Pink and Pretty

Today I thought I would make a card in pink  and cream .... just for a change.

 I have added "Congratulations" to the front but this could be for any occasion.

The image, papers and the sentiment are all from the Sugar Plum Daisy CD from   Polkadoodles  and I love it.

There is so much on there and the papers are lovely.

And the beauty of it is that everything matches and blends.

There are lots of little girl images too, ready coloured or line drawings that you can colour in yourself.

But the finishing touch for me is the beautiful pearly swirls and the ornate  "Bling" on the sentiment tag  that make it look extra special.

The sentiment is cut from the Labels 3 and the Bling matches it perfectly.

It is made by Want2Scrap  and there are lots of styles for you to choose.

They ship worldwide too so it is within your grasp, and can make such a difference to the look of a card.


Hugs xx

Pierced Edges

Another easy to do technique that just adds a little bit more to the finished card and I have made    Pierced Edges  into a video for those new to cardmaking.

I have included Spellbinders in the video title because it uses the same set of dies that I introduced in Starting Your Spellbinder Collection

And as many of you have written to tell me that you went out and purchased these dies  we need to make sure that we get as much use from them as we can.

I also like to find ways to add that extra bit to the cards I make. 

So this is piercing and it really adds an extra dimension to any of our projects.

The "Bling" as always is from  Want2Scrap  and it adds a  luxury look to any card. 

It comes in many different colours and finishes and some of the styles match and compliment the Spellbinder shapes

Although I have kept to a monochromatic colour scheme nothing is lost for the lack of colour.

If you haven't got your corners tidy then you can always add in a pearl or flower to disguise the mistake but I think this makes for a very pretty card and I hope you do too ...

Hugs xx

Gift for Isabella...

Last October my Great Grand-daughter  Isabella was born and  I wanted to make something special for her.

Something that would last,   that she would be able to look at in the years to come.

I bought this large beech picture frame and added a mixture of flowers to the cute images.

Some of the flowers are die cuts,  and others are punched,  but there are Mulberry flowers from   Wild Orchid Crafts  in the spray too.

I used the Floral Flourish, Foliage, Spiral Blossom 1 dies from Spellbinders  and   added them all along the edge of the frame.

The little girls are from the  Pretty Sweet  CD from  PolkaDoodles  and they are just adorable.

Between each child I have added a border frame and some Polkadot  ribbon from  Fantastic Ribbons   and everything is framed  within a cream mount board.

At six months old Isabella doesn't have an opinion on the frame just yet,   but I  am pleased to say that her parents have added it to the nursery wall and have said that they love it.     Hopefully she will too...

Hugs xx

Rocking Cards

The  Rocking Card   was another short tutorial that was added some time ago to the website and is just another that a new  cardmaker  may want to try.

It is easy to do and after a while we all get fed up of just folding card in half.

So this will give some variation and keep your interest going in this lovely hobby.

The image is Lottie and her friend,  and she is from the Humphreys Corner collection from Crafters Companion

They have  been coloured with Spectrum Noir Pens from the same company.

The flowers are from  Wild Orchid Crafts and are a mixture of different varieties.

But if you are going to make the front look pretty then don't forget tha back of the card too ... it is just as important.

And you may aslo want to consider making a box to send it in and decorating that in the same way.

Hugs xx

Mosaic Card

This is a very pretty technique and if you are new to cardmaking it is also one that is also very easy to do, and yet the results will get the comments.

The    Mosaic Card is available in a video tutorial.

It is a  good way to use up any of your scraps of paper but you will need some double sided adhesive sheets.

Then you can use glitters in between the gaps or as I have gilding flakes.

The top one is done with silver and the one to the left is gold.

The one below is done with a dark blue glitter.

 All the stamped images  are from  Lili of the Valley  and I have coloured them in with Promarkers.

All pretty cards but the top one could have been modelled on my grand daughter ... a real girl with attitude ... Bless her !!

Hugs xx

White Wedding Card

A few days ago I posted a cream card for a Wedding that I was going too ... where the Grooms mum asked me to make her a card as well.

She wanted hers to be white and elaborate and so I went to town on this one.

It is made to an 8" size with an easel back so that the card will stand, and it has been matted and layered in silver and white.

I pierced the outer edge and added Diamante all  around the inner edge.

I  used the technique in  Braided Ribbon   along the left side of the card,   added a bow  and a white rose to the top and attached a bell charm.

The Spellbinders used for this card will all be in BOLD so that you will know what has been used

The Brides and Grooms name and the wedding  date have been layerd up with the two largest dies from the Floral Ovals with all the edges sparkled with Glamour Dust.

The piercing in these match the ones I have done around the edge of the card, and they are layered onto the largest  Romantic Rectangle which has been layered onto silver card.

All these layers are seperated with foam pads

The flowers are created from the Bitty Blossoms, Spiral Blossom 1 and 3   and the silver flourish under them is from the Belle Rose

All the flowers centres have a had either silver glitter balls or  pearls added to them and they are from the Sparkles Group  

They are offering you a 5% discount on any purchase and they do the beautiful Hatpins with end protectors that I feature on some of my cards. Add CGDIS5 at the check out to get your discount

The box needed to match the card and so more of the blossoms have been added with the flourish behind them too.

All the petals have Glamour Dust on the egdes and the lid is inlaid with Acetate and edged in Diamante.

The Butterfly and it's trail on the card and the Dragonfly on the box lid are Diamante and they complete the look.

I am very pleased with the result and will be happy to see the happy couple accept this from his mother... with lots of love.

Here is the finished creation and I have since added silver tissue paper to the box to protect the card

Hugs xx

Red Roses

At the begining of March I celebrated a Birthday and on the 12th March Card Making Magic was three years old.

So as a double celebration my husband bought me some red roses.

Griff is the one who does all the filming for the video tutorials that I add and is  affectionately refered to as my Film Crew ....  Aw! Bless....

He came home and told me he had got me some flowers and that they had cost a lot as they are Red Roses but that I was worth every penny..... which of course I am !!

So off he went to get them out of his car.

Now you may be thinking what a sweetie for that beautiful and thoughtful gift .....

but don't get excited girls ...

because THIS is the size they were and Yes that is my thumb that is in the left of the photo.

But I have to tell you that they have adorned many a card that has been made since and were much appreciated even if they are tiny ....

And he took me out for dinner too.

Hugs xx

New video added ...

I have added another card in the style from yesterday and to tell you that the video to make this little card is now on the website.

This link will take you to the Pennant Card Tutorial    and it is very short.

You will need nothing more than a border punch to get the look.

On these cards I have used punches from Martha Stewart and of course this will determine the size of box or envelope you will need to send it in.

The flowers have all been sparkled up with Glamour Dust and they are from  Wild Orchid Crafts  and the close up shows you just how pretty they are.

  Hugs xx

Pennant Card

I was playing around with some card today and this is what I came up with.   Now I know it is not a new idea but this is my interpretation of it and I think it looks very pretty.

It was very easy to do and nothing except a punched border edgefrom Martha Stewart,  was used to get the pattern along the top and bottom.

The paper is from a stack that I have had for some time and it was free with a magazine.

The flowers are a mixture of large and small Roses, as well as rosebuds, in red and white and some Cherry Blossoms added to the spray.  A few sprigs of Ivy leaves and some smaller leaf shapes complete the look.

They are all from  Wild Orchid Crafts

The ribbon is from my "Stash" and the knot is covered with Card Candi from Craftwork Cards

Card Candi comes in many patterns and colours and can be a really useful addition to your crafting goodies.  Use it to add names or ages to personalise your designs.

Hugs xx

Blending Tools

Many of us like to apply Distress Inks to our projects and they can create a very pretty and subtle effect.

But it is something that many of us are afraid to do because we can't get it right and the result is a smudged mess on our cards. 

One of the best ways to apply these inks is with some kind of  Blending Tool  but these can be quite expensive .... especially if like me you are greedy and want one blender for each ink pad .... Yep that's me!

So this is what I did to make my own and the link will take you to the page to show you how to make your own   Blending Tool

You will find all the step by step instructions and then you can have as many as you like.

All I did then was by the foam pads and attach them to the velcro and these can be removed and washed or replaced whenever the need is there.

I store all mine in a large plastic box so that they are always on hand and I have one for every colour ink I use.

And any that I don't use for Inks I utilise by gluing small sentiment stamps to them and store them in the same way.

They are then ready to use whenever I need one quickly. 

Write the sentiment on the handle so that you can see instantly what  it is.

They are so cheap and easy to make and the more you have the more you can use.

It doesn't cost a lot to get them cut and drilled ... or maybe you know some kind person with a saw and a drill that will do them for you.... even cheaper then!

Hope you enjoy making and using your blending tools and get the results that you want.

This card has had the edges of the  sentiment inked with Aged Mahohany while still in the die.

The embossed background has also been lightly inked using these handy little blenders.

Happy Crafting ....

Hugs xx

More ways with flowers

Adding flowers to cards always gives a very girly effect but can cost quite a bit of money if you have to buy them every time.

Over the last few months I have started to make my own ...  but not everybody has lots of different dies or punches to make them.

But even if you don't have a vast choice there is no reason why these beautiful embellishments can't be added to your cards.

The flowers on these cards have all been created from the smallest part of the Anenome Flower Topper from Spellbinders.   

It is the bit that would create the flowers centre ... but it makes lovely Daisy like blooms for this card.

All I did was to use different coloured papers and card to cut them out and this alone will give them a varied look.

I shaped the petals to the flowers just as I did with the Bitty Blossoms and I have added a video to show the process of   making flowers  

Whichever way you choose to make flowers just spending a little time curling the petals will give your flowers a softer look and to me is well worth the efffort.

The first card is made with various shades of pink but the one on the left I created from greens and biege for a softer look.

For the centres I have added pearls on this and gemstones on the first card.

And the "Bling" is the finishing touch for both cards.

Both backgrounds have been created with an inked up embossing folder for a Faux Letterpress effect.

And I am quite pleased with the end result on both of them

Hugs xx

Pink Flowered Tag Card

Adding tags to your cards can create a very pretty embellishment and they are so easy to cut yourself and so save  you the cost of buying them ready made.

For this one I have embossed white Centura Pearl Card and matted it onto some hot pink and added ribbon from   Fantastic Ribbons   around the panel.

The knot in the bow is covered with Card Candi from  Craftwork Cards

This is then matted that onto pink patchwork paper and again onto the hot pink.

The whole lot has then been glued to a white card base.

The close up shows the detail in the tag which has been embossed to add texture and dotted with Cosmic Shimmer   Pearls  in the flower centres

Layering onto some hot pink card and an eyelet added to the top enables me to thread the ribbon through.

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts  and the sentiment is from  Lili of the Valley

An easy make that would be suitable for any girly occasion.

Hugs  xx

Pink Scraps

Making cards can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be and there are many ways to conserve your cash without making a poor standard card. 

And by "cheap" I don't mean the quality but the cost as there should be no compromise on the quailty.

From the card you use to the embellishments that you add ...  it always pays to buy the best that you can get in your price range. 

My mum always used to say ....."Buy cheap you buy twice..." and there is a lot of truth in that statement.  

So having bought this card and paper we  need to make it go as far as we can and that is using every last inch of it to full advantage.

These paper strips are some that have been left over from other projects and because the papers are so pretty it was a shame to throw them away.

So what I did here was to find three pieces that would match and blend with each other and I cut them into strips about 5 x 15 cms and glued them together onto a piece of Centura Pearl card from    Crafters Companion

I left a small border around the edge and covered each of the joins in the papers with white ribbon from    Fantastic Ribbons.  

Then the whole panel was embossed to add texture.

I added borders in Centura Pearl  using the Spellbinders   Ironworks Accents and Motifs  and I added a pearl in each corner to hide the joins.... then fitted in the centre panel with foam pads to raise it up.

A pearl has been added to the top of the sentiment and the same ribbon has created a bow. In the centre of the bow to hide the knot I have threaded a button with Bakers Twine  from the   The Hobby House   and glued it in place.

The finished card is  21cms square (8") and it looks much prettier in real life.

Hugs xx

    

Birthday Blue ...

This is a very simple Brithday card that was really quick to make.


The blue ribbon was already in my "Stash" and it is the last piece I have left  .... (sob!!)

But of course the background, tag and border were  created with   Spellbinders.

Well wouldn't be me without a Spellbinder or two somewhere in a card.

This time I have used the  A Side Elegance Embossing Folder and each of the little circles in the design has been blobbed (technical term)  with the Cosmic Shimmer white glue to create a pearl.

Leave them to dry thoroughly before you continue ... probably best overnight.

I layered this panel onto some blue card.  The border is the waste from cutting out the Morrocan Accent  (and that was used on another card)  ... but being the frugal crafter that I am I couldn't throw it away.

I just layerd and offset two pieces of it and edged  it with some distress ink then added the lot  ... on foam pads to the card. I wrapped them with the blue ribbon and added them all to the base card.

The sentiment was stamped in Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink and the cut out with one of the Fancy Tags 3   and inked again while still in the die to edge the frame.

The little Diamante buckle is from The Hobby House  and just gives that little bit of sparkle.

Hugs xx

Oh Baby ...

I thought I would make a baby card for a change with some of the little baby carriages that I bought from  Mei Flower   when I went to the GNPE in Harrogate

They have the most adorable baby range in the softest of pastel colours,  with gorgeous embellishments  and  beautiful ribbons to match.

But once again the Spellbinders have been used to add that special touch to  any card. 

This background has been embossed with the B Side Elegance Embossing Folder and then each of the flowers has had  white Cosmic Shimmer Glue  added to create a pearl  to the centres.

It has been matted and layered onto pink card,  pink check paper,  more pink card and then pale grey card.

White lace and pink organza ribbon have been wrapped around all the layers before being added to the white base card.  A little bow has been added and the centre knot covered with some pink Card Candi   just to stop it looking  bare.

The sentiment is from Lili of the Valley   and there are many beautiful sentiments and stamps for you to choose.

The baby carriage has been layered onto the middle size of the Floral Ovals and the whole lot weaved into the Decorative Oval Window which has been inked in Victorian Velvet Distress ink.

I have been asked  recently where I get my Spellbinders from and the answer is most of them I get from    Scrap-Mart    who are based in the USA.

 Now there are two reasons for this ...

1 .... They are  Cheaper  than they are here in the UK

2... I can get the  Newest Designs   before they are available here in the UK

And even thought there is P&P to pay they are still the best price  and their  service is so quick.

Hugs xx