My Irish Fan Club

Hi Everybody,

Nothing pleases me more than being the "GIVER" of beautiful things. I have so much still in my life and  I enjoy sharing what I have. So let me tell you the story behind this intriguing title and the picture.

As you know every week I give away one of the cover mount gifts that come with the magazines from Practical Publishing. I asked PP's permission to do this and I was delighted when they said yes. 

One of my winners awhile ago was a lady called Elaine Prendergast and she wrote with her address to claim the gift. She told me that she was a school teacher to the Second Class who are 7 / 8 year old little girls.  She has told her class about my blog, and they have looked at the pages and they like my cards.

Elaine is a crafter herself and she has shared some of her own things with the class, as many of them enjoy crafting too, and so I asked if she would like a few more things for the children to use in their class.

I put together this box of items that I have bought in the past and it was full of all sorts 

I posted it to Elaine in Ireland and she took it into her class for the children to see.

This was my gift to the class and I could almost hear the squeals of delight here in Blackpool.

Here they are in front of the box and I wish I could have been there to hear them.

On the table in the centre is all the stuff I sent and I am sure that they have had a lot of fun playing with it.

I sent inks and papers, and embellishments for them to dress up their projects.

Some ready foiled packs for them to put together. And Flowers, Ribbons and Pearls of course !!

There is even a can of shaving foam in there for them to get really messy with

Some of them have emailed messages to me thanking me for their gift.

Elaine sent me the photographs of her class and once I got permission from their parents I am able to write this blog post.

And all these little smiling faces have made me so happy

As a class they have made me this huge card and inside everyone has added their comment and signed it onto a die cut shape.

They love die cutting and have used Elaine's machine, and caused a lot of consternation when they asked Father Christmas for one

Parents started asking what a BIG SHOT was !!!!

And so this is why I say these are my Irish Fan Club

They will all be moving on to a higher class later this year and so Elaine will have to start again with another group of bright smiling faces

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Card & Gift Winner and some news ...

Hi Everybody,

It is beautiful here today and the sun is really warm. Ruby has just gone for a long walk with Vickie and Dougal while I get some work done, I am busy making samples for next weeks HOCHANDA shows as I am there again with another One Day Special on Tuesday and Wednesday.

I will be on the show at 6pm and 8pm on the Tuesday and at 9am 1pm and 5pm on the Thursday so I hope you will be able to join me for any of those shows. You may notice a difference in me too.

I love hair with curl in it and I have spent the best part of forty years using heated rollers to get that curl.

 BUT now I have discovered that I have natural curls and I bought a book called 

"The Curly Girl Handbook"

from Amazon and the information in there is invaluable.

I started the Curly Girl Method only a few days ago and already I have some wonderful curls in my hair. 

I have followed it to the letter so far and it's not hard ... after all you would wash, condition and dry your hair any way. 

All I have done is change the products that I use to make my hair healthier and over time it will get more curly

So what you see now is my natural going grey hair. No more colouring, no heated rollers, this is what I was born with and I really am liking it. I wish I had discovered The Curly Girl Method Years ago 

So now onto the winner of the Card and Gift from Yesterday. The winner this week is ...

Christine McFee

Please can you send me your postal address to 

christina@card-making-magic.com

and the gift will be on its way to you, be sure to let me know when it arrives with you. 

Tomorrow I have a lovely story for you read and I hope you enjoy it.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Creative Corners

Hi Everybody,

This is a die set that I had fun playing with as it can make so many lovely backgrounds for you.

The card that I made here was done on parchment and then coloured with pencils and the effects is really lovely

Creative Corners  is the video to show you what I did and it may be something that you want to try for yourself.

If you would like to win this gift then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post with your FULL NAME and be sure to come back and check over the weekend if it is your name that is shown as the winner.

You have 72 hours then in which to claim the prize and I have no way to chase you up. If you don't come back it will be offered again at a later date.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Die Cutting Essentials 53 - My Little Memory Book

Hi Everybody,

Today I am sharing with you Die Cutting Essentials 53 which is going to be on sale tomorrow 20th June.

The gift this month is My Little Memory Book and that is what it will help you to make.

The picture shows one that I have done and although not very big you can add as many pages to it with the die as you would like.

In the video I show you how I created a card using the same set of dies and I have turned mine into a birthday card.

There is also a stamp set that will work well with this die set and it is the gift with 

Creative Stamping 73 that will be on sale on the 4th July.

The stamp set is called "Let's Make Plans" and so together with the booklet you can add dates, Months and lots of other sentiments to customise your book

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Lacey Ribbons Set 1

Hi Everybody,

This pretty card in pale green and pink has been created with one of the Lacey Ribbons added multiple times along the bottom

I also alternated the colours to make the top one stand out more and I matched the shape of the top edge too.

I think it looks really fresh. 

The white ribbon wrapped around the layers has two flowers attached to the top and they are from the Flowers & Tags set and the Layered Florals stamp set

The flowers have been coloured with pencils and added to the front with foam pads

White pearls have been dotted about the card as a finishing touch and I am really happy with the look of this one.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Create a Gift Envelope

Hi Everybody,

Here is a little envelope that is a far nicer way to give money than just handing it over.

The video will show you how I made this one in a blue and white colour scheme and then decorated it with Flowers, Ribbons and Pearls

It is very easy to do and the film will take you step by step through the process

The links are all at the bottom of the page so that you can see what I have used. Some of them are affiliate links which means I get a small payment for items that you buy at no extra cost to you.

Enjoy the video ... it's not long.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Card & Gift Winner

Hi Everybody,

No matter how hard I try something always crops up on a Saturday to stop mt getting this draw done earlier. But at long last I do eventually get around to it so thank you for your patience. 

So today the name to win the Raymond Briggs Father Christmas  is ...

MaryJean Smith

 would you be so kind as to send my your postal address please to

christina@card-making-magic.com

and the gift will be on its way to you straight away.

I would be glad if you could let me know that it has arrived with you safely and I really hope the you will enjoy playing with it.

There will be another prize on offer next week so be sure to come back and leave your comment with your FULL NAME, and it doesn't matter if you have won before you can still add your comment. 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Father Christmas

Hi Everybody,

This is a gift that has been offered before and the winner didn't check for their name and so it was never claimed

Poor Father Christmas is still looking for a new home and it could be you !!

If you would like him then all you  need to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post.

I am happy to send this prize anywhere that you live but you will need to leave me your FULL NAME to be in with the chance of winning

I have no video for this one,  as this was released the week that Griff died and so never got done.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Lacey Ribbon Set 1 & Water Coloured Flowers

Hi Everybody,

Here is another way to make a really pretty box that is just big enough to hold tealights or candles. Maybe a beautiful pen or even some .... chocolates !!!

It is very easy to do and not really a lot of measuring and it can be as decorated as you like for your recipient

I have used items from the Card Making Magic collections and this shows you that they can all work together nicely.

Here is the video and I hope you enjoy it and will give this little box a try.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

A5 Complete Card & Box Collection

Hi Everybody,

Just in case you missed the Craft Stash Facebook Live last Friday when I told you all about the dies in this new collection I thought I would add a short video to show you instead.

It's not a long film but it will show you the amount of dies you get in each set and there is such a lot for you to play with.

 Making rectangle or oval frames,and matting and layering will no longer be  a problem with the new nesting dies.

 I hope you enjoy them all and if you take care of your dies they will last you a life time.

I will be doing a lot of playing with them in the coming years.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Four Box Sizes from Card Making Magic

Hi Everybody,

I am so excited about the new box size,  as this is one I have been asked about many times.

So I am adding a short video to show you the different sizes, side by side, and then you can choose which you prefer to work with.

They all will make boxes in different styles and also the envelope too.

So if you don't add depth to your cards you can still send them in a beautifully matching envelope.

This whole set of dies and add ons is growing daily and there is so much more to come for you to enjoy.

Thank you for staying with me on this roller coaster ride

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

New A5 Complete Card & Box Die Set

Hi Everybody,

So the new A5 Complete Card & Box Die Set was shown for the first time on Craft Stash Facebook Live last Friday and what a fabulous set it is. 

And there are so many dies in each of the new additions you will be amazed. 

This is the first card and box I have made with the A5 Die Set  and I am going to add some videos to show you more during the next few weeks.

At the present time Craft Stash are offering you 10% off your purchases if you spend over £30 on the either the new A5 collection  or the Lacey Collection  and these offers will run until the 14th June

The flowers on the card are created with the Rose Flourish Die Set and they will be the subject of another video to show you how I got the look for my display.

I am really delighted at the dies and designs in both of these new collections and amazed at the "amount of bang you get for your bucks"  and I hope you will like them as much as I do ... but stand by because there is a lot more to come in the future.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Card & Gift Winner

Hi Everybody,

What a busy few weeks I have had and two more wonderful collections have been brought to you.

The Lacey Collection  and now the new Complete Card and Box  A5  size. 

The new box dies was shown on Craft Stash Facebook Live on Friday so if you joined me 

Thank You it is much appreciated.

The draw for Friday Freebie has now been done and the name this week is ....

Betty McAllister 

would you email me your postal address please to

christina@card-making-magic.com

and the gift will be on its way to you straight away.

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

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Pretty Quick Scenescape

Hi Everybody,

A really useful gift is on offer this week and it is a scenescape and some stamps so that you can create your own adventure as you play.

The magazine is full of inspiration and I am sure you will enjoy the relaxation as you browse the pages.

The video will show you how I made this card  using the Pretty Quick Scenescape 

If this is stamp and folder set that you would like then be sure to leave me a comment at the end of the post with your FULL NAME.  The draw will be done some time tomorrow and the winner announced in the blog post over the weekend

So be sure to come back and check if it is your name that is shown as you then have 72 hours in which to claim the prize.

 Please remember FULL NAME to enter for the prize.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Gift Card Envelope

Hi Everybody,

This little envelope is a much nicer way for you to give the gift of money or a gift card and you can make it as plain or as pretty as you want.

I used the Lacey Circles to decorate mine with one circle cut in half and both pieces added to the front in layers

I used a little Velcro dot to keep it closed and added the flowers and pearls for a more elaborate look.

I also added a circle to the back as I had done to the front and dotted all the scallops with pearls.

It's plenty big enough to add a card along with your gift and you could add the name of the recipient with an alphabet set of dies.

I shall be doing this in a video shortly so I hope you will come back to view it.

It will be next week now as I am off to the studios to do Craft Stash Facebook Live on Friday so I hope you will join me there, and see what goodies are on offer this week for you to win.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx