Hi Everybody, Todays card uses just the matting basics sets and the small labels. The Trellis card is from AnnaMarie Designs and I have used Diamante to stud the framework. The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and they have the addition of fine glitter on them from Glitter Magic The lovely sentiment is from Crafters Companion and is one of the Sentimentals range and there are lots of lovely words in whichever set you choose I have embossed it in silver and then added Diamante from Want2Scrap to the label I hope you enjoy browsing the websites I have linked you to for some really pretty finds for all your cardmaking. More tomorrow ... Hugs xx *PREORDER S6-001 Spellbinders 5 X 7 MATTING BASICS A Nestabilities Card Creator Dies NEW 2013 *PREORDER S6-002 Spellbinders 5 X 7 MATTING BASICS B Nestabilities Card Creator Dies NEW 2013 *s4-169 Spellbinders Nestabilities SMALL LABELS 5 Dies InLinkz.com

Hi Everybody, This lovely colour scheme will work for any occasion and is perfect for adding lots of flowers too I have used the dies from the Christina Collection and they are available only from Cra

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

Hi Everybody, Today is the day that I am back on Create and Craft and the first show is at 12 noon with the Pick of the Week I am going to be showing you some beautiful new dies from Spellbinders and these are Victorian Collection But I have not forgotten the day and so here for this weeks Friday Freebie is a lovely card in white with some pretty tulips along the side. The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and they have the added sparkle from Glitter Magic The ribbon is from Mei Flower tied in a triple bow and the centre is a dismantled Primark bracelet If you would like to win this card then please leave me a comment at the bottom of the post. You will need to pop back and claim it if you are the winner but because of my commitments this week it may be a little late getting sent to you I hope you will be able to join me as I show you some really lovely new Spellbinders and if you like to make frilly lacey cards ... like me ... than you are going to love these new dies. More tomorrow ... Hugs xx

Hi everyone, today I’m sharing a card I’ve really enjoyed making. This card is made using my all-time favourite stamp set! I love, love, love this stamp set! maybe its because I live by…

Hi Everybody, Todays pretty card is once again using an older die that some of you may already have in your crafting "Stash" I know that many of you have said that you really appreciate tutorials with older Spellbinders dies as we sometimes forget that we have them stuffed away in a cupboard. Well it's time to get them out again and put them back to work making you some lovely cards. After all dies from any company are a considered purchase and we want to get as much out of them as we can ... Right ?? Right !! Spellbinders Supplies: S6-001 5x7 Matting Basics A S6-002 5x7 Matting Basics B Bracket Borders One (Retired) Other Supplies: Flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts Ribbon from Mei Flower Glitter from Glitter Magic Pearls from Want2Scrap Hand made Hat Pin (by me) Tied Together Embossing folder Card from Papermill Direct Instructions: With die #7 Matting Basics A cut two panels in white to Create a hinged card With die #7 Matting Basics B Cut one layer in pink With die #6 Matting Basics A cut another panel in white (Please remember that #1 is always the smallest die) With the smaller white panel choose one of the cutting edges and one patterns from the Border dies. Add them to your card with the cutting edge facing down and tape in place to prevent them crossing over each other. I placed mine about two thirds of the way down the card. This will give you two pieces once the die is removed There is no need to emboss with the die as you are going to place these into a lattice folder and dry emboss them Once embossed lay them onto your pink layer and decide on the sentiment. Stamp and heat emboss this in white leaving enough of a gap in between the two fancy edge to be able to read it Trim down these two panels so that a small border of the pink card shows around the edge Add foam tape to the back of both pieces and wrap the top and bottom panels with some ribbon. Secure the ribbon at the back and then add both panels to the pink layer and then add all to the base card From the ribbon make some small bows to be added to the top and bottom. Arrange the flowers as you would like them to cross the channel you have created and then finally add a small pearl or gemstone to each of the cross sections in the lattice pattern Add larger pearls to the knot in the bow The particular die that I have used is now retired from Spellbinders website but if you don't have one and like the look then you could always go for the Scalloped Borders Three which has a very similar shape More tomorrow... Hugs xx

Hi Everybody, I love the look of butterflies and I like to add this effect to my cards from time to time. And so this creation was born using my new dies from Card Making Magic I am really so excited about this collection and I have been playing with it so much since it arrived. There is so much that I want I want to show you, and so many things that can be done with this whole collection and I have lots of videos to be done. This first lovely card is created in the video Rainbow Butteflies and it is another that is easy to re-create Each part of the collection can work individually but they all work so well together and will help you to make cards for all genders, age groups, seasons and occasions The "Christina Collection" is available exclusively with Craft Stash and if you are an existing customer and you add the code WOWCMM10 then you will get a 10% discount at the checkout If you are a brand new customer then you need to leave your email address at the Craft Stash website and they will email you a code that will give you a big 20% discount off your first order ... bringing the whole collection to a bargain price The second video is creating a more masculine theme but still with the same butterfly dies and stamps. We have a card and matching bow with silver embossing powder and the effect is much better in the hand than the video or photographs show. I hope that these are something you will have a try at re-producing for your self and have fun in the process Silver Butterflies - One for the men More tomorrow ... Hugs xx

Hi Everybody, A card that is very simply an A4 cut in half and a hinge added at the top giving me lots of space to dress it. I have used the Tied Together embossing folder from Sunrise Crafts and this is a folder that sells out time and time again. The flowers are from a stamp from Stamps by Chloe and the centres are little pearl clusters from Wild Orchid Crafts But what I would like you to take a closer look at is the edge... This is created using one of the Stitches dies from Tattered Lace ... and there are six different stitches in the set They make a very pretty look and as I use the others in the set I will be sure to show you. And they save all that messing about with a ruler and a Poky tool trying to get the edges straight and the corners to line up correctly .... pain!. This will give to a quick, clean and straight edge to your cards. More tomorrow ... Hugs xx

Hi Everybody, Todays tutorial is another of those that will give you two cards for the price of one .. and no waste at all. I have created two cards one gold and the other silver and just by varying the colors and the way you add in flowers, ribbons and pearls will create a new look for you each time. Spellbinders Supplies: S5-164 Grateful Lattice S6-001 5x7 Matting Basics A S6-002 5x7 Matting Basics B S4-425 Elegant Ovals GC-200 Grand Calibur Other Supplies: Flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts Ribbon from Mei Flower Glitter from Glitter Magic Gold and Silver Card from Craft Show Double sided adhesive sheet Instructions: With die #7 from Matting basics A create two card bases (Please remember that #1 is always the smallest die) With die #7 from Matting Basics B and the Grateful Lattice die cut out one panel. Carefully remove the Lattice work from the die leaving all the waste pieces in place. Trim away the side bits of the Lattice panel to tidy the edges. Cover the waste pieces with double sided adhesive sheet and sprinkle with glitter of your choice I used a fine silver glitter for mine and pressed it on to the adhesive sheet making sure that it is all covered. Continuing with the silver panel I have got my base as a Hinged card and to this I have cut a smaller silver panel and another in white and embossed this one. Layer them all together using foam tape under the Lattice panel. Wrap these with silver ribbon before adding to your base card Add the full Lattice piece to some gold card using foam tape around the edges of the die cut and another in the centre to support the sentiment Again I have added in some gold ribbon around the layers before adding them to the base card With the Elegant Oval I have cut one gold and one silver oval from die #3 Then I stamped and embossed my sentiments onto white card and cut them with die # 2 I have varied the orientation of these ovals to add another difference to my cards. I added in my flowers on the gold card to frame the sentiment along the top right corner I used a selection of Roses in gold and ivory, with Tuscany rosebuds and gypsophilia and all have been sparkled with fine clear glitter On the silver one I have added them to the bottom of the oval and used camellia, tulips, small rosebuds and gypsophilia And there you have two lovely cards ready to send and no waste at all from your precious cardstock. The same ingredients have been used for both cards but they look completely different Look at other dies in your collection and see if you can repeat this tutorial with them. More tomorrow ... Hugs xx

Hi Crafty Friends, It's challenge time with my friends over on the CCEE Stampers challenge blog. Being a brand new month it's time to introduce a new challenge hostess, which this time around is ME! Butterflies seem to be very popular right now, many companies have released products featuring them this year. Create a card that features one or more butterflies. For my card today I pulled out my Spellbinders Butterfly Creator die set designed by Bibi Cameron. As you can see I created an easel card. I created the easel portion of the card using white cardstock, I folded the card in half and then lined up the largest butterfly die so that the top part of the butterfly was slightly above the score line. I then folded the top butterfly in half to create the base of the easel card. Next I die cut the large butterfly three more times, once from white cardstock and twice from Rainbow Mirri Cardstock. I adhered one of the mirri butterfly panels over the white one and adhered this to the folded butterfly of the easel. I cut a sliver of card off the top of the other mirri butterfly and adhered this to the butterfly easel base. Using the smaller of the butterflies, I die cut two pieces of patterned paper using Craft Consortium's Ink Drops - Vivid patterned paper. I also die cut two more white small butterflies adhering the patterned paper to the white butterfly before adhering both to the easel card. I die cut the butterfly body form Rainbow Mirri card and added it to the top butterfly. I recently got a stamp set that contained two butterfly themed sentiments, so I stamped them onto white cardstock using pink ink and then adhered them to the card. Both sentiments are layered using rainbow mirri cardstock. I adhered the birthday one using foam tape to use as a stop for the easel card. I decorated the card with flowers and leaves using dies from the Butterfly Creator die set. To finish off the card I added a few pink enamel dots randomly around the flowers on the card. Here is a look at the base of my easel card, there is space above the sentiment to hand write a personal greeting. Here is a look at my card when it is closed ready to be placed in an envelope. Don't forget to check out the CCEE Stampers blog (goes live 12 AM EST) to see the rest of the creations the CCEE Stampers created this week. You can also see more details of their creations on their individual blogs: Anne Harmon Liz Williams Lois Bak Lynn McAuley Maryann Einam Kelly McKown-Santi

Hi Everybody, Here we are with another Informal Blog Hop and for this month we chose the beautiful new Art Deco dies that have been designed by Stacey Caron. This is the Astoria Collection and I have linked to all three sets for you to view the shapes The card shows the Astoria Decorative Accents for the base card. I have used the Decorative Elements to go with it for the centre panel. The plain Astoria creates the label for the sentiment and the mats underneath from gold mirror card. The tassel under the flowers is also cut from gold. I have had emails asking for some ideas for the Art Deco Collection dies and so tomorrows Tuesday Tutorial will feature them. They are also the subject of Thursdays YouTube video tutorial so I hope you will come back to see both of them My flowers are as always from Wild Orchid Crafts and I have kept them all white to compliment the card. They have been sprinkled with glitter from Glitter Magic and the tiny pearls are from Want2Scrap We started these hops as a way for you to get to know our indivdual styles and to say "Thank You" to all our loyal supporters. so now it's time to pop over and visit the other ambassadors and see what they have to show you. Linda Lucas Australia Yvonne van de Grijp Netherlands Christine Emberson UK Christina Griffiths ... You are here Click the links to go to the next one and have fun as you skim round the world. Please leave us a comment to say that you have been and we will see you all again next month More tomorrow ... Hugs xx

Hello ! It’s Christina here and this month I would like to share a Holiday card with you using one of the new Die D-Lites from Spellbinders. Spellbinders Supplies: S5-131 A2 Matting Basics A S5-132 A2 Matting Basics B S2 235 Flakes and Skates SES 003 Grid Embossing Folder PL-001 Platinum™ Die Cutting and Embossing Machine – 8.5″ Platform Preferred Partners: Want2Scrap Diamante Other Supplies: White Card Grey Card Distress Inks – Hickory Smoke Glue pen and Glitter Sentiment Stamp Instructions: 1. With Die #7 (smallest size die is #1) from Matting Basics A cut two panels in white, using the Platinum™ machine. 2. Score and fold one about half an inch down, add glue and marry up the second piece to create the base. 3. With #7 from Matting Basics B cut one piece in grey. 4. With #6 from Matting Basics A cut another panel in white and emboss in your chosen folder. 5. Cut two of the skates and as many of the snowflakes as you would like 6. Ink through the die with Hickory Smoke Distress Ink before removing the card from the dies. 7. With your glue pen add some to the coloured areas on the skates and then sprinkle with fine glitter. 8. Using some grey thread and a needle add it to the lace holes on the skates and leave enough to hang the skates from the top of the card. 9. Use the same Hickory Smoke Ink to add colour around the edge of the grey panel and leave to dry. 10. Stamp the sentiment onto some white card. 11. Add the embossed panel to the inked panel and then layer both onto the base card with foam tape between the layers to add dimension. 12. Ink around the edges of the sentiment and add foam pads to the back 13. Add to the bottom of the card. 14. Add foam pads to the back of the skates and add them at different angels to the card. 15. Stretch the thread up to the top of the card and add a snowflake to the top to hold the thread in place. 16. Add diamante to each of the snowflakes and randomly dotted around the card front for added sparkle. I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and please visit my Blog at Flowers, Ribbons and Pearls for more ideas and inspiration Bye for now Christina xx

Hi Everybody, Todays card is a mixture of old and new and there are several lovely layers in the making.It also incorporates my beautiful flowers, ribbons and pearls to make a classic white and silver

Hi Everybody, This card is not a water colour but is created on black card with Spectrum Noir Pencils. It was just something I was playing around with the other day to see how it would turn out. The outline to the flower has been heat embossed in gold and then coloured in. I think the pencils showed up really well on the black card and makes a card with a difference especially for me. Not sure if I like the card but it was worth playing with on a cold winters day !! However I do love the stamp which is Peony Scrolls from Alte New and there is also a matching die I bought both of mine from Sevenhills Crafts and they stock a lot of the US stamps on their website The sentiment was stamped and embossed in the same gold onto some black card and the trimmed into a little banner. The card is from Papermill Direct and is a 255 gsm so a really good quality More tomorrow ... Hugs xx

Hi Everybody, I love this card and it is so much prettier in real life. The cream card is Centura Pearl from Crafters Companion I have teamed it with white for a really elegant look. The wide satin ribbon has been tied in a large double bow and I have added the flowers to cover the knot. The flowers are a beautiful mixture of coffee and cream Roses and I have sparkled them up with Glamour Dust. The tiny pearls on the cross sections and those around the edge are from Want2Scrap. It is a card that could be for any occasion and would make a wonderful Wedding card. The frame is created from the Rectangles in the same way as in the video. The die may be difference but the method is much the same and makes a very pretty way to add those wonderful panels. The one in the video is the Quatrefoil Pattern from Sunrise Crafts and I love that die. The list below are the dies I have used for todays card and they all mix and match well together. In fact all the dies old or new styles will go with each other you just have to try them and see what you like. But shop around for the best price you can get ... and keep your eyes peeled as new dies are coming onto the market all the time from lots of different companies More tomorrow ... Hugs xx *LF-132 Spellbinders GRAND RECTANGLES Nestabilities Calibur Dies New 2011 *PREORDER S5-152 Spellbinders FANCY LATTICE Shapeabilities Expandable Pattern Dies NEW 2012 *S5-189 Spellbinders MAJESTIC LABELS TWENTY-FIVE Nestabilities Dies *PREORDER S5-127 Spellbinders LABELS 28 Twenty Eight Nestabilities Dies NEW 2012 InLinkz.com

HI Everybody, Click to Enlarge Well that was a very successful draw yesterday and the "Wishes and Kisses" CD is an excellent prize to win. So if you didn't win you can still get a copy if you pop over to Funky Hand and treat yourself. Todays card is on another note altogether and I know I said that flowers make the difference but there's not even a flower on this one. What I wanted to do was show how a pretty card can be transformed into something special without them or a lot of embellishments. This is a 5 x 7 Hinged Card and the background has been embossed with the Regal M-Bossabilities folder. Then 20 small pearls from Want2Scrap are all it took to make it look so much better. I have kept to an all white theme and this could suit many occasions. The pretty white ribbon has embroidered hearts and is from The Ribbon Room The sentiment is from Clarity Stamp which is another UK based company for beautiful quality stamps. More tomorrow ... Hugs xx *PREORDER S6-001 Spellbinders 5 X 7 MATTING BASICS A Nestabilities Card Creator Dies NEW 2013 *PREORDER S6-002 Spellbinders 5 X 7 MATTING BASICS B Nestabilities Card Creator Dies NEW 2013 *EL-002 Spellbinders REGAL M-Bossabilities Embossing Folder NEW 2012 *GC-001 Spellbinders Grand Calibur Cut & Emboss Machine InLinkz.com

Hi Everybody, Todays card is a million miles away from my usual style ... No Bling ... and not a ribbon or a flower in sight. This is one of the new Sheena Douglass "Little Bit Sketchy" stamps and is called Sea Scape I have stamped it onto water color card with Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink. I moved the ink around with a little water and a fine brush to give the appearance of water coloring. The boat was stamped separately and then decoupaged onto the front. It is a very masculine card and would suit a number of occasions and although out of my comfort zone I do like the card. All Sheenas' stamps are available from Crafters Companion ... and what a good way to spend the £25 voucher if you should win one of them. Add your name to the list to be in with a chance But guess what I have done ..... Don't ask me how or why but for some reason I ordered the same stamp set .... twice !! Now how stupid is that ... and it's not the first time I have done that either. It must be my age I can't be bothered sending them back so they will be added to a future "Give Away" for one lucky person to win them. So watch this space in the coming months More tomorrow ... Hugs xx

Hi Everybody, This beautiful image from Saturated Canary and my Spectrum Noir are a marriage made in heaven and I love the look of this finished card. Colors used... Skin FS4 FS5 FS7 PP1 EB5 Hair TN2 TN7 TN8 Dress/shoes OR1 OR2 TN7 Tights TB2 IG3 I have dressed the card with flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts to add that feminine touch and they have been sparkled with glitter from Glitter Magic The ribbon is organza from Mei Flower and the pearl flourish is from Want2Scrap It is just A4 folded in half and then cut and hinged at the top ... a simple design for a pretty card. If you would like to try the magazines I mentioned yesterday then here is the link to yesterdays post for you to read what it is all about .... Something for You More tomorrow ... Hugs xx

Hi Everybody, Today I have some lovely new stamps to share with you from Crafti Potential. The one I have done the video with is Pawfect Pets and I love this little Dinosaur For the card shown here I covered him with Glossy Accents and it is much better in the hand than shown. There are six sets in this new collection and each one is a delight to work with. In the video I have created three glamorous ladies all off to a party and ready to have some fun. And who says you can't have a purple dinosaur ??? You can in my world !! More tomorrow ... Hugs xx

Hi Everybody, This card is made from the Grand Labels Four and is also one of the items that is sold in My Shop in kit form. I have added the flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and sparkled with Glitter Magic Into the corsage I have added another item from My Shop which is one of the Decorative Hatpins. The card stand is from Joy Crafts and I bought mine from Ebay and it is just the right size to hold this style of card. I have also created a box to compliment the card and I lined it with pink tissue paper. I decorated it with the same embellishments to match the card. The pearls are from Want2Scrap and match the Labels Twenty Three There is also a small baby shoe added in the centre of the card. The round sentiment is from Lili of the Valley More tomorrow ... Hugs xx *LF-190 Spellbinders GRAND LABELS FOUR 4 Nestabilities Calibur Dies *S4-347 Nestabilities LABELS 23 Twenty Three Spellbinders New 2011 InLinkz.com

An unusual card and the Concertina Card Tutorial shows you how to get the result for yourself

Hi Everybody, Todays offering is using the same technique as Tuesdays tutorial card but simply using the opposite side of the folder to get a different look I have used the same color ink .. Cotton Ca

The Card Making Magic Complete 6in x 6in Octagon Box Kit is an detailed set of metal dies designed by Christina Griffiths. The complete set is made up of 26 dies, including stitched, scalloped, and straight edge octagonal dies, several intricate border dies, an array of floral and leaves, and a festive sentiment, 'Warm Wishes' die with background. This die set has been designed to help you create a beautifully festive octagon shaped box. Features & Benefits 26 piece die set Versatile box set High-quality metal dies Specification Size: 6in x 6in

Hi Everybody, The free gift with this months Simply Cards & Papercraft is this lovely Layered Rose Die Set from Altenew It will create the most beautiful flowers for you to add to your projects and it is really easy to do. Maybe in the past you have tried to use the stamps that are layered and not enjoyed the intricacy of them. Well all the work is taken out of layering with this die set ... and there is a free paper download to help you even more. The video will show you how to use the dies and I promise you are going to love the flowers and as long as you use three different shades of your chosen colour then you will get the layered look you desire and be very happy with the result The magazine will be on sale on the 22nd February so if you want this dies set then you will need to be quick as it is going to be very popular. Reserve a copy with your newsagent or to be sure that you always get yours delivered to your door then why not consider taking out a subscription at http://www.moremags.com More tomorrow ... Hugs xx

Hi Everybody, As promised here is the video using Yupo paper ... and what I hear you asking me is YUPO paper. Well let me tell you it is amazing and it has probably been around for a long time . But me ... well I only just found it and I love it. It is synthetic paper that in non porous. Look at the new UK bank notes and you will get the idea straight away It will not warp, tear, pill and disintegrate in any way. And you can use alcohol inks, watercolours, Brushos and many other things on it too. But it is a plastic and so not bio degradable. Never the less it is fun to play with and if you don't like the result then just wipe it away and start again. It die cuts easily to create different shapes for your card and it comes in several thicknesses and sizes. Let the video show you how I added the gold foil to mine for a luxury look More tomorrow ... Hugs xx

Hi Everybody, Here is a digital image that is from Mos'Digital Pencil and it is one I have had on my PC for quite some time and this is Video Boy It has been colored with a mixture of Gansai Tambi Water Colors and Spectrum Noir Pens pencils I have die cut it out with Spellbinders Pierced Rectangles and added in faux stitches to make it stand out. I have added it to the front of my card with foam tape and then printed of a little sentiment and added it to the bottom .. and in keeping with the sentiment I have made his face look dirty I thought that some buttons and string would be a good way to finish the card and keep it "boy" like The background is a simple stripe that is also digital and I can print these off whenever I need some fresh ones More tomorrow ... Hugs xx

Hi Everybody, Today I have a few water colour cards to show you using the Birthday Bears from My Favorite Things For the first two I have used the stamp as it is to create a one layer card. The grass was hand drawn in the first card The sentiment stamp for the first one is That is All from WPLUS9 The second one has used the words from "Blessed" by Mama Elephant and there are many ways to create the verse or saying that you want The reason I am showing you these first two is because apart from colouring them I have done nothing else to them But for the third card I have used the Birthday Bears matching die set to cut them out and add them to the front of my card. I have also added clothes to them with a fine liner pen and then coloured them in Just a fun effect that is easy to do and can help you to get even more from your stamps You can see how different the Bear with the parcels looks once I added in a pretty top for Mama Bear I bought all my stamps and the die from Sevenhills Crafts for excellent service and a good price More tomorrow ... Hugs xx

Papercraft Society March's Box The contents of this Papercraft Society Box bring together Christina’s passion for die-cutting and love of embellishments and flourishes: “When in doubt, add a flourish with pearls and ribbon”. In this box, you will find everything you need to create detailed cards full of elegant elements that will impress anyone. Plus, all the stamps will allow you to add extra detail and decoration to your projects. Supplies you need to craftalong with Christina Whether you’re

These dies from Christina Griffiths at Card Making Magic will very simply make perfect boxes for the ever-popular slimline and DL cards. To finish the boxes, you can also add beautiful spiral rose dies, a collection of embossing folders and stencils, and a die & stamp set to allow you to have perfect rose imagery, to co-ordinate with the beautiful cards inside the boxes too! For more stunning products head to CraftStash [https://www.craftstash.co.uk]