Beautiful Card Designs Made Easy

April 01, 2018

Tonic Trinket Box


Hi Everybody,


So the other day I added a video using the Tonic Craft Kit 08 and making a card with it.

But since then I have been asked if I could show how to make the box that the kit was designed to do.

And always happy to oblige that is what I have done and here is the video to show you how I made my boxes.

If you are making a stacked drawer set then I would make all the drawers with the same pattern on them so that they look neat and tidy.
Dress the box any way you wish and for mine I have added in some pretty flowers to the top.

This would be ideal to pop a small jewellery gift into for a birthday or Christmas.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

March 31, 2018

Card Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

Saturdays come round far too quickly and here we are with another damp one. I hope you all have a lovely Easter despite what the weather throws at you. 

Thank you for the comments about my kitchen and all I can say is .... it's coming along.

But this is what my dining room looks like at present

Still the draw for the card and gift has been done and the name this week is you ....

Polly H 
please would you email me your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and the gift will be on it's way to you straight away
You have 72 hours in which to claim it and I hope you will like it when it arrives.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

March 30, 2018

Friday Freebie - Majestic Moments

Hi Everybody,

Now I think that this outline die and stamp set will make some really special male cards for all year round

Cutting the stags head out with the die makes a statement on the front of your design

The video for this set is here ... Majestic Moments  and this is one of the cards shown in the tutorial

You can be in with the chance to add this set to your collection by leaving me a comment at the end of this post. I will draw one name at random from them and the winner will be announced in the post tomorrow.

I am happy to send the gift wherever you live so please add your name ... you may be the lucky one

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

March 29, 2018

Tonic Craft Kit 08 - Making a card with the Trinket Box Kit

Hi Everybody,

Today I am showing you my project for the Tonic Craft Kit 08 and I know that it is late this month.

These kits sell out very quickly as they are such good quality so to be sure that you get you then consider a subscription.

This kit is called Trinket Box but I have used it to make a card instead. This is just to show you the versatility of the die set

I used the papers in the kit to make my card and they are really pretty with deep texture.
The links for a subscription are ...


More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Crafti Potential New Release


Crafti Potential Sweet Treats A5 stamp set

Hi Everybody,

A little bit of news to share today and that is the new collection of stamps and dies from

The collection is launching with

And Craft Stash are giving you the chance to win some Goodies and there is also a 10% off  discount code if you wanted to buy more of these delightful stamps.

Just choose the stamps and dies that you like and add the code at the checkout to get your discount applied

The collection is called Cute Critters and they are super cute.

INTRO OFFER 10% off (including bundle) 
CODE 10CRAFTI 
exp 4th April

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

March 28, 2018

Creative Stamping 55 (CS55) Bright & Breezy Stamp set

Hi Everybody,

Creative Stamping will be in the supermarkets and craft stores tomorrow and so if you wanted the bumper pack of goodies then you will need to be quick.

Not only is there an A4 stamp set with all different garments and sentiments but there is also a paper pack and some lovely wooden buttons 

Have fun creating scenes to suit your recipients and use the cheerful papers in the pack to add more interest to them. 

The sentiments will help you to finish off the card but I would advise you to add them to card before you cut them out to make them more sturdy.

There are lots more ideas on the back of the pack as well as in the magazine and of course this video.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


March 27, 2018

Messy Water Colouring

Hi Everybody,

Today's card is so lovely and yet easy to do and you don't need any painting skills to achieve it.

And because the dies are going to cut out the flowers you don't even need to stay within the lines.

This is pink and yellow and the two mix for a lovely peach shade

Let the video show you how to create this card and experiment with the colour blends that you like 


There is nothing neat and tidy about this and yet it looks really pretty and I am sure that you will be so pleased with yourself once you have tried it.

The colours in the video are blue and lilac and I love that combination especially with the green.
The addition of the sequins is the finishing touch and they are a lucky and very inexpensive find on Amazon.

I have used the dies and stamps from my very own "Christina Collection" that is available with Craft Stash

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


March 26, 2018

What a mess !!!

Hi Everybody,

At present I am living in a builders yard because Griff is putting a new kitchen in for us. I am having to do the best I can with a microwave and kettle in the dining room ... so needless to say we are eating out more than usual 

This is what my kitchen looked like as we started to rip things out.

The blue stuff has been there for almost twenty years. 

Very old fashioned now and so it had to go.

Just a few hours later it looked like this. 

Everything is gone apart from the solitary item which is the dishwasher standing in the middle of the wall

A few hours after this and even the floor tiles where up.


And now this is where I am up to with the new stuff going in.

It's going to look a whole lot different and I will show you the end result once it is all completed

But for now you can all feel sorry for me while my house is messed up. 

Even Ruby wonders whats happening here

So all together now .... Aaaawwww 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

March 25, 2018

Simon Says Stamp Set - Easter Greetings

Hi Everybody,

I was lucky enough to be asked if I would like to try one of the new stamps from Simon Says Stamps and this one is called Easter greetings 


There are some really cute characters on the sheet and here I have added the sheep to an inked background.

I coloured them with Promarkers and gave them rosy pink cheeks. 

The little birds in the sky are simply hand drawn and it is technique I use quite often 

Here we have the bunny and the chick peeping through some windows and the background is also created from the stamp set

Quick and simple cards to make but perfect to wish some one a Happy Easter

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


March 24, 2018

Card & Gift Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

Well this weekend the Formula One starts again for the season and that means that Griff will be glued to the telly on Sundays. 
Aaaaand you know what that means ??? I will have the afternoon to play in the craft room while he is occupied. YaaaY !!

So the draw for the card and gift from yesterday has been done and the name this week is YOU ...

Toni
would you email me please with your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and they will be on their way to you straight away.

Please let me know that you have them safely.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

March 23, 2018

Friday Freebie - Happy days

Hi Everybody,

This tropical coloured card was made with the free die and stamp set called Happy Days

The die is quite a good size to make a lovely focal point on your cards 

The making of this card is shown in the video  Happy Days  

If you would like to have this set as part of your own collection then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post.

One name will be drawn at random from those comments and announced in tomorrows blog so be sure to come back and check if it is your name that is there. You have 72 hours ion which to claim it and then it's gone 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

March 22, 2018

Die Cutting Essentials 35 - Enjoy Today

Hi Everybody,

This months Die Cutting Essentials is giving away a lovely Tonic Studios Flip Flop Die called Enjoy Today.

It's a quick and easy way to make cards with movement but it will help you to create other styles as well.

In the video I have shown you a few of the ways in which I have used it and how to make an easel card 


The magazine will be on sale today the 22nd March and it is sure to go quickly for the quality die that is being given away free

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

March 21, 2018

Simply Cards & Papercraft 175 Home Sweet Home

Hi Everybody,

The free gift with this months Simply Cards & Papercraft is a cute house that can be adapted to make so many other styles

In the video I show you ways in which to turn this into bungalows, town houses, add extensions and so much more.

There are lots of ideas within the pages of the magazine too for you to create some fabulous cards for your self.

For the card in the video I have kept it super simple with just an ink blending technique and I am really enjoying the ink blending at present.

I have been asked what is the difference between Distress Inks and Distress Oxides.  They are both made by the same company and they both react to water.  But Distress Inks are a dye based ink and the Distress Oxides are a blend of dye and pigment inks.

They blend really well and so much easier than Distress Inks and they dry to a lovely chalky appearance. They also have the ability to layer well on top of each other which Distress Inks don't do.

So really it depends on the look that you want as to which you prefer.
But for me it is the Oxides mostly for the way I like to work.
The whole collection of  Distress Oxide colours are available at Craft Stash

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

March 20, 2018

Butterfly Rainbow

Hi Everybody,

Here again today with more beautiful butterflies done in rainbow colours.

I have used Distress Oxides because they are so vibrant and they dry to a lovely chalky finish.

This is another easy to make card with the "Christina Collection"  and one that I hope you will try for yourself.



I love the look of it against the white card and the base and stitched mat are done with a 300 gsm super smooth card 

The butterflies are created with 160 gsm card both from Papermill Direct, and I have used my bargain brushes from Aldi

Most of my supplies are from Craft Stash and the links are at the bottom of the page for you to see.

You could make this card for any occasion simply by swapping out the sentiment and the verse inside.

I hope you enjoy the video and like the new style introduction that I have done to show you what it is we are making 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

March 19, 2018

Pretty in Pink ...

Hi Everybody,

This card is another of the ones created with the Water Bleaching Technique  
I added a video on the process last week in different colours and they are really lovely cards and oh so easy to do. Click the link to refresh your memory 

For this one I used Fired Brick, Picked Raspberry and Worn Lipstick and blended them well together.

Then with Wilted Violet I painted in the bleached butterflies again

I used clean water to splatter the front to the card and blotted it off with kitchen towel.

This card has used a Spellbinders stamp and Mermaid Lagoon, Blue Print Sketch, and Broken China.

Then the flowers painted back with Twisted Citron

Both are lovely vibrant cards and well worth adding the technique to your repertoire of card making skills

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx