Tuesday Tutorial - Victorian Arch

Hi Everybody,

Todays tutorial use the Victorian Arch from Spellbinders and this is quite a large die and can be used in lots of different ways.

For my card I have created the design in turquoise and white and added in some really pretty flowers.

Spellbinders Supplies:

• S4-544 Victorian Arch
• S4-444 Royal Circle
• S6-025 6x6 Matting Basics A
• S6-026 6x6 Matting Basics B
• GC-220 Grand Calibur
• SCI-003 Cool Caribbean 

Other Supplies:

• Wild Orchid Crafts  -  Flowers
• Mei Flower  -  Ribbon
• Want2Scrap -   Chipboard word
• Clear embossing powder

Instructions:

 Cut two pieces of white card to create the base  with #8 die from  6x6 Matting Basics A and two layers in the color of your choice from #8 from 6x6 Matting Basics B  One of these will be to line the inside      (Please remember that #1 is always the smallest die)

 Cut another layer of white card from the #7 die from Matting Basics A and this is the layer we are using first

With the centre part of the Victorian Arch add it to this white layer and keep it close to the edge ... tape it in place so it won't move and run it through the Grand Calibur 

Flip the die over and tape in place again to line it up with the first cut circle and then add foam pads to the back where they cannot be seen from the front

Attach this piece to the colored layer leaving a small border around the edges and then cover the join with some ribbon

From the Royal Circle #2 cut one shape and add foam pads to the back of this (You can use any circle die that you have )

With the chipboard word I have colored it with a deep turquoise ink pad and then covered it with clear embossing powder and heated it ... then repeated the process to deepen the color

Add in the flowers and a bow into the position you want them and add a sparkler to cover the bows knot.  Line the inside of the card with the second piece of colored card for a really pretty finish. 

 More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

We are all Special ...

Hi Everybody,

Todays card uses a mixture of striped card from  AnnaMarie Designs  and some silver foiled card from  Hunkydory  and although completely different they play nicely together.

I have created the card from 5x7 Matting Basics A&B from Spellbinders  and the foiled card is Labels Twenty

I have used the matching Diamanté from Want2Scrap  to surround both layers of the label

The satin ribbon around all the layers is from  Mei Flower and the lovely sentiment is from  Lili Of The Valley  which has been stamped in black and clear embossed

The bows centrepiece and the flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and are a mixture of Roses, Gypsophillia, Lilies, Apple Blossom and Magnolias.

Just a couple of things I would like to say ... First is that I am going to be stuck with three blue card if the ladies whose names were added as an extra on Saturday to win them don't come forward.  Here are the names again ... and then I give up ....

 Donna Sherman ... Jayne Buckley ... Sandra Smith ...

I know we humans like to skim a page but you will miss out if you don't read the blog post completely

Secondly the link to the Inspiration Page is at the top left of the page and it is a video card collection. Click the photo at the top and it will take you to another page.

It is NOT the  "My Designs"  which I have now moved to the bottom of the column.  That is simply a slideshow from Photobucket and there is nothing to click there and you may get an error message if you try to open that. 

And to the ladies who have already found it Thank You for the lovely comments you have left for us. We will be adding more as often as we can

And don't forget that the card photo under the heading Tuesday Tutorial is also clickable and will take you to another new page with lots of tutorials from this blog ... a new one every week ...and Spellbinders with a new one every month. 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Batch Card Making

Hi Everybody,

Sometimes when you have a lot of cards to make it can be a good idea to make them in a batch

Here I have four card that are created in this way and it is a quick and easy way to work.

By that I mean do all the stamping ... all the die cutting ... all the embossing ... adding all the flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts  last and arranging them as you please

The first thing I did was stamp the sentiments on each of the cards.

They are part of a collection from  Make The Day Special 

MTDS is a UK based company but they have a lot the US stamps. This is where I have bought the stamps that I have been water coloring

Here is one of the new Avery Elle stamps called  Simply Said    and there all of these and more are on one sheet.  It matches the die that says  You   which I cut from Craft Foam and again in card.  I used double sided tape between the foam and card to glue them together.

I have created my base card and layers with  Pierced Rectangles from Spellbinders  and the smallest layer has been embossed with  Framed Canvas  and both are part of the  Celebrations Collection

Making cards in this way is excellent if you are making a batch of Thank You cards or invitations. Please click the links to view the products.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Another Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

Before I tell you the name of this weeks winner I would like to point you in the direction of the new addition to the top of the left hand side bar.  It is called  Inspiration and if you click the photo it will take you to a new page.

On that page I have added a short video to show you ... grouped all together... just some of the cards that have been made over the last few weeks. This is Griffs' idea and we thought that it may offer some ideas if you get stuck for ways to make your cards.

I will be adding a new video every few weeks and some of the cards have actually been tutorials ... here  or on Spellbinders Blog or on Card Making Magic ...  I hope you enjoy !!

So on to the winner of the Friday Freebie  Pink card from yesterday.  

The name drawn this week is you ...     

Ann Lauzon ...

would you email me please

christina@card-making-magic.com

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please Read On

Before I go I have to tell you that three of the blue cards from the "Ten Cards For Ten Winners" have not been claimed and so I have re drawn three more winners to each get a Blue card from those offered on the 19th June. Those names are ...

Donna Sherman

Jayne Buckley

Sandra Smith 

please contact me at the email address above

You have 48 hours to claim the cards

I know I have said this before  and I don't want it to send like a rant .... but please if you are not going to come back and check for your name then please don't add it to the list.  I make the cards and I am happy to send them anywhere ... but I can't chase you for your address ... that is up to you. 

But if you don't check then you have taken away the chance for somebody else to win the offered prize. 

And last but not least ... the names are drawn at random and the winners notified in the Blog post. Some one, who has not been named as a winner, has left me her name, telephone number and address in the comments to have a card 

Please do not add personal information into the comment box contact me privately at the email address above if your name is shown as the winner.  I have deleted the comment with the personal info on it.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 065

Hi Everybody,

After the ten blue cards I offered in last weeks freebie I thought I would go back to pink with flowers, ribbon and pearls for this Friday Freebie

So this one is layered up and used  Tranquil Moments from Spellbinders and  Napa Valley   from Creative Expressions dies and I have used lots of foam tape to give the card dimension.

The background is Pink Centura Pearl card from Crafters Companion  that has been embossed and the inside is lined in the same card

The flowers are as always from Wild Orchid Crafts and are a selection of Roses, Tulips, Cherry Blossom and Cosmos Daisies

If you would like to own this card then please join the group of followers and leave me a comment to let me know that you have visited.

You will need to come back in the morning to see if your name is listed and then you will have 48 hours  in which to claim the card.

I need your full postal address please,  complete with Country and Zip/Postcode,  to be able to send you the card

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Holiday Samples ...

Hi Everybody,

Here are a couple of my card samples that where shown on Create and Craft last week when Kim Hupke  was over from the US showing you the Holiday 2015 dies

These new dies are so pretty and can be used at any time of the year ... not just for Christmas.

This one is the Gingerbread Card front but these dies are exclusive to   C&C   for a few weeks ... and many of them sold out in the shows.

But they will be back again so keep a look out for them.

This was the Gingerbread House and I cut it twice and layered it on to Kraft card

The white card at the bottom is Glitter card and is sparkly white.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Craft Stash ...

Hi Everybody,

A little while ago I was asked to join the on line design team for Craft Stash. 

This is a new company that are bringing crafting supplies and goodies to the UK market.

They have brought out their own brand of dies called  Apple Blossom Dies  and I added a link to them in the right hand side bar for you to see

More dies will be added as they become available.

This card features the Ornate Heart  and it is very ornate.

I made the card in white with a deep blue and added in some matching ribbon and a diamante centre for the bow.

The base to the card is created with the  6x6  Matting Basics A&B  and the A4 embossing folder from Spellbinders

The sentiment is one that was free with Simply Cards and papercrafts magazine a few months ago

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Lace & Frills Birthday Card

Hi Everybody,

Do you have those moments when you need to make a card and you can't think what to do?  This pretty card is so easy to put together and takes no time at all.  I have used the large texture plate from Spellbinders and coupled it with an embossing folder. Very quick, very easy and very pretty too.

Spellbinders Supplies:

• S6-038 Lace and Frills texture Plate
• S2-139 Sentiments Three
• SCI-013 Cotton Candy
• EL-015 Bricks and Bark Embossing Folder

Other Supplies:

Wild Orchid Crafts -  Flowers, Lace
Mei Flower -  Ribbon,
Want2Scrap -  Pearls, 
Embossing powder

Instructions:

From the outer square #2 cut two panels in white for your base card and create a hinged card

Hand cut a slightly smaller panel in silver and another slightly smaller still in pink and emboss the top pink layer

Cut another piece of white card slightly smaller than the pink layer and this is the piece we are going to use.

Load a brayer  with the Cotton Candy Ink and roll it over the texture plate ensuring that it is all covered.

Lay the card flat on top of the plate and pass it though the Grand Calibur as an embossing sandwich 

Then quickly remove the card from the plate and while the ink is still wet sprinkle it with embossing powder and heat

The powder will stick to the wet ink  and give you a lovely effect. I used a sparkly powder.

With some sharp scissors,  or your craft knife, carefully trim around the pattern on one side and then trim again to fit the pink embossed panel from the previous step

Leave as much depth as you prefer to allow the embossed panel to show

Wrap these layers with ribbon and lace and place foam tape on the back to give dimension

Add to the silver card and the base card

Create your bow and add to the front in the position you like and add in flowers to the knot.  Add the sentiment of your choice and there you have a very pretty card for you to send with love.

Designers Tip:

Change the color and leave the panel complete for another look to this card.

Or if you are really pushed for time simply use the texture plate to emboss the silver card and miss out the other steps.

Your card will be just as lovely whichever you decide to do.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Having fun ...

Hi Everybody,

You will have to forgive the abundance of water colored cards but I am having so much fun with these new Aqua Tints from Spectrum Noir that I can't stop

The stamps are all new too and I bought all of them from  Make The Day Special  and they are mostly stamps from Altenew

This one is called Sketchy Rose and it is lovely.  The sentiment is from Sentiments and Quotes  and there are lots on one stamp sheet

Along the bottom I have added some ribbon and lace and tied a little bow with satin ribbon from Mei Flower

The little pink pearls from Want2Scrap are dotted around the card ... but just a few.

The bows centrepiece is from Wild Orchid Crafts and matches in with the color scheme perfectly

I think it does me good every so often to step away from the style I am  used to and try something different.

 Brings a new freshness back to my crafting and then I am ready to come up with some new ideas to share

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

One for the Men ...

Hi Everybody,

I am often asked for ideas to make cards for the men in our lives and being a frilly flowery kind of card maker I sometimes find it hard .... sorry guys !!  But pink and flowers maybe wouldn't suit many of you

This card uses the Sheena Douglass stamp set called  Destination   and is excellent for many occasions.

I colored it with the Spectrum Noir Aqua Tints   and you need very little to get a good result.

The sentiment stamp  is one of the Altenew  Sentiments and Quotes   and I have stamped it onto some Kraft card and layered it on to blue

The background to this piece uses the Caught In Crystal Technique   which has been around for a long time.

This is so effective and very easy to do that I had my Wednesday Class ladies try  it.

I will show you my ladies cards once they are made up as you need to leave it to dry for a good few hours.  I think a tutorial would be in order for this technique

I have layered the image on to blue card and then onto some Kraft card for a really lovely effect that should make any of the men in your life happy to receive.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Ten Blue Winners ...

Hi Everybody,

Thank you for such a great response to the Friday Freebie yesterday. I am very flattered that you would want one of my cards.

The names for the ten blue cards have been drawn and I hope you won't be blue when you get them delivered. They are all pretty cards and each is in cellophane to keep it clean.

So here is the list of names ... look carefully to see if your name is on it and you have 48 hours in which to claim your card.

Marilyn Virella

Betty McAllister

Debbie Busst

Dani

Christi

Mary O'Leary

Pharmacy Michelle

Lucy Spence

Patricia

Lisa ...

Please email me 

christina@card-making-magic.com

and the cards will be on their way to you.

I hope you like them when they arrive

More tomorrow ... 

Hugs xx

Ten Blue Cards - Ten Winners

Hi Everybody,

Last month in the Friday Freebie I gave away ten cards all in one go to ten individual winners.  They were all pink cards and this month I am giving away ten cards in BLUE  to ten more winners.  If you would like to win one of them then join the group of followers and leave me a comment

From those comments ten names will be picked at random and notified in tomorrows blog post.  The cards will be given at random so please don't select one ... it will be pot luck as to which one you will get. 

They are all different sizes and techniques and they are not finished on the insides. But they are all in cellophane bags to keep them clean and that it the reason that the picture is not clear ... soreee!!

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Magazine Freebie ...

Hi Everybody,

Yesterday my monthly subscription of 

Simply Cards and Papercrafts  

fell through the letterbox and the free gift this month was a beautiful Roses embossing folder.

And so out came the Spectrum Noir Pencils  to see what I could do.

I embossed a piece of parchment ... layering the parchment between copy paper to stop it splitting. I use the quite thick parchment from   AnnaMarie Designs

I colored it in on the raised side and I used the pinks and yellows from the Floral set and the greens from Nature and blended them as I went along

The parchment was attached to the base with little dots of Cosmic Shimmer Dress Clear and then I covered over the spots with the pearls.

But to be honest the Cosmic Shimmer dries so very clear that they didn't show up anyway under the parchment.

The base card was created with white  255gsm Hammered card from the Papermill Direct and using the  A2 Matting Basics A&B from Spellbinders

The addition of a little sentiment and the card is finished.

I enjoyed the coloring as I haven't used the pencils for quite some time and I ended up with a soft and pretty card that I am quite happy with ...  and the folder was F.R.E.E.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Another Watercolor Card ...

Hi Everybody,

So here I am again with another attempt at water coloring with  Spectrum Noir Aqua Tints

For this particular one I have used the Bright and Beautiful set and   Neena Classic Crest  and both products are from Crafters Companion

The stamps and sentiment are from Altenew and this is the Peony Scrolls.

It also has a matching   Peony Scrolls Die set  so cutting out the flowers is easy.

The sentiment is from many on one sheet of Sentiments and Quotes 

And while you are on their webpage have a look at some of the beautiful samples in the Gallery and you are sure to be inspired.

The card is created with  A2 Matting Basics A&B from Spellbinders as they gave me the size I wanted to use for my card and layers

I will be playing a lot more with these Aqua Tints and I really like the results.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Labels Forty Six

Hi Everybody,

When it comes to collecting Spellbinders I have always said that if you are buying Labels dies then also look for one of the fancy ones that will work with them.  That way you know that they will work together and you will have lots of choices in how you make the card. 

For this card I have used Labels Forty Six to create the base of my card and the Decorative Elements to give me the layers I need to build it up.  I always use foam tape or pads in between the layers as this will  create shadows and depth and add more interest to any of your designs. 

Spellbinders Supplies:

• S4-494 Labels Forty Six - Decorative Elements
• S4-488 Labels Forty Six
• S2-155 Sentiments Eight
• GC-200 Grand Calibur

Other Supplies:

Bakers Twine
Flower Charm
Pink Pearls 

Instructions:

With the #3 die from Decorative Elements cut two pieces in white for the base card. Score and fold one of them over by about 1" and glue the two together.  Place to one side as you work on the layers first.    (Please remember that #1 is always the smallest die)  

From Labels Forty Six and your chosen color cut one piece from die #6 and another from die #3 giving you two layers of different sizes

 

Cut a decorative layer from #2 and carefully open up the petals in the flowers around the edge and into the centre of each flower add a small pearl. 

Alternate these three layers together with foam pads in between to give height and wrap all of them with Bakers twine.  I added in a small charm to my card

I chose the "You're Invited"  from Sentiments Eight as this could be used for a really pretty Wedding Invitation.  So I inked up the die with Distress Inks and cleaned of the edges of the die with a cotton bud. Once it was cut and embossed I added foam tape,  cut to fit the back. 

When you have all the layers in place you can add them to the base card .... I kept the hinge to the top of the card. Add the sentiment and there you are a neat little card for any occasion.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx