Beautiful Card Designs Made Easy

October 30, 2024

Water Coloured Parchment Flowers

 HI Everybody

Both of these cards have been created with water coloured flowers  made from parchment and the effect in real life is very pretty.

I have added glue pen to the striations on the flowers and then sprinkled it with glitter but it doesn't show up very well in the photo.

They have both been added to a panel, that is deeply embossed, and very old , from  a Spellbinders embossing folder .

They have then been added to the base card with foam pads underneath  .

The flowers look veery delicate and glittery 

The gold butterflies are there for effect and they have been added to parchment also. 

Both cards are 5x7 top folded smooth white 300gsm cardstock

I am really pleased with the look of these cards and I was quite surprised.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


October 29, 2024

Block Easel Card

Hi Everybody,

Here is another way to make an Easel Card and this is also one that is easy to do, that looks a little different.

I have added quite a few variations over the past few days  all with  a new way to make them and yet all looking fresh from the others. 

I am adding the link to the video here  and if you click the link it will open a new window for you to view on YouTube

Block Easel Card

I am doing my best to increase my subscribers both here on the blog and on YouTube but I need you to add your comments and likes in both places.

YouTube respond well when people like the video and they then promote it to other like minded crafters. So it is very important to me and the future of my channel.

Just as important is the blog and I have noticed that there is a distinct lack of comments from visitors to my pages.

I may consider not blogging in the future if the numbers don't increase as it is very disheartening when the response is not forthcoming .

I will see how it goes for a little longer before I decide what to do.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 


October 28, 2024

Triple Twist Easel Card - Design 5

 Hi Everybody,

Here is yet another way that you can add that twist to your triple easel cards and make them completely personal to you.

Add them to an envelope or make them a box and they are so very different for your recipient to enjoy.

The video will show you how to create this one and it is very easy to do. 

I have used my own handmade papers again and I tell you the colours I have used so that you can try it as well. 

Play with some of your inks to see what colour blends you like the look of and don't be afraid to go for it.

It is only paper and a little ink so if you don't like it then try again until you find something that you do like. 

Click the link to watch the video on YouTube and please leave me a comment, Like and subscribe

Triple Twist Easel - Design 5 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

October 27, 2024

Betty McAlister - Winner

 Hi Everybody,

It is getting colder now and the nights are drawing in again. It is time to turn the clocks back again and enter into our winter. I am still waiting for summer to arrive as it seems to have been a really dismal one this year.

But on a good note another Friday Freebie has been drawn and the lucky winner of the fabulous sentiments dies on offer this week is ...

Betty McAlister

This is such a good addition to anyone's crafting stash  and will come in very handy as it covers many occasions for you. 

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

Please let me know when you get it and I hope you have fun playing with it.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

October 25, 2024

Friday Freebie - Stylish Sentiments

Hi Everybody,

Todays offering is all about the sentiments that we like to add to our cards and in this set you will find many mix and match words.

You will also get the copy of the magazine
 Die Cutting Essentials
that is full of tips and information for you to browse at your leisure

There is also a download of papers and toppers that can be used on your creations.

Is this something that you would like to have, or maybe it is even something that you need to finish off your cards.

To be in with the chance to win this then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post with your FULL NAME

Then be sure to come back and check over the weekend to see if your name is listed as the winner.

Please check your comments too because if your full name is not added then you will not be entered into the draw.

I am happy to send this to you wherever you live and it doesn't matter if you have won before you can still enter again. Good Luck.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

October 24, 2024

Bob's Cards ...

Hi Everybody,

I was asked by my six year old Great Grandson if I would make him some cards that he could send to his school friends for their birthdays.

I want through all my old stamps and found those that were suitable for children and got busy making him some.

I coloured the stamped images in and added googly eyes, or glossy accents, to some of them.

I put them all, with an envelope, into a cellophane bag and gave them to him yesterday.

He has 24 cards and I enjoyed making them, and I think he will enjoy giving them to his friends. 
The next request is some cards for him to send to his friends for Christmas and of course I will oblige.  

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 
 

October 23, 2024

Corner Easel Card

 Hi Everybody,

This pretty card is a Corner Easel Card and is one that is really easy to make. It is just a few score lines and one cut using an 8x8 peice of card.

The video will show you how I made a beautiful lilac Corner Easel Card
and there are several other colours for you to see.

I used an old paper pack that I have and it came in very handy as the correct size, but you could make these any size you preferred.

This size would fit into a normal envelope but it would make a lovely gift if added to a small box.

And of course if your embellishments are deeper than mine then it would need that box to hold it so that things don't get crushed.

The cards are all very pretty but I have to admit that this lilac one is my favourite.

I think it turned out especially well

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


October 22, 2024

Star Easel Card

 Hi Everybody,

Here is another design in the Easel Card series and just as easy to make.

I am showing you two sizes 5x7 and the A6 but both cards are made using the same inks, flowers and way of making.

I have added the flowers in different areas on the cards and the sentiment in opposite corners but otherwise they are the same.

I cannot lay claim to being the originator of any of these designs as Easel Cards have been around for many years, these are simply my take on things that I am more than happy to share with you.

So this is the

Star Easel Card


It is a design that you can have some fun with and there are lots of tutorials on YouTube for more ideas on how to decorate the card.

I have another design for easels coming tomorrow so I hope you will join me then.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx



October 21, 2024

Alternating Panel Easel- Design 4

 Hi Everybody,

In the last Easel Card video we made a card with all the panels facing the same way. In this one we are going to make them face opposite ways.

It is just as easy to do and we have used a 5x7 base. 

But to simply the twisted panels I have cut the full card down to 6 3/4 x 4 3/4 and that makes life easier to divide the pieces.

The video will make things clearer for you and I am sure you will like the finished cards.

It will fit into a 5x7 box to make it easier to give to your recipient. 

Here is the link to the video and I hope you enjoy it and will give this easel card a try.


I haven't made the paper for this card in the video as I have covered that process in others.

The colours I have used have been Dried Marigold,
Scattered Straw and Crackling Campfire with some copper embossing powder that  I already have.

So just use what you have in your own personal crafting stash, without going to the expense of buying more.

More tomorrow  ...

Hugs xx


October 20, 2024

Mags Wilkie - Winner

 Hi Everybody,

Ruby and I have been out for a good walk yesterday because of the  predicted storm Ashley that was due to hit the UK Saturday and Sunday. We have got some logs in as well to get the burner going and we will be all warm and cosy while the winds howl away outside.
Ella will curl up in front of the fire as she loves the warmth of it.
I hope you are have battened down your hatches as the wind is predicted to be quite rough.

In the meantime the draw has been done for the beautiful flower dies from Lisa Horton and there are some papers and toppers that you can download to go with the dies.
So you should have some fun playing with these.

The name today is...

Mags Wilkie

and  if you would send me your postal address I will send them to you straight away.
I hope you enjoy the gift and please be sure to let me know that you have it ok.

Have fun 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

October 18, 2024

Friday Freebie - Fabulous Florals

Hi Everybody,

Some beautiful flowers are the order of the day and they will make a gorgeous accompaniment on your cards.

It is a four peice die set from Lisa Horton and it comes with the Die Cutting Essentials magazine.

This is always a good read and is full of tips and information for you to browse at your leisure.

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

Then be sure to come back and check if your name is listed as the winner in a blog post over the weekend,

I am happy to send it to you wherever you are and it doesn't matter if you have won before.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 






 

October 17, 2024

The other card ...


Hi Everybody,

In the video I shared yesterday, for the Easel Card Design 3,  I showed you the same design in another colour way. 

This one also has handmade coloured inked paper used on it and I used some left over flowers from the parchment ones that I made when I did that series on using parchment in your cards.

This is the card as it looks when it is raised up and each of the  easels is decorated with the flowers and I added in a floating butterfly as well. 

The next picture is how the card looks when closed up and to give my card I have made it a box.

I used the DL Card & Box maker set and there is plenty of room to fold the panels down and add it inside.

It is a much nicer way to give a card with so much dimension on it and nothing is compromised on the design.

I decided to make a navy blue box for this particular card and it looks lovely, and blends well with the stripey card on the .back portion of the panels



This picture shows how the panels look from the top when they are opened up, and clearly show all three kept open by the small wooden buttons I have used for the easel stops.

Nest week I will have some more Easel Card design to share with you and so I hope you will come back for those.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx





 

October 16, 2024

Triple Twisted Panel Easel - Design 3

 Hi Everybody,

Todays card is another of those easel cards that are always popular and yet seem so difficult to make to new card makers.

Believe me they are not and once you have made one you will be happy  to try other variations.

This one is a little different and it has been around for years.

You will find many many tutorials on YouTube showing you how to make Easel Cards and all the variations

This is my version of the card


 and how I put my own personal mark on the card.

I really enjoyed making it and it is really special  and creating my own background papers helps to make it even more personal as no one else will have that paper.

Not even you will be able to make the exact same background twice  ...no matter how hard you try.





I hope you will give some of these cards a try for yourself and there are now lots of videos with all the different ways that you can make easel cards

There is sure to be one that takes your fancy, and I have more variations to come yet 

I have used my own DL box die set to make the box and if you have it all well and good but if you don't then you may find that it is no longer available for you to purchase.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

October 15, 2024

Triple Twisted Snowflake Easel - Design 2

 Hi Everybody,     

I am trying to feature many styles to create this Triple version of the easel card and this one is also Twisted.

It is easy to make for yourself and I have kept the tutorial precise and easy to follow so that you will have no trouble crafting along with me.

Triple Twisted Snowflake Easel - Design 2

I have even more versions to share with you so be sure to come back and watch

For this card I have again made some of my own background papers but this time in a different way.

I am using the brushes that I bought from Lidl a few years ago. and they are specifically decorating brushes  ... but they work really well for blending inks  

I have all the Distress Oxides too so I may as well put them to some good use and this is such an enjoyable way to do it. 

Plus it saves me money on buying papers.

The same applies to any dies I have used. I already have them and so I may as well use them too.

This is my personal mission not to buy anything new for crafting.
 And it is working so far !!

Mire tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

October 14, 2024

Triple Twisted Easel Card - Design 1

 Hi Everybody,  

Here is yet another version of the Easel Card and thus time I  have twisted the triple variety,

I have  a few versions of how to make this card to show you and rather than add them all in one extra  long video I decided to make a few and keep them shorter.

Here is the first one for the 

Twisted Triple Easel Card

Be sure to come back and check for more ways to make these easel cards.

The blue card to the left has used card from AnnaMarie Designs but for the one in the video I decided to make yet more of my own backgrounds.

It is fun to mix and match the colours and see what you like.

Some of them may not mix as you think and then you could end up with a muddy brown.

So be sure to dry each colour before you add another one to the top and that helps to keep the colours pure. But whatever you do ... have fun !!

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

October 13, 2024

Valerija Jakolic - Winner

 Hi Everybody,

I hope you are all well and having some fine weather. It's not too bad here today and I will be going out later for a little walk with Ruby.

I have more videos coming up with ways to create the easel card and some of these may be well known to you. But there are always new people arriving on the scene and they may not know how to create this really lovely, but easy to make, card.
Hopefully these videos will help them to get the kook.

I have done the draw for Fridays offering and the name today is

Valerija Jakolic

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

Be sure to let me know when it arrives with you and I hope you enjoy playing with it all.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


October 11, 2024

Friday Freebie -Typography

Hi Everybody,

Today I am offering you the chance to win this stamp and stencil set from Textures and it is called Typography. 
 
If you like mixed media then you will live this as it gives you everything you would need to create some beautiful design. 

It comes with the Creative Stamping magazine which il give you even more ideas on how to get the best from this set.

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

You will need to come back and see if it is your name that is shown as the winner over the weekend.

You will have 72 hours in which to claim the prize.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

October 10, 2024

Triple Easel Card

 Hi Everybody,    

Today I am moving on to the Triple Easel Card and this is another easy but beautiful card to add to your repertoire.

You can create this card from any Nesting shapes that you have in your stash, or indeed any dies that will give you three different sizes that will blend together, and it will look good with whatever you use.

It is another design I have covered in the past but this is the new version of an old favourite. 

Triple Easel Card

The background in the video is also created by hand with ink smooshing and some silver embossing to match the colour scheme.

You can use any flowers stamps you may have or anything else that takes your imagination to create the background.

The flowers on my easels are from Altenew and coloured with alcohol markers.

If you add the flowers carefully then the  whole card will fit into an A5 envelope ... or you could create a box to send it in, and I used the left over flowers to decorate it.


I am also including the link to another Triple Easel video that was done using the Heart shaped  Dies that I released some time ago.

Heart Triple Easel

You will find several more variations of these Easel cards in my Playlist for Easels on YouTube

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


October 09, 2024

More Playtime Cards

Hi Everybody,

These two cards are completely different but both have used left over elements that are left on my worktop.

For this card I have cut the flowers from holographic card and added it to the to if a hand inked left over piece of card.

I rounded the corners off and added it to an embossed panel and card that have also been rounded. 

To the inside of the flower I have used blue water colour paint to bring it more to the fore front.

I dotted it with blue pearls and added the sentiment to the front with foam pads to raise it up.

The card to the left has a panel that has a stencilled background.

The sentient has been stamped to the top and the cupcake is cut from a really old Spellbinders die that I have had for years.

I coloured the die cuts with alcohol markers  and added them with foam tape at varying heights.

I lightly ran some yellow, before adding the candle, to give it a glow, and I think it would make a lovely children's card.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

October 08, 2024

Playtime Cards

Hi Everybody,

Having made quite a few of my own background papers I had lots of pieces left over, and I couldn't throw them away.

So I decided to add them to extra panels and create some A6 cards  with them to re stock my charity box.

The card to the right has Washi Tape around the edges and the blue panel added to the centre.

The butterfly is cut from silver mirror and added to some parchment.

For this card  I added  two thin silver strips around the orange panel and placed the butterfly to the top.

I also added some silver dots to the front to blend it all in and the sentiment for both is from an older pack that I already have.

So  by using these pieces I have made two more cards and used up what would otherwise have gone in the trash can.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

October 07, 2024

Double Twisted Easel Card

 Hi Everybody,

Today I am sharing how I made the Double Twisted variation of the easel card and the result is very pretty.

It is another card that can be adapted to suit any occasion or gender and dressed up as much or as little as you prefer

This card has another hand created inked panel but for the others I have used designer card from AnnaMarie Designs.

If you are new to cardmaking then this may be something that you would like to try and it really is easy to do.

It will get your creative juice flowing  again if you have got yourself in a rut from making the same card  shape and size over and over again
There is no end to what you can do with this style if card and there are lots of dies that will help you as well

I brought out lots of different shaped ones as
 Card Making Magic 
and I did lots of videos to show you how to use them.

You can find them all  on my YouTube Channel in the Easel Card Playlist.

Click the link above to view the latest video and be sure to come back for more 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

October 06, 2024

Sheron Egolf - Winner

Hi Everybody,

Well guess what ??? It's raining !!! This has been a dreadful summer and now it's nearly Christmas.
The clocks will change and the nights will draw in darker and it will be time to put the heating on again.

But ti cheer you yp I have done the draw and those delightful gnomes are going to live with
Sheron Egolf
would you email me with tour postal address lease to
christina@card-making-magic.com
ad I will get it posted to you straight away.

Be sure to let me know that you have received it ok and I hope you enjoy it as much as I think you will/
It is a fun set that can be used all year round for any of your cards.

More tomorrow  ...

Hugs xx

October 04, 2024

Friday Freebie - Festive Gnomes

Hi Everybody,

Todays offering is the Festive Gnomes from Hunkydory which is a male and female gnome for you to add to your cards.

You also have the opportunity to download some papers and toppers to match the dies to finish off your creations

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

You will need to come back and check if your name is the one shown as the winner and it will be announced over the weekend. You will then have 72 hours in which to claim the prize.

Good Luck

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx   

October 03, 2024

Double Easel Card

 Hi Everybody,

Today I am re introducing the Double Easel Card
that I covered on YouTube about thirteen years ago.

I am going to go through all the variations I covered years ago and re-new them here on the blog.

So far this is only the second video in this series as I covered the single style on Monday with three different ways to get that look for yourself.

They are easy to do and yet look very impressive to your recipient and there are many ways you can dress them up ... or down ... as the whim takes you.

I have kept this card to a gold and white theme and it would make a lovely wedding card too.

You can also vary the size, and where you place the stops, for different looks to your card and once you get the hang of making it you can play around even more

The second card in the video has been created with another of the inked background panels that are so quick to make and very addictive.

I hope you enjoy watching the video and all you need to do us click this link to view on YouTube.,.

Double Easel Card

More tomorrow

...

Hugs xx

October 02, 2024

Using those Roses

Hi Everybody,

Here are the other cards I created using up the roses from last week, as it would have bee such a shame to waste them.

The card to the right is a DL done in lilac and green, and to me this is such a calming combination to use.

It works well for any occasion and would suit a male theme to ... minus the flowers.

The panel is made by running a peice of card through an embossing folder and then swiping the ink lightly over the top

I used several layers for this design and added the flowers with foam pads to give them height.

The sentiment are just some that I found on my desktop and they came in really handy for these cards.

This oval card was created from nesting dies with the layers done in different colours.

The pink layer was done by swiping Picked Raspberry ink pad around the edges of the oval  and layering it up once it was dry. 

The butterflies are cut from silver mirror card and added to parchment..

Hope you like ...

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx



October 01, 2024

Waste Not , Want Not

 Hi Everybody,  

While I was making the last Trellis card I stamped and coloured some of these flowers out to see which I preferred.

And of course once the video was complete I had all these beautiful images left over. 

So it was time to get busy and turn them into cards.

I wanted to make card of different shapes  to each other and so I decided on a square, a DL, an Oval and a small A6 and this is the result.

This is the 6x6 square card and for this I have used the embossing folder in the Altenew Craft Your Life Kit.

I cut the die cut up even more and add it with foam pads to the base.

I also cut an oval and added that over the base front

The sentiments is from an old set and the butterfly is cut from parchment and silver mirror card.

I have added pearls to the butterflies bodyline and dotted more around the card front.

This card is the A6 and I have dry embossed the card and added an embossed oval to the front. with foam pads.

The flowers have been left as is for this design and they have also been added with foam pads.

I used some pearl flourish that  found in my bit box  and cut this up to add in areas on the card front.

There is the silver butterfly again and I use these because they are so pretty and hide a multitude of sins if you make them !!!

I will add the other two tomorrow to complete my playtime

Hugs xx