Ribbons and Buckles!

Here's a SUPER SIMPLE Triple-Loop Bow with Buckle Center accent...  another pretty embellishment for cards from Christina! Adding an embellishment of ribbons with a buckle to your design can take it from plain to pretty in a few easy steps.

Watch video on YouTube: HERE

As always, she's shows a beautiful card with the created embellishment on it. This could easily be changed to just a double-loop or even a single-loop bow as well.... :)

*** NOTE - Make sure you pick a buckle (ribbon slide) that's suitable for your theme AND a ribbon that not only coordinates, but that will pass through the buckle and lay flat across it's center bar.

Ruffled Ribbon and Rose

NO SEWING NEEDED!

That's right.... make beautiful ruffled ribbon and rose embellishments for your cards without sewing a stitch! I can't believe how easy this is! 

Watch this great video: HERE

Doesn't Christina make it look so easy to do? I just LOVE this! The satin rose she makes is gorgeous. I'm ready to try them with the other kinds of ribbon.... just have to get more of that super tacky tape! 

Tip: Make Longer Borders from Short Dies

Here's a super easy tip to lengthen a die image to use as borders on cards, scrapbook pages, etc. This video is from Dawn Olchefske:

Watch on YouTube: HERE

You just need to adjust the measurements of the your paper of choice, so your piece will be as wide and as long as you need!



Fun with Twine - Part One

These are some really cute and fun ideas that Linda Kaiser, from
The Paper Boutique, does with colorful baker's twine!

She shows us how to make things - from floral embellishments to cupcakes... along with extra ideas for using the twine to frame, to outline images, to make jewelry, and even embroider with it... y'all will surely find some inspiration along the way!

Click HERE to watch on YouTube.

DIY Bling Flourishes!

Save a ton of money and make your own bling flourishes!

In this video tutorial by Stacy, she shows just how easy these are to make... you just need a few items... a needle, your printer, some rhinestones, Helmar Gemstone glue, and a little time! And if you can
free-hand your flourish drawing, you don't even need a computer printer!

Watch on YouTube: HERE

Card Ideas using a "Starter" Spellbinders Set

There are so many beautiful Spellbinder dies to choose from, that it's sometimes hard to know where to start!  So making an informed decision before you shop, and spend all your hard earned cash, would be quite helpful and possibly money-saving!

In this video, Christina from Card Making Magic, shows a really good starter set that will cover most of the things you want to do, from textured backgrounds to beautiful flowers. Then she demonstrates some different ways in which to use the dies to make some lovely cards. Such inspiration!..... see for yourself:

Watch on YouTube: HERE

Wasn't that great? I just love all of her ideas. She is so creative and thinks of things that NEVER cross my 'logical' mind...... I wish I had a "creative" one, LOL :)


*** UPDATE ---- See the sequel video to this - "Get More From Your Spellbinders," - coming to this blog, being posted on Novenber 5, 2012 ***

Create Your Own Pearls and Swirls!

In this video, Christina has some great ideas for creating your own pearls to match your projects. You can start with store-bought white pearls (or clear rhinestones for matching jewels!), and then use alcohol-based markers to color them to your hearts desire!

Or.... you can start from scratch using certain glues, like Perfect Pearls, to DIY.... even creating your own custom swirly flourishes! And when starting with "white" glue, you can color them the same as store bought ones after they're dry! Such a money saver!

Watch on YouTube: HERE

Super Cool - Stucco!

Stucco as an embellishment? or background? What? I'm kidding, right?...

NO.... no fooling!.... seriously!... and in colors to match your projects!
This is a really super cool faux-stucco technique and can even be used to "grunge" up a page. This video tutorial is from a DT Member from
Lindy's Stamp Gang, but I don't know which person exactly. :(

Anyway... watch the video to see how easy, how dimensional, how unique this technique is....

Watch on YouTube: HERE

Wasn't that fantastic? Imagine the colors, the possibilities!

Just another use for those wonderful Magicals!

Braided Ribbon Tutorial

In this video, Christina from Card Making Magic, demonstrates how to make a beautiful braided ribbon to use as an embellishment on cards (or pages)! So pretty :)

She also really makes sure you understand the correct way to braid, by going over it several times... so once you get the hang of it, skip ahead to about 5:05 minutes into the video. She'll show you there how to "finish"
the braid.

Then she again makes a one of her specialty cards using her braid...
(oh BTW... they must have awfully BIG "normal" size cards in the UK! This is the second 8x8 card she's made recently, and she speaks of having her card base ready 'just folded in half'... so they must have some 16" cardstock there to fold in half for an 8" card! Awesome!)

Watch on YouTube: HERE

Corner Punch Doilies

Beverly Tiemann shows how to make custom doilies with corner punches! You can then make them into doily rings, as well, for a frame instead of a mat. So easy to do you can go doily crazy!

Watch on YouTube: HERE

check out Bev's blog here. 

Glitter Ribbons - Make Your Own!

Christina from Card Making Magic (in England) shows a super easy way to use up some older stuff we may have in our stash, and ends up with some super pretty, glitter strips (ribbons)! She then makes a cute card with her creation:

Watch on YouTube: HERE

What cracked me up was that she mentioned that she had picked up the tape

from the local "Pound" Store!

Took me a few seconds to realize that she was not talking about a store where you buy stuff by the pound, she was talking about England's version of

The Dollar Store! ... (too funny.... I'm still ROTFL!!!)

New Uses for Glue Guns!

At least it's 'new' to me! :) ....

Make your own pearls and flower centers, OR make other embellishments

using molds and a LOW-TEMP glue gun..... then customize them to match

your cards, layouts, and other projects! I think this is a GREAT idea, and

wouldn't Magical Micas from Lindy's Stamp Gang make them look stunning?

Click HERE to watch on YouTube

Make Your Own Wobble Springs! Add Motion to Embellishments!

Linda Kaiser from The Paper Boutique shows us how to make our own wobble springs,
so we can add some wiggle to cards and scrapbook pages! I'm glad I have lots of very
thin wire that I can use to make these little springs. :)

Click HERE to watch on YouTube

Faux Pinwheels - (aka Windmills!)

Kristina Baldwin shows how to make a cute Faux Pinwheel in this video tutorial. It
reminds me of a windmill more than a pinwheel, but it's pretty just the same! And I
love the Mayberry paper she used.... one of my favorite sets!

Watch on YouTube: HERE

Wasn't that a cute "Windmill"?

Or does it look like a 'pinwheel' to you?

Decide for yourselves.... it's great either way!

Make Clear Embossing Powder into Magical Embossing Powder!

Cynthia Anderson - another Lindy's Stamp Gang designer - shows us how to change
ordinary clear embossing powder into really spectacular Magical Embossing Powder
by using a little glitter and Magical Mica Powders from Lindy's Stamp Gang!

Watch on YouTube: HERE

Absolutely beautiful!

Cheater Bows - by Tresa Black (aka The Stamp Goddess!)

Tresa's "cheater" bows are quick, easy and use less ribbon than traditional bows. You can "cheat" with a brad or glue dots.... use thick or thin ribbons and fibers...... and even "cheat" on your wrap! These are Fabulously Artsy, and sshhh.... no one will know that you didn't tie a perfect bow!

Watch on YouTube: HERE

Copy Paper Ruffles - by Tresa Black (aka The Stamp Goddess!)

Create your own custom paper pleated ruffles with copy paper, stamps and inks. Tresa shows us this Fabulously Artsy, and inexpensive embellishment idea, where you can perfectly coordinate ruffles to your project every time --- you will always have the perfect paper! (Psst!... another benefit is that the ink saturated paper becomes softer and easier to manipulate, yet will still hold its shape.) And as usual, she makes a card with the ruffles, that is so cute, and decorates it with stamps, watercoloring, bling, liquid glass, and a damask background she stamps herself!

Watch on YouTube: HERE

Glitter 'n Tape - by Tresa Black (aka The Stamp Goddess!)

Tresa shows us some Fabulously "Glittery" (aka Artsy!) techniques in this video, that
are so easy to add lots of bling to any project! From glitter shapes and backgrounds, to see-thru windows and borders, she covers it all in this video!

Watch on YouTube: HERE

Sticker Shock! - by Tresa Black (aka The Stamp Goddess)

In this video, Tresa shows us some fun tips and tricks for altering stickers! From bling
and glitter, to paint and ink, she completely changes the look to suite specific needs. She
also shows how easy it is to change a quote and to make a 'mask' out of the leftovers!
Finally, Tresa creates another card using several of these techniques.

Watch on YouTube: HERE

How Fabulously Artsy!!

Krafty, Kool & Kolorful - 12" Kraft Borders

Ink, stamp or use as is.... these cute borders are for layouts or cards!

Love, Love, LOVE these!

Click HERE to watch on YouTube.