Neutral And Serene

Hello everyone,

Today's birthday card is the complete opposite of yesterday's card.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up River Rock.  The images are Close To My Heart Brushstrokes stamped in River Rock and Stampin' Up Summer Silhouettes stamped in Altenew Evening Grey.  The sentiment is Impression Obsession Die 74-W Greeting Set die cut in Soft Suede.  The embellishments are My Mind's Eye Unforgettable "Firsts" enamel dots.

I love this card!  It's so wonderfully neutral and utterly serene.  It still uses the layered stamping technique that I love doing so very much.  I picked out this piece of paper in the box of donations expressly because it was perfect for stamping.  I added this this birthday die cut to my stash because I wanted some variety and this set offered some great options.  I had to play with the layout quite a bit to make it pleasing to the eye but the final results are awesome!

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

Gisèle

A Total Mishmash

Hello everyone,

I think I was completely undecided when I was crafting today's birthday card.

The printed paper is of unknown origin.  The background images are Gina K Timeless Textures stamped in Close To My Heart Juniper and Twilight inks.  The sentiment is Gina K Block Greetings stamped in Altenew Jet Black on Stampin' Up Very Vanilla.  The sentiment panel is layered on more Very Vanilla that was stamped with Hero Arts La Letter stamped in more Twilight.  The embellishments are BasicGrey Metal Studs.

I'd like to say I didn't know what I was thinking when I went all angles and grunge with this card but I was so happy with the layered stamping on Sunday's card that I was looking to craft another card using the same technique.  Maybe I should have stopped while I was ahead.  This is a real mishmash of angles and textures that is totally outside of my comfort zone.  This isn't a bad card, it's just different.  I'm still going to include it in this commission as there could be a senior in residence who's a rebel!

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

Gisèle

Spectacularly Striped

Hello everyone,

Today's birthday card uses some great paper donated by Crop A While.

The printed paper is of unknown origin.  The sentiment is Penny Black Happy, Happy stamped in Stampin' Up Night of Navy on Very Vanilla.  The branch is cut from a piece of Ranger alcohol inked glossy paper with a Docrafts X Cut Leaves die.

I found this scrap of donated paper with a border already punched.  I don't know if it was punched separately or if the paper was manufactured with the border.  I was able to trim it perfectly even which makes me grateful that I used these smaller card bases.  It took me quite a while to figure out an embellishment so when I found this piece of alcohol inked paper in my stash, I was ecstatic!  The colours of the paper coordinate perfectly with the colours of the stripes.  I seriously doubt I could have replicated this happy accident on purpose.  It sent me to a very, very happy place!

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

Gisèle

Surefire Simple

Hello everyone,

Today's birthday card was ridiculously simple.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on Stampin' Up Soft Suede.  The sentiment is Stampabilities Happy Birthday 01 stamped in Close To My Heart Outdoor Denim on Recollections Vanilla.  The embellishment is Close To My Heart Round Durables.

I love everything about this amazing printed paper!  The colours and pattern were so appealing that I just added a solid layer, stamped a sentiment with a strong font in a coordinating colour and added a solid embellishment.  It probably took me more time to find an embellishment than to actually craft this super easy card.  Again, while I was originally thinking masculine, this card is pretty neutral overall.

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

Gisèle

The Flip Side

Hello everyone,

Today's birthday card uses the flip side of the paper used in yesterday's card.

The printed paper are of unknown origin.  The images are Stampin' Up Timeless Textures and BoBunny Falling Leaves stamped in Close To My Heart Whisper and Slate inks on Stampin' Up Very Vanilla.  The sentiment is Gina K Labeled With Love stamped in Altenew Jet Black.  The image/sentiment panel is layered on more printed paper.

I didn't realize how awesome the flip side of yesterday's striped paper was until I'd finished the card.  I decided to try an mimic the printed paper by doing some layered stamping.  I think it turned out rather well.  I thought this would be a very masculine card but it's actually quite neutral.I really enjoy layering images especially using subtly different ink colours.

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

Gisèle

An Acorn Wish

Hello everyone,

Today's post is a more masculine birthday card.

The printed paper is of unknown origin layered on a Bazzill orange.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Happy Birthday stamped in Stampin' Up Early Espresso on Recollections Vanilla and highlighted with Avocado Liquid Pearls.  The wooden embellishment is of unknown origin sponged with Altenew Autumn Blaze, Bamboo, Espresso, Firebrick, Mocha and Orange Cream.

I found a number of these wooden embellishments in the Crop A While box of donations.  I didn't quite know what I was going to do with them but I found them very appealing.  I decided this striped paper would make a perfect backdrop for this wooden oak leaf and acorn.  I'm not sure a busier background paper would have worked as well.  I also like the fall colours in the strips and figured if I echoed them when I sponged the embellishment, it would probably work out all right.  It's actually even better than I imagined.  This would be the perfect card for a nature lover!

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

Gisèle

Twinkling Wishes

Hello everyone,

Today's birthday card is an example of productive play time.

The images are Stampin' Up Bordering on Romance stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed with Close To My Heart gold embossing powder.  The images are painted with LuminArte Deep Coral, Forest Green and Mango Mambo Twinkling H20s.  The sentiment is Rubbernecker Best Wishes also stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed in Close To My Heart gold embossing powder.

I will never claim to be a painter but I get this yen every once in a while to try my skills.  In this particular case I'm more than happy to claim this card.  The painting  turned out way better than I ever expected!  Whenever I decide to try to paint, this is one of my go to images.  It's pretty easy to paint but still allows for some shading practice.  I like painting embossed images because it's a little easier to stay within the lines which allows me to focus more on shading.  I don't know why that is my biggest challenge.  Regardless, this is a great card and I'm thrilled with the painting.

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

Gisèle