Friday Freebie 105

Hi Everybody,

The card on offer today is the one that was created in the Tues Tut last July and it used the waste that was left over from the Grate Effect die

It is a very sparkly card in soft gold but it is much better in the hand than the photo shows

It is a 5x7 top hinged card and would be suitable for any occasion.

So if this is a card that you would like then all you have to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post

From those comments a name will be chosen and the winner announced in tomorrows blog post.

I cannot say this enough ... please come back and check  if it is you who has won as you have 48 hours in which to claim it.

All you need to do to check for your name is scroll back through the days. The winner is announced  the day after on the Saturday.

So if you don't come back till the Thursday, or later,  then you will need to scroll back through the other days ... and if need be click the "Older Posts" at the end of the pages.

Alternatively click   "The Winner is ... " in the Archives list  in the sidebar to your right

I am happy to send the card wherever you are but I would like you to let me know when you have received it.

Good luck to every one of you

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

White Hearts ...

Hi Everybody,

Pretty Hearts card in pale green and white with a lovely verse on the front from Lili of the Valley  and there are several on an A5 clear stamp sheet

This is one of the cards that I made for Craft Stash and this is the Detailed Heart  

I have cut the die twice and layered it onto some plain card then carefully cut around it to give an extra layer

The crochet lace matches in with t the colour scheme and on each of the dots in the paper I have added a small self adhesive  pearl

The white ribbon is from Mei Flower   and the centre to the knot is from Wild Orchid Crafts

There is a strip of pearls from Want2Scrap along the edge of the card and I have rounded the outside corners to the card

Makes a change from a red Valentines Day card and it could be used all year round

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Water Colour Wednesday - Tilda Bee

Hi Everybody,

The other day that I was sorting through my stamps and putting them in clear plastic wallets, and labelling them for easy future reference

Some of them are old ones and have been used quite a lot over the years.

But I thought that I would get them all out again and re do them with the Water Colours that I bought ME for Christmas !!.

So this is Tilda and I stamped her onto water colour card from Crafters Companion

I used Versafine Onyx Black Ink, because it is water proof, and I heat embossed her with clear powder.

Then I have painted her with Gansai Tambi paints.

She was so much fun and I really enjoyed colouring this image and I found a sentiment stamp that seemed to just fit.

I went over the wings with Wink Of Stella clear glitter pen to give a soft sheen to them.

The image has been cut out with the Pierced Rectangles  from Spellbinders and then matted onto some card that blended with the image.

Another card that would be suitable for a child ... or maybe some adults would like it too

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Victorian Numbers

Hi Everybody,

We have used the Alphabets on several cards on the past few months but for today I thought we could dig out the numbers a see what we can do with them.  I am sure that many of you have these dies ... or numbers of some description ... and this is a pretty card to make for a special birthday or anniversary.

 Spellbinders Supplies:

• S6-001 5x7 Matting Basics A
• S6-002 5x7 Matting Basics B
• S4-540 Victorian Numbers
• EL-002 Regal embossing folder
• GC-200 Grand Calibur Die Cutting and Embossing Machine
• Raspberry Adapter Plate

Other Supplies:

• Pink/white Bakers Twine - Wild Orchid Crafts
• White card - Papermill Direct
• Glitter from Glitter Magic
• Sentiment from JustRite Stampers
• Small silver key from my "Stash"

Instructions:

With die #7 Matting Basica A cut two pieces of white card and

Create a Hinged Card

With die #7 Matting Basics B cut one layer in some pretty card

With die #6 Matting Basics A cut another layer in white

Add your chosen numbers to the white card in the top right hand corner. Space them out as you like and tape them to the card so that they don't slip and cross each other in your die cutter

Tape the numbers that you wish to use for the birthday onto the patterned card, 

Add them in the opposite corner where they will not interfere with the white card and cut them out

Stamp the sentiment onto the white card and then emboss it. 

You need to stamp first because the card will be un even once it has been embossed and difficult to stamp

 Add the white embossed layer over the patterned layer with foam pads in between.

Cut the foam pads if you need smaller ones and space them evenly around the numbers to support them on the card

Add in the pink numbers near the sentiment. I have covered my numbers with glossy accents and sprinkled them with glitter. 

Once they are dry I  threaded a silver key on to the Bakers Twine and wrapped it around the layers, tying a small bow into the twine

With foam tape in between I added it these layers to my base card.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Valentine Heart

Hi Everybody,

For todays card I thought I would stay with the traditional colours for Valentines Day and I have used card from Papermill Direct  for the base and the heart.

I have used the Classic Hearts and Scalloped Classic Hearts from Spellbinders but I cannot link to them yet as SB website is down

I have turned this into a shaker card and filled it with sequins and it looks really effective. The sequins are a good sized bag from the £££ Shop so a really cheap buy.

They do them in other colours too and they just happened to fall into my basket at the same time !!

The ribbon and lace around the bottom keep it girly and the card is better in the hand than a photograph

The lace and the bows centre are from Wild Orchid Crafts

The little red hearts are die cut from a small Spellbinders die that is part of another set but it really came in handy for this card

New Page Added

Over in the right hand side bar I have added in a new page called "Pretty Things I Use " that lists all the suppliers that I use for my work. Just click the picture to go to the new page

 It will be there as a permanent page to the resources so that you can click  each of the links on that page and see what they have to offer.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Todays Winner is ...

Hi Everybody,

It's raining here again today and we are going out to eat later in the day to a little pub near by.  It has all the Slimming World things for me like grilled chicken and salad and jacket potatoes so I can have a good tuck in.

And if you are a SW member then you will know what I mean when I say it is all FREE.  I don't mean cost wise but the Syn value .... SW people will understand.  Then it's home again to settle down for some TV this evening

The draw has been done for the turquoise card from yesterday and the name drawn from the hat is

 Sylvia Zammit ...

can you email me please 

christina@card-making-magic.com

with your postal address and the card will be on it's way to you.

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

When a winner is announced I have no way to contact you that the card is yours other than here on the blog so you need to come back and check and then email me in the next 48 hours if you wish to receive the card.

Since the New Year started I have offered these cards as freebies and they have had a good response ... BUT I do not understand why people add their name and then don't check the result.

Two names have been announced and the cards have not been claimed.

 I won't mention the names but both have been back on the blog since and still not checked the back pages that are here.

I am paying the postage so all you need to do is tell me where you are.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 104

Hi Everybody,

A bright turquoise card is on offer this week complete with flower and a Hat pin pushed into the bow.

It is much better in the hand than the photo shows and it could be on its way to you if you leave me a comment at the bottom of the post.

This card was the subject of a Tuesday Tutorial way back last February and all the dies were listed then.

The inside is also decorated to match the front and it has a sentiment on the front that says "On Your Retirement"  but that can easily be changed if you wanted to use it for another occasion

If you add your name and comment then please come back to check if you are the winner. You will have 48 hours in which to claim it

The winner will be announced in tomorrows blog post.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

YouTube ...

Hi Everybody,

The other day I mentioned that I was going to start scheduling videos to YouTube on a regular basis and they would be added twice a month ... on the first and third Thursday each month.

This seems to have been misread by some people and they think that this is the First video I have done.

Oh NO! it is not the first ... there are 270 already on my YouTube channel  for you to view and I have them on my website at Card Making Magic  as well as on these pages in the Video Tutorials section in the title bar

I am simply adding them regularly so that you know each month when a new one will be added and by subscribing to YouTube you won't miss any.

They are free to watch and will eventually be on both website and blog. This is just a way of making myself more disciplined and regular with my work each month.

So today is the day that the video Caught In Crystal Technique goes  "Live" for February as it is the first Thursday in the month.  The next one will be due  on the 18 th and I am working on that one at the moment.

I really hope you will enjoy these videos ... and of course the ones that are already there and I thank you for all the support and the comments that you take the time to leave for me

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Water Colour Wednesday - Sealed with a Kiss

Hi Everybody,

Todays water colour is using an image from Make It Crafty

There are many images and background scenes for you to choose from.

This one is called Sealed with A Kiss  and it is so intricately drawn

I have coloured her with Gansai Tambi Water Colours  and I am quite pleased with the result though it did take me some time to complete

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and I have used some foiled teal card from Hunkydory for the background. The finished card is 6x6 and I have no idea where it is going.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Vintage Lace

Hi Everybody,

I have been a collector of Spellbinders for many years now and these are some of the first ones I ever bought.  I always bought the Accent dies that matched the Motifs and that way I could get the most out of all the sets.

This particular set is the Vintage Lace Accents and Motifs and they are now retired from Spellbinders website. If you shop around to other places you may still be able to buy them but I wanted to include tutorials with older dies as I know that many of us have them in our collections

Spellbinders Supplies:

• S6-001 5x7 Matting Basics A
• S6-002 5x7 Matting Basics B
• Vintage Lace Motifs
• Vintage Lace Accents
• S4-114 Standard Circles LG

Other Supplies:

• Blue Satin Ribbon from Mei Flower
• Pearls from Want2Scrap
• Diamante centre from Wild Orchid Crafts
• White and blue card from Papermill Direct

Instructions:

With die #7 Matting Basics A cut two panels and create a hinged card  for your base

With die #7 Matting Basics B cut another panel in your chosen colour 

From the Vintage Lace Accents and Motifs cut the largest circular dies in white and from the border strip cut six pieces in white.

From dies #4 and #6 cut these circles in blue to layer under the lace panels

Add the border strips to the blue panel spacing them out evenly across the panel.

 Have a dry run before you glue them into place so that you are happy with the look and the glue them in place. Trim the edges for a neat finish.

I hand cut another blue panel to fit slightly smaller than the base and layered this lace panel onto it so that it also leaves a small border.

Layer up the lace circles with their corresponding blue ones and use foam tape in between the layers

Stamp and emboss your sentiment and add to your card front.

Wrap all the layers with ribbon before adding to your base card and place a double bow in the centre

Cover the bows knot with a dazzler and dot pearls around the sentiment for effect

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

News ...

Hi Everybody,

If you are a visitor to my website Card Making Magic ... then you may know that you can download a free booklet if you leave me your email address. It also adds your name to my website mailing list and then you will get a copy of the ezine when I publish one and I try to do that each month.

The last one went out on Friday to almost 13,000 people. In that ezine I told folks that I have been doing some training with YouTube and one of the things they advise "Video Creators" to do is add videos on a regular basis.

Now I must admit that I have been a bit hit and miss with this particular point and have added them as I have gone along. Well all that is going to change and I am now going to add two videos per month on the 1st and 3rd week each month.

So now I can have a mammoth video making session and then schedule them for the designated days and hopefully that will attract more followers to my YouTube channel. At the moment I have 32,735 followers which is absolutely amazing but I would like the channel to grow and get more. Between them they have notched up over 6 million views of my work 

And working on the principal that if you don't ask you don't get .... I am asking all of YOU ... if you are not a subscriber to my YouTube channel yet then will you please become one.

I am at   christina1716  and there is an introductory video if you are a new subscriber.  

The first video for this month will be live this Thursday and it features the Caught In Crystal Technique.

The card shows you what it looks like and it is super easy to do.  The worst part is waiting for it to dry and that is usually overnight.

I hope you will help me to grow the YouTube channel in the coming months

Click this link if you would like to join the mailing list then add your emails address at  Card Making Magic  and then you can follow the instructions to download the free booklet

And there you have two links where you can find and follow me ... and that would be wonderful

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Todays Card Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

Gosh the weather is wild here today and I am in the best place now where it's warm and cozy. I ventured out the morning to Slimming World and I have got my two stone award this morning. Guess who is a happy bunny today then ???

Last week after SW class I went to Morrisons for some shopping and I was really good adding fresh fruit and veg to my basket. And then just as I picked up,  not one but two packs of some sweet Chorley cakes for Griff,  my group leader was stood right in front of me ... shaking her head !!

I promised her that they were not for me, but I don't think she believed me. I was definitely caught in the act.  But they are for Griff ... honest.

So todays winner has been chosen at random and the name drawn from the hat this week is you ...

Haze T 

please would you email me your postal address to 

christina@card-making-magic.com

and the card will be on it's way to you.

You have 48 hours from now to claim it and I hope that you will like it when it arrives.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 103

Hi Everybody,

This pretty blue card is one that will suit all occasions if you swapped out the sentiment

The soft blue shade is created with Spotty card from AnnaMarie Designs

The dies I have used are Decorative Labels Eight  and it is one of my favorite sets

The flowers are a lovely selection from Wild Orchid Crafts  

I have sparkled them as I usually do with glitter from Glitter Magic

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

One name will be drawn from the hat at the name announced in tomorrows blog post.  PLEASE come back and check if it is you if you leave the comment.  You will have 48 hours to claim the card from when your name goes live.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Blue Bouquet

Hi Everybody,

This pretty floral display is made up from a mixture of Roses, Chrysanthemums, Rose buds, Gypsophila, and Apple Blossom

They have all been given the sparkly effect with fine glitter from Glitter Magic

Into the centre of the largest flower I have added a pearl embellishment  and that and the flowers are all from Wild Orchid Crafts

The background card has Happy Birthday printed all over it and this is from AnnaMarie Designs  and it comes in many colours to suit your theme

This was made for Craft Stash and it features there  Apple Blossom Mini Tags 

The beautiful pearl and diamante strip that I have added to the ribbon is from Want2Scrap  and there are two strips in each pack

It is a  very pretty card and I know lots of people who would love to have this for their birthdays.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Water Colour Wednesday - The girl in Pink

Hi Everybody,

It's water colour time again and this one has been done with a digital image from Make It Crafty

There are eight images in the  Carefree Women Collection  and you can colour them to suit any occasion that you want.

(There are also some excellent tutorials on their website to teach you how to get the most from these or any other images you may have either  digital or stamped)

They are a lot of fun to colour and I am really enjoying all the practise that I am putting in to make myself better with water colours.

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and I have used the mini glitter ball in the centre of the largest flower.

All of them have been sparkled with Glitter Magic

The rectangle shapes that I have cut the image out with are some of the oldest and very first Spellbinders I ever bought and they are now retired from their website.

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx