Beautiful Backgrounds

Hi Everybody,

Todays card was shown in the video that I added last week using stencils that are available from Craft Stash

I really loved this little card once it was finished and it was very quick and easy to do.

The longest part was waiting for the embossing paste to dry ... and I left that overnight to make sure it was really dry.

I mixed Dusty Concord Distress Ink with my paste and added it to the card than dressed it up with my usual Flowers,  Ribbons and Pearls

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

All the layers are raised up with foam pads and that gives depth and interest to the card.

It is much prettier in the hand that the photo shows ... hope you like it

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - A2 Classic Waves Borders

Hi Everybody,

For todays card I have used a simple border die from Spellbinders and this is the Classic Waves which comes in three parts. 

As the border dies divide the card into two separate pieces I thought we would make two cards for the price of one with this set if dies

Spellbinders Supplies:

• S4-788 Card Creator Classic Waves Border dies
• S6-001 5x7 Matting Basics A 
• SEL-002 Grid Iron  Embossing Folder
• PL-001 Platinum Die Cutting Machine

Other Supplies:

• Cosmic Shimmer Dries Clear Glue
• Foam Sheets
• Bakers twine
• Enamel Dots
• Card - two shades of turquoise and white

Instructions:

Create two Base cards with Matting Basic A with the white card

Create three mats with two shade of turquoise and another from the white

Place the three dies at different levels and angles on the card and cut and emboss.

Ink through the die if you like to add more pattern

Use the pieces to create two cards

With foam pads layer up the dies cuts so that they create a waterfall effect on the card and they can be added at the top or bottom of the card base as you prefer

Add an extra layer of white card and emboss this if you prefer a sturdier base, and layer the die cut pieces onto this

Adding in the foam gives more dimension to the card

For the card below I have added the cut pieces to the top of the card and onto another embossed card.

The top has been wrapped with Bakers Twine and two small shells added as decoration

The "Thanks" has been cut three times and stacked together and then enamel dots placed around the rest of the card.

For this card I added the die cuts at the bottom of the card with foam in between the layers

The"You" has been cut three times and stacked together and enamel dots placed around the card

Two ideas that would make good male birthday cards with the appropriate sentiment added

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

5x7 Matting Basics A	Card Creator Classic A2 Waves Borders Etched Dies	A4 Adhesive Foam	Cosmic Shimmer Dries Clear Glue
Bakers Twine	Seth Apter Em-bossing Fold'ers Gridiron 5 x 7 in Single Sided

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Ruby Update

Hello Everyone,

I am now nine months old and growing still and having so much fun though my mum does tell me off for barking too much.

I like to sit on the back of the chair and look through the window and there is just soooo much to bark at.

Here I am at the front of my house with my very best friend Dougal and I am soaking up the sun on my favorite bench.

I am an an English Cocker Spaniel with Blue Roan Sable markings, and Dougal with his lovely curly cream coat is a Cockapoo

Our mums where taking us to Cuerden Park in Preston for the day and we are just waiting to get in the car and go. They have to pack water and bowls, towels and blankets, treats and leads and it takes them ages to get ready. All we have to do is jump in the back of the car and we are ready to go.!!!

Here we are being very impatient ... and barking ...coz we now want to go and play again

But once we got there it was wonderful and so much to do.

Doggy Paradise with lots of water and hills and fields to run and sniff in.

If you have read my stories before then you will know that I like to go swimming and today was lovely as it was not too deep ... and so need for my mum  to panic

Dougal is a bit taller than me and doesn't seem to get as wet but I had a lovely time and was soaked

It was a lovely day and so I didn't feel cold and of course we ran around for ages meeting lots of other dogs too

On the way home it was time for us to get snuggled up in our Ruff & Tumble jackets and both of us fell asleep in the back of the car.

But once we got home ....

... we both had a lovely big juicy bone to sit and chew on in the sunshine of my front garden.

We have to eat our bones away from each other though so we don't squabble about them

Because for some reason whichever bone Dougal has it always seems better than the one I have and so that is the one I want !!!

We are both very tired puppies at the end of a busy day and I can't wait to go again soon

More from my mum tomorrow ...

Bye for now

Card Winner

Hi Everybody,

I hope you are all well this weekend and have lots of good things lined up to do. We are having a lazy weekend and have nothing really planned ... which makes a change. 

 Ruby will be going out for her long Sunday morning walk with her friend Dougal and tomorrow she is back with more of her adventures.

 (If you are new to my blog then Ruby is my beautiful Cocker Spaniel puppy who gets up to all sorts of mischief)

The draw for the latest Shabby Chic card has been done and the name this week is you ...

Sharon Egolf

if you would email me please with your postal address to

christina@card-making-magic.com

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

This week a couple of ladies have joined me from Patricia at Summerhouse Crafts and it's lovely to have you here. 

Patricia has made lots and lots of boxes over the years from my Origami Box Tutorial and every one is beautiful.

That tutorial,  over at Card Making Magic.  is in two parts to make the base and then the lid.

It's best to use double sided heavy paper as the inside can be seen too. 

It's not hard to do but the results are well worth the effort. so I hope you will give it a try.

They make lovely gifts and can be filled with all kinds of "Goodies"

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

Friday Freebie 19 -Shabby Chic

Hi Everybody,

Todays Shabby Chic card is in shades of blue, white and coffee coloured flowers and has beautiful lace  added to the c bottom
 It is  no sentiment added to it and so if you wanted to use it then it is yours to do with as you please.

The flowers and lace are from Wild Orchid Crafts and the die cuts are all Spellbinders.

So if this is a card that you would like to have then leave me a comment at the end of the post. A name will be drawn from those comments and the winner announced in tomorrows blog post ... so be sure to come back and check for your name.

More tomorrow ... 

Hugs xx

Beautiful Stencils ...

Hi Everybody,

Today I am sharing four videos with you that bring you some really pretty stencils, and also the links to the stencils

They are good quality at a reasonable price and always a good addition to your crafting stash

The video will show you how I have used each one and maybe give you some more ideas on how you can use them for yourself

This one is the Brick Wall and I have added some fun sheep to mine with a stamp from Clearly Besotted

Here is the video link for you ... Creative Stencils - Brick Wall

Stencil ... Brick Wall

This one uses a really old Tilda stamp from my goodie box

I couldn't let it go to waste with this beautiful Honeycomb design that was just asking for the bees

The sentiment makes it a fun card to give for a childs birthday

Video ....  Creative Stencils - Honeycomb 

Stencil ...  Honeycomb Hexagon

This next one is Wood Grain but I thought I would have some fun and make it a Zebra Print instead

I used the Safari Friends free gift from Papercraft Essentials and I think it turned out great.

Video ...  Creative Stencils - Wood Grain

Stencil ... Wood Grain

I have used some of the images that I coloured some time ago and they have just been waiting for the right moment to make them into cards

This digital image is from Just Inklined and it like Tilda is quite an old image

Video ... Creative Stencils - Stars

 Stencil ...Stars 

I hope you enjoy the vidoes and my ideas

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Two new magazines

Hi Everybody,

So here I am with two new magazines to show you and they are this months Simply Cards & Papercraft 163 and Die Cutting Essentials 24 ... both have fabulous free gifts attached that will help your crafting goodies to grow

The gift that is free with this months SC&P 163 is called Life is Sweet and it has a large corner die and a stamp set that will all work together.

In this post there are two links ... one to the video and the other direct to the page to purchase the magazine

For this card I used the strawberry plant and water coloured them with Gansai Tambi paints

The sentiment is stamped and embossed in gold onto some parchment with a little bee added to the edge.

The video will give you some more ideas and I hope you will enjoy it ... Simply Cards and Papercraft 163 

If you wanted to buy the magazine then you will find it here ... SC&P 163 Life is Sweet  and it is full of tips, information and step by steps on how to create the cards

The next video is  Die Cutting Essentials 24  - Mix and Matt Nesting Die Set

A very useful addition to your growing die collection and one I am sure you will make lots of good use of.

The link to the die set is Mix and Matt Die Set




Both mags are well worth a coffee break as you have some "me"  time to browse the pages Enjoy !!

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Shaped Cards

Hi Everybody,

For todays card I am using an older labels die from Spellbinders and creating the shaped base with the largest one. It is just simple layering of the different sizes and shapes with two colours

  This always makes an interesting card and it can be done with most dies. 

Try it with any that you have in your own collections as this die is now retired from Spellbinders website

Spellbinders Supplies:

• S4-462 Labels Thirty Nine
• S4-464 Labels Thirty Nine Deco Elements
• PL-001 Platinum Machine

Other Supplies:

• Flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts
• card from Papermill Direct
• Sentiment from Lili of the Valley
• Butterfly from my stash

Instructions:

From the largest die #5 cut two shapes in white 

Score one of them along the long side about half an inch down  and glue together to form the base

From the other dies in the Labels 39 and also the Decorative Elements cut the shapes in the colours you like 

Layer them together so that a plain piece backs a fancy edged one each time and use foam pads to give dimension

Stamp and emboss your sentiment and cut out with a circle die or punch and add to the card front 

Dress with flowers and pearls 

The butterfly is from some that I have had a long time 

Quick and easy card for today 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Shaving Foam Background

Hi Everybody,

I have been playing with the shaving foam again and this is the card I came up with

I used two shades of blue in some really cheap shaving foam and I created several panels from the mix.

This one was my favorite and so on top of it I stamped the butterfly in black and heat embossed it with clear powder

The butterfly was a magazine freebie and I have used it several times

I coloured the wings with my pencils and then out came the glue pen and I added glitter to them

A few sequins dotted here and there and this makes a really pretty card in to time at all.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Shabby Chic Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

Bit of a change in the weather and it's been raining overnight. So it will be wellies time to dog walk later today. But the draw for the first shabby chic card on offer has been done and the winner is ...

Toni Selden

Please can you email me

christina@card-making-magic.com

with your postal address

and the card will be on its way to you

I hope you will like it and please let me know that you have it safe

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie 18 - Shabby Chic

Hi Everybody,

As promised this is the start of the Shabby Chic cards and this is no:1 that is on offer. This is one of my favorites and I love the soft lilac and lemon colour scheme to it and I really enjoyed making this one.

The flowers are all from Wild Orchid Crafts and there are lots of them. 

The cameo and the lace are also from WOC and the card is a truly feminine creation

So if you would like to win this card then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of the blog post and from those comments a name will be drawn at random.  I will announce the winner in tomorrows blog post  and then you will have 72 hours to claim it

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Creative Stamping 43 - Sea View Collection.

Hi Everybody,

Tomorrow sees the sale of the new  Creative Stamping 43   magazine and with it is a fabulous collection of stamps. The link will take you to the order page

Each month a different designer will be featured and this month it is Sheena Douglass with the Mermaid and the Message in a Bottle 

I have kept all my cards to sea and sand water colours with Gansai Tambi and had a lot of fun creating them. 

In the video ... 

Creative Stamping 43 - Sea View Collection

 I give you some ideas of how I used this set and show another way using one stamp as a background

They will make cards for any age group ... male or female and there are some lovely sentiments in the collection also

So get out your colours and have a little play time for yourself as you create some really lovely cards.

And look out for Creative Stamping next month when another designer will be featured 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tuesday Tutorial - Floral Swirls Strip

Hi Everybody,

Todays card is using one of the strip dies from Spellbinders and this die comes in two parts to make it a very versatile addition to your collection.

 I have used it in two different ways to create the beautiful backdrop for my flowers.

 I have added in all the links at the bottom of the page

Spellbinders Supplies:

• S4-659 Floral Swirls Strip
• S6-001 5x7 Matting Basics A
• S6-002 5x7 Matting Basics B
• PL-001 Platinum Die cutting machine

Other Supplies:

• Card from Papermill Direct
• Flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts
• Glitter from Glitter Magic
• Patterned Card from the £££Shop
• Cosmic Shimmer Glue from Craft Stash
• Distress Inks from Craft Stash

Instructions:

With die #7 from Matting Basics A cut two panels in white to create the base card

With die #7 from Matting Basics B cut another layer in patterned card

(Please remember that die #1 is always the smallest)

With die #6 from Matting Baiscs A cut another panel in white

Place the centre part of the Floral Swirls Strip onto one side of the card and tape in place ... die cut

Then move it over to the other side of the card and repeat the process

With the outer part of the die cut a panel in patterned paper.

Then with the two dies together cut another panel in white

Ink through this piece before removing it from the die. (I used Dusty Concord & Bundled Sage)

Flat glue the patterned paper to the base card

Add foam pads in strategic places to the filigree panels so that they cannot be seen from the front

Add this to the base layers

With foam pads between these two layer add the filigree to the solid layer and add these two to the centre of the card front.

And this is what it will look like once you have done those steps, and if you wanted to leave it at this stage it is a lovely card and not too fussy for the men in your life.

But I wanted to dress mine up a little more and add in the flowers that I like to use...

From left to right:

Tulips in two different shades of purple ... Rosebuds in two shades 

Roses in 10mm and 20mm ... Lily and one Anemone

Stamp the sentiment onto white card and layered it onto left over piece of patterned paper

Arrange the flowers as you like them and tuck the sentiment into the display

Dot with glue and sprinkle with glitter for a sparkly effect.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Shapeabilities Art Nouveau Floral Swirl Strip Stacey Caron Etched Dies	5x7 Matting Basics A	5x7 Matting Basics B	Wild Orchid Crafts
Chameleon Glitter	PICK & MIX	Platinum Die Cutting and Embossing Machine	Cosmic Shimmer Dries Clear Glue
Tim Holtz Distress Ink November bundle

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