FF winner ...

Hi Everybody,

It's blowing a gale here in the North West ... sunny but very windy and later I have to go shopping and then it will be playtime with Isabella.  At least the rain will hold off  and we can play in the Playhouse.

But for now the draw has been done this morning by my "Film Crew" and the name picked to win the pretty pink card is ...

Vicki ...

Can you email me please 

christina@card-making-magic.com

with your postal address and I will get the card in the post to you straight away

You have 48 hours in which to claim it and please let me know when it arrives with you and I hope you will like it.

More tomorrow ...  

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 062

Hi Everybody,

These Fridays are coming round very fast and I can't believe we are in June already.

So todays pretty little number is once again dressed in pink but there are no flowers on this one.

Just a really large bow that I have double tied with a large centrepiece as the focal point.  The satin ribbon is from Mei Flower

The sentiment is from Crafters Companion and is part of their  Sentimentals  Collection   and there are lots on one sheet

The smaller pink pearls are from Want2Scrap  and I have added them at all the cross sections to the card and around the sentiment

Now if this is a card that you would like to own then you know what to do .... Join the followers (If you aren't already)  and leave me a comment at the bottom of the page to let me know you have visited.

Then from those comments one name will be chosen at random and the winner announced in the morning.

It doesn't matter where you live and you don't need a blog of your own either ... so what are you waiting for ??? Add your name .... BUT please come back and check in the morning to see if your name is the winner.

You will have 48 hours to claim the card ... Good Luck !

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx

Framed FF Card

Hi Everybody,

I wanted to share this photo,  that was sent to me,  with you as this is what last weeks Friday Freebie winner has done with her card.  Joan Simpson was so pleased with her card that she has box framed it and says she will keep it forever ... and gave me her permission to show you what she did

I think it looks lovely ... and not just because I made the card... but because of the way Joan has made it look really special.  I am honoured that you would think my designs are worth the effort and makes me even happier to be giving them away each week

Thank you Joan ... you made my day and I hope you will treasure the card for years to come 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Woven Card

Hi Everybody,

This really pretty card is created using Creative Expressions-Weaving Dies from Sue Wilson. 

These are  unusual dies and the cards they make are different.

There are two dies in this collection that work together and I bought mine from Joanna Sheen.

I have kept my weaving to plain white and then added in the turquoise for effect.

The base and frame are made with  5x7 Matting Basics A&B from Spellbinders 

I have decorated the edges with pearls from Want2Scrap

The satin ribbon is from Mei Flower  and I have tied it in a double bow.

The flowers and the bows centrepiece are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and the display is added to the top of the card and sparkled with Glitter Magic

This is a card that is much better in real life and I am very pleased with the result.

Please Note: 

For all of you who asked me for the Triple Flip Card in a video ... here it is for you. Click the link to go to my website  for   

Spellbinders Triple Flip Card

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Decorative Fancy Diamonds

Hi Everybody,

Kraft card is often overlooked by the card maker simply because it is inexpensive and we often think that it is not fancy enough. But when it is teamed with white and some really pretty shapes it can make the most beautiful of designs for you and won't cost the earth to produce

Spellbinders Supplies:

• S4-526 Fancy Diamonds 
• S4-527 Decorative Fancy Diamonds
• S6-001 5x7 Matting Basics A
• S6-002 5x7 Matting Basics B
• EL-009 Flora 
• S2-139 Sentiments Three
• GC-200 Grand Calibur

Other Supplies:

• Wild Orchid Crafts
• Glitter Magic
• Want2Scrap
• AnnaMarie Designs  (Kraft Card)

Instructions:

From white card and #7 from Matting Basics A I have created my base card,

With the Kraft card and #7 from Matting Basics B 

Create another layer with white from #6 Matting Basics A and emboss this with any folder that you have in your "Stash"

Adhere the embossed piece to the Kraft layer and wrap ribbon around these two before adding them to the card base with foam tape for dimension

With the detailed dies #2 and #3 from Decorative Fancy Diamonds cut the shapes in Kraft Card

With dies #3 and #6 from Fancy Diamonds cut these panels in white and add foam pads to the backs of all these pieces

Layer these together alternating between the colors

With Kraft card I have cut the sentiment several times and glued them all together ... one on top of the other to create a thick solid wording to add to my card front

Arrange the flowers in a pleasing display and add in some pearls in the corners for the finishing touches.

And don't forget if you line the card to match the front then you will have really pretty card that is strong enough to stand all by itself without the back panel curving

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Fun Foam Flowers

Hi Everybody,

This  is one of the samples that I created from the Victorian Garden Collection from Spellbinders

The flowers are from  Romantic Blooms One   and the leaves are Romantic Vines

I have cut both the flowers and leaves from some inexpensive Craft Foam from Hobby Craft.

There are lots of sheets of foam in the pack in several colors and it is really easy to cut with any of your dies.

I have also used the die to simply emboss the background layer too.

Once matted and layered with the ribbon around them I added it to the base card

I used a hot glue gun to hold the flowers in place and then gently ... and I mean gently I heated the foam with a heat tool.

You need to be very careful with this as they will soon melt away and the card will then be ruined

The sentiment is stamped and added to the card and little embellishments are added to the centre of the bow and the flowers.

Just a little card with a difference and craft foam is good to use in other ways ... like creating your own stamps from your dies

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Birthday Girl ...

Hi Everybody,

A really pretty card created with Victorian Medallions Two  from Spellbinders Victorian Collection

I have used the smaller A2 Matting Basics A and B to make the base card and layers and kept the fold at the top

The finished card size is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" but these dies layer up in exactly the same way as the other Matting dies and I have a video to explain how the two sets work together .... Matting Basics 

The card is from AnnaMarie Designs  and I have used both the Dotty and Striped card and placed them together

The ribbon is from Mei Flower and the beautiful  flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts

I have curved them around the sentiment which has been stamped onto Labels Twenty

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

FF Card Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

As you know,  if you are a regular visitor to my blog, that each week I add a Tuesday Tutorial and I add them all to one page for your convenience.  There is a permanent link in the side bar to that page.

Not only do I add the links to the Tuesday Tutorials  but I also add the link to the other tutorial that I do each month for the Spellbinders Blog.  So that means that every month I am adding five new ways in which to use your beautiful Spellbinders.

Please take the time to check them out as I cover different dies in each tutorial and if there is anything you would particularly like to see then let me  know and if I have the die I will be happy to show you There are now approaching thirty step by step tutorials for you to see.

So now lets get on to the winner of these weeks Friday Freebie card and the pretty card in cream and white is going to ....

Joan Simpson ...

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 it arrives with you and I hope that you will like it.

And now .... I am off to the Bolton Arena Craft Show to buy some goodies 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 061

Hi Everybody,

This card is a vision in white with flowers, ribbons and pearls.

The background sparkles as do the flowers and into the floral display I have added in a Hatpin that can be removed

It is a large card at just over 7" square and the inside is lined too.

Would you like to win this one ??

Then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post ... and join the group of followers please.  Then tell your friends about the blog and get them to join in the fun too.

In the morning the winner will be announced in the blog post so please come back and check if it's you.  You will have 48 hours in which to claim the card and I am more than happy to post it anywhere  you are.

I do not mean to upset anybody so I respectfully ask that if you are not going to check the winners then please don't add your name,  as you take the chance away from some one who does want the card,

And last weeks card has not been claimed and that isn't fair to everybody else. I make the cards and I am happy to pay the postage ... all you need to do is claim it and tell me where you are ... please !!

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Fussy Cutting ...

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is another from play day on Sunday while Griff watched F1 on TV

I have added this one because with yesterdays card I mentioned that I have Fussy Cut the flowers and I have been asked to explain what I mean

Fussy cutting is just cutting around your image but not following closely the exact edge

If you can see in this photo that although the rose and leaves are cut out from the rest of the paper I have still got a white edge around it all

It just makes cutting out a little easier  because cutting out is on a par with stamping and is something I am not very keen on

So this card is created with the hinge at the top and is 5x7"  I have layered it up with yellow and white

The sentiment has been stamped and heat embossed and the embossing folder from   Crafters Companion  fitted around it

The image is colored with Spectrum Noir and then raised on foam pads to add it to the card front.

Colors Used:
Leaves:   DG2 DG4 CG1
Flower:   CT1 CT3 CT4
Shadow:  IG1

 And that is all there is to this card 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Stamping for fun ...

Hi Everybody,

Sunday was Formula One day and so while Griff was watching that I was up in the craftroom playing with stamps.

I don't profess to be a stamper and I am not very good at it.

But this was the effort I produced with some Sheena Douglass stamps I have had for quite some time and have never used ... shame on me !!

They are from some of her Little Bit Sketchy Collections  and they are quite big

The sentiment was stamped and heat embossed first and the background added after. I stamped the big flowers and colored them with Distress Inks and inked the edges

Then I fussy cut them out and  added glaze to the top to make them shine and once dry I have layered them up.

Ribbon was wrapped around the top and the whole panel was matted onto some deep rose pink card.  The base card is matted and layered with some patterned paper onto more of the rose card.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Triple Flip Card

Hi Everybody,

This is s die with a difference and some of you may already have this in your crafting "Stash" ... it is the Triple Flip Card from Spellbinders and it makes a very pretty card.  It is unusual because it only cuts on three sides and the fourth side is simply scored for you to fold and create the flips to decorate. 

There is a lovely set of matching stamps to use with the die but I am only using the die for this tutorial.  Please remember that the smallest die in any set if always #1 (Number One)

Spellbinders Supplies:

• S6-031 Triple Flip Card
• S6-025 6x6 Matting Baiscs A
• S6-026 6x6 Matting Basics B
• S5-224 Victorian Medallions Three
• S2-139 Sentiment Three

Other Supplies:

• Ribbon from Mei Flower
• Dazzler from Wild Orchid Crafts
• Patterned Card from AnnaMarie Designs

Instructions:

From white card I have cut and embossed a square base card with #8 6x6 Matting Basics A and I  have hinged them together  keeping the fold to the top 

With the Triple Flip Card I have cut it once also in white and embossed the card for extra detail

From the patterned card I have cut and embossed three panels with #8 6x6 Matting Basics B 

Add one of these patterned panels to the inside and the other to the front of the base card

With #1 and #2 from Victorian Medallions Three,   and the white panel from the previous step,  cut out the detailed shape.

Keep the centrepiece for the front of the card

 Add this large detailed panel to the back of the Triple Flip Card by gluing on the outer edge of the frame so that the correct sides  are facing out

(The picture shows you how it will look from the the back)

To the striped card I have placed #7 and #8 from 6x6 Matting Basics B and taped them in place

In the centre I have used dies #4 and #5 from the same set and taped them also.

Cut and emboss to bring out the detail 

And this is what you will have.  You need the two thin frames from the right of the photo and the solid piece on the left

Onto this solid panel I have stamped and heat embossed a verse and then added it to the middle flip section

Add the two thin frames to the largest and middle flips

With die #2 from Matting Basics B cut another panel for the top flip and add in the detailed square from the earlier steps

Decide which way round you wish your card to be ... I have kept all my hinges to the top of the card ... and add all the Triple Flip Card to the base

The middle flip contains my verse and the frames make it look as if there are a lot more layers.

To the lined inside I have added in an extra sentiment.

 Wrap some ribbon around the top of the card and add in a shiny centrepiece for a special touch

And if you prefer to watch the tutorial you will find it in video format on my website ... here is the link for you

Spellbinders Triple Flip Card 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Mini Envelope Card

Hi Everybody,

This is one of the cards I produced on Create and Craft using the   Scrappy Cat Mini Envelope

I cut the envelopes out of parchment and then embossed them with a folder.

To make sure that the folder didn't cut into the parchment I sandwiched it between copier paper before running it through the machine.

You can always use the embossed copier paper on another project

I simply added two of the envelopes to some patterned Anna Griffin card that had been matted onto plain pink   ( I seem to be on a real pink trend at present)

The spotty ribbon from   MeiFlower   is wrapped around the layers and then added to my base.

I cut little tags to fit inside the envelopes and stamped and embossed them with a small sentiment. They are simply placed in the envelopes with a foam pad behind them

The tiny roses are from  Wild Orchid Crafts    The little sentiment is from Spellbinders and is Sentiments Eight

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Craft Room 2015

Hi Everybody,

When Griff first created the craft room for me in 2011  I had lots of space in which to store things and everything was put away when I had finished working to keep the room neat

But over the years I have accumulated so many extras and I am running out of storage space and sometimes it looks like utter chaos.

In the centre of the room he had made me a table to work on and under that I had wire trolleys for other items, but they aren't very strong

I had to store some of my Spellbinders in a plastic box and it is just sat on the floor

Now Griff has made me a moveable work station with heavy duty castors on the bottom and he has added sections for me to divide the things I store

This is one side of it and I have added white plastic boxes to keep things clean and it stores a huge amount of items.

Then when I have my Wednesday Card Class,  and I need more space,  I can roll it to one side and lock the wheels.

You can also see the extra shelf that he has added along the back wall with some of my cards displayed on it

The unit also has shelving on the other side for smaller items to be stored.

This  is where I was trying to do my blog posts and website but again Griff has created a lot more storage space.

You can see the magnetic sheets attached to the wall where I store much loved and much used dies 

I now have shelving behind the PC for all my boxes  and a complete unit to add all my Spectrum Noir pens and refills too.

It has always been my favorite place and now it is even better with everything tidy and in its own place.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Todays FF Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

The sun is shining here for the Bank Holiday weekend and it promises to be a good one. I hope you enjoy whatever it is you have planned and the weather stays good for you.

I am happy to say that all ten of the pink cards were claimed by the ten winners and they have gone as far as New Zealand, Australia, Czech Republic and Portugal and the Blog Hop prize went to a young man in Nigeria.

But for today lets get on with the business in hand and tell you who has won the card from yesterday.

The name pulled from the hat by my "Film Crew" is ...

Linda Adams ...

can you email me please 

christina@card-making-magic.com

with your postal address and the card will be on its way.

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

The ten pink cards for ten winners was so successful that I will repeat the process later in the year with a different color

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx