Got Some Marbles ???

If you have children the chances are they will have some marbles and  you need to borrow about three of four of them.

And if you don't  then you will have to do what I did  ... and pinch some off the kids next door.

This is another tutorial that has been around for some time ... but it's not quite as messy as yesterdays idea.

The   Rolling Marble Technique  is another fun effect to add to your cards and  it goes particularly well with those that you create for boys.

Vary the colours of the alcohol inks if you want a more feminine look and roll the marbles more or less to give another take on things. 

The white buttons have been coloured with Promarkers to match the scheme of the card, and threaded with a bit of string.

Hugs xx

Messy but fun ...

This tutorial was one I added to the Card Making Magic website a few years ago and it is very messy ... but the effect is different from any thing else.

The   Crushed Flower Tutorial   got many comments.

One lady wrote to say that it took her a long time to realise that I was actually using real flowers and leaves. 

You will need a die cutting machine to roll the flowers through, and  pick your flowers when they are just going off.

The flowers for both of these cards are from a beautiful pink Hydrangea that is in my garden and the leaves from my Virginia Creeper.

But the result at the other end is nothing like the original flowers that I used.

I have Watercoloured the flowers with a Big 'N Juicy ink pad.

These inks have several different colours in the one  pad and I have  used a different area of the pad each time to create the shading and defintion to each flower.

I have sprinkled Glamour Dust on the petals and added  small pearls to the flowers centres.

The photos don't really show you just how pretty this effect is but you will be very surprised with what you get if you give it a try.

Don't be surprised though when a pink flower produces a completely different colour at the other end ...it's all part of the fun.

Hugs xx

 

Car Boot buy

In the glorious sunshine over the weekend we went  bargain  hunting at the local Car Boot sale.

Now I know this is not to everybodies taste and most of it is junk .... but whatever the junk is,  to somebody else it could be a treasure.

I was looking in paricular for a  spice jar rack and  we  wandered  around with no luck.

Then  on  the  very last stall there it was ... shouting at me to buy it ..... so I did.

It cost me a couple of  pounds and it needed a really good clean,  but here it is scrubbed up and polished and  already in use.

It is  sitting on my worktop  with all the  little pieces  to be used  whenever I need that little embellishment to  adorn my card.

Another good storage idea ... though not a car boot buy ... is to use up the empty cases that your CD's are bought in.

They have lids and a central post to keep everything together.

This one has had my little paint pots glued to an old CD  and each disc will hold six of the pots.

Then when you are finished painting  just allow them to dry out again and then stack them in the holder,  pop the lid,  which is just visible behind,  back on. 

You will be able to store about four layers in the smaller holders.

This is one of the taller ones and it houses all my glues.

They all sit neatly on the tray and the lid keeps them all safe and clean.

Then when they are getting low I can store them upside down to make sure I get every last drop of the precious glue.

This recylcing is much better than throwing things away ... you just need to look at things in a different way.

Now how many of you have said   "Oh!  I've just thrown one of those away ...."  Tut Tut !!

Hugs xx

Sunflower Bear

This little bear is an image  that I have had  for quite some time and  she is  from   Lili of the Valley  

There are some really prety stamps there for all ages and occasions and a new range especially for boys has just been added to the collections.

She has been coloured with  the new Alcohol Colouring System ...  Spectrum Noir  ...  from Crafters Companion and there are many colours in the range.

They are very easy to work with and there are lots of things that can be done with the pens  apart from just colouring in.

The Spellbinders used are in BOLD so that you will know what has been used to create the card.

The image has been cut with the Lacy Ovals from Spellbinders and it has been mounted onto a large Scalloped Oval

The background is done with the Imperial M-Bossabilities folder and gives a lovely raised area.

I was asked   "What is the diference between embossing folders and masks?"   and so I have tried to answer the question in  a video that has been added to the website.

Adding Texture to Cards  is a short video ... but for those new to cardmaking I hope it will answer the question.

Because the  Bear is holding a Sunflower I thought it would be fun to add a large one from the Sun Flower Set   from Spellbinders.

It is a die I don't use very often and the centre has been created from one of the new Bauble Blossoms.

All the petals to the flower have been inked with Distress Inks and in the centre I  have added a piece of Card Candi from  Craftwork Cards

There are many colours and patterns in this small but useful embellishment  and there are lots of things that can be done with it.

The lovely Gemstone  Flourish is from   Want2Scrap   and adds the necassary finishing touch.

Hugs xx

Back Home ...

Here I am again ... back home, happy and relaxed.

It has been a fabulous break away in Edinburgh and the weather has been so good to us. 

I have white marks around my eyes where my sunglasses have been ... and my nose and cheeks are pink and glowing ...

I look like an owl as my glasses cover most of my eyes area ... stupid woman !!

There is so much to see  and do and I would have been happy to stay for a lot longer .... and still not seen it all.

We walked for miles and miles wih regular breaks for a nice Cappucino.

This is the heel of my shoe  which decided to fall off  after we had walked to the top of  Calton Hill.  So I  had to find a shoe shop and buy some more to carry on with the rest of the day.

We spent hours in Edinburgh Castle and this is the gunner getting ready to fire the Salute over the city.

This ceremony is carried out every day at One-o-clock to mark the exact time and there were hundreds of people there waiting to watch.... and  you are going to love the next photo .....

This puff of smoke was the actual firing of the gun which was so loud that I ... and several others ... jumped a mile

So the smoke cloud is all I got.... but of course my film crew filmed the whole thing !! ... and my watch was two minutes slow too.

Another of our visit was to the Peoples Museum where I spent several minutes queing patiently behind a family group of people waiting to go in .... only to realise that they where manequins and part of the exhibition.

I won't tell you what my film crew said ...

So tomorrow I am going to add some new cards but for the rest of today I and my film crew are going to soak up the rest of the sunshine .... after the Formula One has finished  that is... coz at present he is glued to the telly.

Hugs xx

Horse Card

This is the last of the cards with a fun theme and the last day of my holiday and I will be home and posting "live" as usual next time.

I hope you have enjoyed the last few days and there are many more   Novelty Cards   on the website.

This   Horse Card  is made from punched or die cut ovals and is another one that is easy to make.

His eyes and nostrils  have been created from coloured circles and the sentiment is just from the PC.

A little ribbon around the spine and  any extras that you want to add will finish it off as you want.

But because all these cards have been added for children I have kept them reasonably simple and easy to do.

My kids used to love doing things like this when they were little ... but then I had to cut the shapes with scissors  as there was no such thing as die cuts or shaped punches.

Which just goes to show how far crafting has come since those early days.... and it shows my age too .... and computers didn't exist  then either.

Oh my .....

Hugs xx

Piglet Card

I really love this little   Piglet Card   as it seems so cheerful to me and I made it for a neighbours birthday as she adores and collects Pigs... and she loved it.

The sentiment was computer generated and inked around the fancy edge and added to the card with foam pads.

Googly eyes are always a fun element to add to this novelty type of card and they are so cheap to buy.

The curly tail has been created by wrapping some pink coated wire around a BBQ stick and glued to the back of the piglet.

Stand him in some mud to wallow in and he will feel right at home.

Hugs xx

Cat Card...

Another easy and fun card to make especially for the cat people that you know.  Add any sentiment into the banner box that suits the occasion and the recipient and send it with love.

Decorate the card with as much or as little embellishment as you have in your "Stash"

There are lots of fun and novelty cards to make on the website  and  this  Cat Card  is just one of many.

The link will take you to the page and they are easy enough for children to follow on their own.

They may use up all your craft space,  but if it uses up  some of  the scraps that you have lying around ... aaaaaand it keeps them occupied for  two or three hours then I am sure you won't mind.

Hugs xx

Birdie Card

Continuing the theme of fun cards here is one for any occasion. Again just punched or die cut shapes have been put to good use to crreate this    Bird Card  and it is an excellent way to use up all your odd scraps.

The beautiful pink  backing paper is from the Love and Cherish CD from   PolkaDoodles 

The cards have been kept very simple and easy to do so that children ... who love to craft ... can make these for them selves.

Making cards with kids is an excellent way to keep them occupied in the summer holidays when you have that rainy day and they are bored .... and driving you crazy!!

Get out those punches or die cut shapes and let them and their imagination loose and see what they come up with for themselves.

Hugs xx

Car Card...

Do you know someone about to take their driving test?   And are you looking for a card that will bring a smile to their face.?

If you do then it's time to get out those punched shapes again and get to work.

The different sized circles have been cut to make  this   Car Card  and the sentiment can be about any occasion you wish.

How about this for celebrating someones "Milestone" birthday ... you know the ones I mean the ones you would rather forget !!

Choose your recipient carefully though so as not to cause offence ... but I am sure that you will know who will take it in the manner it was intended.

Add some small red, amber and green circles for traffic lights and find a verse for the inside that also suits your intended victim .... er!  recipient.

Hugs xx

Apple Card ...

Here is another fun card that would suit many occasions and from the   Novelty Cards   that are on the website.

This   Apple Card     would be sure to cheer up someone  who is feeling under the weather and all it takes are some circle punched shapes and a little imagination.

Or how about this one at the end of term ... and at least the apple won't go bad  and that worm wouldn't frighten anybody.... no matter how much they hate the wriggly things

Hugs xx

My Film Crew ...

Two posts in one day but I couldn't resist telling you this ...

Yesterday I made another film ... with my trusty crew at the ready with his camera.  We got everything set up  and  along he came to film and he was wearing a baseball cap.

It took us the morning to  get it all done properly and once the filming was done we had a cup of coffee and chatted for a while ... then off  he went to edit.

A little while later he came back and said that he was  extremely dissapointed  with me .... I asked "Why????"

He said that he had done a whole film, had a cup of coffee with me, chatted and he said "You even flicked the rim of the baseball cap ... and not once have you noticed the writing"

So my Film Crew was in a strop and all I could do was laugh and laugh .... this is his new hat ... all embroidered.

He wore it all day and says he is  taking it on holiday with him too.

So I just wanted to share that with you as my film crew is the best in the world   and this is he ....     Drum Roll please !!

May I present to you

Griff

card-making-magic.com

Film Crew

Ta Dah!!

I would also like to share with you that my YouTube videos have now passed the three quarter million mark for views, with over 2200 followers ... and I am dancing for joy.

Thank you to everyone who has watched them, (there are 93) commented on them and continue to visit the Website, this Blog and the YouTube channel too. 

You are also the best in the world too.

Please carry on scrolling down for the first of the Novelty cards that I have scheduled to be posted while I am away

Hugs xx

Un Frogetable ...

I have scheduled lots of posts to go out automatically for the next week as I will be having a short break in Scotland.

My film crew  (Griff)  and I are having a little holiday in Edinburgh as it is somewhere we have wanted to visit for quite some time.

So over the next few days I would like to share some cards that  all  have an element of fun in them.

They are just a few of the ones that are in the   Novelty Cards  section at Card Making Magic.

They are all made from  simple  punched or die cut shapes and children love them.

Why not show them how to make some for their friends and let them give them out for a party or trip somewhere that you have planned for them.

 Mr Frog   is created from oval and circle shapes,  and  has eyes that have been formed from some smaller  punched circles and he is sat in a pool  of water  that is created with Glossy Accents. The mouth is just hand drawn.

You could add any sentiment you have or computer generate some for your use and add them to the card. 

"Couldn't froget your Birthday" .... "Just Hopping by to wish you .... "  ..."Kiss me !"... are some ideas of things to add to bring a smile to the recpients face.... and then they won't   froget  you either !

And I am keeping my fingers crossed that these post all go out as planned ... Back on the 27th

Hugs xx

21st Birthday Card

I made  this card  a  while ago for my  Grand daughter to give to her friend  for that very special birthday.

She wanted it to be pink and flowery so that was easy for me as I love both.

I made this as the  Bow Front Card  and added the instructions to the website. 

The pearly swirl is created  using  a  Bazzill  Basics template and I  bought  mine from The Hobby House

The card was well recieved and of course I had to make a box to go with it.

The flowers on the box and the inside of the Acetate front are from   Wild Orchid Crafts

Hugs xx

Organza Flowers

I found  an  old piece of organza in my "Stash" and being the fugal crafter that I am I decided it had to be put to good use.

I washed  and condtioned it to make it smell nice and then I set to work with my Spellbinders.

And so this is how the tutorial for the  Organza Flowers  came about.

The flower has been added to a mix of others from Wild Orchid Crafts 

The centre is a pearl brad  from the  The Hobby House   and that holds all the layers together.

And the  leaves are from the Ash  Branch punch from L-Em

This is a stamped  image from Lili of the Valley   and  they have both  been coloured with Promarkers.

This was in the days prior to me discovering the "Bling" and so there are no pearly bits on either of them.

But I have used the Spellbinders and self adhesive pearls just to soften the look.

At the time I was very  pleased with these cards and the flowers have been re-created many times on other cards that I have made.

Hugs xx

Enamelled Roses

A while ago I added a post and a tutorial to the website, on making Paper Roses for your cards, and it proved to be very popular.

I had many emails about them and lots of photos added to the Gallery  of  how others had made their flowers look.

The tutorial showed you how to create the flowers without any special punches.... just make your own template.

You  could then make them to any colour and paper that you have in your "Stash" and then they would always blend in with your design.

But the next step after this was to enamel them and make them look glossy... and so the video for the Enamelled Rose  came about. 

This process needed some Embossing powder and it needed to be heated until it melted... so not a good idea to use around children.

But the effect was to give the Roses a glass like appearance and they are very strudy once they have cooled.

And certainly made them look different from the paper roses that we started out with.

Hugs xx

Glamour Puss

As part of their Christmas Gift I made for each of our daughters a large decorated box and added cards for all occasions to them so that they would always have cards on hand to give to any of their  throughout the year.

And as it is used up I have promised to replace the cards as needed.

In each box I added about 25 cards of all colours and images and I tried to do it evenly to suit each daughter.

My two daughters have children that are grown up now and so they would need more adult type cards.

But Griffs two daughters each have young  children and so I added cards that they could send to their  friends too.

But in each box I added one of these as I just love the image and the glamorous pose she has.

I know that they would be suitable for most age groups and I am happy to say that the gift was appreciated by all four daughters.

Hugs xx

Pink and Pretty

Today I thought I would make a card in pink  and cream .... just for a change.

 I have added "Congratulations" to the front but this could be for any occasion.

The image, papers and the sentiment are all from the Sugar Plum Daisy CD from   Polkadoodles  and I love it.

There is so much on there and the papers are lovely.

And the beauty of it is that everything matches and blends.

There are lots of little girl images too, ready coloured or line drawings that you can colour in yourself.

But the finishing touch for me is the beautiful pearly swirls and the ornate  "Bling" on the sentiment tag  that make it look extra special.

The sentiment is cut from the Labels 3 and the Bling matches it perfectly.

It is made by Want2Scrap  and there are lots of styles for you to choose.

They ship worldwide too so it is within your grasp, and can make such a difference to the look of a card.


Hugs xx

Pierced Edges

Another easy to do technique that just adds a little bit more to the finished card and I have made    Pierced Edges  into a video for those new to cardmaking.

I have included Spellbinders in the video title because it uses the same set of dies that I introduced in Starting Your Spellbinder Collection

And as many of you have written to tell me that you went out and purchased these dies  we need to make sure that we get as much use from them as we can.

I also like to find ways to add that extra bit to the cards I make. 

So this is piercing and it really adds an extra dimension to any of our projects.

The "Bling" as always is from  Want2Scrap  and it adds a  luxury look to any card. 

It comes in many different colours and finishes and some of the styles match and compliment the Spellbinder shapes

Although I have kept to a monochromatic colour scheme nothing is lost for the lack of colour.

If you haven't got your corners tidy then you can always add in a pearl or flower to disguise the mistake but I think this makes for a very pretty card and I hope you do too ...

Hugs xx

Gift for Isabella...

Last October my Great Grand-daughter  Isabella was born and  I wanted to make something special for her.

Something that would last,   that she would be able to look at in the years to come.

I bought this large beech picture frame and added a mixture of flowers to the cute images.

Some of the flowers are die cuts,  and others are punched,  but there are Mulberry flowers from   Wild Orchid Crafts  in the spray too.

I used the Floral Flourish, Foliage, Spiral Blossom 1 dies from Spellbinders  and   added them all along the edge of the frame.

The little girls are from the  Pretty Sweet  CD from  PolkaDoodles  and they are just adorable.

Between each child I have added a border frame and some Polkadot  ribbon from  Fantastic Ribbons   and everything is framed  within a cream mount board.

At six months old Isabella doesn't have an opinion on the frame just yet,   but I  am pleased to say that her parents have added it to the nursery wall and have said that they love it.     Hopefully she will too...

Hugs xx

Rocking Cards

The  Rocking Card   was another short tutorial that was added some time ago to the website and is just another that a new  cardmaker  may want to try.

It is easy to do and after a while we all get fed up of just folding card in half.

So this will give some variation and keep your interest going in this lovely hobby.

The image is Lottie and her friend,  and she is from the Humphreys Corner collection from Crafters Companion

They have  been coloured with Spectrum Noir Pens from the same company.

The flowers are from  Wild Orchid Crafts and are a mixture of different varieties.

But if you are going to make the front look pretty then don't forget tha back of the card too ... it is just as important.

And you may aslo want to consider making a box to send it in and decorating that in the same way.

Hugs xx

Mosaic Card

This is a very pretty technique and if you are new to cardmaking it is also one that is also very easy to do, and yet the results will get the comments.

The    Mosaic Card is available in a video tutorial.

It is a  good way to use up any of your scraps of paper but you will need some double sided adhesive sheets.

Then you can use glitters in between the gaps or as I have gilding flakes.

The top one is done with silver and the one to the left is gold.

The one below is done with a dark blue glitter.

 All the stamped images  are from  Lili of the Valley  and I have coloured them in with Promarkers.

All pretty cards but the top one could have been modelled on my grand daughter ... a real girl with attitude ... Bless her !!

Hugs xx

White Wedding Card

A few days ago I posted a cream card for a Wedding that I was going too ... where the Grooms mum asked me to make her a card as well.

She wanted hers to be white and elaborate and so I went to town on this one.

It is made to an 8" size with an easel back so that the card will stand, and it has been matted and layered in silver and white.

I pierced the outer edge and added Diamante all  around the inner edge.

I  used the technique in  Braided Ribbon   along the left side of the card,   added a bow  and a white rose to the top and attached a bell charm.

The Spellbinders used for this card will all be in BOLD so that you will know what has been used

The Brides and Grooms name and the wedding  date have been layerd up with the two largest dies from the Floral Ovals with all the edges sparkled with Glamour Dust.

The piercing in these match the ones I have done around the edge of the card, and they are layered onto the largest  Romantic Rectangle which has been layered onto silver card.

All these layers are seperated with foam pads

The flowers are created from the Bitty Blossoms, Spiral Blossom 1 and 3   and the silver flourish under them is from the Belle Rose

All the flowers centres have a had either silver glitter balls or  pearls added to them and they are from the Sparkles Group  

They are offering you a 5% discount on any purchase and they do the beautiful Hatpins with end protectors that I feature on some of my cards. Add CGDIS5 at the check out to get your discount

The box needed to match the card and so more of the blossoms have been added with the flourish behind them too.

All the petals have Glamour Dust on the egdes and the lid is inlaid with Acetate and edged in Diamante.

The Butterfly and it's trail on the card and the Dragonfly on the box lid are Diamante and they complete the look.

I am very pleased with the result and will be happy to see the happy couple accept this from his mother... with lots of love.

Here is the finished creation and I have since added silver tissue paper to the box to protect the card

Hugs xx