My little corner of Blogland where I can share my creations with you. There are many video tutorials as well as links to good quality websites for all your crafting needs.
Many years ago I did some Air Dry Clay modelling and made loads of things for home décor.
I bought some decorative molds to use with the clay and I enjoyed playing with them. But they have now sat in a cupboard for quite some time and never ben used.
So I thought it may be a good idea to see if they could be used with the wax melts beads that I have got and the answer is YES !!! they do.
I used the Angel Wings mold and I was very pleased with the result. And I thought of lots of ways in which I could use them on my cards.
They make a beautiful addition to a new baby card as they are surely angels come back to earth.
I made some in pink and even more in a blue for a baby boy.
You can of course make them any colour you would like, and the silicone mold is so cheap to buy. It will last you for ever.
I did get some molds at the time that would make little picture frames and corners that could be added to a card but I have yet to find them.
They are in a tin somewhere ... I just don't know where ... yet !!
I also thought that the wings could be used to effect on a sympathy card and I kept the colours very muted for this one.
It is a DL card and I have embossed the background then matted and layered the white and navy blue togehter.
I know we don't like to make sympathy cards but at least this one is pretty as well as practical.
Well what a surprise to day ... the sun is shining and it really is very pleasant, after all that rain yesterday. Ruby and I will be going out later for a little walk, though it will be too muddy in the woods. We will stay on the promenade this time where it will be clean and dry.
I have done the draw for the quirky Shine Bright Stamp and Die Set from Sheena Douglass and the winner today is
Tina Zapusek
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 would be pleased if you could let me know that you have it safely and I rally hope that you will enjoy playing and designing with it.
Today sees the opportunity for you to own this fabulous stamp and die set called Shine Bright from Sheena Douglas
It is an A4 stamp set with lots of light bulb images for you to adapt to suit your designs as well as sentiments for many occasions that will fit also.
The four piece die set will also cut out the bulb images so that you can add them separately to your cards.
The magazine is Simply Cards & Papercraft and is guaranteed to be a good read with our morning coffee .... or afternoon tea !!
Now if this is something that you would like then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post with your FULL NAME
Be sure to come back and see if you are the winner on Sunday as I have no way of contacting you if you don't.
Today sees the launch of a brand new pack called Butterfly Blossoms and it has beautiful filigree butterflies in there for you to add to your cards.
There are also some solid shaped butterflies, in colours and just white, that can be turned into easel cards, shaker cards or simply used as the shape to the card itself.
It is designed to help those that are new to card making as well as the more seasoned one of us that likes to make a quick but beautiful card
There is so much you can do with this pack and the papers are really pretty.
Some of them are foiled and there are many many sentiments for you to add.
For this card I have added the filigree butterfly to the top of a shaped plain one that has been covered in the paper.
Each portion of the pack can be bought individually
Here I have tried to give you some ideas on how to use the pack but I am sure that you will come up with many more as you start to play
For this card I have added the plain shape to a card front and then topped it with silver one from the paper pack and a sentiment.
Alter the size of the card too and create DL or Slimline cards as well as the larger sizes.
The world is your oyster ... so they say.
And you don't have to use the whole shape. Trim it down to fit your design and see what a difference that makes.
For this DL card I have used the papers from the pack and added the filigree shape to a plain one. I have allowed the wings to be free to give some movement to them
Have fun and you will be amazed at just how many cards you can create from this collection
I have been playing again and this time I have been creating a rainbow look with my wax seals.
I bought some more beads from Amazon in Matt colours and they came the day after I ordered them at a really good price too.
I also got some more spoons so that I could melt things a little quicker
I have included the links to the items that I got from Amazon in the list below.
The stamps I have had for donkeys years and although I have searched online for them I cannot find them and so they may no longer be available.
But you can always make ink blobs yourself or use any stamp that you like to create the look.
I have another idea that I will share with you later this week again using the wax seals and I will use the new spoons that I bought as they have a lot deeper pan to them ... which I will need for my next attempt with them.
Did you manage to join the Craft Stash Craftathon Friday?? We had a great day and some winners on each hour. The demos created some beautiful projects and as soon as we have the figure I will let you know just how much money we raised for MHUK.
On the blog the draw has been done for the gorgeous Butterfly Florals stamp and die set. The name today is Betty McAlister and so if you could email me your postal address please to christina@card-making-magic.com I will get it in the post to you straight away.
I hope you will enjoy playing with it and please be sure to let me know that you have received it safely.
It is the turn of the butterflies this week and this pack has a lovely stamp and die, from Pink Fresh Studios, to add the butterfly to your cards.
There is also another stamp set in the pack that has text and florals as well as sentiments and the lovely squiggly butterfly trail to complete the look.
You will find lots of inspiration inside the pages of the Simply Cards & Papercraft magazine.
I personally love adding text to my backgrounds as I think it makes them look so special. But I am sure that you will come up with lots of ideas if you should win this offering.
All you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post and then be sure to come back and see if your name is shown as the winner. Your comment must include your FULL NAME or it will not be entered into the draw.
And don't forget to join in with the Live Craftathon that Lou is hosting all day today.
Get ready for an amazing 8-hour Charity Christmas Craft Marathon with Lou Collins! On Friday …
Join Lou and special guests as they bring you live demos all day long. Plus, there's a chance to win fantastic giveaways worth over £100 every hour, exclusively for our viewers!
Lou will be crafting and hosting non-stop, while guest presenters jump in with fun and exciting demos. It's going to be an event you don't want to miss!
As part of our commitment to supporting mental health, we will donate 10% of all profits to MIND, a remarkable mental health charity. Throughout the day, our guests and viewers will engage in conversations about the positive impact of crafting on mental well-being. Join us as we explore various ways in which we can empower ourselves and others through the art of crafting.
I have been busy making cards and using the wax seals that I made yesterday. I have lots of seals left over and so I can make lots more cards
I have lots of ideas to share with you and they will be in other videos yet to be added. But for now the first four are in a video that I made for you to see.
This first one uses the three flowers that I made and trimmed down. I added them to a really old stamp set that looks like distressed paint stripes.
I add these in before I used an older embossing folder for the the panel and added it to a green mat.
For this next one I have used the same embossing folder from Card Making Magic called Simply Dots.
The background paper is some that I have also had for ages and bought at a craft show years ago.
I used the Dragon wax seal stamp for this one and staggered them on the banner strips
I am really happy with all the cards I made and I hope you like them too. I also hope you enjoy the video and will be sure to join me on the next one.
These are some of my first attempts at creating wax seals and I am quite pleased with the results.
Some of them are good others are not but there is no waste with any of the waxes as they can simply be re-melted and used again.
I did make quite a few in the video and in the next one I will add them to my cards.
There are lots of things that you can do with the seals and I will try to show you how I varied the looks as I go along. I have some special cards that I want to share with you and so more videos will be along soon.
The stamps that I used are from Easy Craft Art and they have a vast choice of stamps, wax beads and kits that may appeal to you. They are offering you a 12% discount on your purchases if you add the code Christina 12 at the checkout.
I am very blessed to be in the position of being offered product to use without any strings attached and who wouldn't say yes when offered things like this.
So a few weeks ago I was asked by Easy Craft Art if I would like to choose some items from their website to try.
I had a good browse around and there is a host of things for journaling and scrapbooking and I have never done either of those things.
So I selected the items shown as I have never done anything with real wax seals in the past.
Being new to this I have to do some learning to do for myself but as I progress I will be adding the seals to my cards and I will share them with you as I do. And if you would like to try this too then Easy Craft Art are giving you a 12% discount on your order if you add Christina12at the checkout
If you are not into the real wax seal products then in my Card Making Magic Collections I do have a faux Wax Seal Die Set that will give you a really good look to your designs, and at present Craft Stash are giving you 10% off this die set.
Please join me in the next few videos where I add the wax seals to my cards and I try to be a little different as I do.
It's a strange kind of day here. It isn't cold and not raining at present, but it is very damp. Ruby and I may go walking later but we will see how it goes. Ruby will go out in any weather, but me ???? I am a fair weather walker only.
I have done the draw for the Daffodil stamps and embossing folder and the winner will not be disappointed with their win. I add in my email address for you to reply to so please use it, and not the contact form on the blog, or even leaving your personal details on the blog pages.
I delete those emails for safety reasons and I do not store any details about you at all.
So the name today is
Ali Patchett
Please can you email your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and I will get the prize in the post to you straight away. Please be sure to let me know that you have it safely.
Another floral stamp set on offer this week and this one is gorgeous Daffodils to add to your designs.
This consists of an embossing folder and an A4 stamp set full of lovely images for you to stamp onto your cards. And very useful sentiment strips too.
Included in the pack are some pretty A4 papers to complete the look and they can be cut up and used for all your makes.
The magazine is a really good read and ever ready to offer you ideas that you may like to try for yourself.
So if this is something that you think you would like then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post with your FULL NAME, and then be sure to come back and see if you are the winner.
Todays card is a DL size and once again I have used the Altenew Flowers Kits that I have.
This also has a matching die to cut it out and again I have added it to an older Card Making Magic embossing folder.
This folder is one of my favourites and the effect is very subtle. It is the Simply Dots folder.
I made the colour scheme yellow as this is not a colour I use often but I do like the effect with these tulips.
I used the stencil in the kit, before embossing it, to add some flourishes to the background under the flowers. The pearls along the side are just a little extra decoration.
Another pretty card that would sit any occasion and is reasonably quick to make.
Sorry there was no post on Monday but I had a lovely day out with my youngest daughter.
Both Ruby and Dougal go to doggy day care (Playschool) on Mon, Tues, Wed and so we took advantage and went out for the day on our own.
The weather was good all day and it was lovely to be out in the sunshine.
This card is created with a layered stencil from one of the Altenew Project Life kits, and because it is layered it is very easy to colour.
I used Distress Oxide Inks and my blending brushes and then cut it out with the matching die.
I used foam pads and added it to a really old Card Making Magic embossing folder for a very pleasing result.
Altenew make the most beautiful floral stamps and dies and they make spectacular flowers to add to your cards. I have lots of them and use them whenever I can.
The sentiment is part of a pack of pre-printed strips that I have in my stash
Here is another card created using a border die and this one is the Butterfly Varied 7" Border Die set.
It is one I have shown before but as I was on the subject of border dies it seemed appropriate to share it again here.
I also had a video to show the creation of this card and others using this die set and I really like the end result.
Hopefully over the last few posts I have re ignited your love for border dies and shown how versatile they can be, and inspired you to get any that you have out again and put them to good use.
I am sure that you will think of other ways in whcih to use them once you start to play.
But whichever dies you decide to play with just have fun and let the creative juices flow.
Thank you for leaving your comments for the Sunflower Die Set and if you are not the lucky one this time then I have another of these dies to give away later on.
You can always try again but all I always ask is that you leave your FULL NAME at the end of the comment. If you don't and the comment is listed as Anonymous then how am I supposed to know who you are ?????
The winner this week is
Peggy Spencer
and if you would email me your postal address please to christina@card-making-magic.com then I will get it in the post to your straight away.
I hope you enjoy playing with the set and please be sure to let me know that you have it safely.
I didn't worry about mitring the corners, I just angled them to fit and the overall look is very pretty.
The flower is also from the original collection and it also had a matching stamp set to it. The Layered Florals is one I have used a lot on my cards.
I also like the colour scheme for this card and it certainly makes a change from pink.
For this card I have used the Double Sided Border Die and cut it twice to use as a complete background for the card.
There are a lot of things that you can do with any of your border dies, and if you have the complete box sets then you will already have a border die in the pack.
Think of different ways to use your borders as well as any other dies you may have.
Thinking outside the box will give you many many options and give you "more bang for your buck"
I am sure that we all have border dies of some description in our stash and this was one of my favourites when a whole collection of them was released. It was part of the original "Christina Collection" when I first started on this journey many moons ago.
There is so much that can be done with them and not just for borders either. Add the border either vertical or horizontal on your card front.
Use them to create a whole background. Use in singles or group them together as I have done for this rainbow card, and who doesn't love a rainbow ???
Rainbows make any card look special when they are added whether it is rainbow butterflies, flowers or just bows.
Todays card is using the Altenew project life kit that I have been collecting and not using nearly enough.
This kit is the Silk Art from June 2022
For this card I created a shaped front using the die in the kit and then coloured the embossed image with the layering stencils.
I used my own Card Making Magic Simply Dots embossing folder for the background and the Perfect Roses for the inside.
The finished card is a 6x6 and I am happy with the result. The sentiment is from a pack that I bought at the craft show I went to ages ago.
This is the card from a different angle to show the shaped card front.
I stacked the die cut of the flowers three times and added it to the panel and so it is raised from the actual card base and I think you can just make that out in the photo.
It will still fit into a standard sized envelope and so the postage wont be any more expensive.
Another weekend is here and the weather is still being kind. We went for a lovely walk around Fairhaven Lake yesterday and stopped for coffee in the little café there. We got home again before the rain started and it was very warm.
Ruby decided to go for a swim in the small duckpond there and she takes no notice of me when I call her back. Once she gets it into her head to go for a dip nothing gets in her way. I am saying "No" and she stands on the bank and looks at me ... and then in she goes anyway.
Needless to say she had to get in the shower once we got home, as she didn't smell too pleasant after that.
The draw has now been done and the winner this week is
Valerie Steele
please can you email me your postal address to christina@card-making-magic.com and I will get the pack in the post to you straight away.
Be sure to let me know that you have it safely and I hope you enjoy playing with it.
Here is the second video from the Simply Christmas Collection and this one uses the whole frame of the die set to create the card.
In others I have cut the letters away and used them on my card and it make a real difference if you do this.
For this card I have created a cloudy backdrop with a homemade stencil and some blue ink and it just adds that little bit of atmosphere to the card.
I hope you enjoy the video and please don't forget to Like and Subscribe to my YouTube channel, and if you click the bell icon you will be notified whenever I add a new video.
The links to this collection and some from previous Christmas releases are in the box below.
Today I am offering you the chance to win this beautiful die and stamp set along with the Die Cutting Essentials magazine.
In the magazine you will find lots of fabulous ideas for this die set to create some lovely designs.
There are also other tips and tricks that you will find useful throughout your crafting journey.
So if this is something that you would like to have in your stash then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post with your
FULL NAME
Then pop back on Sunday to see if it is your name that is listed as the winner. I am sure that you will find lots to do with this die and stamp set which will be a wonderful addition to your own personal collection.
Christmas In July has now officially launched and so if you wanted to make an early start on your cards then now is the time to do it.
The brand new collection is available on Craft Stash if you wanted to take a look, and there are some really good deals there for you to take advantage of ....
I also have videos to show you how I used the dies and stencils that you may find useful, but I am sure you will have many more ideas of your own once you start to play.
Here is one of them and I will add the other next week. I hope you enjoy.