Beautiful Card Designs Made Easy

July 27, 2014

July "Give Away" winner is ....

Hi Everybody,

I want to thank you all for your warm wishes on my news about being on Create and Craft TV ... I thought it better to tell you than to frighten you all when you see me on the screen ....  I am really excited and scared about this all at the same time  ... but what an adventure this is going to be.

For those of you who are not in the UK  you should be able to watch the show on your PC and here is the link to the C&C website for you .... then just click the  "Watch Live TV" at the top of the page and it should be there for you wherever you live

 I will be on the Spellbinders Pick of the Week Tuesday 29th July at 12 Noon

Here is the link ....     Create and Craft TV 

So now onto the news that you are all waiting for and that is the Winner of the "Give Away" for July and that name is you .....
Julie Williams 
 please email me ... christina@card-making-magic.com ... with your postal address

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


Spellbinders Team ...

Hi Everybody,

I am so happy  to tell you that I have been invited to join  the Spellbinders Team and that many of my cards have been featured on the Pick of the Week

That in itself is a great honour but I am also excited to tell you that I will be appearing "Live"  on  Create and Craft TV  on Tuesday the 29th July at 12 Noon.

So I am asking for your support please to come and watch the show and if you can then email in  and tell us what you think

These cards feature the new Heirloom Reflections used in two different ways.

One is as a complete ornament to decorate the front of your card.

I have done these in a soft antique gold with a glitter card on top that matches.

The beautiful flourish is from Want2Scrap and adds elegance to the card.

The other is  using just the  filigree portion to create a  background and both  of   these cards are on the show.

With another sentiment on it this card could be for any occasion so don't put the dies away once Christmas is over with ... this you can use all year round

I hope you will join me on the 29th and see what we come up with on the show

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

July 26, 2014

Spellbinders Holiday dies ...

Hi Everybody,

Have you been watching the Create and Craft Pick of the Week shows ??  And have you noticed some of the cards with big chocolate box bows on them ??  Ring any bells ??

Some of the cards featured on the show  are those that I have been busy making for Spellbinders and this is the one that has been the favourite of many people.

This is the 3-D Christmas Tree and it is selling very quickly .. so if this is the one you want then you will need to move fast before it sells out.
There are so many  ways to use this,   and indeed all of the dies that  are on the show,   and here are just two ideas  from the same tree die.

I will  show you other  ways to use these  dies over the coming weeks so if there are any that you really like I hope you manage to get them before they sell out.

I have been so busy but had so much fun with these dies and the cards are really lovely on completion.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Red and White Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

It would seem that red and white are quite a favourite with lots of you and it is a mixture that I think works very well together for lots of occasions.

Thank you as always for all the comments left for this card and a name has been chosen from the hat by my "Film Crew"

The winner of this lovely card is ....

Helen Aiken

So now I need you to send me your postal address please to 
christina@card-making-magic.com
and the card will be on its way to you 

I hope you will like it and please let me know when it arrives.

More later ...

Hugs xx

July 25, 2014

Friday Freebie 019

Hi Everybody,

This lovely red and white card is up for grabs today and it has lots of layers to it.  It is a 6 x 8 inch card and the inside is decorated also.

It could be for any occasion that you wanted to use it for and all you have to do is change the sentiment on the front and away you go.

If you would like to have this card coming your way then all you have to do is leave me a comment.

Later on Griff will draw a name from the hat and in tomorrows post that name will be given.

So if you add a comment then please come back tomorrow and see if you have won because you will only have 48 hours in which to claim it.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

July 24, 2014

Best Wishes ...

Hi Everybody,

Another card using the Tranquil Moments die along with elements from other sets in the mix.

As usual it is made to the  Hinged Card   style which is so easy to work with and the card will stand despite the weight on the front

It is in pink and white .... again .... with a lovely big double bow on the front.

It is about 6 x 8 inches and the single rose sits  over the knot on the beautiful satin ribbon from Mei Flower

Don't forget that there is a  Give Away  running at the moment and if you have not added your name to the list yet then now is the time to do so.

If you would like to win some special goodies then click this link ... July Give Away   and leave your name and email address ... and leaving me a comment would be nice too.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 



July 23, 2014

Single flower

Hi Everybody,

 There are lots of different elements to this card that has been matted and layered with white and turquoise

I have made it to the  Hinged card   style using the Matting Basics A & B ... but added the hinge on the long side so that it is a landscape card

The bottom layer has been embossed with the 3-D embossing folder called Oval Accent and I have used the  Letterpress Technique   with Broken China Distress Ink

The next layer has been cut with Romantic Rectangles Two and added with foam pads to give dimension.

I have then added in another of the Tranquil Moments shapes and on top of that with the sentiment I have used the Elegant Ovals.

I bought the sentiment at a craft show and couldn't remember where it was from ... and then Karen Gibson  has very kindly left me the link to the suppliers on Facebook.  It is one in a collection called  "Say it With Flowers" from Card-io  ...  Thank you so much Karen for the link

The ribbon is some lovely soft Gingham from  Mei Flower    The flower is created from Blossoms Five and added to the flourish that is Bella Rose.

The flower has been sparkled with   Glitter Magic  and makes a really pretty focal point


More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx



July 22, 2014

Tranquil Moments

Hi Everybody,

This is the Tranquil Moments die set from Spellbinders and it is a very pretty die

The link takes you to the Spellbinders page so that you can see what the die looks like but the price is in dollars so shop around and you may find it cheaper.

Here I have added it to a larger A4 card folded in half and hinged at the top.

The die itself is one of the A2 Card Creator Collections and so makes a good sized card if used alone.

The ribbon is from Mei Flower   and the centre of the bow is covered with a little pearl and diamanté flower from Wild Orchid Crafts

The sentiment is one of five on a stamp sheet from Lili of the Valley  and they are verses I am often asked about.   Clicking the colored words will take you to their websites

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx




July 21, 2014

In the Pink ...

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is using the Scalloped Borders and Elegant Ovals layered over the top of the Matting Basics to create a really pretty Hinged Style card

The little set of sentiments give a nice neat finish and are so easy to cut.  I make a very feint pencil line to get the words straight and then erase it once they are in place.

Both the embossing pattern are from folders from Crafters Companion and both make a very neat textured finish to the card.

The beautiful flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts ... and don't forget they are now doing smaller Starter Packs of flowers and embellishments

I have sparkled them up with Glitter Magic Chameleon glitter   The ribbon is from Mei Flower and is a soft gingham that is tied in a double bow.

There are video tutorials for both the Scalloped Borders  and how to use the Matting Basics   and if you click the colored words they will take you to a new page for the either relevant information or the website so you can see the products named

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx



July 20, 2014

Give Away for July ...

Hi Everybody,

A little while ago I had an email from a lady who had bought the same embossing folder not once ... but twice !!    Now that is worse than I did

But she very kindly offered to donate the extra ones to me so that I can add them to a Give Away and they duly arrived in the post.

So many thanks to  Karen Perkins  for the  Bricks and Bark  M-Bossabilites folder from Spellbinders ... your mistake is our gain.

In the pack I have added in some other "goodies" and this is what is on offer for July

Spellbinders Bricks and Bark embossing folder
2 Packs of assorted flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts
2 Packs of pearly "Bling" from Want2Scrap
A pack of assorted hatpins

A really good prize to win full of useful items that can be used on your cards and I don't think you will be disappointed with them.


July 19, 2014

Another Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

Thank you for all the comments to win the card offered yesterday and once again my trusty "Film Crew" has drawn the name.

The winner of FF card 18 is ...

Jenny Strachan

Please email me ...   christina@card-making-magic.com  ... with your postal address and the card will be on its way to you.  You have 48 hours to claim it and I hope you will like it when it arrives

More later ...

Hugs xx

July 18, 2014

Friday Freebie 018

Hi Everybody,

Todays cards is in a lovely shade of teal and white and I have used the Tied Together embossing folder along the bottom.

On each of the cross sections I have added a flat backed Pearls from Want2Scrap in a matching shade

The verse is from the Sentimentals Range from Crafters Companion.  and there are lots on the stamp sheet for you to use.

They are unmounted stamps but if you are new to this type of stamp then there is a video tutorial to help you ...  Mounting Your Stamps  

Clicking the links to all the pink words   will take you to a new window and the relevant  pages

There is a little organza butterfly on the left and the inside is lined and the flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts 

They have been sparkled with the  Glitter Magic  mix called Chameleon

If you would like to win this 5 x 7 card then all you have to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post and a name will be drawn at random and the winner announced in the morning.

If you enter to win then please come back and see if you are the winner and you will have 48 hours to claim the card

Further information about Scrapberrys .... they forgot to give me the correct  link and have apologised for those who tried to find out prices.

I know have the link to their Facebook page and you can see samples of  cards that have been made with their products and it is there that you can ask any questions that you like ... here it is ... Scrapberrys  I have also amended the original post with this new link

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


July 17, 2014

Yellow and Pink ...

Hi Everybody,

Now I now that not everybody will like yellow and pink but it really is a winning combination if you get the shades right.

The photograph is not a very good one but the Spectrum Noir colors used are ...

Skin FS2 FS3 FS4
Hair GB2 GB8 GB9
Clothes  PL1 BP2 BP6
Boots  GB2 GB8 GB9

The background  and the ribbon have been colored with Isopropyl and  CT3 and sprayed onto the card through a mask and the technique with the ribbon  is shown in this tutorial ... Coloring Ribbon and Flowers

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and the image is from Saturated Canary and it is pretty ... it's just a rubbish photo (Note to self ... Must Do Better)

The Spectrum Noir pens and pencils are available from JGD Crafts  and I love the pencils they are so smooth to work with

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

July 16, 2014

Flower Starter Packs ...

Hi Everybody,

Have you seen them ???   The beautiful starter packs of flowers and embellishments that Paul from Wild Orchid Crafts has put together for us.

He very kindly listened to my suggestion  that was based on some of the comments that many ladies wrote and said that this is what they  wanted

A small selection of different sized flowers and styles that you can add to your cards and at a cost that was reasonable

This is what he has come up with and what a really good price

I think he has done us proud ... so please pop over and take a look at the Flower Starter Packs  

The featured card shows some of WOC flowers and the rhinestone embellishment is in the bow to add that luxury touch to the design and these are available in the Mixed Flowers and Rhinestone Packs  but there are other combinations and colors for you to choose from

I hope you will like what Paul has done ... I certainly do ... so Thank You Paul for your  doing this for us

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx








July 15, 2014

Italian Background

Hi Everybody,

This pretty card is created using the Italian Background by Sue Wilson from JGD Crafts

I have cut the pattern twice and one of them is silver,  and layered them together with a slight offset to the one below so that the silver just shows through.

The Faux Quilled Blooms and Leaves are also designed by Sue and they have been inked with Distress Inks to add some color

The Bow and ribbon strip have also been used to finish the card and I have used some turquoise pearls to add to the centre of each flower.

Then I was extremely lazy and added in a printed sentiment that is silver foiled.

And that's it quick and easy card that looks better in the hand than it does on a photo.

More on the WOC flowers and Paul has agreed to put together Starter Packs of flowers in various sizes and styles for you to try and there will be several color ways for you to choose from.

So pop over to   Wild Orchid Crafts   later today  and have a good look and see if there is something that takes your fancy .. I am sure you are going to love them and the price too.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx