Todays Card Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

So todays late start  is due to the fact that I had a late night filming for C&C shows that are going out to USA.   And so this morning was a well earned lie in and a lazy hotel breakfast.

Next week I am back with Spellbinders, on February 3rd and 4th,  with the Pick of the Day and there are several shows for you to choose from.  I hope you will be bale to join me and maybe send in your email to let me know that you are there.

The Friday Freebie card has been drawn as usual by my "Film Crew" and the name this week is ...

Donna Okoniewski

Could you send me your postal address please so that I can send the card to you.

Email me please at 

christina@card-making-magic.com

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

More tomorrow

Friday Freebie 044

Hi Everybody,

Another red card on offer today and this one could be for any occasion

The  die I have used for the background is Botanical Swirls 

The beautiful flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and the pearls flourish is from Want2Scrap

They are a collection of Chrysanthemums, Roses, Cherry Blossom and Poppies and I have added in a Hatpin.

The satin ribbon is from Mei Flower and it ties beautifully into a large bow

If you would like to win this card then all you have to do is leave me a comment  and in the morning a name will be drawn at random

You will have 48 hours to claim the card and I don't mind where you live I will send it to you

So don't forget to come back and check to see if you are the winner.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Victorian Medallions Two

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is another from the Victorian Collection and this one is Medallions Two

This whole collection of dies is so versatile and I run out of card before I run out of ideas on what to do with it

For this one I have layered up the dies in pink and white and then added one of the Victorian Tags 

To the top of that I have used Sentiments Two   and I use these type of sentiments a lot because my writing is not neat

They are handy to keep in a box on your work top ready for use.

The ribbon is from Mei Flower and is tied in a single bow

And there we have a very simple card created with just the die and some ribbon   What could be quicker for that unexpected occasion.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Baby Bunting

Hi Everybody,

This card is created from Spellbinders  Baby Bunting  die template that is available on their website and there are six dies in the set in various sizes.

If you remember that the sizing is always the same and starts with number one (#1) as the smallest then you will be able to follow the instructions to make the card

The card is a 5 x 7 created in the Hinged card style   and  I have lined my card with the same pattern as the front

To create the base I have used #7 from  Matting basics A and cut it twice.

Then cut the pink layer from #7  Matting Basics B 

I have embossed this layer  with the   Bricks and Bark  embossing folder using the brick side as an unusual effect

From  #6  I have cut the plain white shape and from  #5  I have cut the spotted pink shape.

The plain pink in the middle has had to be hand cut to create another layer to place in between

From the Lotus Pendant die I have cut two shapes one in pink and the other in white.  But you can use any circle die that you have in your "Stash"

(This is an older die but I have located it  at  Icon UK  for you to see what the die looks like)

I have simply offset these two shapes and glued them together and then added them flat to the embossed piece of card towards the bottom and off centred that too.

Foam tape to the back of all the bunting pieces will give height and simply layer them all together leaving a narrow border around the edges

Wrap the ribbon around these layers before you add it to the card front

The workings to the pale pink Organza ribbon from   Mei Flower  will be hidden and held securely in place once fixed to the card.

All this layer can now be added to the actual base card ... and make sure you add it the correct way up ... Yep ! been there ! done that !

Glue the bow in place and add a pretty centre to it to cover the knot.

I have added tiny pink pearls from  Want2Scrap  to the Lotus Pendant to make it a little more enhanced

I really love this pattern it is one of my all time favorites and it is one of the first dies I ever bought many years ago.

And then last but not least for this card I have cut the words from   Sentiments One   in black to make it stand out from the card.

These small sentiments are such a useful addition to my cards because my writing is scruffy.

And there you have a really pretty card for any occasion.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Especially for you ...

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is in a very striking color combination of turquoise and pink

The card base is created from 5x7 Matting Basics A&B and they have been layered together

But to create the shaped border around the top layer I have used Bracket Borders Two  and I used one of the filigree patterns with a cutting edge to give a lovely effect.

I have used Garden Lattice A4 embossing folder for the background.

The sentiment  which was free with this months UK edition of
Simply Cards and Papercrafts ...
has been stamped and embossed with clear powder and double mounted onto Labels Eleven

The flowers and the bows centre piece are both from Wild Orchid Crafts

And the pretty gingham ribbon is from Mei Flower

A very quick and simple card to put together ... ideal for those moments when someone needs a card in a hurry.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

The Ambassadors Victorian Blog Hop ...

Hi Everybody,

 Ambassadors Victorian Blog Hop
Welcome to the first ever very informal blog hop for the International Ambassadors

We all got chatting online and decided to have this blog hop just for fun ...  to introduce each one of us to you and promote ourselves as your Ambassadors 

 This is  our way for you  to get to know each of us and for you to see what we can do and we hope to inspire you along the way

Being asked to join the  team has been a great honour and one I was more than delighted to accept. The role means that we get to promote some wonderful products that are coming your way in the future.

We are all individuals with our own particular style and we range from as far afield as Australia with Linda ... Netherlands with Yvonne  and Germany with Ursula.   Christine Emberson and I are at opposite ends of  the UK

My particular remit is to be the face you see on Create and Craft and to inspire you by showing you what you can do with the beautiful dies that you can buy. 

So if you came here from  Christines' Blog  then you are in the right place and please feel free to leave all of  us a comment and bookmark them too so you can visit regularly

We have chosen as our theme the   Victorian Collection  .. and it was no secret when I brought these to you via C&C that they are amongst my favorite dies.
 I fell in love with these from the word "Go"  and they are dies that I never put away.

Each one of the Ambassadors has created something in their own personal style and here is my card for you to see....

I have used the  Victorian Medallions Three   for my card and layered it in blue and white.  I have incorporated all the things that I like to use to create my style of card

Flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts ... Ribbons ... and Pearls from Want2Scrap 

If you should get lost on the hop then the International Ambassadors Team consists of 

Christine

Christina  ... You are here

         Linda  ... Your next stop 

Yvonne 

Ursula

And before I go here are some more pictures of other cards that I have made  using the same

Victorian Medallions Three

These  were featured on Create and Craft TV.

Thank you so much for stopping by and we hope you  enjoy your time with us. and meeting the International Ambassadors Team.

We will be back with  more to share in the future and you can count on that.

This post will stay at the top for the weekend  but scroll down  if you are looking for the Friday Freebie Card Winner

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Card Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

I am so glad to see that many of you are enjoying the little Blog Hop that we the Ambassadors have put together for you and the Hop will stay at the top of the Blog for the weeekend

 But I have not forgotten the card winner while all this is going on.

We have drawn a name  form the trusty hat and the winner is ....

Sue Rolfe

I need you to send me your postal address please so that I send the card ... so please email me 

christina@card-making-magic.com

You have 48 hours in which to claim the card and I hope that you will like it.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 043

Hi Everybody,

Back to pink again for todays Friday Freebie and this one is very embellished with flowers.

We have  Tulips, Cosmos Daisies Sweetheart Blossoms and Roses in various sizes all from Wild Orchid Crafts 

I have used several of the Spellbinders dies  and they are ...
Classic Ric Rac Edgeabilities
Decorative  Labels Thirty Four

Asian Accents and  Bird Cage are also used but they have  now been retired from the Spellbinders website

The foiled backing card is from Hunkydory and I have lined the inside with the same card

Now if this card appeals to you then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the bottom of the page and it could be yours.

A name will be drawn from the hat tomorrow morning and announced in a blog post the same day.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Having Fun ...

Hi Everybody,

I created this card using some of the dies from the Spellbinders Laced With Love Collection 

The back to the wardrobe was made with a cut down version of  Lovin Diamonds 

For the doors I used two of  the Interlocking Love  solids and those are the only two dies that I have used for this card

It is simply an A4 folded in half as shown in the Step Card ... but please bear in mind that this is a really old video and I have improved since then ... I think !!

I used mirror card for the mirror and brads for the door knobs. Some lace from my "Stash" was used to drape out of the drawer front  and I also made a little dress on the hanger that is just visible inside the wardrobe.

Just a little bit of fun that I wanted to share with you and if you pop over to Spellbinders Blog  you will find another tutorial from me using the Floral Affair 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Adding the flowers ...

Hi Everybody,

At the beginning of December I showed you how to make a lovely card with Imperial Square

We used the die in its full size to create a 6 inch Silver and White Card

Yesterdays tutorial with   Imperial Square   showed you a way to alter the card to make it into a rectangle.

Todays card takes the design to a more frilly level by adding in some striped card for the background and some really flowery ribbon.

I also added in the beautiful flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts  and what a difference they make.

So although the card is still in pink and black the embellishments that you add can alter the appearance for you.

And I think this is such a pretty card and the Imperial Square such an amazing die to have in your collection.

The future is looking rosy as Spellbinders have some amazing things to bring to you this year and it is a journey you don't want to miss

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial ... Imperial Square

Hi Everybody,


One of the die templates that I showed you on Create and Craft last week was called Imperial Square

There where two cards on display that featured the die used in two different ways.

The  Silver and White  Imperial Square Card 1 and was on the  Blog at the beginning of December

I promised you the Imperial Square Card 2 would be added later .... well here it is

And I thought that maybe I would make this Tuesday Tutorial a regular thing with some of the new Spellbinders that are on the market.

Create your base card from  5x7 Matting Basics A & B    in the colors of your choice and emboss the top card

Set aside for a moment while we make the top layers.

From the largest die cut two shapes in your chosen color.

I used black and pink for mine and once die cut I carefully cut down the centre of both to create two halves

Decide which is going to be the top colour to your panels

Layer one on top of the other making them slightly off centre to produce a shadow effect underneath

I used foam pads to raise the top layer up from the base layer

On your base card take these shadowed layers and trim them so that they will fit the front of the card equally.

I added mine again with foam pads to raise them up as this gives more dimension to the layers.

Hide the join in the card with some matching ribbon.

To create the label for the centre use one of the corner dies as the pattern is slightly different on each one.

Then add one to each side of the centre label and add to the card front with foam pads

I also cut another label and inked it to match the card and to this I added in the sentiment

Add in the bow and any other embellishments you wish

And there you have another pretty card from Imperial Square ... tomorrows card will be a variation of the same die template

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Adorning Accents...

Hi Everybody,

Another of the new collection of dies from Spellbinders and this is the beautiful Adorning Accents  and this was  shown last week on Create and Craft 

At the moment these dies are all exclusive to C&C but they will be with you in other places soon.

I have cut the card from pink and cream and it is a very simple one to make

So the base card is a 6" square layered in pink and cream  with the top cream layer embossed

I have added in another smaller layer of cream and cut the small square shape from the set four times  from pink card.

They have just been added to the smaller layer cream card and all the joins covered with some bright pink ribbon.

The layers are all separated with foam pads to give dimension and a lovely Dazzler from Wild Orchid Crafts  added to the knot.

The corner pearls are from Want2Scrap  and they are self adhesive

The  Sentiment 6   is from another new collection that I brought to you via C&C  in December

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Oval Majesty

Hi Everybody,

This pretty card was shown on  Create and Craft  last week and it features the new  Spellbinders  Oval Majesty

The whole collection is exclusive to C&C for the next few weeks and so you won't be able to buy it anywhere else just yet.

But keep a look out at your favorite suppliers as it will be there soon.

There is a lot that can be achieved with this set and this idea is just one of them.

For this card I have embossed the background and then topped it with some designer card

I used the largest die in the set to cut the card into the shape and then added it with foam pads to give dimension

The other size ovals have all been used and layered with foam but the sentiment is just a circular one that I had in my "Stash" and added off centre to the oval.

The ribbon from  Mei Flower  has been wrapped around the layers before I add it to my base

The bows centre and the flowers are from  Wild Orchid Crafts   and they are a mixture of Roses, Tulips, Tuscany Rosebuds and Sweetheart Blossoms and green leaves

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Another Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

Well here we are with another winner of the Friday Freebie card and already the weeks are rolling by quickly. Today it is cold here in the North West but the heating is on and I have the fluffiest pair of socks on that I could find

The draw has been done earlier this morning and a name chosen from the hat,  The lovley red card is coming to live with you ...

Anne McCahill 

Can you please email me ...

christina@card-making-magic.com

and I will get the card in the post to you straight away.

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

So  as a new feature to the blog  I thought I would start to introduce a Tuesday Tutorial which will be using a new Spellbinders die template

I will use one that is now on the market for you to buy and include the steps taken to create the featured card.  I won't be videoing this tutorial it will just be the written steps but it will give you some idea of how to use the die ... what do you think ??

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 042

Hi Everybody,

This red card is quite a large square and is created from the Crafters Companion  Create a Card range and there are several patterns for you to choose from

This one has the addition of red pearl flourishes from Want2Scrap to  highlight the sentiment

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and they are a mixture of Roses, Chrysanthemums, Poppy and Cherry Blossom

Into that mix I have added in the  spray of red holly berries and green leaves from   AnnaMarie Designs

If you would like to win this card then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the bottom of the post.

A name will be chosen in the morning and added to a blog post ... so if you enter then don't forget to come back and check to see if you are the winner

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx