In Memory of Pat ..

Hi Everybody,

They say that if you go through life and can count the number of true friends that you have on one hand then you are very blessed and rich to have these friends in your life.

And I mean true friends that are always there for you when you need someone to talk to and they love you for what you are ... with all your faults. Some one to share your laughter and tears along the way.

Throughout my life I have made two two truly special female friends to whom  I am not ashamed to say "I Love You ...."

I may not meet up with them every week but the next conversation will always follow on naturally from the last one and both have been steadfast and loyal to me in my life time friendship with them.

One of them is Christine Kilvington a friend for 47 years and the other is Pat Boyce a friend for 27 years.

But sadly in the early hours of this morning my dear friend Pat lost her battle with Cancer and I will never see her again.  I will never hear her laugh, or see her  twinkling eyes.  Never be able to share another meal with her or go for a drive in the car.

Never stay at each others house again for a fun weekend and get tiddly on sweet white wine and giggle till the early hours of the morning.  I love you Pat and I am going to miss you so much

Sleep tight my friend ...

Friday Freebie 046

Hi Everybody,

This card today is in a lovely shade of peppermint green teamed with crisp white and it looks very fresh indeed.

It would suit any birthday and if you leave off the bows it would be just right for the men in your life.

I have used the Trendy and Simple Collection and this particular one is Contemporary Strip 

The Sentiment is in a swirly handwriting and this is Sentiments Three  and I keep all my sentiments dies in a box on my desk so that they are always on hand

So maybe this is a card that you would like to win and if you do then all you have to do is leave me a comment.

The name will be drawn from the hat in the morning and the winner announced on that days Blog post.

Don't forget to come back and check if it is you as you only have 48 hours to claim it.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

One More ...

Hi Everybody,

Here is one more card from the Victorian Collection as this is one of my all time favorite collections from Spellbinders.

Once again  it features the Royal Circle. but this time in a lovely shade of mulberry red with white.

Adding foam tape to each layer gives the depth to the card that creates the shadows

But this time no flowers and just a simple spotty ribbon around the base with a flower centre to cover the knot in the bow.

The addition of some pearls from Want2Scrap emerging from beneath the circle add that extra touch of luxury to the finished card and I have only used a small portion of the flourish in the packet ... saving the rest for another card or two

This such a pretty die that you can use in other ways ... with other embellishments  ... and other colors and it will give you beautiful results each and every time

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

Victorian Collection - Royal Circle

Hi Everybody,

Today I have a free day to chill after completing another US show featuring the Teal Grand Calibur.

This card is using another die from one of my favorite collections from Spellbinders Victorian Collection

Here we have the Royal Circle and the effect is beautiful for any occasion

I have simply used  the dies and layered them together for a really pretty effect.

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and if you are new to the idea of adding in some flowers  then they offer some really pretty starter kits

The ribbon is striped grosgrain ribbon that I bought from the craft shows that I go to and the year has already started for the craft shows to begin.

The card is in a lovely shade of blue that gives a really fresh feel.  The butterfly has been glittered and the body line embellished with pearls from Want2Scrap

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Trendy and Simple

Hi Everybody,

This is a relatively new addition to the Spellbinders range and this one is Floral   from the Trendy and Simple Collection

So with just this one die and a little sentiment I have created a really pretty card to share with you.

If the colors are not your choice then alter the look with some that are.

I have used Cream, 2 shades of Turquoise and a pale pink to make mine and it is a very fresh combination.

Don't forget that the number 1 (#1) in any Spellbinders set is always the smallest.

In the cream cut two from  #7 5x7 Matting Basics A  to make the base card.

In the darker turquoise  cut one #7 5x7 Matting Basics B

In the lighter turquoise cut one #6 5x7 Matting Basics A

Emboss this top layer with any folder that you have in your "Stash" just to add a little more interest to the card

 From the Floral pattern I have cut four layers.

One will be added to the card with foam pads

The other three will be used to cut out the flowers in the die cut and these will be layered onto the base

Decide which layer and color you want to add to the base card

I used foam pads that I had to cut down to make them fit and this will juts give some height to this layer

Then once you are happy with the look wrap some ribbon around these layers before you add them to the base card

Then all you need to do is layer up the flowers with random colors from the other die cuts

Place them on the card wherever you would like them and add a sentiment of your choice.

Add pearls to the centre of the flowers and the knot in the bow and there you have one very pretty card

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Card from the show ...

Hi Everybody,

This bright card is one from the Create and Craft show and it will certainly wake you up.

I have used a very deep yellow ribbon and teamed it with the black of the floral paper.

I toned it down a little with the pale yellow flowers but I have to say that I do like it

It seems to grow on you after a while.

So the  paper that I used is from Anna Griffin and there are some lovely designs in the paper stack

The ribbon is from my "Stash" and it is all tangled up with other colors in a bag that I just have to cut off what I need each time.

The die is Labels Forty Six and has a Decorative Element to it also. It was featured last week on C&C and I did several demos with this die set

It may not be your cup of tea but once the colors are to your liking it makes a really unusual centre piece for any of your designs.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Made for Me ...

Hi Everybody,

When I got back home from my travels to Create and Craft there was a parcel waiting for me

Inside was this beautiful card and its' matching box that has been sent all the way from Michigan

I immediately emailed the maker to say a really big Thank You and I asked her permission to show it to you.

 And so this is the card with the lovely verse that Donna made just for me and it is standing in pride of place in my craft room

I showed you the Christmas cards that were made for me and I keep them all.

Thank for this one Donna you made my day

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

The card goes to ....

Hi Everybody,

Just have time to do this draw before I start more preparations for C&C. 

I am there next week doing more USA shows with fabulous Spellbinders and then later in the month back on UK shows. I will be sure to let you know so that you can come and keep me company.

And the winner of this really pretty cream and white card is ...

Oksana

and if you can email me 

christina@card-making-magic.com 

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

So got to dash as I have a Tuesday Tutorial to get ready and watch out for the Spellbinders Ambassadors as we are having another Blog Hop coming up soon ...

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 045

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is cream and white and this makes the prettiest combination that would be suitable for many occasions

The verse is from  Sheena Douglass  and  there are several on the sheet with some wonderful  big Butterflies

I have added it to the  #4 die from  Spellbinders  Radiant Rectangles

And if you remember that  #1 is always the smallest die in any Spellbinders set you can work out which one it is.

The background is embossed with the A4 folder Ornate Butterflies from Crafters Companion

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts   and they are a wonderful addition to any project and the pearl flourish is from Want2Scrap

So would you like to win this card ??   All you need to do to be in with the chance is leave me a comment.  A name will be drawn tomorrow from those comments and the winner will be announced in tomorrows blog post.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Victorian Collection - Royal Circle

Hi Everybody,

This card is made a little differently from my normal style and I did a video a few years ago on some other ways to create this  Cross Over Card

This one creates a pocket for you add a tag to and you can add a verse or sentiment to this as you wish.

I have  used dies from the  Victorian Collection  to create the topper and the circle die is the Royal Circle

The verse has been stamped and embossed in silver onto Labels Eighteen  and then added with foam tape

I have edged mine with some lovely braid and a dded some peach ribbon to the tag which I have added to the pocket

Today I will be back at home and into my normal swing of things.
I hope you enjoyed the Create and Craft shows and will join me again the next time I am there.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Walk in the Park ...

Hi Everybody,

I hope you can join me today on  UK Create and Craft as I have several shows throughout the day.
8am, 10am, 12noon, 15.00, 16.00, 17.00, 19.00

But in all this busy schedule of doing the shows that have gone  "Live" to USA  ...  we managed to get some free time and went out to brave the cold.

On Monday we went to Ferry Meadows and wandered around the park .... but it was very cold

Never the less we went into the visitor centre and got some food to feed the ducks.

As soon as we walked near the feeding deck they swam towards us and as the food was thrown into the water there  was an absolute frenzy for the food.

The smaller gulls  created most of the fuss and they stole all the duck food

The were several swans too and  although they are such a graceful bird ... they pecked and bullied the ducks away.

We didn't brave it for very long as it was so very very cold ... but we did find somewhere for a very pleasant  lunch and whiled away a few hours in the pub.

This will be a lovely walk in the warmer months and I shall look forward to doing this again later in the year

See you later on Create and Craft and don't forget that the shows can be watched for up to seven days.

And can also be watched via your PC or even on Pinterest.

For my US readers you will find it on ...  createandcraft.com   Look in the Program Guide for Grand Calibur Touchdown Deal and also the Spellbinders Touchdown Deal

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - 3-D Embossing Folders

Hi Everybody,

Todays Tutorial is using a  beautiful  Spellbinders 3-D M-Bossabilities   and you can create this look with any of  these folders ... and the link  above will show you the selection that is available.

Using an embossing folder will create a most beautiful textured background for any of your designs

To use the 3-D folders in your Grand Calibur you will need the pink embossing plate  that came with the machine and you will need to buy the  Raspberry Adaptor Plate  as the folders are quite thick

Open the folder and place the card you are using onto the side  that is raised

It helps the fibres in the card to stretch if you spritz it with some clean water first.

And when adding the folder to the machine put the hinged part so that it goes into the opening first.

This will give you a really deep emboss to your card and then you can trim it to fit the size of card you are creating.

I have used the 5x7 Matting Basics  A&B  to make my Hinged Card   as this is the style that really works for me

With some Gilding Wax of your choice rub over the raised areas with a soft cloth to bring our the beauty in the design.

Then polish it to a soft sheen with some clean cloth.

I have used the Creative Expressions Metallic Gilding Waxes and in the picture below they are from left to right ...

Pearl Moon, Pewter, Cast Bronze and Enchanted Gold

Apply as much or as little as you wish and experiment with different colours for a completely new look

I have used three of the panels to make cards that would be suitable for  any occasion

I have added in flowers from   Wild Orchid Crafts  to the creamy colored one for a soft female look and used Pearl Moon Gilding Wax

I used silver mirror card and white satin ribbon on the other along with Pewter Gilding Wax and that would make a lovely wedding card.

And on the bronze colored one I used Cast Bronze Gilding Wax and added in twine and a bronze button for a more masculine look. 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

Treat Toppers

Hi Everybody,

First I would like to say a BIG thank you to my American readers who have been watching the "Live" US Create and Craft shows  and then taken the time to email me and tell me that they have enjoyed the shows.

It is very heart warming to know that you are there and really lovely to read the comments. It is quite an experience for me as the shows are slightly different ... but although nervous I am enjoying it immensely. I am back on UK Create and Craft on Tuesday and Wednesday  this week

This little card is not a very good picture but that is my fault as it was going dark and I was in a hurry to get  all the cards photographed.

But it uses a little die from the Celebrations Collection  from Spellbinders

It is called   Treat Toppers  and it creates the prettiest little windmills for your card.

Here I have made two from double sided  patterned card that is also from the same collection.

I have  added in paper swirls to represent the strings from the windmills

In the centre I have added a  pearl Brad  and added them to the card with foam tape to create different levels.

I created my  card base and the  double frame from the  Pierced Rectangles   from the same collection and these will give you the look of a pierced edge without the hard work of doing it yourself

So no ribbons, flowers or pearls on this card but still a neat little card to give and could be for any occasion

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Doily Art

Hi Everybody,

This really pretty card is simply created with an embossing folder and the impression is so deep that it looks as if it has been decoupaged on the top.

It is a 3-D folder called  Doily Art  and it is from the Celebrations Collection   from Spellbinders

The sandwich for using these folders in your Grand Calibur is the Pink Embossing plate along with the Raspberry Adapter plate as they are very deep

Some tips if you do use these folders ... first is to spritz the card first to soften the fibres and this will give you a deeper emboss.

And  secondly when you add the folder to the machine add it with the hinge in first as this is the folders narrowest end.

Once embossed all I have done is  run over the raised pattern with an ink pad to enhance the design even more, but there is  also a stamp set to match this die set

To the design I have some lovely organza ribbon with a sparkly centre to the bow and it is an easy way to create an impressive card for those last minute occasions.

The sentiment is also a die cut and these make a useful addition  to all your card making or scrapbook pages.

There are several styles to choose from and this is Sentiments One  ... I have added the link to them all so that you can see the choices available to you

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Todays Card Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

So todays late start  is due to the fact that I had a late night filming for C&C shows that are going out to USA.   And so this morning was a well earned lie in and a lazy hotel breakfast.

Next week I am back with Spellbinders, on February 3rd and 4th,  with the Pick of the Day and there are several shows for you to choose from.  I hope you will be bale to join me and maybe send in your email to let me know that you are there.

The Friday Freebie card has been drawn as usual by my "Film Crew" and the name this week is ...

Donna Okoniewski

Could you send me your postal address please so that I can send the card to you.

Email me please at 

christina@card-making-magic.com

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

More tomorrow