Isabellas' House - Pt 4

Hi Everybody,

Here as promised is just a little snippet of the video we took of Isabella the day she saw her playhouse  on Saturday and you can hear the rain in the background.

On Sunday we went out for Sunday lunch and took her and Vickie with us and she was as good as gold.

The rain had stopped by the time we got home and so a pleasant afternoon was spent in the garden playing until it was time for Isabella to go home

It is only a short section but it shows you how she reacted and as I said she was speechless for a long time.

We have had a fabulous weekend and the weather did nothing to dampen it

Back to cards again this week but thank you so much for all the lovely comments on this project it has been a real labour of love from all of us

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Isabellas' House - Pt 3

Hi Everybody,


Yesterday was really special when Isabella came to her Nana Vickies house to stay and saw her Playhouse for the first time.

She was completely overwhelmed and although the smile was wide she was speechless for a long time as she simply looked from the house to all of us

Vickie was telling her that we had all made this and that Pops (Griff) had built it

She whispered to her Nana "Is it for me ..."

This was the moment  she touched the bunting  and straightened out the piece that the wind had blown crooked

She was totally enthralled by it all and wandered around it touching and looking at everything that was in there

She climbed the steps to sit inside on her bright pink chair

And as she looked at the bunting she said ... "Look Nana it's a party house"

It is the perfect size for a three year old and I know that she will play in there such a lot

It was raining and even though we all  got soaked  she did not want to come inside

In the house there are other garden toys and here Vickie and Isabella are playing Golf

Every child  would love a Nana like my daughter, she is so much fun to be around and Isabella loves going to her Nana Vickies

In the end we had no choice and had to go indoors and get dry

There where more surprises for her in her bedroom which is of course pink and girly

And for the next few hours we played in there with her.

Nana Vickie tidied her hair once it was dry and this is one very happy little girl

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Isabellas' House - Pt 2

Hi Everybody,

Today Isabella is going to see her house for the first time and I am hoping to film her reaction. Many of you have said that you would like to see it too and so I will be adding it to a blog post to share with you.  I can't wait to see her and although it is raining now it won't stop the fun.

When I finished the story last we had painted and built the house where it needed to be in the garden and Vickie and I had dressed it ... just a little !!

This is what it looked like but the ground underneath had not been finished.

The black matting was just to stop the weeds from growing through and needed to be covered.

Vickie had ordered some black rubber chippings

which are especially for children to play in as it is soft safe and clean.

So we got busy and spread them over the garden and Griff was the one doing the shovelling of the chips into  the wheel barrow

The wooden edging will keep them in place and really finish off the whole area.

This is one really special playground for a three year old to call her own.

And there is room under the house for her car to live too.

We have added in a large wind spinner to the right of the steps and frog wind chime hanging from the top of the house.

There are little woodland creatures in the window boxes along with more windmills.

The bunting is in place on the outside and it looks absolutely wonderful ... I could play in there myself !!

The bunting is inside the house too as Isabella thinks that bunting means "Party"  

The box under the table is full of garden toys for us all to play with her and Vickie has bought a watering can, garden gloves and some little tools

There is also have a green carpet to be placed back inside once the rain stops

I think this whole project has been amazing and in the space of a week we have totally transformed this little house

So let the fun begin and Isabella is going to be one very happy little girl and Nana Vickie (my daughter) and Great Gran (me) will be happy big girls too

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Todays Winner is ...

Hi Everybody,

It's going to be a busy day today as it is the grand unveiling of Isabellas house ... and in the next post I will show you what else we have done to the play area so far.

But first things first and the winner for the pink card with the large Grosgrain ribbon has been chosen and the name is ...

Nattyboots ...

so if you could email me please 

christina@card-making-magic.com

with your postal address the card will be on its way to you.

Please let me know when it arrives and I hope you will like it.

More later ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 057

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is back to pink and this one is a 5x7" card.

It has lots of layers to it and a beautiful Grosgrain ribbon around them all.  I have added pearls onto the frame and the sentiment

The butterfly will be a bit flattened but the new owner just needs to fluff the wings up again and it's good to go

If this is a card that you would like to own then all you need to do is leave me a comment and join the group of followers.

Then pop back tomorrow and see if the card is yours ... Simples !!

You will have 48 hours to claim the card and if it is not claimed it will be redrawn for someone else ... so son't forget to check

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Labels Four

Hi Everybody,

Todays offering is using the same technique as Tuesdays tutorial card but simply using the opposite side of the folder to get a different look

I have used the same color ink .. Cotton Candy   from the Spellbinders Celebrations Collection.  It is a very soft baby pink and I love the lacy effect that the folder gives.

So just refer back to yesterdays Labels Thirty Four tutorial for how to Letterpress ... the link will be in the side bar to your right for Tuesday Tutorials

On the top I have used #3 from 5x7 Elegant Labels Four and teamed it with a sentiment that I had already had in my "Stash" onto Labels Eleven but that is retired from Spellbinders website

The sentiment is from JustRite Stampers  and is one of a set on the stamp sheet

My beautiful pink ribbon is from Mei Flower and I have tied it into a double bow.

The flowers in my corsage and the resin flower on the bow are all from Wild Orchid Crafts  and I chose a selection of the palest pink and last but not least the tiny pink pearls are from Want2Scrap

Altogether a very pretty and feminine card for any of your friends

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Let me tell you a story ....

Before at Donnas house

Hi Everybody,

Griff and I have four daughters between us and his youngest one Donna, gave my youngest one Vickie a playhouse for the garden.

 Donnas' children no longer use it as they are growing up, and of course Vickie has her Grand daughter ... who is three year old Isabella.

Last week Griff took it all down from Donnas and transported it into Vickies garden.

Over the weekend while I have been on C&C she has been busy adding undercoat to all the parts.



She chose a lovely green and white and on Monday  Griff and I went round to help her paint it all and hopefully make a start to put the house back together in her garden.

The weather was really kind to us and we had so much fun being labourers for Griff as he did the work

Isabella knows nothing about this playhouse and Vickie wants it all finished for the weekend when she will have her over to stay.

We have been so excited about getting this done we are worse than kids.  You'd think we where going to live in it !!

Once the platform was built,  and placed in the position where it needed to be,  the walls are starting to go in.

The tree in next doors garden had to have a serious haircut to accommodate the roof height

But work went on at a steady pace ... mixed with regular brew stops.

Here the walls are done and the fencing around the platform is taking shape and the next part is getting the roof back on

But we are so pleased that we have got so much work done and thank fully the rain held off

The roof is on here and Vickie and I cant wait to start adding things to it ... much to Griffs despair.

The ladder is now safely in place and it is as steady as a rock ... and very heavy.

But now it is decoration time. Yaay !!


Griff thinks we are going overboard with the things that have been bought for the house .... we said he's not female and he's not three so what would he know

After at Vickies House

There is a periscope, telescope, ships bell and a ships wheel at the left side of the house

And  a "Welcome" sign at the front of the house.

We have added in two Dragonflies, a Butterfly and some bunting along the edge of the platform and some more bunting to go inside.

It has bright pink flower boxes on the fence with flowers planted in them and her little car is in the "Garage" under the house.

We have added in some pink furniture and a green rug and some little pottery snails to greet Isabella as she climbs the ladder.

Under the house and the play area has to be finished yet with some rubber chips to keep if soft, safe and clean.

And today Vickie is going to add in a little fence around the edges where the rubber chips will be.

On Saturday we are  going to be waiting for Isabella to arrive and Griff will be filming one little girls reaction to this wonderful house that her Nana Vickie  has created for her ... and I can't wait

Many many thanks to Donna for letting Vickie have this house ...  but now Donna likes the changes so much ... she wants it back !!

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Labels Thirty Four

Hi Everybody,

Today I am using  Spellbinders Labels Thirty Four  and some of the other pieces that match. It is a set of dies has been around for  quite some time and maybe you already have them in your crafting "Stash"

It makes the most beautiful card and it could be for any occasion. Just by altering the colors and embellishments you can make it suit your recipient. Please remember that the smallest die is always #1 (Number One)

Within this tutorial you will find other links that will take  you to a  Video Tutorial  that is relevant

Spellbinders Supplies:

• E3D-016 Labels 34 Medallions     (Embossing Folder)
• S4-416 Labels Thirty Four
• S4-427 Decorative Labels Thirty Four
• SCI-013 Cotton Candy Ink pad
• GC-200 Grand Calibur

Instructions:

For the base I have cut my card  free hand to 7 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches to Create a Hinged Card

From the pink card I have cut a slightly smaller layer

From another  piece of white card that is slightly smaller I have created another layer

On this this layer I am using the Letter Press Technique 

The video will show you how to achieve the look and explain about the different effects within the folder

I have used a very pale pink for my card and a brayer to add the ink to the folder

With the Decorative Labels Thirty Four and using dies # 3 and #4 I have cut panels  in the pink card

And from Labels Thirty Four #5 I have cut one panel in white.

This has then been placed back into the centre of the embossing folder and run through the Calibur

I have stamped and embossed a sentiment and with #3 from the plain Labels I have cut it out.

You can ink through the die if you wish to enhance the sentiment but for my finished card I haven't done this

Foam pads have been added to each of these layers

This will  give some dimension to the card and add more interest

The ribbon has been added to the bottom of the card and then the layers can be added to the base card.

I have added beautiful pale pink and white flowers from  Wild Orchid Crafts   to sit around the sentiment

They are sparkled with Glitter Magic and my  satin ribbon is from Mei Flower   And as a final touch I have added in a white Dove to the top left of the card.

Designers Tip:

Try adding your ink to the opposite side of the folder for a completely different look to your card.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Forever Water Color Card

Hi Everybody,

Here is another of those water colored card with Twinkling H2.0s  and as requested by several of you I will do a video tutorial on this technique.

I know my ladies in the Wednesday card Class enjoyed  it a lot ... so watch this space ... it will be with you soon.

To this one I have added in some extra glitter by dabbing  with my finger some Cosmic Shimmer Dries Clear  glue onto the card in random areas and sprinkling on the glitter

I also stamped and embossed the large flourish and painted in the leaves and again applied some glue and glitter to the swirls in the flourish.

I also added tiny pearls around some of the curves

The  "Forever"  sentiment from Spellbinders,  has been cut in gold several times and glued together

I have created the card base from gold card and embossed it to create texture.

There are some good tips for   storing these little pots of paint   on my website ... Card Making Magic ... and also many other things that you may find interesting too

The Create and Craft shows can  be watched on your PC  for up to seven days ... wherever you live .... here is the link for you Create & Craft TV 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Water Colored Card

Hi Everybody,

Thank you so much for your support on C&C yesterday and for sending in your emails.

It is much appreciated even though not many got read out. 

This plain and simple card today is water colored and the butterfly is a stamp from   Sheena Douglass

I have used  Twinkling H2.0s  for this technique and the effect is really sparkly once the paint has dried

The butterfly has been stamped and embossed with gold  twice and then also painted 

I layered the two together along the body line and curved the wings upwards for effect.

Apart from the stamped and gold embossed sentiment and the gold layers under the card there is no other embellishment on the card.

Water coloring is a subject that I  covered with my Wednesday Card Class and we messed about with  paint for some really pretty effects

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Todays Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

Early start for me today as I will be whizzing down the motorway shortly to be on Create and Craft at 4 pm showing you some of the new Spellbinders.

I have some pretty samples to show you and I hope you will join me today and again tomorrow at 12 noon.

So on to the card winner for this weeks Friday Freebie. A name has been chosen and the winner is ...

Jane Cameron

Please email me 

christina@card-making-magic.com

and I will get the card in the post to you straight away.

I hope you will like it and please let me know when it arrives with you.

Please Note 

I would like to remind you that all the Tuesday Tutorials are now in one place  for you and you have access direct to the page from the side bar on your right.  

At the top of the column is the link to the card that I do each Tuesday ...

At the bottom of the column is the link to the card that I do one a month for Spellbinders Blog

So that means that five new  written tutorials are added here on  FRP each month 

And  there are lots of  video tutorials too and they are  accessible from the Title Bar at the top of the page

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 056

Hi Everybody,

Not a very good photograph but it is a very pretty card.

It is a 8" square card with a foiled front and a stamped and embossed sentiment on the panel

The sentiment  Good Friends  and it is from JustRite Stampers

It is part of a set that matches Labels Twenty Nine  from Spellbinders and together they make a pretty topper for your designs

The card is looking for a new home and so if you would like to own it then all you need to do is become a follower  (if your're not already)  and leave me a comment at the bottom of the post and come back tomorrow to check if you have won

If you are new to leaving comments then here is what you need to do.... 

•  Scroll down the page to just under my signature
• Look for the word Comment  ... the number is how many comments have already been made
• Click the word and it will open another box for you
• Add your comment into the box where it says ... "Leave your comment"
• And then you will need to identify yourself with your email address or any of the other options
• And your comment will be added once it has been moderated by me so please don't add it twice

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Waste Not Want Not ...

Hi Everybody,

A few weeks ago I showed you a card that used the negative part from die cutting and this is the bit that usually is tossed in the trash can

I was also asked if I could do a video showing how it was created and so that is what I have done

This card is the negative from cutting out the large  Butterfly from Spellbinders ... and that can be used on another project so nothing is wasted.

And don't forget that if you carefully position any of your dies then you will be able to make use of all the card that you have with some really pretty results.






The video will show you how to get the look you want and this is the second card that was created from those pink butterflies

So two cards for the price of one can't be bad and all it takes from you is a little careful thought about where you place that die

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and the diamante trail from both butterflies is from Want2Scrap

The sentiment is the one that was free from Simply Cards and Papercrafts  and is such a useful stamp

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Weaving Again ...

Hi Everybody,

Here is another of the woven cards using the new Sue Wilson die sets.

For this card I have cut each one of them   Classic  together with the Striped  just once to create the stripy background

The panels has been wrapped with ribbon before adding it to the base and a double bow sits on the top with a turquoise dazzler over the knot

The stain ribbon is from Mei Flower and comes in many colors and it ties in a soft bow every time

The sentiments is a rubber stamp and I have heat embossed it in clear then add pieces of pearls flourish from Want2Scrap  around it

The beautiful flowers are from  Wild Orchid Crafts  

I have arranged the display around the sentiment in a half circle and then added pearl swirls around them

The whole striped panel has then been  layered with teal and white and then added to a larger card base with an embossed layer underneath.

It is a very striking card and I am happy with the result.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Heirloom Oval

Hi Everybody,

Todays tutorial is using the Heirloom Oval from my all time favorite Victorian Collection. This is the most beautiful set of dies and I love using these often on my designs.  This particular set comes with an outer oval shape that can be used to cut the base and this is the foundation for my card

Spellbinders Supplies:

• S4-447  Heirloom Oval
• S4-395  Les Papillions Two
• GC-200 Grand Calibur

From white card I have created my base using die  #4

Take one piece fold over the top by about 1" and glue together

(Please remember that die #1 is always the smallest in any set)

To create the frame use #4 and #2 and cut two ovals one from white and the other from your chosen color

My card is a 255gsm and because these dies are not intricate I was able to cut both pieces together 

You may have to do them one at a time if your card is thicker 

Then with die #3 I lined it up onto my colored card and cut the pattern into the card

Once this is done I glued these two pieces together to create a colored frame that is now backed with white

I stamped and embossed my sentiment onto a piece of card that was larger then the aperture in my frame

Adding foam pads to the back of the frame will raise it up from the sentiment which makes the card more interesting

Add the frame in place carefully over the sentiment and  trim around the edge to remove the surplus card

Angle the scissors just under the edge and cut around ... that way the sentiment will fit under the frame with no card showing through.

I placed my sentiment on the  finished card off centre and added  flowers from  Wild Orchid Crafts  around one side.

I also added foam tape to the back of this panel before adding it to the base

From Les Papillions Two I cut the solid layer in peach and the lacy layer in white and glued the two together at the body line.

Bending the wings up a little gives some dimension and I glued it to the frame work just along the body part

I used La Creme Pearls from  Want2Scrap to highlight the flowers and along the butterflies body line

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx