Ruby Update ….

 Hi Everybody,

Thank you for all the comments and concern for Ruby 

who has been one very sick little dog.

This time last week she was fighting for her life and diagnosed as having severe pancreatitis. She was in the Veterinary Hospital in Manchester for four days and had  all sorts of treatments.

They said she could come home on Monday and she has a feeding tube in her neck. Here she is lying on the sofa with the bandage around her neck and her tummy looks very swollen.

She has been on a specialist diet since I bought her home and will need to be on this for at least a year. 

I cannot exercise her as yet.  She has been back to see a new vet and they removed the tube from her neck last Friday. I changed vets as soon as I could and I have written to complain about the treatment she received with the old vet.

She needs to be watched carefully especially in what she eats and as they put it she is “dietary indiscreet” which basically means  ….. your dog is a dustbin and will eat any thing it can find.

And that is definitely my Ruby, she vacuums that area looking for food, you would think she is starved.

But for now she is home and starting the long road to complete recovery even if it is with life.long medication.

More tomorrow…

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Pack 2

 Hi Everybody,

Here is another chance to win one of the bundles that I am offering to you and they is a lot of goodies in each one.

They will certainly help you to build up your own collections and are especially beneficial if you are new to cardmaking with limited supplies.

So if this is something that you would like to have then all you need to do is leave me a comment at he end of this post to be in with a chance.

 Please add your FULL NAME then it is easier to identify the winner.

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

Good Luck Everybody.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Lin Duke - Winner

 Hi Everybody,

The vet hospital has just rung me with Ruby’s progress and she has been comfortable overnight.  She is still on a drip and painkillers and her temperature went up over night but has gone back to normal this morning. She is still being fed through the peg but is no worse than she was. They are managing to walk her outside for the toilet. And they have found out that she snores …… loudly.

Ruby will be kept in the hospital overnight and they will call me agin later with another update.  Thank you everybody for your messages and prayers. 

So the draw has been done for the bundle on offer and the name this week is

Lin Duke

Would you email me please with your postal address and I will get the pack in the post to you straight away.

I am sorry to say that last weeks prize has not been claimed and so will be offered again at a later date. 

I ask you every week to check over the weekend to see if your name is shown as I have no way to contact you and I am stuck if you don’t ….. but is is your loss.

More tomorrow….

Hugs xx

Ruby Update

Hi Everybody,

This has been a dreadful week for me as my beautiful Ruby is dangerously ill and is in hospital fighting for her life at present. 

She already has Cushing's Disease and is on life long medication for that. but she started to be be poorly on Monday.

 Lethargic, vomiting, panting and very restless. I took her to the vets and they gave her an injection to stop the sickness and antibiotics and sent her home.

She stayed quiet and lethargic and on Thursday I took her back as she was a lot worse.
They admitted her and did blood tests and put her on a drip as she was dehydrated.

They did other tests and told me she was a very sick dog and in a lot of pain with pancreatitis.

And then they told me to pick her up at 6.50 !!!!! What ?????
 My dog is desperately ill and you are sending her home.  My daughters came with me and it took us ten minutes to drive home from the vets and in that short drive home Ruby collapsed.

She had been on a drip all day and they took it out to send her home.  I rang back immediately to tell them what state she was in and was told it was now out of hours.  I couldn't believe it ... my dog is dying and I don't know what to do. 

They gave me an out of hours number (A&E animal surgery)  to ring in Bispham and they at that surgery told me to take her straight in. She was very very sick and everybody was worried and scared for her. 

Bispham A&E kept her overnight and did scans and X-Rays on her as well as more blood tests, and confirmed she has severe pancreatitis and is very very sick.

From there we took her to the Animal Hospital in Manchester and that is where she is at present.

 Poor Ruby has had to have many more tests and treatment. Scans, X-Rays,  drips, samples taken from her and monitored very carefully. 

They have told me she is anaemic as the pancreas is bleeding internally. She is on strong painkillers and is sedated. They have inserted a feeding peg through her neck into her stomach as she is not eating.

I am praying that she will be ok and that I will have her back home again soon.

Please keep her in your thoughts and pray she will pull through this as she is not yet eight.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Pack 1 (More Bundles)

Hi Everybody,

Over the next three weeks I have yet more super bundled to give away and although the contents of each one are different.

They will al contain a Simon Hurley stamp, a couple of embossing folders, an ephemera pack from RSPB and a couple more stamp sets with amusing characters on them.

This us the first of those bundles and if this s one that you would like then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post with your
  Full Name

From those comments one name will be chosen as the winner and announced in a blog post over the weekend so please be sure to come back and check if it is your name that is shown.

You will have 72 hours in which to claim it and in the event that it is not claimed then it will be offered again at a later date.

At present I am happy to send them to you wherever you live,  but if I find that postage is very expensive going abroad then I may have to limit it to the UK only.
But I will be sure to let you know what I am doing.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

3 Cards 1 Die set

Hi Everybody,  

The background for this card was created by ink swiping Twisted Citron and Stormy Sky over the white card and then splattering it with black ink.

The feather dies are some that I have in my collections and I picked out the smaller ones for the card.

The detailed pattern is cut from some older Card Making Magic dies and they are the Perfect Panels & Lovely Layers in the rectangles pattern.

I added parchment behind the frame and then grouped three of the feathers together for the top of the panel, with a circle to hide where all the feathers join up. 

I coloured some gemstones with gold alcohol  marker and added them to the card to match the gold edged sentiment 

Then using the waste as a stencil I inked in the shapes using Stormy Sky Distress Oxides. 

Once they are dry I added  some more, with a heavier hand over the top and then traced around some of the feathers at the forefront with a  black fine liner pen.

The sentiment was cut from some spare card that has been swiped over with Stormy Sky,  and then added to some parchment. 

Black pearls are dotted around the front for effect,

The panel has then been added to an A6 sized card base.

And last but not least I used the panel that was left for another card and added foam tape underneath to raise it up.

Ink was used to go around the edges of the feathers to make them stand out more

Into the recess of the feathers I have  traced the outlines in black pen  and added gemstones.

The sentiment was created by adding ink to a spare piece of card and cutting it out with the die and then adding it to parchment. 

So there we have three pretty cards and not a bit of waste any where.

Hope you like !!!

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Shades of Orange

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is done in shades of orange and I have used my favourite dies in the Layered Floral and the Rose Flourish Leaves.

Both of these dies I have used many, many times and they always give me a pleasing display for my flowers.

The inks used are Distress Oxides and they are Carved Pumpkin and Dried Marigold and they have just been swiped across the white card panel.

To the top of this I have added in some parchment and that has been added to the panel with small silver heart brads that I have had for years.

It mutes the orange panel underneath and stops it being to bright and in your face.

I have mixed in other leaves and they are other brands that I have.

The finished card is a 5x7 with the fold at the top and this is my favourite size and way to make a card

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Vibrant Flowers

 HI Everybody,

The Ink Smooshed flowers from yesterday are so pretty I made even more and added them to cards for any occasion.

I used  another shaped die from the Layered Florals die set for these flowers,  but I have incorporated the same leaf dies that I had already in my stash, and they are a mixture of dies from many different sets, to vary the look.

The sentiments are from Craft Stash and I have had these quite some time too.  They also have matching stamps to them for even more use.

The embossing folder cuts the aperture in the card as it is embossed and gives a really pretty effect to the layer.

This card is a 5x7 with a slightly smaller layer with the aperture  added to the front of it.

This DL card has a background that is stencilled with Uncharted Mariner so that it coordinates with the flowers. 

I think the two colours go really well together even though they are far apart in the colour spectrum.

The matting layer for this card has simply been inked around the edges only with the same ink and then the stencilled layer added to the top. 

It all blends together for a complete look and I am pleased with the result.

I am adding the video again in case you missed it yesterday and I hope you will give this technique a try if it is new to you. 

.

               

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Ink Smooshed Flowers

Hi Everybody,

I am trying to use up what I already have in my stash and so save some money in the process.

I am also trying to revisit old techniques from years ago and some of these have gone out of fashion and so not used for a long time,

But there are always new people trying their hand at card making and so to them these techniques are new and fascinating, and something they may want to try. 

I remember being enchanted by heat embossing  and the way a powder melted to look so different ... and it still fascinates me today.

Ink Smooshing is is an old technique and it is one I covered on my YouTube channel a good few years ago and it is so pretty when it is finished.

But I watch YouTube ... much more than I should , and I saw this idea from Natalie Bowers (NBCards) on making your own tool to add the ink to your card

Here is the link to Natalie's channel in case you wanted to make your own too.

 Ink Smoosher

I am adding my own video to show you the cards I created with this technique and I think they are all so pretty.

The flowers are created with one of the dies from the Layered Florals die set  and this is a really old die set.

The leaves are a mixture from many other die sets.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Samantha Dawkins - Winner

 Hi Everybody,

This has been a gorgeous weekend and Ruby and I have taken full advantage of it.
We where on the beach yesterday at 8.15am and it was really peaceful.
The tide was a long way out so there was n chance for her to paddle in the water but she had a lovely time running around in the sand.

I am so lucky to live near the beach and it is only a short walk away from my house.
We had breakfast once we got back home again and today we are going to repeat the trip again and head for the beach. 
Just as soon as I finish this post we will be off.  

But for now the draw has been done and the name this week is
Samantha Dawkins
would you email me with your postal address please to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and I will get the pack in the post to you straight away.

I have also included the Pokey Tool in the pack for you and I hope you will use it when you craft 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Complete Bundle 2

Hi Everybody,

Here is another of the complete bundles that I offered last week and the exact same items are in this. 

Click this link to refer back to last week to see what the six items are on offer.

There are a lot of goodies in this bundle and it should keep you amused for quite some time, making a variety of different themed cards, throughout the year.

So if you would like to have this one winging it's way to you then all you have to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post using your 

FULL NAME

It is a really superb bumper offer and well worth entering, to help you fill out your own collections

There are many different themes are covered with the items that are on offer.

The winner will be announced on Sunday so be sure to come back and check if it is your name that is shown.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

Old Paper Pack

 Hi Everybody,

Todays card is using a paper pack that I have had for a long time and it was designed by Marta Debicka.

It was called Floral Backgrounds and it is a 190 gsm paper that came in different sizes  and there are lots to choose from in the pack.

I used one pattern in pink for the back panel and then tore another strip to fit the front and inked the edges before adding it with foam tape to the front.

The flowers and leaves are from the same pack and I have fussy cut  them out and added them with foam pads to the torn strip.

With a black fine liner pen I edged the outside and then hand drew the hearts with the same pen.

I also added some fine black lines to the flower petals and the leaves to accentuate their shapes.

This was a very quick and simple card to make  and uses up even more of the items that I already have in my own crafting stash.

I am on a real frugal streak ...

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Beautiful Designs

 Hi Everybody,

These three cards have all been created using the same small square die as yesterday  and they have all used the same papers too.

This paper is so vibrant and I love the bold flowers that are on it. I have added each square to some black card and cut round it to create a small border.

For the first card they have been added in a diamond shape onto a panel of woodgrain card.

The sentiment has been  stamped at the bottom and small black pearls are dotted around for effect.

The finished size is an A6 and the corners to all layers have  been rounded.

This is also an A6 and for this I have added the squares in a more uniform style.

They have been added to an embossed panel  with foam squares and the pattern in the embossing has been picked out with the pink pearls.

The sentiment has been stamped onto a sperate piece of card and cut out to be added with foam tape to the centre of the squares.

Fish tails have ben cut into each end of the banner strip

I have layered this panel with white and black layers before adding it to the white base card.

For this last card I have added the squares in a random fashion to an embossed panel.

They have been added with foam squares under each one to raise them up.

Gold thread has been twined around each square in a random way and then a little gold thread bow has been added to the bottom of the card.

I have used a pink pearl flower to cover the knot in the bow and to hide where it has been hot glued in place.

These cards helped me to use up a lot of the beautiful pink flowery paper that I had left over from making envelopes and it was quite satisfying to use it too.

                 

Here is the video again and the technique is so easy to do and yet very effective and uses up those lovely scraps that you don't want to waste

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Use Up Your Scraps - Squares

Hi Everybody,

I made lots of envelopes a little while ago for all the cards  I had made and I had lots of pieces of left over panels that are too good to simply throw away.

So I got our my dies and used the smaller  dies from  the nesting shapes to cut into the papers. You could also use punches if you have them.

The squares are my first offering and these two cards have dies of different sizes. The smallest dies are the green card and the slightly larger ones are for the pink one.

Both  cards have the same sentiment added to them as I find birthday cards are the ones I use  and make the most of.

One card is an A6 and the other is a 5x7 both with the folds at the top of each card.

I used some really fine glitter on the pink card and added in mirror card to the green one.

It used up a lot of my left over scraps and I still have some left to make even more.

You can add them in any orientation you like to vary the look of your designs, and as long as your colours blend then you can use any patterns that you have to complete the look.

For this card I  added ink to a white panel  and then used an embossing folder for the background and ran my fingers of the raised areas with gilding wax to add the interest. 

I added the small squares to black card and cut  the black card close to the patterned square leaving a small border around the edge.

They have ben added in a diamond pattern with foam squares underneath to raise them up

I have used a gold pen to add tiny dots around the card and the sentiment is one from a pack of many.

I will be adding more videos using scraps of other shapes as I have a lot of left over papers still to use 

from other projects

.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

More Glitter Panels

Hi Everybody, 

So today I am adding in the last of the papers, and these are using up the glitter paper.

I have combined these with some combined with  mirror card  that has been cut into circular frame and once more I have used older dies.

The paper has been cut into strips and added to the central piece of card that was cut out from the frame ad then added to a gold splattered piece of parchment.

The sentiment is cut from the same gold card and added to the bottom of the panel with some wet glue.

You can add the circle in any orientation you prefer mine is at a slight angle 

The card to the left has the sentiment and some little hearts cut from silver mirror card added to the front that picks up the glitter really well.

If you should get glue on the mirror card just use a soft cloth to rub it off again 

All the cards are A6 and all are very pretty and a great way to use up what you already have.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx