Ruby Update

Hi Everybody,

Well what a lovely day we had last weekend when my mum and I went to St Annes. 

We walked along the prom and I saw all these things flying up in the air.

My Mum told me they were kites and they looked really big, but as long as they stayed up there I was OK with them. 

It was the Kite Festival and it was very busy with lots of people everywhere.

We went later in the day, once it had gone cooler. There were lots of doggy folks to say hello too and I had a wonderful time sniffing about. 

It was much quieter this week when we went to look at my duck friends. And they have really grown since the last time I saw them.

This week I went to the groomers to get my hair cut and as soon as it is done it will rain and I will be cold with short hair. Still when it does get cold and wet again I have a lovely new raincoat to wear and I will be sure to show you when I put it on.

But last night Dougal and I went with our mums to see the Firework Competition . The loud noises didn't scare us. There will be a different country giving a display each week for the next four weeks, and at the end a winner is chosen. This week it is Russia ... I think ... and that too gets very busy

Bye for now

Love Ruby XX

Winner

 Hi Everybody,

I am really pleased to see so many names wanting to win this weeks “Give Away”  of one of my Card Making Magic dies. It is a really cute die and the magazine will show you lots of ways in which it can be used. 

Thank you also for adding your full names, you really don’t know how much it helps get the pack to the right person. If you are not the winner then check how you have left your comment and if your full name is not there then that may be why you haven’t won. I’m not asking much.

You only need to add your comment once. It will not show up until it has been moderated by myself which it tells you as you add it. Please don’t add it three or four times.

So onto this week and the names have been entered into a hat and one has been drawn at random.

The winner this week is ….

Benedicte Hjalting

Would you please email me your postal address and I will get it in the post to you straight away. I would very much appreciate it if you could let me know that you have the gift safely. That saves me worrying that it may have got lost in the post somewhere.

If you didn’t win this week then remember there are even more chances to win this die as I have more copies of this magazine to give away. Next week there will be a different magazine on offer.

More tomorrow…

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Floral Panel Die

Hi Everybody,

This was the Die Cutting Essentials magazine that had my Floral Panel added to it a little while ago and it created some really pretty cards. 

In the pages you will find lots of other ideas and inspiration that you may like to try.

 I have several of these packs to give away over the next few weeks. 

So if you would like to win one of these then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post with your FULL NAME.

I am happy to send this to you wherever you live and it doesn't matter if you have won before you can still try again,

This is one of the cards that I made for the magazine using the beautiful papers that you can download and use whenever you wish.

It has ben decoupaged with several layers to give dimension to the card. 

I am sure that you will come up with many more ideas of your own once you start to play, or maybe you would just like to chill for a while and browse the pages of the mag.

Now if you leave  me a comment be sure to come back and see if your name is listed as the winner over the weekend,  and then you can email me your postal address and it will be on its way to you.

Good Luck everybody

More tomorrow ...

Hugs

 

Friends Card

 Hi Everybody

Todays card is from a really old Spellbinders die set that I have in my collection and I haven't used it in a long time.

I created a 6" square base card  and layered it with lemon paper. The hands have been cut from different shades of card and  I have added rings in different areas of the fingers. 

I used gold or silver mirror card to create them, and added gemstones to some of them.

I thought it would be a lovely card to send to a really good group of people that you enjoy being with, just to say "Hello" or maybe add a little message to the inside for them. 

The hands are not very big but they could be posed in other ways to make them different. 

 It is a die set that you could have some fun with. I really don't know if it is still available from Spellbinders, but I do know that other companies have similar ones on the market.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Same Theme ...

Hi Everybody,

Using the same techniques as shown in yesterdays video, here is another card but using a different embossing folder. This one is the Perfect Roses A5 folder from Card Making Magic.

To colour the parchment I have used my Spectrum Noir pencils. I chose three different shades of pink for these flowers and two shades of green for the leaves .

It took me a little time to colour them all in but the end result is well worth the effort. 

It is a large card as I used my A5 dies to produce it. I made the shaped base with the dies and then the layers to sit on the top just to give it a different look.

The fold is at the top as I usually do and it stands in tent fold

The detailed edging around the smaller frame is a lovely feature and makes the card look so elegant

I think the flowers have blended really well using the pencils, and don't forget to do this on the debossed side of the .parchment so that when you turn it over you have diffused look to your colouring 

Enjoy the process ... it is very relaxing.

The depth to the fame has been created using foam board from Arteza. The foam flattens a little as you cut if, but it really makes a difference.

It cuts like butter in your die cutting machine and the dies have no trouble at all with the intricate details.  

I wrapped my white ribbon vertically around the frame and added large white beaded flower to the bow.

The greeting was die cut using the foam board also  and I added another to the top using  Holographic silver card to make it stand out

And with what was left of the Poinsettia embossed parchment from yesterday I decide to continue colouring with my pencils and  I created this one with blue flowers.

This card is a 5x7 but I used the same A5 die set to get the layers. I double wrapped the ribbon and used a shiny centre for the knot.

Both really pretty cards and I am more than happy with the results.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Parchment & Embossing Folders

 Hi Everybody

First let me apologise about the state of my hands in this video. I have been playing with alcohol inks and I have them everywhere.

No matter how much I scrub they will not come off not even with Isopropyl Alcohol either. But I had a lovely time creating and the cards will be shown over the next few days.

However this card today is using a really strong Parchment and I embossed it in a folder. 

Thinner parchments could tear as it is embossed but this one is very strong. It is a 160 gsm and the nearest I could find on Craft Stash is this 150 one for Groovi crafts.

But it is not the one I used and I don't really know what it performs like. 

The video is not too long but will give you some idea of how I did this technique if it is something new to you. I am sure that you will enjoy the results of your work once the card is completed.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Messy Water Colour

Hi Everybody,

This card was a whole lot of fun to make .... messy but never the less fun at the same time.

Arteza products where perfect for this job and their water colour card is really sturdy quality and will not buckle as you add the water.

So for this I added my sentiment to the bottom of the water colour card panel and then covered it with masking tape.

I added the stamp to the lid of my stamping platform  and with the Real Brush Markers I used the colours that I wanted and brushed them over the actual stamp.

I did the flower part fist and I spritzed it with water and  closed the door to transfer the image across. 

Once I opened the door the colour was not deep enough so I repeated the process, and I also spritzed the card itself too. It was satisfying to see the colour run in the water and you have no control over it which is part of the fun. Just let it flow !!

The process  was done again with green for the leaves and then, because I am impatient, I dried it with my heat tool.  

I added it to my card front and glued a strip of black and another of purple down the side. These I wrapped with Bakers Twine and tied a little bow.

For this second card I did the same thing but then used a circle die to cut the shape.

I added this A2 sized one to some glitter card and added the circular sentiment alongside it..

They are different and although messy I think they are quite effective and I would be happy to get a card like this for any occasion.

 More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

Winner

 Hi Everybody,

Here we are at another weekend and another winners post. They come round so quickly I just cant keep up. I was going to do a video today but my hands are so full of alcohol ink it is embarrassing. So I will wait a day or two and give it time to wear off and then I will start again. 

Ruby doesn't mind the state of my hands though and she is waiting patiently to go for her walk. We have been out once this morning but we will go again before tea and that will settle her for the evening then.... and give me some peace from the guilty loos she gives me when she wants to go out.

I have done the draw for yesterdays offering of the Tonic Collection set and it is well worth having. Everything in this collection is lovely and the double sided papers are no exception. Somebody is going to have some fun plying with this whole box.

The winner this week is ...

Michele Coffey

would you please email me your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and the prize will be on its way to your straight away.

I hope you enjoy it and please be sure to let me know that you have got it safely.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx
 

Friday Freebie - Tonic Collection

 Hi Everybody,

Today I have a very special set to offer you and this one is from Tonic.

It consists of the magazine, some gorgeous double sided papers, an embossing folder and a beautiful Pillow Box die set, and some stamps all in one box for you to play with.

Plenty there for you to get your crafting teeth into and I am sure that you will come up with some lovely projects.

So if you would like to win this then all you have to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post with your FULL NAME. 

I say it every week but still some people do not add their full name. All I can say now is that if you don't add your FULL name then you will not be entered into the draw ... and so you will not be winning these fabulous offerings each week. The reason for this is because it is easier to identify you should there be two, or even three people with the same fist name. 

It doesn't matter where you live or if you have won before you can still enter again.

 But you will need to come back and check if it is your name that is shown as the winner over the weekend. I have no way to chase you up so please be sure to check the blog as you only have 72 hours in which to claim it as yours.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

2 fer 1

 Hi Everybody,

This is a perfect example of a twofer card and I really love doing this kind of thing. It makes sure that you get your monies worth out of any die set that you have.

You can get this effect from most of the dies that you probably already have so it is worth taking another look at them and see how you can make them work.

For these two cards I have used the new DL Box & Card Maker set and added in some Alphabet dies too.

For the background I simply swiped my inkpad over the card to give a stripy effect and then cut the word KIND from that panel and used this for my first card.

I inked around the edges of the open spaces and then faux stitched them too to make them stand out even more.

I threaded some of the leaves in and out of the gaps  and added a small sub sentiment to compliment the word.

For this card I added the die cut word to the detailed background  using the die from the die set.

The flower and the leaves  are also from the die set and I coloured them with Alcohol markers and then I   added them to the top. 

I used the same small sub sentiment to the top of the word and it just completes the card perfectly. 

This is a great way to create many cards, and as you have all your equipment out to make one card you may as well make a few at the same time. 

Look on your desk for any shapes you haven't used from other projects and incorporate them in to you card making session as well.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Altenew Peony Scrolls

Hi Everybody,

This is an Altenew stamp set that has matching dies and I have had it for quite a long time now.

I have used it in the past but I thought I would dig it out again and create a card using water colours. 

I am really liking the result and I used the Arteza Brush markers to make it. I have added it to an Altenew 3-D embossing folder for even more effect  and used the Label Love as the sentiment

I love Altenew products and the results are always a delight on cards for any occasion. 

 

This was another using the same set just a different colour way but just as pleasing in my opinion. I added spatters to this background and dotted sequins around both cards. 

On this second card I have also added sketchy lines around the edge for another look to my designs. 

I have quite a few stamps and dies from Altenew as my collection of their products grows, and my most recent addition has been their Craft A Life kits whcih are fantastic value.

They include stamps with dies, a 3-D embossing folder and a layering stencil for you to create some really special cards. 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

3-D Embossing Folders

Hi Everybody,

A few weeks ago I showed you some cards and a video that used

3-D folders with white ink and this is one of those cards from that batch.

I have used a leaf die from Creative Expressions for the central area and that has ben backed onto the white inked pink background.

It does look really pretty and then I added a double white frame around it all. It has been added to a pink card base  and the finished size is about 4x6"

The sentiment is from Label Love by Altenew and I white embossed that onto black card, It is a very simple card and there is no other embellishment on it it but the effect is lovely.

Adding the white ink to the raised areas of the 3-D folder is such a quick and easy way to to make a card when time is of the essence. 

I am adding the video again in case you missed it first time around but you can see how easy it is to copy

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Ruby Update

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are enjoying your Bank Holiday as mush as I am. The weather has been very kind and not too hot for me.

 I don't like it when it gets too hot especially with having a thick coat. But I am at the groomer's next week to have my hair done so that will be a little cooler for me. 

This was my walk through the big park her and it is called Stanley Park.  It has some lovely paths for us to follow that go through wooded areas as well as this beautiful fountain.

I would have loved to jump in for a little swim, and there was another dog already in the water, but no matter how much I barked my mum just wouldn't'  let me. When I was a baby though I did once step onto what I thought was green grass and it turned out to be just the algae floating on the top  of the lake in Stanley Park, and I went straight under.

My mum was calling me from the side, and that was when I first learned that I could swim, so I came straight back to her. I was about four months old and my mum nearly had a heart attack. Vickie and Dougal where with us too and it turned out to be quite funny once we all got over the shock.

Ever since then I have loved jumping in the water and I don't care if it is muddy either. My mum is not always happy when I am smelly though.

There is a lovely big café in there as well that gets very busy.  My mum had some coffee and we shared a piece of toast, and they always leave water out for any dogs that ned it.

So enjoy the rest of the week and I will see you again soon. 

Love Ruby 

.

 

Winner

 Hi Everybody,

I hope you are all well and making the most of this Bank Holiday weekend. The weather is gorgeous today and I am hoping it stays this way for the rest of the weekend. Ruby and I will be going out walking later and I am sure she will tell you of her adventures when she next comes on.

 In the meantime I have done the draw for yesterday’s offering and the name this week is 

Tammy Joyce

Would you email me your postal address please to

christina@card-making-magic.com

and I will get the pack in the post to you straight away. I hope you enjoy it and p,ease be sure to let me know that you have it safely

More tomorrow …

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Peony Perfect

Hi Everybody,

And here we are at the end of the last few weeks of giving away two fabulous sets complete with the magazines.

 This is the last chance to win Peony Perfect for yourself, and all you have to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post with your FULL NAME.

I hope that the past winners, of these, or any of these sets, have enjoyed playing with them and getting as much enjoyment from the magazine too.

Always a good read as you sip your cuppa and relax for a little while.

From those comments one name will be drawn, at random, as the winner and if you do add your comment then be sure to come back and check if it is your name that is shown as the winner in a blog post over the weekend.  And don't forget you need to add your FULL NASME ... no initials or nicknames but the full name that you have.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Floral Birthday Card

 Hi Everybody,

Todays card has a beautiful flower on the front and I created this with some Foamiran that I have in my "Stash" It was very easy to work with and it comes in many colours

I used white and some peach on my cards with green for the leaves. And although I used a hot iron with mine you really don't need to if the thought of messing about with a hot iron puts you off.

The foam can be moulded from the warmth of your hands by rolling it in your palms. It is probably not as deep a crease but it will work .

The card above is the one that I made in the video but for another one I simply made some Rose buds and added them in a bouquet.

I added copper gilding flakes to these petals and

 tied them with a bow. The card size for this one is A2

The technique to make the buds is a little different but still not hard to do. And they fill an empty space if added with a group of larger flowers

I hope that this is something you will try for your self and I am sure you will be delighted with the flowers you make. Especially when you see the price of some ready made ones these days.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Slimline Box & Card Maker De Set

Hi Everybody,

Did you get to see Pauline Hickey demonstrating the brand new Slimline Box &  Card Maker Dies on Hochanda yesterday. 

This is a fabulous die set and there is also a DL size as well.

In the video I have shown you how I have used the die set and with my card I have created an envelope that matches. 

There is such a lot of versatility in any of these die sets that you need never be stuck for how to finish them off. I have had so much fun playing with them and if you managed to get yours from the shows then I hope you enjoy them as much.

I have even created a Slimline Easel Card that fits inside the box  and if you would like a video then just let me know and it will be done.

So these are only two die sets from the new collection and I will be adding more videos to showcase them all in the next few weeks. 

They are all available at Craft Stash so why not pop over there and take a look. 

In the meantime I hope you will enjoy the video that I have put together for you. It's not too long so you won't get bored.

Just long enough for a morning break with a cuppa and a biscuit ... or some chocolate !!

Latest Offers*

25% Off Past Card Making Magic

With code: CMM25

Landing Page: CraftStash

STARTS: 24 August 2021 ENDS: 31 August 2021

NEW Card Making Magic Slimline Boxes

Landing Page: CraftStash

STARTS: 24 August 2021

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Make Your Own Ink Pads

Hi Everybody,

Every day there is new stuff coming onto the market and we are all tempted to buy. But what about all the stuff that we already have,  tucked away at the back of a  cupboard.

Stuff that was not cheap to buy and that may have only been used once ... or twice if your lucky ... and then forgotten about. 

Forgotten because you don't remember it is there, or forgotten because you can't remember how to use it.????. 

The same applies to techniques that maybe inspired those buys and now we have discarded them for something new.

Using Baby Wipes was something I did years ago and it created some lovely designs, and was a really cheap way to create multi coloured ink pads for your self.

This little video may just spark a memory of how you used it, of if you are new to card making then it maybe something that you want to try out. It's not going to cost you much to give this a go and baby wipes are really cheap and can be picked up anywhere.

Alcohol refill inks are available from lots of places and I used Spectrum Noir refills from Crafters Companion for my cards and you will only need a few colours to get a really lovely look.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

. .

Winner

 Hi Everybody,

Sorry to be so late with the draw but it has been a funny kind of day and this is the first ch ace I have had to blog. It’s now 22.10 here and soon be my bed time but I will get this post done first and then go up the apples and pears.

The name pulled at random from the hat this time is …

Mavis Lynch

Would you  email me your postal address please to 

christina@card-making-magic.com

And I will get it in the post to you straight away. I hope you enjoy playing with it and please let me know when you have it safely.

Good night everybody.Sleep tight. 

Friday Freebie - Fabulous Foliage

Hi Everybody,

This is the last of the Fabulous Foliage Stamp Sets so if you would like to win this one then this is your last chance.

It comes with Simply Cards & Papercraft and there are actually two stamps sets and a stencil in this collection.

And to be in with the chance of owning these you need to leave me a comment at the end of this post with your FULL NAME

It doesn't matter where you live I am happy to send the gift to you at my expense and it doesn't matter if you have won before. 

But you will need to come back and check if it is your name that is shown as the winner in a blog post over the weekend. You will have 72 hours in which to claim the prize by sending me your postal address.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Embossing Folders

 

Hi Everybody

Embossing folders are a cheap way to make cards... no that is wrong they are not a cheap way, they are an inexpensive way to create beautiful designs for your cards.

Lots of companies are now bringing out 3-D folders and they are amazing for the depth they produce and there are many ways to use them too.

In this video I have again used up some of the bits of sentiments that are already on my desk but I have combined them with beautiful frames to make them stand out.

On a couple I have simply fussy cut the shapes out of the folders and on others I have die cut them.

And rather than keep buying new things I am on a mission to use the stuff that I already have and make it work for me in creating cards.

I think that most of us own some embossing folders and have some white ink in our crafting stash and this is one way to use  them and get more for your money

So I hope you enjoy this video and will try some of the ideas in it. 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Christmas Cards

Hi Everybody,

The cards shown today have also been created from scraps but these I have turned into Christmas Cards.

I have used the strips I made in coloured card and added them to the background and then cut lots of snowflakes from glitter card.

They are all different shapes and sizes of flakes and I have added them,  some flat and some with foam tape underneath them,  to give all different heights.

The sentiment has been cut from the blue mirror card, layered onto black card and then all added to some parchment 

This card has hade the strips laid in the horizontal line across the card and gold snowflakes added for effect on this one. 

These snowflakes are created from gilding flakes and they are some that I made for last years cards. I knew they would come in handy one day !!

Both cards are 5x7 and both are now ready to send to someone over the coming Christmas Season.

They are easy to cover in gilding flakes and I did a video when I first did them to show you how I made them.

I am adding it again here again to refresh your memory or to show you the technique if you are new, and it just goes to show you that nothing is wasted no matter how long it takes to use them 

I hope you enjoy watching and it is not a long video.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Ruby is Five Today

Hi Everybody,

Today my beautiful girl Ruby is five years old, and I have no idea where those five years have gone.

She was a nine week old puppy when we bought her home and both Griff and I fell in love with her straight away.

She was so small she could walk underneath the bottom tread of the staircase.

Once she could go out Griff would take her walking twice every day to the park or the beach and they enjoyed each other so much.

She must have been really confused when he died, but since then she has been my saviour. 

We go out together every day and she suits my personality perfectly. 

We can have more adventures in the woods looking for squirrels, or off to the beach and a paddle in the sea.

We can have lots of days out with Dougal who was five on the 4th August.

So here's to the next five years Ruby and we will both be old ladies by then. 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Using Up Your Scraps

Hi Everybody,

Being the crafters that we are none of us like to waste stuff that we have in our craft space. 

Whatever it is from die cut shapes to flowers we may have made to bits of left over card and papers that are lying on our work tops.

So this video will show you how I made good use of those left over bits and turned them into cards that I can send for any occasion throughout the year. 

I had some double sided sticky sheets and I used up all the strips I cut from left over card. 

I thought I might get five cards from them but I ended up with nine different styles in different sizes and on those I added any stray sentiments that I have left over too.

The cards can suit anyone that may need a greeting of some sort, if only to say thank you. 

And they are handy to keep on one side for that unexpected situation when you are suddenly asked to produce a card for some one.

You can dress them up as you like depending on your recipient. Just have fun making them in all different colours.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx