More Tall Flowers

 Hi Everybody,

I have really enjoyed playing with these new dies and matching stamps and the Tall Flowers is a joy to experiment with.

You can change the theme of your design simply by how you use the stamps and dies. For this card I have cut the flowers in spare card and then embossed them all with gold embossing powder. 

The background is an old stamp that I have added gold glitter to in sections and the sentiment is from the new collection.

For this one I have cut the flowers in black card and then stamped the images with Versamark and embossed them in gold powder

I have partially dry embossed the panel under the flowers for interest, and dotted gold hearts and black pearls around them 

The sentiment is again from the Verses set.  

The flowers on both cards have been raised with foam pads.

And last but not least another cute character is surrounded this time by the daisies.

The words are from the new Mindful Words Die Set and will compliment all the other word sets in the Card Making Magic collections.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Grumpy Lady

Hi Everybody,

What a fabulous card to send to a friend ... but one that has been chosen carefully so as not to offend.

I have used the Tall Flowers Stamps & Die Set to add some interest around her and the sentiment stamp is from the verses set 

The image is from the CD that I have had for years called The Next Big Thing and I wouldn't part with it for the world.

It is by La Pashe and is called Just Inklined but I don't think the CD is available anymore.  

They have their own blog which may be worth a look at and they have freebie stamps for you to try also 

There are lots of characters on the CD just like this, both male and female, and they are absolutely brilliant for water colours or pencils. A good alternative choice would be the Wrinklies and the characters on that are of a similar vein and make me laugh at some of their expressions. 

Should you find this for sale in Thrift shops or online then the CD you are looking for is the one with the dog on the front.

I found one on eBay for £2.99 which is a steal and well worth every penny. I think I paid £10 for mine years ago.

The images on there cover everything you could possibly think of, and although CD crafting has gone way out of fashion jut now this is a CD OI go back to time and time again.

Moe tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tall Flowers Stamps & Dies

Hi Everybody,

Did you manage to watch the new dies being shown on The Craft Store (Formerly Hochanda)  today and demoed by Pauline Hickey.  

One of my favourite parts to this new collection is the tall flowers and the matching stamps. 

There is so much that can be done with this set from backgrounds to cards for any occasion.

To show you the versatility I have several cards styles to show you and I hope you will like them. 

This one has a gold foiled background to it and the poppies grouped with other flowers from the set.

This one is a shaker style with an embossed panel and a display of flowers arranged around the window.

I rounded off the corners to this card and used Tonic Nuvo drops dotted around the sides

The banner is stamped from one of the stamps in the collection and added with foam pads 

There is no end of things to create with your imagination fired up, and lots of sentiments in the stamp sets to suit what it is you want to say.

This cute little Teddy Bear I have water coloured from a stamp that I have had for a long, long time.

And every so often he sees the light of day again. 

This time I have added a bouquet of the daisies to his hand and scattered other flowers from the collection around his feet

I think he is adorable and if you added an age and a Birthday Greeting he would be perfect for a child's special day.

I will be adding more cards  and videos to showcase this new collection  and Pauline and I will be on Facebook Live this coming Friday at 12.30

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Winner

 Hi Everybody,

Another weekend is here and I hope you all enjoy this Bank Holiday one for MayDay. It’s sunny here at present but wether it stays that way remains to be seen.  But even though the sun is shining I am frozen and have just put my heating back on to warm me and the house back up.

Ruby is going out today with  Griffs youngest daughter and her husband to day and their dog Wilbur, who it a pug. She enjoys going out with them and they walk her much further than I can at present. 

The draw for yesterday’s offering has been done and the name this week is 

Sandra Keighley

Would you email me please with your plastic address to 

christina@card-making-magic.com 

and the pack will be in the post to you just as soon as I can get to the post office. Please let me know when you have it safely and I hope you will enjoy playing with it.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday freebie - Hunkydory Bauble

Hi Everybody,

This really pretty die and stamp set is the offering this week and this will give you a lovely bauble to decorate your projects.

There is no video to go with this set but the magazine will give you lots of ideas on how to use your new gift and I am sure you will be able to come up with many more.

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

Over the weekend the winner will be announced in a blog post so be sure to come back and see if your name is the one shown. You will have 72 hours in which to claim it and I am happy to send it to you where ever you are.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

Winners

 Hi Everybody,

What a beautiful day it is here in the North West, lots of sunshine. My knee is responding really well to the antibiotics and I feel like I could walk a long way. I have also stopped using the elbow crutches and that is a relief too. I am really pleased with the way it is all going and to celebrate I will take Ruby for a little walk down the promenade.  It is not far from my house to the sea front and it is a lovely bracing walk, for both of us.

In the meantime I have done the draw for yesterday’s offering. I am surprised at how many people like to make Christmas cards well in advance of the occasion. I am always on  the last minute with cards and shopping. It catches me out every year. And every year I say it will be different.... but it never is.

So the name this week is 

Jane McGill

Would you email me your postal address please to 

christina@card-making-magic.com 

and the gift will be on its way to you just as soon as I can. I really hope you will enjoy playing with it and please let me know that you have it safely.

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Christmas Scene

Hi Everybody,

The theme this week is still with Christmas and this offering was with Die-cutting Essentials.

There is a lot of inspiration inside the magazine to show you how to build this die up and it will give you some lovely cards 

So if you win this then it will be time to grab a cuppa and have a little browse through the pages as you relax for a while

If this is something that you would like to expand your own collection, then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post with your FULL NAME.

From those names one will be chosen as the winner of this super die set,  so you will need to come back and check if it is your name that is shown.

Good Luck

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

 

Birthday Card

Hi Everybody,

This Birthday Card is for no particular person it's just one I made ... in case !!

I have water coloured the background and then used the Nesting Ovals to cut the shape.

It has been added to a stamped and embossed panel and surrounded with glittered flowers. The butterfly has been added to the corner and this has a top layer of parchment

The leaves are an assortment of dies that have been cut in green and added to the floral display.

The sequins are dotted about and they are iridescent to take on the colour of the card behind them.

Quite a pretty card and is now waiting for a recipient to send to 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Thanks ...

Hi Everybody,

This week I have had to visit the doctor again because it I have an infection in my surgery wound. 

Don't ask me how this has happened coz I have no idea all I know is that it is very hot, red and painful

I have started on antibiotics to see if that helps and fingers crossed everything will be ok in a week or so.

So this card is to say thank you for all your kind wishes and lovely messages and the many cards that you have sent to me.

The card shown has been created with the 5x7 Card and Box die set and I have used a really old stamp from Indigo Blu stamped onto a white panel. 

I have then embossed it in CMM flourish folder and added it to the card front. The "Thanks" die is another older one from Spellbinders.

The roses are from the Layered Roses Die Set and the leaves are a mixture from several sets to add variation. I have added some sequins dotted around the card for sparkle.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Commissioned Card

Hi Everybody,

This is a card I was asked to create for a Birthday earlier in March . The brief was flowers, ribbons and pearls in red complete with matching box.

Swap out the pearls for Diamante and there is the finished request.

I am happy to say that both the buyer and the  recipient loved it and that of course makes me happy too. 

I lined the inside of the card to match and wrapped it all in red tissue paper before placing it in the box.

This is the type of card I enjoy making in any colour really but I have to admit to being a pink girl with lots of flowers and "Bling"

For this card I used my A5 complete card and box die set along with the Rectangles Perfect Panels
The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and are a mixture of mulberry flowers and leaves

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

Metallic Paint

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is created with some of the Arteza Metallic  Acrylic Paint 

I smooshed it onto the background of water colour card with some acetate, and it dried really nicely with a lovely sheen to it.

I did some extra and cut my flower from it and then edged the petals with a gold pen. 

I used some different leaf dies to get my selection and added them all under the flower

The sentiment is from Lawn Fawn and I have cut that and the leaves from the same inked water coloured card 

It has all been added to an embossed panel onto an A2 sized card and can be used for any occasion you need.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

 

Winner

 Hi Everybody,

I hope you are all well and staying safe. Vickie took Ruby and me out in her car for a walk in Witch Wood late yesterday afternoon and as we went past the pubs with beer gardens they were all full. The lock down lifted in the area and so many people took advantage of the good weather to go and meet with friends. 

There seemed very little social distancing though and not many wearing masks so I think another wave will be inevitable later in the year. People are so fickle when it comes to Covid as many believe it won’t happen to them. And I really hope it doesn’t and that the whole world can get back to some kind of normality. Personally I think the world has changed forever and things will never be the same for any of us as Covid -19, or some other strain of Corona Virus, will be with us for a long time.

And on that pessimistic note I will move onto the winner of yesterday’s offering and the name this week is

Sherry Hay

So if you could email me your postal address please to

christina@card-making-magic.com

I will get the pack in the post to you as soon as I can . I hope you enjoy playing with the snowman on those hot days in Florida and how I would love to hand deliver the pack to you. Have fun 

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Build a Snowman

Hi Everybody,

This cute set consists of dies, stamps and an embossing folder and the title says it all. With this you can build a complete snowman from start to finish.

You can have him/her facing any way you wish with enough stamps to make him any size you would like to fit your cards.

There are numerous facial expressions, arms, noses and hats to fit both sizes and there is even a par of sunglasses that you can add to  our design.

I am sure you can have a lot of fun with this set and the dies will enable you to add him in a complete scene to a snow globe. So altogether a really good set to have for your Christmas makes this year.

Now if this is a set that you would like to play with then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post with your FULL NAME. And then be sure to come back and check if it is your name that is listed as the winner

I am happy to post this to you and it doesn't matter if you have won before you can still enter.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Whimsical Herringbone

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is another one suing the Whimsical Herringbone stamp set from Altenew. For this one I have used shades of pink orange and purple and the effect is amazing.

It has been dotted with some matching sequins

I can't tell you how much I love this stamp and how useful it is going to be creating those backgrounds with a real difference.

For this one I have used green, blue and purple and then cut the piece out with a heart shape die. This has been added to the card with foam pads.

Three tiny hearts have been cut in bright gold and added to the front and the sentiment is from Lawn Fawn.

Use any embossing folder that you have to create the panel for the front and then add the heart to the centre.

Don't waste those precious scrap either. Make use on another card of the tiny bits that are left over.

Here I have cut this piece down to fit an A2 and added another embossed panel to the front.

I have added the stamped strip with foam tape and then cut a thin strip from some left over glitter card to glue along the side.

The word HI has been cut four times in white and once in the glitter card and then stacked together for dimension.

The flowers are from the Ultimate numbers and overlays set and I have added them also with foam pads. The word Hi has ben added to the top and then once again I have added sequins.

Water Colour Doodle

Hi Everybody,

Once again I have been playing with water colours and this is an idea that I found on YouTube. I have found two artists that I particularly like and I have started to follow them  both.

One is Creations CeeCee and her idea was to do some loose water colouring and then doodle out of it anything that you can see. She also uses a lot of gold if that interests you

The other artist is Emma Jane Lefebvre and she does the most amazing flowers and cuteness. Have a look at both and maybe you will be inspired to have a try just like I was

So this was the first piece that I created and it was very "Loose" to say the least. I used my Arteza Paints and a #8 brush and nothing else

But I went ahead and followed Amber Rain Davis's instructions and took up the black Micron pen.

I started looking for the flowers and they just seemed to show me where they were. Once I had the basic shapes I drew in the finer lined detail 

Having got to this stage there seemed no reason to stop . So I cut out the main group of flowers and flipped it round 

And here is the first card. I added these with foam pads, to the top of an embossed background panel, with a die cut sentiment and then dotted the sequins around.

I started to add some sparkle with a clear glitter pen … but that is also water based and started to lift my water colouring so I gave that up as a bad idea.

The flower that stood outside the group I added to a smaller card and the background is embossed with one of the new Altenew folders.

I put some gold twine behind the flowers and scattered some gold hearts onto the front.

I am very happy with the way these turned out and very grateful to CeeCee for her expert guidance in helping me to achieve these cards.

When I have made a card using ideas from Emma Jane I will be sure to show you those too.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

 

Quilted Illusion ....

 Hi Everybody,

This card is created from another of the 3-D embossing folders from Altenew and it is called Ranunculus.

It is so pretty and I have water coloured mine. But I found that as I added the water and coloured the flower  the paper stretched and warped in the centre.

I continued with the job though and once it was dry the problem didn’t resolve.

So I added foam pads under the flowers centre and added it to the base.

The rest of the image stayed flat but the foam pads supported the flower and it looked and felt as if it was quilted.

It was a very pleasing look and the finished card is lovely. So rather than panic or even throw it away I made the best of a bad job and turned it into a good card that would suit many occasions. 

Well done me and a pat on the back !!!

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx

Winner

 Hi Everybody,

Today the sun is shining and I am going for my second COVID vaccination at 11.30 am. Vickie will be taking me as it is too far to walk at present and I am not yet a able to drive my car. But that day won’t be far off. I am really looking forward to getting back in my car.

The draw has been done good and early and the winner this week is 

Ethne Gloss

Please email me your postal address to

christina@card-making-magic.com

and I will get it in the post to you. Just as soon as I can

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx 

Friday Freebie - Floral Flutter

Hi Everybody,

Todays offering is another of the two for one sets that came from two magazines published around the same time.

I have had them stored together and so that is how they are being offered to the winner this week.

And here is a video to show you what it actually consists of and to show you that it is a gift well worth having.

 

There is only the Simply Cards and Papercraft magazine with them though but it is full of ideas and inspiration

So once you have watched the video you can decide if this is something that you would like in your own collection and if it is then you know what to do  .... leave me a comment at the end of this post with your FULL NAME

Then be sure to come back and see if it is your name that is listed as the winner

Slimline Butterfly Border Die

Hi Everybody,

Tis pretty card is created in the DL size and I have used the Butterfly Border die to give some shape to the side of the card at the back and front.

I have one this one in a soft grey and white as this is a colour scheme I don't use very often. But this combination would be ideal for a male card and I am sure men enjoy butterflies as much as we ladies do.

You can use it whichever way round you want to but for the other example I have stood it in Landscape and cut the butterflies into separate items 

It is very easy to do and I have not added much decoration to any of the cards as the butterflies take centre stage.

The video isn't long but I hope you enjoy it just the same .

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Water Coloured Cards

Hi Everybody,

I have recently found joy in water colouring again and over the weekend I have created these two cards using my Gansai Tambi paint set.

I used the Spring Summer die and stamp set from Card Making Magic and I embossed the stamped flowers in gold powder, and cut and coloured more than enough for these two cards.

On this top card I used the Trellis A5 embossing folder after sketching a black line around the edges.

I arranged the flowers and leaves with foam pads under some of them and then dotted the card with pale aqua ink and sequins.

The sentiment is from the Sentiments stamp & die set from CMM

For the second card I used the new Whimsical Herringbone stamp from Altenew and stamped it with clear ink and embossed it in gold.

I decided to paint in some of the stamped pattern in the aqua paint and offset it on my card base with foam under it for dimension

The sentiment stamp on this card is from an old set that I have and I used black ink to add it under the panel to follow the shape.

I am more than happy with both cards and I think they have a fresh clean look to them .

I love the new stamp from Altenew and will be using it often.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Embossing Folders & White Ink

Hi Everybody,

At the moment I am into easy to make cards and they don't come much easier than this one.

It is a 6" Square with a separate panel on the top.
 
The embossing folder has been covered with white ink using a brayer and taken through the machine.

This adds the ink onto your card into the background for a soft and gentle look.

Then with the blue and yellow inks I have picked out the detail in the flowers using the new blending brushes from Altenew.

The panel has then been added to a white base card and the "Good Vibes Only" die is from Spellbinders but it is a very old one and may no longer be available. I have cut that four times and stacked them up to give depth to the front of the card and basically that is it

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

 

Happy Easter

 Hi Everybody,

Just a little card from me and Ruby to wish you all a really Happy Easter wherever you are in the world.

This card is created with the Extravagant Egg die that was brought out last year and I have coupled it with the Cross from a collection this year.

I hope you like it and whatever you do don't eat too much chocolate !!!!

More tomorrow  ...

Hugs xx

Winner

 Hi Everybody,

What a beautiful day this is and the sun is streaming in through my window. I hope that you are enjoying this Bank Holiday weekend and making the most of the sun while it is here. I think I will venture out on a little walk later with Ruby as my progress is very good and as long as I use the two elbow crutches and don't try and go too far I will be fine. Vickie and Dougal will be with me also so that makes me feel more confident.

Ruby has a new pastime at present watching two Blackbirds building their nest in my back garden. They have chosen a spot near my garage between  the ivy and the Buddleia and they are very busy. I have sat with Ruby for a long time just watching them and she  knows she has to watch quietly so as not to frighten them. She learned quickly and we are both now fascinated by these lovely birds.

I have also done the draw for yesterdays offering and the name this week is

Christine Wilson

would you email me your postal address please to 
christina@card-making-magic.com
and I will get it in the post to you as soon as I can.

I hope you enjoy the gift and please let me know when you have it safely

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

Friday Freebie _ Lavish Labels

Hi Everybody,

This pretty offering is called Lavish Labels and there are lots of them in this set to cover many occasions throughout the year

The magazine is full of ideas and inspiration to help you and it will make a good read as you sip your cuppa and relax.

 This magazine and gift came out at the same time as a sister magazine and the gifts worked well together, and I kept them in the same pack at the time. 

Now  they are still in the same pack, labelled, bagged and on a magnetic sheet and so you will get both  of these gifts to work as one. You can see from the picture what the first one is but the second one is on the other side of the pack. 

The video shows you what it is and the magazine will give you some ideas on how to use them 

There is also a video to go with this set and so I hope you will enjoy this one

So if this is a gift that you would like to have in your collection then all you need to do is leave me  comment at the end of the post with your FULL NAME and be sure to come back over the weekend to see if it is your name that is listed as the winner.

You have 72 hours in which to claim your prize and I am happy to send it to you wherever you are.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Another folder from Altenew

Hi Everybody,

This card is kept really simple and all I have one is emboss some green card in the folder and then cut the leaves from the card.

I have covered them with Versamark and embossed them with gold powder which has then been heated till it melts.

I have cut another leaf in green from a completely different die set and that has been tucked in with the gold leaves.

A white layer has also been embossed in the same folder and this is used as the background to my card. The gold litter card has been used to edge the panel.

This is just one way that the folder can be used and I am sure there are many more which I will find as I play.

The sentiment is one I have had for years and I have cut that four times and stacked them together with the top layer as black mirror card. The black pearls complete the design and it is a DL style which will fit into a standard sized envelope.

More tomorrow 

Hugs xx

Spellbinders "Need A Rope"

Hi Everybody,

This is an embossing folder that I have had in my stash for years. It is one of my favourites from my old Spellbinders Days.

It is called "Need A Rope" but is so long ago that it is now no longer available

Here I have embossed the pink card for a really deep look and then rounded all the corners off as I layered up the card.

The focal point is the white Grand Vinery from the Finishing Touches range by  Creative Expressions.

 I have cut it three times and then stacked them up together for dimension.

I have done the same with the Thank You sentiment and the top layer is in gold glitter card.

 A little red heart finishes off the design and the word Heartfelt is tucked alongside.

Very clean and simple

I have been a bit late adding my blog posts this week, so please scroll back through the pages to see what you have missed. 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

 

Altenew 3-D Embossing Folder

Hi Everybody,

Here is another of the beautiful deep 3-D embossing folders from Altenew and this one is Beautiful Bergenia.

All these folders are flying off the shelves and I have bought mine from Bumbleberry Crafts 

They are a UK company that stocks many many of the US brands so it's well worth a browse around to find your favourite dies, stamps and stencils as well as embossing folders.

Should any of these be out of stock than leave your email address and you will be notified once it is back on their website

So for this card I have messy water coloured it using Arteza 36 Half Pan Set and a medium Water brush.

I have cut out the circle from the centre and backed it onto black card. The flowers within the circle have more detail added than the ones outside to make them stand out more. I have also added some sparkle to them with the Wink Of Stella glitter pen.

 This circular panel has then been lined up again with the base and add with foam pads and I have picked out the stamens in yellow  and then added some sequins to the front.

It looks much better in the hand than the photo and I am quite pleased with the result.

Creating a card from these folders is easy as most of the work is one for you.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Altenew 3-D Embossing Folders

Hi Everybody,

I had these new embossing folders from Altenew to play with last week and they are lovely. 

They are 3-D which makes the embossing so deep in the card,  and with this impression I decided to simply ink over the top very lightly.

This left the two shades of ink that I used sitting on top of the raised areas to give a lovely effect.

I added some black splatters to the frons as well and added some green sequins.

The sentiment is cut from black mirror card and I have use the Creative Expressions dies that has lots of words in it so that you can build up your own greeting.

I bought several of the 3-D folders and I have lots more cards that I will add over the week to show you what I have been playing with.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Winner

 Hi Everybody,

Thank you all so much for your kind wishes for a speedy recovery after my operation. I am happy to say that I am doing very well. The bruising and swelling has been spectacular but is now on the decrease. 

Tomorrow I am going to get it redressed and to see if the clips can come out.  I have been doing the exercises and there is good movement in the joint. So I am quite excited about how it’s all going.

 But if you remember it was the right knee and left hip that have been causing me the trouble,  so when I go back to see the surgeon he says he will review the hip and decide what to do about it then.

Ruby is being walked by family and my neighbour on a regular basis and now when some body comes to the door she looks at them as if to ask “ Are you taking me out for a walk ?? “ even the postman gets the same treatment.

 Any way onto the winner if Fridays offering and the name this week is ....

Jennifer Barnett

So could you email me your postal address please to

christina@card-making-magic.com

and I will get it on the post to you as soon as I can. Please let me know when you have it safely and I hope you will enjoy playing with it.

More tomorrow....

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie -Happy Birthday

Hi Everybody, 

This is a lovely set on offer this week and it consists of a beautiful rose stamp and die along with a square embossing folder that is full of roses.

It will help yo to make some lovely backgrounds and then top it with a fabulous coloured rose.

You will find some ideas inside the magazine which is also included in this offer.

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

But please be sure to come back and check over the weekend if it is your name that is shown as the winner.

This is open to everyone even if you have won before or live abroad from the UK ... so what are you waiting for ????

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx