Creating an Aperture

Hi Everybody,

This die cuts an aperture into the card layer and I have ink smooshed the front of it to give some colour.

I have backed it onto some silver card and added a silver Birthday sentiment for a lovely effect.

I am sure that you also have many dies in your own collections that will cut  the aperture, leaving the pattern in the card ready for you to decorate.

The video will help you to identify those dies that will do this and once you know,  you can go through the ones you have and distinguish them from those that simply cut the pattern out of the card.

There are many sets of dies in the Card Making Magic collections that will do both with the use of an outer cutting die and if you already have them then you are onto a winner.

This little die in the photograph is from Amazon and was not expensive. and is called the
Vintage Flower Die

But look again at the dies that you have and experiment to see what it is they will do for you, that way you will get more bang for your buck without spending more money to expand your collections.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Barbara Youngs - Winner

 Hi Everybody,

What has happened to our summer? It’s damp and dull here today but I hope it will brighten up later. 

I am having a quiet day and Ruby is resting too. She had a lovely walk in the woods yesterday and had a good sniff around. She doesn’t do the full walk at present but we got halfway round and then I can tell she has had enough and it’s time to get back. 

But even this is better than not having her at all and that is something we came very close too when she was ill.

This morning I have done the draw for the lovely bundle of Sheena goodies and the name this week is 

Barbara Youngs

so if you would be kind enough to send your postal address please to
christina@card-making-magic.com
then I will get it in the post to you straight away.

I am also including the last of the Pokey Tools as I have used them all up now and won't be doing any more for a while.
I hope you will enjoy the goodies and please be sure to let me know when they arrive with you.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Sheena Dies, Stamps & Paper Pack

Hi Everybody,

This week I have some dies, stamps and a paper pack to give away and these are designed by Sheena Douglas.

The die & stamps  will help you to create a scene for your cards and the matching stamps in the pack also help with that creation.

The paper is an 8x8 Christmas themed pack with six beautiful design inside giving you lots of choice for your makes.

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

Then be sure to come back and see if it is your name that is shown as the winner over the weekend.

I have no way to contact you so if it is not claimed within 72 hours, then it will be offered again at a later date.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Everyday Items - Rolling Marbles

 Hi Everybody,

Many years ago I did a video for YouTube on the Rolling Marble Technique and I thought it was time to bring it more up to date and show it again.

The background for this card has been created with that idea and the difference with this video is that I have used Distress Oxide Refills instead of alcohol inks.

They are easier to clean up as everything can be washed off in warm soapy water once you are finished. 

And the box you used can be kept for the next time you want to try this, or indeed for anything else you may want to have a go at.

I used Blueprint Sketch for the featured card and you can add in two or three colours if you wished.

 But be careful of the colours you choose  as you don't want a muddy effect on your cards. 

I used nesting labels dies to cut out the shapes, but again use anything that you already have  in your stash rather than going to buy even more. 

The heart dies in the second card are some are some from an older set, as are both of the 3-D embossing folders that I have used  ... in fact I think one of them was free with a magazine.

So sit back and relax while you view this short video and I hope you enjoy it and will give it a try.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Inlaid Leaves

Hi Everybody,

Here is another Inlaid Card and this time I have used the small leaves in my collections and added them randomly to the front panel.

This has then been layered over an ink smooshed panel that will show through the openings from the leaves.

 I used several green inks for this smooshing and splattered some gold around it as well.

I have added several taller leaf shapes clustered together and cut in white and silver as well as parchment  and they are added to two larger banner shapes cut in parchment.

They leaves sit under the sentiment banner which is offset with parchment and raised with foam pads on the front of the card. 

The finished size is DL and I have dotted tiny gemstones around the panel for effect.

The end result is very pretty and is another example of what you can do with those tiny fiddly dies that seem a bit useless.

 Try this idea with any small dies that you have as it is another way to create an aperture in your designs  and back it with pretty paper or make your own from Ink smooshing, Gelli plate papers or any technique that you may like to try.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

Blue Background

 HI Everybody,  

This is another background that has been ink smooshed and this time I have used shades of blue to give a mottled effect to the card.

The cut out on the front is from another older die that I have in my collection and the heart is a frame that I found on my desktop.

The other hearts are cut from silver mirror card and dotted around the front and the leaves and flowers are old Spellbinders die sets that I have had for years.

I am enjoying going through my stuff and seeing what I have.

 I am making two piles  .... of stuff that I will use and stuff that I won't ever use and there is quite an accumulation of things.

Plus once it is all sorted I will have a lot more space in my craft room, not to gather more items but to give me some space in which to work.  

I also find it easier to get started if I don't have as much to choose from.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Make Your Own Stencils

 Hi Everybody,

Do you enjoy stencilling and sometimes wish that one of the dies you have also had a stencil to go with it ???

Well now you can make your own stencils from that die. 

You could simply make it out of card stock but that wouldn't last long if you used it a lot. 

You could also use laminating pouches that have been fused together and that would last you quite sometime.

But the stencils that you buy are made from Mylar and that is really inexpensive to buy.

I got mine from Amazon and I have made quite a few of my own stencils to add the decoration to my designs.

This Video is not long but will show you how I got the look for my cards. The one at the top is created with circles and the second one in the video is from octagons.

The overall look is very modern and would be perfect for a teenagers birthday, and you can of course use your favourite colours to produce it. You can also try other mediums too to get the the look.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Jacqueline Koendering - Winner

Hi Everybody,

Thanks for all your enquiries about Ruby  and I am happy to say she is progressing slowly. She still can't go for long walks but we have had little trips to the park before she gets tired. 
We will get there in the long run ... hopefully.

I have done the draw for the lovely bundle that is on offer and I am hoping that this time it goes.

And the winner this week is 

Jacqueline Koendering
would you send your postal address please to me at 
christina@card-making-magic.com
and I will get it sent off to your straight away.

I hope you enjoy all the goodies in the bundle and I will also include a handmade Pokey Tool for you to use whenever you craft.
Please be sure to let me know that you have everything safely.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Mixed Bundle

 Hi Everybody,

Today I am re offering the complete bundle from a few weeks ago that was unclaimed.

 So if you entered to win it and didn't come back to check for your name, then this is what you are missing.

There are six items in this bundle including stencils, dies and stamps and are sure to help swell out your own collection/

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

Then please be sure to come back and check if you are the winner. I have no way to contact you if you are and if it is not claimed again then it will be re offered at a later date.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

.

Inlaid Die Technique

 Hi Everybody,

I like the look of these inlaid dies but I didn't have any in my stash, and so I took another look at the dies that I have and picked out all the small ones that I never use.

Once I thought about it I decided to give this idea a try and see what I came up with, and I have to say that I quite like the end result.

For this card I used all the tiny butterflies I could find and arranged them on my panel to die cut.

Adding in the pierced dots was an extra step that blended them all together. You can add as many of these pierce  lines as you would like and if you keep the pencil lines feint then they can be erased afterwards.

For this one I picked out all the tiny hearts and arranged them on a landscape card base.

The card in the video is done with stars but look carefully at any dies that you have and see what would suit the idea.

Try leaves or small flowers, tiny envelopes, banners or tags, or any of the basic shapes like circles and ovals. 

There is just time for a relaxing cuppa as you watch the video and the be sure to let me know if you give this idea a try for your self.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx