Beautiful Card Designs Made Easy

August 16, 2014

Another winner ...

Hi Everybody,

After a bit of a lie in this morning I have added the names to the hat and the one drawn out by my "Film Crew"  as the winner of the lovely blue card is  ....

Barbara Macaskill

so if you would like to email me your postal address please to 
christina@card-making-magic.com
then I will get the card on its journey  to you straight away.

I hope you will like it and please let me know when it arrives with you.

More later ...

Hugs xx

August 15, 2014

Friday Freebie 021

Hi Everybody,

Back again with a Friday Freebie this week and this card is in a pale blue with a Happy Birthday Sentiment.

Once again it is the Hinged Card  and the front has several layers using different Spellbinders.

The ribbon is a pretty gingham from  Mei Flower  that has been added with the  ribbon loops  for a special look
The buckle and the flowers are from  Wild Orchid Crafts  with the usual Glitter Magic  to add the sparkle

If you would like to win this card then all you have to do is leave me a comment and if your name is drawn from the hat by my "Film Crew" then you will see it in tomorrows blog post.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

August 14, 2014

Would You Like ???

Hi Everybody,

One door opens and another closes  because since I was invited to join Spellbinders .... I have had to leave the Spectrum Noir Design Team.

Because Spectrum Noir is part of Crafters Companion and they make dies then there is a conflict of interests between them and Spellbinders.

I will still be part of the instructor team and will still be doing the workshops I have planned.

I will also continue to add cards with the color lists to my blog pages.
One of the workshops is with   JGD Crafts  on the 13th September and that class is fully booked.

The other is with  Crafting4pleasure  and that is in Bristol on the 4th October.

There are a couple of places left on that workshop

So if you live near there and would like to go then you can contact  Bev on Facebook   to book your place.  Just click the link.

Now what I want to ask is that would you like me to start including cards with colored images on them in the Friday Freebie.

These will be images that I have colored and made into cards like the ones shown. Tomorrows card is already chosen but if you would like me to include some of these then I will add one next week.

Let me know what you think please

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx



August 13, 2014

Poppies ...

Hi Everybody,

This beautiful  Spellbinders Poppy die was the first one to sell out on  Create and Craft  and it doesn't surprise me in the least.

It was really easy to make and creates a very vibrant and poignant flower.

It was the 100 years anniversary of World War 1 when this was shown and so of course everybody wanted it ... and there will be Novembers commemoration too.

I showed viewers how to make this for themselves and I have promised to do a tutorial in video on each of the flowers ... but it will take me a little while to do them all

This card was layered in red and white and is a 15cms square ... the paper was in a free paper stack with a magazine I subscribe to and it came in very handy for this particular card.

The verse is from Crafters Companion  and it is surrounded by the matching pearls from Want2Scrap

The ribbon is from my "Stash" but the bows centre is from Wild Orchid Crafts  and finishes everything off nicely

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx




August 12, 2014

More Royal Blue

Hi Everybody,

Here is another card in the Royal Blue that some of you have said is too bright  

I have used the new  French Collection background by  Sue Wilson and it makes a really lovely addition to the card

It is made in the  Hinged Card Style   and it is my  favourite way of creating my base

The new collection of dies are available from  JGD Crafts  along with many other items for your crafting "Stash"

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and this is a collection of   Chrysanthemums, Roses, Sweetheart Blossoms, and Rosebuds

They have all been sparkled with  Glitter Magic    The satin ribbon is from  Mei Flower   that has been tied in a double bow  The pearl flourish is from  Want2Scrap 

It is a very pretty card and the blue is not quite as bright as you think in real life.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx



August 11, 2014

Antique Gold ...

Hi Everybody,


This very simple has just an embossed  background that has been layered onto gold and I have used the M-Bossabilities folder Labels Thirty Four Medallions

Over the embossing I have rubbed gold gilding wax and then added  centre panels ...Labels Thirty Four and the Decorative Labels 34

Such a quick and easy way to make a card when time is of the essence.  The flower is one of the new Flower dies and this is the Rose

It has been added to the same gold card cut with the Bella Rose die and then the petals sparkled with a fine gold glitter.

The addition of a pearl flourish is the finishing touch and this card look much prettier in real life than the photo shows.

The butterfly started life in silver but with some gold embossing powder I changed the look to match my card.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


August 10, 2014

Italian Collection from Sue Wilson

Hi Everybody,

So  although I have  been busy with all the new Spellbinders  dies that have been  released  I have not forgotten  the other dies that I have in  my crafting "Stash"

This card features  Tuscany  from the Sue Wilson Italian  Collection  and this die is available from  JGD Crafts 

I have layered the white panel onto some blue card  that has been embossed with the  Regency  Swirls  folder from  Crafters Companaion

I have sanded it to reveal some of the white core to the card and layered on the other parts with foam pads.

The circle panel has been lightly inked with  Distress Inks in  Bundled Sage and  Faded  Jeans

The white satin  ribbon is from  Mei Flower  and it  is tied with a double bow.   The bow centre and the flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts 

I have sparkled up the petals with Glitter Magic Chameleon glitter   I choose this glitter because it is fine and will blend with any color scheme that you decide on and the sparkle is so pretty.

The pearls on the corners are from Want2Scrap  and the little verse is from Lili of the Valley

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


August 09, 2014

Home Again ...

Hi Everybody,

Here I am back home again safe and sound and after travelling home yesterday and unpacking I decided to take the rest of the day off to just relax.

As a result of that there was no Friday Freebie this week but I will be back to "Normal" for next week

This is another card from the shows done on Create and Craft this week and this uses the Dogwood

I hope I have given you a good representation of what the die sets can do and maybe some different way to use them as that are a good staple to keep in your crafting "Stash" whenever you feel the need for a floral display.

The  Ivy  that has been used on this card was not on the show  ... but it is one of the new dies from Spellbinders.

If you wanted to see the shows they can be seen here .... Create and Craft TV   This is the link to the TV schedule and all you need to do is look in the drop down box with the dates in it and find the show that you want to see.

It was the  .... Spellbinders 4 Day Deal ... from the 4th to the 7th August  and if you have a PC then you can watch ... wherever you are 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx






August 07, 2014

Day Four ...

Hi Everybody,

Day four is now completed and I am back at the hotel tired and happy and many of the dies are now completely sold out.

I was pleased to be able to add my thanks to everybody at C&C as they have been so helpful and of course to Spellbinders for the opportunity to present their die sets.

But most of all I wanted to say "Thank you" to all of you who emailed in to the show or left me lovely comments on Facebook.

I also had many lovely emails to the website and you have all been so encouraging.

Tomorrow we head off back home and after I have unpacked and sorted out all my crafting stuff that went with me I hope to just relax with Griff for a few days.

I was happy that he was with me and able to share in the experience.  He has been a big help and has done a lot of die cutting for me over the week.

So it will be dinner for him at our favorite restaurant when we get home ...  and of course a great big thank you to him for all his help

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

August 06, 2014

Day Three ...

i Everybody,

Thank you all for your amazing and humbling comments and many many thanks also for your support.

I have had a really good day today and everything went without a hitch.

I had all my demos well planned and several extra on hand .... just in case.

I watched back the shows from yesterday and my mistakes were not really noticeable and  I felt a little better after that.

So today was the time to put it behind me and move on.

Everybody at C&C has been so encouraging and supportive  and they all assure me that I am doing OK.

And of course the support and  encouragement I have had from all of you has been so wonderful and a real boost to my confidence.

There have been lots of the dies sold out and so I am really pleased about that too.

So tomorrow I am on with Leonie  and my last show is with Jackie .... and then home and back to normality

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Day Two ...

Hi Everybody,

And so endeth day two ...  and I am glad to get back to the hotel and have a lovely glass of red wine and put my feet up.

The 4pm show turned out to be a little stressful as right at the end they had a sell out and so the demo that had been prepared for  had to be scrapped.

Right at the last second the producer changed the format and wanted a completely different flower that I had not prepared for and it totally threw me of course.

I had no demo planed other than for the one discussed and that could not now be shown as it was sold out.

I tell you I panicked and had to change my plan completely .... but came up with the Sunflower die which I totally messed up.

That was the worst moment of all the shows this week and I was well stressed.  I hope it didn't show .... but apparently I came off air and said .... "That was hard work ..." with the live microphone still attached and EVERYBODY  ( and his wife...)  heard me.

So if you heard my comment ...... my apologies but I was well stressed at the very sudden and unexpected change

It was another steep learning curve ...  and one I will not repeat again.  But as it was said to me .... "Welcome to live TV ...."

At the 7pm show again withe Dawn I was able to go back and do the demo from scratch and show you the correct way to make the Sunflower and once it was done I felt so much better.

But as promised  in the shows I will be doing the tutorials for each of the flower sets and they will be added to the Card Making Magic website once they are done.

I will add the link to a blog post each time one is added but please just give me the time to settle down once I am back at home and they will be added as soon as I can after that.

Here is another sample that I made for the show and this is with the Dogwood  Rose die set.


More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx





August 04, 2014

Day One ...

Hi Everybody,

Well day one is well and truly over with and I am now back at the hotel ... pleasantly tired and weary.

What a day this has been with a very earl start.   I thought that there was only one 5.45 on a clock but today I found out how wrong I was.

This was the day I went for the screen test ... and that was the easy part.

But I am really happy with the way the day went.

This was the first show I did with Dean and he was very welcoming.

In fact everybody has been so friendly anf reassuring that I felt very much at home.

It was also nice to meet up with some of the people that I have watched for a few years doing there stuff on Create and Craft.

So now it is time to get some sleep because it starts all over again tomorrow

Not quite as hectic with three shows to do at 9, 4 and 7 pm but still a 7 am start.

Thank you for the emails that you sent in to the show and I hope you will join me again tomorrow

Several cards have been given away in the shows and if they are wonky I apologise .... it's my nerves.

This is one of the projects that I made for the show and this uses the Cherry Blossom flowers to decorate the top.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

August 03, 2014

Anything but a Tree ...

Hi Everybody,

Here is a card from last weeks holiday show on Create and Craft that uses the 3-D Christmas Tree

This is one of the die sets that sold out very quickly.

But it has been used in a completely different way and creates a background that has nothing to do with Christmas.

I have  cut two of the trees and then cut them again down the middle and used each half to add the peach colored panel along each side if the card.

Then with the regular addition of flowers,  ribbons and pearls I have a card that keep me well and truly in my comfort zone.

The flowers are from  Wild Orchid Crafts  and are a selection of Carnations, Roses, Cherry Blossom, and some Rosebuds.  The  words are Sentiments One from  Spellbinders

The flowers have their petals sparkled with Glitter Magic  and the beautiful ribbon is from Mei Flower

Today I am all packed up and ready to head off to Create & Craft for the week.  You wouldn't believe the amount of stuff I have had to pack ..... wish I could put my craft room on wheels and take it with me ... would be whole lot easier.

I am looking forward to the experience and the first shows are  Create a Flower  with Dean Wilson at 8 am and 10 am on Monday ... keep your eye on the TV schedule for the rest of the times

Please give me your support and send in those emails and lets get that big cup overflowing again ... that was wonderful

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

August 02, 2014

Sorry I am late ...

Hi Everybody,

Sorry I am late with the post but I was so late finishing last night that I forgot to do the draw.  Any way it is now done and the name from the hat for the turquoise card is ....

Arlene K

If you can email me 
christina @card-making-magic.com
then I will get the card in the post to you straight away.

Please let me know when it arrives with you and I hope you will like it.

I still have lots of samples to make for the Spellbinders Create a Flower shows next week on Create and Craft  and so I may not have time to get another post done today.

Please stay with me as this level of intensity will slow down after the 4 Day Deal is finished on the 7th August.   I hope you will tune in next week to view the shows and maybe send in your emails too

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

August 01, 2014

Friday Freebie 020

Friday Freebie 020
Hi Everybody,

Is it Friday already ... where has the week gone ??

Here is another  lovely turquoise card for this weeks Friday Freebie and this is up to number 20 now

This one is layered and has an "A" frame back to make it free standing ... but I will also add in a little stand for the card.

There are lacy panels, flowers, ribbons and pearls on this and I have added in a matching Hatpin

If you would like to win this card then all you have to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post and my "Film Crew" will do his usual name picking and the winner will be announced in tomorrows post.

I hope you will be able to join me next week 4th - 7th August  On Create and Craft as I will be there all week showing you the Create a Flowers dies from Spellbinders.

The first show is at 8am with Dean Wilson ...  so up at the crack of dawn for me that day.

You can watch the programme  wherever  you are by simple clicking the link to Create and Craft.

 At the top of the web page you will see TV Schedule and that will show you the times of the shows.  Then on that day and time you will be able to click the "Watch Us Live"  button and there we will be....

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx