New car ....

Hi Everybody,

No card post today but I have been busy just the same. Since we have Ruby it is difficult trying to get her into the back of a two door car. And so we decided it was time to change it for one that was a little more dog friendly.

Griff  has been looking for a few weeks now for something to exchange for our Peugeot 307 CC and has eventually found a Ford Focus that fits the bill. Today we have been to Liverpool to collect it and I had to say a fond farewell to my lovely blue convertible. I have had that car for ten years and it was much loved for the excellent service it has given me.

The new car is silver and if it is as good as the other then I will be happy. We took Ruby with us and she settled better in the Ford than she did in the Peugeot. And for being so good all morning we took her on the beach this afternoon and let her off the lead to run free.

She loves it and there was no one else out there but us. It was very cold but Ruby ran up and down the beach chasing her ball .... ears flapping in the wind. She has now run out of steam and is conked out on the sofa having a snooze.

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx

DCE - Build A Rose Die Set

Hi Everybody,

Here we are again with another sneaky peak at next weeks Die Cutting Essentials magazine and the freebie that will be with it. 

This will be issue 19 and the free die is called Build A Rose.

In the video I have tried to show some of my ideas for this die set 

It will be "Live" on my YouTubeChannel today for you to view and I hope that you enjoy it.  I have tried to keep the ideas easy to follow

The magazine will be on sale 5th January in selected supermarkets and craft stores and also at WHSmiths.

You can order it direct or take out a magazine subscription at MoreMags.com

There are some fabulous free gifts coming in the future with all the magazines that I cover.

So why not choose your favorite and settle down when it comes through the letterbox for a good read each month... and always be sure to get the gift that goes with it

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Water Colour Wednesday-Mother-To-Be

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is for  the ladies in waiting in your group of friends and it is from the pen of Mo's Digital Pencil 

You can chose to make this image with any shade of skin that you like as there is an Ethnic image also and it is a quick and easy one to colour

Add in a caption to suit your recipient and you have a really appropriate card

The backing paper I have used is from a paper pad that I bought from the Poundland shop and there are some really pretty patterns in the pad

Well worth a pound of anybodies money.

I have coloured this image with Spectrum Noir pens so strictly speaking not really a water colour but I am allowed to cheat once in a while ....

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Botanical Flutters+Tag

Hi Everybody,

Just a quick and easy card for todays tutorial as I am sure that many of you are not in cardmaking mode over the holiday season.... too many others things to be doing.  So this is using just two sets of dies and one embossing folder to create this pretty card for any occasion

Spellbinders Supplies:

• S$-640 Botanical Flutters
• S4-642 Twisted Floral Tags
• SEL-007 Blistered Embossing Folder
• PL-001 Platinum Die cutting machine

Other Supplies:

• Cream/ Turquoise card from Papermill Direct
• Silver Mirror Card from Craft Stash 
• Hummingbird stamp set free with SC&P 153

Instructions:

To create the card base simply fold an A4 sheet of  cream card in half along the short side and then cut in half to give you two cards.

Cut a smaller panel in turquoise to leave a small border around the edge.

Cut another slightly smaller panel in cream and emboss this

Cut the parts of the die that you wish to add to your card.

I used the two butterfly pieces and the bird

Add small foam pads in strategic places to the back of these pieces

Using the loops on the butterfly pieces link them together

Stamp and heat emboss your sentiment and cut one of the tags

Add foam pads to the back of this for dimension

Add the tag to the embossed panel and add in the looped butterfly pieces along the bottom edge.

Place the bird at the top of the tag

Add all this to the turquoise panel and then add to the base card

It creates a card with just a little dimension that will fit into a standard envelope

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Video Collaboration ...

Hi Everybody,

Today I have a new video on YouTube and this one is done in collaboration with Christine Smith of  Crafti Potential.

Christina and I are on the design team for Craft Stash and so we had some of the same products to work with.

We chose Spellbinders Tranquil Moments and the stamps from the magazine freebie Winter Wonderland that I featured in a video last month.

Christines style is modern and quirky and I love some of the cards she produces. My style is flowers, ribbons and pearls and we couldn't be further apart if we tried

So I hope you will pop over to her blog and have a look around ... tell her Christina sent you and she will be delighted to have you visit.

Here are the videos for you to view ....

If you would like to subscribe to our channels then you will be sure never to miss a new video that we add regularly and please let us know if you enjoyed this collaboration and maybe we can do some more in the New Year

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Merry Christmas ...

Hi Everyone,

It's me Ruby just popping in to wish everyone a really Merry Christmas and an extra good New Year. This is my first Christmas and my mum has some lovely things wrapped up for me to open later

Yesterday I went to the groomers and had my hair done and my nails clipped and don't I look pretty in my Angel Wings. I have never been to a groomers before and it was really good fun especially when my friend Dougal came in too.

Dougal came to my house to play too for Christmas Eve and then later we were both tired after all that running around so I settled down for a sleep.

I may have big Spaniel ears but you know they do come in handy sometimes when a girl needs forty winks  in all those fluffy cushions



So I will catch up with you again in the New Year and tell you more of my adventures as I grow up in my new and happy home

Bye for now

Hugs xx

Shabby Chic Tags Winners ...

Hi Everybody,

Sorry for the delay in posting but it has been a bit of a hectic day.  But now everything is sorted and I am ready to relax for a couple of days. I hope you are all ready for the holidays and looking forward to special times with family and friends.

The draw for the tags has been done and the three winners are ...

Pearl Hudson

Jennie the Crafty Wife

Ann Lauzon

Please email me your postal addresses to 

christina@card-making-magic.com

and the tags will be on their way to you

I hope you will all like them and please let me know when they arrive with you.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 150

Hi Everybody,

So this is the last Friday Freebie for this year and as a special gift I am giving away all of these floral tags to three lucky winners 

I cannot guarantee which colour you will get but they are all really lovely and I don't think you will be disappointed with any of them  

They are all created using the same ingredients !!

So if you would like to win ONE of these then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post and from those comments three names will be chosen and tomorrow they will be in the blog post.

You may not get them in time for Christmas especially if you are outside the UK  but they will fit a summer theme later in the New Year.

If you add your name then you need to come back and check if yours is  one of those listed and then email me your postal address within 72 hours.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Magazine Freebies ...

Hi Everybody,

This months magazines are about to reach the shelves and here is a sneaky peak of two that will be available to buy on the 29th December.

Simply Cards and Papercrafts has a really useful embossing folder and stamp set for you to use and this one is called Birds Of A Feather

The images on the stamp sheet can be coloured any way you prefer and the combinations you can come up with will ring the changes for many occasions.

I have water coloured mine with Gansai Tambi and added it to a Spellbinders Scalloped circle.

The second magazine is Creative Stamping 38 with an A4 stamp sheet that is fabulous.

It will keep you going all year round and on the back of the packet there are more ideas for you to copy.


Whatever The Weather is the name of the stamp sheet and the video and there are more ideas for you there too

I am sorry about the sound of my voice but as you know I have recently had a chest infection and my voice is very croaky

Never the less I hope you enjoy my offerings and will look forward to getting the free gifts with your own  magazines

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Water Colour Wednesday-Tantrum !!

Hi Everybody,

This little girl having a tantrum always reminds me of my Grand Daughter.

I love the way she kicks the parcel in temper and the look on her face is priceless.

It would suit so many stroppy kids that you will always be able to find a use for this image with a different caption underneath 

It is from Lily of the Valley and I have had it a ling long time and I have coloured it many times in other mediums, but this one is done with water colours.

I kept the colours soft with just a hint of shadow around the character

The finished card is only A2 so it will fit into a standard sized envelope and there is no depth to it either

Apart from the time taken to colour it, it is ready quickly and one I am sure you will enjoy playing with

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Botanical Medallion

Hi Everybody,

This die is part of the large 6" square set called Botanical Medallion but I have used just die #2 to get my card. We sometimes forget that the smaller dies can be used individually and still create a really good focal point.

Spellbinders Supplies:

• S6-025 6x6 Matting Basics A
• S6-026 6x6 Matting Basics B
• S6-090 Botanical Medallion
• Garden Lattice A4 folder (Retired)

Other Supplies:

• Cream / Pink / Black card from Papermill Direct
• Flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts
• Pearl Strings also from WOC
• Glitter from Glitter Magic
• Victorian Velvet Distress Ink 

Instructions:

With die #8 from Matting Basics A cut two panels in cream and create the base card.

With die #8 from Matting Basics B cut another panel in pink

(Die #1 is always the smallest)

Add texture to the pink layer by embossing in any folder that you have.

With die #2 from Botanical Medallion cut it four times in cream and ink through the die with pink ink before removing the card from the die

Add small pieces of foam pads to the floral part of each piece

Add these evenly spaced to the embossed layer and wrap the middle with pink ribbon.

Use foam tape to add this to the base card with the fold at the top

Stamp with Versamark and heat emboss in white a sentiment of your choice

Cut to size and trim one end into a banner shape

Glue the bow in place and add the flowers twined with pearl string to the centre

Tuck the sentiment into the flowers and sprinkle them with glitter

A card for any occasion just alter the sentiment and the colours.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Cassandras Garden from Tonic

Hi Everybody,

This pretty card is created with the Tonic Studios die set called Cassandras Garden  and it is one of the Flip Flop Easel Frame collection

It produces a really good size die cut for the front of your cards and the six dies in the set can be used in various ways as the title would suggest

Here I have teamed it with pink and white and used some beautiful Guipure Lace from Wild Orchid Crafts lace along the bottom

The sentiment is also from Tonic and is the Best Wishes  which fits the front panel perfectly

 I have cut in silver glitter card which is available in assorted packs of ten sheets from Craft Stash

The die does all the work for you and the card is really quick and easy to put together.

Have a play and use it in some of the other ways it is intended for.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Ruby Update ...

Hello Everyone,

S'me Ruby again today and I am now four months old and growing all the time

Here I am with my lead on ready to go for a walk

I love to go for walks especially on the beach but when I get home again my mum has to wash me when  my feet get really dirty ... coz I like to dig.

This is the bowl that I am still big enough to fit into and this is good to practise digging in and it makes a lovely sound too

When I get out of the water I like to have a good shake and get everybody else wet too and my mum has a big fluffy towel that she wraps me in to get me dry and cosy again

But if I hang onto one corner of the towel while my mum tries to dry me I get all tangled up in it and it is so much fun trying to get out again.

I can roll around and make my mum and dad laugh as I growl at the towel

I like to go shopping too and I always make sure that my mum has all the shopping bags she needs

I get inside and count them for her and 

"Yes Mum there are three in here .... "

Then I drag them all over the hall so that she has to collect them all up again.

I love being a puppy and I have so much fun 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Card Winner and more shares ...

Hi Everybody,

It's that time of the week again to announce the Friday Freebie winner and the draw has been done good and early-ish this week. The name pulled from the hat is yours ...

Margaret Rogers

and if you could let me have your postal address to 

christina@card-making-magic.com

I can get the card in the post to you straight away.

I hope you will like it and please let me know that you have got it safely.

Interview 

Sometime ago I was asked by a young lady if she could do an interview with me for a blog post. She asked me questions of how I started crafting and for photos to go with the blog post and  I was happy to oblige.

Well that blog post has now gone live and it is in Slovak as well as English. I am adding the link in case you wanted to take a look.

You will need to scroll through the article to read it in  English.  Scrapper SK Scrapbooking  & Cardmaking   and  I would like to say Thank you to Jarka for asking me to be part of this post.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Jamie's Now Open ...

Hi Everybody,

The biggest thing I want to share with you this week is the opening of the restaurant

  Jamie's at 90 Highfield Road 
Tel. No:  01253 407202
to book a table ...

It is in Blackpool and I wish him all the very best with his new adventure. He deserves it.

A lot of work has gone into getting this ready and it is now clean and modern for you to enjoy a delicious meal prepared by Jamie

He has been a chef now for over ten years and has catered for all kinds of venues and occasions large and small

He has also worked on the oil rigs for the past few years but now is his time to settle down and have a place of his own.

I am so proud of him and of course he is doing this to give his daughter Isabella a good future too

This kitchen is all laid out to Jamie's specific plans and it is spotlessly clean and new.

There are going to be some wonderful menus prepared in this space and he has some amazing ideas that he wants to try.

This is the main area for the restaurant and the seating is deep purple with some really unusual light fittings.

So if you are in the Blackpool area and would like to try soothing a little difference then pop into for a meal.

Make it known that CHRISTINA  has sent you and I will buy you a drink

This is the piece that my Griff is really proud of as he has built this bar from scratch and it is lovely.

It is the main focal point as you walk into the room and the top is covered with toughened glass.

It looks really good and tonight will find us in there dining for the first time and toasting Jamie's success for the future

If you are looking for the Friday Freebie it is still active for today here ....

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 149

Hi Everybody,

Thank you ALL so much for your concern about me being ill and I am glad to say that I am on the mend.

The chest infection that I have is really exhausting and of course as I lay down I started to cough again and so I have lost a lot of sleep.

 I got some antibiotics from the doctor and this is now the third day of taking them and I do feel better.... but my voice has gone  ... which Griff says is no bad thing!!

I was hoping to get lots of new videos done but there is no way you would be able to hear me on the film so I gave that up as a bad job for now.

Losing my voice though has not stopped me typing and so todays Friday Freebie card is here.

It is a little unusual in that it has the background done on acetate with alcohol refills

and glitter.

It is a technique that I shared with you a while ago and you will find the tutorial for it here ...

Caught In Crystal

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and the sentiment is one that I have in my "Stash"

So if you would like to win this card then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post and from those comments a name will be drawn

The winner will be announced in tomorrows blog post so be sure to come back and check if it is you

I am happy to send the card any where in the world and it doesn't matter if you have won one before you can still add your name.

You don't need to have your own blog but it would be really nice if you joined the list of followers to this blog and popped back regularly to see what is going on.  Whenever you pop back please leave me a comm net so that I know you have  visited

I am hoping to be back to normal again next week and so thank you for continuing to visit me and thanks again for all the lovely emails and messages that I have had.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

Card Winner

Hi Everybody,

Now it's not very often you will hear me say this ... but I am not well !! I have really bad chest infection and I cannot stop coughing... and when I lie down it's ten times worse so needless to say I am not getting much sleep

But the worst of it is Vickie and I are taking the lovely Isabella to see Alice in Wonderland on Ice tomorrow. And as my mum used to say to people with a bad cough .... "You sound like an old pit man"  I am sure my English readers will understand that description especially the older ones that will remember the coal mines

Any way enough of this babble lets get to the important bit and that is the winner of the blue floral card from yesterday.  A name has been chosen and it is you ...

Donna Okoniewski

please email me with your postal address to 

christina@card-making-magic.com

and the card will be on it's way to you straight away.

And now I don't have time to feel sorry for myself  I am going to cough my way to the restaurant and clean it again from top to bottom as Jamie is hoping to open on Wednesday next week

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 148

Hi Everybody,

This lovely card was made earlier this year and I used some of the beautiful blooms from Wild Orchid Crafts

If you haven't visited this website yet then you are missing out.

They have many styles of flowers and you can see them in action on most of my cards.

I also use a lot of their Guipure lace too as it is so lovely and a little goes such a long way on your designs.

So this card is in pale blue teamed with white and that little touch of yellow in the flower just adds that extra glow.

If this is a card that you would like to have then all you need to do is leave me a comment.

From those comments one name will be chosen and announced in tomorrows blog post ... so you will need to come back and check if it is yours.

The card will be sent to you straight away no matter where you live ... and even if you have won one before you can still try again for this one

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Papercraft Essentials

Hi Everybody,

Papercraft Essentials has a special offer for you this month in the form of a numbers and celebration stamp set.

But they are also offering you the chance to get Die Cutting Essentials 11 half price.

There will be another free gift with that magazine and you can also download some lovely free papers and sentiments for you to use on your cards.

In the video PE141 Numbers Dies & Celebration Stamps you will find some ideas for easy to make cards using both free gifts and the papers.

Printing the papers off onto a 160 gsm paper will make it sturdy enough for you to die cut the circular sentiments with the plain circle die in the free gift set.

I hope you enjoy the video and the magazine will be on sale on the 15th December from sele ted shops and supermarkets.

You can also get it direct from MoreMags and if you take out a subscription you will never miss a copy.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Water Colour Wednesday - Train and Carriage

Hi Everybody,

This blue card would be perfect for a small boys birthday and it was quick and easy to do.

I have used some dotty blue card for the background and this one is from the Craft Shows

I wrapped it with blue ribbon before adding it to the base card

The stamp I have used is from Clearly Besotted but at the moment they are taking a break.

So the stamp won't be available to purchase until next year so keep a look out for it.

 I have simply used Distress Inks to add the colours to my train and carriages and then I used the matching die set to cut them out.  The rail is p[art of the stamp set and the wheels and piffs of steam are from the die set.

Altogether a pretty card and of course the train set could be for a girl also 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

Tuesday Tutorial - Romantic Vine

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is in a really pretty shade of pale green and I ahve teamed it with crisp white.

 The card itself is easy to make and is quite effective once it is finished.

 The tiny spots of pink just give it that little lift and it could be for any occasion that you wanted.

Spellbinders Supplies:

• S6-001 5x7 Matting Basics A
• S6-002 5x7 Matting Basics B
• S4-531 Romantic Vine
• S4-532 Romantic Blooms One
• S2-139 Sentiments 3
• Embossing Folder (Retired)
• PL-001 Platinum die cutting machine

Other Supplies:

• Lace from Wild Orchid Crafts
• Ribbon from Mei Flower
• Pearls from Want2Scrap

Instructions:

With die #7 from Matting Basics A cut two panels in white and create a hinged card

With die #7 from Matting Basics B cut another panel in green  and emboss in any folder that you have

With die #6 from Matting Basics a cut another panel in white and emboss this also

(Die #1 is always the smallest)

With the two embossed panels remove a#bout an inch from the white one so that it will create a channel

Add foam tape to the back of each piece

Thread some ribbon though a piece of lace that will wrap around the bottom panel and secure in place then add both of these pieces to the green layer

Cut the flowers and leaves that you need and inkt through the die before removing the card to give the shade portion on the flower

Add these across the open channel in your card just adding glue to the parts that will touch the main panel

Cut the sentiment several times and glue them together for extra strength and position the words across the card front

Alter the sentiment, colours or dies for an different look but keeping the basic method the same

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tropical Blooms

Hi Everybody,

This pretty card was created from one of the new dies in the Apple Blossom range that are now available to purchase from Craft Stash

It is the  Tropical Blooms Die Set that will make layered flowers for you along with two sized leaves to complete the look.

There will also be a matching stamp set  to help you create coloured blooms that you can add to the cards and there are several sentiments in the collection too

The video on YouTube is  Apple Blossom - Tropical Blooms   and it will show you how I created this simple background

The beautiful lace is from Wild Orchid Crafts  and adds that little touch of luxury

This is a very easy layered stamp so if you are new to layering flowers then give this one a try and you won't be disappointed with the result

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Ruby Update ...16 Weeks Old

Hello Everyone,

It's me again today Ruby and I have had such exciting times with my new mum and dad.

I am now three months old and growing even more beautiful than I was before ... and you must agree that I am beautiful ??

 Here I am in my new coat ready to go for a walk with my mum and I was so excited to go out.

We went down to the sea front but I am too young to be let off my lead yet

It was a lovely walk  and when we got home I curled up in my special bed and went to sleep

The other night my mum had some of these chocolate things and I am not allowed human chocolate.

But I had so much fun shredding the empty box that it was all over the floor when I had finished

I also like my pink toy basket that is in the background there.

But when Dougal came to play he chewed the handles off it and now there's none left.

It is still fun to sit in although I am getting a bit too big for it now.

I was weighed at the vets last week and I am a whole 5.4 kilograms so I am growing really well.

I will bring you more stories as I get bigger and thank you for reading them and writing messages back to me.

I feel really special

Bye for now xxx

Card & YouTube Winners

Hi Everybody,

I hope you are enjoying the weekend so far and have lots of nice things to do. I am going back to do more work at my Grandsons Restaurant and he is hoping to be open by next weekend ... fingers crossed

We have  done the draw for the winner of the turquoise card from yesterday and the name this week is you ...

Crafty Tazzy 

I need you to email me please your postal address to

christina@card-making-magic.com

and the card will be on its way to you

I hope you will like it when it arrives and please let me know that you have it safely.

YouTube Giveaway 

Over on YouTube I did a collaboration video with another YouTuber and both of us are having a little Give away to those who left comments.

 So if you are one of them then this information is for you.

  This is the gift that I was offering and it consists of some pretty flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts   along with some pearly "Bling" from Want2Scrap along with the card and envelope created in the video

The draw  for this from the comments has now been done and the name picked is
Fran Prichuck
I will also need your postal address too to the same account

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 147

Hi Everybody,

This turquoise card is a 6" square and has several layers on it all separated with foam pads for dimension

It is wrapped with satin ribbon and a large Thank You added to the panels

If this is a card that you would like to have then all you need to do is leave me a comment and then pop back tomorrow to see if your name is shown as the winner.

I am happy to post the card to you wherever you live and then you can either re use and send it to some one or keep it for your self.

Many of you have done me a great honour by actually keeping the card that you won and framing it to hang on your wall. WOW !! what a compliment that is xxx

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Magazine Freebie from Tonic

Hi Everybody,

With the December issue of Die Cutting Essentials there is a really useful tag set that comes free and in the new video I have tried to show you some ways in which to put it to work for your creations

The magazine will be in your shops on the 8th December so if you like the look of this free gift then place your order now ... or order it direct from Moremags

This one is truly feminine with pretty designer paper from AnnaMarie Designs as the background and blending flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts

Then with the next card I have gone for something really contemporary that would suit a teenager

I have used just the two smallest tags for this card and really bright block colours.

 You could use coloured card for this or simply colour white card with your marker pens to the colours you require

Either way it is a quick and simple card to make with your free gift and the video will show you more ideas that you may like to try....

Tonic Studios - Nesting Tags

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx