Blonde v Brunette

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Hi Everybody,

Well I went back to Saturated Canary and bought some more of the beautiful images ...  and this one is called   "Bubbles"

I just love these characters and they are so easy to colour.

I printed them off in draft so that they can be coloured with Spectrum Noir ... and I added two to each sheet of  smooth white  A4 160 gsm paper ... and that will leave me enough space for me to cut them out with Spellbinders.

Although the image is the same I have coloured them  completely different.

One I have kept to Blonde hair and blue eyes and in pale colours ....

I have added sparkle to the dress and the ribbon is from my "stash" and the pearls have been created with Cosmic Shimmer Glue and the tutorial    Creating Your Own Pearls  will show you what I did.

The other I have done in more vibrant colours ... and goodness me there are the flowers again..... Wonder how they got there ????

This one I have given brown hair and eyes and I asked my film crew which he preferred and he said the Blonde one as he was a sucker for blondes ..... I prefer the brown haired one.

This one has been added to some paper that I designed myself and I have been asked to show you the papers before I add all the embellishments....

 Here it is and the watermark is there for obvious reasons ... and it is the swirl that I picked out with a glue pen and sprinkled it with glitter.

Once I get enough to make a collection then I will add them to the website.

Hugs xx

Special Birthday Card

The Spellbinders are out again for this card and I have made this for my daughters birthday next month.

This makes full use of the Venetian Accents and Motifs and this is such a girly set.

The card is royal blue and cream...  and the base layer has different sized glue pearls added to it.

The other layers have all been in an embossing folder to add texture and interest to the card.

There is a video ... Create Your Own  Pearls ... to show you how I did this effect and it is a lot cheaper than using flat backed pearls to get the look.

I have cut the border twice and added it to the bottom of the card it has been double layered with blue and cream organza ribbon.... with a pearl to cover the knot.

Labels 20 has been used for the centre piece and I have added the matching pearl  "Bling" from Want2Scrap

The cream feather has been added in behind the mask ... which has been cut in cream  and again in blue to act as the shadow. I have done the same thing with the sentiment.

The finished card is 8" x 9" and I have used my Enveloplus Board to create a larger sized box to put it in.

Hope she likes it when she gets it ...

Hugs xx

Spellbinders Perisan Accents

I love this colour .. it is so fresh and I think it makes a very pretty card.  It never fails to please me and the backing paper for this card is from the Floriogrpahy CD from My Craft Studio.

The lacy effect for  this card is  the  Persian Accents  from  Spellbinders... and   I have added four of them ... all off set along the front panel.

Then  along  the outer edge  I have used  Cosmic  Shimmer  Glue  to create the  Faux Pearls.

Around  the sentiment  panel I have  wrapped some  Organza  ribbon  and on  to the  bow  I have added a  Vintage  button.

Through this I  have add  sparkly  Decorative  Hatpin  that  can  later  be worn as a  Lapel  pin  by  my  recipient.

The flowers   are all from  the  Bitty Blossoms  with the  Foliage  leaves  tucked in  behind... and both die sets are  from  Spellbinders.

It is a  larger card and I  have made the  "A"  frame to allow the  card to stand  by itself

Hugs xx

My first Christmas Card ...

Now how sad is this .... it's only the begining of August and I have already made a Christmas Card.... and probably by the time December arrives I will be all Christmas Carded out .... 

But I thought I would make an early start.  This is  a large card but it will fit inside an  A4 envelope because  it has been kept  flat.

 I have used a   Spectrum Noir Background   in the aperture,  and added   Micro Glass Beads  to the snowflakes to give them  more texture.

The pearls around the edge of the card are created with Cosmic Shimmer Glue  and the addition of the  Pierced Edges  gives  a little more interest to the  card.

The Spellbinders Labels 20 has the additon of Nestabling from Want2Scrap  ...

and to all those of you who popped over to the Want2Scrap Facebook page and clicked their like button I want to say "Thank You" and good luck in the draw to win the $100 worth of "Bling"

If you would like to be in with a chance to win then take your self over there by clicking the Want2Scrap link ... click their "Like" button and leave a comment saying that Christina sent you.... then sit back and keep your fingers crossed that you can win.

Any way now that the card  is done I don't think I like it really and it probably won't be sent to any one ... oh well back to the drawing board to make a better job of the next one.

Pearly Baby

I hope you are not getting tired of these babies  ... though with such a lovely image I don't see how you can.

The next video in this series will be about clothes and I will show you some tricks with the pens to get the different looks.  It will be added later in this week  because at the moment my "Film Crew" is rather busy.

Around the edge of this card I have added the look of pearls ... but to use the real thing would cost too much


And so I have used glue to produce the look and the video   Create Your Own Pearls   will show you how to get the look and save money in the process.

Clicking the picture will  enlarge the photo  for a better view and I have varied the size of the pearls for greater effect.

 The charm on the left of the card is a silver baby shoe and I have added it to the  tag  with a silver mobile phone cord.

The number is fabric and raised on foam pads.

I have made the card to an 8" square as that gives lots of room to add the border, and I embossed a square onto it first.

I have added an "A" frame to the back to enable the card to stand ... and I don't need to add an insert to the card doing this.

The   Spellbinders Fancy Tags 3   has the addition of Nestabling around it and that is from Want2Scrap

I am pleased to tell you that my Spellbinder and Nestabling videos are featured on the Want2Scrap Blog page and I thank them for the compliment

Earlier this week I mentioned Micro Glass Beads and I have had several emails asking me about this product as it is quite new. The link will take you to a more detailed explanation and how to use them on your cards.

Hugs xx



Birthday Blue ...

This is a very simple Brithday card that was really quick to make.


The blue ribbon was already in my "Stash" and it is the last piece I have left  .... (sob!!)

But of course the background, tag and border were  created with   Spellbinders.

Well wouldn't be me without a Spellbinder or two somewhere in a card.

This time I have used the  A Side Elegance Embossing Folder and each of the little circles in the design has been blobbed (technical term)  with the Cosmic Shimmer white glue to create a pearl.

Leave them to dry thoroughly before you continue ... probably best overnight.

I layered this panel onto some blue card.  The border is the waste from cutting out the Morrocan Accent  (and that was used on another card)  ... but being the frugal crafter that I am I couldn't throw it away.

I just layerd and offset two pieces of it and edged  it with some distress ink then added the lot  ... on foam pads to the card. I wrapped them with the blue ribbon and added them all to the base card.

The sentiment was stamped in Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink and the cut out with one of the Fancy Tags 3   and inked again while still in the die to edge the frame.

The little Diamante buckle is from The Hobby House  and just gives that little bit of sparkle.

Hugs xx

Oh Baby ...

I thought I would make a baby card for a change with some of the little baby carriages that I bought from  Mei Flower   when I went to the GNPE in Harrogate

They have the most adorable baby range in the softest of pastel colours,  with gorgeous embellishments  and  beautiful ribbons to match.

But once again the Spellbinders have been used to add that special touch to  any card. 

This background has been embossed with the B Side Elegance Embossing Folder and then each of the flowers has had  white Cosmic Shimmer Glue  added to create a pearl  to the centres.

It has been matted and layered onto pink card,  pink check paper,  more pink card and then pale grey card.

White lace and pink organza ribbon have been wrapped around all the layers before being added to the white base card.  A little bow has been added and the centre knot covered with some pink Card Candi   just to stop it looking  bare.

The sentiment is from Lili of the Valley   and there are many beautiful sentiments and stamps for you to choose.

The baby carriage has been layered onto the middle size of the Floral Ovals and the whole lot weaved into the Decorative Oval Window which has been inked in Victorian Velvet Distress ink.

I have been asked  recently where I get my Spellbinders from and the answer is most of them I get from    Scrap-Mart    who are based in the USA.

 Now there are two reasons for this ...

1 .... They are  Cheaper  than they are here in the UK

2... I can get the  Newest Designs   before they are available here in the UK

And even thought there is P&P to pay they are still the best price  and their  service is so quick.

Hugs xx

More Flowers...

The names to all the Spellbinders dies that I have used will be  BOLD  so that you will know what has been used should you wish to add them to your collection.

Here are those Bitty Blossoms again and they have been combined with the Damask Motifs  from Spellbinders.

I have layered them over the Romantic Rectangles with one of the Fancy Tags 3 at the front, and the leaf shapes tucked behind the flowers are from the Damask Accents. 

The buckle on the ribbon is from the Ribbon Buckles and there are lots in that set for you to use.

This card is going to be for a wedding and so the name and date have been left off and will be added later.

The pearly flourish is fromWant2Scrap and I have coloured them,  the butterlfy and the pearl flower centres with Promarkers to match my colour scheme.

I have added Cosmic Shimmer around the edge to create the look of pearls

Hope you like....

Hugs xx

Cute Little Mouse

This character is from the Sugar Plum Daisy CD from Polka Doodles and is one of the many cute images on there.

The papers and sentiment are all from the same CD and have been layered up with Spellbinders

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and they are all added to the bottom of the card with some Pinflair Glue

But the interesting piece is the strip along the left hand side.

I cut some Spellbinder borders for another card and by carefully positioning the die  this is the  strip that was left over

Normally this is the bit that is just thrown away ... but I decided to add some yellow ribbon  wrapped  aound the shape and I think it makes a really neat addition to the card.

And as always ... being a Frugal crafter ... I can't throw anything away ... that's why my "Stash" is spilling out the door

The pearls around the edge of the card are all made with  Cosmic Shimmer  glue ... which is a cheaper alternative to the real thing.

Very shortly there is going to be a whole new look to the Blog.

I have been working with Katie Price and she has come up with a really beautiful design for my pages. It is all pink and flowery to match the title of the Blog and I am very pleased with the result.

Let me know what you think about it.

Hugs Christina xx

Felt Flowers

I am sure you know by now that I love to add flowers to my cards whenever I can ...  and so this morning I bought lots of felt squares in different colours.  It was not expensive (47pence) and each sheet is about the size of A4 card ... so not a bad price!

With the help of the Spellbinder Spiral Blossom  I set to and cut out flowers in most of the colours and leaves from the Foliage dies in the two shades of green .

I was very pleased with the result and used my hot glue gun to hold the flowers together ... but if you don't have one then a few stitches will keep them in place. 

On some of them I have gone around the edge with glitter glue and left it to dry and that gives a really pretty effect.

And this is the card I made with one of the flowers tucked in place along some satin ribbon.

I have added a bow and there is a piece of  Card Candi added to the centre to neaten the knot.

A miniature tag tucked under the flowers says "With Love" and then I added the  Pearls  along the edges as a finishing touch. 

A card that is very feminine and "Mothers Day" is just around the corner.

Hugs Christina xx

Are you ready for Valentines Days?

Today has been far from relaxing and there have been three videos made over the weekend.

The one I mentioned yesterday has now been added and if you refer back to yesterdays post then you will be able to use the link.  It will take you to the White on White card featured with the Spellbinders.

But next week is Valentines Day.  Have you got your card ready to send to the one you love?

I have and here is a sneaky preview of Griffs card.  I have kept the colours gentle (just like him) and I hope he will  like it.

The top part of the card has been embossed with an embossing folder  from  Creative Expressions    Look for "That Special Touch"  for the masks to give  some really pretty ideas. 

This one is the Vintage Plumes.

The bottom is covered with some stripey paper and the join is covered with the Hearts Border from .... Yes you guessed it ... Spellbinders!!

I have also used the Scalloped Hearts and the Classic Hearts amd added gingham ribbon for the bows, and threaded throught the border.

I'll let you know what he thinks on the 14th....

Hugs Christina xx

... Panic Over!

Whew! thank goodness for that.  After the problems yesterday when trying to add the new video I am happy to say that it is now sorted.   And so this where you will find the tutorial to create this
                              Aperture Card with Spellbinders.

The videos will now be in High Defintion to show more detail and the music in the background has had to be changed as the other one was lost along with the software used for editing them.

But the new piece is vey pleasant and relaxing so I hope you will enjoy the tutorials just the same.

So this is the card that I wanted to share with you and this is the lilac version of it.  But it would look just as good in any colour. Imagine it all in white for a really special wedding card.

There are some neat ideas for the ribbon as well and it gives a real vintage look to organza.

The flowers and leaves are all cut from Spellbinders and you will find here the tutorial to show you how to Create Your Own Pearls

I am going to de stress now with a nice cup of Cappucino ... any body want one???

Hugs Christina xx