Quick Post today ...

Hi Everybody,

This is just a very quick post today as I have a million things to do.

The main excitement for me today is a new PC that is being delivered this afternoon.

It will enable me to work so much quicker than on a laptop ...  which is how I currently build my website.

Let's just say this is my birthday present to me ... and I am going to be so happy when I present it to me ....I just won't know how to thank me for this wonderful gift.

Today's card is one for the boys  and features one of the lovely  stamped image  from   Lili of the Valley

Their images are so delightful that you will have  hard time choosing some.

This one has been coloured with Distress Inks which give a lovely water colour effect to your cards... and there are tutorials on the website about ... Colouring with Distress Inks. 

I have broken it down into three parts that will cover Hair, Skin and Clothes.

The background for this card is from the new M-Bossabilities folder from Spellbinders and this is the Letters and Numbers.  I have inked over the folder with Broken China Distress Ink  and then added in a banner panel and some Bakers twine.

So now I need to go and clear a space on my desktop for a birthday present that is coming today .... wonder what it can be ???

Hugs xx

Die Cut Shapes

Hi Everybody,

In  a recent conversation with my very good friend Christine in Nottingham ...  she suggested an item for" My Shop"

As she explained  she does not have a die cutting machine,  and does not make that many cards to warrant the buying of one.

And so she buys packets of die cut shapes ...  but they are never big enough for her to add sentiments or images too.

So what she wants are shapes that she can mat and layer her cards with  ... and  she suggested that if she needs them so might others.

She also likes the look of the Spellbinders ... but as she has no die cutter she also doesn't have them either.

This is what I am adding to "My Shop"

I have put together some packs of large shapes in various styles  and the picture shows you  the size in relation to an A4 card.

I have chosen the largest die from each set.

I have cut them in white from a 350 gsm card so that they can be distressed or coloured to suit your own projects.

Some will be embossed and others left plain.

They will be large enough for a sentiment or an image, or the embossing  can be enhanced with inks.

There will be  15 large  die cuts in  each pack and they will sell for  £3.75  and that works out at  25 pence  per shape.

Use them as focal point to your cards or as a base for your flowers.

Hugs xx

Blonde v Brunette

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Hi Everybody,

Well I went back to Saturated Canary and bought some more of the beautiful images ...  and this one is called   "Bubbles"

I just love these characters and they are so easy to colour.

I printed them off in draft so that they can be coloured with Spectrum Noir ... and I added two to each sheet of  smooth white  A4 160 gsm paper ... and that will leave me enough space for me to cut them out with Spellbinders.

Although the image is the same I have coloured them  completely different.

One I have kept to Blonde hair and blue eyes and in pale colours ....

I have added sparkle to the dress and the ribbon is from my "stash" and the pearls have been created with Cosmic Shimmer Glue and the tutorial    Creating Your Own Pearls  will show you what I did.

The other I have done in more vibrant colours ... and goodness me there are the flowers again..... Wonder how they got there ????

This one I have given brown hair and eyes and I asked my film crew which he preferred and he said the Blonde one as he was a sucker for blondes ..... I prefer the brown haired one.

This one has been added to some paper that I designed myself and I have been asked to show you the papers before I add all the embellishments....

 Here it is and the watermark is there for obvious reasons ... and it is the swirl that I picked out with a glue pen and sprinkled it with glitter.

Once I get enough to make a collection then I will add them to the website.

Hugs xx

Beautiful Image ...

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 Hi Everybody,

This beautiful image is a "Freebie"  from   Saturated Canary   and I think she is simply gorgeous.

She is called "Boobie Love"  and if you add that name to the search box it will take you to the download.

The style of the artist ...  Krista Smith ...  is wonderful and all her characters  are oh! so pretty and they all have big eyes.

They are so easy to colour and both of these have been coloured by me with Prisma  Colour Pencils.

The pencils are such an easy medium to work with and give beautiful results once they are blended.

I have done one in pink and the character has green eyes ... and the other in blue  which has blue eyes.

I have coloured the hair to each one slightly different.

On the pink one I have added a small flower to the hair where the artist has drawn one ... just  for a little added embellishment.

But apart from the few Wild Orchid Flowers  there is not a lot else to adorn either card ... which is very unusual for me. (Shock)

In fact it is so unusual that I will need to go and lie down in a darkened room to recuperate ... but only after I have been back to Saturated Canary to buy some more of these lovely images.

Now I am sure you realise that today is the 1st March and I have two celebrations this month.

The first one is my own Birthday on the 6th.... but the important one is that Card Making Magic will be four years old on the 12th March ..

And that is the date you need to watch out for as there is going to be a ... BIG ... Big Give Away that you really will not want to miss ... 12th March

Hugs xx

Bird in a Gilded Cage...

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Hi Everybody,

This card has been created using Gilding flakes for the birdcage and once again it looks much better in real life.

I like using this colour for my cards as it is one of my favorites... and of course pink is the best.

The backing paper is some that I have designed myself.

I have used a glue pen and some Glamour Dust to pick out the large Flourish along the left hand side and wrapped the   ribbon around before adding it all to the main base card.

The panels have been layered  onto  turquoise card.

I have used the middle size die from Spellbinders Grand Decorative Ovals  and cut a turquoise oval.

I added Gilding Flakes to a Scalloped Oval then added a  white Classic Oval ...  and on the top I have added the Birdcage.

I have used Gilding Flakes from  IndigoBlu  and they have some really stunning mixes of flakes.

This one is called  "Gin and Tonic" and it is a lovely combination of silver and pale green, with a tiny hint of gold.

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and I have added in the "A" frame to the back to display the card.

Hugs xx 

Pretty in Green...

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 Hi Everybody,

This is a little bit different for me as I am not a great lover of greens ... but now that it is finished I am quite pleased with it.

The backing papers are some that I have designed myself and I have matted and layered them onto some white card.

The Romantic Rectangles base has been layered with Fluer Di Lis Rectangles.

The  Floral Ovals is layered with a Scalloped Oval  and all have been separated with foam pads.

Labels 20  is on the top with the sentiment that I have heat embossed in silver and  I have added in the matching "Bling" from Want2Scrap   as for me this is finishing touch.

And my flowers are as always from Wild Orchid Crafts  I have used a mixture of different sized Roses, Cherry Blossoms and the leaves are from a punch that I bought at a craft fair.

The Braided Ribbon  is in a video tutorial and I have used green and white satin ribbon.  The whole thing looks much nicer in real life....

Hugs xx

Pink Rose...

Hi Everybody,

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Remember the flower that I thought was a  "Cabbage"   well here it is coloured again as a Rose.

The image is from "The Next Big Thing" CD from Just Inklined   which has some fabulous images for you to colour.

For this I have used Prisma Colour Pencils and they give a beautiful water coloured effect which is very pretty.

I added in a square white doily to the background and the backing paper is from the Cherry Blossom Lane CD  from PolkaDoodles

The stamp was one of  a set that I bought form the Event City craft show that I went to a few weeks ago... and the ribbon is Grosgrain in a beautiful shade of pink.

The next big craft fair for me is the GNPE in Harogate and that is my favorite one.  I will be there list and pennies in hand on the 17th March.

And can I just tell you that now that the winner of the  last "Give Away" has been chosen that you ALL  need to watch out for the next one in March.  

There is going to be an amazing prize that will go to ONE lucky winner and you won't believe your eyes...      'nuff said for now !!    

 Hugs xx

Flowers Everywhere...

Hi Everybody,

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Here is the start to another busy and exciting week.

I added the Flower Corsages to the "My Shop" last week and at  first  nothing happened and I thought "Oooops"  that was a mistake.

But I got up on Saturday morning and there where lots of orders for them in all colours ... which was amazing.

I made and packed up several of them and they are  going to  Australia,  New Zealand , Canada and  Sweden  as well as UK.

I  have also included in the pack a length of ribbon and a bow  to match your chosen colour scheme ...  as well as the extra panel for you to add a sentiment... and the backing card will also match and can be used on your designs.

So now you can make both sides to your card the same and the ribbon will add the finishing touch and a really big   Thank You   to all of you who bought them.

On Friday I had a visit form this gorgeous  little girl.

This is my Great Granddaughter Isabella  at 17 months old, and we spent a happy hour playing with two old buttons and an empty paper packet.

So much fun from simple objects and she was a real delight to play with.

Just look at those big brown eyes  ....

The winner of the last "Give Away" has claimed her prize and it is on it's way to the Netherlands.

But watch out for the next one ... it is one you will all want to win.  (Nudge, nudge, wink, wink know what I mean .... )

Hugs xx

And the Winner is .....

Hi Everybody,

Over the week the draw has been running for one person to win the   PolkaDoodles  Cherry Blossom Lane CD 

Today sees the close of that draw the lucky winner was drawn at random by InLinkz.  

 Well the winner is .....

 Jacqueline

... and she has been notified by email  of her win.

So well done Jacqueline you have won a super prize of not only the Cherry Blossom Lane but I have added in some beautiful "Bling" from  Want2Scrap  for you to add to some of the  cards  that you can make with your prize.

You will find and also a lovely die from   Joy Crafts   that will enable you to add your cards to a neat stand for your recipients to display them.

I have given the  links here to the three products in the prize so that you will be able to buy them for your self if you wish.

It really is a super prize and as soon as I have your address Jacqueline I will post it off to you straight away.  So please don't do what what one winner did ... and not claim it .... 

The winner of the earlier February draw ...  Lisa F ...  has got her prize,  all the way to USA, and is highly delighted with it.

Hugs xx

Paper Creators 5th Challenge ...

Hi Everybody,

Today is the start of the fifth  challenge over at Paper Creators 

The theme this time is "Flowery Delights" set by Moi

If you add your card then you could win £10 to spend in the shop on some of the delightful  images

There are many for you to choose from and your prize will go along way.

This card is a 15cms square and I have decoupaged the Teddy bear up with five layers.

I added Glamour Dust to the sentiment that is printed on the panel and the image is pre-coloured so no need to worry if you don't like colouring in.

I have used yellow this time ...  which is a colour  I don't use much.

The flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts where some that I just happened to have in my "Stash"

The Pearl flourish is from Want2Scrap

The inside of the card has been finished with the panels that come on the sheet  and the ribbon is again some that I already had.


Altogether a really pretty card that could be for any occasion and so easy to put together for a quick make.

Because it was challenge day I have extended the   "Give Away"   until tomorrow ... so if you haven't added your name to the list yet...  now is time to do it as the winner will be chosen then.

Hugs xx

Another Item in My Shop...

Hi Everybody,

Since I opened  My Shop   it has been doing very well. I am delighted to tell you that my Blenders are being used all over the world and the orders are taking not much more than a week to get to you,  even to Canada and USA.

I am also pleased that many of you have taken the time to tell me how delighted you are with your purchases and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your support.

My Film Crew / Chief Blending Tool Maker has been busy making another batch ready to go.

Also the Hatpins have had good reviews and one lady even bought ten packs at one go ... I think she is opening her own shop !!   And I am now getting repeat orders for them.

But since I showed you the cards in the shape of a book I have been asked it I will sell the Flower Corsages too.  

These have now been added to the shop and you can choose the shape and colour that you prefer.

I have embossed the flower panel and I am adding in an extra panel for you to add your sentiments too and then the sided to your book will match.

They will be made to order and so no two will be the same.

But they will have a mixture of flowers and leaves.

Some may have pearl or Diamante trim others may have feathers ... but each one will have a matching Hatpin.

So please pop over and take a look ... there may  be something there that catches your eye.

I will be adding more in the coming months and I will keep you posted as to my progress.

The  Give Away  is still running until Sunday morning so add your name to the list

Hugs xx

Same image - three sizes ...

Hi Everybody,

Digital cardmaking is so easy to do and you may have many CD's in your crafting "Stash"

 But maybe you aren't making the most of them and using them to their full potential.

This picture shows you the same image from the Cherry Blossom Lane CD created in three different sizes for each card.

And if you would like to win a copy of this CD from PolkaDoodles then you need to click this link...

"Give Away"  

 This card is made to a 15cms square and the two rabbits have been cut out.

I have used backing papers and the sentiment from the CD and the flower has been decoupaged with a pearl centre.

I have added a pink bow and pearl to the top left and matted it all onto a darker pink card.

 This one is a larger 15 x 21 cms and the image has been re sized accordingly.

I have used lilac lace and a gingham ribbon on this with a pearl in the centre of the bow.

The large Rose in the bottom right is re sized and decoupaged with three layers on to the card and the sentiment is added with foam pads.

And this one has the two rabbits printed out to almost A4 and added to a white base card.

I then cut around the base card to make it free standing and it opens up so that an insert can be placed inside if needed.

The addition of pearls into the  centre of the flowers on the dress to the left, and some glitter and yellow ribbon on the dress to the right is all I have done.

There is nothing added to any of them that wouldn't be in any craft "stash" and the CD has done all the work in giving me pretty things to add to the design.

More tomorrow  ....  

Hugs xx

More from the PolkaDoodle CD

Hi Everybody,

Here is another fabulous image from the Cherry Blossom Lane CD from PolkaDoodles  and if you pop over there you can buy any of Nikkys' CD'S for £9.99

But if you would like to win a copy along with other Goodies then HERE     is the link  ...  add your name to the list for the chance to win.

This cute character is one of those that have been pre coloured so nothing to worry about if you don't like to colour them yourself.

The beauty  of digital  images is that  you have the  option to re-size them if you wish  and  I have made  this one really large and printed  it off at  A4

He has been  added to some  Acetate and I have decoupaged the head, hat and right arm with the teddy.

I have also added three layers to the slippers to make them really stand out.

He then has a blue pom pom to the end of his night cap and pearl buttons on his PJ's

The  backing paper and the sentiment is also from the CD

I have added it them to the inside using eyelets to attach the paper to the Acetate and hidden the sentiment  behind the character

I have stood him alongside a 12" ruler so that you can see the size of the finished card.

But although he is large the card will still fit inside an A4 envelope and I bought mine from Cardcraft Plus  which is a UK based company.

I think he looks really special and what child wouldn't be delighted to get something like this.

But these images can be adapted for anybody and not just for kids.... I know a few Granddads that would love this

Hugs xx

Another Spectrum Noir Tutorial...

Hi Everybody,

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Now here is a card with a difference and not one you would send out on a regular basis.

But having said that if you knew your recipient really well it would be sure to get a smile as a birthday card.

This one has been done for a Halloween Card and the image is from a Just Inklined   CD "The Next Big Thing"

To be honest I don't really know if it is still available or has been discontinued.

Any way the main reason for showing this is to tell you that there is a new tutorial out in the Colour Class Series using the Spectrum Noir Pens .

Colour Class - Reds   and in the video I have used the image that I thought was the cabbage .... Doh!!

Still I hope you will enjoy the tutorial as this seems to be the colour most people are a bit scared of.

If you would like to enter for the latest "Give Away" then here is the link for the

 Cherry Blossom Lane and other Goodies

When you get to that page just click the blue button at the end of the list of names ... it says   "Add Your Link"  and add your name and email address.  If you don't have a blog then leave the URL box BLANK   .... click the submit button and that's it your done.  

I will send the prize anywhere so if you want to win it you know what to do,,,,

Hugs xx

Another Give Away ...

Hi Everybody,

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Yesterday I showed you an  image from the new CD  from   PolkaDoodles

I said that I had one copy to give away ... coming soon.

Well  I decided to bring it forward to coincide with Nikkys'  "Fabulous February"

All her CD'd are going for  £9.99 for this month... which means you can still get the CD at a bargain price ...  if you don't manage to win.

And so here it is a new Give Away that will run until Saturday Morning

One lucky winner will get the new  CD Cherry Blossom Lane ... plus a pack of beautiful   Pearl Flourish "Bling"  from Want2Scrap   ... plus a Card Stand Die from Joy Crafts so that you can display the cards you create.

The CD has lots of beautiful characters and they come two different ways ... one for you to colour yourself and the other is ready coloured for you if you don't want,  or feel confident enough,  to colour your own.

There are matching envelopes and inserts, as well as background scenes and the most gorgeous papers you could want.

Here is what you need to do.... become a follower if you aren't already ...  or have bought something from   " My Shop" .....  and leave me a comment please.

Add your name where the blue Frog button is ... leave the URL box blank if you don't have a blog,  but add your email address so that you can be notified if you win.

 And don't worry about the red cross at the side of your name it just means that you can delete it if you wish ..... and please do if you add your name more than once as all duplicate entries will be removed.

Good Luck 

Hugs xx