Cards from the Videos

 Hi Everybody,

I am so happy to read the comments that the videos have gone down quite well and that some of the ideas have been taken on board and used for your own designs

These are some of the cards that are in the videos and it is good to know that some of you have the dies too.

I have so many Spellbinders from my time on their DT and many more that I designed for Craft Stash and it is time they got an airing again.

The card to the right is from the rectangles video and the one below is from the squares and I still have lots of ideas on how to use just one set of dies to make different cards.

I have incorporated all the videos into one playlist on YouTube and titled it

  Using Older Dies

and it has other vidoes in the list that you may find useful, plus I will be adding more to it as I go along.

I have some really old sets of matching Spellbinders that I would like to video and you may have them as well.

Plus I am open to suggestions if there is something you would like to see and if I have the dies, or something similar, then I will oblige

Thank you for the comments that you have left for me it gives me a lot of pleasure to read them.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Time for Rectangles

 Hi Everybody,

I have worked my way through some Squares and Circles and the last video was with Ovals but for todays video I thought I would use some Rectangles.

I was going to name the video 5x7's but rectangles come in many sizes from A5 down to the smaller A6 and you can of course cut these down to any size you want.

In todays video I am using a really old set from my own range of Card Making Magic but they are no longer available to purchase

So as I always advise you,  look at what you have and make them work for you and maybe you already have this set

These two cards are both 5x7 but one has the die cut added to the card base front and the other has used the shape die cut to create the full card.

I hope you have enjoyed the little series and have now started to use the dies that you have more in your card making.

I make seven cards and hopefully they have given you some ideas of your own to build on.

Using Rectangles for Stunning Effects

I have added the links at the top of the page to all the videos in this series just in case you missed them and by clicking the link you will open a new window to view them.

I would love it if you would give me the "Thumbs Up" leave me a comment as that really does help my YouTube Channel to grow, and then YouTube will recommend my videos to other like minded crafters.

And it you became a subscriber both here and on YouTube that would be fantastic.

The flowers I have used are from Wild Orchid Crafts and they no longer ship to the UK , 

but you can get the same flowers at a similar price from Carroway Cottage the the link is below if you need to get some more

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Winifred Kennedy - Winner

 Hi Everybody,

This has been a traumatic weekend as my eldest daughter's dog has been very sick and needed an emergency operation last night to find out what was wrong.  Today she ... Lottie is back at home and recovering from her ordeal. Lottie is  a two year old, little French Bulldog and understandably my daughter has been worried sick about her.  Hopefully we have turned the corner now.

I have done the draw for the pretty Spring Birds pack and the name this week ...

Winifred Kennedy

would you please send me your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and it will be on it's way to you..

Would you let me know that you have it safely and I hope you get lots of fun out of the pack. 

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Spring Birds

Hi Everybody,

Todays offering comes with the Simply Cards & Papercraft magazine and it is a full kit of papers, sentiments and lots of lovely topper sheets

They will all help you to make some pretty cards with the theme or spring birds.

The papers are floral designs and on quality paper in lots of different colours so you can vary the look.

The magazine will give you even more ideas on how to use this kit as well as other tips for inspiration.

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

For those new to the blog, the reason for your full name is so that I can get the gift to the correct winner,

I have a few people with the same first name oy you may come through as unknown or anonymous.

Without a name there is no way I can identify you and so you will miss out on becoming the winner.

Plus I always ask for you postal address because I do not store addresses any where and so even if you have won before I will not have your postal address.

I am not asking much and you will get a good prize if your are the winner.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

 

Oval Variations

Shaped card

 Hi Everybody,

Today I am using oval dies that I have in my collections and I have chosen some dies from Spellbinders that are at the very least ten years old

It was a set that I very much loved and used loads when it was first introduced but like everything else it got pushed to one side as new items came on to the market.

I am sure that lots of other people have the same dies and have neglected them for so long.

But now I am on a revival kick and digging out all my old dies again and breathing new life into them 

Shaker card

Here are three of the cards from the video and you can do the same styles with any of the die shapes I have covered so far.

Oval Variations

Once you start to play and experiment with the shapes I know you will be able to come up with so many more and have fun in the process.

This shaker card is lovely and I have linked to the parchment and mirror card that I have used below.

They are easy to make and the results are stunning

DL Card base

The card to the right is a DL and I often get asked

what is a DL card. 

All it means is that the card is double the length of its width so for example my card is a 8 x 4" base.

But it could be a 6 x 3" card or any size you choose.

In the next video I will be covering my favourite size which is the 5x7 and showing you several ways in which I have used mine. I hope you will join me for that.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Circle Pink & Gold gatefold

Hi Everybody,

This is a card that was made with the same circle dies that I used in the video but this one didn't make it into the film.

It is 6" Gatefold and the inside and the side panels have all been lined with pink layers and white embossed layers

The circle motif fits nicely onto the front of the card and has tiny pearls dotted all around the outside edge.

The gold embossed flowers have been added to one side and the sentiment is raised up with foam and nestled into the display

I hope these videos are giving you some fresh ideas on what to do with your dies and making the most of any items that you already have in your stash,

I hope you will join me tomorrow for another video and  as promised I will be using Ovals to make seven beautiful cards that would suit any occasion.

If there is anything that you would particularly like to see then let me know and if I have the dies to oblige then I will do that straight away.

Another point before I go is about the flowers I use that I got from Wild Orchid Crafts. WOC stopped trading some time ago now and sold the company to buyers from abroad. They will not ship to the Uk and so we couldn't get he beautiful blooms we all so enjoyed.

Well one of my readers found another company that sell the same kind of flowers and at more or less the same price and they are based in the UK.

I am adding the link for you to take a look at them and it will also be in the box underneath future videos on YouTube.

Carroway Cottage

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Using your Square Dies

 Hi Everybody,

Today we are moving on to using square dies to create several beautiful cards. and the dies I am using are really old ones from Spellbinders that will no longer be available to buy.

I have used gold and silver mirror card to enhance the look and the flowers are mulberry flowers that I got from Wild Orchid Crafts many years ago

This pretty card has used the square dies as they are but in the video I show you how to increase or decrease the size to fit your designs.

Square Dies

This card has had the size of the die cut increased to fit a 5x7 and the result is really pretty.

I have used the same leaf and butterfly dies for all the cards, including the circle ones from last week.

You don't need to buy more you just  need to use any leaf,  flowers, heart or butterfly dies that you already have and make them work for you.

The sentiment is from  my bit box and so are may of the other die cuts that I could find on my desk and they  are left over from other projects.

This video is a little longer but it gives you eight ideas on how to create the look for your self.

I hope you will join me next time and see what we can do with Oval shapes.

Bye For Now ...

Hugs xx

Embossing Powders ...

Hi Everybody,

The technique on both of these cards is created with embossing powder and a sheet of parchment but I don't think it turned out quite right for me.

It was something that I watched Marion Emberson  doing on YouTube and her cards turned out lovely.

So as you do I thought "Oh I will have a go at that" but this is my result.

I am adding the link here to Marion's video and if you try it then let me know how it goes for you

Pouncing Technique

Marion has some lovely ideas on how to get he best from any embossing powders that you have and how to mix the colours to create your own, and they are well worth a watch.

I hope you cards turn out better than mine did here but I will give it another go and maybe make the powders a little thicker on my sheet.

Good Luck with it

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

 

Michele Coffey - Winner

 Hi Everybody,

The weather is so changeable at present, the other day it was like a real spring day and today it is cold damp and miserable.  It will only be a short walk for Ruby and if it rains then we won't be going out at all. I am a fair weather walker only but Ruby will go out in anything .

Thank you for all the lovely comments you have left me this week and I hope you are all well.

The draw has been done early and the name this week is

Michele Coffey

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

I would be happy if you could let me know when it arrives with you and I hope you enjoy
 playing with it. 

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Lisa Horton

Hi Everybody,

Todays offering is from Simply Cards & Papercraft and it features a die set and an embossing folder from 
 Lisa Horton 

The magazine is full of ideas and inspiration for you to try as well as ways in which to use the die set.

So would you like to have this in your collection ?

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 check back and see if you are the winner as I have no way to contact you and if the prize is not claimed than it will be offered again at a later date.

I am happy to send this to you wherever you live and it doesn't matter if you have won before, but you do need to have left me regular comments on other posts.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx 

More Circle Shaped Cards

Easel Card

Hi Everybody,

Here are the other circle cards made in the vidoe from Tuesday and I think they are all really pretty cards.

Each one will need a box to be made for it as the depth of the flowers doesn't allow it to be placed in an envelope.

But they will obviously go to someone special and so it will be well worth it when they are ready.

I have prepped the next video and it will be on the same idea of using one set of dies and getting different looks for the cards and next time it will be squares.

I hope you can join me then and maybe give some of them a try with the dies that you already have

5x7 Card

With this pink 5x7 card I felt that there was too much white space left on the front.

So I took a stencil and with some pink ink I added random areas on the background and that made me happier.

Have you started to re visit your older dies again to see what you can do with them.??

Die cutting has always been my favourite technique because it is so quick and easy and the work is done for you. It is simply playing with the die cuts until you get something that please your eye.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx 

Friend Card

Hi Everybody,

This beautiful background is foiled in gold and it really makes the flowers prominent on the card.

They are coloured with alcohol markers in vibrant colours and then added with foam pads to the card front.

I don't remember where they are from as this was made quite some time ago but is another that went to the charity shop.

It is much prettier in the hand than the photo shows and the gold foiling looks lovely.

Again nothing new has been used and the items have  been around in my craft room for quite some time. 

Even the alcohol markers I have had for about seven years.

I cannot tell you where the dies are from or the sentiment, all I do know is that the finished card is an A6  and it fitted into a standard envelope and went to the charity shop.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Use What You Have

Circle Shaped card

 Hi Everybody,

Resisting the urge to buy more dies is hard work but stop and ask yourself just how many oval, square or circle dies do you need.
  Or even how many butterflies, flowers, leaves or hearts do you really need.

I have lots of any one of those shapes and I struggle to use them because I have too much choice.

I have not bought them all as I was on various design teams and so the dies where sent to me by the companies.
 And then of course I designed my own brand and that gave me a lot more to use. 

But having so many stops me from being creative because I am spoilt for choice,  and  that is why I give so many items away, in the hope that they will benefit some body else as they have me.

 I have given away flowers, dies, embossing folders, stamps and "Bling" and I hope they have been enjoyed by those who have received them 

Rocker Card

In this video I am using one set of old dies to make six cards that look different and are in different shapes too.

Six Ways with Circle Dies

I have not bought anything new in the process.

The dies are old, the flowers are old, the glitter is old and I have even used shapes that are lying on my desk top left over from other projects.

The styles have been around for a long time so nothing new there either but each one looks different from the other.

5" Gatefold Card

If  you have been with me for sometime then you will recognise the circle dies I have used and the butterfly and leaf dies too.

And the Mulberry flowers are those that I have had for years. They were gifted to me by Wild Orchid Crafts many years ago.

I  know it is very tempting when you see someone advertising a new product.

 I sincerely hope you will try my "No Buy" approach to crafting and stop buying those items that you really don't need, and start using what you already have in your craft room.

Try new colour schemes and  some of the older styles and you will be surprised at what you come up with and enjoy.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Tall Flowers

 Hi Everybody,  

This card is one of the ones that has gone into the charity box and it was made using a really old background stamp.

It must be at the very least six years old and I have used it often on my designs. The card was made some time ago also.

The flowers on the front are from the Tall Flowers collection and I have covered them with Versamark, Gold powder and heat embossed them.

They have been added to the card with foam pads to give varying heights.

I have added in some gold hearts, black dots and coloured the odd triangle on the card  and I have no idea where the sentiment is from

The finished card is an A6 and somebody in the charity shop will find it fits their needs.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Vicki Phillips - Winner

 Hi Everybody,

It is very pleasant here in the North West. No wind, no rain, no snow and not that cold really. 

Time for a nice walk with Ruby to the beach or maybe the woods. 
Either way she doesn't care as long as she is out.

The draw has been done early today and the name this week is 
Vicki Phillips  

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

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

Just a little reminder about adding your FULL NAME ....  and if you never win then go back and take a look at your comment,

does it say unknown ??? is there any indication of who you may be ???
Then how am I supposed to name you as a winner if your comment is picked ???
And have you left comments on other posts ???

Those are the only things I ask of you and it's not much to ask for a free gift with a magazine and whatever else falls into the envelope at the time I pack it. Sent at my expense to you wherever you are.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

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