Beautiful Card Designs Made Easy

September 26, 2014

Friday Freebie 027

Hi Everybody,

Today is the day that I am back on Create and Craft and the first show is at 12 noon  with the Pick of the Week 

  I am going to be showing you some beautiful new dies from Spellbinders and these are

 Victorian Collection

But I have not forgotten the day and so  here for this weeks Friday Freebie is a lovely card in white with some pretty tulips along the side.

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and they have the added sparkle from Glitter Magic

The  ribbon is from   Mei Flower   tied in a triple bow and the centre is a dismantled Primark bracelet

If you would like to win this card then please leave me a comment at the bottom of the post.

You will need to pop back and claim it if you are the winner but because of my commitments this week it may be a little late getting sent to you 

I hope you will be able to join me as I show you some really lovely new Spellbinders and if you like to make frilly lacey cards  ... like me ... than you are going to love these new dies.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx




September 25, 2014

Fancy Labels Tags One ...

Hi Everybody,

This little card is made using the   Fancy Labels Tags One    that I showed on Create and Craft TV

It is another of the new smaller Labels dies but again very versatile.

Here I have cut it out three times using the largest and middle pieces to the set to make the frame.

And then I have looped them together onto an embossed panel and threaded a banner through the middle of them.

The words are from   Sentiments One   and if your writing is as bad as mine then this is a handy little set to have on hand

The flower is from the Create a Flower  range and this is the Aster.   The  Ivy is also from Spellbinders and has leaves that can be added to the branch

Pretty die ... pretty flower ... pretty card ...

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx

September 24, 2014

Dove of Peace

Hi Everybody,


This little card is created from  Spellbinders Labels Four    which is an older die.

But there is a  video tutorial that will show you how to get the look for yourself ...
Labels Four Tutorial

If you don't have a die cutting machine the actual Book Card Kits can be bought in
"My Shop"

Just scroll down the page and you will find them ... there are six pages, two ovals for you to add a sentiment or  flowers,   and a card stand to help you display the finished card.

But the feature on this card is the   Dove of Peace  which is in the Christmas Holiday Collection     from  Spellbinders

The card is for a  baby so don't just use the Dove of Peace for Christmas.   It is versatile enough to be used for Anniversaries, Christenings,  Confirmations or as I have one here for a New Baby

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


September 23, 2014

Gold and White

Hi Everybody,

I had a really busy day yesterday preparing samples for the new Victorian Collection  from Spellbinders.

It is featured in the Pick Of The Week with Create and Craft TV  -- 26th Sep - 3rd Oct and so no post yesterday

But today I have this card  which certainly shines in Bright gold and white and would make a lovely wedding card.

It is created using the  Labels Thirty Nine  from Spellbinders and is another of the new Classic Collection.

The  plain Labels are excellent for creating the base to your cards or for matting and layering and they all work so well together.

The gold part to this card is using the Decorative Accents  and I have matted them with the plain ones cut in white.

I have also added into the mix the Decorative Elements  to add more of the filigree pattern to the layers.

And apart from the flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts  there is no other adornment

But those ingredients are more than enough to make this a really pretty card.

All the colored words are links and by clicking them it will take you to another page and will show you what the dies look like and they are a wonderful addition to your crafting "Stash"

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

September 21, 2014

Man Card ??

Hi Everybody,

Every so often we are asked to make cards for a man and if you are like me with all the frilly stuff then it is not a task you relish

But Spellbinders have brought out some dies that can maybe help you with that style of card and they are part of the Trendy and Simple Collection

This particular one is called Glass Effects   and it is very abstract.   I am showing you two cards and how not to waste anything from your card

For this card I have used blue Adorable Scorable and teamed it with white.

I have cut the die out just as it is but I have removed the main part of it very carefully so that all the small pieces stay in place in the die.  (Keep this safe for the next card)

Then I covered all the pieces with some double sided adhesive sheet.  Remove the backing from one side only and pressed it on to the pieces.

I made sure that they are all stuck to the  sheet ... then again carefully remove it  from the die with all the pieces now stuck to it

In between all the small pieces I have added some really silvery glitter and pressed it onto all the sticky lines ... then all you need to do is layer it up and add it to your card front.

The word is cut from Sentiments 5 and hey presto a card suitable for a man.

This second card is using the die cut itself  and layering it with the blue card and some black glitter card

I have added in a Conversation Bubble 1  and added in the word from Sentiments 3

And there you have two cards and nothing is wasted and both manly enough to give ... to a man !!

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

September 20, 2014

Spellbinders Labels Forty ...

Hi Everybody,

I have used Spellbinders for many years now and when I first started I  bought any that took my fancy.

But as I have progressed I learned that I get a lot more from the sets by buying a little more carefully.

For example I have the plain Labels Forty   which is excellent for matting and layering ... but if you team it with it's other counterparts then it will work even better for you.

This card base is created with Labels Forty  Decorative Accents    and layered up with others in the sets.

The addition of the verse from Lili of the Valley and a little Gingham ribbon  from Mei Flower and you have a pretty card ready to give.

This one is created with  the plain Labels Forty to create the base and then layered with   Labels Forty Decorative Elements   to add the lace pattern.

The wording is Sentiments Four and I have trimmed it down to fit the card.

The single flowers is from Wild Orchid Crafts and it is sparkled up with Glitter Magic

Just some ways to use the Labels and matching dies for cards that are fancy but very easy to make.

And if you click the links you will be able to see ALL the products used on the cards 


More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Another winner ...

Hi Everybody,

Hope you are having an enjoyable Saturday ... relaxing and maybe going out for the day.  Or is it the usual Saturday morning jobs of cleaning the house and going shopping.  Whatever it is I hope you are making the most of it all.

And so the draw for the blue card has been done and my "Film Crew" has done the task of drawing a name.  The winner of this card is ....

Mary Mac (Dublin)

can you email me please .... christina@card-making-magic.com ... as soon as you can and the card will be in the post to you straight away.

Please let me know whine it arrives with you and I really hope you will like it.

More later ...

Hugs xx


September 19, 2014

Friday Freebie 026

Hi Everybody,

Gosh these Fridays are coming round quick ... too quick !!

But here we are with another one and this time I have chosen a pale blue and white ... with an enormous double bow ...

Sorreee if you don't like big bows ... next week I will find a smaller one especially for the FF

This card has a lovley verse on it for your friend and so I am sure that some one will enjoy giving it to someone special in their lives.

It uses  Seville from the Sue Wilson Spanish Collection and it is a die that I really love.

My ladies used it to add to boxes and I added their designs to the blog yesterday for you to see.

So if you would like this card to be on its way to you then just leave me a comment at the end of the post and a name will be drawn later.

I am not going to draw the winner until tomorrow to give those who live at the other end of the world  time to add their comments.

But if you have left one please come back and check if you are the new owner of this card.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

September 18, 2014

Wednesday Card Class

Hi Everybody,

Just a quick post to show you what my ladies made yesterday to compliment the card they created a couple of weeks ago.

Neither of them had made boxes before and so this was quite a change for us.
But they have both produced something to be proud of  that matches their cards beautifully.

We used the same die for the box lid that we had used to create the card and it is  Seville from Sue Wilson  Spanish Collection .. available from JGD Crafts

The flowers are a selection from Wild Orchid Crafts and both ladies love these flowers as much as I do

And of course by now they are also used to adding sparkle to their blooms with Glitter Magic

At the end of the class we had a little spare time and so we played with some shaving foam in preparation for the next class when we will make a card using the unique paper that they have produced.

Watch this space

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


September 17, 2014

Trendy Collection ...

Hi Everybody,

Another card from the Trendy Collection by Spellbinders and this one is called Floral

To make the card I have cut it once in pink and again in white and then mixed up the panel with pink and white

Each of the flowers has a tiny pearl in the centre and the wide satin ribbon from   Mei Flower   is wrapped around the centre of the card to hide the join.

The button on the bow was once on a cardigan I used to wear ... until I put it in the washing machine and ruined it ... stupid girl !!

But waste not want not and at least I put the buttons off it to good use.

The wording is from Sentiments Three and is simply cut out in pink and stuck to the white panel.  I used the new Leafy Squares and teamed it with Twisted Metal Tags 

Altogether a pretty card and I have lined it too

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

September 16, 2014

Home again

Hi Everybody,

Here we are back at home safe and sound and rested again.  The show was a real success and I am now looking forward to the next one.

The show was so busy with the sell out that we didn't have time to read out any emails which was a pity as I know that some of you wrote in.

This pretty card was a sample that I made but I don't think it was shown.

It uses the Snowflake View for the background and one of the Fancy Labels Tags for the sentiment.

The flowers are of course from Wild Orchid Crafts and they are sparkled with Glitter Magic 

A diamanté flourish is used under the flowers and that is from Want2Scrap  and the beautiful pink ribbon is from Mei Flower  with the bows centre from WOC

I am not allowed to mention brand names on TV but you can be sure that they are there and you all know what I use any way

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

September 14, 2014

All sold out ...

Hi Everybody,

I have had a lovely weekend ... doing the unexpected shows with the Grand Calibur  on Friday ... meeting up with some friends on Friday night .... doing the workshop on Saturday ... and then doing another show today on Create and Craft ... and having a complete sell out of the Grand Calibur.

I can't tell you how  pleased I am and  tomorrow I am going home a day earlier than expected.

I have a lot of   samples to make for an  up coming  show with  Spellbinders on the 26th with some beautiful new dies and I really hope you will join me then

So today with some free time we went for a wander around Peterborough and one of the places we visited was the Cathedral ... and it was lovely.

The atmosphere was enhanced by the organ music that was being played as we walked around and I really enjoyed the day.

On the way to the Cathedral there are water fountains that spring up intermittently in the large square.

I spotted this pigeon taking advantage of the unexpected shower that came his way and he reveled in the water spray.

It was lovely to watch his antics as he splashed in the water on a lovely warm day.

Now tomorrow I head for home and I will be back to adding some new cards to the blog pages ... and posting off the card to the Friday Freebie for last week.

If you bought your Grand Calibur  from the shows that I have done then thank you so much from myself and Spellbinders

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx






September 13, 2014

Keeping you posted ...

Hi Everybody,

Here I am with an update on my adventure so far.

We arrived in Sutton in Ashfield to stay with some friends ... Kim ( on the left)  and Mick (not shown)

We had a lovely night out and went for a really tasty meal

After a good nights sleep Kim and I went off to play with some Spectrum Noir at JGD Crafts

I was a little nervous to start but soon settled down  once we got started.

I feel that the day went well and everybody seemed to go away happy.

We started at about 10am and I tried to cover as much as I could with both pens and pencils

But both are subjects that have so much that can be covered for some wonderful effects and of course we could have gone on for a lot longer

The class wrapped up about 4pm and everybody went away with  images that they had colored and more that they can practise with in the next few weeks.

Thank you everybody for your very warm welcome ... you all made the day very pleasurable.

Janet at JGD Crafts runs regular  monthly events such as todays and has a variety of guest for you to enjoy ... and the lunch she prepares for her class is second to none.

For more information about the "Events" or to join  the weekly classes for card making or coloring then  visit the website at JGD Crafts

Kim and I left to go back to her house and then Griff and I headed back to Peterborough ready for tomorrows Create and Craft show at 12 noon ... hope to see you there

And tonight back at the hotel I have put my computer on and the Friday Freebie card has been claimed too ... so thank you Janice the card will be on its way to you as soon as I get home

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx











Card winner ....

Hi Everybody,

So the first shows have been done yesterday and thanks to those of you who watched and emailed in.

After one or two mishaps the shows went quite well and it was a pleasure to work with Leonie.

Later in the day we traveled to  Sutton in Ashfield ready for me to do the workshop later today and so if you are going to be at JGD Crafts then I will see you later.

We are staying with some friends over night and it is Kim ... the lady of the house has done the draw for the Friday Freebie card.

Thanks again for all your comments and the winner is ....

Janice Wallace ...

Please email me  ... 
christina@card-making-magic.com
with your postal address and the card will be on its way to you.

More later ...

Hugs xx

September 12, 2014

Friday Freebie 025

Hi Everybody,

I will be on 
Create & Craft today
 at 9am and 1pm 
and you can view the shows either via your TV or on your PC. 

Click the link ... Create and Craft TV  and go to the TV Schedule button and click.

In the drop down box it will give you a list of dates and show titles.  

You are looking for ...  Grand Calibur Crafting  at the times listed and then you can click the Watch "Live" TV  now  when the show is on

The shows are available for some days after they have gone out live so you may be able to catch some of them later

I have not forgotten to add in my usual Friday Freebie card and so here it is for this week 

This is in a vibrant shade of pink and sure to please all you pink lovers ... but for those who don't like the big bows ... sorrreee this one is huge !!

The organza ribbon tied in a double bow is from Mei Flower

The background is the Tied Together die from JGD Crafts  and it is layered over flowery pink paper

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and into the corsage I have added some of my pearl sprays

The pearls around the frame are from Want2Scrap   and the glitter on the flowers is from Glitter Magic

Now if this is a card you would like to own then leave me a comment at the end of the post and once the names have been drawn the winner will be announced in a blog post.

You will have to give me time to post the card to the winner though as I will be on C&C ... but I am happy to send it to you wherever you.

In the previous days post I have used some of the very newest dies from the Spellbinders 2014 catalog and I have now been back into those pages  and edited them to include links for each of the dies to the Spellbinders website

It will show you what the die sets look like and the intricate detail in each of the templates.  You will need to shop around for availability in your country and for the best price.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx