Ukraine

 Hi Everybody,

The news from the Ukraine does not get any better and I feel so sad for their people. I have been enjoying a lovely sunny day here but what have they been through in these last few hours. And all because of one mans greed.  Homes bombed and  innocent people killed.

I am not politically minded but it is clear to see that this man is deranged and needs stopping.
What satisfaction can this be giving him. Thousands of people with no where to go, no homes, no money, no food, no water and many with young children.

  He may have politicians around him doing his bidding but it is not because they like him or even agree with him .... it's more from fear of him and what he will do to them and their families if they don't comply.

I don't know what the answer is but if he is not stopped at the Ukraine it will only be a matter of time before he targets the other countries on the Ukraine border ... and then what ??? The rest of the world and the possibility of World War 3

The way he talks and warns the rest of the world to keep out of the conflict is frightening.
The stopping of his own country seeing what is going on by blocking the news and the internet, stopping them from expressing their own anger at his actions is atrocious.

These are not the actions of a great man but a mouse. A monster that has no conscience but like other monsters in the past he will face his comeuppance in the end.  And I for one hope it is sooner rather than later

Winner

 Hi Everybody,

I am so saddened by the events unfolding over the past week that I cannot think of things to say.
But I hope you are all well and safe in your own homes.

 I have done the draw for yesterdays offering and the name today is ...

Gloria Lamb

Please email me your postal address to

christina@card-making-magic.com

and I will get the pack in the post to your straight away 
Please let me know when you have it safely and I hope you enjoy playing with it.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Build A Flower

 Hi Everybody,

This weeks gift moves over to a flower theme and this is the Build A Flower die set , that also has foam sheets and stamens with it to help you create beautiful blooms.

Inside the pages of Die Cutting Essentials you will find instructions on how to make the flowers for your self, and if you have never used foam then you will be pleasantly surprised.

So why not enter your comment with your FULL NAME at the end of the post to be in with a chance of winning this gift.

One name will be selected from those comments and added to a blog post over the weekend. You will need to come back and check if your name is shown and then you will have 72 hours in which to claim the prize.

I am happy to send this to you wherever you live and it doesn't matter if you have been a winner in the past. Good Luck  

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

2fer1 with Alphabets

Hi Everybody,

I love getting two cards for the time spent making one and with Alphabets it is so easy to do. Just a little extra embellishments and these cards are perfect.

I started off by creating my background with Brusho powders and sprinkled with a little water to make the colours burst.

Then with the large Alphabet I cut the word MISS from the panel and layered it onto the letters cut three more times in white to make them stand out. 

Add these letter to an embossed DL size card in Landscape and use any YOU die that you have in your collection. 

I cut and coloured the flowers and leaves from the Landmark Occasions Collection and weaved them through the letters. Black sequins have been added to blend with the word YOU which is cut from glossy black card

The second card uses the waste from the panel that I cut the word MISS from.

This has been added to some brown card with a small border around the edge, and placed on the base card with foam tape to raise it up 

I used the Inlay Alphabet letters and glued them into the openings, and then weaved the leaves from the same Landmark set as before to weave through the letters.

This card has been finished with orange sequins and there you have two bright and cheerful cards that are ready to give.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

Gold Embossed Perfect Flowers

 Hi Everybody,

Today I have a video for you and I hope you will like the result. I have used Gold embossing powder to make these simple flowers look really special.

The water colouring is not hard to do and you will be surprised at just how easy it is. and so I really hope you will give this technique a try for your next cards

The combination of the coloured flowers and the gold leaves makes it look beautiful and of course your flowers can be any colour that you prefer.

In the video I made four cards that are all different and these are two of them for you to see. 

I really enjoyed playing with this idea and I want to try the gold embossing on some black card next to see what that will look like

I will of course film it to share with you and hope that you will like that idea as well as this one.

Moe tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Foamiran Flowers

Hi Everybody,

It's still wet and windy here but this card gives a hint of spring/summer and the warmer days to come. These flowers are made with foamiran and they are really big and fluffy. 

They certainly fill a card up and of course they will need a box to send them. 

I have used heart dies to create my flowers but you could use any flowers dies that you have in your own personal collections with great effect.

The embossed back panel just sets the flowers off to perfection and looks much nicer than just a plain one.

This card could be for any occasion if you swapped out the sentiment and is sure to suit all the ladies that need a card.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Altenew Flowers & Arteza Colours

Hi Everybody,

Today I am sharing a card from Altenew and this is using one of their fabulous monthly Craft Your Life Kits.

In truth I have used two different flowers for this design and they paly together really well.

The pink flowers are from the Hello Beautiful kit for September 21. and I have embossed them in gold and then water coloured them with Arteza.

The pink stripe in the background is using the stencil from the Garden Rose kit which came out in October 21.

The yellow flowers are from a very old  Stamp and die set called Vintage Roses and that is a layering stamp to give the beautiful shading on the flowers.

Altogether a really pretty card that would be ideal for many occasions. You can change the look of this card by altering the colours and arranging the flowers in another way.  But whichever way you do yours it is sure to lock good.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Winner

 Hi Everybody,

Another weekend is with us and for some of us it will be a lovely time. But for others it will be hell.

I am thinking specifically of my friends in the Ukraine.
 One is Olga Direkterenko. Olga is one of the co-brands with Craft Stash and she has a YouTube channel with beautiful designs to share. 
The other is Yana Smakula. Yana and I were on the Spellbinders design team and we spent some time together in Phoenix on the Spellbinders retreat 

My thoughts and prayers are with you all everyday.

  I hope that this is resolved quickly for you and you can enjoy life again in peace.

In the meantime, on a more mundane note, I have done the draw for Fridays offering and the name this week is 

Lin Duke

please can you email me your postal address to

christina@card-making-magic.com

and it will be on its way to your straight away. 

Please let me know that you have it safely and I hope you enjoy playing with the  set.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Sophisticated Snowflake

Hi Everybody,

Today the beautiful Sophisticated Snowflake from Chloe Endean makes another appearance and it comes with Dimply Cards & Papercraft magazine. 

This 4 piece die set has 20 stamps with it that will help you to create some really pretty scenes on your cards.

Inside the magazine you will find lots of idea that you may like to try and lots of articles and information that is sure to inspire you.

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

From those names one will be chosen at random as the winner so be sure to come and check if it is you. You will have 72 hours in which to claim your prize, and if it goes unclaimed then it will be offered again at a later date.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Perfect Flowers Die & Stamp Set

 Hi Everybody,

The die and stamp set that are new with the Flower Box Collection are the perfect way to make flowers for your cards too.

The can be used all together or divided into the type of flower that you wish to use.

Here I have coloured an assortment in pink and added them on various levels to an inked background.

In the video I show you how to get the look for yourself and it couldn't be easier with just a bit of ink to colour the leaves. They dry mottled and lighter and look really good on your cards

The dies do all the work and all you need to do is add them as you like. 

For this card I used just the Daffodils and this would be perfect for an Easter themed card. 

For this background I simply swiped the pad over the card and that's it. I have used a little grass die cut at the bottom of the flowers as an added touch.

Quick and easy cards that you can either send or replenish your card store for future occasions.  Always handy to have some spare ones for those unexpected times.

Make your self a cuppa and relax as you watch the video to create some really pretty cards. 

And please consider subscribing to my YouTube Channel, click the notification bell and you will always know when there is a new video that I am sharing with you .

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx