Heart Pomegranate and Recollections Grey.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday stamped in Pomegranate on Recollections Vanilla and layered on more Pomegranate.  The printed paper is highlighted with Diamond Stickles.

In all the leftovers I've got squirreled away, I've found a ton of great printed paper pieces that are perfect for these smaller sized cards.  This is one of those pieces.  I don't particularly know why this paper appeals but the colours and simple floral images just work.  The colours allowed for some pretty easy coordinating and the images were made for Stickles.  Like many of these leftovers, the biggest challenge is trimming to size so I don't lose too much of the printed images.  I don't often choose grey to layer but it worked perfectly with the dotted background and the Pomegranate.

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

Gisèle

Feathers Three

Hello everyone,

Today's birthday card is a serene and neutral beauty.

The printed paper is Studio Calico Hashtagged layered on Stampin' Up Whisper White and Close To My Heart Heavenly Blue.  The images are Stampin' Up Four Feather stamped in Close To My Heart Juniper and Stampin' Up Pool Party and Lost Lagoon on Whisper White.  The images are die cut with Sizzix Feathers Framelits.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up Perfect Punches stamped in Juniper on Whisper White.

I love using these feather stamps and die cuts.  When they work, they are so beautiful.  When they don't work, it's just an exercise in frustration.  The MISTI was suppose to ensure the frustration levels would be eased but it didn't work as planned.  The problem is that the stamps are red rubber, not clear polymer.  It's easy to line up the stamp with the die cut when you can see through the stamp to ensure proper alignment.  Not so easy with red rubber.  I had one feather that worked well but the other two, I went old school by stamping then running through the Big Shot.  Lesson learnt.

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

Gisèle