Madcap Manor

 Good morning! We are having a Design Team call at  Dream Valley ! If you're interested, check out the blog post.  We welcome crafters at all levels of experience - this was my very first DT, 12 years ago, when I was a very new crafter, and I learned so much from my lovely teamies over the years. Now for our new challenge - Add Some Bling.   Our sponsor is the wonderful  All Dressed Up Stamps  and Wendy kindly gave us two of her fabulous images to use.  I went with  Dreaming of Summer  - so pretty! I used papers from an elderly First Edition pad, and some pearlised purple cardstock from my stash.  I added two shiny  Lilac Mirror  peel-offs by Love from Lizi.  I covered the butterflies on the image with Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen (which doesn't really show in the photo unless you squint!) and finally some purple gems from my stash.  The die-cut hello is an old die from  Clearly Besotted. Check out the creations of ...

 Hello there! I hope you're all looking forward to a great weekend.  Here in the UK we are celebrating the Queen's 70 years on the throne.  My church is putting on a Fun Day on Friday, so I am scheduling this post.  I hope I've got it right! The theme of our new challenge at  My Time to Craft!  is A Bird or Birds on a nest, in a cage or with a birdhouse.    I found this chipboard image in my stash and thought I'd have a go at a shabby chic card.  Not my usual style! The background is made with Nuvo Shimmer powders and has a lovely sheen.  The doily, scrap of pink card, lace and ribbon are from my stash.  The wooden word is from the poundshop and I swiped it with Vintage Photo Distress Ink to age it.  Finally I added a dazzler to the middle of the bow and a few pearls here and there. This card is the complete opposite! I used an old stamp set from Clearly Besotted and a variety of inks to stamp on a panel.  I tore a piece o...

Hello! Good evening! And welcome! I'm sorry I'm so late with my post for My Time to Craft Christmas! it has been quite a busy day! My Olde Manne and I have appointments for our first vaccine jab arranged for Tuesday, AND I am once again a Grand Aunty! My lovely niece gave birth to a son this week and I have made and sent them a card. I'll try and remember to post it once the card is received. There IS light at the end of the tunnel, and WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS! Anyway, I'm actually here to tell you about the new challenge, and the theme is Wreaths. I used an old stamp from Clearly Besotted (love their cute stamps!) which I heat embossed in green. There are small stamps to fill in the baubles, and I heat embossed them in gold and added some Studio Katia gems on top. The bow is from the same stamp set, and is heat embossed in red. All the embossing powders came from Love from Lizi she has such pretty embossing powders.  I die-cut the image and layered it with red...

Hello, my dearios! We have a lovely Challenge for you at My Time to Craft which is Inspired by Disney. That is INSPIRED BY... since Disney's images are all copyright, of course, and they come down like a ton of bricks on anyone who uses their images without permission. So you could be inspired to use Mermaids, or Princesses, or a Chinese theme, or pick a fairy tale and put your own spin on it - just don't use any actual Disney images! And let us know what inspired you, too! I have a beautiful digi from Sassy Studios (which sadly no longer seems to be trading) called Snow Queen Portrait, which reminds me of 'Frozen.' For my winter birthday card, which is 5" x 7" for a change, I used shades of blue and white. The papers are from my stash, and long out of print. I layered them on blue and silver mats. I added White Blizzard Nuvo Drops to the centres of the snowflakes, and also to the Queen's hair, but they don't really show in the photo. The s...

Evening, all! I'm sitting down with a G'n'T after a fun but rather knackering afternoon at a one-day children's Holiday Club in our Church Hall. The children made Hot Cross Buns, and individual Easter Gardens, and helped set up the big Easter Garden that's now in front of the altar. It was lovely! Now I'm about to order a takeaway, but before then I must tell you about our new challenge at My Time to Craft where our theme is Spring Flowers. I used an old Clearly Besotted stamp called Scribbled Flowers. The stem is separate from the flowers, and I used Lawn Fawn inks to stamp them. Rather than mask the flowerheads where they overlapped, I followed Jennifer McGuire's advice and simply rubbed off the ink in the overlapping areas before stamping. The sentiment is embossed in Emerald City by Love from Lizi. I added a strip of Moss Material Embossed card also by Love from Lizi, to ground the flowers. My teamies have made some beautiful cards, do ...

Good afternoon, my lovelies, from a dreicht and rainy S-E Hertfordshire! Having done ALL the ironing I have now earned a happy crafting afternoon! But first it's time to tell you about a new Challenge at The Holly and Ivy where it's always Anything Christmas Goes. (ooo, I could just do with a warming glass of festive mulled wine today, it is so cold!) My card is Old School, I used Distress Inks and embossing powders do do some watercolour embossed resist for the background. I added Perfect Pearls to the water I used with my inks, there's a subtle sheen which the camera hasn't caught, sadly. I used all the stamps from Lots of Snowflakes by Simon Says Stamp, embossed them, then dipped the cardstock into watered-down inks on my craft mat. The sentiment is from an old Clearly Besotted set, embossed in Simon's Steel Navy embossing powder. I matted everything onto some silver mirri card. I added Silver Moondust Nuvo Glitter drops to the background to give...

Good morning! Well, after all the excitement of last week's Birthday Blog Hop we are back to normal with our monthly Christmas Challenge at CRAFT Challenge. This darling monkey is Cracker Chester from Little Miss Muffet Stamps. He is so cute, and he stars in other images at LMM, each one more adorable than the last! Check him out! I added Glamour Dust to the trim on his hat. The background papers are from an old Kaisercraft pad: the green piece is glittered and the red and white piece is foiled. The scalloped border is from the same pad, and the green ribbon is from stash. The sentiment is an old one from Clearly Besotted. Our sponsor is Little Miss Muffet Stamps. Go and see the sweet cards my teamies have made! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! It's time once again for our regular Christmas theme at CRAFT Challenge. The lovely image is Holy Night by The Paper Shelter. I used one of my all-time favourite Spellbinders dies to cut the mat Labels Four and Decorative Labels 4 (which sadly I can't find online.) The gold-embossed sentiment is by Clearly Besotted - and is 25% off in their Clearance Sale! The papers are from an old Papermania pad and I added Nuvo Drops to the centres of the flower shapes. Our sponser is The Paper Shelter. Check out the inspiring creations left on our blog by my gorgeous teamies! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! Our Challenge this fortnight is Monochrome - that is, use shades of just one colour on your creation (skin and hair don't count!) I got out my Distress Inks and did some embossed resist! I used an old stamp set from Clearly Besotted to stamp and heat-emboss three dragonflies and some little hearts onto watercolour paper, then wet the paper. I squished some Seedless Preserves onto a craft mat and used that to paint. Then I added some sequins, a sentiment from the stamp set, and a purple banner. I liked it so much that I had another go, this time with Victorian Velvet! This one DOES NOT FIT THE CHALLENGE because one of the banners is purple, not pink - but I wanted to show you anyway! Hop over to the Challenge blog to see my teamies' gorgeous creations! Thanks for looking and have a great weekend! love Mags B x

Good morning, my little pot plants! I hope you're all keeping well! We have a new Challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge where the theme is always Anything Christmas Goes. I made half a dozen little cards in shades of blue and here are two of them: I used a Wreath stamp by Clearly Besotted, which is now out of print, but there's another similar set here. I stamped the base and the baubles in different shades of blue pigment ink, and the separate bow in red. I added Wink of Stella to the baubles and also Glossy Accents on top. I used two of the Lawn Fawn Stitched Square Stackables from the large and small sets to cut the image and mat. The embossed sentiment is by Waffle Flower from the Stocking stamp set. Quick and easy to make multiples! It's never too soon to start making Christmas cards! Go and see my teamies' pretty creations and join in the Festive fun! The Challenge is open until 4th March. Thanks for looking, and enjoy your day! ...

I know, I know, it's only a couple of weeks since we were all preparing for Christmas, and here is our first Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge for 2018! But 'the sooner you start, the sooner you'll finish', as my Mum used to say to me when I was meant to be tidying my room! I made a very simple card, using a die-set from Tonic Studios which sadly seems to be out of print. The green background paper has a slight ombre effect. I lined the white die-cuts with circles cut from the same paper to emphasise the details. The sentiment and holly sprig come from an old stamp set from Clearly Besotted who are having A SALE!!!! I love how elegant these layering dies look! Do have a go at the Challenge, you'll feel so pleased with yourself! And don't forget to check out my teamies' gorgeous creations. You have more time to join in because this Challenge doesn't end until February 4th. Enjoy! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Good morning! Welcome to the start of a new week, and a new Challenge at Dream Valley! The theme this fortnight is Our Four-legged Friends. I used an adorable image from Di's Digi Stamps who is our lovely sponsor. This is Squisshy Kitty - she is so cute! I coloured her with Promarkers and added gold Stickles to the centres of the daisies. The mat is cut with a Spellbinders' Stately Circles die which unfortunately seems to be out of print. The paper is from a magazine freebie many years ago and has a linen-effect print on the background. The stickers are from Paperchase and the ribbon from stash. The sentiment is from an old banner set by Clearly Besotted. Have a look at my teamies' Four-legged Friends creations and be inspired to join in! Thanks for looking and have a good week! love Mags B x

Good morning! We have a fab sketch for you to try at My Time to Craft this fortnight, created by the talented Jo. You can turn it, but we need to see the sketch in your project - have a look at my teamies' creations to get some ideas! I have made..... a Christmas card! The adorable image is by Penny Black from the Christmas Critters stamp set. I love those cute mice! I used papers from the ever-expanding Snippets Drawer , and the green card is also a Snippet. The gems are by Papermania and the gold-embossed sentiment is from Hanging Around which is one of Clearly Besotted's mini stamp sets. The ribbon is by American Crafts. CHALLENGES ENTERED: I am entering this card to the Snippets Playground at Di's blog. as so much of the card is made with leftovers! Thanks for looking, and have an excellent weekend! love Mags B x

Happy New Year! Our Challenge at My Time to Craft is Something New. That can be a new event (baby, job, home etc) or new craft stash that Santa has brought you! I have made a New Baby card and also used a new stamp set. The stamp set is by W Plus 9 and is called Party Animal I coloured the cute giraffe with Copics. The balloon was coloured with Distress Inks and blended with a blending tool, then once it had dried I stamped the sentiment with Clearly Besotted's New Baby set in pink pigment ink and clear-embossed it. I fussy cut the images and used foam pads to give dimension. The balloon string is drawn with a black marker. Finally, I added sequins from stash. I hope you all had a happy and peaceful Christmas and are looking forward to 2017. Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

It's Saturday! And it's ruddy freezing here in S-E Hertfordshire! Winter is Coming! So it's a good day to stay in and craft! Our Challenge at My Time to Craft is No Layers. So - no patterned papers, just make your design directly on your card front. It's not a scary as it sounds - the DT have produced some lovely examples to inspire you! Surprise! I made a Christmas card! I made a (US) standard cardbase and Stamped and masked the bow and then stamped the wreath from the Clearly Besotted Joy to the World set. I used Altenew Crisp Inks from the Red Sunset and Green Fields sets, and covered the bow with clear Wink of Stella, The berries have dots of Christmas Red Stickles. The sentiment is from the same stamp set, and heat embossed in gold. I added 3 sequins for added bling (and to cover a smear!!) Right! Back to tidying the Craft Hovel, then it's back to the Christmas cards! Thanks for looking - and thanks for so many lovely comments on the news...

Hello, all! I hope your Monday is going ok! I have made a card that isn't for a DT! I recently bought Clearly Besotted's Hip Hip Hooray stamp set, which has not only a cute Viking family and a longship, but also a foaming mug of BEER! Perfect to use on a card for a bloke! Rows of beer mugs! The sentiment is also by Clearly Besotted, it's quite old by now and not on the website alas. Through the little aperture you can glimpse someone... And here he is on the inside of the card! Isn't he the cutest Viking ever?! The 'Cheers' sentiment comes with the same set. I had a lot of fun making this card! Thanks for looking! Skol! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! Sorry I'm late, I lay down for a nap and woke up 2 hours later!! Ooops! Our Challenge at My Time to Craft is Sketchy Time! and here is the sketch: I made a card for a tea-drinker: The stamp set by Clearly Besotted unfortunately is no longer available, though they have some cute stamps for tea-drinkers and coffee-drinkers! The sentiment is from the same set. The papers are from stash, I rounded the corners with my Corner Chomper. Then I added Clear Wink of Stella to the teapot and teacup. Go and see the great creations my teamies have made using the sketch, they are so varied! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Happy New Year! The first Challenge of the year at My Time to Craft is Friendship which is very apt since a couple of nights ago we were singing 'Should auld acquaintance be forgot'! I used my new Kuretake Zig Clean Colour Brush pens for the first time - they are lovely! The image is by Clearly Besotted and the sentiment is very old, from My Mind's Eye. I embossed in Ranger Platinum embossing powder which is so pretty! I used a Mama Elephant stitched rectangle die, and layered it on a scrap of blue card. Go and see the lovely creations my teamies have made (I love the item made for a dieting friend by Annie !) Wishing you all the very best for 2016! love, Mags B x

Yikes! I should have posted this on Monday, I apologise!!! At Dream Valley we would like to see Stitching on your project, either real or faux. Or sponsor this fortnight is The Hobby House I went with two variants on faux stitching: The Clearly Besotted flower was white heat-embossed on watercolour paper and then painted. The sentiment is by Altenew from the Halftone Hello stamp set and I stamped it in gold Delicata ink. I used a Lawn Fawn STITCHED rectangle to die-cut the images and added STITCHES around the edge with a brown pen. Have a look at what my teamies have made, and then have a go! Thanks for looking! Mags B x

Evening, all! Apologies for the late post, I have a new laptop to replace the one which keeps overheating and shutting down, and my daughter's lovely young man has been sorting it out and setting it up this afternoon! Our Challenge at My Time to Craft is to Quilt It! So we'd like to see quilt-type papers or stamps, or else you can cut up papers and make your own quilt pattern, which is what I did. I added white dashes to imitate quilting. The image and sentiment are from an old stamp set by Clearly Besotted called 'My Cup of Tea.' I stamped in Mama elephant Ocean Pigment Ink. The papers are from stash. Go and see what my inventive teamies have done with the theme, and then have a go! Thanks for looking, and have a great weekend! love Mags B x PS this is a slightly wonky photo, the teapot is actually straight, not slanted!!!