Words, words, words!

Hi Everybody,

Today I am sharing some more words cards using the Alphabet die sets in my collection.

This card is so easy to make and don't forget that you can also use the other portion on another card.

The flower is once again the Layered Flowers stamps die set. I have added this to an embossed panel

The blue pearls are from Want2Scrap and they are self adhesive flat backed ones that can be added anywhere.

It can also be helpful to have the Lower case Alphabet to go with the Upper Case as this extends your usage so much more.

For this card I have cut the word from some Dotty card and added them to a stamped background.

 And for this I have added some numbers to balloons as a Birthday Card.

This is something that would be useful for any cards you make for children, as they love to show off their ages, unlike adults who like to hide theirs!!

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Alphabet 2fer1 …

,

Hi Everybody,   

Having an Alphabet in your crafting stash to me is an absolute necessity.

It means that you can add any name, date or occasion that you want to you cards.

The other benefit is that you can get two for the price of one on any  of your designs, and having the lower case of the same upper case die set is a bonus and will extend what you can do for your creations

For these cards I have used the cut out word from this pink back ground  to create the second card.

The negative piece has made the other and both look equally as good as each other.

They are both in a landscape slimline design and will fit into a standard six envelope

And these two have been created from polka dot card

Using the letters on another card.

For these I have used the lower case alphabet with upper case “ Y” and I love the look.

More tomorrow…

Hugs xx

Beautiful Birdcage

Hi Everybody,

These next card are featuring the Birdcage in some different ways to show it's versatility and make sure you get plenty of bang for your bucks. 

I have shown these cards before but it is a die collection that is well worth revisiting for the things you can do with it. 

For this one I have cut the birdcage and simply added it, along with some of the birds to a card front. 

The flowers are from another set and the background is just ink blended to give a soft and subtle look

Here I have cut the panel four times and turned it into an actual birdcage and filled it with mulberry flowers for a really feminine look. 

The ribbon and pearl string bring the tops together to form the cage and I have created a base to stand it on.

Create the cage in mirror card for a metallic look to yours and add some of the birds inside instead of the flowers.

It would make a really lovely wedding day ornament when done in the bridal colours.

For this card I cut the top off the birdcage and used that part of it to make the umbrella, creating a handle from the bottom of the birdcage

I used a stamp set to create the rain drops.

Glossy accents have also been used as they leave a raised effect that looks like water. 

I was really pleased with this card and it looks nothing like a birdcage either.

The stamp set I used was one that came free with a magazine a good few years ago.

For this card I used the same top of the birdcage an turned it upside down and filled it with flowers from the Landmark Collection for another feminine look 

All really easy to make and show you at least four ways to use the dies.

And this one has a video that goes with it so I hope you will enjoy watching it even if you saw it first time around.

Umbrella Card  Just another way to use your birdcage die set.

More tomorrow  ...

Hugs xx

Perfect Christmas Rose

Hi Everybody,

This pretty die and stamp set is called the 
Perfect Christmas Rose
but it can be used all year round for beautiful results. 

I have used water colours on the flowers, and you could use any of your favourite mediums, and they have been added with foam tape to vary the heights.

I have added some pale pink pearls to the designer paper and the sentiment has been backed onto some parchment.

Mine is for a birthday but it would suit any occasion as well as Christmas.

This is a card I made last year and the reason  I am showing it to you again is because Craft Stash have a special offer on their website of 50% off the die set making it a bargain for your own stash 

 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Winner

 Hi Everybody,

Its another bright sunny day here ..... whether it stays that way is any bodies guess but Ruby and I will be braving the woods in a little while for a nice bracing walk.

 Poor Ella, the kitten, has to stay at home.

They are getting on really well at present and have even started to play together just a little. 

Ruby enjoys being outside, and so does Ella, but I am worried that Ella will jump over the 6ft garden wall and get lost.

 I tend to keep her in unless I am out with her to keep a check on her. She eyes up that wall every time I let her out and one day she is going to have a go at getting over it. 

The draw for the beautiful French Chic Stamp Set has been done and the name today is 

Dawn Easter

would you email me please with your postal address to 
christina@card-making-magic.com

and I will get the pack in the post to your straight away.

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

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - French Chic

Hi Everybody,

A very up to date stamp and embossing folder set is up for grabs today and they are bought to you by Crafters Companion

The embossing folder is lovely and will make some stunning backgrounds for your designs. Try Letter pressing if to see what you get.

It also comes with the Creative Stamping magazine and that is full of ideas and inspiration for you to browse.

Grab a cuppa while you sit and relax for a little while, and enjoy your read.

 So if this is something you would like to wing its way to your house then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post with your FULL NAME.

No full name then no entry into the draw. Be sure to come back over the weekend and see if it is your name that is shown as the winner.  Good Luck !!

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Perfectly Matched - Sunflowers

 Hi Everybody,

This lovely collection is on a special 30% off discount with Craft Stash at present and there are four designs to choose from, along with stamps to compliment the card

This offer wont be around for long so take a look while you can 

For this one I have used the Sunflowers and kept the card really simple with just a little bit of inking to enhance the flowers.

The vidoe will show you how I got this look and it is really easy to do and no colouring skills are needed.

And although they are sunflowers I have done one in another colour to ring the changes. 

The vidoe is only eight minutes long but I hope you will enjoy it just the same.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Altenew Floral Acanthus

 Hi Everybody,

Today I am here with another colour scheme for yesterdays  Craft Your Life Kit from Altenew.

Adding it an embossed panel helps the die cut to stand out even more and adding the gold glitter to the flourish does the same.

I was happy playing with this kit and I think they are such good value with the items that are included inside the box, which are dies, stamps, stencils and a 3-D embossing folder.

The sentiment on this card is from the kit and there are several for you to choose from

This card has the addition of a sentiment from a set that is available at Craft Stash and I have added the links below.

If you want to buy any of these products please consider using the links as they are affiliate links which means I will get a small commission if you buy but it will not cost you anything extra.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Altenew Craft Your Life Kit

Hi Everybody,

So this pretty card is created with the Craft Your Life Kit for September 2022 and it is the Floral Acanthus.

The large die cuts all the flower, leaves and flourishes out all at the same time and then how you add them to your designs is up to you.

I decided to make two cards from one lot of die cuts and I used the stencil to colour them all the same way.

This is the first card and it is an  USA2 size which is 51/2 x 41/4  and I have embossed another layer to sit under the flowers.

The other flower is a different style but it looks just as good and again it is added to the embossed panel.

You can of curse add both flowers to one card if you wished but I like the two for one idea ...

I have used sequins on one and small pearls on the other to add extra embellishment and the sentiment both die cut and stamped are also from the same kit. 

Two really pretty cards that are quick and easy to make that would be suitable for any occasion.

I made two more in a different colour way and I will add those tomorrow.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs x

Winner

Hi Everybody,

It is glorious here today. Cool but very sunny and a really good drying day for al your washing. Mine is already out on the line ... it's the ironing I loathe doing !! But Ruby and I will be going out later for our little walk to the park. It's too windy for the beach.

The draw for yesterdays offering has been done and the name today is ...

Margaret Wilson

Would you email me please with your postal address to

christina@card-making-magic.com

and I will get it in the post to straight away.

I would be happy if you could let me know that you have it safely.

If you haven't won then take a look at how you have added your comment as I always ask for your FULL NAME. So if it is not there then your entry will not be added to the draw and especially so if your entry is Anonymous too 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Springtime Butterflies

Hi Everybody,

Today we have a beautiful die set called Springtime Butterflies and it is attached to the Die Cutting Essentials magazine.

There is also the opportunity for you to download some papers that will match with the die set.

The pages of the mag are full of information and ideas that you may like to try plus lots of tips on how to get the most from the die set.

So if this is something that you would like to have in your collection ... and who doesn't like butterflies ... than all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post with your FULL NAME to be in with the chance.

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

I am happy to send this to you wherever you are and it doesn't matter if you have won in the past.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Oldie but goodie ...

Hi Everybody,

This was a technique that I shared way back in 2016  when I was using Spellbinders and it was how to create a stencil from any dies that you have. I will be updating this technique using my own brand of dies coming soon.

 I cannot find the photo of the finished card to show you so instead I am adding the whole video as a refresher or should you be new to this idea. It is a good way to stretch out your dies and get as much from them as you possibly can 

It is an easy to do technique and the hardest part is waiting for the embossing paste to dry.

You can colour your paste to whatever colour of inks that you have and that way it will match the colour scheme of the design you are making. 

I hope you enjoy this old video and will also watch the new one when I have added it to the blog

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Altenew Craft Your Life Kit

Hi Everybody,

This beautiful flower is Elegant Motifs from Altenew and is part of their Craft Your Life Kit for last November.

There are so many lovely arrangements in this stamp set that can be used all together or apart as I have done here. 

The background is an embossing folder from my own Card Making Magic  and I have Letterpressed this using Distress Oxide Inks. 

I also went direct to paper with the ink pad to give me the fuller look and then cut it out with a circle die.

The flowers have been coloured with the stencil in the kit and then added to the card front with foam pads.

Altogether a quick and easy card to make and the sentiment can be added later when I have an occasion to use it.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Butterfly Trails Collection

Hi Everybody,

Today card is a 5x7 with the fold at the side, which is not my usual style. But there is a reason for this change.

The front of the card has been decorated with the lovely papers from this collection and I specifically positioned the flowers.

The small butterflies have been cut from the pink paper in the pack and double layered onto white card for added strength.

The sentiment has been added to parchment for the same reason and added to the front of the card.

I have dotted it with sequins and added pearls to the body line of the butterflies.

But it is the inside where I have made the most of this card.

I have again used the papers from the pack to line the inside and from some plain white card I have used Picked Raspberry to ink the card.

I have used the large butterfly die to cut out the design and then I have added a little glue to the  centre edge of the wings.

 Positioning it on the middle of the card I have closed it up and pressed it till the glue was set  and then once you open it up the wings spread across the centre as a pop up.

It looks very effective. 

The centre of the butterfly is decorated once again with the flowers and it all folds flat to go into an ordinary envelope.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Ruby Update

 Hi Everybody,

Thank you so much for all your emails and concern over my beautiful Ruby. 

She is on medication to help her with the diagnosis of Cushing Disease and she seems to be responding to the treatment at the moment. 

The vet tells me it will take a while for her to completely respond but at least we are making progress in the right direction.

Here she is lying on her cool mat with Ella at her side but she is not taking any notice of the kitten and walks away when she has had enough.

She seems to like being left alone when she isn't feeling well and so that is what I do until she comes to me for a cuddle 

I hope she continues to get better as the weeks go by but it is incurable and so she will be on medication for the rest of her life now.

I will of course let you all know how she is progressing

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Winner

 Hi Everybody,

Here I am bright and early this week because later on this morning I am going out with Ruby for the day.

The weather is fine and dry and I hope it stays that way and we wont be back till afternoon.
So I thought it would be better to get this done early so that you are not all waiting for the name to show up as the winner.

The draw has been done at random and this week it is the turn of ...

Marie Quick
so would you please email me your postal address  to

christina@card-making-magic.com

and I will get it in the post to you straight away.

I really hope you will enjoy the gift and please be sure to let me know that you have it safely.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Fabulous Foliage

Hi Everybody,

Here is another chance to win the Fabulous Foliage that comes with Die Cutting Essentials.

The magazine is full of hints and ideas for you to try, along with interesting articles for you to browse at your leisure.

The set consists of eight different dies for you to cut laves and flowers for your projects and it can be used at any time of the year to fill out your displays.

You will find lots of ideas on how to get the most from this die set in the pages of the magazine

So if this is something that you think you would like to have than all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post with your full name. 

It must be your FULL NAME so that I can identify the correct winner and add it to a blog post over the weekend .

So if you do enter then be sure to come back and check to see if your name is listed as the winner.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Spiral Rose

 Hi Everybody,

It is no secret that I like to add flowers to my cards and this Spiral Rose  is one of the easiest ways to create them. At the moment it is half price on the Craft Stash website. 

You can make them as small or as large as you like by simply adding more spirals to the flower.

This top picture has used the spiral rose with the plain edges and the bottom one has used the scalloped edge die for a fancier look. 

Clicking the affiliate link in this post will take you to the special offer from Craft Stash that is half price at present from the 20 Sept 22

I also have a video on how to make these flowers for your self and they can be made from some of your patterned papers for unusual designs.  Spiral Rose Maker Die set 

These deals with Craft Stash won't be around for long so take a look at what there is and maybe you will see something that you would like.

And by using my affiliate links means I will get a small commission if you buy through them and it is at no extra cost to you. 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Layered Florals

Hi Everybody,

I am adding these two cards today because these dies and stamps are on special offer with Craft Stash at present.

They are the Layered Florals  Dies and the Layered Florals Stamps and both are currently half price.

I have had so much fun playing with these, with water colours and alcohol markers as well as coloured pencil.

 In fact whichever is your favourite medium to work with you are sure to get a good result.

These two cards have both been water coloured and  cut out using the matching dies.

I added them to the blog a long time ago, but they both remain two of my favourite cards. 

I am not a good artist but I do enjoy playing around with water colours and of course stamping out the images to be coloured makes it so much easier. 

Both of these cards have had the stamped image done in Versamark and then heat embossed in white powder. 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Bargains to be had ....

Hi Everybody,

There is a special deal going on at Craft Stash and many of my Card Making Magic Collections are going for half price. So now is the time to take a look and there just might be something that catches your eye.

Here are some of my favourite cards from some of these die sets that are going cheap ...

This is an Easel Card created from the slimline set and it has its own matching box with it. 

 This one is the Layered Florals and I have used this die set so much and it has matching stamps.

The sentiment is from an A5 stamp set

This is the Oval box and my video shows you how I made this for any gift you are giving.

Another special box was the Circular one   and this also has a video to go with it. 

 All my videos can be found on my YouTube Channel and all my collections are available at Craft Stash

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Ruby Update ...

Hi Everybody,

This has been a very stressful week for me and Ruby who has been very poorly for most of it. I took her to the vets as I was very worried when she was being sick, and they kept her in to run some tests.

 

Yesterday I got the results back from blood tests and her scan. The blood test shows that her thyroid is working correctly but the scan has shown that she has Cushing Disease

I had never heard of this complaint but I sure have done some research since. It is a condition where her body cannot regulate the amount of Cortisol it produces. 

Some of the symptoms are lethargy, vomiting, excessive panting, muscle weakness, extended belly, eye/ear/skin infections  and skin problems too.

Over the last few months she has had her fair share of them and been treated for them, and I added it to the blog post when she was having problems with her eye just a few months ago.

But it wasn't until this week that we have had a definite diagnosis. She has been really poorly, and sadly the disease is incurable. She is not in danger but she will be on medication for the rest of her life.

 I am hoping that the medication will give her some quality of life back again and give her the strength to run around and bark at everything again with her pal Dougal.  Please keep your fingers crossed for a good recovery for her and I will of course keep you posted as to her progress.

Thank you all so much for the personal messages that have come to me and for your comments on the blog.

Hugs xx

Ruby Update

Hi Everybody,

My poor Ruby has been admitted to doggy hospital this morning and she is having different tests ,
more blood taken and a scan done. 
She is not well and is so lethargic.

 She doesn't want to eat, go for walks, bark at the postman or growl at the cat. She looks really miserable and can't get comfortable at all. 

The scan they are doing is to check her pancreas and  hopefully they will find out what is making her so poorly. 

The blood tests will check her thyroid and liver again. I am not a vet and I don't know what is wrong but I know my dog and I do know that she is not well, and none of the treatment that she has had has made her any better.

Please keep her in your thoughts and hope she gets better soon.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Circle Frames

Hi Everybody,

This was a card I made from the Nested Fancy Frames Circle dies and I have used it to partially cover the front of my card.

I embossed the largest circles in to another panel of white card for really elegant look  and then used the smaller one to cut the pattern out.

It was then backed with some of the pretty papers that I have been using in the cards that I made last week. Foam pads are used to raise it up from the base card

The Congratulations die is from the Thoughtful Words die set and I have cut it in pink and simply added it to my card.

It is a DL sized card that I have used in Landscape and because the card is flat it will fit into a standard sized envelope.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

Winner

Hi Everybody,

This is a very sad weekend for many people around the world as we have lost our Queen this week at the age of 96. She has ruled over us for 70 years and I for one do not remember any other monarch in my lifetime as I was only four when she ascended to the throne.

 I remember my dad taking me to see her when she visited Bolton, on her tour of the UK, just after she came to the throne. And sadly he died in January the year after when I was five. 

On another sad note it would have been my Griffs 75 birthday today and this evening we are all having a  get together at Griffs youngest daughters house to remember him. I can't believe how quickly those years have gone by since he died and it will be four this coming November.  

Life changes but it does go on, and sometimes it can be very hard, as those of you who have lost someone will surely know.

To cheer things up a little I have done the draw for yesterdays Poinsettia and the name today is ...

Christi Neal

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

I hope you enjoy the gift when it arrives with you and please let me know that you have it safely.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx