Shall We Have A "GiveAway" ???

Hi Everybody,

Thank you to Thelma for claiming the FF card so quickly ... it will be in the post to you first thing tomorrow and I hope you like it

Would you like to win these gifts?  I am sure you will not be disappointed with what is on offer and I am happy to send the parcel anywhere in the world.

So in this prize there is ...

 A5  Sheena Douglass Sea Shells stamps
2 packs of Wild Orchid Crafts Flowers
1 pack of Glitter Magic
1 pack of five assorted hatpins

There is a video to show you how to mount these stamps   so that you can use them in any way you wish.

Add your name to the list and if a red cross appears at the side of your name it only means that you can delete it if you so wish.

I ask that you only leave your name once please to keep it fair for everybody and any duplicates will be removed.

And the winner is .....

Hi Everybody,

Thank you for all your lovely comments both about the holiday snaps and the new FF card.  It seems that many of you like blue.

But there can only be one winner of this particular card and that is you .....  

Thelma Welch 

I need you to send me your postal address as soon as you can so that I can get the card in the post to you straight away.  Email me  ...   christina@card-making-magic.com 

You will have  48 hours to claim it so please do so as the last card was not claimed,  and it is such a shame when other people would like to win it too.    
                      

Some Answers ...

In the comments was one  from  Ann  Lauzon and she  asked me about a tutorial that I did  on how to make your images look as if  part of it is outside the die that you have used.

It is on the Spectrum Noir Blog page and here is the link for you  ... Thinking Outside the Box   the video is further down the page so scroll and you will find it.  I hope that is the one you meant.

To Marilyn who travels two hours to go to a card class at JGD Crafts each week   ... I will be there on September 13th as Janet has invited me down to do a Spectrum Noir workshop for her ladies and maybe you will be there too.

To the lady who wanted to know how to make the pearl sprays that I have in some of my cards ... there is a video on the way to show you and it will be with you soon.

And to someone else who asked me how do I emboss card  using a die without it cutting out the whole card ... again  a video is on the way to show that technique too.

I was hoping to get them done this week but to be honest although my blog posts have been going out regularly I have been quite poorly this week with a really bad chest infection.

But once I get back to speed all these things will be with you and I will of course add them to the blog once they are done

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie Card 012

Hi Everybody,

So here we are back to normal after a wonderful holiday and the start of the Friday Freebie  again.

This one is created in the hinged card style and has lots of embossed layers, and the lovely  Quatrefoil pattern   in the panel.

I bought mine from Sunrise Crafts and the link will take you to the die

The pretty flowers are   from Wild Orchid Crafts and they have been sparkled with Glitter Magic.

Glitter Magic were at the Craft Show at the Bolton Arena that I went to on Sunday and I asked Sharon which of the glitters it is that I always use and it is called ... Chameleon 

It gives a lovely sparkly effect to the petals and is something I like to do to most of my flowers.

The ribbon was in a pack from TKMaxx and the lace is from my "Stash"

But on top of the lace I have added in some Diamante for added luxury and that is from Want2Scrap

So if you would like to win this card then all you have to do join the growing list of followers  and leave me a comment at the end of the post.

Then later this evening Griff will choose a name from the hat and the winner will be announced in the morning on this Blog and also on Facebook.

Please come back and check for your name as if you have won you will only have 48 hours in which to claim it. I am happy to send the card anywhere.

But don't add your name if you are not going to be able to check it as the last card Card 011 was won by Millie Thomson and it was not claimed

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Spellbinders S6-001 Nestabilities Matting Basics A Die Templates, 5 by 7-Inch

Spellbinders S6-002 Nestabilities Matting Basics B Die Templates, 5 by 7-Inch

Spellbinders Shapeabilities Dies Fancy Tags 3

InLinkz.com

Mulhouse and home (Day 7/8 )

Hi Everybody,

Today it is time to say Goodbye to beautiful Italy and head back over the border to France.

We have to leave all the wonderful sunshine behind us and once again on another holiday the weather has been really kind.

This view is  from the train window as we are passing Lake Maggiore and heading for Switzerland.

There is not a lot of time to take photos as we change trains in Milan and again in  Basel but this one is just outside the station entrance in Basel and was taken quickly.

From here we go to Mulhouse (Pronounced Mulloose)  for our last nights stay.

The hotel is lovely and the bed so very comfortable  and there are a lot of people staying here ... one of the parties just happens to be another group of Treyn holidaymakers the same as us.

The other party is a coach holiday and both of these groups are leaving before us the next day.  So down we go to breakfast only to find  ... that there is nothing left.

All the food plates are empty ... there is no cutlery... no crockery... no milk ... no coffee ... no tea ... no jams ... in fact nothing.

But we  have a secret weapon in the form of  Louise ...   and  she is not impressed.

She rattles their cage and it takes them a good twenty minutes to get their act together... but eventually we have breakfast.  Another medal for the formidable Louise !!

So now on Day 8 we get the TGV back to Paris and this is the super fast train and this is the fastest speed I could record on camera.

We cross Paris to the Gare du Nord to catch the Eurostar back to UK

This has been a wonderful holiday with beautiful scenery and glorious sunshine and there has not been one place that we have visited that I disliked.

And maybe one day return too ...

We  decided to stay overnight in London both at the start and end of our holiday and it is only a short walk from the station that we are leaving from tomorrow.

So after  a meal  we  walked to the theatre to see if there was maybe the chance to get in to see one of the shows ...  and we were very lucky to get two seats to see Lion King.... and it was wonderful.

Thank you for allowing me to share this holiday with you and for the lovely emails and comments about the memories the pictures have evoked in some of you.

Now it is time to get back to work and make some cards, videos and start my card class at my home again.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Venice, Italy (Day 6)

Hi Everybody,

Today is another coach trip and this time we are off to Venice famous for its many waterways

For this tour we had a guide who told us facts about the canals  and where to go for a pleasant lunch with out being charged the earth.

This is the approach to the city as we entered by boat.

The level of this city has diminished over the years and the water level is now much higher than it used to be

You can see the damage that it is doing to the houses as the brick line disappears beneath the water

We were told that Venice is a little smelly but we did not find that at all and it was a hot day.

But I have to say that it is somewhat neglected in many parts and some of  the buildings look quiet scruffy.

Now of course Venice is famous for its Gondolas.

They are quite pricey to hire ... about 80/90 Euros for 45 minutes ... but they will seat six so if you share the ride with others then it is not too bad

This is St Marks square and it is a very large area

Around the edge of the square are cafe bars with a quartet playing at some of them, which was very pleasant but our guide told us not to sit down.

As soon as you park your bottom on the chairs you will be charged and it is very expensive.

Our guide took us inside and it was beautiful but there is some restoration work going on outside and part of the front elevation was covered in scaffolding and plastic sheeting

This is looking up at the ceiling and it is not painted gold ... it is gold leaf ... and it shimmers in the filtered light.

There was a service going on in one of the side areas and so we wandered round away from them to maintain the privacy.

We sat at the far end of the square on the steps and listened to the music in the lovely sunshine and passed a very pleasant half hour

You can get some idea of the size of the square from this photo and it was very busy.

This is the famous Rialto Bridge  and of course the best way to get the photo is to wander further down the canal and look back.

You can see the amount of people stood on it and there was actually a Bride and Groom in the middle somewhere trying to have photos taken.

This is looking along the Grand Canal at the cafes and restaurants that line both sides.

We are stood on one of the many bridges that cross the canals in many places.

Tomorrow I will combine two days in one post as we start our home ward bound journey.

We go back to France via Switzerland for this part of the journey but there won't be many opportunities to take photos ... though I will do my best

The last part of my holiday will be posted later today and then I will add a Friday Freebie this week as I get slowly back into work mode

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx