Madcap Manor

(Apologies again, I thought I had scheduled this for Sunday but I did something wrong!) If you're looking for my DT post for The Squirrel and the Fox please scroll down. Good morning! I hope you're all enjoying a good Bank Holiday weekend! I am schduling this post as my son and his family will be visiting at the weekend! There's a new challenge over at Dream Valley Challenges and this time we have a lovely theme For a Child Our sponsor is the wonderful Meljen Designs and a lucky winner will be able to choose 4 of Melissa's fabulous digis from her shop! I used this cute Peter Bunny I used Promarkers to colour him, and Stickles on his tail! The image mat is cut with a Spellbinders Floral oval die, and I also used a Martha Stewart punch along the horizontal piece. The papers are snippets of digipapers and I don't know where they come from! The ricrac is from my sewing box, the buttons from my Mother in Law's Button tin. The sentiment is by LotV ...

Hello, my lovelies, I hope you're having a relaxed Sunday! We have sunshine! I'd almost forgotten what the sun looks like! It's time for Challenge 51 at Dream Valley and this time we would like to see ribbon AND bling! That's both, by the way, not either ribbon or bling! And the Challenge this time will last for THREE weeks, not two! Our fabulous sponsor is Crafty Ribbons who are offering one of their gorgeous 'Bev's Bags' to a lucky winner, so get out your ribbons, your rhinestones, your glitter and your Glamour Dust and have a go! This card is not in my usual style, but I'm rather pleased with it! My lovely daughter gave me a pack of Papermania Big Bloomers flowers for Christmas, which inspired this card. I fastened two together with a brad and put some Spellbinders Foliage die-cuts behind it. The leaves have a lot of Glamour dust on them, if you squint you can just about make it out on my naff photo! The ribbon and lace are from stash,...

Yes, it's time for the last Dream Valley Challenge of 2012! Because it's such a busy time of year, this challenge is open for an entire month. The theme is Christmas and we have Four Sponsors offering prizes!!! Well, I thought I'd do something a little different, so here are some tags. They're really quick and easy, which is a good thing because I need 27 of them!! The base is a Nestabilities circle - not the biggest shape but the next one down. The scalloped red mat and the smaller white circle are also Nesties. The holly leaves are cut with a Whiff of Joy die, using pearlised green card. I wish I knew where it came from - it's what was left over a couple of years ago when we cut out a mahoosive Prayer Tree at Sunday School, and now I'm running out! The berries are white card candi coloured with a CT4 Spectrum Noir. I then put some Glossy Accents on top and sprinkled with Glamour Dust. The ties are all recycled from articles of clothing! I just glu...

Good evening, all! I hope none of you is being threatened by the floods, it looks dreadful on the News. Thanks so much for all your kind words about this $%£*&&& tonsillitis, I was feeling very sorry for myself but you cheered me up. Thank you!! Amazingly, the last fortnight has flown by and once again it's time for a new challenge at Dream Valley This time the theme is 'Non-Traditional Christmas' so put away all those red and green Christmas papers and go for something completely different! What do you get when you add yellow to Red and Green? Orange and Lime! This cute Cozy Cap Mouse is by Meljen for Whimsy Stamps, he came from Bunny Zoe's Crafts I used Promarkers (the list is below) and stickled the fur trim on his hat. The heart has been Glossy Accented and there are dots made with a 'Perlen-Pen'. The papers are Basic Grey 'Life of the Party'. I used a Memory Box Frostyville border on each side, both glittered, and the LotV s...

Afternoon, all! I apologise for not being around much this week, I've had a dose of the 'flu. I know I'm poorly when I can't even read :( ! Enough of my woes, it's time for another challenge at Dream Valley ! Our lovely sponsors this time are One Stop Card Crafts with a £10 voucher, and Bugaboo with $21 to spend on their fantastic digis! This fortnight's theme is 'Hallowe'en.' Now, I don't really 'do' Hallowe'en, having problems with children being encouraged to knock on strangers' doors in the evening and demand sweets with menaces. I also know a lot of elderly ladies who sit in the dark all evening on October 31st because they're terrified of 'trick or treaters.'  Enough ranting! I'm happy to make a spooky card for my son's birthday in December, and here it is. The image is 'Zombieboy' by the superb Krista Smith of Saturated Canary . I used Promarkers to colour him. I put Rock Candy Stickl...

Morning, all! If you're looking for The Squirrel and the Fox bloghop, please click here This is going to be a loooong post, so grab a cuppa - or, if The sun's over the yardarm you may prefer a G and T! The current theme at Dream Valley is 'Breast Cancer Awareness' so you need to THINK PINK! You can make anything, not necessarily papercrafts, as long as it fits the theme. My card uses a gorgeous image by Krista Smith of Saturated Canary Isn't she lovely? She looks a bit like my adorable granddaughter! Krista also has a sweet new image, 'Butterfly Baby' and this week she is donating money from this image to a children's charity - there's a link in my sidebar. I'm really pleased with the colouring on this one - Krista's images are a dream to colour! I used Promarkers (list below)and stickled the rose in her hair. The papers are Nitwits, from the snippets box. (Hi, Di! ) The gingham ribbon is from Hobbycraft. The flowers are all Wil...

Good morning! I'm so sorry this post is a day late, my laptop was dead when I tried to post yesterday. Disaster! So this morning just before calling the cavalry I tried one last time to fire her up and discovered... (dramatic pause)... the battery was flat! What a plonker! So now here's the new Dream Valley Challenge and the theme this fortnight is 'Celebrations.' So put on your glad rags and PAAAARRRTTYYYYY! Our sponsor is Digi Doodle Shop, there will be a prize of a $10 voucher. I used a romantic, old-fashioned image from DDS for my card, coloured in Promarkers, which is for another wedding anniversary. This is a gatefold card, for a change: Here's the inside. The papers are K & Co from my stash. The sentiment is LotV. The butterfly is a Magnolia Doohickey die, the ribbon, gems and charm are from stash. I stickled the rose in the lady's dress. Do go across and see what the DT has done and join in - I hope you all have lots of reasons to ...

It's time for another Dream Valley Challenge ! Last time the 'Steampunk' theme was rather difficult, but now we have a nice and easy Challenge that everyone will enjoy - Something Old, Something New. It's an excuse to show off your new stuff as well as digging in your neglected stash! I'm sure many of you will recognise the Lili of the Valley Holly Wreath from last Christmas, and also the sentiment. I coloured in the image last January when I bought the stamp, using Spectrum Noirs - apologies, I don't have the list, after all this time! The ribbon was a freebie from 'Quick Cards' and it's at least a year old! The 'Something New' is the fabulous paper, from one of the beautiful new LotV paper pads. This gorgeous design by Laila is my favourite, because it reminds me of the fabric I used to make my children's Christmas Stockings over 20 years ago! Have a look at my teamies' fab contributions, and have a go yourself! But plea...

Good afternoon, my lovelies! Phew, it's hot! I just hope the good weather lasts until the end of the Paralympics - isn't it great that soon we'll be having yet more thrilling sport to enjoy?! It's time for another Dream Valley Challenge and this time the theme is STEAMPUNK . Our sponsor is My Mum's Craft Shop  There's a £10 voucher up for grabs! Here's my card:  I had to do a fancy shot because otherwise the sunshine reflecting from the silver card was just too dazzling! The paper is from MME but I didn't note the name - I love the cute antique aircraft! I layered it on silver card then die-cut the circle through the middle and added the silver 'porthole' frame. The Tim Holtz Gadget Gears die-cuts have been swiped with Weathered Wood and Rusty Hinge Distress Inks, and I used Peeled Paint Distress Embossing powder to give a verdigris effect. The rivets are silver pearls from stash. The cute image is Lil Victorian Steampunk Lad Er...

Have you been following the Olympics? Isn't it exciting? I do feel sorry for the women running the Marathon today through the rain, but I suppose it's keeping them cool! It's time for another Dream Valley Challenge and this time it's to use your Punches and Dies. We have 2 fab sponsors: One Stop Card Crafts is offering a £10 voucher and and Inked Treasures is offering 4 digis! So what did I do? I made a Christmas card! I think that's Number 6 - I have another 40 to do! I kept it quite simple to emphasise the shapes. The image is by Docrafts, and I embossed it in gold. I used my gorgeous new Nesties Labels 5 die. I stencilled with Antique Linen Distress Ink while the card was still in the die, and matted twice, on green and gold card. The gold card is thick enough to be embossed, so it looks as though there are 4 layers here! I think I've shown all the things you can do with a die! I used a Woodware Holly border punch, also layered on green and g...

Good morning, all! By the time you read this (if kind Mr Blogger schedules the post) I will be away camping at a Christian Conference called New Wine, in Somerset. The conference is a first for me, though camping in mud isn't, my family used to go camping every year.  My hubby, who's staying at home, predicts trench foot, rust, mud baths... Enough of that! It's time for a new Challenge at Dream Valley and this time the theme is Summer We are being sponsored by Squiggle Stamps and the DT were offered some of their lovely digistamps to play with. I chose Geeky Goth Boy isn't he cute? The bright summery papers are "Sunshine" from the "Little Miss Collection" by Pebbles Inc, I can't remember where I got them, sorry! I used both sides of the double-sided paper, and added an Owls scrap from the Snippets Box. I reversed the main papers for the inside: The Geek is coloured with Speccies. I Glossy Accented his specs and Goth...

Good afternoon, all! *peers through curtain of rain to make sure it's still afternoon, not twilight* It's time for another Dream Valley Challenge! This time the challenge is simple - Anything But A Square .  So you can go for a circle card, or a rectangular card, or push the boat out and make a hexagon-shaped one! Our lovely sponsors are One Stop Card Crafts  They are offering a £10.00 voucher for their store.   and Meljens Designs is offering 4 images of their choice. Great prizes! Here is my card, which was made for a lad who has just turned 15 - it's no time at all since he was a baby! I went for a circular Easel card. I used this lovely Meljen Cupcake Birthday image, it's suitable for so many ages! The base, papers and mats were cut with Nesties and Grand Nesties - whatever did we do before die-cutting? Here's a side view: Papers are an ancient pad by Papermania, I like the cheerful yellow! The sentiment/stop is LotV. I put Glossy Accent...

Hello, my dearios! I hope you're all enjoying a good weekend, in spite of this crazy weather. Flaming June! It's time for another challenge at Dream Valley and we'd love to see your creations using Things with Wings Our sponsor this fortnight is Digi Doodle Shop There's a voucher for $10 to spend at their online shop for one lucky winner! I used one of their images, Butterfly Blossoms for my card and cut it out with a Nesties die. The card base and background papers were also cut with Grand Nesties on Excalibur, my wonderful Grand Caliber die-cutting machine. I coloured with Promarkers - the new pen tips are just brilliant for colouring a delicate image like this! I covered the butterflies' wings with glitter. The papers are a mix of Funky Hand and Nitwits. I used a Martha Stewart Deep Edger Punch for the bit across the middle. The flowers are made with Retro punches and covered in Glossy Accents, and the orange centres are shiny stickers from Paperc...

Afternoon, all! It's time for another Dream Valley Challenge! This time we'd like to see something for a special man or boy in your life. We have two sponsors this time: one lucky person will win a £10.00 gift voucher from One Stop Card Crafts A second lucky person will win 4 images of their choice from Sassy Studios I made a card for my daughter to give my hubby for Father's Day. The inspiration comes from Rubber Stamping by Kim Reygate which was one of the books that got me into cardmaking. Anyone who has read the book or visited her blog will recognise the technique of embossing and sponging on the torn paper. I used a background stamp by Great Impressions which I think came from Sir Stampalot and stamped on white card with embossing ink, then covered it with glitter embossing powder. A wave of the heat gun and a Harry Potter chant of 'Meltiamus!' and there was the white-on-white pattern. Next came the fun bit, sponging Distress Inks (Peeled ...

As you can see, my first attempt a scheduling a post didn't work! Apologies for being late with this fortnight's Dream Valley card. Hi guys! I hope you're all enjoying lots of lovely sunshine! Once again it's time for another challenge at Dream Valley ! The last challenge was quite tricky, but this time we have a lovely simple one - HUMOUR We have two wonderful sponsors this time each with a fab prize: Bugaboo is offering $21 to spend on their gorgeous images and there's a £10 voucher on offer from Crafty Emma's Store Jodie very kindly let the DT have some of her fab fun images - I used one of her wonderful drawings of Gus , who always makes me smile. I love the sentiments that come with the images, too! The papers are from the 'Togetherness' stack by Cosmo Cricket. I distressed the edges with Antique Linen Distress Ink (it seemed the most appropriate choice!) I used a Woodware corner punch to give a bit of interest. The ribbon and shell...

Good afternoon! I'm sorry this post is a bit late, we had a big Baptism this morning, and then there was the excitement of a trip to Saino's! Anyway, better late than never, and I'm here with the latest Dream Valley Challenge . (You may want to grab a cuppa, this is a long post!) This time the theme is CASE the DT Our wonderful regular sponsor One Stop Card Crafts is offering a £10 voucher. Our other wonderful sponsor this fortnight is Crafty Ribbons who are offering one of their gorgeous 'Bev's Bags' of ribbon. Ok, I had to have 'CASE' explained to me. Apparently it means either 'Copy And Steal Everything' or 'Copy And Selectively Edit.' I prefer the second definition! Basically we're asking you to pick one of the DT's cards on the Challenge blog and use it as your source of inspiration. Simples! But PLEASE can you state in your post just whose card you picked and which bits inspired you? Thanks! I've Kept It S...

Yippee! It's time for another Dream Valley Challenge which is 'For a Special Lady.' We have a very special lady sponsoring us - the wonderful Krista Smith of Saturated Canary What amazing talent she has! And one lucky winner will have a $10 voucher for her shop! The DT were generously allowed to choose an image to use. This is Zorana a dancing gypsy Isn't she gorgeous?! I made a criss-cross pocket to hold a detachable message. The fabulous papers are Basic Grey Pyrus, and I made the base from green card. The message insert is edged with gold card cut with a Nestie die.  Zorana has been coloured with Promarkers and the edge distressed with Tea Dye Ink. This is, in fact, going to a special lady, the author Sarah Rees Brennan who has written a terrific trilogy beginning with The Demon's Lexicon . One of her characters is a magical dancer! I'll be sending this via her publisher as a thank you! So have a go at our Challenge, it doesn't have to ...

Good afternoon, my lovelies! It's time for another challenge at Dream Valley and this fortnight we're asking for Earth Tones . Think browns, creams, greys, russets, maybe a touch of green... Our sponsor is Bead Crafty who are offering one lucky person a massive £20 to spend in their online store! Have a look at their website, it's an absolute treasure trove! I decided to make some little notecards and a box for them, following instructions on the Scor-Pal website here . It was the lovely Jules who made a set in January who linked to the page. The cards are tiny, just 8cm square. The sunflowers are a stamp by Great Impressions. I had great fun making the paper that I used for my paper-piecing, using Distress Inks as shown by Tim Holtz here . He uses Perfect Pearls, but I sprayed with gold Glimmer Mist, and the sheen is lovely! The box is made from a sheet of Bo Bunny double-sided card, and the ribbon is from stash. It took longer than I expected to cut ...

Afternoon, all! I hope all the mums out there are being pampered! It's already time for a new challenge at Dream Valley and the theme is 'Easter.' So put your thinking caps on and get creative, remember it doesn't have to be a card! Our two amazing sponsors are: Meljen's Designs Melissa has the most gorgeous digi stamps at her shop, and also designs rubba for Whimsy Stamps. The DT were privileged to be given some of the digis to use. She is offering 4 digi images of the winner's choice! We're also sponsored by Mulberry Crafts who have wonderful flowers on their website! The prize is a gorgeous goody bag! On to my card! (I admit I was tempted to make a cake for this challenge, but my icing skillz are non-existent!) The adorable image is 'Little Lamb'. Of course I had to use the sheepy paper, which is 'Honey and Hugs' by Papermania! The pink scallops are made with a Marianne die, which also has slots for threading ribbon through, which of co...

Yes, it's time for another challenge at Dream Valley and this fortnight our theme is 'Mother's Day.' But because other parts of the world celebrate Mothers at different times of the year, feel free to make a 'girly' card if that suits you better! We have 2 fab sponsors: One Stop Card Crafts are offering a £10 voucher and Crafty Ribbons and one lucky person will win one of their Bevs Bags of ribbon I made my card last weekend, knowing my sister would be staying in my craft room so I wouldn't be able to get at my stash. One result is that I can't find the list of Spectrum Noirs that I used, unfortunately! However, I can tell you that the image is by Norma Fickel for Whiff of Joy . I really like her charming little characters! The pink background paper is by Kate Knight, from a stack that came with a magazine. The sentiment chipboard also came with the magazine. I have so many of these stacks, I'm determined to use them! The script paper is from my s...