Foamiran Flowers

Hi Everybody,

It's still wet and windy here but this card gives a hint of spring/summer and the warmer days to come. These flowers are made with foamiran and they are really big and fluffy. 

They certainly fill a card up and of course they will need a box to send them. 

I have used heart dies to create my flowers but you could use any flowers dies that you have in your own personal collections with great effect.

The embossed back panel just sets the flowers off to perfection and looks much nicer than just a plain one.

This card could be for any occasion if you swapped out the sentiment and is sure to suit all the ladies that need a card.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Altenew Flowers & Arteza Colours

Hi Everybody,

Today I am sharing a card from Altenew and this is using one of their fabulous monthly Craft Your Life Kits.

In truth I have used two different flowers for this design and they paly together really well.

The pink flowers are from the Hello Beautiful kit for September 21. and I have embossed them in gold and then water coloured them with Arteza.

The pink stripe in the background is using the stencil from the Garden Rose kit which came out in October 21.

The yellow flowers are from a very old  Stamp and die set called Vintage Roses and that is a layering stamp to give the beautiful shading on the flowers.

Altogether a really pretty card that would be ideal for many occasions. You can change the look of this card by altering the colours and arranging the flowers in another way.  But whichever way you do yours it is sure to lock good.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Winner

 Hi Everybody,

Another weekend is with us and for some of us it will be a lovely time. But for others it will be hell.

I am thinking specifically of my friends in the Ukraine.
 One is Olga Direkterenko. Olga is one of the co-brands with Craft Stash and she has a YouTube channel with beautiful designs to share. 
The other is Yana Smakula. Yana and I were on the Spellbinders design team and we spent some time together in Phoenix on the Spellbinders retreat 

My thoughts and prayers are with you all everyday.

  I hope that this is resolved quickly for you and you can enjoy life again in peace.

In the meantime, on a more mundane note, I have done the draw for Fridays offering and the name this week is 

Lin Duke

please can you email me your postal address to

christina@card-making-magic.com

and it will be on its way to your straight away. 

Please let me know that you have it safely and I hope you enjoy playing with the  set.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Sophisticated Snowflake

Hi Everybody,

Today the beautiful Sophisticated Snowflake from Chloe Endean makes another appearance and it comes with Dimply Cards & Papercraft magazine. 

This 4 piece die set has 20 stamps with it that will help you to create some really pretty scenes on your cards.

Inside the magazine you will find lots of idea that you may like to try and lots of articles and information that is sure to inspire you.

So if you would like to win this gift 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 at random as the winner so be sure to come and check if it is you. You will have 72 hours in which to claim your prize, and if it goes unclaimed then it will be offered again at a later date.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Perfect Flowers Die & Stamp Set

 Hi Everybody,

The die and stamp set that are new with the Flower Box Collection are the perfect way to make flowers for your cards too.

The can be used all together or divided into the type of flower that you wish to use.

Here I have coloured an assortment in pink and added them on various levels to an inked background.

In the video I show you how to get the look for yourself and it couldn't be easier with just a bit of ink to colour the leaves. They dry mottled and lighter and look really good on your cards

The dies do all the work and all you need to do is add them as you like. 

For this card I used just the Daffodils and this would be perfect for an Easter themed card. 

For this background I simply swiped the pad over the card and that's it. I have used a little grass die cut at the bottom of the flowers as an added touch.

Quick and easy cards that you can either send or replenish your card store for future occasions.  Always handy to have some spare ones for those unexpected times.

Make your self a cuppa and relax as you watch the video to create some really pretty cards. 

And please consider subscribing to my YouTube Channel, click the notification bell and you will always know when there is a new video that I am sharing with you .

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

6x6 Flower Box with Perfect Flowers Stamp Set

 Hi Everybody,

The other day I added a photo of the 6x6 Flower Box but in that one I added some silk flowers and of course the box would not then fold flat.

But for this one I have used the Perfect Flowers Die & Stamp Combo that were designed to work with this new collection.

And this of course works as it should and folds flat, and it will fit into a standard sized envelope for you to post to your recipient

This colour scheme is pink and lilac and it looks so soft and gentle together, and I have coloured the flowers to blend in with the box too.

This is the box with the silk flowers and it is very pretty. I even added in some pink feathers as well.

The video will show you how to put this 6x6 size together and I will be bringing you the A5 one soon.

I also plan on doing a video using just the flower stamps and dies and showing the making of a card instead of adding them to the box

So I hope you will join me for that and I hope you enjoy this latest video with the new Flower Box Collection.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Winner

Hi Everybody,

I hope you are all having a good weekend. I was out early this morning with Ruby and just as we got back home it started to snow. Not a sight we see very often in Blackpool as it doesn't stick around in the sea air. But we had the high winds and very rough sea yesterday and we stayed in all day out of harms way.

So today the draw for the Bauble dies has been done and the winner today is ... 

Maureen Wood

Please would you email me your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and I will get it in the post to your straight away.
Please ley me know that you have it safely and I really hope yo enjoy playing with it.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Nativity Baubles

 Hi Everybody,

Here is another chance for you to win this beautiful large Bauble die set from Die Cutting Essentials.

It makes quite a large ornament that can be added to cards, scrapbook pages or other projects that you are making.

The magazine is an excellent read that is full of inspiration on using this gift and other ideas that you may like to try.

If you missed out the last time another of these gifts was offered then why not try again for this one. 

Leave me a comment with your FULL NAME and be sure to check over the weekend if your name is shown as the winner.

I don't think you will be disappointed with this gift

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Facebook Live

 Hi Everybody,

I hope you will be able to join me tomorrow with Lou Collins as we have a Facebook Live going out at 12-30. using the new Flower Box Dies.

 I have added a video on how to put together the 6x6 box and I have another one for you on Monday when I make  one in delicate pink and lilac colours.

But in tomorrows show I will be showing you how I put this one together and the colours of this make it look totally different.

There are sure to be some good prizes for you to win and lots of information that you may find useful so please pop along and watch and leave your comments as you do.

You will be able to watch on YouTube as well as Facebook, and also I think you can catch it on Craft World too.

So we look forward to seeing you  and hope you enjoy it

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Altenew Feathered Lilies

Hi Everybody.

I have been bust doing videos today and completely lost my self in the process. It is only now that I have looked at the clock and realised just how late in the day it is getting.

Ruby will be in later from playschool (Doggy Day Care) and then it will be feed me time.

So I will quickly add this post showing a card that I create with the Feathered Lilies from Altenew.  This was the Craft Your Life Kit for January and I love the size of this die.

This is an A5 card and so you can get some idea of how large the die is as it fills the front of this card perfectly.  I love big statement dies.

This is the same floral stamp set just different colours.

The flowers are raised on foam tape for dimension and the water colouring on both cards is done with Arteza Water Colour paints and paper.

Each in their own way is a very pretty card and I really enjoyed making them 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

 

Perfect Flowers Stamp and Die Combo

Hi Everybody,

This pretty set is a complete die and stamp set in one box and it is the perfect accompaniment to any of the new Flower Box dies.

But it can be used as a stand alone set as this card shows you. 

For this one I have stamped the background with the Altenew Whimsical Herringbone and coloured in portions of it with alcohol markers,

The flowers have ben water coloured and then cut out with the dies and added to the card front. Some have foam pads underneath to give varying heights.

The sentiment across the bottom simply grounds all the flowers together  for a neater look and the finished card is a small A2.

Very quick, very easy and yet very effective.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

Happy Valentines Day

Hi Everybody,

Here are some of the cards that I made and they were shown on The Craft Store last week and they are from the new Flower Box Collection.

This is the 6x6 Flower Box and there are lots of dies in the set.

I have added silk flowers to both of my displays but if you are creative enough and can add  flower oasis and something to contain the water then you could add real ones.

I will be adding some videos showing how to construct both sizes and they will be with you soon.

There is a larger sized die set in the form of an
 A5 Flower Box and that has a different shape altogether. 

Adding these silk flowers creates a lot of bulk and the card will not fold flat.

But if you use the Perfect Flowers stamp and die set, also in the collection, then you can stamp and colour exactly what you need and add them to the box instead, and that way it will fold flat and fit in a large envelope to post.

But whichever way you use them they are sure to create a really special card for you to give for any occasion throughout the year. 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Winner

 Hi Everybody,

Thanks for joining me again today and thank you for leaving your comments. And also for adding your full names. If your full name is not there then maybe that's why you didn't win !!  And remember that until your comments have been moderated by myself then they will not show up so please don't add them two or three times. Surplus comments are deleted 

 Its still wet and windy here and forecast to be like this all weekend.  It will be time to chill inside in that case and hope it gets better next week.  

Ruby and I went for a walk in Witch Wood the other day and there are lots of Snowdrops in bloom in there and it looked lovely as we walked though. But it was very muddy.

The draw for the beautiful Peace on Earth die and stamp set has been done  and the name this week is ...

Ethne Gloss
would you email me your postal address please to 
christina@card-making-magic.com
and I will post it to your straight away.

I hope you enjoy playing with the set and having a good old browse through the magazine too. 

Please let me know that you have it safely.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Peace On Earth

Hi Everybody,

Todays gift is on a Christmas theme but it is a die and stamp set from the RSPB and it comes with Simply Cards & Papercraft magazine.

This set will be really useful for other occasions too, use it to make lovely Christening or Confirmation cards, just a couple more ideas you may like to try.

You will lots of hints and tips within the pages of this magazine and there is sure to be something that sparks your imagination.

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

Please make sure you come back over the weekend and check if your name is shown as the winner and then you have 72 hours in which to claim the prize.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Flower Box Collection

 Hi Everybody,

Here is the first look at one of the sections to the  new Flower Box Collection from Card making Magic. 

This is just a small portion of the set and this is the Perfect Flowers matching die and stamp set.

For these I have stamped the flowers onto water colour cards and then used my Arteza water colours to add the colours.

Some of these flowers have been raised with foam pads for more dimension and they have all been added to the Simply Dots embossing folder

I really hope you like the new collection and don't forget to join Lou at 3 pm on  The Craft Store to see more of what is in these new dies an stamps

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Pretty In Pink

 Hi Everybody,

This card is created from a collection that was released last year and it is one that adds beautiful edges to your cards.

This is the Ribbon Border Lovely in Lace and it is a six piece die set and there are three other patterns in the collection.

I made lots of cards suing this collection and showed many on the blog. I also did a video and I am adding that again here in case you missed it the first time around

It's not a long video ... just long enough for a brew

This Thursday on The Craft Store,  Lou Collins will be showing you some more new dies from Card Making Magic and this is the Flower Box Collection.

These mew dies will help you to create some really special cards and there will be videos coming up soon covering how to put these together. So be sure to join Lou at 11am on Thursday 10th Feb

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Winner

Hi Everybody,

It's wet and windy here today .... so a usual kind of Saturday. And unless it quietens down a bit Ruby will not be getting a long walk. It will be time to snuggle up near a cosy fire and watch some TV for a while. 

Thank you for joining in with the Friday Freebie each week and if you are new here then welcome. and you may find this information helpful.

This freebie is done each week with some lovely gifts on offer, so be sure to come back and take a look each Friday, as there is a different one each week.
Should you wish to visit on other days as well that would be really good.
Leave me a comment to let me know you have been.

There are only two things I ask of you if are adding your comment, firstly leave your full name.
The reason for this is simply to keep it fair for everyone. Should there be two or three people with the same first name then it is easier to identify the real winner if I have both first and and last names.  
Secondly please let me know that the gift has arrived with you safely

So to be in with that chance please make sure that you comply ...  not nicknames or initials your FULL NAME.  If the full name is not shown then you will not be entered into the draw.

I don't mind where you live, I am happy to post the gift to you at my expense, it doesn't matter if you have won in the past, you do not need to have a blog,  you just add your name and that is it. Simples!! Once you have added your name then you will need to check if it is shown as the winner and then you will be invited to send me an email with your postal details in it.
For your safety please DO NOT add personal details here as the world and his wife will be able to see them.

The winner for this weeks offering

Jean Marmo

Please email me your postal address to 
christina@card-making-magic.com
and I will get it in the post to you. I hope you enjoy playing with it and please let me know when it arrives with you

Have a good weekend everybody

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Warm & Cosy

Hi Everybody,

Todays package is from Die Cutting Essentials and it features a fun die and stamp set from Simply Made Crafts

You will find lots of ideas on the back of the package as well as inside the magazine, which makes a really good read for using this set and other projects that you may like to try.

If this is something that you would like to have then all you need  to do is leave me a comment with your FULL NAME

Be sure to come back over the weekend and check if it is your name that is shown as the winner, and then you will have 72 hours in which to claim the prize.

Having said that if you have not entered your full name then you will not be added to the draw, so be sure to leave it and then you might have a new die set to play with.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

 

Blue Roses

 Hi Everybody,

This is another card that was made a while ago and using Altnew Roses for the design. 

I have water coloured them and used the Simply Dots background embossing folder from Card Making Magic

I very lightly dusted over the embossed panel with grey ink to make the dots stand out a little more, and then roughly torn it along the edges for a shabby chic look.

I have added this panel with foam to the white base card and that adds more interest to the overall design as it creates shadows on the card front.

The flowers have been raised on foam pads for dimension and the black pearls compliment the sentiment which is also from Altenew.

The completed card is 5x7 which is by far my favourite size to make, and the fold is at the top.

On these flowers I added a little bit of liquid glue and allowed it to go tacky. Then I pressed some gold foil into the glue and lifted it carefully.

This left just a light layer of gold leaf on some of the petals and made the flowers look really pretty. And I think it can just be made out if you look hard enough

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

New Home Card

Hi Everybody,

Here is a little card that I made some time ago but has now just been put to good use as I have a friend that has just moved house.

I have stencilled the flowers onto the heart shape with blending brushes and cut it out with the heart shaped die set

This particular card uses the house die set that came free with a magazine and I have added it to an embossed background panel created with the Rose folder from Card Making Magic

Making extra cards and keeping them to one side always pays off in the end,  for those unexpected occasions, or requests for a card that you may get from time to time

I keep mine safe complete with envelopes and then they are ready to send.

They don't always need to have s sentiment on them as you can always add one when the request is made.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx   

Winner

 Hi Everybody,

I hope you are all well and enjoying the weekend. Can you believe we are at the end of January already and it only seems like a week ago since Christmas. But time waits for no one.

Ruby and I went walking this morning but it started to get very blustery towards the end of it and so it was nice to get back home again to our warm and cozy house. We are all settled  down for the rest of the day now.

I have just been reading my recipe book from Lily.s Kitchen and it is full of ideas for creating tasty nutritious meals for your dog.. And so I have just put together a fish dinner for Ruby and once it is cool and she has tried it I will let you know how it went down. There is nothing in it that I wouldn’t eat and so I have just tried it myself and I have to say it was delicious

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

Sue Cockerham

Would you email me please with your postal address to

 christina@card-making-magic.com

and I will get it in the post to you straight away. Please let me know that you have it safely and I hope you enjoy playing with your gift.

More tomorrow …

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Build A Flower

Hi Everybody,

In todays offering you will get some foam sheets, dies and white stamens to help you build beautiful foam flowers for your projects.

There is also the Die Cutting Essentials magazine to go with it and that is full of ideas and inspirations for you to try, as well as being just a good read.

So if you think you would like to have a go at making some of these flowers then why not enter your comment to be in with the chance.

As long s your comment is accompanied by your FULL NAME then it will be entered into the draw and one name will be chosen at random as the winner.

You will need to come back over the weekend to see if it is your name that is shown as the winner and then you will have 72 hours in which to claim your gift.

I am happy to send this to you wherever you live and I hope you will enjoy it once you get it.
Just add your comment and see if you are the lucky one

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

 

Feathered Lilies

 Hi Everybody,

For todays card I have used the Feathered Lilies and created an inked background for something different.

The card size is the Slimline and the front panel I have coloured with Distress Inks.

I added my two colours, Speckled Egg and Antique Linen,  to a glass mat and spritzed them with water, then added the water coloured card to the puddle.

I repeated this process but dried the card between each layer until I got the look I wanted.

I added splatters to the panel using the same colours as the flowers and background inks, with a little black and white thrown in for good measure

Then I embossed in the Perfect Swirls folder from Card Making Magic

The flowers have ben stamped from the kit and coloured on water colour paper.

Before die cutting them out I have added them to the embossing folder and the extra definition in the card makes such a difference and is well worth doing.

Foam pads have been added to the back for the flowers and black sequins have been dotted around the card front. I used a white gel pen to add spots to the Lilies.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Altenew Craft Your Life Kit

Hi Everybody,

I had a day off yesterday and did absolutely nothing except walk Ruby on the beach.  She loves going down there and can have a really good run around, but the tide was too far out for us get near the sea, which is no bad thing or she would be in it even if it is so cold.

But I have got some new cards to show you and these are made with the new January Altenew Kit called Feathered Lilies.

I have used the stencil in the kit to colour these  flowers with Altenew Inks.

They have been embossed in the folder, and then die cut and added with foam tape to the card front.

The background has been embossed with the Simply Dots folder from Card Making Magic

It is a very delicate card and could be for any occasion you liked, and the finished result is a 51/2" square 

The sentiments are stamped from Label Love also by Altenew and many of these products I have had in my stash for a very long time.

This card uses the Pallet background stamp from Altenew coupled with the Painted Inspirations stamp 

This time I have stamped the image and then coloured it with the stencil and although it is the same set it looks different with the stamped outline.

Adding the die cut in a different orientation also makes it look different.

These kits are so good and in each one there is a die set, stamps, embossing folder and often multiple stencils for you to colour and layer the images.

Really useful if colouring is not your thing

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

New Craft Room Floor

 Hi Evrybody,

I have done a little video to show you what my craft room looks like now with the changes I have made and I am really pleased with the end results.

Having things like stamps and embossing folders more accessible means they will get used a whole lot more.

Plus I have put items that are the same in one container and labelled it so that I know exactly what is where when I want to use it. 

I have done a lot of clearing out as well and now I have lots of stuff to donate or sell when I get some time to sort it all out.

The video is not long and so I hope you enjoy seeing what I have done and Ruby makes a guest appearance as well just to say Hello

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Winner

 Hi Everybody,

Another winner is here today and that is me .... my craft room is finished and later today I will take a video of it, and add it to a blog post next week, to show you the finished result.
 I am really pleased with it.

But for now the winner of yesterdays magazine and Bauble die set has been chosen at random and the name this week is 

Jenny Hurley

would you email me with your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and I will get it in the post to your straight away.

Please let me know that you et it safely and I hope you enjoy playing with it.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Nativity Bauble

Hi Everybody,

Another Christmas themed card for todays "Give Away" and this one will create beautiful Baubles for your cards or your tree 

It is a lovely large Bauble and it comes with

 Die Cutting Essentials magazine.

Time to put your feet up if you win this and have a good browse of the pages as they are full of ideas that you may like to try for yourself.

Now if this is one that you would like to win 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 over the weekend and see if your name is shown as the winner and then you will have 72 hours in which to claim the prize 

 

I add the same proviso every week and if you have never won then take a look at how you are signing your post. Does it have your full name ?? NO !! Then you won't be a winner.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Craft room Update

Hi Everybody,

Slowly but surely I am getting there and this is what the room looks like at present. I don't know why it is but when one room is being done ... the whole house gets messy.

And poor Ruby didn't know what to do when she came home from doggy day care . 

I had to show her where her bed was in the messy room and then she was happy.

Everything is upside down at present but it should all be finished by tomorrow ... fingers crossed.

I can't wait to get straight again and put things back in their places, after it has all had a good dusting and clean, it's going to look so much different.

I will take more pictures once it is all done and I have moved some things around in here as well to make a better work space for me.

And with all the decluttering I have one I know have some empty storage bins, drawers and shelves so it looks neater too.

One side of the room is nearly finished now and the beading around the edges is going in tomorrow.

In this picture you can just see the floor and the beading and I am surprised at how much bigger the room looks without the carpet down.

Some of you have told me about your own decorating/renovating jobs that you are in the middle of so good luck to you all and I hope you all get straight again soon.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

 

Altenew Craft Your Life Project

Hi Everybody,

I think I have told you a few months ago that I have subscribed to the monthly Altenew Craft Your Life Kits and this is the one that was received in November.

These kits are lovely and so full of items for you to use in many different ways.

There are dies, stencils, stamps and an embossing folder in each kit and the flower is a new one each month,

I have added an envelope to each of my cards and decorated them all with Washi Tape, and they are all in cellophane to keep them clean

This one has the addition of Diamante  to it and it is a slimline card.

These cards will be going in my charity shop box which I will take to the shop once it is full, and there are usually about 150 cards in each box that I take to them

I enjoy making these cards as there is no pressure for certain designs and no deadline to meet either.

I can just make them how I like and add them to my box and the charity shop seem to like getting them too.

And with having a new floor fitted in my craft room I have really gone to town and cleared out all of the items that have been made or bought over the years and never used.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Decoupage Delight - Water Coloured Flowers

 Hi Everybody,

Today I am adding in the video of how I water coloured the flowers from the Decoupage Delight Hellebore 

I have used the Ironworks die set for the background and the flowers have been added in with foam pads underneath 

The finished card is a 5x7 and is really pretty in real life.

This is the one I created in the video and below you will see another one that I di in a slightly different colour combination

.You could use your favourite colours for another look

I have used leaves from the foliage background die set for the first card and leaves from several sets for this bottom card.

But  they will look just as good using leaves from any die set that you have in your collection.

I hope you enjoy the video 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx