Spiky Flowers

 Hi Everybody,

These large and pretty flowers have been die cut from pink Vellum,  that was bought at a craft show, and I have had it for a long time, and I have shaped them with a ball tool to add curve to the petals.

On the end of each petal I added some glue and then sprinkled it with the fine glitter and allowed it to dry before layering them up.

I used two of each size petal to create a full flower and then used the silver mirror card to make the centre portion and the leaves

The butterfly is again one left over from another project and the card is some I got at last weeks craft show.

This one has the addition of some glitter card leaves but the flower has been cut and curled in the same way.

This landscape card is an A5 so you can judge for your self how large the flower is. 

It makes a real statement on the card and is not for the faint hearted. I love it.

The inside of this card has the same pink card as the front and the base card is black.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Roses everywhere ...

Hi Everybody,

The cards I am showing you today have all been cut with the Layered Christmas Rose die set from the original Christina Collection.

I have covered all the flowers and leaves with Glossy Accents to give them the appearance of enamel and they do look very pretty.

I have added in leaves, as fillers, from other die that I have and that makes the display look better. I have also dotted small pearls around the flower for effect.

They have been added to a mirror card heart that has been cut from the Landmark Collection, which is another older die set, and the result can look completely different depending on the colours you use

These roses have also been covered in Glossy Accents but while it was still wet I sprinkled in some fine glitter.

The background to this one is a vellum overlay that has ben embossed in a folder then added to some pale pink card.

It also has the addition of leaves from other sets and some of them are cut in silver.

Again small gemstones have been dotted around and all the sentiments are from a set of pre printed ones that I bought at the Craft Show last weekend.

This card is one I showed you a few days ago but it was a little too plain for me.

So I added in more leaves cut in glitter card and used another of the butterflies left over from another project to the centre of the card.

I added some ink to the wings before adding it in and the simple glued it to the card along the body line only. 

I am much happier with the look now that all these changes have ben made, but for me the middle card is the favourite as I love the vintage look of it.

I am pleased with all the cards and so if you have this die set in your collection then maybe it is time to get it out and play with it again.

And sadly it is not available any more. 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Black Friday Deals

 Hi Everybody,

So we are coming to the end of an amazing week of special offers in the Craft Stash website and today sees the die sets of Decoupage Delight being offered with 40% off.

The featured flower here is one of the flowers in the Hellebore set and I have covered this with Glossy Accents to add the shine.

This makes a really large flower that create a real statement on your projects. There ere three flowers in the set and this is the largest of them

I have also cut the butterflies from the Perfectly Matched panel that I had on my desk left over from another project.

Both the flower and the butterflies have been inked up and added to the Trellis background die.

This one uses the Polyanthus die set and this has four different flowers in it. I have used coloured card to make these in varying shade of yellow but they would look just as pretty in any colour

It can be added to any of the background dies in the collection, but here I have just used an embossing folder to create the texture.

These flowers are not as large as the previous one but equally as effective and can be added to anything you are making.

And last but not least is the large flower from the Camelia die set. Those leaves are amazing and would look good tucked into any other floral display.

I have stamped the sentiment onto vellum and heat embossed it in gold then wrapped it around the Trellis background before adding it to the card.

Altogether some really good deals have been offered this week, for anything that takes your eye in the Black Friday Event, but it finishes tomorrow at midnight so there is not much time left to grab yourself a bargain.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Winner

 Hi Everybody,

Are you all ready for Christmas ? It's not long now, just four weeks and already the trees are up in some homes. It is not my favourite time of year and I try to avoid it as much as possible. Once children have grown up the excitement seems to disappear as they are the ones that make it fun.

But life goes on and the draw has been done for this weeks Japanese Dreams set. It is a lovely set from Paper Discovery and it comes with stamps, an embossing folder as well as the magazine for you to browse in your own time and is full if good ideas. 

The name this week is 

Tina Zapusek 

so if you would email me please with your postal address to 
christina@card-making-magic.com
then I will get the pack in the post to you straight away.

I hope you enjoy playing with it and please be sure to let me know that you have it safely.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Japanese Dreams

HI Everybody,

This week sees a really pretty stamps set on offer that has a lovely embossing folder with it.

It is from Paper Discovery and it comes with the magazine Creative Stamping. 

As always there are lots of ideas and inspiration in the pages that you may like to try for your self and it is a really good magazine to browse through.

So if this is something that you think you would like to have then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post with your FULL NAME.

 You need to add your full name .... not initials or nick names ... so that you can be properly identified as the winner and then I will send the pack to you just as soon as I can.  No FULL NAME then no entry to the draw.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Black Friday Deals

Hi Everybody,

I hope you have been enjoying the week long Black Friday Event with Craft Stash

There has been some amazing deals and now is the perfect time for you to stock up on any essentials that you may need.

Today the Perfectly Matched Die sets are being offered at 50% off so choose your favourite design and get it while you can

The Black Friday Event runs until Sunday so you still have time to browse the store.

Craft Stash have a short video that will show you this card and I added some Sunflowers ( shown below) made from another die set in the collection a few days ago.

You can use the panels as they are once cut or you can do as I have and trim them down even more to make the two cards in the video.

The designs are really pretty and can be used in several ways and once you start to play you will find many more.

Happy shopping and crafting.

More tomorrow

Hugs xx

 

Perfect Roses

 Hi Everybody,

Todays card is another of the cards with the split front and I did a video on making this style of Panel Card  a little while ago.

It uses the Layered Rose from the original Christina Collection but is no longer on the Craft Stash website.

The one that I have substituted in the links below is a very close match and will make lovely flowers for your designs.

The flowers have had Glossy Accents added to them to give the shine and they have been coloured with inks and a blending brush.

It is a very easy card to create, but yet looks so impressive and although I have used a circle die for the front you can make this with out any dies at all.

Here you can see the panels a little better but the video will show you how I made this lovely card.

The sentiment strips I have added are some that I bought half price at the Craft Show last Sunday and they will come in very handy when I don't want to stamp something. 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Write A Review ...

 Hi Everybody,

When you purchase a product from Craft Stash they are  interested in how you find that product fits and works in your own personal crafting day.

They are now giving you the incentive to write a review saying why you bought the product , what you like or don't like about it and how it fits into your daily work.

 In fact anything you want to say about what you have bought, especially brands like Card Making Magic, Made to Surprise, Simply Made Crafts or Creative Cardmaking Products.

Then each month one published review will be chosen, and will be entered into a Prize Draw, to be the winner of a £50 voucher that you can spend in the Craft Stash Store.

You can browse their website to your hearts content and choose any items to that value you would like. 
That has to be something worth writing a review about your purchase.
It also lets other people know what is good to add to their own crafting stash. 

And at this time of Black Friday Deals then it would especially worth doing if you are taking advantage of the  items on offer

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Craft Show Purchases

Hi Everybody,

Yesterday at the Craft Show was a really good day out, despite the fact that it poured down most of the time.

I went with Pauline Hickey and we had so much to talk about. We saw lots of things that we liked and we bought some beautiful card from AnnaMarie Designs.

They were in packs of ten, so Pauline and I bought five packs each of different colours and then we split them, having five sheets each from the ten packs.

That gave both of us a good selection to play with in the next few weeks. I also got the new Distress Oxide Ink and a refill for the pad to. Plus some re-inkers for black ink pads that I have. 

The little glue bottles I need coz no matter how hard I try I always get them clogged and so I need a regular supply of new ones with the pins. I also lose the pins regularly too!!

The ribbons where only 50p a roll so I bought six of them and a very large bottle of Collall Glue ... for the little glue bottles. I also bought some really thick Acetate.

 I am very happy with my buys and I can remember years when I used to save up for months and spend loads at the shows that Griff and I went too. This is the first show I have been to since he died.

Pauline and I enjoyed it and we went for a meal at the near set pub afterwards and another natter.

Good day all round ...

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

 

Black Friday ....

Hi Everybody,

I am off to the first Craft Show in Leigh today that I have been to in four years, but I just wanted to pop in and tell you about the fun and frolics at Craft Stash this next week.

Starting tomorrow sees some fantastic deals on Craft Stash as they are running a Black Friday offer that will last the whole week. There will be some really good offers across hundreds of their own brand products that are featured on their website, and especially from the Co Brands.

So if you are looking for a super bargain then make sure you are signed up for their emails and if you aren't then get over there and do so now or you will miss out on the week long sale.

Here is the link to get on the email list and it will open a new window for you 
Craft Stash Newsletter 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

 

Winner

Hi Everybody,

It's a beautiful day here and Ruby and I are going to go for a walk after this post is done.

At present she is barking at the postman and anybody else who dares to walk past her house.!!

Ella (cat) as always is zooming round like an idiot going up and down her cat tree.
I am the only one who is chilled in this house.

But the draw has been done and the name this week is

Valerie Steele

so if you could email me your postal address please to

christina@card-making-magic.com

I will get the pack in the post to you straight away.

Please let me know that you have it safely and I do know that if you are overseas then it will take a while to get to you. But at least I will know that you have it safely.

I hope you enjoy playing with it and make some lovely projects.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Trellis Stamp & Stencil set.

Hi Everybody,

Todays gift is the lovely stamp and stencil set from Card Making Magic called Trellis.

This is an A4 stamp collection with many designs and sentiment on it to suit all occasions and a DL stencil to add pattern to your backgrounds.

It comes with the magazine Creative Stamping and you will find lots of ideas that you may like to try inside the pages.

So grab your favourite drink as you browse the pages for a little bit of "me" time,

So if this is something that you would like to have join your own personal collections then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post with your FULL NAME

From those comments one will be chosen at random as the winner and added to a blog post over the weekend, so be sure to come back and check if it is your name that is shown.

I am happy to send this to you wherever you live at my expense.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Elegant Nestables Collection - DL + Octagons

Hi Everybody,

For this card I have used the small dies from the Octagon die set which is part of the Elegant Nestables Collection.

I have linked them all together with ribbon woven through the centre and I like the look of this card with the glitter card in the background

It is a DL size,  which is coming back into fashion again, and this is effective yet easy to do. 

I have really enjoyed playing with this new die set and there are lots of videos to showcase the different sizes in the collection. I have used every style there is now and in many cases I have mixed and matched sets as well.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

                     

Elegant Nestables Collection - 5x7 + Octagons

Hi Everybody,

Today I am featuring another one of the dies from the Elegant Nestables Collection and this time it is my favourite 5x7 teamed with the Octagons.

This style of card was one I saw Marta Debicka making in her tutorial last week and I really liked the design. I asked Marta if I could copy it and so here is my version.

For mine I have used the dies from the set and I am more than happy with the finished look. I can't wait to se what Marta thinks of it too. 

The video is not long but is another that will be added to the Elegant Nestables Playlist on my YouTube channel.

Enjoy the video ...

The links at the bottom of the screen are mostly affiliate ones which means if you purchase through them I will get a small commission at not extra cost to you.

I have added in the Wild Orchid Crafts link but sadly they do not ship to the UK at present .. lets hope that changes soon. 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Elegant Nestables - 5x7 Rectangles + Circles

 Hi Everybody,

This is my favourite size of card to make and I like to keep the fold at the top as it helps the card to stand better.

For this one I have used Autumn colours and they have all been coloured by me using Alcohol Inks and Isopropyl and I have a video showing how I did that a long time ago.

Colouring Ribbons and Flowers

I have also used Kraft Card, and this is not something I use often, and it is a very useful addition to any stash. It is a cheap and cheerful card that can suit make of female designs.

So this is the video that I added to Facebook Live last Friday and I am adding it here to compliment the Elegant Nestables series that I have done and just in case you missed it 

                     

Whichever set you purchase you are sure to be delighted with it as it will make the most beautiful cards for you, and should you buy two ... or more ... then remember that they will work alone or combined to get even more for your money.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Elegant Nestables, Box Kits & Display Stands

Hi Everybody,

I am so happy that everyone seems to be enjoying the new Elegant Nestables Collection and the beautiful cards that they can make.

But don't forget that they will work extremely well with any of the other dies, from previous collections, that you may have in your stash.

They are also designed to compliment the Complete Card & Box Die Sets that have been brought out over the years and can extend your card making with many possibilities.

And there are also the card stands that can hold your card for display in a lovely way.

I have added below the links to all the Elegant Nestables and shown them alongside the relevant box collections that they will go with, complete with the stands 

These will create the basic card shape and some layers and then the box that will hold your finished card, and allow for any depth you may have added to your design,
and if you are like me it will be a lot !!!

I am loving this collection but there is a lot more to come for the future so I thank you for you support in the past and your continuing support in my endeavours.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Facebook Colour Schemes

 Hi Everybody,

Thanks you to everyone for joining in with Friday Facebook Live and it makes me so happy that many of you like the new collection. Lou gave away some fabulous prizes and one of the questions she asked was "What is your favourite colour scheme?"

There were lots of ideas and some of the colours are fantastic and so I thought it would a good idea to add a card as often as I can using some of the ideas that came in

Please forgive me if I don't add the name of the person who suggested it but I had to write them down quickly, as the show went on, and I only managed to get the choices.

This is the first one and the colours used are 
Red & Gold.
I have used the Oval Elegant Nestables and the Merry Christmas sentiment.

I used the technique of colouring the white card with the ink pad and that has been done in Festive Berries but I also found some parchment that had a gold pattern on it and so I added that to the top also.

I have used the bight gold card as the mat and for the centre of the card and the flowers are from my stash.

I added small pearls to the parchment pattern and glittered up the flowers and words.

In the show I was asked some questions and I didn't get round to answering them so I will do that here

Where do I get my flowers from?   

I got lots of flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, as the choice was amazing, but then it was sold to another company and now they will not ship to the UK. I am adding the link just in case you are not in the UK and can get a shipment from them   Wild Orchid Crafts  but the price has gone up a lot !!

Another outlet I have used in the past is one I contacted through Facebook and here is the link so you can check that out ...  Samaflora

There is also a small collection of different types and colours at Craft Stash 

What colour is the glitter and where is it from ?

I get my glitter from Glitter Magic   and I usually buy it at the craft shows I visit. This is by far my favourite glitter and I buy the loose packs and tip it all into a container, as that is the best way to buy it. I use it a lot and you an see from the size of my box that I have a lot left. I have added this link to the colour I use and it is called Chameleon

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Winner

HI Everybody,

What a lovely day it is today and later Ruby and I are meeting up with the rest of our family to remember my lovely husband Griff.

 It is four years today since he died and this has been a difficult four years. I smile and laugh and when people say "How are you"  I nod and say " I am fine" but in truth it has had some very trying moments in it. 

But today we are all meeting up and going for a lovely walk and then coffee and cake in a Lytham Hall café. The dogs will be able to run free and sniff all the wonderful things in the woods and we will all have a good natter about the things we have ben up to.

But in the meantime the winner has been chosen for yesterdays offering and the name this week is

Christine Cloutier 

would you email me your postal address please to 
christina@card-making-magic.com
and I will get it in the post to you straight away.

I hope you enjoy playing with it and be sure to let me know that you have it safely.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Fabulous Foliage

Hi Everybody,

It’s another Friday and this one is the launch of the beautiful Elegant Nestables. So be sure to join me on the Craft Stash Facebook Live page at 12.30 to see what we have.

Here is another chance to win this beautiful 8 piece die set called Fabulous Foliage that comes with the Die Cutting Essentials magazine.

You will find lots of ideas and inspiration in the pages and they will cover birthdays as well as Christmas for you to try.

So if this is something that you would like to win then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post with your FULL NAME.

From those comments one name will be chosen at random as the winner and announced in a blog post over the weekend ... so be sure to come back and see if it is your name that is listed. You will have 72 hours in which to claim and if it is not claimed then it will be offered again at a later date.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Another Way To Use Slimline ...

Hi Everybody,

This brand new collection will be launched on Craft Stash Facebook Live this Friday (Tomorrow 11th Nov) so make a note in your calendar to join myself and Lou Collins then at 12.30.

So for todays card I have used the small slimline die cut to produce the two panels that I have added to my card.

I have cut the layers twice in white and turquoise and added them together. Then they have been cut so that they can be added to the card front and leave a gap in the centre. 

I have added them to an embossed background and then added the Best Wishes words in the gap. 

The card has then been decorated with a pearl flourish and some Mulberry flowers at the bottom.

These flowers have been glittered up and I used a hot glue gun to hold them in place.

These are flowers that I got from Wild orchid Crafts many years ago and I have loads of them left yet to use. 

But they no longer ship to the UK and so if you know of somewhere else where they can be purchased then be sure to let us all know.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Waste Not - Want Not ...

Hi Everybody,

So after a week of intricate cards in many colours I thought I would add this one to show you how the Elegant Nestables can work as a clean and simple design.

This is an A2 sized card and the background has been embossed in the Perfect Roses embossing folder.

The word Friend is from another die set but the larger word HI is using the smaller centre part that fell out of the A2 collection.

I used the positive piece on another card but this is the bit that was left and so I formed my word and added it to the card front.

It is cut from bright gold mirror card and it seemed a shame to put it in the bin and if formed the word so well.

I like to look for other ways to use the dies and using the waste bits is one of them. That way all your precious card is used up.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Elegant Nestables - DL & Slimline

 Hi Everybody,

Todays video is to show you the difference between the DL and the Slimline version of this new Elegant Nestables Die set. 

The card shown is the Slimline version and I know that the colour scheme is perhaps a little unusual  for some people.

 But I have been using white and silver just lately and so I thought ... try a complete change of colour and see how it looks.

And although it is black based with blue mirror card I have to say I am quite happy with it. 

Both of these cards could also be used for a winter birthday too and probably other occasions with a bit of tweaking

The flowers are some that I have had in my crafty boxes for quite some time and it is about time they got used. And the die cut leaves and sprigs help to complete the look.

                                 

The video is not too long and I have covered most of the dies that are in this new collection in other videos that I have now added to the blog pages and on YouTube. 

The rest of them will follow shortly
You will find them all in a playlist named Elegant Nestables Collection.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Elegant Nestables - A5 + DL

 Hi Everybody,

Todays video uses the A5 and the DL sets from the new Elegant Nestables Collection and in this one I have used the sets separately and then combined the two for another look.

Each one is a petty card in it's own right and I have used a lovely grey and white colour scheme for all three.

                   

I have shown you a way to always have the colour card you need by using inks direct to white card and I have used the Distress Oxides to get my card. Now I know I can always have the card I want whatever I do on my designs.

In one of the cards I have used a pop of colour also to add a difference to the the look and I am really pleased with all the cards.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Elegant Nestables Collection - US A2

 Hi Everybody,

This A2 card is from the new collection and it creates an American A2 sized card. This is their preferred size as it keeps the postage down.

For the one shown I have added the die cut to an A2 base but in the video I have also added one to a 5x7 card as that is my favourite size to make.

All the cards are created in turquoise and a mat gold card that I got from Craft Stash. The little piece of gingham card shown here is some that I have had for a long time 

The ribbon I have also had for some time but it fitted into the slots just right and so that is why I used it on this card.

                     

Once again I hope you enjoy the video and I will be adding more using this collection.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Winner

Hi Everybody,

Another Saturday rolls up and they seem to come round so quickly I can't keep up. It's not very bright here today, but it is not cold. 

I had a bad migraine yesterday and Ruby was taken care of by Vickie, who she took her to sleep at her house. I went to bed at 7.30 but I am glad to say that I feel much better today. I have not had a migraine head headache for a while now but I know when one is on its way as my vision goes wavy and I feel really sick. They are not pleasant things to have.

Anyway the draw has been done this morning and the name this week is

Ursula Longworth

would you email me your postal address please to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and I will get it in the post to you straight away.

I hope you enjoy the magazine and the gift and please let me know that you have it safely.

REMINDER

Don't forget to join Lou Collins at 5pm and 8pm today on The Craft Store for the launch of the new Elegant Nestables. I have some good videos coming up this week using this collection.

 More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

Friday Freebie - Tropical Frame

Hi Everybody,

I have another of the Tropical Frame die sets to give away this week and it comes with the Die Cutting Essentials magazine as well

This is a  really good read that is full of ideas and inspiration for you to try.

So if you would like this offering then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post with your FULL NAME.

I say it every week ... but if you don't leave your full name then you will not be entered into the draw. So if you feel like you never win then maybe you need  to check your comments and make sure that your full name is there.  

The reason for this is because it makes it easier to find the winner, should two or even three of you, have the same first name. So please oblige and leave your name then you will be in with the chance

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

Elegant Nestables - 5x7 Rectangles + Ovals

 Hi Everybody,

Saturday the 5th November sees the launch of a brand new collection called Elegant Nestables and this is the 5x7 Rectangles.

They are being shown on The Craft Store with Lou Collins and I have sent many samples with her for you to see. 

These dies can all be used separately to create some beautiful cards and they will also work together. 

All are designed to work with all the previous box collections that have been released in the past.

I am so pleased with the delicate lacey look to this collection and I love to dress them up with flowers, ribbons and pearls.

This video will show you how I used the rectangles, and even combined it with the Ovals and I will be adding more for the other sets as I go along. 

                       

So I hope you will be able to join Lou this Saturday at 5pm and 8pm as she introduces you to the 

Elegant Nestables Collection 

from 

Card Making Magic

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

More from Clever Cuts

 Hi Everybody,

Today I have been playing with the Clever Cuts Collection again and I have created two really lovely cards in more of the Silver & White.

This is such a special combination and would suit any occasion at any time of the year.

There are two cards created in the video and one is for a Wedding. 

But the other would be prefect for a winter or Christmas birthday, or even a Christmas card.

I hope you enjoy the video and all the items I have used are linked at the bottom of the page.

They are affiliate links which means if you purchase through those links I will get a small commission at not extra cost to yourself. But it does help my channel and blog to grow so it is all much appreciated.

                     

The video is not too long but yo will have time for a cuppa as you watch. 
And if you like lacey and fancy cards then this one is for you.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx