The Jus Cutz

Hi Everybody,

No card today but I waned to tell you about the new Jus Cutz die cutting machine that I have bought from Once Upon A Stamp

It is relatively new to the market and the mechanics of it are made from all metal ... so not much to break on this one.

It makes a lot of claims and only time will tell if it lives up to those claims but I have been working with mine for a few weeks now and it is really good.

 It comes in a number of trendy colours and I chose this Retro look for mine

The white knob underneath turns clockwise to suction the machine to your work top

 The cutting is performed by pressure from the rollers and the pressure is set by the slider on the machine.

You will need to move the slider depending on what it is you want to do ... cut, emboss the die or use an embossing folder.

Because the pressure is evenly distributed along the roller it is claimed to cut evenly every time ... but a little bit of advice ... buy the separate Metal Plate 

It is not supplied in the box but you will need it to cut the more intricate dies that you may have.

It  has the A4 cutting platform and that means all the Grand dies can be used.

And because of the larger mouth it will also take the thicker dies that you may have.

It will sit comfortably on your work top and looks very neat when closed,  and it opens out easily when you need to use it.

If you have one and would like to leave your own comment then please do.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Medallions Seven

Hi Everybody,

The Medallions are one of the smaller dies from Spellbinders. There are several patterns in these dies and the ones I have used are the Medallions Seven.

This card is a 5" square that is created from the smallest of the Grand dies.

It is also the card that is featured in the video ...
Spellbinders Medallions Tutorial  which is not a long tutorial.

The beautiful embossing on the white layer is from the Regency Swirls from Crafters Companion and it leaves a lovely deep etched design in the card.

The pearls are self adhesive and they are from Want2Scrap.   .... and  were added at the suggestion of my "Film Crew" 

More  tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Spellbinders Card ...

Hi Everybody,

This lovely card is a 8" square card and it has been matted and layered with cream Centura Pearl from Crafters Companion

To create the centre panel I have used the same principle used in the Creating A Frame with Spellbinders  .... just different dies.

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and are a beautiful mixture of cream Roses, Lilies, Tulips and Carnations.

The flowers have been sparkled with Glamour Dust and the pearl  flourish is from Want2Scrap to add the elegant touch

The inside of the card has been decorated to match the front.

All the panels have been embossed with an 8 x 8 folder from Crafters Companion called Elegance.

The folder adds two different patterns with a plain strip in between.  I have heat embossed the sentiment in silver  directly onto that strip...  which is not something I usually do.

I prefer to stamp and emboss on a tag and then add that to the card ... just in case I make a mess !!  And "YES" ... I do make mistakes ... but it is surprising what a flower can cover up ... if you know what I mean ... and I bet you do !!

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

I did it .......

Hi Everybody,

Last night was the time for me to go to University  and talk to some of the students .... but only via Skype. (Sigh!)

I offered to just pop over to Kansas but they didn't take me up on it ... (Sigh again!!)   I met Melinda who had invited me to speak to her class,  and six of her young students.

The class went down very well and lasted for about 45 minutes and I think they all stayed interested ....  well no body fell asleep anyway

We covered  various aspects of creating a website/blog and the differences between the two.  One of the things they wanted to know was how to get your website/blog noticed so that people will visit.

My "Film Crew" was on hand with his trusty camera to film the event.  Although I have their permission to blog about the meeting .... the video will remain private.

I have had an email from Melinda this morning and she wrote ....

Christina, 

You did a fantastic job! 

My students loved getting the chance to talk to you. They thought you were really knowledgeable and were excited to put to use all of the good information you gave them.

You may need to consider going on the lecture circuit. :) You are a natural.

Thank you so much for taking the time to join us. And, of course, thank you to your film crew.

 I was greeted in a very friendly manner and once I got started the nerves just fell away. 

Thank you to all in the class for your welcome it was so nice to meet you ... Josiah keep that diary on hand ... and Rachel if you make a card then add it to the Gallery on Card Making Magic. 

Melinda .... well what can I say about Melinda except she is beautiful and that hair is to die for ....

More later .... and that Spellbinders Card 

Hugs xx

Spectrum Noir Class ...

Hi Everybody,

The second  Spectrum Noir Class    is now available to purchase from   The Art Studio  and the subject covered is how to create a beautiful effect for dark skin and curly hair.

This gorgeous lady is Lala and she is from Saturated Canary  and she is an absolute pleasure to color in.

The class will show you how to blend the correct colours to get a smooth look to your images and to create the perfect curls every time.

The different shades that you use will alter the look but you will be able to achieve the correct technique very quickly.

The classes will always be there for you 24/7 and there is a permanent link to The Art Studio in the side bar which gives you access to my classes.

They are not expensive but they do cover a lot in each one so I hope you will consider joining me.  Each class  will help you to build up your confidence with Spectrum Noir and a different technique will be covered in each one

Later today I will be joining  a class in Kansas,   via Skype,  who want to pick my brain about blogging ... now there's not much brain there so I hope they won't be disappointed.

But I will tell you about it tomorrow.....and I have a lovely Spellbinder Card to show you too

Hugs xx