Umbrellas'

Hi Everybody,

These cards are the ones that have had the circle die cut turned into an Umbrella and it makes for a very effective card.

The back grounds are also hand created using inks and so of course each one will be different from the other.

I have used the circular box die this and since my brane was at Craft Stash and they have closed their doors there is no point in me adding in any links. 

If you already have the die set then use it  and if not then use any circular die that you may have in your own collection to give you the same look.

It is a fun way to make your dies work and it also uses up any of the larger scraps of card that you may have left over.

The little flower is also from the same set, as are the leaves so I can get most of my elements for this design from the one die set.

You could try stamping an extra pattern onto the die cuts, or colouring it with your favourite medium to make it even more individual 

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx.

 

Christi Neal - Winner

 Hi Everybody, 

Thank you for participating in all the Friday Freebies that I have done over the years and I have given away probably hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds worth of gifts in that time. I am sure that  the winners have had some fun playing with whatever it was you won and many also got extras inside the envelope too.

But like everything else in the crafting world things are changing and the Friday Freebie is coming to an end and next week sees the last of them being offered to you. The cost of postage has gone up and it can cost me as much as £12 - £15 UK to post them to USA or Australia,  and that is no longer a viable expense for me.

So this week the winner of the Peacock die is 

Christi Neal

and if you would send me your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
I will get it posted off to you straight away.

Please be sure to let me know that you have it safely and I hope you enjoy playing with the die when it arrives.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Peacock Elegance

Hi Everybody,

Todays offering is from an old design by

Card Making Magic and the larger size of this die was released a while ago.

 This will enhance your cards and there is the chance to download some papers that will go with it to make them even more special

The magazine that comes with it is Die Cutting Essentials and as always it is full of tips and info for your to use in your own card making.

So if this is something 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 and then be sure to come back and see if it is your name that is shown as the winner.

It is a really pretty die and well worth having in your crafting stash so go ahead and add your comment. It doesn't matter if you have won before or where you live.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Using Circles

 Hi Everybody,

Most of us have the basic shaped dies and this video is yet another way to make what you have work for you without the need to buy special dies.

In this one I am going to share how I created an umbrella and a flowers holder from just circle dies.

You don't need to have the same dies as me, just use any circle or border dies that you have, and the same applies to flowers and leaf dies as they all create the same thing.

And making your own backing papers is another good way to save you the bother of buying patterned paper packs.

 Most of the packs have papers that you don't like and will never use or the colours are not the ones you need. so why pay for them in the first place.

Making your own to blend with what you have in mind is a much better way to put your time to good use, and far more satisfying than buying them.

Using Circles Again

I hope you enjoy the video and please don't forget to leave me a comment and give me the thumbs up, and if you aren't already a subscriber then please consider joining my channel and help the numbers to grow.

I have recently  been asked about the ink smoosher that I have been using to create my backgrounds  and I got the idea from another YouTuber.  I am adding the link to NBCards and Natalie shows you how to make you own

INK SMOOSHER 

Thank You

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Left over backgrounds

Hi Everybody,

Yesterday I showed you a backing paper that I made that had been inspired buy my shirt that was navy blue with pink flowers on it.

I thought it was lovely and so I got my inks out and made my own version of it. This is using what was left of those panels

The colours I used are Chipped Sapphire and Picked Raspberry and for one I smooshed the colours onto my card and for the other I made it into some plaid paper.

The card to the left has had the panels mounted onto silver mirror card to separate the patterns.

The right hand side of the card is the ink smooshed panel and the other is the plaid design, but although they use the same inks they look completely different.

I have used my circular dies for this card to make a flower holder to add to the top of the design and the  occasion is for a special day.

In the next video I will be showing how I made these designs and another way to make your circle dies work for you, so I hope you will join me then.

The colours will dictate that they are feminine cards but  if you teamed the Chipped Sapphire with something else it could be for a man ... the choice is up to you

So no waste from the backgrounds. the flowers make the card really feminine, and the circle does have found another use  for them.

Bye for now ..

Hugs xx

Shabby Chic Gatefold Video

 Hi Everybody,

Today I am adding a video that will show you how I made the Gatefold card from last Tuesday. 

This is not as hard as it looks and you can try this with any die that you have in your own collection, you certainly don't ned the same one I have used.

It was a die that I designed years ago and I doubt very much if it will still be available to purchase.

The colour scheme was inspired by a shirt I was wearing and I really like the end result. Try this with any colours that take your eye and see what you get. 

Here is the video and I hope you enjoy it ...

Shabby Chic Gatefold Card

This is the card from last week and I have modified it just a little and changed the colour scheme too,  but the flowers are still the Mulberry flowers that I use a lot of.

If there is something that you would particularly like to see then let me know and if I have the dies , or something similar, then I will give it a go.

Thank you for the lovely comments I am getting both here and  on YouTube, it is much appreciated.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Samantha Dawkins - Winner

 Hi Everybody,

Ruby and I set off for a walk in the woods yesterday, with Vickie and Dougal, and by the time we got halfway through it was raining. Needless to say we came back home to get dry and that was the end of our outing. But today it seems to be fine and sunny and so we will try again later and see how far we get.

There is a new video coming tomorrow and I am thinking I may change the way I do them. At the moment it is only my hands that are seen but YouTube advise that more followers can be gained if a face is shown to the viewers.

 I hate the way I sound and look on videos but if that is what is recommended then I will give it a go ... but I need to do some practice runs first before I feel confident enough to give it a try. So not for a little while yet !!

I have done the draw for the Positively Perfect stamp set from Friday and the winner this week is

Samantha Dawkins
Would you send me your postal address please to 
christina@card-making-magic.com
and I will post it to you straight away.

Please be sure to let me know that you have it safely and I hope you enjoy playing with it.

Happy Mothers' Day 

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Positively Perfect.

Hi Everybody,

Today there is a lovely set that is on offer along with the magazine Simply Cards & Papercraft that is always a really good read for you.

 The gift comprises of two stamp sets from the Colorado Craft Company.

One stamps set is an assortment of sentiments that will suit lots of occasions. 

The other stamps are flower and leaf combinations that can make your cards really special.

Thee is also the chance for you to download some papers and toppers that can be added to your designs.

Now if you would like this to be in your crafty stash then all you need to do is leave me a comment with your FULL NAME 

From those comments one name will be chosen at random and you need to have left comments on other pages and not just the Friday one. 

I am happy to send the pack to you wherever you are and it doesn't matter if you have won before.

Bye For Now ...

Hugs xx

Shabby Chic Heart Video

Facing to the right

Hi Everybody, 

Today I am adding the video to share with you how I made this beautiful card.

I have used the really old 6x6 Heart Box Die Set that I designed as Card Making Magic a long time ago but if you have the die set then now is the time to get it out again.

For this I have added in some cheesecloth and a white die cut panel along with some blue flowers and the little cherub on the left side.

It is a really pretty card and the edges have been decorated with lace and although it looks fussy it is  not hard to do at all.

Facing to the left

You will notice that each card faces a different way and that depends on which way round you use the base as you make it.

This peach card is my favourite as it is so vibrant and the background colour way is created with inks by hand.

They can be for any occasion and any colour that you want but they all look really good once they are done and shabby chic is a style that  never seems to go out of date.

Enjoy the video

Shabby Chic Heart Shaped Card

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx 

 

Shabby Chic Heart Card

 Hi Everybody,

This lovely card has been created with the largest heart shaped die that I have and it is from the Heart Shaped 6x6 Box 

I have cut this card with the die just overhanging the edge so that it leaves part of the side joined an makes a complete card base.

Using the same die I have cut another panel to add to the front to complete the look.

Then with the next die down and I have cut some handmade paper to fit the front and to this I have added some homemade texture paste through a stencil.

Gold highlights have been added in the form of gold leaves and the little gold corner at the bottom of the heart.

The flowers and other pieces have been hot glued in place  and the dotted with glue. The glass glitter has been sprinkled over the top for extra shine and the finished card is really pretty.

Tomorrow I will be adding a video to share with you how I made this card and we will make the paper to go with it.

The flowers I have used are from Wild Orchid Crafts but they no longer ship to the UK.
 I have however found an alternative that is based in the UK and sells the same kind of flowers and embellishments and is well worth a look.

Carroway Cottage

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Shabby Chic Gatefold

Hi Everybody,

    For this card I have used a die to give me the shape   at the top of the gatefold and it makes for an unusual                               design to the card.

It has been created in peach shades and green leaves and they have been  added to the circle die cut to bridge the Gatefold.

I have used some homemade texture paste to stencil on some extra pattern and then sprinkled it with the glass glitter.  

I bought this glitter at a craft show and I must have had it about ten years ,,, and its still going strong.

This photo is from the front angle and you can see that I have stencilled the inside of the card also

This one is taken from a side angle and it shows the gatefold and the cetnre circle that bridges the gap.

I have use da 250gsm card from AnnaMarie Designs and again I have had this card for quite some time.

There was a lot in the pack when I bought it and it doesn't seem to go down at all.

I used patterns in the same shade of peach so that they would blend together, and the butterfly is a little sequinned one that is also ancient.

It has made a lovely card and I am pleased with it but it will need a box to give it to someone

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx 

Shabby Chic Lilac Card

 Hi Everybody,

When I used to make shabby chic cards on a regular basis they always  went down very well and I really enjoyed adding all the bits and pieces to them.

But then deadlines and concepts took over and I had to do other things which took time. and attention

But now that I have retired from all that I can go back to making this type of card again and I really hope you still like them as much.

This is one that I have filmed and it is the Lilac Card.

I have not added a sentiment to this card as it really could be for any reason at all, but I will add more shabby chic cards and add them for an occasion.

Shabby Chic Lilac Card 

I hope you enjoy the video and will leave me a comment and a thumbs up on YouTube.
And I hope you will come back and visit me again for another Shabby Chic Creation.

Bye for now ...

Hugs xx

Doris Shawcross - Winner

 Hi Everybody, 

It has been lovely here all week until today ….. and now it’s raining. Typical weekend weather !!

Thankfully we went for a long walk yesterday and so today it will be a little trip to the park in between the rain showers. Taking long walks doesn’t do my hips and knees any good though so I take them very carefully.

Oh the joys of getting older !!

The draw for the die sentiment has been done and the name today is …

Doris Shawcross

,would you please let me have your postal address to

christina@card-making-magic.com

and I will get the gift in the post to you straight away. Please be sure to let me know that it has arrived with you safely, and I hope you have fun with it on. Your designs in the future.

Bye for now …

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Sent with Love

 Hi Everybody, 

Today I have a really interesting sentiment die that will grace the front of your cards completely, and it is from the Textures range by Lou Collins

The sentiment reads "Sending Love and Hugs" and is quite a large die set, and there are several sized flowers as well for you to decorate it.

You can cut into the sentiment if you prefer to make a smaller one that will fit your cards better

There are also some papers and toppers for you to download and use on your projects.

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

I need your full name to be able to identify the correct winner so if all you leave is your nickname of fist name then I will not enter it into the draw.

This prize comes complete with the Die Cutting Essentials magazine and so is well worth your entry, but you must be sure to come back over the weekend to see if it is your name that is listed as the winner.

I have no way to contact you if you don't claim the prize. 

Bye For Now ,,,

Hugs xx

Shabby Chic Cards

 Hi Everybody,

Shabby Chic is a beautiful arrangement and it is not as hard or as fussy as it looks.

These pictures are of some that I have done in the past and they are in different sizes and even the box.

I have made many of these cards and tags in lovely colour combinations and had lost of fun while making them.

I will make  more and film them as I do so and then add them to the blog.

 But until I have some time to make one I am adding older videos of the process to help you to get the look for your self.

The fist one is a beautiful colour scheme of lilac and lemon and they team so well together.

The second one is in blue and beige and again another lovely combination.

So I hope you will join me next week when I add another Shabby Chic Video to the blog pages

For the video I will be using items that I already have for example hand made papers that have been created using inks and stamps, homemade texture paste for more texture, cardboard left over from packaging to give height to the card.

Lots of flowers and leaves, some lace that I already have as well older dies and other bit and pieces that are in my stash that you may have too.

Bye For Now ...

Hugs xx