Tuesday Tutorial - Embossing with Dies

Hi Everybody,

I like to add texture to my cards and the background piece is the one that makes the card pop if embossed

This technique can be done with dies ... large or small ... that you have in your collection and give you a really pretty look

For this card I am using just the inner part of   Grate Effect  

I have also used Classic Hearts   and the matching Scalloped Classic Hearts

My flowers are from Bitty Blossoms  and I have another tutorial on my website showing how to get the best from Spellbinders Blossoms

Create your base card in your chosen color and I like to make mine to the Hinged Card Style

My base card is white and I have chosen a patterned card for the next layer which is slightly smaller

I have cut another piece of white card that is the same size as the Grate Effect die and layered it up to pass through the Grand Calibur

You will need to check your machine for the correct sandwich to EMBOSS

The correct sandwich for embossing  with the GC is ...

Grey Base plate ... die template facing up

Cover it with the lightly spritzed  card 

Cover with the TAN embossing mat 

Cover with the Pink Embossing Plate

And once you have run it through this is the effect you will have in your card

It will be embossed and not cut and once trimmed to fit the front of your card will create a beautiful layer for you

From both sets of Hearts I have used the #6 (#1 is always the smallest) and cut one in white and the other from some patterned card

The white heart I have then embossed with a folder

From the Bitty Blossoms cut the flowers that you need to add to your design and glue a small pearl to the centre of each flower

And I have used some leaves from Spellbinders  Foliage  and tucked them under the blooms

This close up shows you the quilted effect that the embossing will give to your cards

I have used small pearls from Want2Scrap to accentuate each cross section

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Distress Inked Card

Hi Everybody,

Todays card has all my usual embellishments applied and I am really pleased with the way this card has turned out.

But it is the background that I really like,  as that was done with water colors,  and it is a bit of a stray off my usual path for this

I used water color card from Crafters Companion  as it is good quality and quite thick

I used Distress Inks and a craft mat to get the result and lots of water and then simply played with it all until I was happy

The card is a 5x7 with the hinge at the top and the inside is lined too.

My flowers, dove and metal corner are all from Wild Orchid Crafts

The ribbon is from Mei Flower  and the pink pearls on the ribbon and surrounding the flowers are from Want2Scrap

The metal corner was originally gold but I changed the color with embossing powders.

The stamp is part of a set that I bought at a craft show a few years ago and can't remember who makes it

Quite a pretty card and one I am happy to add my name too

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Card Class ...

Hi Everybody,

In our card class the other week I had my ladies decorating some of those snack tubs we all love

I let them lose with flowers, ribbons and pearls ... as well as pretty papers, tulle and lace

These delightful tubs look a whole lot more beautiful when they are covered and both ladies are pleased with their efforts.

I have titled them so that you can see the color choices of Mary and Brenda and I think they look so pretty that they could be given as small gifts.

I made some from the larger tubs a while ago and when Isabella saw them she loved them.  Isabella is three and my Great Grand-daughter and when asked which color tub she wanted she said  ...." Er! Both"

On these we have used flowers and pearls strings from Wild Orchid Crafts  and satin ribbons from Mei Flower

More tomorrow ...

Hugs 

Another winner ...

Hi Everybody,

What a difference in the weather today.  Yesterday was lovely and sunny and we managed to get some tidying up done in the garden ... but today it's wet and windy and not pleasant at all.

Time to stay indoors and just chill, maybe do a spot of crafting ... for a change

The winner for yesterdays blue card has been done and the name drawn from the hat is ...

Gingernuts ...

can you send me your postal address please to

christina@card-making-magic.com

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

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

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 052

Hi Everybody,

One whole year of Friday Freebies and another one soon to start.

This card has used a mixture of dies and they are  all layered up with foam tape.

The white layer is embossed with a basket weave pattern and the layered onto the blue

I have wrapped the layers with ribbon before adding to the base card

The next layer is in blue and I have used 5x7 Reflective Moments

The smaller white layer is Decorative Labels Eight
which has also been embossed

Then over the top I have used Lattice Motifs but this is a die you will have to search for as it is no longer on the Spellbinders website.

I do not deliberately choose dies that are no longer available it's just that I have these dies in my crafting "Stash" and I still like them and use them.  I am so sorry if you cannot find them ... but that is progress I suppose

If you would like to have this card on its way to your house then join the group of followers and leave me a comment.  A name will be chosen at random and the winner announced in tomorrows  blog post.  Please come back to check if you are the winner.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tone on Tone

Hi Everybody,

Todays card has used nothing other than white and shades of it and this card looks lovely in real life.

I have just added an everyday verse but it would make a beautiful wedding card

The verse I have used is one of a set from Crafters Companions Sentimentals Range   and if you click the link it will you the stamp sheet.

(I have used the one in the bottom left corner and stamped and embossed it in silver)

The  white satin ribbon I have used is from Mei Flower with a large sparkly dazzler over the knot.

The diamante is from Want2Scrap  and I have just used portions of it for my design

The beautiful flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and I have arranged the display around the sentiment.

This is such a pretty card and the background panel has been embossed and backed onto silver card and then onto a white base card that is 7" square

On the next panel I have used some modelling paste through a stencil and then sprinkled glitter into it while it was still wet.  The result is a raised finished that shines with glitter but the camera has not really picked it up. I used a corner rounder to shape the edges and that too has been layered onto silver

I have stamped my sentiment on to Labels Eleven but this is a die that has now been discontinued

 I have another card done with the same modelling paste and glitter technique that I will show you next week as tomorrow is Friday Freebie again

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Centura Pearl ...

Hi Everybody,

It is amazing what you find once you start to clear out your craft room. It's like Christmas all over again.

I am finding things that I had forgotten about and this lovely  Centura Pearl   from Crafters Companion  was in  the back of the cupboard.

So I decided to make a card using the Victorian Collection - Medallion Three 

This is the die I have used to show you some variations with in the Tuesday Tutorials and here is another one using the #2 part of the die that leaves the pattern in the card.

This has been backed with the Centura Pearl and then decorated with ribbon from my "Stash"

The Flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts

I have added in some green leaves cut from   Foliage    which is a really useful die to have in your collection ... especially if you like to add flowers

The pearl flourish is from Want2Scrap  and don't be afraid to cut it up.  You can probably get three cards from one flourish

The  Sentiment One  is also from Spellbinders and again is a useful addition if your writing is not the neatest .... like mine ... I keep all my sentiment dies on my work area so that I can just grab one as needed.

Just a little note ... 

I have added a permanent link in the side bar to your right for all the Tuesday Tutorials that have been done and I will add them as I do them in the future.  Each one will have a direct link to the named tutorial so they should be easier to find

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Captivating Squares

Hi Everybody,

Todays beautiful card is created with the Captivating Squares from Spellbinders

This could be a die that you already have in your crafting "Stash" as it has been around for quite some time.

There are many ways to use this die and this is just one of them.

I have cut two 6" squares and created the base card with a hinge

Then from some plain pink I have cut a smaller layer and repeated the process with some pink spotty card

From #3 and #4 Captivating Squares I have cut four frames   (and remember that #1 is always the smallest die in any set)

Keep the centre parts as you will need one of them later.

Layer these together in sets of two off setting them with each other as shown in the photo

Just a spot of glue in strategic places will hold these together for you

Then with some foam tape between the layers lay the top two on the bottom two and off set them again

Now you should have a very pretty lacey centre for your card.

Place more foam pads under these layers so that it cannot be seen from the front

Add these to the base card and decorate as you wish.  I have used flowers from   Wild Orchid Crafts and some pearls from Want2Scrap  around the edge of the frame

With the pieces that are left over stamp  and emboss your sentiment on one of them

The rest can be used on another project so keep them safe

Add a double layer  of foam tape underneath to raise it up over the level of the frame

And there you will have another very pretty card to add to your collection.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Negative Effect ...

Click to enlarge

Hi Everybody,

When we make cards there is such a lot of card that we discard.

But with just a little thought and some planning ahead we can put it to good use and make some pretty cards.

I needed some butterflies for another card that I was making and I used the Spellbinders Les Papillions Two 

I used the solid base to the die and rather than just cut it out randomly I carefully positioned one on some card that I would use for my top layer

Once cut and embossed this negative piece was the piece I used for this card.  I also cut another piece in pink and used it underneath as a shadow but the butterflies have been kept safely for the next card

The pink card in the negative space says "Happy Birthday"  and is from  AnnaMarie Designs

The embossing folder is from Crafters Companion

I used a large flourish from Want2Scrap for the butterfly trail

And there is my free sentiment again  from  Simply Cards and Papercrafts   Magazine stamped and embossed at the bottom of the card.

It really was that simple to make this card and yet the result is very pretty

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Pretty in Green

Click to Enlarge

Hi Everybody,

Now this is a color I don't use very often but I was asked the other day to give some ideas for cards  using green

The card I have used here is from the Celebrations Range with Spellbinders and this shade is called Pixie Play

There are lots of items in this range from the card to embossing folders,  stamps and dies that match them

The floral paper underneath was very bright and so I have subdued it with Parchment and added it with eyelets in each corner.

I used an embossing folder on the parchment before adding it to the card

The diamante around the edge  and the flourish are from Want2Scrap

The white and green flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and they have been sparkled with Glitter Magic  Chameleon glitter.  The little white dove is also from WOC

The ribbon was in my "Stash" and the dazzler over the knot is part of a Primark bracelet that I took apart.  I am happy with the result and as the card I used is 12 x 12 I have managed to get two cards from the one sheet

This sentiment was free with   Simply Cards and Papercrafts   and it is one of the most useful phrases in my collection and it is one I have used often since I got it.  I love the script it's in too

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Winner is ...

Hi Everybody,

Isn't this a beautiful day .... I know it's on the cold side but the sun is shining and it feels really pleasant.

After a lovely relaxing morning I now have a winner for the yellow card that was offered yesterday and the name drawn from the hat is ...

Bill Ali 

would you email me your postal address please to 

christina@card-making-magic.com

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

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

So now I have a lovely casserole cooking in the slow cooker and I am off to have coffee with my youngest daughter 

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 051

Hi Everybody,

This pretty yellow card is the one up for grabs today and this uses the Quatrefoil Background

It is one of those dies that I don't know where you will get it from now. I have tried to find it for you but no luck.

But obviously as new items come onto the market the old ones are replaced and then it becomes difficult to find the dies you want

If this is a card that you would like to win then all you need to do is join the group of followers.

Just leave your name in the "Join This Site" box to your left and then leave me a comment

A name will be chosen in the morning and the winner announced during the day.

Then you have 48 hours to claim the card by sending me your postal address to 

 christina@card-making-magic.com

The flowers on this card are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and the satin ribbon is from Mei Flower  making a really pretty card

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Card Class Ladies

Hi Everybody,

In last weeks card class my two ladies made these very pretty cards and as  usual they went for completely different color schemes

Mary chose the pink and Brenda went for the more demure coffee and cream

Both cards are made in the Hinged Card Style   and both have flowers, ribbons and pearls to dress them up.

Both have used dies from Spellbinders  Laced with Love Collection

Mary has chosen  Lonely Hearts  for her card with the Sentiments One  added to the bottom. She has done it in pink and white and added flowers of the same color.

Brenda has chosen   Interlocking Love for her card with Sentiments Three   added to the panels and she has chosen cream with Kraft card for hers.

The flowers and the bows dazzlers  are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and the  ribbons are from Mei Flower

I think ladies have made really lovely cards and they went home happy after another successful class

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friendship Card in Turquoise ...

Hi Everybody,

Here is the last of the group of Friendship Cards I made for Vickie to give to her friends

This was a special request from my daughter so that she can show her friends that she appreciates them.

Over the last few weeks I have shown you each one.

Although they are all the same  Hinged style with flowers, ribbons and pearls on them I have used different dies so that they are not the same.

For this one I have used Gold Labels Four  and I like the effect of the layering on this card

It just goes to show that not many dies are needed to create a lovely card.

This is just one die but the result is one that you can be really pleased with.

And just to remind you of the boxes each card was in here they are.

They all make a good gift and not just a card and the boxes make them extra special.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Medallions Three - More Ideas

Hi Everybody,

Since the tutorial last week I have had many emails telling me how much you love the  Victorian Collection from Spellbinders

And many of you have also said that you have the Medallions Three and enjoy working with it.

So for todays tutorial I am staying with this lovely die and showing you a couple of ideas that you can do with it to ring the changes

I created my base card from Matting Basics A #7 (#1 is always the smallest)  in white

From some petty blue card I cut another mat from Matting Basics B  #7

The other white layer is cut from #4 Matting Basics A

Select  #2 and #3 from Medallions Three  and cut one layer in blue and then cut this piece in half neatly down the middle of the card.

Take the smaller white piece that you cut  and the two blue filigree halves  and place the outside patterned edges into the centre of the card and trim to fit.

I added my panels to the white with foam pads to give depth to the design

The next thing we are going to do is create a double frame to sit around this panel

From Matting Basics A take three dies ... #3 #5 and #6 and lay them all together on your white card

Tape them in place so that they don't move and with the EMBOSSING sandwich run them through the machine

This will push the impression of the dies into the card but won't cut it ... you are just embossing

Once you have embossed the card very carefully remove the centre die #5 without disturbing the other two dies

And this time you are going to use the  CUTTING sandwich for your machine

Once you have done this,  again carefully remove the tape and the dies from the card ...

... and this is what the card should look like with a double frame impression around the edge

To the back of this frame we can now attach the foam pads we need to raise it up

It can now fitted over the filigree panel that you created earlier and then mount all these layers to your base card.

Dress it up any way you wish and you will have a really pretty card to give to someone special.

I have added satin ribbon from Mei Flower to mine and tied it in a single bow

The blue and white flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts

Behind the flowers I have added some pieces of pearl flourish from Want2Scrap

And here is the exact same die used in another way to give you variation in your designs.

The base card and frame are created in the same way but I have added in the Medallions Three to the top and bottom of the frame and trimmed it to fit.

The sentiment is stamped and embossed and then cut with Labels One  and then mounted onto Luscious Labels One

There you have one die and two ways to use it as well as the variation I showed you in last weeks tutorial

Such a versatile die and such beautiful cards created from it.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx