Beautiful Card Designs Made Easy

May 19, 2020

Altnew Chrysanthemum

Hi Everybody,

I was having a little play over the weekend with some Altenew Stamps and coordinating dies that I have had for some time and this is what I came up with.

I think these flowers are so pretty and I love the card.

But the reason I am showing it to you twice is to see the difference just a few gemstones can make to add a luxury feel to any card
I have added just five  small pink stones to the card and I think it looks so much better.

I have used cream card for the base and added one slightly smaller layer with foam tape for a little depth.

It is a layering stamp in four sections but I only used three and three shades of pink ink for the flowers and two shades of green for the leaves 

Here is another one that I did at the same time with flowers in another area to ring the changes.

Both are lovely but the first one has to be my favourite. 

There's just something about that one that makes it extra special

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


May 17, 2020

Winner

Hi Everybody,

Its been a lovely day here today and Ruby and I have been for a walk along the prom. People have started to come out a little more this weekend and I was surprised at how many bicycles there are about.  All keeping a safe distance of course.

So I have done the draw for Fridays Give Away and the name this week is

Terri Rodrigue 

Please email me your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.con
and I will get it in the post for you straight away.

I hope you enjoy your prize and please let me know when it arrives with you.

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx

May 15, 2020

Friday Freebie - Festive Gift Set

Hi Everybody,

For today offering I have a Christmas themed set of die and stamp set.

You can adapt this set easily to work all year round for you and you will lots of ideas in the magazine.

Christine Smith from Crafti Potential is the master at turning these into cards for all occasions and she has an article inside for you to follow.

Now if this is something that you would enjoy playing with, then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post with your FULL NAME.

Be sure to come back and check if your name is shown as the winner and I will send the prize to your straight away

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


May 14, 2020

Paint Pouring with Arteza


Hi Everybody

The painting is finished and today my eldest daughter came to collect it.

She is going to put it in her dining room and she is thrilled to bits with it.

You can see from her holding it just how big it is but I am really pleased with the way it turned out.

So covering up the Audrey Hepburn painting underneath has worked out well in the end and Mandi now has a more modern painting to add to her home

I should have signed it for when I get to be a famous artist  !!


There is a lot of Arteza Metallic Colours in there as well as the gold but I have also added the Gold Leaf which shines brightly in the picture.

I used a really thin brush to create what look like gold veins in the colours.

And then it has had two coats of varnish to seal it all.

Oh well I am pleased that Mandi is pleased with it and it has now gone to its new home.

I have another one on the go at present which is for Griffs eldest daughter Nicola and that has also got gold leaf on it.

Its not as big as this one and I will show you that next week once the varnish is dry

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

May 13, 2020

Craft Stash 5th Birthday Week

HI Everybody,

This week is the fifth year that Craft Stash have been operating and they are having lots of celebrations over on their website.

 All week there have been some wonderful offers and prizes for you and this coming Friday we are going to be having a special Craft Stash Facebook Live.

If you get their email in your Inbox then you will know that I have a video on there today using the newest addition to the card making Magic Ranges.  

This came about because I was asked by a reader if I could bring out
Lower Case Letters that would compliment the Upper Case Letters that were released last year.

Well the answer is yes and they are now available on the Craft Stash Website.

They open up so many new opportunities for you to add names, occasions, greetings and sentiments to your cards, and the video will show you some of the ones I have done.

I am really excited about this new addition and all I can say is if you aren't part of their club to get their emails then WHY NOT !!. It's very easy to do ... just leave your email address and they will notify you of any changes, competitions and special offers as they happen.

And don't forget Craft World too. This is the newest place to go to meet people who have the same interests and enthusiasm you have for all things crafty, and it's FREE

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

May 11, 2020

Beautiful Layered Roses

Hi Everybody,


This is a die set from my collections that has been out for some time now and it will help you to create some lovely Roses that can be used all year round to good effect

 In this video I have created three cards of varying sizes and all different themes 

I have enjoyed playing with this set over the last few days and I hope you will enjoy the video that I have put together for you to view


I have linked to all the products I have used both at the end of the blog post and under the description on YouTube so that they are easy for you to find.

Now,  I have used pens to colour my flowers but you can use whatever you have to hand and still get a beautiful look to the roses. I have used other leaf sets though to give me a variation with them so use any that you have in your own collections.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

May 10, 2020

Paint Pouring with Arteza

Hi Everybody,

My eldest daughter likes my paint pouting efforts and she has asked me to do one for her dining room, and her favourite colours are green and purple
 I thought it would be about 12x12" and so I said yes.
 Then she said "It's the one with Audrey Hepburn on it " and I knew that it was a biiiiig canvas.

This is it and it is a good 30" square and you can just make out the print underneath.

 I have painted over it with white paint to block out the print.  Sorry Audrey !!

I used a really cheap house paint to do this as the canvas is so large and it would have been very expensive with acrylic

Once that was dry I did the base coat in white paint ready for the pour.

I had to lay this out on my garage floor because of the size and make sure that it was all level before I poured otherwise it would just run off the sides.
Once the Paint is spread out evenly I can get ready to work on it.

Then I had to mix my colours ready to work with. I used Arteza Acrylics and I mixed two shades of purple, and one of them was metallic, into separate  cups.

I mixed up three different shades of green and a beautiful gold and one of pewter

 Stupidly I started to pour and forgot to take photos of it as I did and so I have nothing to show you of that part.

But this is a section of it as it was tilted and once it is completely dry I am going to add Gold Leaf to  highlight the gold in it.

And I really hope she will like it when I give it to her to hang in her house.
 I will take a complete picture of it once it is finished to show you the end result.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


May 09, 2020

Winner

Hi Everybody,

I hope you are all enjoying the sunshine in the UK on this Bank Holiday weekend. Ruby and I have been in the woods this morning while it was cool and it is so peaceful in there and we love it.
But apparently tomorrow it is going to be cold again so make the most of it while the sun is still here

I have done the draw for yesterdays Chloe kit and the the lucky winner is ....

Lucie Hale

Please would you send me your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and I will get it in the post to you straight away.
Be sure to let me know when it arrives with you and I hope you will enjoy playing with it.

I have lots of good quality stuff for future "Give Aways" so make sure you come back each week and see what is on offer. You never know you could be the winner next week.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx


May 08, 2020

Friday Freebie - Chloe Kit

Hi Everybody,

Today's offer is a bumper gift and it is from the lovely Chloe Endean.

There is no card or video to go with this but the kit consist of Stamps, 2 stencils and an embossing folder + a beautiful paper pack

You will find lots of inspiration in the pages of the magazine, so relax and have a read to your hearts content. 

The housework can wait until tomorrow ....

This would make a super addition to your crafting stash and so if this is something that you would like then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of this post.

You must add your FULL NAME or your entry will not be added. 
This helps to make sure the correct person gets their prize.
Be sure to come back and see if your name is listed as the winner.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

May 07, 2020

Perfect Panels & Lovely Layers - Triangles

Hi Everybody,

Today's video is one that has been requested and it features the Triangles.

In this video I have created two cards from the same set of dies ... one is a 5x7 and the other is a square card.

And both look very different and very pretty. 

You can of course use any of the dies in this new collection to create any style of card and they are a lot of fun to play around with.

So I hope you enjoy  the video and will give these dies a try for your self.

There are a lot of dies in each set so that you can arranges your patterns and layers any way you wish and why not try mixing and matching them with the other sets that you may have too

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

May 06, 2020

Perfect Panels & Lovely Layers - Circles

Hi Everybody

Today's card is created with the Perfect Panels and for this one I have used the Circles to produce this really pretty A2 card

I have used the doily pattern and also cut a layer to sit under it in a contrasting colour and added it partially to the left side of the card front.

For the stripes I have used a stamp that I have had for a long long time from My Favourite Things.

It is one of my favourite stamps for creating a background and it has been well loved over the years. 

Although I have searched I cannot find the link to this particular stamp but there are many alternatives for a striped stamp set

I have also produced a video for you and someone has asked me for one with the Perfect Panels Triangles and so tomorrow that is the video that I will add to the blog.

I hope you are all keeping safe and enjoy the video ... it will give you enough time to chillax for  while

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

May 04, 2020

Filigree Fancy Dies & Beautiful Verses Stamps - Butterflies Card 2

Hi Everybody,

Here is the second of the butterfly videos that I promised yesterday and I have to say that this card is my favourite in this mini -series of butterfly cards

It is soft and delicate and I always think that Mermaid Lagoon, Blueprint Sketch and Wilted Violet are a beautiful combination when blended together.

It is a colour scheme that I like to use often on my creations.

The text stamp that I am using is ancient and has been used so much it is now falling to pieces, but I love the look of the text.

It is such an easy way to create a visual background for any project.




Almost all my supplies are from Craft Stash and the service is second to none.

Although I have shown in the product list Ink Duster Blending Brushes, the ones I use are actually from Aldi quite some time ago and they were three in a pack. But because they are not always available I linked to the others instead as they are and they work in the same way

More tomorrow  ...

Hugs xx

May 03, 2020

Filigree Fancy Dies & Beautiful Verses Stamps - Butterflies Card 1

Hi Everybody,

Today I have a card and matching envelope to share with you and these are just ordinary shop bought DL supplies

I have used the Butterflies that are part of the Perfect Panels and Lovely Layers Die Sets and I am quite pleased with the result.

The verse and frame are from the
Beautiful Verses Stamp Set

I have also stencilled the background and the envelope for a soft and delicate look

The video will show you how I made this card and if I can add anything else it would be to cut the butterflies from a thinner card stock like 160 -250 gsm card

The rest of the card would be fine with the  300 gsm but the thinner card would reduce the bulk in the butterflies and help it to fold neater.



Tomorrow I have another card for you using the same dies, stamps and colours for a totally different look ... which is my favourite one out of the two.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

May 02, 2020

Winner

Hi Everybody,

Today the sun is shining and it is lovely and fresh outside. Maybe a little trip to the woods is on the cards for later for Ruby and me .... who knows.

Thank you so much if you joined us on Craft Stash Facebook Love yesterday. 
And congratulations if you are the winner of the fantastic prizes they offered to four lucky people. 
I am sure that you will enjoy your prize and make some beautiful projects with it. 

The draw has been done and the winner for yesterday’s offer here on my blog and the name is ...

Sue Manning

Please can you email me your postal address to
christina@card-making-magic.com
and it will be on its way to you straight away.

Please let me know when it arrives with you and I hope you enjoy playing with it.

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx

May 01, 2020

Friday Freebie - Bright Rosa Panel Die

Hi Everybody,

This pretty card is created with the panel die from Bright Rosa and I have used Gilding Flakes with mine.

The video will show you how I made it and it could be one that you might like to try

The card is part of the offer this week and also the magazine which is sure to give you lots more inspiration.

So if you would like to win this 7 piece die set set then all you need to do is leave me a comment at the end of the post. Please add your FULL NAME as this helps to identify the correct winner, and be sure to come back and check over the weekend if your name is shown as the winner.

I am happy to send the gift wherever you are, so what are you waiting or ... add your comment and full name to be in with the chance

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx