My little corner of Blogland where I can share my creations with you. There are many video tutorials as well as links to good quality websites for all your crafting needs.
Another sign the spring is around the corner are butterflies. I have a shrub in my garden commonly called a Butterfly Bush and it gets full of them.
This die and stamp set are really pretty and there is a lovely text stamp that can add such detail to your designs.
The butterfly is quite large too and will make a real statement to the font of a card and then of course there is the magazine that is full of ideas and inspiration for this and other projects that you may like to try.
If this is something that you would like to have then leave me a comment at the end of the post, but you must leave your FULL NAME
It is far easier to identify the winner with a full name so please comply. No name ... no win !!
I am happy to send you the package wherever you live so go ahead and leave your comment.
Today I have made a card using a really pretty embossing folder and I have inked over the background once it is embossed.
That highlights the design but keeps the raised areas in the original card colour which in this case was pink.
I cut the middle from this layer and added in an extra white one to create the framed portion. I also used a white oval that was lying on my desk.
The words sentiment is from a really old Tonic die and I think the flowers are from Altenew ... but I am not sure.
Once they have been made I have added some of Sam Calcott's Accent Glaze to the top and that has made the flower shiny, with an enamelled look to it. This is a useful product to have in your crafty stash as it can add a beautiful look to any of your projects.
Highlight the flowers as I have done here or just certain areas of them, such as a nose or eyes on your images. Maybe accent a heart or stars on your creations to give them another look.
This finished card is a 5x7 and it looks much prettier in the hand.
Today I have a sneaky peak of a new collection that is coming in May, and it features beautiful butterflies that can be used in a number of different ways.
I have been busy making samples for the launch and I will be doing videos to accompany it as well. So I hope they will inspire you when they are released.
These can be added to any sized card you are making and I will show you much more when we get nearer to the launch.
For this card I have used some of the bargain papers and card from Lidl that I told you about earlier this week.
The word is gold mirror card from my stash as is the diamante flourish for the butterfly trial.
Be sure to look out for this collection when it is released at the beginning of May
If you have been with me for some time then you will know how much I like to fill a charity box up with my cards, and take it to the shop for my chosen charity to sell them.
Last week I took them 200 cards, and I always have each card with an envelope and I put them into a cellophane bag to keep them clean.
From the look on the managers face I know she appreciates my efforts and this is my way of supporting them as they sell them for whatever price they want.
So my bargain find was in Lidl as I was doing some shopping, and there tucked away at the back of a shelf was this fabulous card and paper.
The colours in both packs match and it is really good quality. Not cheap and glossy which I hate.
The card is 270gsm and has 25 sheets in it, and from each sheet I can make two cards.
The paper pack is 135gsm and and there are 50 sheets, two of each colour, making me two envelopes, to go with the cards.
It was inexpensive too so I bought two packs of each and took my lucky find home.
I got busy and made some cards, and then I thought I would film it, to share with you my find, and then hopefully if you wanted some too you would find it in your nearest Lidl.
The video is not long but I share with you the dies I have used from other sets to decorate my designs.
The main one is the A6 Flat Fronted Envelope Die that is part of the A6 Collection introduced last month
Now I can make lots of cards with envelopes to match, and I could always make plain white envelopes for everyday use from a 100gsm copier paper. Another idea would be to add a wax seal to the back of each envelope made from another die set that is from Pretty Book collection.
What a beautiful day and the sun is shining, so as soon as this post is done I am taking Ruby out for a walk. It has forecast some rain for later so might as well take advantage now when its still sunny. It's a pity Ella can't come too but I may just have to get her used to being in a harness and then she can. Strange sight seeing a cat being walked .
In the meantime the draw has been done for that wonderful Lavender kit that is on offer. There are 138 elements on offer in this kit from Papers to toppers and you even get the foam pads inside as well.
Inside the magazine pages you will find hints and tips to help you get the most from the kit and for making other cards too. So as soon as you get the kit you will be able to start on your cardmaking adventure.
The name of the winner this week is ...
Kathy Butler
so would you email me your postal address please to christina@card-making-magic.com and I will get it in the post to your straight away.
Please let me know that you have it safely. This is the only one I have so should it get lost in the post we are both snookered !!!
Special Offer
And over on Craft Stash for today only there is a special offer of three for the price of two on my beautiful collections.
Now is the time to pick your favourites and grab a bargain at the same time
This weeks offering is an absolute bumper gift and it comprises of the magazine which is full of ideas, and a fabulous card kit that has everything you need to make some cards.
There are foiled toppers, papers, die cuts, foam pads and there is even some twine in the pack as decoration.
It makes a beautiful starter kit for those new to card making, as everything you need is there. Just add your card base and a bit of glue and away you go.
If this is something that you would like then all you need to do is leave me a comment. Or maybe you know of a friend, who is starting out with cards, that you would like to gift this too.
The usual drill applies ... leave me your comment with your FULL NAME to be in with the chance and then be sure to come back and see if you are the winner.
This pretty card is one that I created for a neighbour and I filmed the whole process .... and then stupidly erased it from my camera before downloading it to be edited.
I could have kicked my self when I realised what I had done but of course it was far too late as there was no way I could get it back.
Or so I thought ...
Until today when I searched my computer, and lo and behold there it was.
I was so pleased about that and now that it is edited I am adding it to the blog pages and I hope you enjoy it.
And when it is her birthday I hope that my neighbour will like her card too.
This is another special offer at Craft Stash exclusive to VIP members and this is one of my favourite embossing folders.
This is a folder that I use a lot as it makes beautiful backgrounds for any of my designs. It is the Perfect Roses Bundle and on the VIP page at Craft Stash I have added an video using this die set that will be available soon.
Cards always look so much better to me if they have some sort of texture to the back ground and embossing folders are perfect for that.
This card has got Kitchen Paper Roll that has been embossed in the folder to give a unique kind of look and I add the video to show you how I did that technique.
You can do a lot more to enhance this pattern but here I have simply left it plain to show off the flower, which is made from felt.
As a VIP member you will get 10% off any order that you make but you will need to join as a VIP first.
Then when you sign back in and make your orders the deduction will be there.
That is just one of the perks you will get and you can make the joining fee, of £9.99 for the year, back in your first purchase.
This technique was something that I tried years ago and I really liked the end result. You need Yupo paper, which is a synthetic paper that does not tear of pill, and some alcohol inks.
For this card I cut the Yupo paper with dies and added the flowers and leaves to a splattered background. It looks so pretty and although the Yupo doesn't tear it can be cut very easily with the dies.
From the paper I made lots of flowers and this is just one of the cards that came from that session.
I added a video to YouTube about this easy, but messy, technique and here it is in case you wanted to give it a try .....
I will be using this techniques again to see what other ideas I come up with and I hope you like the end result.
So the second of the Tulips set has now been claimed, but do not despair as I have yet one more set to give away in the next couple of weeks. If this is really a set that you would like to have then keep a look out for it and add your comment to that post when it appears.
But for now this pack of dies and stamps is going to
Heatheranne Whitman
would you email your postal address please to christina@card-making-magic.com and I will get it in the post to you straight away.
I would be obliged if you could ley me know that you have it safely please and I hope you enjoy playing with it when it arrives.
This is another older dies set and the video that goes with it but I don't think it does any harm to re visit some of our older creations to refresh the mind of what we did.
And so today I am sharing this card with you from five years ago when this die set first came onto the market.
You may have bought some of this and not used it for a while and so this could be a timely reminder now that spring is on the way.
Most of this set will have all gone by now but you may have bought some of it and if you did then it is time to get it out again !!!
At the end of the video I also make the box to put the card in and this then makes a lovely gift for you to give to someone.
Today I thought I would share an older video, that is now five years old, but the dies and the ideas in them are timeless. In this I have used Transfer Gel
And this was me playing with hot foil years ago and sadly I am no better at it now. The principal behind this video was to get five cards into one box.
The dies are from the original Christina Collection and these are the sets that started the whole thing off.
And don't forget that ALL Card Making Magic Collections are designed to work together ... old and new !!
The Layered Flowers has become one of my favourite sets to use and I have used it on lots of different sized card and boxes for all occasions.
I have enjoyed looking at these older dies and videos as it is always good to remember what we have and to dig them out again and re use them.
And that applies to any crafting goodies that we have bought in the past that now languishes in a drawer somewhere.
Staying with the new collection I have made lots of cards using more masculine colours, and not a flower in sight.
But although they are for the men in your life they still don't need to be boring and so I have dressed my cards with leaves and sentiments.
You want the recipient to enjoy the card they get and to feel that you have still made some effort to hand make something really special just for them.
You will know what their favourite colours are and don't forget that some men do like flowers on their cards
In the video I have ended up making ten cards and I hope you will like them, and enjoy the video.
I have used all the elements in the collection to create my cards, but please remember there are many more different combinations that you can use with these die sets, and never get bored with the cards that you make.
Some ideas would be shaker cards, split cards, arrow cards and twisted cards to name but a few.
And there are lots of different parts to each die set to help you be creative using them.
This card uses the smaller dies from the Square set in a different way to give an unusual look to your cards.
The vidoe will show you how I created this centrepiece for my design and it is easy to do.
Try this with any dies that you may have in your collection and see what you can come up with.
The flowers is also handmade but I have not covered that in the video. It is done from Flower Forming Foam and the result is quite a large bloom for my card.
This Poinsettia is also made from foam and this time I have inlaid the die to cut the pattern into the card
I really hope you are enjoying these videos, and if you bought the dies, or any part of this collection, then I hope you have had your imagination working to create your own individual makes.
It is a beautiful day here today and the snow didn't last for long. It never does really in Blackpool I suppose it is because of the sea air. So later on Ruby and I will be going for a walk to the park so she can have a good sniff in the sunshine.
The draw has now been done randomly, for the Bee die and stamps set and the name today is ...
Barbara Youngs
could you send your postal address please to christina@card-making-magic.com and I will get it in the post to you straight away.
Please let me know that you have it safely and it hasn't got lost in the post and I hope you will enjoy playing with it when it arrives with you.
This pack contains some stamps and a circular die that will cut out an aperture and another die to fill it with a beautiful design for your cards.
The magazine is Die Cutting Essentials and it is full of ideas and inspiration for you to try. Grab a cuppa and simply relax for a while as you browse the pages.
You could really have some fun playing with this set and so if you would like this one then all you need to do is leave me a comment with your
FULL NAME
I am happy so send the package to you wherever you live an it doesn't matter if you have won before.
Just add your comment and one will be chosen at random and added to a blog post over he weekend so be sure to come back and check if it is your name that is shown
Today's card and video are featuring the A5 size and once more I have used the stencil.
I have kept the colour scheme to the paler tones and teamed it with white and this makes for a really fresh and clean look.
I have created a shaped card using the largest of the dies to make the base and added layers for depth.
But to get the most from any dies that you may buy consider cutting into them to alter the size and create another look for your design.
Or simply use the smaller elements from a die set to create a smaller version of the card as I have done with this card adding them to a DL card for a change.
These cards have used a different stencil for each one but either will give you a fantastic look for your background whichever you use just by changing the colours that you use.
I have yet to do the videos with a masculine theme but it is on the way I promise.
And for that one I will use more masculine colours and NO flowers !!
Today I am using my all time favourite size of card and that is the 5x7 and once again I have used the stencil to create the background.
I love this size because it is large enough to fill with beautiful flowers and embellishments but not so big it is cumbersome. And it fits into a box so well, and makes a lovely gift.
For this card I have used the detailed panel to cut into the card and create a see through design which looks very pretty in the hand.
To the back you can add mirror card or acetate or even parchment if you wished and each one would give you a different look.
For the blue card I have used the same set of dies and turned this into an Easel Card using one of the strip dies as my stop.
I did not use the stencil on the pale blue card just the dies them selves. They look totally different from each other by changing the colours and the way the dies have been added or used on the card.
And these cards, lacking the flowers, would also be suitable for the men in your life
This is a very versatile set to have and I have more videos to add showing some great combinations to work with.
Today I want to share with you the new Plaited with Love Collection and this is 5x7 teamed with the Circles die set to create this really pretty design that would suit any occasion with a change of sentiment.
The video will show you how I got this look and I really enjoyed playing with all this collection.
The stencils create beautiful backgrounds with inks or water colours, and all the dies will mix and match with each other giving you endless design possibilities.
For this card I have used Mulberry flowers and tucked in lots of greenery around the display.
I think the end result is beautiful and I would be more than happy to get a card like this.
I will be adding more vidoes using this new collection so I hope you will pop along and view them. Please consider subscribing to my YouTube Channel and don't forget to leave me a comment both here and on YouTube.
Another request I have is to please allow the adverts to run as this is the way the channel makes a small amount of income. They are not long but advertisers pay for that space on my videos.
Thank you for joining Lou and I on Facebook Live on Friday and I am so pleased that you like the new collection. And if you won the prize on offer the I really hope you enjoy playing with it.
I have new videos being added to the Blog that will highlight some really pretty cards. And I have promised on Facebook Live that I will use the same collection to create masculine cards and add the video to the blog.
So the winner has been chosen at random and the name this week is …
Diane Crowe
Would you email please with your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and I will get the pack to you straight away. I hope you enjoy playing with it and please be sure to let me know that you have it safely
Tulips always herald in the spring and this set is no exception.
With this set you will get stamps to colour and make the tulips just as you would like them and then the dies to cut them out and add them to your designs.
There are sentiments dies to go with it and the magazine of course will give you a wealth of inspiration on how to get the most from the set.
Would you like to have this to play with ?? Then all you need to do is leave me your comment at the end of this post with your FULL NAME
From those comments one name will be chosen at random and announced in a blog post over the weekend. It doesn't matter if you have won before and you don't need to have your own blog either.
I am happy to send the pack to your address wherever you live, but please do not add personal details to a blog comment, and don't forget that the draw is now open until Sunday morning, to accommodate my readers from over seas, so be sure to come back and check if it is your name that is shown
