Beautiful Card Designs Made Easy

September 01, 2013

How stupid can you get ???

Hi Everybody,

This new Heartfelt Creations die arrived on my doormat  this morning from Sunrise Crafts  and so I thought I would give it a try out  to make a very quick card for a neighbour.

It cuts out all those flowers in one go and then you can curve and curl them to suit your needs and add them to a card.

Now the card turned out very pretty and both I  and my neighbour liked the end result.

And of course it is pink and flowery

I wanted one large flower to sit in the centre of a large bow, and the beautiful trail from the flower is a  Tattered Lace   die called Fuchsia.

I cut this twice ... once in green and again in pink, then cut off the flowers in pink and layered them onto the green and added pearls.

I added my die to a magnetic sheet to hold everything in place while I cut it .... BUT ....

 I put the die onto it the wrong way round .... and cut out the magnetic sheet instead of my card !!

So in answer to my own question of how stupid can you get .... well not much more stupid than that.

And let me tell you it's not the first time I have done it either ... you'd think I would learn a lesson wouldn't you.

More tomorrow ....

Hugs xx



August 31, 2013

Two Winners ....

Hi Everybody,

Today is the draw fro the TWO prizes on offer and this is one of them.

They are basically the same it's just that the CD and alphabet  in each one is  different

And the winners are  ......

Mary W  and  Melanie Carter 

so if you can email me your land addresses please ladies I will pop the parcels in the post to you straight away.

I hope you will enjoy the prize and add your cards to the Gallery Page on the website.

But you don't have to be a winner to do that ... any card or project that you would like to show case can be added so please feel free to do so. 

You can add four photos at any one time but you need to tell us a little about YOU and how you made the card please. 

Card Making Gallery   is there just for you ... and you can comment on the cards from others.  And the Gallery is growing all the time with beautiful cards that you are making and they are a delight to see.

 More tomorrow ...

Hugs cc

Promotion for me ....

Hi Everybody,

It will be two years in November since I gave up going out to work.

I have since then devoted my time to building the website Card Making Magic and making it even  even better ...  and of course I started this Blog.

It was the best move I ever did and I have no regrets at all ... in fact I wish I had one it sooner.

I also joined a group on the web many years ago that allowed me to add my work and videos to her pages.  And over the years we have become friends.

Adeles'  aim is to help  designers  to host their own mini communities and become  "Experts" in their own field.  To build up their own  group of  fans and interact  via emails, lessons and  "Live" chat sessions.

And I have just been invited to become the  regular "Spellbinders Expert" on the website with a page dedicated to my group.  

So please pop over and take a look and maybe join the group and take advantage of the offers that are in the shop.   Click this link ...   "Spellbinders Expert"  ... it maybe something that you want to join in with if you are as addicted to these dies as I am.

 More tomorrow...

Hugs xx


August 30, 2013

Zentangle Baby ...

Hi Everybody,

Some time ago I added this lovely baby from   Mo's Digital Pencil that I had colored .... and not  quite made into a card ...  yet !

But just for a change I thought I would do something a little different with Baby  Fairy Kiki

So yesterday I got out the fine liner pens that I have and I just sat and played.

It took me about two hours to do this Zentangle pattern ... but what a relaxing way to spend some time.

I started by adding the outline of some clothes to the body and then broke it up into sections to make it easier.

I stayed with the same pattern for the little outfit but I tried some different ones for the wings and her hat.

And I have to say that I was quite pleased with my self at the end ... because this is the first time I have tried Zentangle on a digital image.

It won't be the last time as I really enjoyed myself doing this and finishing it into a card.


Once the pattern was added I used my Spectrum Noir pens to color it in and I added the shadows to the clothes just as I would with the original image.

Then once the skin was colored the whole picture was magic.  Hope you like ...

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx



August 29, 2013

University Guest Speaker ...

Hi Everybody,

I have no card for you today but I wanted to share this piece of news that dropped into my inbox earlier this week.

This is  from a lady called Melinda  and I have given it some consideration.... a whole two minutes ....

Here is part of the email I got ....


I have been following your blogs for a long time now and just love them! I am always so excited to see what you have come up with each day for your crafting audience.

Not only do I love to craft, but I also teach journalism at Mid America Nazarene University in suburban Kansas City, USA. 


This semester I am teaching Reporting & Writing and requiring my students to create and maintain a blog for the duration of the class. I admire your work so much that I'd love for you to tell my students about your blogging experiences.

Would you be able to join us via Skype on Tuesday, Sept. 3? 

I know you are incredibly busy and I have not given you much lead time, but I couldn't resist at least trying to make this happen.

If you agree, then you would be addressing a small (not more than 10 students), upper-division, multimedia class.  The students are juniors and seniors, and the atmosphere is conversational.

The students also would have questions prepared to ask you and would have explored both the Flowers, Ribbons and Pearls and the Card Making Magic sites.

You are absolutely one of the best and most thorough bloggers I've encountered so would love to give my students the opportunity to pick your brain.


Now I ask you ... what would you say to an offer like that ????   My answer was Yes Yes Yes ...   I would be delighted and honored to do so and of course I wrote back to accept the offer.

The reply back from Melinda was ...


Thanks so much for agreeing to speak to my students.

You will love them; they are wonderful people, who I've had in classes since they were freshmen and sophomores. 

And I know they will love you, too!


And so I am preparing for this and  I am nervous about it.   The time scale is different and  we need to set it  up with Melindas'  computer technicians to make sure we get it right.... otherwise I will be sat here talking to myself !!

But what an honor to be asked in the first place ... and didn't I say that 2013 has been an amazing year for me so far ... and it's only August 


More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx