Beautiful Card Designs Made Easy

May 06, 2018

Card & Box - 6x6 Collection

Hi Everybody,

Today I am showing you another card from the new 6x6 Collection.

Next week I will start adding in some new videos to show you what I do.

I will add the list of items used at the bottom of the page for you to view and the video will show you exactly what is in the new collection


Please note that to cut the box you will need a die cutting machine with a larger opening to accommodate the width of the die.

But you can always trace around the edge of the box die and hand cut it as all the other dies will fit the smaller machines.

For this card I have made a stencil from the Shell Trellis and it is covered in the video.
Please come back to see what is created in future videos and hopefully you will join in and create along with me

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

May 05, 2018

Card Winner and a Thank You ...

6x6 Collection
Hi Everybody,

First of all I wanted to thank each and every one of you for the support you have for me with my brand new collection. It is very much appreciated. 

I went to the Craft Stash office yesterday to do the Facebook Live and I was greeted with excitement that the whole collection is selling well.

I really enjoyed my day with them and we did lots of photographs and videos to promote the range.

Craft Stash took a big risk on an unknown like me but gladly it has all worked out well.  
My 5x7 Christina Collection continues to do well and now the 6x6 ... 
watch this space for the next wave! 

I have been with them for two years now and I was there at the birth of Craft Stash and I am so grateful to them for the opportunity they offered to me.

But I am also grateful to ALL OF YOU for the faith you have shown in buying my Collections, watching my videos, visiting my blog and website and leaving me your lovely comments.

Part of my way to say Thank You is to keep producing good videos and having this weekly "Give Away" to share my good fortune with you.

And so onto this weeks winner ...
Bejay Roles
please could you email me your postal address to 
christina@card-making-magic.com
and they will be on their way to you straight away.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

May 04, 2018

Friday Freebie - Away in a Manger

Hi Everybody,

As the name of the A4 stamp set suggests this is a collection of Christmas stamps.


But having said that it can be used all year round with a little careful snipping of the images.

 For example snip away the wreath from the top of the fireplace and it would make a lovely male birthday card

Time to get the imagination going with this set.
 The video will show you how I used it Away in a Manger  and you can come up with many more to suit your own style or recipient

Would you like this set ? Then all you need to do is leave me a comment and one name will be chosen from them.
Please leave your full name or you will be excluded from the draw. I cannot accept entries from people who only leave a single name, or anonymous or unknown.

You can simply add it at the end of the comment if that is easier for you. And don't forget to come back in the morning to see if it is your name that is listed.
You will have 72 hours in which to claim the gift


More tomorrow ...

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

May 03, 2018

Competition for 6x6 Collection


Hi Everybody,

Tomorrow sees the launch of my brand new collection of 6x6 dies and embossing folders and I can't wait to show you what there is.

Craft Stash have set up a competition for one lucky person to win 

Click the link to go to their page and see all the details on how to win and good luck to everybody. 

This is some of the collection but if you click the link you can see the rest of it and it is beautiful.
Did you notice the card stand !!! 

And if you join me tomorrow 4th May at 12.30 on the 
you will also have the chance to win a voucher for £15 to spend as you like.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

May 02, 2018

Brand New 6x6 Collection ....

Hi Everybody,

At last I can tell you about the new collection coming this week to Craft Stash and I know that many of you have waited patiently for this 6x6 size.

There are some beautiful dies as well as the complete card and box die set in the squarer size.

I have introduced some words dies too and they are in two parts so that they can be layered onto your projects if you wish.

The video gives you  small glimpse of what is coming and I will be doing lots more over the coming weeks with this and the original 5x7 sets as they will play nicely together.


I am delighted with this set of dies and embossing folders and I will show them all  on Friday on the


Please join me at 12.30 pm 4th May 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Die Cutting Essentials 37 - Radiant Butterflies

Hi Everybody,

The free gift with this months Die Cutting Essentials is a fabulous die set from ....
drum roll please .... Card Making Magic !!

It is Radiant Butterflies and it is a lovely die set that will cut the pattern into your card.



I have really loved playing with this set and all the cards I made are shown at the end of the video.

I have stayed with the same colour scheme simply to show you that if you are new to card making that you don't need a vast amount of supplies to get lovely results.

 Each of my cards looks different with just the free gift and the odd piece from my supplies.

And I really love this colour blend and it is one I have used many times in the past.

For the card to the right I have used the Dinosaur from Pawfect Pets by Crafti Potential and that creates a fun card ideal for children 

The dies and stamps can be used all year round for male and female cards and so I hope you will look out for it tomorrow in your supermarkets and craft stores.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


May 01, 2018

Follow Your Dreams ...

Hi Everybody,

Last week I was asked by a lady called Veronica if I  had any Birthday cards that I could donate to her charity.  She is part of   FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS  which is a group of people who help children with learning difficulties.

Many of these children never receive a Birthday card and it is the charities aim to make sure that each child will get some on their special day.

I was delighted to help out and I sent her a box of 125 cards for children of all ages ... boys and girls ... complete with envelopes to use as and when she likes. 
And I have more that I will send too.


I also offered to add their address to my blog post to see if any of you kind souls would like to do the same.

Many of you make cards and then they sit there never to be used. 

This is s way to put them to good use and give pleasure to children around the UK.

So if you are interested then either contact her or send your cards for the attention of 
Veronica Preece
 Fundraising Assistant.

 Follow Your Dreams, 
Gwynfa House, 
Main Road, 
Church Village,
 Pontypridd. 
CF38 1RN.


and tell her where you have read about her request

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

April 30, 2018

Playing with Altenew ...

Hi Everybody,

I have been playing with new dies and stamps from Altenew and I love the big flowers that these dies produce.

They are layering dies and give you that 3-D look really easily just using different shades of card for the layers.

Everything on this card is from Altenew from the background to the flowers. 


And HELLO has been covered with Glossy Accents 

Both of these have used the same Peony Dream 3-D Die 

If you don't have the shades of card that you want .... but you have coloured markers .... then you can create them easily for your self by colouring white card


These dies and stamps are not cheap to buy but the cards that they make are really beautiful and I will be using them again quite a lot in the future

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

April 29, 2018

Tonic Craft Kit 09 - Art Deco Box

Hi Everybody,

The kit from Tonic this month is the Art Deco Box and it is quite a good size.

The video will show you how to put the pieces together and you can decorate it to suit your own style.

It's not difficult to make and there are lots of small dies that can easily be lost so you will need to store them carefully.

For my project I have done an inked pattern for the panels with Distress Oxides. The paper is so beautiful and I am saving it for another idea that I have.


These boxes are perfect for adding small gifts to and would make lovely party bags or wedding favours

You can subscribe to Tonic to get the kits delivered to you each month and that way you will be sure never to miss out on one.


More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

April 28, 2018

Card & Gift Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

What a lovely day it is here and today we are going to look for tiles for the new kitchen so that we can get the walls and floor finished and it's going to look lovely

I have my dining room back to normal again. The carpets have been shampooed and it looks like home 

So the room has gone from this .....

Back to this ... 
It seems to have been a long haul but I know it will be worth it in the end.

Tomorrow I will be taking Ruby for her long Sunday morning walk.

This is not the only exercise she gets .... she is out twice everyday with Griff and he takes her to the park to play with her friends.

Then every Wednesday she goes to Doggy Day care

But Sunday morning is my special time with her and we go out for a few hours with Vickie and Dougal.

Enough of my ramblings ... let me tell you who has won yesterdays draw for the card and gift on offer.

Today's winner is
Brenda Hopkins ( Littlelamb)
please email me your postal address to 
christina@card-making-magic.com
and they will be on their way to you straight away.

Next week I will have some exciting news to share with you so be sure to come back and see what it is ..

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

April 27, 2018

Friday Freebie - Mandala Stencil & Stamp Set

Hi Everybody,

Today's gift is a stencil and stamp set and I really enjoyed playing with this set.

I really like stencils to give you a beautiful background to your designs but for this card I made the pattern the star of the show with clear embossing powder.

The video Mandala Stencil & Stamp Set will give you other ideas too and if you win this then I hope it pleases you as much as it did me

Now 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.  From those comments one name will be drawn as the winner and it announced in tomorrows blog post.
Please leave your full name or you will be excluded from the draw. I cant accept entries from people who only leave a single name, or anonymous or unknown.

You can simply add it at the end of the comment if that is easier for you. And don't forget to come back in the morning to see if it is your name that is listed.
You will have 72 hours in which to claim the gift
More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


April 26, 2018

Rainbow Shaker Card

Hi Everybody,

This cute little Unicorn is part of the Sweet Treats set of stamps from Crafti Potential.

I really enjoyed turning her into a shaker card and this is sure to delight the younger members of your family.

If you are new to card making please don't be daunted because shaker cards are really easy to do.

The video will show you how I made this card and once you have done one you will want to do more.

The stamps are lovely and there are some cute images throughout the whole collection.  Well worth a visit to Craft Stash to see what is on offer and the links are all at the bottom for the items that I have used

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


April 25, 2018

Papercraft essentials 159 - Man of the Moment

Hi Everybody,

This is the perfect stamp and die set for anybody who has brain freeze when it comes to male cards.

I had so much fun playing with this and creating cards that I struggle with from time to time.





The gift is free with Papercraft Essentials this month and if you want it then look in the shops tomorrow.

I will be offering this as a free give away later in the year so keep a look out for that too.

The stamps will help you to make these cards for men but it can be altered to make female cards too. 

On this one I added Googly eyes and drew in some eyelashes 

 I am sure that you will enjoy playing with it once you get them home 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

April 24, 2018

Alphabet Aperture ...


Hi Everybody,

For today's card I have used the Horse from Pawfect Pets by Crafti Potential to create a fun effect with Alphabets

I have the large letters from the Donna Salazar Alphabet from Spellbinders

My card is 5x7 so they take up a good bit of space but you could make your card larger or smaller 

The video will show you how to get the effect for your self  and it is not difficult to do whatever size alphabet you use.  But I don't think a smaller one would have the same effect on the card

The stamp set is available from Craft Stash and is one of several new ones from Crafti Potential

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

April 23, 2018

Safari Squad by Crafti Potential

Hi Everybody

Once again I have been having fun with the new character stamps by Crafti Potential and this time I have used the Safari Squad and the Messy Water Colour Background

There are several animals for you to choose and these are the ones I used.


In retrospect I wish I had added more stripes to the zebra whilst doing the video as I think he looks a little unfinished.

So later I went back to the card and added some extra stripes and now he looks dressed and I am much happier with the card





The video will show you how I created the jungle and the stamps did all the work  with just a little colouring from me.

So make a cuppa and enjoy the film ... it's not long

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

April 22, 2018

2 Cards from 1 die ... really pretty !!

Hi Everybody,

Today I am using an old die that some of you may already have too.

These where very popular a few years ago and created beautiful weaving backgrounds for you.

There are two dies to get the weaved look but for today's card I am using just one the
 Classic Weaving Die.

The Distress Oxide background is one we have done before but I really like the soft look that comes with Broken China, Shaded Lilac and Cracked Pistachio


Using what would be the waste is an economical way to get the two cards and can be done with lots of dies that you may have.

If you have these dies sat at the back of a cupboard then it is time to get them out again to give his a try. That way you get your monies worth from what is not a cheap investment

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

April 21, 2018

Card & Gift Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

Hello on this beautiful Saturday morning and I hope you all have good things planned in the lovely sunshine.

One little Spaniel has had some fun playing in the sea and here is Ruby running in the waves 

The draw for the card and gift has been done and the winner  is ...
Sue Pollock
please email me with your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and they will be on their way to you straight away.

On another note ... my kitchen is in and working but not finished yet. 

There are all the new tiles to add to walls and floor and the decorating to be done. And once it is done I will show you the complete change.

It is looking really modern and I am very pleased with it.

The hold up has been pieces missing from the order and Griff has had to keep chasing them up. 

But it is a credit to him and all the hard work he has done fitting this alone

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

April 20, 2018

Friday Freebie - Garden Retreat

Hi Everybody,

A really large A4 stamp set is on offer this week that will make beautiful designs all year round.

The video to show you how I used this is  ...
with lots of ideas for you to copy

You can build your own scenes with this stamp set and the sentiments in the pack can be mixed and matched for many occasions 

So if you would like this set to play with then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post and one name will be chosen as the winner.

Please do not leave your self as Unknown/Anonymous as there could be several people all identifying them selves that way. Unknown/Anonymous will be removed from the list. 

Just add your full name ... first name/last name ... to be sure of being notified if you are the winner.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx



April 19, 2018

Simply Cards & Papercraft 176 - Teacup Garden

Hi Everybody,

A cute little die and stamp set is free with this months Simply Cards & Papercraft called Teacup Garden.

This is suitable for male cards and will cover many occasions for you.

There is a free paper pack included in the magazine and they are perfect for changing the look of your cups



When you are adding the cups keep the bottom one straight but add the others so that they look as if they are going to topple over for a fun quirky effect.

The video is not long but I hope you enjoy it and will have some fun with this free gift that comes with Simply Cards and Papercraft 176 that is on sale today

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

April 18, 2018

Creative Stamping 56 - A Good Sport

Hi Everybody,

Once again a large A4 stamp set is free with creative Stamping and this one is A Good Sport.

It covers many different sport and occasions and is suitable for males and females of all age groups.

The designer this month is Joanna Sheen.

There is the opportunity for you to buy the matching dies for the bowler and the cricketer at the top of the stamp set.

You can have lots of fun creating scenes for your recipients with this stamp set

In the video I show you other ideas and of course there are lots more in the magazines itself.
The card I make is really simple with an inked background ideal for those new to stamping or need a card in a hurry.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

April 17, 2018

Make Your Own Foam Pads


Hi Everybody,

If you view my videos regularly then you will know that I like to add dimension to my cards and sentiments

Which means I use a lot of foam in between the layers.

So I would ask you if you like to do the same?

And do you also use craft foam in the process of cardmaking?

 And last but not least do you have one of the Xyron Sticker maker machines?

If you can tell me yes to all three questions then you have the means to make your own foam pads to use in your card making


The little Xyron machine will create pads that you can cut to the size you need but if you have one of the bigger machines then you can make a whole sheet that is perfect for the layers.

If you make water coloured cards then you will know that they can collapse around small foam pads and look awful when the card buckles.  But with a piece of foam underneath cut to the size of the panel then it will look  lovely when it arrives with your recipient.

The video is not long but hopefully it will give you some idea on how to put the whichever Xyron machine you may have to good use.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

April 16, 2018

Love & Romance


Hi Everybody,


For today's card I am using one of the new die sets from Crafti Potential and this is the Stitched Rectangles Love & Romance

All the dies and stamps are now available at Craft Stash and I will add the links at the bottom of the page for you to see.

The video is not long but it will show you how I created the featured card and I used texture paste to add through the stencil
It is easy to do and because I added embossing powder to the top and heated it up there was no need to wait for drying time with the paste.

Quick easy and very effective for any occasion

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

April 15, 2018

Alien Invasion ...


Hi Everybody,


In my Alien world the sky is multicoloured and I had fun creating this one with Distress Oxides.

The stamp set is one of the newest additions to Craft Stash from Crafti Potential and it is called Alien Invasion

There are several different Aliens on the A5 sheet and you can build up your own scenes as you stamp.

In the video I show you how to mask your stamps to get one to look as if it is behind another.
 Useful if you are new to stamping.


The video is not long but I hope you enjoy it all the same and will give this idea a try with some other stamps that you may have in your own collections

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

April 14, 2018

Card & Gift Winner

Hi Everybody,

Thank you all so much for listening to my request to add your FULL names. It was lovely to see how many of you have done so and it sure makes life a lot easier. I don't want another Saturday like last week when Four people all claimed the prize. 
And would you believe that a fifth one claimed it on Monday morning 

So the draw has now been done and the winner this week is 
Donna Rinckel
would you email me please with your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and the prize will be on it's way to you straight away

Thank you all again for entering to win the prize and for being gracious enough to comply.

I have some cool vidoes coming up next week for you to view so please come back and join me then. Plus two magazine releases on the same day and another Friday Freebie next week.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


April 13, 2018

Friday Freebie - Scenic Winter

Hi Everybody,

This little card was created with the dies that came free with Simply Cards & Papercraft last year.

And although it says Winter in the title it can be used all year round.

The video that was made for the dies is here ...
Scenic Winter Border Dies and there are several ideas that you may like to try

If this is a set that you would like to have then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post, and from those comments one name will be chosen at random as the winner and announced tomorrow

Please leave your full name or you will be excluded from the draw. After last weeks confusion I cant accept single names, anonymous or unknown.
You can simply add it at the end of the comment if that is easier for you. And don't forget to come back in the morning to see if it is your name that is listed.
You will have 72 hours in which to claim the gift

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


April 12, 2018

Crafti - Magic - Shabby Chic

Hi Everybody,

Today I have joined forces with Christine Smith and created a really pretty card with the new Crafti Potential dies and stamps.

Both of our collections will work really well together and we have more ideas combining the two for the future.

I have created my flowers using the three dies from the Stitched Rectangles Floral set.

They are really easy to do and look so pretty on the card.  And I love the pink and yellow mix for the water colouring



I hope you enjoy the video as you relax with a cuppa and watch for a little while.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

April 11, 2018

Die Cutting Essentials 36 - Underwater Friends

Hi Everybody,

A cute fish bowl, plants and fish are the free gift with this months Die Cutting Essentials and it will be on sale on the 12th April.

For the card shown I have cut some of the fish from Funky Foam and used them as stamps to build up my background

But there are lots of scenes that you can make with the seventeen piece die set

 Either colour them your self or cut them from coloured card to save time




I had fun playing with this set and I used one of the new Crafti Potential stamps to make the water in the fish bowl.

Look out for the magazine in your shops and I also have some cards featured on page 22  for you to view

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx