Die Cut Hessian Flowers

 Hi Everybody,

These two flowers are from the stiffened hessian created in the video and then die cut and coloured to add to my cards, and I think they look really pretty.. 

These flowers are not too deep on the card and I have turned both into birthday cards.

The one to the right has been added to some stripey card with a white oval added to the front and the flowers and leaves are along the left side. The size is 5x7

The ribbon and bow are wrapped around the layer with a diamante centre to cover the knot and then I coloured some clear gemstones to match the colour scheme and dotted them around the base

The card to the left is using the same type of die cut flower but this is an A6 size and I have stencilled the background with Seedless Preserves and Dusty Concord 

The vertical sentiment has been stamped along the right side and both flowers have a diamante centre added to them.

I have ben adding two videos each week  using the hessian as there is so much that can be done with the fabric and these are just some more ideas on how to use the flowers that I have made in the video.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Another Hessian Flower

 Hi Everybody,

Todays card is made from one of  hessian flowers that I created in the video and this is the one made using the template that I showed you how to create. 

.I have used the stiffened fabric as it  is easier to manipulate and it die cuts so much easier and you can use any dies that you have .

This one has been coloured with Distress Oxides but you could try this with any colouring medium that you have to make your flowers fit in with your scheme.

I hope I have managed to convey to you just what Hessian is and it is so cheap.

 I bought a 2 metre roll for £2 from Hobbycraft and I have had it for a long, long time. The ribbon pieces, in different widths, I got from Amazon again a log time ago.

It is a material you can have some fun with and one roll will make you lots of flowers.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx. 

Making Flowers with Hessian / Burlap

 Hi Everybody,

This card is the one made in the video on using a Hessian  sheet for flowers, and it is very pretty in the hand.

Hessian is a thicker material that is not often used in card making ... but I wanted to show you some variations that are out of the norm.

The best way to explain Hessian to you if you are not familiar with it is to think of sacks that can hold potatoes or grain. 

They are often made from Hessian as it is a very strong, pliable material that can be manipulated in various ways., and it is relatively cheap to buy.  It is also known as Burlap especially in the USA.

I have added glue to my sheets to make it stiffer and easier to die cut.

You will need a strong glue and I prefer hot glue, but be very careful with it if you use hot glue too as it gets very, very hot and will give you a nasty burn. 

Ask me how I know ???????? 

It comes in other colours than the ones I have shown you but you can colour it yourself.

I have coloured the petals and the leaves with Distress Oxides and a small brush and because they where stiff they where easier to bend into shape.

I did more in the video with dies and if you don't have dies then I show you how to make a little template that you can use to add to the Hessian and cut around.

But if you do have dies then just use any that you already have and the same for the leaves. .

Making Flowers with Hessian Sheets

Maybe you have tried this material before and not quite taken to it but it is easier to work with once it is stiffened up with the glue, and mine is just a cheap 5 litre bottle from the Range that will last me for years, and years ... and years !! ....

If you do try any of these ideas be sure to let me know as I would love to know how you got one with it.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Look at the background ...

Hi Everybody,

I have had some messages saying that you are looking forward to the Hessian flowers videos but that you don't know what Hessian is

This is a card I did quite some time ago and  on it I used a die that is called  Fish Net that I got from Amazon.

The reason I am showing it here is because it looks very similar to what Hessian would look like with some of the strands thinned out a little bit.

I have cut this in Kraft card but I could just as easily have made it my self using real Hessian.

I will do some on a card using the real Mc-coy and show you what it looks like,  next week once the video has gone live featuring the  Hessian.

I have brought the videos forward to Monday, and Thursday  in the hope that it will make things and the material a little clearer for those who have never used it. 

Bye for now ...

Hugs

Birthday Cards

Hi Everybody

I can never have enough birthday cards and they are always the ones that go the quickest. 

I send many to the charity shop as they are always needed there. and of course  my family use a lot as well. 

This is one that I did some time ago, and has been long gone to somewhere, but I do think the flowers are very refreshing

I have been busy over the last few days with my flower making and I have been using Hessian.

It is really cheap to buy and you can make absolutely loads from one metre of the material. 

So over  the next few weeks I will be adding a video  using Hessian in sheets and ribbon form, as well as some with jute cording and creating some flowers that are suitable to add to cards. 

They will need boxes for them though as the depth of the flowers is too much for an envelope.

I hope you will enjoy them and he others that will be coming using other materials so make the flowers.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Making Flowers - Fun Foam

Hi Everybody,

As promised I am sharing a series of videos that will feature making flowers from a variety of materials, some may be new to you and others you may have already tried.

I am going to cover Felt, Hessian, Jute cord, Organza, Crepe paper, Foamiran and ribbon too. 

For this video I am using the thicker Fun Foam and this is a lot different to Foamiran.

It is thicker and is not as pliable as the thinner Foamiran but it is very essay to work with and it die cuts really well.

You can find a vast choice of colours in the Fun Foam and it is very cheap too. I got mine from Hobbycraft as there is a new store opened up near where I live.

I will be getting some more but in pastel shades next time and making more styles of flowers with it. which  I will share in a video when I do. 

Here is the video link to this one and I hope you enjoy.it and will come back for the rest in this series.

Making Flowers - Fun Foam

All the new flower making videos will be in a playlist on YouTube.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Ella is three

Hi Everybody,

This beautiful creature is Ella and this picture was taken when she was just a couple of months old 

She hasn't changed much and she is  still a small cat but she has grown into her ears more and she is now three and the time has flown by.  

It seems like only last week that my eldest daughter rang to ask where I was and that she had something or me.

I was out with Ruby and we went straight home, and I was handed a cardboard box with this little kitten inside.

I picked her up and she started to purr straight away.

She goes out into my garden at the back of the house but because the walls are high she has never attempted to jump over and she is very safe out there in the sunshine.

                                                   She sits by the backdoor asking to go out.   

Now when Dougal comes he likes to chase her., but she turns round and confronts him and he squeals and runs away, he is scared of her. 

He is a Cockerpoo and ten times bigger than her but she is the boss.

They are a great source of joy to me and I love them all dearly>

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

                                                 

Gatefold Card with Belly Band

 Hi Everybody,

This gatefold card to the right is made using more left over pieces from other projects and the little bow die too.  This time I have turned the bow and ribbon die into a belly band to hold the gatefold card together.

 I cut all the bits in blue and then added them to some white card as a backing to the bow, then it had to be fussy cut out.

 I  needed two lengths for the piece around the card and glued it at the back to go all the way round., but make sure it is not too tight or it won't slip off the gatefold card.

Position the butterfly so it doesn't interfere with the belly band

I decorated the inside with a sentiment and another silver butterfly and I glued this one flat so that the gatefold would close properly.

The colour scheme is a pale grey and blue teamed with white and the end result is very pretty and so easy to create.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx 

Using Circles again

 Hi Everybody,

All the basic shaped dies are essential in your crafting stash especially the circular ones, because if you are like me then you cannot cut out a neat circle by hand.

I can't even cut a straight line without the use of my dies and they are used on a very regular basis.

So I find having them in my craft room invaluable, but they can get a bit boring. 

So that is why I look for other ways in which to use all the shapes and than I don't get bored with them, and maybe you are the same.

This video will hopefully give you some new ideas and it is  my first attempt at  a facial introduction ... and I can't say that I like it very much.

But I hope you will enjoy the video all the same and please leave me a comment  and subscribe if you haven't already.

More Idea With Circle Dies

Thank you for responding to my idea of flower videos  using different materials to make them and they will be with you very soon.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Another flower card

 Hi Everybody,

Here is another card created from the left over flowers and I have tried to make it different from those I added yesterday. 

This is also a 5x7 most of the items on it have been shown in other videos in the past,

All the cards are much prettier in the hand and my camera skills don't show them off enough. But you get the idea !!

The base card is 300GSM which is the one I use for all my bases and this one I got from Hobbycraft as there is a new store opened up near where I live.

This is the A3 size card as I can get two 5x7 cards from it if I fold it one the short side and four A6 sizes if I fold it on the long side. with very little waste.

When I do have left over card I use it to produce my backgrounds and so mothing goes in  the trash can.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Desk top finds

Hi Everybody,

As always when I have a clear out on my desk top I find items that are left over from other projects, and these  flowers are no exception.

You may remember them being made in a video sometime ago where I made the background pattern with inks  and stamps and then cut them out with a die. I had lots left over and these are some of the ways in which they have been used up.

The card to the right has had the heart colours mixed up and I put a big gluey fingerprint on one of them, so I got out a small paintbrush and brushed glue over the rest of the hearts and sprinkled it with glitter ...  problem solved

This card has had an extra panel added to the base and this I have embossed in a folder.  I cut this panel at an angle and added it to the base with some cardboard underneath to give it height.

The flowers have been added along the angled edge and the petals fluffed up a little 

Although the cards are the same 5x7 size and use up the same flowers  I have made them look different with the additions I have used.

Raid your desktop and see what you can find and put them together to make cards that you would otherwise not have had

Bye for Now ...

Hugs xx

Final Winner

 Hi Everybody,

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments this week on my decision to end the Friday Freebie and for your understanding on why I had to do this. It has been running for quite some time now and there have been some lovely gifts, many with extras in the pack ….. and some even made by my own fair hand.

I am not closing down the blog and I will still be doing blog posts as much as I can though they may not be everyday as in the past.
 I am thinking that maybe I will do blog posts from Monday to Friday with the weekends free

I will try also to add a video every week probably,  on a Wednesday, so I hope you will still continue to watch and leave me a comment.

 I want to do a mini series on making flowers using things like paper and card, felt, hessian and organza and of course foamiran. Would this be something you are interested in ?? If you are leave me a note in the comments.

Now onto the winner for the last Friday Freebie and the name this week as my final winner is someone who has posted on a very regular basis throughout the week and not just on Fridays, and left me some lovely comments

Ann Topp

So if you would email me your postal address please to 
christina@card-making-magic.com
I will get this posted off to you straight away. Be sure to let me know that you have it safely and there will be some extras in the pack too that I hope you will enjoy playing with 

Your Ideas

I want to do some videos on making flowers using items like felt, hessian, organza, foamiran as well as card and paper, and I would like to know if this would be of interest to you. Please let me know in the comments.

Also if you have any dies tucked away in your stash that you haven't used for a long time and maybe forgotten about then if I have the same, or similar dies, that could be another idea for a video.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Floral Note

Hi Everybody,

Today sees the last of the Friday Freebie "Give Aways" and there will be no more after this. 

I have given away a lot of stuff over the years and many of you will have enjoyed the gifts that you have won.

This pack consists of a beautiful die set called

 Floral Note and it is from Crafters Companion.

It is a die that will give you the arched pattern for the top and bottom of your design and several sentiments that can be fitted in between to suit your occasion.

Plus there is also the chance for you to download some papers and toppers that will blend with the set and of course you will get the magazine that is Simply Cards & Papercraft.

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

Good luck if you enter and don't forget this is the last opportunity for any Friday Freebie  

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

 

Playtime Cards

 Hi Everybody,

This little card is created with just an ink smooshed background that has been splattered with some gold and then layered onto gold mirror card

I have stamped the sentiment directly onto the base card, which is 5x7, and the patterned panel has been added with some foam underneath to give it some depth.

The base card is top folded and used in Landscape just to ring the changes in the way I usually lay out my designs.

 I have used a bow die set and I have cut this in gold mirror card.

I am sure that many of you already have a set very much the same as this one.

It doesn't need to be identical to create this look for your self so take a look through your own collections and see what you have.. 

You could even use real ribbon if you preferred and that would look just as good.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

 

Umbrellas'

Hi Everybody,

These cards are the ones that have had the circle die cut turned into an Umbrella and it makes for a very effective card.

The back grounds are also hand created using inks and so of course each one will be different from the other.

I have used the circular box die this and since my brane was at Craft Stash and they have closed their doors there is no point in me adding in any links. 

If you already have the die set then use it  and if not then use any circular die that you may have in your own collection to give you the same look.

It is a fun way to make your dies work and it also uses up any of the larger scraps of card that you may have left over.

The little flower is also from the same set, as are the leaves so I can get most of my elements for this design from the one die set.

You could try stamping an extra pattern onto the die cuts, or colouring it with your favourite medium to make it even more individual 

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx.

 

Christi Neal - Winner

 Hi Everybody, 

Thank you for participating in all the Friday Freebies that I have done over the years and I have given away probably hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds worth of gifts in that time. I am sure that  the winners have had some fun playing with whatever it was you won and many also got extras inside the envelope too.

But like everything else in the crafting world things are changing and the Friday Freebie is coming to an end and next week sees the last of them being offered to you. The cost of postage has gone up and it can cost me as much as £12 - £15 UK to post them to USA or Australia,  and that is no longer a viable expense for me.

So this week the winner of the Peacock die is 

Christi Neal

and if you would send me your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
I will get it posted off to you straight away.

Please be sure to let me know that you have it safely and I hope you enjoy playing with the die when it arrives.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Peacock Elegance

Hi Everybody,

Todays offering is from an old design by

Card Making Magic and the larger size of this die was released a while ago.

 This will enhance your cards and there is the chance to download some papers that will go with it to make them even more special

The magazine that comes with it is Die Cutting Essentials and as always it is full of tips and info for your to use in your own card making.

So if this is something that you would like then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post with your FULL NAME and then be sure to come back and see if it is your name that is shown as the winner.

It is a really pretty die and well worth having in your crafting stash so go ahead and add your comment. It doesn't matter if you have won before or where you live.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Using Circles

 Hi Everybody,

Most of us have the basic shaped dies and this video is yet another way to make what you have work for you without the need to buy special dies.

In this one I am going to share how I created an umbrella and a flowers holder from just circle dies.

You don't need to have the same dies as me, just use any circle or border dies that you have, and the same applies to flowers and leaf dies as they all create the same thing.

And making your own backing papers is another good way to save you the bother of buying patterned paper packs.

 Most of the packs have papers that you don't like and will never use or the colours are not the ones you need. so why pay for them in the first place.

Making your own to blend with what you have in mind is a much better way to put your time to good use, and far more satisfying than buying them.

Using Circles Again

I hope you enjoy the video and please don't forget to leave me a comment and give me the thumbs up, and if you aren't already a subscriber then please consider joining my channel and help the numbers to grow.

I have recently  been asked about the ink smoosher that I have been using to create my backgrounds  and I got the idea from another YouTuber.  I am adding the link to NBCards and Natalie shows you how to make you own

INK SMOOSHER 

Thank You

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Left over backgrounds

Hi Everybody,

Yesterday I showed you a backing paper that I made that had been inspired buy my shirt that was navy blue with pink flowers on it.

I thought it was lovely and so I got my inks out and made my own version of it. This is using what was left of those panels

The colours I used are Chipped Sapphire and Picked Raspberry and for one I smooshed the colours onto my card and for the other I made it into some plaid paper.

The card to the left has had the panels mounted onto silver mirror card to separate the patterns.

The right hand side of the card is the ink smooshed panel and the other is the plaid design, but although they use the same inks they look completely different.

I have used my circular dies for this card to make a flower holder to add to the top of the design and the  occasion is for a special day.

In the next video I will be showing how I made these designs and another way to make your circle dies work for you, so I hope you will join me then.

The colours will dictate that they are feminine cards but  if you teamed the Chipped Sapphire with something else it could be for a man ... the choice is up to you

So no waste from the backgrounds. the flowers make the card really feminine, and the circle does have found another use  for them.

Bye for now ..

Hugs xx