Remembering Griff

Thank you all so much for the messages, cards and beautiful flowers that have been sent over the death of my amazing husband. I am so very grateful for the 21 years that we had together and Griff will be missed by all his family members.  

I am not going into detail about things but to answer some of the questions I am getting from people I will share this.

We took him to hospital on the Sunday morning. After several tests he was placed into a deep sleep and taken to the Intensive Care Unit.

It was here that he died at 10.45 on Monday the 12th November without knowing that he had the one thing he feared the most Cancer

We were all with him and he was surrounded by loving hands and gentle words. We are all stunned at the speed of the decline and we will miss him very much.

Not one of us can go back to our own homes and not see some job that Griff did for us.

His work was perfection and he loved being a builder who never knew how to say "No" to anybody

The funeral will be held at Lytham Crematorium
FY8 4AB

 29th November at 3.30

If you knew him and would like to say "Goodbye" then you are more than welcome. 

Please don't send flowers, make a donation to Cancer Research UK as that will help them to conquer this awful disease

Here are some videos to show the fun times we had with Griff over the years.💔

This was a family trip he organised for both our families to Grassington and it was a fabulous day out 

This is Isabella' House that he so carefully put into the back garden when she was three

Griff

I am sorry I cannot blog at present. My handsome wonderful  Griff died last night and I am unable to speak

NEC Birmingham

Hi Everybody,

It's taken me a little while to add these photos and that is because I have not been well this week. But these are from the NEC Craft Show that I as at last week.

It was amazing to see my name up there and to stand in front of tables that are filled with my designs.

I cannot tell you how grateful I am for all that Practical Publishing and Craft Stash have done for me.

The whole team is fantastic and I enjoy going into their offices to see them all.

These guys are the team that I was working with on the Sunday and I did enjoy it. 

It was lovely to meet up with people who visit my blog and website as well as YouTube and I had some lovely comments from them all.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Card & Gift Winner

Hi Everybody,

Feeling much better today and hoping to be back to normal next week. Thank you for all the kind wishes and your understanding. My voice is almost there and so i will start the vidoes again too next week.

The draw for the card and gift has been done for the beautiful A4 stamp set from yesterday. You can have a lot of fun with this stamp set and make some great cards for male and female. 

The name chosen today is ...

Jean Marmo

so would you email me please with your postal address to

christina@card-making-magic.com

and I will pop it in the post to straight away

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

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Bright and Breezy

Hi Everybody,

Today's card is from Creative Stamping and it was out in March this year.

There are some fabulous stamps on this set and you can create your own scenes for any occasion

The video showed you some of the ways in which I used it  and here it is to refresh your memory... 

Bright & Breezy

Now if you would like to have this set in your own collection then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post and from them a name will be chosen at random to be the winner.

You will need to come back in the morning and see if it is your name that is shown. 

You will have 72 hours in which to claim it and if you don't then it will be offered again at another time.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Creative Stamping 64 Classic Winter Scenes

Hi Everybody,

Please forgive my absence from Blogging but I have not been well since I got back from the NEC at the weekend.

I had a very enjoyable time meeting all of you who came over to say hello so thank you for that.

And today I have done the video for the new magazine that will be on sale on Thursday and I sound really croaky in it.

I hope it doesn't spoil your enjoyment of the film and I will be back to normal again soon.

The featured designer this month is John Lockwood and he has created some lovely stamps that can be used all year round. The dies with it will help you to cut out the circle toppers neatly to add to your creations.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Card & Gift Winners ...

Hi Everybody,

Today I am going down to Birmingham to join the crew at the NEC. This is a large craft show where you can buy all the latest goodies to use in your crafting whatever it is. Last year I went as a visitor and bought all sorts of items. But this year I will be working and I hope you will pop along and say "Hello"

I will be part of the Practical Publishing stand E10 and we are in Hall 20 and it would be lovely to meet you especially if you visit my blog, website or YouTube channel. Then I can add faces to the names that pop up regularly in my comments boxes

But for now the draw has been done for the Christmas Treats die on offer from Card Making Magic yesterday, and I have three to give away to ...

Maureen Killen

Michelle Coffey

Terri Rodrigue

so if you could all email me your postal addresses please to 

christina@card-making-magic.com

the gifts will be on their way to you as soon as I can.

Please bear with me as I am away and wont be back at my desk until Monday.

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Christmas Treats Die Set

Hi Everybody,

This little gift is another from
Card Making Magic

It was given away with Die Cutting Essentials only a few weeks ago and it is a fun set to play with ALL year round.

The video to show you some of my ideas is

Christmas Treats 

There are two sets pictured along with the cards but I have THREE of these to give away and although it is not pictured it will have a card that I will send with it to the winner.

So would you like on of these sets of dies?

If you would then all you have to do is leave me a comment with your FULL NAME and from those the names will be chosen 

I will add them to the blog post tomorrow so be sure to come back and check if it yours that is shown. 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Gilding Flakes & Glitter Snowflakes

Hi Everybody,

As promised here is the video to show you how I made the beautiful snowflakes with glitter

and also gilding flakes.

They are very easy to make and I made loads of them in an afternoon and then got busy and made my cards.

So guess what the theme for my Christmas Cards is this year .... Yep ! Snowflakes

But every one is different depending on how you stack them together, and they can also be used as Birthday cards or invitations to your party too.

So I hope you enjoy the video and will make some of these for your self. 

You can always use pre-glittered card if you preferred or mirror card for a shiny look to your design

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Simply Cards & Papercraft 184 - Scenic Nativity

Hi Everybody,

The gift with this months Simply Cards and Papercraft is a really useful scene builder die of four pieces.

And although it is called Scenic nativity it is a set that can be used all year round

In the video I have tried to show you one way to use it as a change from all the Christmas cards I have been making

So I hope you enjoy it and the sentiment gives you a laugh ... I wouldn't want to go places on the back of a camel, would you ??

The magazine will be in your shops tomorrow and so if this is a set that you would like then get there early to be sure of your copy.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Glitter Snowflakes

Hi Everybody,

Today's card is created with some of the Glitter Card that is available at Craft Stash  and it is easy to cut with the snowflake dies.

I have used a selection of dies from Spellbinders to make my design in suitable colours and then stacked them all together for effect

I created the background with greetings from my Christmas Collection of stamps and then added in some stamped snowflakes also.

This was easy to make and tomorrow I am going to do the video of how I made them but I will be using Gilding Flakes instead of Glitter Card.

So I hope you will pop back and see the video when I add it to the Blog on Thursday. And I hope you enjoy it if you view 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Baby Wipe Technique ...

Hi Everybody,

Creating backgrounds and playing can produce some fantastic results and for this one all I used was some  Distress Oxide re-inkers and cheap baby wipes.

I am sure that at some point you were thinking that I must have lost the plot ... but bear with me through the video and see the end result.

I am really pleased with all of them and by using different die cuts with them I managed to achieve nine cards, and there's no waste either

Vary the colours you use for another look and try it with any paints, alcohol inks or distress re-inkers and see what result you get. 

But be prepared to get messy as I did. 

And even if you don't like the look as you make them keep going to make them up and they will look totally different as cards.

I added all my panels to an embossed piece of card created with the Quatrefoil Embossing folder from Card Making Magic 

And I used mostly the same Happy Birthday sentiment throughout.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Ruby Update - Lovely Day, Long Walk

Hi Everybody,

Today it is really sunny and my mum and I have had a good walk with Dougal and Vickie along the beach.

Here I am in my new red coat, stood on the garden bench waiting patiently to go, and I only barked at a few people who dared to walk past my house.

We walk along the beach and then my mum and Vickie stop for a coffee in the dog friendly cafe. They do Doggy sausages in there too and Dougal and I had one each Mm mmm !!

We are out for about 3 hours and we run around like mad chasing each other or the ball, until one of  us loses it and then we have to buy another !!

Once we get home again it's lunchtime and then I can settle down for a  little nap for few hours

This is me having cuddles with my Daddy on the rug and loving every minute of it.

More again soon ...

Kisses from Ruby xx

Card and Gift Winners ...

Hi Everybody,

Lovely day here this morning ... cold but sunny, and as usual lots to do. 

It is Formula One weekend and so Griff will be attached to the TV and I will be up in the craft room with all my bits and pieces.

Ruby will be out for her long Sunday morning walk and maybe a roast beef dinner. 

Now onto the winners of the set that was on offer yesterday which is the

 Best Of Card Making Magic.

This really is a full gift of an A4 stamp set and four matching dies and there are lots of ways to put this to good use.

So the two names chosen today are ...

Sheila Price

and 

Jenny Hurley

Pleas email me your postal address to 

christina@card-making-magic.com

and the gifts will be on their way to you.

You have 72 hours in which to claim them and please let me know that you have them safely

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - The Best Of Card Making Magic

Hi Everybody,

So to round off October I am giving away two more prizes  from Card Making Magic 

This is the gift that was with my favourite magazine Simply Cards & Papercraft and it is a huge set.

It consists of a large A4 stamp set and four matching dies and I did a video to show you some of the cards that I made with them all

 The Best of Card Making Magic

Now if you would like to win one of these gifts and one of the cards that I made, then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of the bog post, and add your FULL NAME, to be entered into the draw. 

From those comments two names will be chosen at random and added to the blog post tomorrow.

So you will need to come back and check if it is your name that is shown.

You will have 72 hours in which to claim the prize.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Die Cutting Essentials 44 - O Christmas Tree

Hi Everybody,

This lovely Christmas tree is the exclusive gift that is with Die Cutting Essentials this month and it will be on sale tomorrow the 25th October

The featured card is just one way in which I have used the die and there are lots more that you can try.

The video will show you how I got two cards from one die cut by using the positive and negative pieces.

So there is no waste with this and you can achieve this with almost any die cut shape that you can create

Keep a look out for this pack on the shelves if this is a die that you would like to have and make some really pretty cards for the holiday season to send to family and friends

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Floral Easel card & Box

Hi Everybody,

It's many years ago that I last did a video for an

Easel card and so I have decided to up date the process in a new video.

It has been requested by some YouTube followers and I was happy to oblige.

I am very happy with the result and the matching box that I created to go with it.

I used my 6x6 Collection  and added embellishments from the new Decorative Collection

So here is the video for you to view and if you have never tried an Easel Card then give it a go ... it's easy I promise you.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Enjoy Your Day ...

Hi Everybody,

Butterflies are always a firm favourite with card makers and I love to add them to my projects too.

This cards is created with items from my own collections  and they are listed at the bottom of the page

All are available from Craft Stash and the butterflies them selves are stamped with Distress Ink onto Vellum in a soft Shaded Lilac

The Distress Ink stays wet for some time on the Vellum to give you the chance to add the embossing powder and heat set it. 

Make sure that you get the heat tool really hot and bring it to the Vellum in short bursts so as not to burn or warp it in the process

With the pearl flourishes cut them into smaller pieces so that you can add them without getting tangled up ... and you only need small swirls for the butterfly trails any way

The result is a very delicate card and I was happy with the result at the end, and it made a very pretty birthday card for a friend

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Card &Gift Winners ...

Hi Everybody,

Late start for me today but I have had a really good week. And next week is set to be even busier with videos, cards and some new designs that will be with you soon. I really enjoyed the workshop that I did last Wednesday and Steven has left me a message on the blog post to say he enjoyed the day too despite being called Pete .... and I even spelled his name wrong in the process !!

I will try not to spell these names wrong for today's winners that have been drawn from the hat this morning. You are going to get the really pretty die set from

Card Making Magic 

The names to day are ....

Anniek Dunn

and 

Isabel Guntar

please can you email me your postal address and the gifts will be on their way to you.

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

You have 72 hours to claim the prize.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Radiant Butterflies

Hi Everybody,

The card and gift this week are the free gift from Card Making Magic 

This was given away with Die Cutting Essentials earlier this year and it is a lovely die set

The video to accompany this set is 

Radiant Butterflies and I have two of these to give away.

So if you would like to win one of them then all you need to do is leave me a comment with your FULL NAME to be in with the chance.

From those comments two names will be drawn and the winners announced in tomorrows blog post so be sure to come back and check if it is your name that is listed

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Workshop Day ...

Hi Everybody,

So yesterday was a fun day spent in Stockport with the winners of the competition to have a creative workshop day with me.
They came from all over the country and some of them travelled a good distance to get there. We where eight ladies and one man and I think Stephen was very brave with all these women !!

 But we had a lovely day and Practical Publishing provided a buffet lunch for us all with tea and coffee flowing all day.

All went away happy with their makes and the "Goodie" bag that PP had given to them as well as some Decorative Hatpins as my gift to them also. 

The little film was part of the day crafting, chatting and having fun and I have to say a big

 THANK YOU 

to all who came.

Especially to Debra for her bow tutorial and to Stephen who tolerated me really well when for some inexplicable reason I repeatedly called him Pete ... Pete where did I get that from ???

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Papercraft Essentials 166 - Winter Wonderland

Hi Everybody,

Using the exclusive gift with this months Papercraft Essentials I have created this Shaker card.

I used Vellum for the window instead of the usual Acetate to give a frosty appearance and the sequins I filled it with are white and silver

The background is Letter-Pressed and in the video I show you how I did this with clear powder to give a Tone on Tone look

The magazine will be on sale on the 18th October, so keep a look out if you would like this gift to help you make some of your cards this Christmas

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tonic Craft Kit 15 - Momento Book Maker

Hi Everybody,

This is not a card but a really pretty book that would make a perfect Christmas present, and you can add as many pages as the rings will hold.

There are dies to produce the covers and the pages for the book and corners for you to decorate them.

There is a tiny piece that will enable you to cut photo holders and layers that you may want to add to create extra pockets inside the covers.

Everything you need to decorate the book is in the kit and I have used a really inexpensive Copier paper to get the pages 

You can make this for any member of your family, male of female just use the colours that are more appropriate for your recipient 

I have used die from previous kits ( 5 and 10 ) in the project but you can use any dies that you have.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Sunny Yellow Colour Scheme

Hi Everybody,

This is a card that I really liked the look of once it was finished. It was a magazine gift that I covered earlier this year and another that I enjoyed playing with

The colour scheme of yellow and blue was fresh and bright and I think they work well together.

If you think of the colours in nature then you can see examples everywhere of those that will work together ... and that is where I take a lot of my inspiration from.

Then go home and try to replicate that scheme on a card. If you like it then you will use it again and if you don't nothing is lost ... just start over. But there are not many colours in nature that will not work together

Use shades from the same family of either cool colours or warm ones on the one design, trying not to mix them together. Cool colours have tones of blue in them and warm colours have tones of red. 

So look carefully at your paints, pens, inks, sprays, pencils or whatever medium you like to use and decide ... is it cool or is it warm ? Is it pastel or bold ? 

Use a colour wheel to help you as that will show you where the colours sit in relation to each other. 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx