Brusho Die Cut

Hi Everybody,

This card was made some time ago when I was playing with the Brusho Crystal Colours.

They are such a lovely way to play and can be used in a variety of ways. For this card I have simply spritzed the card with water and then added the crystals.

But you can mix a small amount of the powder with water onto your craft mat and use them as water colours.

But be warned a little goes a long long way so use sparingly and the colours are very vibrant too.

I used a die that I bought many years ago and I can't remember the name of the die or where I got it from,  but I have teamed it with the sentiment from my 6x6 Box and Card die set

Quick and easy card and with maybe a change of colour ideal for a male one

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Card & Gift Winner

Hi Everybody,

Hope you are all going to have a good weekend and lots of relaxation ...  if that is your choice. I know that some of you have crafting weekends and that is what I will be doing today ... filming as I go along.

I am also preparing for the winners of the "Workshop with Christina" which takes place on the 17th October.  If you entered then "Thank You" for taking part and if you are one of the winners then I shall be delighted to meet you all this coming Wednesday in Stockport.

Back to today , the draw for the two Peacock dies that I have has been done and the two names are ...

Linda Batson

and

Denise Bryant

So would you both please email me your postal address to 

christina@card-making-magic.com

and the gifts will be on the way to you straight away

You have 72 hours to claim them and if not claimed they will be offered again at a later date.

Two more gifts on offer next week

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Pretty Quick Stained Glass Peacock

Hi Everybody,

These Pretty Quick dies are the gift that was free with Die Cutting Essentials 38 and they are one way of making a card with just the one die.

There are lots of things that can be done with it ... like paper piecing, colouring, acetate etc.

The video that featured this die is here

Pretty Quick Stained Glass Peacock 

I have two of these to Give Away this week  but each card is different and I don't know which one you will get, but if you would like one of them then all you need to do is leave me a comment with your full name to be in with the chance

Don't forget to come back in the morning to see if your name is shown as one of the winners as you have 72 hours in which to claim it.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Card Making Magic - Christmas Poinsettia

Hi Everybody,

Today's card is on the Christmas theme and it's not that far away now.  The card shown is much better in the hand and would need to go into a box because of the depth to the flowers.

I decided to film it and let you see the process I went through to create it and in particular how to get the thin border around the centre piece.

For this I used the Fancy Nesting Circles  and all my collection is available only at Craft Stash

I am being asked a lot about the tape that I am using at present and it is from Amazon.

It is Scotch 3M Double Coated Urethane and although it is very good and lasts me quite a long time it is not cheap. 

Shop around and if you find it cheaper please let me know too ...

More tomorrow 

Hugs xx

Creative Stamping 63 - 12 Days of Christmas

Hi Everybody,

This months Creative Stamping has a totally awesome gift attached and it is one you can use over and over again and ALL year round.

The images are large and can make a complete focal point for your designs and they are easy to colour in your favourite medium

I used Copics on all of mine and I really enjoyed playing with them.

Here is the video for you to see how I made an Easel card with the set

This card was made into a birthday card using the floral arrangement  and there are many more smaller stamps to make a background to suit your own personal needs.

It is going to be in the shops on the 11th October and I would imagine that it will go quickly as it is an old and traditional song that most people will know and it never goes out of date

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Birthday Diamonds ...

Hi Everybody,

This quick and simple card was created for a magazine some time ago and all I have done is colour the waste diamonds from another card

They have been added to an embossed background with foam tape underneath to raise them up.

The word has been cut from the alphabet that was the gift with the magazine and the other sentiments stamped and cut then added to the card.

Really easy to do and yet so effective for male or female and any age group. 

You could even add the age number if it was for a child as they always like to tell their ages ... and will even add the half or three quarters to it !!

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Time For Tea ...

Hi Everybody,

These pretty cards are created with some of the new Coffee/Tea dies from Spellbinders and they make quick and easy cards.

Perfect if you wanted to invite friends round for a coffee morning or a lovely afternoon tea

The sentiment is from a magazine gift that was out a while ago and it came in to good use on this design

I have used Copics to colour both and for the top one I used a flower stamp to add the pattern to the card

For the one to the left I used a white gel pen to add the pattern.

The pen was  a bit on the dry side though and it wouldn't colour smoothly

It still turned out to be a pretty card but I thought I could try edging the rim and the handle with some gold and see how that looked

Here is the card once I had done that and it does look better with the gold paint.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Two Winners ...

Hi Everybody,

Another weekend is with us and although I will be busy today,  I have a day off tomorrow to do with as I please. Ruby and I will be going for our long walk with Vickie and Dougal so fingers crossed it doesn't rain.

Every night, anywhere between 7-9pm I get the "Look" off Ruby and if I ignore her she climbs up onto the settee and puts her paws on my shoulders. Then no matter what I am doing she will not leave me alone. She is telling me ..."Get your shoes on mum and take me for a walk ...." and so that is what I have to do, even if it is raining we have to go out for our evening jaunt. 

I swear that dog knows the time better than me 

The draw for yesterdays prize has been done and the two winners today are ...

Heidi Turcios

and

Pippa Price

please can you email me your postal addresses to

christina@card-making-magic.com

and the packs will be on their way to you straight away.

You have 72 hours to claim the gifts.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Coffee Break

Hi Everybody,

Another fabulous twosome to give away this week and this was the gift offered in simply Cards & Papercraft of a stamp and die set 

It was shown in the video from May this year called Coffee Break  and I had a lot of fun playing with this set.

You can win one of these if you leave me a comment with your full name and it is chosen  as the winner.  

You will have 72 hours in which to claim it but I don't know which of the cards will be in your pack and it is not a problem if you have won one before.

But you will need to come back and check if it is you who has won 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Simply Cards & Papercraft 183 Bauble Opulence

Hi Everybody,

There is a lovely stamp and die set on offer this month with Simply Cards & Papercraft 183 from the Sentimentally Yours range by Phil Martin

Making cards for Christmas seems to be gathering pace now as we get nearer to the day.

And of course if you post many then you will need to consider the last time to post for cards you send abroad

In the video I have done a 2 for 1 because there is no waste at all with this type of card and you can use this idea with any of your dies.

There is also a super offer of a Card Making Magic Bundle that is free if you subscribe to this magazine and I am adding the video to tell you about that offer also

So I hope you enjoy both of the videos and the making of the shaker card and if you are new to card making then give it a go ... it is quite easy to do I promise you

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Die Cutting Essentials 43 - Christmas Treats

Hi Everybody,

Another fabulous die set is the gift with Die Cutting Essentials this month will help you to make some fun cards for ALL year round

For this card I created the Mason Jar as a Snow Globe and there are lots of ways that you can use this for your own designs.

I had a lot of fun playing with this one and creating expressions for the altered gingerbread men

And this would be perfect for a child especially if you added their name or age to it

Don't be afraid to get out the black or white pens to add features to the die cut faces.

Some of mine look as if they are groaning under the weight of all their friends at the top.

Let the video give you some fun ideas for some of your cards this year

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Floral Card

Hi Everybody,

A pretty pink floral card for today created with the Layered Florals Die Set from Card Making Magic

For the background I have used a stencil and some embossing paste to give a raised look to the trellis

It is much better in the hand and has lots of touchy feely parts to it, and the pearls in the centre of the flowers add even more.

I like to work with embossing paste and you can colour this to suit your needs by adding just a little bit colour from your ink pads

I also like the pastel look to this card and it would be suitable for may occasions throughout the year.

More tomorrow ... 

Hugs xx

Bright and Cheerful Year Ahead ...

Hi Everybody,

This card is a million miles away from the traditional colour way for Christmas, but it is one I would be happy to sit on my mantelpiece over the holiday season.

The aperture in the front  is created with the Christmas Tree Die Set from Card Making Magic 

 The background to the tree is the Holly Panel Die and I have coloured it with Copics before adding it into the opening and layering it over white glitter card

The  Card Making Magic Collection is available at Craft Stash and there is a whole lot for you to choose from.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Ruby & Dougal ...

Hello Everyone,

It's Ruby again today with some more of my adventures with my very best friend Dougal the Cockapoo.

We have just had a lovely holiday in the Lake District with our humans.

And just to make sure that my mum didn't forget to take me I packed myself into her suitcase !!

Here we are in the car and ready to go on our journey and we have a big fluffy cushion to sit on in the back

Usually we fall asleep but our humans stop and let us out regularly and to have a drink and a little walk about.

We both enjoy the water but Dougal only gets his feet wet.  He' such a baby!!

Me ... well I like to get in there and have a really good swim.

Then after a good day out swimming and walking it was back to the cottage for our tea and a good sleep.

We have our doggy drying coats on and they keep us warm.

My mum kept my long ears tucked in side the jacket here as they are really wet.

And this .... well this is my Dad who was pretending to surf on the edge of the lake standing on a stone in about one inch of water !!

More next time ...

Bye for now xx

Two Lucky Winners ...

Hi Everybody,

Hello on this beautiful Saturday morning and the sun is shining here today.

It is Formula One here over the weekend and Griff will be glued to the TV. 

So after Ruby's long walk in the morning it will be head down for filming for me to get some videos ready of you to view over the week. 

Did you see Thursdays post about "Winning a Workshop" with me in 

Stockport on the 17th October ??

If you would like the chance to win one of the eight places then here is the  Blog Post   with information you need.

The draw for the two gifts on offer yesterday has been done and the names today are ...

Carla Drescher

and

Nicola Parfitt

please would you email me your postal addresses and the gifts will be on the way to you both.

I hope you will enjoy playing with them and please let me know that you have them safely.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Woodland Friends

Hi Everybody,

As Promised last week I have quite a lot to "Give Away" over the next few weeks and they are all good prizes to win. 

Starting this week I have two of these die sets and each will come with a card from the video

Woodland Friends

It is a really pretty die set that has some sentiment stamps  and it will be a useful addition to anybodies crafting stash.

If you would like to win this set then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post 

Add your FULL name and come back tomorrow to check if  you are one of the two winners whose name is shown

I cannot chase you up and you will have 72 hours in which to claim it. 

If any winner does not claim the gift they will lose out on the prize and it will be offered again at a later date to some one else ... so don't let that be you because they are quality prizes.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Win A Workshop .... with me !!

Hi Everybody,

I am so excited to bring you the video here as it is offering eight of you the chance to win a work shop with me at the Craft Stash Headquarters in Stockport.  We will have some fun and make some really pretty things and decorate them to your hearts content. The video will give you details of how to enter

The entry form is in the description box under the video on YouTube but in case you can't watch it there I am adding it here as well. Good Luck to everyone and I will meet eight of you on the 17th October 

Win A Workshop entry form

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Papercraft Essentials 165 - Festive Friend

Hi Everybody,

Today I am sharing with you the Papercraft Essentials 165 magazine for this month and the exclusive gift that is with it.

The die and stamp set are called Festive Friend

and it is a really cute reindeer and some lovely stamps to help you create your own scenes

There is a bumper paper pack with this issue with some lovely designs and background scenes as well as tags and banners

There is also a special offer if you take out a subscription and here is the link  to get the
Six Card Making Magic Dies on offer

Papercraft Essentials Subscription Gift 

The video will show you some of the ways in which I have used this set and I make a shaker card using some packing from a Christmas gift to me last year ... Waste Not Want Not !!

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Papercraft Essentials 65 - Subscription Gift

Hi Everybody,

In this months Papercraft Essentials 165 there is the opportunity for you to receive six of the Christmas Collection dies from

 Card Making Magic

 if you take out a subscription to the magazine.

The benefits you will get are that you will save money on each issue and it will pop through your door each month.

There is an exclusive gift in each pack to help you build your own crafting stash, and here is the link should you wish to take advantage of the offer.

Papercraft Essential Subscription Gift

The dies will help you to create some lovely cards and in the pack this month are some beautiful papers too

So if you are looking for a subscription then maybe you would like to consider this one and bag some of my new dies into the bargain. 

Another video tomorrow showing you how I used the free gift in this months magazine pack 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Pink & White Card

Hi Everybody,

Just before I went away for the week I was on Craft Stash Facebook Live.

I did a demo to show how a pretty card can be transformed into something really lovely with the addition of ....

Flowers, Ribbons & Pearls

The plain card  was created on the show and I had already lined the inside of the base

I pre-made the parchment flowers from the Layered Poinsettia Stamp and Die set

and added some pearl stamens

The background is cut with the  Snowflake Panel

and layered onto pink card.

The circle centre piece is with the Fancy Nesting Circles Die

The ribbon, Lace and gemstones are from the Decorative Collection

The card and leaves are from the original Card and Box  Die Set

The stand is made with the Easel Card Stand Die

The completed 5x7 card fits neatly into its box and is ready to send to your recipient

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Ruby Update ...

Hello Everyone,

It's Ruby here and I wanted to tell you about my holiday.

My mum and dad took me to a little cottage in the Lakes and we had a lovely time.

Dougal and Vickie came with us and we had lots of long walks. 

I went swimming on three of the days but I have my lovely warm drying jacket to dry me off, and I love swimming

My dad bought me this lovely red jacket when we went into Ambleside and it is really warm.

I had to get a bigger size coz I am TWO now ...but still very beautiful don't you think ???

I took my cozy bed with me to sleep in, but it was nice to get back home to all the things I am used too.

I had such a good holiday with all the people I love especially Dougal.

But then Dougal and I can have a good time when we are together wherever we are 

See you soon 

Bye for now ...

Ruby xx

Card & Gift Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

Back to normal this week after a really good week away. The weather wasn't too kind to us but we all enjoyed it any way. We had to buy waterproof jackets but they will always come in for dog walking now we are back at home. I bought some walking boots as well, that are also waterproof.

Even the dogs had the luxury of  new waterproof jackets too and very smart they both looked.

We had a lovely cottage in the Lake District and each day we went somewhere different.

But my favourite walk has to be Tarn Hows and there you can walk all around the lake and see some beautiful scenery.

Dougal went paddling ... but Ruby ... well she was in there to swim and she had a lovely time.

So now back home and the draw for yesterdays offering of the New Home die and stamp set has been done and the winner is ...

Toni Seldon 

could you email me your postal address please to 

christina@card-making-magic.com

and the gift will be on it's way to you.

A big thank you to last weeks winner Sherry Hay for being patient with the delay in sending your prize. Now that I am back home both prizes will be posted promptly.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Home Sweet Home

Hi Everybody,

This cute little die and stamp set is perfect to send to any one moving house and I had a lot of fun creating different styled houses and bungalows with it.

The video will show you some of my ideas and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Home Sweet Home

This gift came with my favourite magazine Simply Cards & Papercraft  back in March and it can be yours if you leave me a comment with your full name 

From those comments one name will be drawn at random and announced in tomorrows blog post so be sure to come back and check if it is you who is listed.

I don't mind where you live and you can still enter even if you have won in the past. You don't need to have a blog of your own either.

And starting next week and for the whole of October I am going to be giving the free gifts away to two lucky winners so be sure to come back

 Good Luck 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Creative Stamping 62 Winter Woodland

Hi Everybody,

Today I am showing you Creative Stamping 62 which will be on sale tomorrow the 20th September.

The stamp set is Winter Woodland and the video is below to show you how I used it.

 I enjoyed using this stamp set to make my cards and there are lots of ways for you to vary the scenes.

There is also a reader offer to get the embossing folder for just the post and packing

The cards can be as elaborate as you wish to make them and add glitter onto the snow for more effect.

But they also make really pretty Birthday Cards and so this is another useful stamp set for all year round to add to your growing collection

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx