Friday Freebie - Spring Special

Hi Everybody,

Today I have a lovely box kit to give away and this is from the John Next Door.

It is full of items for you to make creative designs and there are also papers and toppers inside the pages of the magazine. 

I am sure that you will have some fun making cards once the kit is yours.

And if this is something that you would like then all you need to do is lave me a comment at the end of this post.

You will need to add your FULL NAME 

 and be sure to come back over the weekend to see if you are listed as the winner.

As always preference is given to those who have left me regular comments and not those who only pop in on a Friday.

Because I am doing it this way now,  my regular readers will see their names listed more frequently.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Using Old Dies - PP & LL

 Hi Everybody,

These are dies from Card Making Magic that I designed a few years ago  and they where some of my favourites at the time.

They where the Perfect Panels & Lovely Layers but I don't think they are available anymore.

If you got some at the time then maybe you want to get them out to play with again and you will find lots of videos on my YouTube Channel using them.

This card has a blue and silver colour scheme which is very fresh but it would look just as good in any other colour, and some of the cards I designed with these dies had Mulberry flowers on them too. 

These paper flowers of course can be used in other ways and look amazing when added to lots of green leaves in a beautiful display.

It has been fun and interesting to revisit some of the old dies that I designed years ago and I have enjoyed making new cards from them as I have found them again.

Here is the short video using these dies and I hope you enjoy it

Using Old Dies

Perfect Panels & Lovely Layers

Don't forget to leave me a comment

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Old Spellbinders Die

 Hi Everybody,

I am still on my no spend kick and just using dies and items that I already have in my craft room.

This is a really old triple set of dies from Spellbinders and I have used them many times but never on the blog that I can remember.

Each of the panels layers on to the others to build up the design

I have used gold mirror card for the bottom layer. purple mirror card for the middle one and lilac card for the top layer

I have added in some little diamante flowers that have been coloured with alcohol markers to the centre of each flower.

Once the three layers have been adhered togehter they have been added to a black layer and onto another lilac layer  and then onto a black base card that is A6 in size.

The sentiment has been stacked with  four layers of white  card and a top layer of gold mirror card to give it depth, and a few more coloured diamantes scattered around

Not my usual style but pretty all the same.

Bye for now  

Hugs xx

Creating Backgrounds

 Hi Everybody,

Today I am adding a video that will show you how I made the backgrounds for my cards, and depending on which side of the folder you prefer it will give you either a debossed or embossed design

This card has used a 2-4-1 die  that I got from Amazon, and these are the results from the inky background

You can dress them up any way you would like and they would make really good masculine cards
... minus the flowers' !!!

You could try this with coloured mirror card and that would make a real difference to your design.

Stazon Backgrounds for your Cards

The Stazon is a but messy and you will need the special cleaner to get it off your fingers or any stamps you use it on.

But it adheres to mirror card better than anything else to give you this look.

These are just some of the cards that I made for the video and I hope you enjoy watching. 

I hope you will leave a comment on the video and consider subscribing if you haven't' already.  It means a lot to me and really makes a difference to the YT Channel

Bye for now 

Charity Box Time

.

Hi Everybody,

These are boxes of cards that I have made in the past few months and they are now ready to take to the charity shops that I support.

One is the RSPCA in honour of Ruby my Cocker Spaniel who is now eight years old.

The other is the Cats Protection to honour my little tortoiseshell kitten Ella who will be three in April and she is still very small.

Both shops are very near to where I live and I donate my cards regularly to each shop 

Each card has an envelope with it and they are packed in a cellophane bag to keep them clean

There are about 175 cards in each box so quite a lot of work has gone into these.

But whatever they sell them for then that is still a sizeable donation from me.

They cover all occasions from Birthdays to retirement  and many more in between, so plenty for people to choose 

from.

I will take them to respective shops and it makes me very happy to see the smile on the managers faces when I hand the box over.

Some of the cards you may recognise  as many of them have been featured in blog posts in the  past.

There are lots of different techniques on this assortment also so people can be sure they will find something to their taste and I hope the card will make them feel happy and pleased with their purchase.

Bye for now ...  

Hugs xx

 

Sue Pollock - Winner

 Hi Everybody,

I hope you have all come through this storm unscathed. I have no structural damage done at all and so I feel very lucky. But I have seen peoples dustbins flying up the road and lots of plant pots that have been blown about. And apparently it is not finished yet so stay safe wherever you are. 

Thank you for the comments that have been added this week to the blog and also for taking part in the draw. And many thanks also for adding your full names. This makes it so much easier to trace the correct winner and send the prize to them. 

One of the things I add is that you please let me know when the pack arrives with you.
Over the Christmas break I had two people contact me about their prizes. 

One said she had just received hers from an October win and the other one said that she had NOT got hers at all. I asked the second person to be patient with the Christmas post and happily she emailed me again to say it arrived.
So all was well that ended well !!! 

If your prize does get lost I can do something about it  and though it may not be the same thing it will be something crafty that you can use.

For this week the name is 

Sue Pollock

please send your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and I will get it in the post to you straight away.
Please be sure to let me know when it arrives with you.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Creative Camelias

Hi Everybody,

This beautiful die set is called Creative Camelias and it will help you to produce these flowers for your cards.

The magazine Die Cutting Essentials, will show you how to get the best from your die set and this is quite a large die too.

There is also the opportunity for you to download papers and toppers that will compliment your creations 

If this is something that you would like to have then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post to be in with the chance. You must add your FULL NAME

The reason for the name addition is because I have several readers who have the same first name, and also because many comments come through as anonymous and if there is no name added to the comment then I have no idea who it is. 

So please oblige and add your name and then the prize will go to the correct winner.

I will also be giving preference to those who have left comments on other posts through the week,  and the prize will not go to those who only leave a comment on a Friday.

I am only trying to be fair with the give aways

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

 

Leaves and Flowers

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is using the same leaf dies as yesterday but this tine I have added in some flowers for a little more pzazz.

These die cuts can be varied a lot by simply changing the colour of the leaves and adding in some different flowers.

This one is in peach and blends with the leaves beautifully and the embossing folder is the very old Need A Rope from Spellbinders.

It has been added to some gold mirror card to leave just a small border around the edge and that goes well with the gold on the leaves.

Little pearls have been added to the card front as a finishing touch and I am really pleased with the end result.

I have only used items that I already have and nothing new has been bought to create this card.

The old book I used cost me pennies years ago and can be used in a multitude of ways and this is something I will do again in another style..

I am adding the link to the video again in case you missed it when it was  added yesterday

Distressed Leaves

Bye for now ...

Hugs 

Distressed Leaves

 Hi Everybody.

Once again I have turned to a really old die set and this one has been around for years. It is from Sizzix and the leaves are simply gorgeous.

You can colour them any way you wish to suit the season, and with any medium that you prefer. I have chosen to use Distress Oxides on mine but they would look just as good with alcohol inks, water colours or Brushos

Try them on water colour card, ordinary card or even Yupo paper to vary the look.

For these I have used a die from Amazon that is called a Fish Net die but it looks like Hessian/Burlap when cut from Kraft and I do like the result 

For the card to the left I have stencilled the background and then wrapped the panel with parchment. I heat embossed the sentiment onto the parchment and dotted the card with hole punched dots. 

The video will show you how I got this look for my cards and one of the things I used was some old book pages.

Distressed Leaves

Use your imagination to make these leaves work for your designs. as they are a lot of fun to work with.

I hope you enjoy the video.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Happy Birthday Star Card

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is using a really old start stamp set that I have and it has been used a lot in the past.

I  have used three different shades of blue to stamp it out and I have cascaded them down the panel on the card front.

I have added some silver stars layered over the top to give extra detail, but they don't show up very well on the photo.

I have layered the panels in navy blue and white card and added them with foam tape to give varying heights

The sentiment has been stamped in black and heat embossed with clear powder, and the finished card is a 5x7 with the fold at the top.

I very lightly inked around the layers with one of the blue inks  but on the photo they just look dirty, so not a good idea at all and I won't be doing that again in a hurry. 

Oh well we live and learn !!

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx 

 

Heart Cards

Hi Everybody,

Todays cards have used some varied heart dies They are all dies from collections that I already have In the first card I cut out apertures in a white panel that sits on top of the base. 

This cut panel has been embossed and then added to trimmed down  A4 inked background,  with foam tape. This inky background has a white die cut shape adhered to it and from this I used half of the panel for one card and I die cut more heart shapes and popped them to one side.

The foam tape raises that layer up and it will show the inked panel through the heart shaped gaps.

It gives a really pretty effect and leaves lots of space to dress up the card as you would like to.

I have added decoration on mine with silver mirror card a flourish down the side and a small butterfly that has been added with parchment behind the wings.

It is a DL card size and it fits into an ordinary envelope ready to post.

The second card has had the heart shapes that I cut from the other peice of card. These have also been added to an embossed panel for the front of the card and this one is an A6 size

I have cut some dots in purple, with the hole punch to add to the respective cards as a finishing touch.

The sentiments are all birthday themed and from banners that I already have in my stash

More tomorrow ...

Bye for bow 

Hugs xx

Christi Neal - Winner

Hi Everybody,

It's cold but at least it's not snow or ice here and it us safe underfoot and to drive in.

I am happy to say that after her visit to the vet  Ruby has responded will to her treatment and her ears are now much clearer than they were. 
I have to keep up with the medication until it is all gone but she doesn't need to return to the vet again and so that is a worry off my mind.

The draw for the beautiful heart from John Next Door is now done the the name this week is 

Christi Neal

so if you would email me your postal address please to
christina@card-making-magic.com
then I will get it in the post to your this combing week. 

Be sure to let me know that you have it safely and I hip you get lots of fun playing with it.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Honest Heart

 Hi Everybody,

This lovely die set is from John Next Door and it is a five peice die set with the sentiment Congratulations, With Love.

There is also the chance for you to down load some papers and toppers to compliment the dies

As always the magazine is included and this is full of tips and information for your to try on your own designs.

If this is 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.

You will  need to come back and see if your name is listed as the winner,  as I have no way to contact you.

Thank you for your concern over Ruby, she is back to the vets again today to see what progress she has made on the medication they had for her.

Good luck everybody

Bye for now

Hugs xx

Border Dies & Washi Tape

 Hi Everybody,

I am sorry again this week for my lack of posting but my mojo has seriously gone walkabouts. 

I have done a video for today but I really struggled with it so I hope it turns out OK and that you enjoy it.

It is not long and it uses items that I already have so nothing new has been bought. 

I am determined to keep up with using what I already have

Here is the video and I have used border dies that I already have and some Wash Tapes that I have had for quite a few years now.

Border Dies & Washi Tapes

I did need to replenish my Birthday cards and so these will go along way to restarting my ideas.

 I thought this video may help me get back into the swing of things as I am seriously down in the dumps.

Christmas is not my favourite time of year and the disappointment with our meal out didn't help any either.
Then Ruby being poorly was the last straw,

But I need to talk sharply to my self and get going....

 
Bye for now ...

Hugs xx 

Playing with water colours

Hi Everybody,

These two cards have been created with water colours and trying to follow one of Shayda Campbells tutorials.

One is to create a panel that has then ben fussy cut out to add to the front

I have used foam pads to add this and  a gold Happy Birthday sentiment.

I have also used little gold dots to surround the flower.

They have been adhered to an embossed panel for more decoration and I am not too unhappy with the end result and this is an A6 card.

This next card is a larger 5x7 and I have also used little gold dots on this card.   They have been cut from gold mirror card with a hole punch.

The panel has been layered onto some black card to make it stand out and the base card has had a black freehand line drawn around the edge.

The flowers are just  loosely drawn in the water colour paint  and then splattered in the left over colour.

I cut the panel out using a stitched edge die and then cut the remaining flowers free hand to add to the front with foam pads.

The sentiment for both has been stamped onto parchment and heat embossed in gold 

I have enjoyed the process with the water colours but I have a log way to go yet to improve my technique.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Mags Wilkie - Winner

 Hi Everybody,

Sorry for my absence during the week but I have been busy getting my house back in order.
The new suite looks lovely and is so comfortable for me to get out of and helps my knees a lot.
I also bought two new rugs to go in the rooms and they also fit in very well. So now I am sorted.

I am sorry to say though that my Ruby has not been well. She has had a painful ear infection and had to go the vet last Friday. They gave her some antibiotic ear drops. 

There are certain medications she cannot have because of her Cushing's but hopefully these will help her feel better soon.
Apparently Cocker Spaniels get ear infections because of the their long and floppy ears and the moist conditions inside them.

The draw for the Birthday die set has been done and the winner this week is

Mags Wilkie
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.

Thank you for leaving regular comments on the blog,  it is much appreciated.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Fancy Foliage

 Hi Everybody,

Todays offering is another of the Fancy Foliage die sets that came with Simply Cards & Papercraft.

This little die set is in eight parts and will help you to create some really pretty cards centred around Birthdays.

The magazine has ideas and tips that will help you to get the most from the die set, as well as other thigs that you may like to try

So is this is something you would like in your collections ??

Then all you ned to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post with your

 FULL NAME

The addition of your full name is so that I can identify you in the event that more than one of you has the same first name. 

And if you don't add your name and your comment comes though as anonymous then I have no chance of knowing who you are.

So no full name then no entry into the draw ... and preference will be given to those who have left me comments on a regular basis on other posts.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Water Colour Cards

Hi Everybody,

I was watching a young woman named
Shayda  Campbell on YouTube
the other day and she was doing some really pretty stuff with water colours.

And so I thought I would get mine out again and try to follow what she did, and this is the result..

 I haven't done any water colouring for ages and I really enjoyed playing with them again.

I have a lot to learn but I liked Shayda's style of teaching and so I will be going back to her channel for more.

She finished some of her paintings with the fine black line around the edges and so I did that as well.

This blue card is created with a light wash of  over my water colour card and then with some silver paint I added in the  leaf following Shayda's instructions.

I used a black fine  liner pen to etch in the shape and added a little shading underneath to ground the image.

They are not brilliant but I was happy with both once I had finished.

Practice makes perfect 

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Christine Cloutier - Winner

 Hi Everybody,

We have some snow ... but it is the wet mushy kind and it won't stick around for long.

Neither Ruby or Ella will go out in it and they scurry back inside where it's warm.
Can't say I blame them though as it's much better inside  ... and looking at it through the window.

I am starting the new year off with a new sofa and chair. The one I have is too low and too deep and once I get in there, with my dodgy knees,  I can't get up again.
So I have gone for one that is higher and shallower and hope that does the trick.

My old sofa has gone and the young man next door moved it for me this morning. The new one comes on Tuesday which will give me time to get the room ready.
The only problem is that Ruby used to sit on the back of the old one, to bark at the world, and she wont be able to do that with the new one.

The draw for the Sunflowers has been done and the name this week is

Christine Cloutier

Thank you for the comments you have left on the blog and if you send me your postal address please to

christina@card-making-magic.com

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

Now that the Christmas rush is over all packages should have been received by now, and thank you to those of you who let me know that you have them safely. 

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - 2025

Hi Everybody

Hello and welcome to the start if 2025 and with a brand new give away. 

In 2024 I gave away over 100 prizes throughout the year and some of them had extra dies or stamps, pokey tools or glue pins in the packs as an extra gift too.

I hope you enjoyed the give away and to start the new year off I am giving away this beautiful 

Sunflower Collection.

There are 88 elements inside this pack, from foiled papers to five foiled die cut topper sheets, to help you make some lovely spring and summer cards. 

Also included is the magazine Simply Cards & Papercraft that is full of ideas and information that you may like to try .

So if this is some thing that you would like then all you ned to do is leave me a comment using your FULL NAME.

Preference will go to those who have left me comments during the week and it doesn't matter if you have won before or where you live.

This is really a super gift ... so what are you waiting for??

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

 

Card for children

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is using an really old stamp set that I have had for years.

It was part of some lovely images that where released in a collection by Crafti Potential and that  I have used in the past

My friend Christine Smith the owner of Crafti Potential is still going with her blog and YouTube Channel

I have fussy cut these images to add to my card and they have been coloured with Alcohol markers.

They could be for some exam that has been taken, or another birthday achieved, but whatever the occasion I am sure the child will love the card.

I used some of the images from these collections for the Christmas and Birthday cards that I made for my great grandsons before the holidays. This one will go with some more, that I have ready to take to them, for them to use throughout the year.

Tomorrow sees the start of the Friday Freebies and there is a lovely collection to be given away.

Bye For Now ...

Hugs xx

 

Happy New Year

 I hope you all have a wonderful New Year and may 2025 bring you the peace you deserve

Much Love

from

Christina

Ruby & Ella

xxx