Madcap Manor

 Good morning, all! There's a new challenge at  My Time to Craft Christmas  which is to use patterned paper.  I used some old digi papers from Nitwit Collections'  Mooey Christmas .  I made 2 cards, following a  template  by Jess of Jess Crafts. The template easily makes 2 cards from a sheet of 6 x 8 paper, but I used 2 sheets and swapped the elements around. The Christmas tree dies are called  Woodlands  and are by Tim Holtz for Sizzix.  I cut them in pearlescent green card, glued them onto white paper and trimmed around the edges.  The sentiment is one of the  Winter Scripty Sentiments  by Lawn Fawn. If you're like me you'll have a lot of patterned paper in your stash, so this is a very useful challenge to encourage you to use some up! Check out the blog to see more inspiration - and remember, you can enter up to THREE times, so you can use even more papers! (It makes space to buy some more, of course!!) Anyway, thanks for looking and take care. love Mags B x

 Good morning! Happy Friday! Here is our new Challenge at  My Time to Craft  and out theme is Beverages.   It has been so hot recently that my favourite beverage is now... (drumroll)... Water! I hope you're all making sure you're keeping hydrated. I made 2 cards on the subject, one tea-themed (my daughter's favourite) and one coffee-themed (my son's.) I used 2 very old dies for the teapot and mug: both have embossed details, but the card I chose is too busy to show them properly.  The background paper is a scrap (by  Nitwits ) and I used the red spotted card as a mat. These cute coffee cups are made with a die that came in a Simon Says Stamp kit long, long ago.  I paper-pieced the elements, which was rather fiddly! The cardbase has an inch trimmed off the front to show a different patterned paper on the inside.  Both papers are also by Nitwits, though I can't remember which set. Check out the Challenge blog for more fun examples and have a go yourself - there are so

  Hiya! It's exciting here at the Manor, as my dayghter and grandson are over here from Ireland! My goodness, my grandson is getting tall! He's 5, but he's wearing age 6 clothes! He's grown so much since December 2019!   I'm snatching a few minutes to post about the new challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge . I used MFT's Quilt Square Cover-up die and inlaid the frame with paper by Nitwits. The Stitched Snowflakes by Lawn Fawn are cut from silver mirri card. The background paper is also by Nitwits - unfortunately the collection is no longer available. I'm doing quite well with my Christmas cards this year! If you haven't started yet, hop over to our challenge for some inspiration and have a go! Thanks for looking and take care! love Mags B x

Happy Easter, everyone! Wishing you a sunshiny weekend!   Our new Challenge at My Time to Craft is Easter. Because I'm a churchgoing Christian I made a religious card (or 2!) but obviously the theme includes Bunnies and Easter Eggs! I used an old stamp by Wild Rose Studio, embossed in gold. Originally I was going to colour it with Zig markers, but hubby said it looked better without, and I think he's right. I used Centura Pearl cardstock for the mats.   My teamies have left some darling cards on the blog to inspire you, do hop over and see!   Thanks for looking and stay safe!   love Mags B x

Hi, guys! I hope you're all having a good week! We have our regular Christmas Challenge at CRAFT Challenge . The adorable image is Christmas Angel from sponsor Digital Paper Craft. I added folds to her pretty gown with my Copics and I'm rather pleased how it turned out! I added clear Wink of Stella to her wings, halo and star. The papers are from Nitwits' Still Joyful Hearts digi papers. The sentiment is by Lawn Fawn from the Ready, Set, Snow stamp set. The sparkly Ikea ribbon was an RAK from my daughter and the pearls are from stash. Our sponsors: Star Stampz Digital Paper Crafts Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! At Dream Valley Challenges we would like to see the colours of your flag - and please tell us which flag! Our sponsor is Angie's Stamps and Digis and I used Little Lila Picking Flowers I used Red, White and Blue, the colours of the Union Jack. The card base and papers are cut with Spellbinders Grnd and Classic Labels 23. The papers are snippets, they are by Nitwits but I don't know which collection. The lace and ribbon and heart gems are from stash, and the heart doily is by Noor Designs . The label is also by Spellbinders. Thanks for looking, and have a good week! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! It's Thursday! That means there is only one more day until the weekend, AND a new CRAFT Challnge! This week we have a Recipe for you to follow: Our wonderful sponsor is: Scrappers Delights I used a beautiful silhouette image, this is Fairy Wishes I added Stickles to the bubbles on the image, and used a Spellbinders Fleur de Lys Square to die-cut it. The papers are Bonnets'n'Bowties by Nitwits. I used two papers for the background, and the third to punch some flowers. The ribbon and gems are from stash, the sentiment is by Lili of the Valley and the leaves were made with a punch. Go and see what my teamies hve done with the recipe, and join in! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Evening, all! A friend is having a tough time, so I made a card to cheer her up. (Isn't that the best thing about being a cardmaker? You can make personalised cards for your friends!) The cuddly kitty is from the Chubby Chums stamp set by Paper Smooches. I coloured her with Copics and added Glossy Accents to her eyes. The papers are by LotV/Nitwits, the Perfect pair paper pad. I used a Lawn Fawn Stitched Circle die to cut into the quilt paper, then glued a ring cut with the same die and one that's a size bigger for the border. I added the paper and the kitty on dimensional foam. The sentiment comes with the stamp set, I gold-embossed it on a scrap of card. (Eeeek! My hubby has just made me jump and shriek - no, no, nothing naughty, he just lifted his beer glass, which stuck to the coaster, then the coaster suddenly dropped onto his computer desk with a loud clang! Scared the life out of me lol!!!!!) I hope you all have a good week, and thanks for looking! love

Good evening, all! Sorry I haven't blogged much this week, I have had some problems uploading pictures to the blog : fortunately my daughter and her wonderful partner are here for the weekend - he is a Jedi Master of IT and has solved the problem! He is a very noble gentleman!!! So here is one of a set of cards I made a week ago, starring the Woodware Patch an Owl set. I paper pieced the owl, using LotV Bonnets and Bowties papers (they came free with a mag!) The beak is pieced with a scrap of gold card from stash. I used a snippet of pink card and a Spellbinders Lacey Squares die for the mat. The sentiment came with the set. I used a stamp from the Winter Gifts stamp set and the matching Tag You're It dies. The tiny flower brads are from stash. Here's a picture of the 4 cards lying on my ironing board: One of the great things about paper piecing is that if you use 4 different papers you can easily make 4 cards!! I hope you've all had a great weekend,

Good morning, all! I hope you're all enjoying a peaceful Sunday. I have had my son and his little family staying for two nights, which was lovely! My son still has the ability to annoy his sister within a minute - do our children ever really grow up?! My DiL and I sat on the sidelines, shaking our heads and playing with my gorgeous grandchild, Lillie, who is crawling (very fast!) and loves to explore in rooms she isn't allowed to visit, like the kitchen! It's lovely having a baby about the place again! Time for my card! This fortnight's challenge at The Squirrel and the Fox is slightly unusual: it's to Use Metal . This could be charms, or brads, or metal flowers or foliage, or corners, or bookplates - anything made of metal that's an intrinsic part of your design. (You may want to Think Tim Holtz!!!) Our wonderful sponsor is Beary Wishes who are offering 3 of their cute digis to a lucky winner! The site also has free digi stamps, so you can 'try before

Good morning, all! As I type this I am watching the Eurovision Song Contest - I love it, it's so over-the-top! There is always at least one entry that is totally nuts! Well, by the time you read this the voting will be done. Time to announce the new Challenge at The Squirrel and the Fox which this time is Let's Hear It for the Girls In other words, we want to see cards for the LADIES! Our fab sponsor is the wonderful Make It Crafty who are offering a $AU15 voucher to spend in their store! So what are you waiting for, get out your girly stash!!! I used the beautiful Annabelle - she is available in rubba as well as the digi I used. I coloured her with Promarkers - and I've lost the list! What a prat. The papers are Nitwits. I used a Spellbinders Timeless Rectangle to mat the image using pearlised card from Craft Creations, and the memory Box butterflies were cut from the same card, the top layer is stuck down along the body, leaving the wings free. The ribbon is f

Good evening, all! I hope you're all keeping well! Brrr, it has been so cold and damp and windy today, more like October than May! Do I not like this weather!! I hope the rain stays away tomorrow, when the First Test against New Zealand begins! Yes, it's cricket, huzza!!! But you're not here for me wittering about The Summer Game! Here's a card I made for a friend, using a Lili of the Valley ready-coloured image called Little Girls Tea Time isn't it cute? My friend and I often meet for a cuppa, and I'm rather sad as she will be moving away soon, so I hope this card reminds her of happy times. Mind, we are both considerably older than these little girlies, take a look: I made a joy fold card , and the blue bow is positioned so that it just about holds the flap closed. The papers are snippets of Nitwits - but I can't remember which set!! Here's a side view to give a better idea of the fold: I used part of a Martha Stewart Punch Around the Pag

Welcome to my new followers! Thank you for investigating this slightly eclectic corner of Blogland! Evening, all! I hope your weekend is going well! Apparently in the UK we are to be blessed with wind and rain this weekend - perfect crafting weather, methinks! My daughter is collecting items for a 'care box' for a friend who hasn't been well, and so I made this for her to fill. Sacha (my daughter) makes very thoughtful care boxxes, they usually contain a book and some nice bath things! Though once she made one for me that included very unromantic knickers and socks!!! I upcycled a tissue box, covering it inside and out with papers from the LotV/Nitwits 'Perfect Pair' paper stack. The image is Summer Lovely Lilies and I coloured her with Promarkers - how useful the narrow nibs are for detailed images! The list of Promarkers is below. I used a scalloped oval Nestie to cut her out, and lightly distressed through the die with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink. An

Hi, guys! If you're looking for my DT post for The Squirrel and the Fox please scroll down to the previous post. Ta. It's Dream Valley Challenges time again! I hope you're not Squares, man, because this fortnight no squares are allowed! In other words, whatever you create (Not necessarily a card!) mustn't be square-shaped! Our gorgeous sponsor is Crafty Ribbons go and have a look at their drool-worthy website, they have some fabulous things!! I used my lovely Cupcake Frame by Hero Arts to make a little card (It's only about 4 inches high!) I die-cut a snippet of Nitwits paper for the 'icing' and a strip from another snippet for the case. This was scored with my Hougie Board at every cm all along one side of the strip, then I flipped it and scored between the marks already made, then I concertina-folded it and glued it onto the base. The sentiment is by LotV, stamped in worn Lipstick distress Ink. The heart is cut with a die from the same Hero

Good evening, all! I hope you've all seen at least a little bit of sunshine today! Hurry up, Spring, I'm well tired of being cold! This card is for a lovely blogging buddy, Mel . I wanted to something a bit different from usual, and decided on a Gatefold card. I used a scoring board which has grooves marked to show where the folds go - mine is quite old and was made by Kanban. It was so easy to make the base! The papers are by Nitwits, from the 'Grandma's Garden' set, I've had them printed out for ages, but only just got around to using them! The image is by Wild Rose Studios and was a freebie with a magazine, isn't it cute? I've lost my note of the Promarkers I've used :( - sorry! The flowers are made with another paper from the same Nitwits set and were cut with dies by Marianne in two sizes, and there are gems in the centre. The sentiment is by LotV on a Spellbinders label. The ribbon is from stash. Here's the card opened, I deco

Good afternoon, all! It's a beautiful, warm Spring day here in S-E Hertfordshire, with sunshine and blue skies! Such a lovely change, it seems as though it's been grey and cold for months! Here's a summery card featuring Anya from the 'Miss Anya Love' set by The Greeting Farm. I've wanted this set for ages, and treated myself after Christmas, it's a bit embarrassing that I've only just inked one of these cuties up! I apologise for the wonky photo, I'm obviously no David Bailey! I coloured Anya with Promarkers, and there are stickles on the flowers and Glossy Accents on the heart in her hair ornament. The elaborate mat is a Spellbinders 'Timeless Rectangles' die, another post-Christmas purchase. The papers are Nitwits 'The Bees Knees' collection, they are so pretty! The sentiment banner is by LotV and I put a foam pad in the middle and glued down the ends to give the curve. The lace is from stash. The flowers and leaves are

Good afternoon, my lovelies! I hope you're all having a happy weekend. I have a TOP TIP to give you: Don't craft in a cardigan with loose, floppy sleeves! The number of times I've swept things off my craft table and onto the floor this week is ridiculous! There's one coloured-in Tilda that seems to have escaped completely! I'm halfway through cleaning my craft hovel in the hopes I'll find her! Amidst all the kerfuffle I did manage to finish one card without a mishap: The Sketch is from Seems a Little Sketchy and I flipped it over. The papers are Nitwits (though I didn't make a note of the collection, sorry!). I used a Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles die on Tilda's blue mat, and the leafy Fanciful Flourish die is by Cheery Lynn, I added sequin flowers with tiny gems glued in the middle. The sentiment is LotV, the flourish is stickled though the light hasn't caught it. I also stickled Tilda's Star wand and her cute crown. The star embe

Hi, guys! I hope you're all having a good weekend! I am getting back into what my Mum called 'the rhythm of things' - a more elegant phrase than 'back to the old routine' though that's what she meant! Just before Christmas my daughter announced that she was leaving Waterstone's bookshop, where she'd worked for 4 years, at the end of December. As you can imagine, that was a bit worrying! But she immediately got online and within a week she had a new job! It's office work, with office hours and every weekend off! So of course I had to make her a card! This hard-working mouse is by The Greeting Farm, he was the first of their stamps I bought, about 3 years ago. He's coloured in Speccies (list below.) The papers are all Snippets, mostly Nitwits but the blue strip is Pink Petticoat. The Spellbinders corner (from the Parisian Accents set) uses a snippet of pearlised card. The lilac jute ribbon and the spotted ribbon are from stash. I added a

eta apologies for the delay, I thought I scheduled this, but something went wrong! Hi guys! Once again it's time for another challenge at The Squirrel and the Fox and this time our theme is either Summer or Winter . Our sponsor the the fabulous Robyn's Fetish who generously let the DT use some of their images. I chose 'Summer' as a change from Christmas cards! I'm sorry the picture is so wishy-washy, the colours irl are much brighter. I coloured the lovely Sunflower with Promarkers and used a Spellbinders Labels 20 20 to die-cut it. The mat is cut with a Nesties trellis die, and the horizontal strip is also edged with Trellis elemants. I distressed with Scattered Straw DI while the image was still in the die. The corners, which I went over with gold Liquid Pearls, are Spellbinders' Parisian Motifs. I used a Cheery Lynn Mini Fanciful Flourish and also a Martha Stewart 3-in-1 hydrangea punch for the little flowers, which have gems in the middle of t

Hi, guys! How are the Olympics going? I confess I've been listening to the Test Match from Headingley this last 5 days: I was making this card while South Africa was batting and Broad was taking 5 wickets for a pittance. What a match! But you don't want to hear me blethering about cricket! Here is Miss Anya from the Miss Anya Dressy set by The Greeting Farm. She is coloured with Speccies and the centre of the flower in her hair is stickled in gold. The outer frame is a Nesties Star Circle die, distressed with Tattered Rose towards the middle and Worn Lipstick on the edges. The sentiment is also a die-cut, from a Marianne Sentiments set, and I also stickled it. Papers are Nitwits Tour of London, except for the flower which was cut from an ancient paper by, I think, DCWV? The cover has long since gone from the stack! The flower and leaves are cut with a Spellbinders Rose Creations die and the star brad is from stash. The white seam binding came from Wild Orchid Crafts .