I'm having a rant.....

Ooooh! I am so mad .... let me explain. I have not used my credit card for ages and so when we went to Canada I paid for the flights using it.

I emailed the credit card company to tell them that I would be out of the country until the 7th July and they acknowledged that email.

Then once the fights had been added to the card I paid the bulk of it off early and emailed them again explaining that I had done this to save any fees. That was also acknowledged.

Then when I got back I had a bill for the rest of the money so I rang them ... and I asked the woman for the exact figure to clear the card back to zero again and she gave it to me.

So I instantly paid it over the phone and asked was that the account now cleared and she said ... "Yes it was now back to zero". I wrote on the statement ... "Paid in Full" .... and patted myself on the back.

Today I have had a statement telling me that there is an interest charge .... so I have been back on the phone again very, very angry.

I asked how could there be an interest charge on a zero balance????

Apparently the interest is calculated in advance on the next statement and because I had paid it early the interest had been reduced but still added to the zero balance..... Er what!!!

I was not a happy bunny... I was being penalised for having paid off my account early.

Off she went to see what she could do ... and came back telling me that the sum had been removed and that the acount WAS now cleared.

And the moral to this story is ... don't be good and pay your cards off early .... wait for the bill and make them wait till the last week ... but avoiding any late fees ... before you settle it.

Rant over .... back to cards tomorrow

Hugs xx

Creating a Spectrum Noir background ...

Now having completed the baby image from Mo's Digital Pencil  that  I have been using over the last few videos it is now time to add the beautiful baby to a special background.

For this card I have stayed with the  BLUE  set of  Spectrum Noir  pens from  Crafters Companion   and added in some of the darker ones to get my backgound.

Click to Enlarge

If you enlarge the photo take a look at the background piece.

You will be able to see just how pretty it is...
and the   Spectrum Noir Background  video will show you how to replicate the look.

As always if these techniques are known to you then please don't think that I am talking down to you.

But many new people visit these pages and the Card Making Magic website and it is my intention to help them get a good start with their cardmaking hobby.

I know there are people in their 80's,  and some as young as 10,  that visit and make use of  the tutorials and that makes me very happy. 

And if they are happy with what they come up with then so am I.

Each of these cards has the addition of flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts  and the  beautiful "Bling" is from Want2Scrap 

The deorative pins are hand made .... by me .... and the supplies are from the  Sparkles Group

They are created with a blank 3" hatpin and they come complete with end protectors.

You will find them in the Specialist Findings and don't forget to add  CGDIS5  at the checkout This will tell them where you have come from and will allow you to get your discount.

Hugs xx

Busy weekend ...

I didn't get to add a post over the weekend but I have not been idle.  Oh No !!!

Click to Enlarge

My "Film Crew" and I have done two more videos. 

As I told you yesterday the Spectrum Noir Clothes video had to be edited into two parts  and that was because YouTube will only allow videos up to 15 minutes long.

Longer  than that  and you get chopped off ... in your prime so to speak !!

And so here is Spectrum Noir Clothes Part 2


This one centres on using the blender pen for the first time and it creates a different look for the fabric on the babys'  dress.

It is very easy to do and the video shows you how ...  but there are lots of ways to make this blender work for you ...  and hopefully I will cover them as I go through the series.

Here is a finished card with the Blender Pen used to create the Polka dots and I have also used one of the  pens I used for the background to colour some white  ribbon and the Pearly Swirls,  which are also white to start with and from  Want2Scrap

But if you enlarge the picture take a look at the background because that is the fetaured item in the next video.... and I hope you will like it.

Hugs xx

Spectrum Noir - Clothes

Because of the restrictions about the length of a video with YouTube this tutorial has had to be edited into two seperate parts.

So the first part will cover creating folds and shadows in a white dress.

Part two will be added tomorrow  and I will show you some effects that can be achieved with a Blender pen.

Here is the first one and it is Spectrum Noir Clothes Part 1

I have really enjoyed putting together these tutorials and there are lots of ideas emerging as I make them. 

But for now it is time for me  to go and put my feet up with a glass of white wine and watch some TV for awhile.

Another video tomorrow ....

Hugs xx

More tutorials on the way ...

In the pipe line there is a tutorial on colouring clothes with Spectrum Noir ...  but I have been asked about other skin tones  .... and that is on the way too.

But they all take time and  I am happy that the response to these  vidoes has been so well accepted.

So thank you for all the lovely emails and comments that I have had.

Darker skin tones are something that many people are afraid to try and so I thought  it needed a tutorial  all by itself.    I have tried to stay with the colours that are available in the six pen sets to save some  expense ...  and I will of course give you the list of the pens used.

I have been colouring for a long time and it is only the product that is new. So if you have bought the pens then hopefully you too will have got something out of these tutorials that can be of help.

This is another image from Mo's Digital Pencil and the "Bling" is a Diamante Swirl from Want2scrap

Hugs xx