Madcap Manor

  Good afternoon, my dearios!  We're starting the week with a new Challenge from Dream Valley and our new theme is No Squares or Rectangles. Our sponsor is The Paper Shelter. One lucky winner will be able to choose 3 of their gorgeous digis as a prize!  I have made a rocker card, using dies from Spellbinders. I made sure that my largest die wasn't too wide to fit into a 6" envelope! Go on, ask me why lol! This adorable image is Teamwork - the pandas are so cute!  I used Tonic Studios Fresh Mint pearlescent card for the cardbase, and the paper is from my stash. The gold-embossed sentiment is by Love from Lizi. I embellished the image mat with Gold Coast Nuvo Drops.   Do go and see my teamies' creations, they have been so inventive in making shaped cards that aren't squares or rectangles!  Thanks for looking, and take care!  love Mags B x

Good afternoon, and Happy Monday to you all! It's time for a new Challenge at Dream Valley and our theme is Monochrome . That is, use shades of just one colour - except for face and hair if you're using an image of a person. I went with blue: My Christmas card uses an old Lili of the Valley stamp, sadly she no longer seems to be available. I coloured her with Promarkers - I find monochrome quite tricky, and since I know my Promarkers better than my Copics, I went with the old favourites! All the fur on her outfit is glittered with Icicle Stickles. The papers are also LotV, I distressed the edges and added some Stormy Sky DI. The large snowflake is an old die from Marianne, also now unavailable, it seems, and I used a Simon Says Stamp Season's Greetings die.  fo the sentiment, which I went over with a white gel pen for emphasis. The ribbon is actually an old sticker from who-knows-where (ie my stash!) and the pretty cotton lace  is from Crafty Ribbons.  The ...

Good morning! It's Monday already - where did the weekend go? To cheer you up we have a new challenge at Dream Valley and our theme is Vintage A great excuse to go overboard with lace, flowers, distressing and pretty papers! Our sponsor is the amazing Crafty Ribons Here is my card: My background paper is from an 8 x 8 'Floral Pavilion' pad by First Edition, and I distressed the edges of the paper and the card base with Vintage Photo. The sentiment is from a very old Penny Black sentiment set and says 'Happiness is time spent with a Friend.' I had the oval frame in my stash, it was rather brash white plastic so I dabbed Cranberry and Terracotta Alcohol Inks by Ranger onto it. The shape behind is cut with a Spellbinders die from the 5 x 7 Heirloom Legacy set, and it is also distressed with Vintage Photo. The vine is cut with a Spellbinders Floral Bundle die, the flowers are by Wild Orchid Crafts and the lace and gem swirls are from stash. 'Vi...

here is my belated post for the new Dream Valley Challenge, which is the very topical Autumn Colours . Think red, orange, brown, tan, green..... Our sponsor is the wonderful Robyn's Fetish . I used a gorgeous autumnal image called Cornucopia I used papers and card from stash to layer, and Tea Dye Distress Ink around the die-cut image. The sentiment is made with stickers from an old docraft set which I've had for 5 years! It's always good to use up stash!! My teamies have made some gorgeous autumnal creations, be sure to check them out to be inspired!! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Good morning! We have another Challenge up at Dream Valley - where has the last fortnight gone??! This time our theme is Distressing which can be either roughing-up the edges of your papers, or using ink. Our sponsor is Robyn's Fetish The DT were allowed to use some of their fab images, I went for Violet Red Hat Gal . I distressed round all the papers using Worn Lipstick Distress Ink, which is such a pretty pinky-red. It doesn't show up too well in the photo, unfortunately, but irl it adds a haze of colour on the edges. I used Promarkers to colour her, and added stickles to those fabulous feathers! The papers are a magazine freebie from 2012, 'Love Lives here' by Raspberry Road. The swirl die-cut is made with a Magnolia die, the flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, and the ribbon is from stash. The butterflies were made with a Martha Stewart punch, and glittered, the wooden heart has been coloured with Festive Berries ink and covered with Glossy Accents....

Hi, guys! it's time for another Dream Valley Challenge i can't believe how quickly the last fortnight has gone! Our Challenge this time is a recipe: 1 image, 1 sentiment, 3 papers and 3 embellishments Our terrific sponsor is Lacy Sunshine The DT was very fortunate to be given images for this Challenge and I used a very cute image, Honey Bee Enchantress My embellishments are the bee, the baker's twine and the button. The papers are from a magazine freebie that's been hanging about my craft hovel for a couple of years. The bee and the sentiment came from the same pack. Buzz over to see my teamies' creations, then have a go! But, please, do list your image, sentiment, papers and embellies - some of us are getting on in years and our eyesight isn't what it was!! (ok, ok, I'm only 60!!! But I still appreciate it when the details are written down!) We are also having a DT call if you're interested just add DT when you upload your card for the...

Evening, all! At Dream Valley our Challenge this time is to use Ribbon, Lace and Pearls . Our sponsor is All Dressed Up - do go and see the charming digis that Wendy has designed, they are lovely! For my card I used Abi Ballerina isn't she cute? I coloured her with Copics. I took the colours from the papers which are from the Promises pad by Nitwits and Lili of the Valley. Abi is cut out using a Deckle Rectangle Spellbinders die. The lace and ribbon and pearls are from stash - I added a pearl to her bow, as well as to the squares of patterned paper. The silver-embossed sentiment is from the Simply Fabulous Sayings stamp set by My Favorite Things. Go and see what the DT has created with these beautiful images and be inspired! Remember, it's Ribbon and Lace and Pearls - all three! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

I'm so sorry this is late - once again I mucked up the scheduling. :( Our theme for the Challenge this time is Easter - and it's suddenly getting close! I gave up chocolate for Lent, so I will really enjoy my Easter egg this year! Our sponsor this time is the amazing Robyn's Fetish I used the cute Easter Girl . She is coloured with Copics and her wings have been stickled. The background paper is from the Spring Fling stack by First Edition, I went over the eggs with a Wink of Stella pen for some added glitz. I used a Spellbinder's Floral Oval die for the mat. The bow is made with a scrap of ribbon from stash, and the silver-embossed greeting is by Clearly Besotted from the All Occasion Sentiments set. Ga and be inspired by my teamies' great creations! Thanks for looking, and have a good week! love Mags B x

This is our last Challenge of the year at Dream Valley - you have four weeks to join in! We have a wonderful list of our amazing sponsors, too many to list here, but go over to The Blog and see what amazing prizes are on offer! My Christmas card uses items from two of the sponsors - Freckled Fawn and My Mum's Craft Shop I used the second largest of the Die-namics Star Stax to die-cut a star, and stamped 'NOEL' in Mustard Seed ink using an alphabet set by Lawn Fawn then sponged over in Scattered Straw DI. I went over it with a Clear Wink of Stella pen. The idea came from a class I took at Online Card Classes The sentiment is from the Avery Elle 'Noel' stamp set and is gold embossed, and I used tiny stamps in Mama Elephant inks (Rainwater and Winter) to stamp on the base card. The Freckled Fawn Washi Tape comes from various of their monthly kits. I stuck them at an angle on a piece of scrap card and added it with foam tape. Then I added the star and a fe...

Hi, guys, I hope you had a great weekend! Monday means a new Challenge at Dream Valley and this fortnight it's the ever-popular Anything Goes Our sponsor is the gorgeous Dilly Beans Digi Stamps if you haven't yet come across Dilly Bean's you are in for a treat! Here is my card, it's my first ever Shaker Card and I used the adorable Iidynn's Bear Framed . I'm sorry about the glare over the image, that's the light catching the acetate window. The card base is made with pink Core'dinations cardstock by Bazzill. The paper is Basic Grey from the old 'Bloom and Grow' collection. I used a Spellbinders square die to cut the opening and also the image, and I glued the image directly onto the front of the card base. The paper is attached with double layers of foam tape to give enough height for the sequins and beads sealed inside. The sentiment is Lili of the Valley. Go and see what my gorgeous teamies have done, they will surely inspire you t...

Good morning! Apologies - I'm a day late for the latest Dream Valley Challenge which is Anything But a Card So you can try your hand at a tag, a box, a gift-bag, a working scale model of the Tardis..... Our sponsor is The Paper Shelter and the DT were able to use a couple of their gorgeous images! I made a decorated goft bag. I received a We R Memory Keepers Gift Bag Punch Board for Christmas, and I'm ashamed to say I have only recently opened it! It's a very good piece of kit, the instructions are pretty easy, as long as you remember which end of your patterned paper you want to be at the top. Hint: all the punching needs to be done along the BOTTOM edge! Go on, ask me how I know! ;) The bag is decorated with a beautiful TPS image, Moon Spell which is on offer at the moment! I loved colouring her masses of hair! I used a Spellbinders Star Circles die for the mat, and cut it again in silver glitter paper to provide the stars which I fitted into the shapes on...

Good afternoon, my lovelies! We have a Challenging Challenge at Dream Valley this fortnight! Put away those stamped images - rubber OR digi! Our sponsor is the fabulous Robyn's Fetish who are offering a lucky winner 3 digis from their online shop! I don't know about you, but when I make a card the first thing I reach for is a stamp, so this was, indeed, a Challenge for me! Fortunately, the second thing I reach for is a die. And if in doubt - make a Christmas card! So here I have used a Spellbinders Poinsettia set to cut and emboss the flower and leaves. I added a touch of gold glitter for some sparkle. The petals and leaves have just been glued in the middle, and then I raised up the edges for some dimension. The papers and ribbon are from stash. Go and see how my inventive teamies have risen to the Challenge, then have a go yourself! :) Thanks for looking, and have a good week! love Mags B x

Good morning! Mahoosive apologies for the lateness of this post, I was so convinced I had scheduled it for Monday that I forgot to check!! Don't you hate it when that kind of thing happens? Or is it just me that it happens to??! Anyway, welcome to another Challenge at Dream Valley and it's a romantic theme this time - Wedding . My children's friends are all at the age when weddings loom on the horizon, so these cards are becoming increasingly useful - in fact, my card was made with a very special wedding in mind! Our sponsor is the adorable Lacy Sunshine Stamps and the lucky winner will be able to choose THREE of Heather's cute digi stamps! A fabulous prize! So what did I do? I made an easel card! I used a 6 x 6 inch card for the skeleton of the card with the fold at the top, just folding down the top flap to meet the fold. Then I mounted card and paper cut with varying sizes of Nestabilities Labels One and Grand Labels One dies. The pale blue card is Centur...

Oh dear, it's Monday again! Back to work day! However, to cheer you all up we have a new Challenge at Dream Valley! Our theme this time is Your Favourite Colour Combination Well, you'd think that is a pretty straightforward theme, wouldn't you? My trouble is, I have so many favourite colour combos! So I cheated a bit and thought of the card I wanted to make, and the friend who it's for, and worked backwards. My lovely neighbour is undergoing chemo for breast cancer: it's going well, but the treatment is making her feel grotty, so I wanted to make her a card to cheer her up. Voila! I had my first colour - PINK! I love PINK and GREEN and also PINK and BROWN and there was my colour combo, all ready and waiting! Our fab sponsor this time is the amazing My Mum's Craft Shop . They stock one of my favourite stamp companies, Paper Smooches, and I have used the adorable Cutesaurus stamp set. So cute! I used an A5 card for the base and covered it with the pink fl...

Good morning! When you read this I will be in Derby with the Olde Manne, the kids and kid-in-law and the gorgeous granddaughter! My niece was married on Sunday, and we all stayed overnight at the hotel where the reception was held. A Four Star Hotel, how posh! In the meantime, here is the new Challenge at Dream Valley . Our theme is Summer . Now, in the UK Summer quite often includes rain, a cold wind, and even hail - but we're going to be optimistic and go for sunshine, the seaside, ice cream - anything summery! Friends in the Southern Hemisphere, I hope this Challenge will remind you of warmer days to come! Our fabulous sponsor is Robyn's Fetish and I have used an image which I've had on my laptop for ages but never got around to using: It's a Dragonfly Day . I used Promarkers, and covered the Dragonfly's wings with stickles and its body with Glossy Accent. The background paper with the butterflies is one I bought years ago, when we still had a local cra...

Dream Valley Challenges are now on Mondays instead of Sundays. Oops, I know this is Tuesday, I'm sorry I'm late with this! Our new challenge is Monochrome - that is, with the exception of skin tones and hair if you're colouring an image of a person, just use shades of a single colour. Our Sponsor is The Paper Shelter and a lucky winner will receive a $20 voucher for the store! I used one of my favourite TPS images, this is Victorian Beauty I wanted it lo look like an old sepia photo. I used Promarkers, and distressed all the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The papers are by LotV/Nitwits, from the 'Country Lady' pad. One layer is edged with a Martha Stewart Doily punch and there's a strip of card glued underneath it to give some variety. The brown cord is crochet thread. I added pearls to the corners and also to the button on the lady's jacket, and Glossy Accented her mirror. The sentiment is a bought die-cut from stash. This is the perfe...

Dream Valley Challenges has changed from Sunday to Monday. Evening, all! We have another great Challenge this fortnight: For a Baby I'm going to need quite a few of these this year! We have a terrific sponsor: Dilly Beans who are offering 3 digis for the winner! Unfortunately I wasn't organised enough to use one of their fab images, instead I used a stamp set by Paper Smooches called A Little Lovin' . I paper pieced the elephants, using LotV Bonnets and Bowties . I die-cut a circle in the checked piece and made the scalloped border, all with Spellbinder dies, then added the paper on foam pads. The elephants are also on foam pads. The banner is a Lawn Fawn stamp called Bannerific and the sentiment came with the Paper Smooches stamp set. The baker's twine and star stickers were RAKs from my daughter. Go and see what my teamies have done, they have made some fabulous creations! Remember, if you want to have a go, it doesn't have to be a card! Thanks...

Good afternoon! I hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend. We have sunshine in S-E Hertfordshire, what a difference it makes, everyone seems so cheerful when the sun shines! Unfortunately I have been fighting off a cold this past few days and it's now Cold - 1, Maggie - 0! I am mainlining Beecham's powders, they taste vile!! Enough medical talk! There's another lovely challenge at Dream Valley and it's Things With Wings - very suitable, I think, with the birds flying about building nests. Our fabulous sponsor is Kenny K and the prize is 3 digis! I used Devilish Donna for my card, which is made for a Goth chick of my acquaintance! I coloured her with Spectrum Noirs, glittered her wings, and then cut her out. The card base is made with purple centura pearl, embossed with a big Spellbinders M-bossibilities folder. I stamped a polka dot border with an MFT stamp called Large Scale Backgrounds - I tried to do an ombre effect. The sentiment on the banner i...

Good evening, all! If you're looking for my DT card for The Squirrel and the Fox please scroll down to the previous post. Ta. Now it's time for Dream Valley Challenges and it's one that everyone enjoys - Anything Goes! Our sponsor is the terrific Robyn's Fetish Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps And More is proud to sponsor this challenge. Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps And More, a division of I Did It Creations, was created and is owned by Robyn Weinrib. Robyn offers a wonderful variety of digital stamps and digital papers, designed to meet the needs of all digital paper crafting addicts for every occasion. Robyn’s Fetish Digital Stamps And More is happy to award 3 digital stamps of the winner’s choice to the winner of this challenge. I didn't use a sponsor image this time (due to being even more ditsy than usual!) Instead I dug out a cute stamp from The Greeting Farm I coloured Princess Anya with Spectrum Noirs and fussy-cut round the image. Th...

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! Next week it's Mothering Sunday/Mother's Day in the UK, and so that is our Challenge this fortnight. Our sponsor is Kenny K and the winner can choose 3 digis from their website. Not bad, eh? I'm afraid I didn't use a Sponsor image, because I don't have one suitable for a Mum! Instead I used a lot of die-cutting! All the papers are from my 'freebies from magazines' box. The teapot and cups are by Joy! and the others are by Spellbinders. The flock letter stickers are from stash. I wanted this to look like a table with a cloth, a lace mat, and a teaset. I now think it's a little busy - I hould have made the tablecloth out of plain paper - but that's how we learn! Inside the card is a little pocket and a teabag. Make yourself a cuppa, then go and see the fab creations made by my teamies and be inspired to ...