Tuesday Tutorial - Detailed Scallops

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is all about layers and I have chosen the 5x7 Detailed Scallops  for my design.  It is one of the Card Creator range from Spellbinders and they make the most beautiful cards with very little effort from you.

 Spellbinders Supplies:

• S6-001 5x7 Matting Basics A
• S6-002 5x7 Matting Basics B
• S6-004 5x7 Detailed Scallops
• S5-031 Fancy Tags Three
• S4-114 Standard Circles LG
• SCF-004 Rosette Wall 

Other Supplies:

• Wild Orchid Crafts 
• Want2Scrap

Instructions:

With the #7 Matting Basics A cut two pieces in white and hinge together for your base card

With #7 from Matting Basics B  cut another layer in the color of your choice. I chose a pale blue for mine.

From #6 Matting Basics A create another layer

and glue this on top of the blue layer from the previous step

(Remember that #1 is always the smallest die)

From die #4 cut a blue panel and emboss with any folder that you have in your "Stash"

With white card and #3 cut another panel and emboss this also

Cut one of the Fancy Tags Three and I have added the matching pearl "Bling" to mine and I am going to add it lengthways on my card

Stamp and heat emboss a sentiment and cut out with the circle to fit the tag

Layer up the panels as shown and I have used foam tape in between my layers

Add foam pads to the back of the sentiment and add to the card

Wrap ribbon around all the panels and then add all of this to the base card

Add in the bow and some flowers as you wish and a sparkly pearl centrepiece to cover the knot on the bow

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Ten Cards -Ten Winners ...

Hi Everybody,

Did you leave me a comment to win one of the TEN cards on offer in last weeks Friday Freebie?

And have you joined the growing list of followers?  Then read on to see if you are one of the TEN names to have been chosen at random to win one of the pink cards on offer.

None of the cards are finished on the inside so you can do that for your self to suit whatever it is you would like to do with the card. 

Because of the route my life has taken with Spellbinders  I make so many cards in the course of a week that if I don't give them away I will have to move house. And so it really is my pleasure to share them and it makes me  happy that so many of you would like to own one of my designs.

My "Film Crew" has been busy picking the winners and here are the names.  I don't know which card you will get ... it is pot luck ... and I am happy to send the cards wherever they need to go. 

 But you will only have 48 hours to claim it so please don't wait.

The winners are ...

Kaye Charles  ....  Carla Lindsay ...  Kiwiali ... Josie B ...
Zuzana ...   Breezes ... Beryl Treble ...   Sandra Smith ...
Nancy Vondra ...   Shazababys ....

Congratulations ladies! please email me  

   christina@card-making-magic.com  

with your postal addresses and one of the cards will be on its way to you straight away.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

Blog Hop Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

Thank you so much for all your support over the Create and Craft shows and the Sapphire die cutting machine sold out in the first show I did ... and so with nothing else to sell the rest of the shows were cancelled.

If you managed to get yours well done .. you will not be disappointed with it.  It is truly a fantastic little machine that will stay on your work top for ever.  It is so useful for smaller dies and especially for sentiments that you wish to add to your cards.

For everybody else don't worry it will be back in stock again ... and soon and then you will be able to get one for yourself.

Thanks also to those who took part in the blog hop yesterday. We love having you visit and we love all your comments.  All the Ambassadress have offered the featured card as a "Give Away" and mine is no exception.

 I also said that there would be other additions to the prize and so here is what is what you will get ...

The card
One spool  (25 yards) of white satin ribbon
5 packs of Want2Scrap pearl Bling
I packet of Glitter

And so now you are wondering who has won this prize and so here is the announcement ....

Olus Tee 

Would you contact me please at 

christina@card-making-magic.com

with your postal address and the prize will be in the post to you straight away

You have 48 hours to claim your prize so don't wait 

The TEN winners of the TEN pink cards will be announced tomorrow so please pop back then to see if your name is on that list.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

International Ambassadors - Informal Blog Hop 5

Hi Everybody,

Welcome to this the fifth International Ambassadors Informal Blog Hop.  We started these hops as a way to introduce ourselves to you and show you our individual styles from around the world. There are four Ambassadors who participate in these hops and I hope you will take the time to visit each one

The theme for this months hop is Pastels and Flowers and  we wanted to do something special.

And so we are all giving away the cards that we make and all you need to do is join the group of followers and then leave us a comment to say that you have been.  

My card is created using the Fleur de Elegance  in pink and white and the background is from the Grateful Lattice

The flowers on this card are created with the Bitty Blossoms   and I have tucked the Foliage behind the blooms.

Into the mix I have added some of the Foliage Flourish for added decoration and placed pearls into each of the flowers.

The ribbon and lace at the top of the card are my finishing touch.

Please visit the other Ambassadors ... they would love to see you

Linda Lucas
Yvonne van der Grijp
Christine Emberson
Christina Griffiths (You are here)

So if you would like to win this card ... and some other little "Goodies" in the pack then leave me a comment at the bottom of the page.  Please also take the time to "Pin" the card and "Like" the Facebook page so that we can make the blog grow

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 059 - Pink Day

Hi Everybody,

I know that many of you are like me and just love pink and so today I am offering TEN pink cards to TEN winners.

It will be pot luck as to which one you get but they are all pretty cards
.

They that have been shown previously either on my blog pages or on Create and Craft

They are different techniques, dies, sizes and styles and none of them are finished inside

But if you would like to have one of them then join the list of followers and leave me a comment to let me know that you have been.

From the list of comments ten names will be picked at random  and one of the cards will be sent to you.

It will be a surprise as to which one you get and then you will be able to finish it off for yourself.

The offer is open until Monday and the winners will be announced  in that days Blog post .... because tomorrow is the fifth  

International Ambassadors Blog Hop

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Need A Rope ?

Hi Everybody,

Today sees the World launch of the brand new Sapphire die cutting and embossing machine from Spellbinders on Create and Craft.

Kim Hupke is over from US for two days and then on Saturday I will be showing you a little more on what this neat little winner can do

Please join me at 10am and again at 4 pm and I will be doing the shows each day until Wednesday

The embossed panel to this card is from a 3-D folder from Spellbinders called  Need A Rope?

It is one I used quite a lot in the demos for Create and Craft last year and it makes an excellent backdrop to any of your male cards.

But for this one I decided to add in some flowers instead and this one is  Crafty Flower Three

It is designed by Scrappy Cat and made by Spellbinders

The card is simply layered with cream and brown and I allowed the embossing to take centre stage

The sentiment is cut in antique gold and added to a brown strip.

These loopy sentiments are so handy to keep on your work top to add to any of your designs.

This one is Sentiments Four  and the other one in the set is Get Well

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Some News to share ...

Hi Everybody,

A few weeks ago I was asked to join an On Line Design Team for a company called Craft Stash.  It is the companies aim to be the biggest craft supplier in the UK and their new website was launched very quietly last Friday.

I have sent them several cards made with products they stock

I also have a new badge in the right hand side bar that will take you to visit their website.

These cards are featured on their pages with the products used and I hope you will pop over and take a look as there may be something that catches your eye.

On these I am featuring the   Creative Dies Hearts   and the Memory Box Fairytale Flower Frame  and I will show you more as we progress

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts   and the stamped sentiment was free with Simply Cards and Papercrafts Magazine.

The With Love sentiment is from Spellbinders and is Sentiments Three  and I use these a lot in my card making ... you wouldn't want to see my handwriting !!

And so I'm starting a new adventure and my cards are going to be more on line ... wish me luck!

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Floral Ribbon Threader

Hi Everybody,

This is one very pretty die from Spellbinders and its name if the A2 Floral Ribbon Threader.  The card it produces is not a large one but there is no reason why you couldn't add it to a larger base if you so wished.

Spellbinders Supplies:

• A2 Matting Basics A
• A2 Floral Ribbon Threader

Other Supplies:

• Wild Orchid Crafts flowers
• Want2Scrap Pearl Flourish
• Verse from Lili of the Valley

Instructions:

Create your card base with the #7 A2 Matting Basics A and emboss one panel with a pattern of your choice

Then Create a hinged card  

(Please remember that #1 is always the smallest die in any Spellbinders sets)

With #8 cut a panel in your chosen color

With #8 and #7 placed together cut the detailed panel

Then place the #3 die from A2 Matting Basics into the centre and pass through your machine again

This will create a frame for you to match the white panel from the previous step

Thread some narrow ribbon that will pass through the holes all around the frame

Finish off in one corner and tape the ribbon ends together

Fix the solid panel to your card base with foam tape for dimension

Add foam pads to the back of the detailed panel and add it to the top of the solid one making sure that the curved edges marry up

You can see in the photo the shadow that this depth creates and adds more interest to your designs

Stamp and emboss your sentiment onto some blending card and with the smallest rectangle die cut it out

I added a ribbon bow to the bottom of the card and glued a pearl to the knot.

Then arranged my flowers to the top right corner and sprinkled them with glitter.

It may not be a very big card but it is a very pretty one that would suit many occasions

And if you struggle to get a pleasing look to your floral displays then maybe I can help you solve the problem in the form of a video .... Adding Flowers to Cards 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Arched Elegance

Hi Everybody,

This is one of the samples that I made  with Spellbinders for the Create and Craft shows

In the demos I showed you a few ways to use Arched  Elegance

It makes a very pretty card just as it is but there are lots of other ways to get your monies worth from this, and the others in the same collection

They are designed by Becca Feeken and she makes the most beautiful cards over at  Amazing Paper Grace

I have dressed my card with flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts  and around the flowers I have dotted pink pearls of various sizes from Want2Scrap

The buckle for the ribbon is from WOC too and the satin ribbon is from Mei Flower  and the sentiment is Sentiments Seven 

Altogether a really pretty card for any occasion

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Gold and Black

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is a million miles away from pink but I wanted to try something with lots of drama in it for a change.

The whole card has been hand cut and not a die in sight and the Gold patterned card is from a  6x6" stack by My Minds Eye called Fancy That.

It is very dramatic and the gold is lovely and shines in the light. I had to position the card carefully so as not to get the glare

So to create this I took a piece of black A4 card and simply folded it in half and then trimmed it down to a square.

I layered up the gold piece sot hat it was slightly smaller then the base and added it with wet glue

The banners are cut to create a gold edge to each one with the striped card that is in the pack and each one is layered with more of the black card

Each banner is raised with foam tape for dimension.  The sentiment was stamped onto parchment and then heat embossed with gold powder. This is also hand cut to fit the card.

The large black pearls from   Want2Scrap    that I have placed in each corner are hiding the glue dots underneath the parchment which, no matter how hard you try, will show through.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Todays Winner

Hi Everybody,

It's a cold and windy day here in the North West and a really good day to stay warm and craft.  I am busy making samples for the Create and Craft shows next week.

The lovely Kim Hupke is coming over from the US and she will be launching a brand new machine and dies from Spellbinders on Thursday.

Then from Saturday onwards it will be yours truly showing you some pretty cards and demos with the new dies. I hope you will join me and send in your emails.

So lets get onto the winner of the pretty blue card and the name drawn this morning is you ...

Marianne Hammer ...

Please send me your postal address to 

christina@card-making-magic.com

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

Let me know when you get it and I hope you will like it.

Next Friday I will be travelling down to Peterborough to prepare for the shows but I have scheduled already the Friday Freebie and I am going to give away TEN cards to TEN winners and they are all pink !!

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 058

Hi Everybody,

This is quite a large card at 7" square with lots of lovely layers to it  

The front has been embossed and then rubbed with gilding wax to give a pearly effect

I have also added in a beautiful Hat pin that can be removed if you wish

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and they have added sparkle to them

It has pearls in each corner  and along the bottom of the sentiment.  The inside is also finished as I like to line my cards.

All you need to do is join the group of followers and then leave me a comment.  From the comm nets a name will be chosen and the winner announced in the mornings blog post.

It really is that easy .. so if you want the card then you know now what to do.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

My Ladies Cards ...

Hi Everybody,

The ladies in my card class are always willing to try something different

On this particular week I asked them if they had papers in their own collections at home that they did not like and wouldn't use.

Both said yes they had and so I asked them to choose in class a background paper that they would not normally have chosen.

Then the object was to disguise this gaudy paper and make it into one that they would be quite happy with using parchment.  These are the cards that they came up with and we embossed the parchment before adding it with brads to the card base.

Once it was decorated with flowers, ribbons and pearls  both ladies agreed that they liked the look and would be happy to now go home and make use of the paper that they had rather than leave it sat there or throwing it away.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Back to Cards ...

Hi Everybody,

After all the excitement about Isabellas' House I thought I would return to a card.

This is in a lovely shade of burnt orange and I have used the Heirloom Ovals  from Spellbinders

This is a large die and makes beautiful cards either as part of another like this ... or as a free standing card with a lovely shape by using the outer cutting edge

I have used the verse from JustRite Stampers  and stamped it in black then clear embossed

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and are a lovely collection of Tulips, Roses, Cherry Blossom and Lilies

The pearls are from Want2Scrap  and I have added them to some lace.

Maybe not a color to every bodies taste but it does look quite pretty in the hand

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Tapestry

Hi Everybody,

Todays tutorial is making this pretty card with the Tapestry background panel from Spellbinders.  Many of you may have this die already in your collection and it makes a very pretty panel for your cards

Supplies:

• S5-198 Tapestry
• S4-351 Spiral Blossom One
• S4-347 Labels Twenty Three
• 5x7 Matting Basics A
• 5x7 Matting Basics B
• GC-200 Grand Calibur

Instructions:

From #7 Matting basics A cut two panels in white to create the base

From #7 Matting Basics B cut a colored layer

From #6 Matting Basics A cut another layer in white and emboss this panel

Layer these panels together to the base card

From Tapestry cut one panel in white card and trim to fit another colored layer  from #6 Matting Basics B for the front of the card

(The smallest die in any Spellbinders pack is #1)

Spray the white detailed panel with adhesive and sprinkle with fine glitter 

Then add it onto the colored layer with foam tape in the larger areas to cover it

Add more foam tape to the back of these two pieces and wrap the panel with ribbon 

Cut the Spiral Blossom One from felt and coil it to create the flower.

Add ribbon and feathers to the base of the flower before adding it to the card front

Add in the sentiment of your choice to suit the recipient and add both to the card in the position you want them.

A very easy card to make for those moments when you need something quick and pretty

More tomorrow ...

Hugs