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.
Beautiful Card Designs Made Easy
December 12, 2023
Designer Card Front - Half Scallop
December 11, 2023
Designer Card Front - Triangles.
December 10, 2023
Gloria Lamb - Winner
Hi Everybody,
so would you please email me with your postal address to
December 08, 2023
Friday Freebie - Winter Wreath
Hi Everybody,
Todays offering is on a Christmas theme and it is the really pretty Winter Wreath.
There are also some sentiment stamps and they will help you to make some lovely cards.
If not for this year then it will come in handy for the next one.
The magazine is full of ideas and inspiration that you may like to try for yourself.
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 and please add your
FULL NAME
from those comments one name will be chosen as the winner and so you will need to come back and see if it is your name that is shown.
Then you will have 72 hours in which to notify me by email of your postal address.
Tucked inside the pack I have included a Pokey Tool for you and I hope you will like it and find it useful when you are making your cards.
More tomorrow ...
Hugs xx
December 07, 2023
Mix & Match Older Dies with New
I have been on a mission to use up some of the older dies that I have in my collection and mixing them with newer ones to see what I can come up with.
It was an interesting challenge and I looked for old dies that maybe you have too ... but I don't think some of them are available anymore.
As new dies come out the older ones are removed and often when we have them in our own stash they are simply forgotten about.
And that is a shame as they have cost us money and they need to be put to good sure to make sure we get our monies worth from the purchase.
When you have things out ready to use you may as well make the most of it and make many cards at the same time.
It saves you getting all your card and glues, die cutting machines and stamp platforms out again as you can make them all in one go and save some for another day.
You may want to keep your craft stuff to hand all the time but batch making can save you some time if you are in a rush as you will have some cards ready to be used.
I hope you enjoy the video ...
December 05, 2023
Layered Flowers & Butterflies
December 04, 2023
Creating a Bookmark
Some days you may not feel like cardmaking but still want to craft something that is useful or your self or others.
So in this video I have used the Warm Florals Paper pack to create little book marks that I can give away to people who like to read or even to children for them to use in their books.
Each one takes just one sheet of paper and they are so quick and easy to do. There's no gluing and no dies used and they can be made for any occasion.
December 03, 2023
Linda Massey - Festive Bells
Hi Everybody,
Sorry to be so late but I have had a busy morning. Weatherwise it's not too clever here but Ruby and I will be going out once I have done this post. We walked down the promenade yesterday with Vickie and Dougal and it was very cold with a light dusting of snow everywhere, but it was sunny and still very pleasant to walk in
So the winner today is
Linda Massey
and you have won the lovely panel die from Crafters Companion called Festive Bells.
Please email ne with your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and I will get it sent off to your as soon as I can. Please be sure to let me know that you have it safely and I hie you enjoy playing with it.
More tomorrow ...
Hugs xx
December 01, 2023
Friday Freebie - Festive Bells
This week sees a beautiful panel die being offered as the Give Away and this is from Crafters Companion.
As you can see from the photo that it is quite a large die and the magazine will give you some ideas on how you can use it on your own designs.
There are lots of inspiration in the pages and so make yourself a cuppa and have a good browse through the pages. You won't be disappointed.
So would you like this to be on it's way to you ???
Then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post to be in with the chance.
You must add the comment with your FULL NAME or it will not be entered into the draw. You will also need to come back over the weekend to see if you are the listed winner and then you have 72 hours in which to claim it. If it is not claimed it will be re offered at a later date.
More tomorrow ...
Hugs xx
November 30, 2023
Warm Florals Making A Card
This is a paper pack from Card Making Magic that has been out for a little while now and it is one that I really enjoyed playing with.
The flowers and the colours are very bright and the cards that they make are gorgeous. I have used this a lot and it is still available at Craft Stash.
I have used it with embossed backgrounds and other die cuts that I have on my desk and it mixes well with other items that I have, and I am sure you will have many embellishments lying around too.
The cards to the right is an A6 size and I have used some of the pink paper from the pack as one of the layers.
I used the papers that are scraps to create the background and covered the join with one of the ribbon strips in the pack.
I did some videos using this pack and here is one that creates a larger card using all the kit.
It isn't too long .. just enough time for a cuppa
More tomorrow ...
Hugs xx
November 29, 2023
Laminated background
Todays card has a background that has been created with a laminating pouch, alcohol markers and some gilding flakes.
It was very easy to do and the result is lovely and rich looking.
I opened the pouch, which I got really cheap from Lidl, and scribbled alcohol markers onto one side of it and spritzed it with a little Isopropyl to make the colours run.
Then I added some gilding flakes to the mix and closed the pouch. After running it through the laminator this was what I ended up with and it is an A5 size. Just a perfect size for my card. I added some glue to the parts that wouldn't show and adhered it to a white base card
I used the Nested Oval Fancy Frames die and gold mirror card for he centre and added toning flowers and leaves to the edge of the frame.
The "Best Wishes" is from the Special Words die set and I cut the shadow in parchment to make it stand out more on the busy background.
The flowers are from my stash and they have been sparkled with some fine glitter and there is the addition of two tiny black organza butterflies near each group of flowers. I also used pink pearls for the inside of two of the flowers
Hope you like
More tomorrow ...
Hugs xx
November 28, 2023
Differences ...
I have tucked the glue pins into the Friday Freebie magazines that have gone out each week and I hope you are putting them to good use.
But then I made some pokey tools as a practice run and asked if anybody would like one and the answer was yes.
Some of them have still to arrive with their owners as they went to far away places and will still be in the postal system or your country. But they will get there eventually.
The picture shows you the difference in the sizes as the glue pin on the left is much much smaller, and the larger one will not fit into a glue bottle. So whichever you get it has been sent with love and is my gift to you.
More tomorrow ...
Hugs xx
November 26, 2023
Margaret Powell - Winner
Hi Everybody,
and I will get the pack off to you as soon as I can.
November 24, 2023
Friday Freebie - Under the Mistletoe
The gift this week is staying with Christmas and it is from Lisa Horton called Under the Mistletoe.
In this set there is a beautiful slimline embossing folder and four dies that will match it perfectly.
The magazine is full of ideas and inspiration that you may like to try as well as ways in which to use your pack.
So just for leaving a comment with your FULL NAME you can be in with the chance to win this and have it in your own crafting stash for ever.
If you have never won then please look at the way you enter and check that you have left your full name.
If you haven't then the comment you leave will not be entered into the draw as it is difficult to notify a stranger of their win, especially if it comes through as anonymous .... need I say more ???
It doesn't matter where you live or if you have own before I am happy to send the pack to you.
More tomorrow ...
Hugs xx
November 20, 2023
Bead Work
Pokey Tools Eight |
Today my PC is going to the PC hospital to get fixed and I will have to manage without it until it is back home again.Instead I am adding some photos of some more bead-work that I have been doing and this time it is making somePokey Tools
. |
I don't profess to be any type of jewelry maker but they are all sturdy and pretty and will do the job in question.
I am willing to give these away as they are only practice pieces so please let me know if you would like to have one of them.
Email me with your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
More tomorrow ...
Hugs xx
November 19, 2023
Bev Williamson - Winner
Hi Everybody,
What a day .... it is absolutely pouring down and so today I will be lighting my log burner and curling up in front of it. Poor Ruby won't get to go out in this rain as I am a wimp and a fair weather walker. Even the cat won't go out the door in this.
So I have done the draw for Fridays offering and the bane today is
Bev Williamson
would you email me please with your email postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and it will be in the post to you.
Earrings
Thank you for liking the earrings I made and I have left messages for three people who named a pair that they liked. I need you to email me at the same email address please as soon as you can.
More tomorrow ...
Hugs xx
November 17, 2023
Friday Freebie - Joy To The World
This weeks offering is Joy To The World brought to you by Chloe and it is a super gift.
There is a n A4 stamp set and a lovely die that is in this pack and it is sure to create some fabulous cards for you.
As Christmas will be with us soon it may be a good addition to your stash if you still have some cards to make.
Would you like this one ??? If you would then all you have to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post and add your FULL NAME
November 16, 2023
Earrings
Hi Everybody,
Just to prove that I have not been idle over the past few weeks I wanted to show you some of the earrings I have been making.
I got all my jewelry bits and pieces from Amazon and following YouTube videos I made all these from beads that I already had in my stash.
I was wearing some when I took Ruby to her playschool and my dog walker lady liked them.
I sent her the photo of the ones I had made and she bought all of them from me in one go.
Sally gave some to her daughters and another pair to the lady who works with her walking the dogs, and told me I should ask more for each pair. But I am only learning how to make them and so at the moment they are cheap to buy.
I used glass beads and some ceramic ones also and the end results are very pretty.
What do you think of them ???
More tomorrow ...
Hugs xx
November 15, 2023
Charity Box
So I have been busy filling up my charity box again with all the cards that are in my craft room that I have made over the past few months.
All will have envelopes with them and be placed in cellophane bags to keep them clean before they go to the shop.
I usually take a box full and in it there will probably be about 100 to 150 cards ... maybe more. It is always something I enjoy doing and I do it regularly.
November 14, 2023
Two More Layered cards
Hi Everybody,
The Look at Layers Collection has made some lovely cards for me and the addition of the flowers makes them even more special.
These two cards are made from the leftovers that I have lying around my craft room and both of these are A5 size.
The one to the right is done in Portrait and the one below is Landscape and both are very pretty cards.
I used yellow flowers on this one, and along with the cards I showed yesterday it lets you see how the different colours work together
I like to mix and match the flowers to add interest and all of them I have used my very favourite leaf die set called Rose Flourishes
This just adds a little more interest to the base layer and is something I like to do.
November 13, 2023
Keeping Busy
Hi Everybody,
So as I have been unable to use the computer for the past couple of weeks I have kept myself busy using up anything that I could find on my desktop.
That included any die cuts, bits of ribbon, stamped or die cut sentiments, flowers and leaves and any images that I may have coloured in and not used.
These die cuts are from the Look At Layers Collection and are leftover from the samples that I made for the launch.
The card to the right is a 6x6 top folded card and I complimented the scheme with pink flowers.and pearls
I made the leaves look like a wreath and added lilac flowers to go on top. I think the lilac goes very well with the pale blue.
The sentiment are all gold mirror card with a parchment backing to them.
I managed to get four really pretty cards from the items that I found and I will show you the other two tomorrow.
All will need boxes to go with them because of the depth of the flowers.
It's amazing what you can come up with using left overs bits and bobs.
More tomorrow ...
Hugs xx
November 12, 2023
Ethne Gloss - Winner
Hi Everybody,
I feel so much better about the PC today and I will get some more work done now that it is fixed.
I have been up early to do the draw and later on I will take Ruby out for her walk, before the rain comes. Witch Wood is very muddy at present but the Promenade is clean and so that is where we will go so that she can have a good sniff about.
The draw for the lovely shaker elements has been done and if you have never tried shaker cards then you will be really pleased with the offer. So the name today is
Ethne Gloss
Please would you email me your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and I will get the pack in the post to you, along with the glue bottle pin that is inside the pack.
Please be sure to let me know that you have them OK
More tomorrow ...
Hugs xx
November 11, 2023
Tower Computers
Hi Everybody,
He tried to sort some of the things out remotely on the day that I called him but he needed to come and see what my system is like.
Griff used to sort out my problems for me and he would have known what to do.
ME .... well I am just lost !!
It seems that my PC has two hard drives and Antony, the computer man, is going to simplify it for me in the next few weeks, by enlarging one of the drives and taking out the other one.
That way I will not lose any space that I now have.
He didn't recommend getting a new computer as he says this is a really good system and so that saves me some money.
He also managed to recover my Editing suite for the videos, and the photos that where lost was because of the two drives, so that is now sorted too.
I was just thankful that some photos were already in my Blog files and I could get to them, and that I had done all my Friday Freebies well in advance.
So now I am back and can get things done again and I am happy that my PC now behaves as I expect it to. I will write gain with the winner tomorrow
And if you live on the Fylde Coast and you are having computer troubles I would highly recommend TOWER COMPUTERS
More tomorrow ...
Hugs xx
November 10, 2023
Friday Freebie - Super Shakers
Another Christmas themed give away today and this one will create some beautiful shaker cards for you.
Don't worry if you have never made this style before as the magazine will show you how to get the look using the items in the kit.
The stamp set is also designed to work with this set and you are sure to be pleased with the result.
So if this is something that you think you might like to try hen leave ne a comment at the end of this post with your FULL NAME
From those comments one name will be chosen as the winner and notified in a blog post over the weekend so be sure to come back and see if it is your name that is listed.
You will have 72 hours in which to claim the pack and if it is not claimed it will be offered again at a later date.
More tomorrow ...
Hugs xx
November 06, 2023
Christmas Past
This is a series of cards that I made for Christmases in the past and these are already in my Blogger account and so I can use them until I get my computer fixed.
I am not able to do videos as yet because I cannot get the filmed ones onto my PC to edit them and then upload to YouTube.
Such a pain .....
Many of them have been created using items that where free with magazines and some of these may have even been passed on to you as the Friday Freebies.
November 05, 2023
Stacey Kowbel - Winner
Hi Everybody,
I am so sorry I have not been around this week but as I said I have had major PC problems. My computer asked if I wanted to regain some space on my hard drive and I said “yes” but it wiped everything else from the desktop. My editing programs … all my photos … all my videos and even my emails.
I have tried to get some of them back with a little success but my editing suite is gone. I bought the full edition a few years ago and now I cannot get in touch with the company to see if they can help, so it looks like I may have to buy it all over again.
It also tells me that some of my stuff is not compatible with Windows 10 and that my PC will not accept Windows 11 so I may have to buy a new computer and I really don’t want to have to do that. This has been such a pain and if Griff was here he would know what to do.
Anyway on to the draw which has been done and the name today is
Stacey Kowbel
Would you please email me with your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and I will get the pack in the post to you this week. I will also tuck into the magazine a little glue bottle pin so be sure to look for that and please let me know when you have them safely.
More tomorrow…… hopefully
Hugs xx
November 03, 2023
Friday Freebie - Dragonfly Delight
October 29, 2023
Jenny Hurley - Winner
Hi Everybody,
You will need to be patient with me for a while as something has happened to my computer and I seem to have lost all my work. All my videos have disappeared and I can't find the Movie Maker programme that I bought ages ago and so at the moment I am stuck and I do not know how to resolve the problem.
I have tried to fix it but I get totally lost to say the least. I am very annoyed with my self and frustrated with the computer.
But I have done the draw for the fabulous Christmas pack offered on Friday which I am sure you will enjoy playing with. The name this week is
Jenny Hurley
christina@card-making-magic.com
and I will get the pack in the post to you.
October 27, 2023
Friday Freebie - Believe in the Magic
Another week where we are back to the Christmas theme and this time it is a die and stamp set complete with papers to go with your designs.
October 26, 2023
Die Cut Sentiments
Adding a sentiment to your cards is the perfect way to finish them completely.
To say Happy Birthday. Thinking of You, Thank You, Sorry or for a Sympathy card they are instant additions.
Some of the dies have a shadow layer to them others are simply added to the card but Card Making Magic has lots for you to choose from no matter what the occasion.
This Thinking of You sentiment has been added to parchment and that doesn't detract from the beautiful background that it is added to.
October 25, 2023
Embossing Folders
I always think that a card looks so much better with some kind of texture to the actual background and embossing folders can fill that requirement so easily for me.
This one has the Simply Dots A5 Folder and is layered with gold mirror card.
For me it always adds that little bit extra and give the card that finished look.
You add another effect to the background like ink splattering or stamping and then add the embossed look to the top.
That is simply where you add ink to one side, add the card and close the folder, then run it through your die cutting machine with the embossing mats.
One side will give you an embossed look with the ink and if you ink up the other side the look will be debossed.
This simple flower design has the Letter Press added using the Trellis Folder and it compliments the overall design.
Whatever you design and whoever it is for the added detail to your card makes it even more special and is sure to be appreciated by your recipient.
I like to use a 300gsm card with my folders as that gives a really good impression without the card splitting.
You could also try a light spritz to the card before adding it to the folder for another way to get a deep impression and stop the splitting.
And there are lots of 3-D folders on the market to add a lovely look to your creations and embossing folders are so cheap to add to your own stash
October 24, 2023
Some of my Favourites
This card is from one of my all time favourite collections and I made lots of videos and cards with this.
This one is the Circles from the Plaited with Love Collection and I had so much fun using all these die sets on my designs.
I also love the round shape and this is perfect for turning into an Easel card very easily.
The colour scheme is purple and white the flowers are Mulberry paper from Wild Orchid Crafts.
The leaves are from another favourite die set which is the Rose Flourish and I use this a lot.
I love the Ovals in this collection at there is so much that you can do with it.
I use this one a lot and I did videos for it when it was launched.
You can dress this up or down as you please and it looks wonderful added to a larger base card.
Here I have used it as a shaped stand alone card with lots of layers, and of course the addition of flowers sprinkled with glitter.