Playing with Altenew ...

Hi Everybody,

I have been playing with new dies and stamps from Altenew and I love the big flowers that these dies produce.

They are layering dies and give you that 3-D look really easily just using different shades of card for the layers.

Everything on this card is from Altenew from the background to the flowers. 

And HELLO has been covered with Glossy Accents 

Both of these have used the same Peony Dream 3-D Die 

If you don't have the shades of card that you want .... but you have coloured markers .... then you can create them easily for your self by colouring white card

These dies and stamps are not cheap to buy but the cards that they make are really beautiful and I will be using them again quite a lot in the future

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Tonic Craft Kit 09 - Art Deco Box

Hi Everybody,

The kit from Tonic this month is the Art Deco Box and it is quite a good size.

The video will show you how to put the pieces together and you can decorate it to suit your own style.

It's not difficult to make and there are lots of small dies that can easily be lost so you will need to store them carefully.

For my project I have done an inked pattern for the panels with Distress Oxides. The paper is so beautiful and I am saving it for another idea that I have.

These boxes are perfect for adding small gifts to and would make lovely party bags or wedding favours

You can subscribe to Tonic to get the kits delivered to you each month and that way you will be sure never to miss out on one.

UK & Europe ... http://www.toniccraftkit.co.uk

US & North Amercia ... https://www.tonic-studios.com/pages/kit

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Card & Gift Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

What a lovely day it is here and today we are going to look for tiles for the new kitchen so that we can get the walls and floor finished and it's going to look lovely

I have my dining room back to normal again. The carpets have been shampooed and it looks like home 

So the room has gone from this .....

Back to this ... 

It seems to have been a long haul but I know it will be worth it in the end.

Tomorrow I will be taking Ruby for her long Sunday morning walk.

This is not the only exercise she gets .... she is out twice everyday with Griff and he takes her to the park to play with her friends.

Then every Wednesday she goes to Doggy Day care

But Sunday morning is my special time with her and we go out for a few hours with Vickie and Dougal.

Enough of my ramblings ... let me tell you who has won yesterdays draw for the card and gift on offer.

Today's winner is

Brenda Hopkins ( Littlelamb)

please email me your postal address to 

christina@card-making-magic.com

and they will be on their way to you straight away.

Next week I will have some exciting news to share with you so be sure to come back and see what it is ..

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Mandala Stencil & Stamp Set

Hi Everybody,

Today's gift is a stencil and stamp set and I really enjoyed playing with this set.

I really like stencils to give you a beautiful background to your designs but for this card I made the pattern the star of the show with clear embossing powder.

The video Mandala Stencil & Stamp Set will give you other ideas too and if you win this then I hope it pleases you as much as it did me

Now if you would like to win this set then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post.  From those comments one name will be drawn as the winner and it announced in tomorrows blog post.

Please leave your full name or you will be excluded from the draw. I cant accept entries from people who only leave a single name, or anonymous or unknown.

You can simply add it at the end of the comment if that is easier for you. And don't forget to come back in the morning to see if it is your name that is listed.
You will have 72 hours in which to claim the gift

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Rainbow Shaker Card

Hi Everybody,

This cute little Unicorn is part of the Sweet Treats set of stamps from Crafti Potential.

I really enjoyed turning her into a shaker card and this is sure to delight the younger members of your family.

If you are new to card making please don't be daunted because shaker cards are really easy to do.

The video will show you how I made this card and once you have done one you will want to do more.

The stamps are lovely and there are some cute images throughout the whole collection.  Well worth a visit to Craft Stash to see what is on offer and the links are all at the bottom for the items that I have used

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Papercraft essentials 159 - Man of the Moment

Hi Everybody,

This is the perfect stamp and die set for anybody who has brain freeze when it comes to male cards.

I had so much fun playing with this and creating cards that I struggle with from time to time.

The gift is free with Papercraft Essentials this month and if you want it then look in the shops tomorrow.

I will be offering this as a free give away later in the year so keep a look out for that too.

The stamps will help you to make these cards for men but it can be altered to make female cards too. 

On this one I added Googly eyes and drew in some eyelashes 

 I am sure that you will enjoy playing with it once you get them home 

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Alphabet Aperture ...

Hi Everybody,

For today's card I have used the Horse from Pawfect Pets by Crafti Potential to create a fun effect with Alphabets

I have the large letters from the Donna Salazar Alphabet from Spellbinders

My card is 5x7 so they take up a good bit of space but you could make your card larger or smaller 

The video will show you how to get the effect for your self  and it is not difficult to do whatever size alphabet you use.  But I don't think a smaller one would have the same effect on the card

The stamp set is available from Craft Stash and is one of several new ones from Crafti Potential

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Safari Squad by Crafti Potential

Hi Everybody

Once again I have been having fun with the new character stamps by Crafti Potential and this time I have used the Safari Squad and the Messy Water Colour Background

There are several animals for you to choose and these are the ones I used.

In retrospect I wish I had added more stripes to the zebra whilst doing the video as I think he looks a little unfinished.

So later I went back to the card and added some extra stripes and now he looks dressed and I am much happier with the card

The video will show you how I created the jungle and the stamps did all the work  with just a little colouring from me.

So make a cuppa and enjoy the film ... it's not long

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

2 Cards from 1 die ... really pretty !!

Hi Everybody,

Today I am using an old die that some of you may already have too.

These where very popular a few years ago and created beautiful weaving backgrounds for you.

There are two dies to get the weaved look but for today's card I am using just one the
 Classic Weaving Die.

The Distress Oxide background is one we have done before but I really like the soft look that comes with Broken China, Shaded Lilac and Cracked Pistachio

Using what would be the waste is an economical way to get the two cards and can be done with lots of dies that you may have.

If you have these dies sat at the back of a cupboard then it is time to get them out again to give his a try. That way you get your monies worth from what is not a cheap investment

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Card & Gift Winner ...

Hi Everybody,

Hello on this beautiful Saturday morning and I hope you all have good things planned in the lovely sunshine.

One little Spaniel has had some fun playing in the sea and here is Ruby running in the waves 

The draw for the card and gift has been done and the winner  is ...

Sue Pollock

please email me with your postal address to

christina@card-making-magic.com

and they will be on their way to you straight away.

On another note ... my kitchen is in and working but not finished yet. 

There are all the new tiles to add to walls and floor and the decorating to be done. And once it is done I will show you the complete change.

It is looking really modern and I am very pleased with it.

The hold up has been pieces missing from the order and Griff has had to keep chasing them up. 

But it is a credit to him and all the hard work he has done fitting this alone

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Friday Freebie - Garden Retreat

Hi Everybody,

A really large A4 stamp set is on offer this week that will make beautiful designs all year round.

The video to show you how I used this is  ...

Garden Retreat 

with lots of ideas for you to copy

You can build your own scenes with this stamp set and the sentiments in the pack can be mixed and matched for many occasions 

So if you would like this set to play with then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post and one name will be chosen as the winner.

Please do not leave your self as Unknown/Anonymous as there could be several people all identifying them selves that way. Unknown/Anonymous will be removed from the list. 

Just add your full name ... first name/last name ... to be sure of being notified if you are the winner.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Simply Cards & Papercraft 176 - Teacup Garden

Hi Everybody,

A cute little die and stamp set is free with this months Simply Cards & Papercraft called Teacup Garden.

This is suitable for male cards and will cover many occasions for you.

There is a free paper pack included in the magazine and they are perfect for changing the look of your cups

When you are adding the cups keep the bottom one straight but add the others so that they look as if they are going to topple over for a fun quirky effect.

The video is not long but I hope you enjoy it and will have some fun with this free gift that comes with Simply Cards and Papercraft 176 that is on sale today

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Creative Stamping 56 - A Good Sport

Hi Everybody,

Once again a large A4 stamp set is free with creative Stamping and this one is A Good Sport.

It covers many different sport and occasions and is suitable for males and females of all age groups.

The designer this month is Joanna Sheen.

There is the opportunity for you to buy the matching dies for the bowler and the cricketer at the top of the stamp set.

You can have lots of fun creating scenes for your recipients with this stamp set

In the video I show you other ideas and of course there are lots more in the magazines itself.

The card I make is really simple with an inked background ideal for those new to stamping or need a card in a hurry.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Make Your Own Foam Pads

Hi Everybody,

If you view my videos regularly then you will know that I like to add dimension to my cards and sentiments

Which means I use a lot of foam in between the layers.

So I would ask you if you like to do the same?

And do you also use craft foam in the process of cardmaking?

 And last but not least do you have one of the Xyron Sticker maker machines?

If you can tell me yes to all three questions then you have the means to make your own foam pads to use in your card making

The little Xyron machine will create pads that you can cut to the size you need but if you have one of the bigger machines then you can make a whole sheet that is perfect for the layers.

If you make water coloured cards then you will know that they can collapse around small foam pads and look awful when the card buckles.  But with a piece of foam underneath cut to the size of the panel then it will look  lovely when it arrives with your recipient.

The video is not long but hopefully it will give you some idea on how to put the whichever Xyron machine you may have to good use.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Love & Romance

Hi Everybody,

For today's card I am using one of the new die sets from Crafti Potential and this is the Stitched Rectangles Love & Romance

All the dies and stamps are now available at Craft Stash and I will add the links at the bottom of the page for you to see.

The video is not long but it will show you how I created the featured card and I used texture paste to add through the stencil

It is easy to do and because I added embossing powder to the top and heated it up there was no need to wait for drying time with the paste.

Quick easy and very effective for any occasion

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx