Madcap Manor

Hello again! For my DT card for The Squirrel and the Fox please scroll down to the previous post. Ta. It's another topical Challenge at Dream Valley : Easter . Our sponsor this fortnight is the wonderful Mulberry Crafts who will reward a lucky winner with one of their fab Goody Bags. Go and drool over all the gorgeous things for sale on their website! I used my lovely Grand Calibur for the embossing and die-cutting on my card: The card base and blue layer use Centura pearl cardstock, I really like the sheen it has. The die-cuts are from Decorative Labels Eight and Gold Labels Four, with a plain Labels Four on the top. The cross is by Wild Rose Studio and is stamped in a multicoloured Brilliance ink, it is a bit darker in real life, and has a subtle shine. The flowers and ribbon are from stash. The leaves are from a Woodware punch, and the bling is from a swirl by Hobbycraft. I glittered the flowers. The sentiment is LotV; and it's on another Spellbinders die-cut, t...

Hi, guys! I hope you're having a happy weekend and that if you have snow you can spend the day snug and warm at home! It's time for another Challenge at The Squirrel and the Fox and our theme for this fortnight is 'Easter' or 'Passover'. Our sponsor is the lovely Sweet'n'Sassy Stamps who are offering 3 digis to one lucky winner! The DT were privileged to use a Sweet 'n' Sassy digi for our cards and I chose this lovely Cross:  I imagined that the fabric was part of Jesus' robe, which the Roman soldiers took as loot and cast dice to see who would get it, so I coloured it to look like homespun wool. Unfortunately I can't tell you what pens I used because I've lost the list! I can tell you that the papers are by Nitwits and they've been in my Snippets folder for over a year! The ribbon is from stash. The sentiments came with the image. Finally, the flourish is by Cheery Lynn. Do go and have a look at my Teamies' cr...

Good evening, all! Well, it's meant to be Spring now, but it's sooo cold, and more snow is forecast for next week! I hope you're all keeping warm, my lovelies - I have a wonderful burgundy-coloured Slanket (it's like a fluffy blanket but with sleeves) and I am living in it every evening! We had a power-cut two days ago, and spent the evening by candlelight. Thank goodness for my new Kindle, which glows in the dark so I was able to read for the 2 and a half hours we were without power! Enough of this, here's a springlike Easter card: The sweet Bunny is by Penny Black from the 'T for Transparent' Garden Friends set. I love her gorgeous straw hat! She is coloured with Promarkers and I distressed round the edge with Bundled Sage DI. The mat is cut with a Nesties Scalloped Square die. I glittered the tiny butterflies but of course they don't show too well! Papers are Basic Grey 'Porcelain' which I bought back in 2011 and which I had to for...

Hey, guys! How are you doing? Welcome to my new followers! Take a pew, I'll put the kettle on! I'm feeling a bit surreal at the mo, having just seen a lovely documentary on Salisbury Choristers' School on tv, and now there's a programme on Queen!! From Byrd to Freddie Mercury - but it's all good music! Enough of this waffle! This card is for the Anyone for Anya? Challenge whose theme is to use TEAL on your creation. I love that colour! I love the pretty ducks it's named after, too, there are always several on our local RSPB nature reserve. So I coloured Anya's dress teal (with Speccies) and found some shiny teal Paperchase stickers in my stash, too. I distressed the image mat and sentiment (which is Penny Black) with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink. The oval and scallopped oval are cut with Nesties. The pink card is pearlised, and is by Papermania. I added dots of Liquid Pearls to each scallop. The bp is Pink Petticoat Vintage Rose Collection, ...

Hi, guys! Is anyone else trying out the new Blogger? It doesn't seem too bad, once you get used to the new graphics. Here's an Easter card for a friend who keeps chickens. I apologise for the shadow on the photo, my Daylight Lamp has been tidied by someone and it isn't in any of the 3 different places he's put it in the past. Bless. The fun image is by Whiff of Joy . I coloured in Speccies (and I think I coloured part of her hat as hair by mistake, silly me!). There are Glossy Accents on her boots and stickles on her hair ribbons. The sketch is from a brand new Challenge called Sketch Challenges isn't it good? The swirl at the bottom of the image is cut with a Spellbinders Floral Motif die. Papers are from yet another freebie stack, this time 'Vintage Rose' by Craftwork cards. Flowers are Wild Orchid Crafts, and I used scraps of ribbon to substitute for leaves.  The sentiment is by LotV and the gems are from stash. I'm entering the Sketch C...

Hi, guys! I hope you're having a good weekend, even though today was cloudy and chilly! We need rain, and also a rainy day is a good excuse to Get Crafting! I originally made this card for my DT contribution at Dream Valley Challenges but put it away with a pile of crafty stuff and only found it again yesterday. Oh dear! The cute digi image is one of Meljen's designs. Papers are magazine freebies (because I have so many, and I can't spend all my time just stroking them!) I Glossy Accented the basket and added dots of Stickles to the middles of the flowers. The ribbon is white seam binding coloured with Distress Inks and crinkled by scrunching it up as it dried. The flower sequins are from stash. The sentiment is from Nitwits' 'Easter Eggstra' digi papers. I can't remember the Speccies I used to colour the image - sorry! There's going to be a new Dream Valley Challenge tomorrow, so I'll see you then. Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

I could get used to this weather! I've been waking at 5 this week to catch the cricket and make cards at the same time. Yes, I'm a sad case. I don't think we'll mention England's result against Sri Lanka, though. Oh dear! Anyway, here is today's offering. The cute bunny is by Lili of the Valley of course, and so is the sentiment. I coloured him with Promarkers, these bunnies are a joy to colour! The papers are a mix of Pink Petticoat and Funky Hand I used a Martha Stewart Deep Edger punch on the horizontal strip. The skeleton leaves are Marianne dies, and flowers, gems and ribbon are from stash. Once again I'm using the terrific sketch from this fortnight's Friday Sketch Challenge . I'm entering the current Lili's Little Fairies Challenge which is 'Anything Goes.' Ah, the lovely whiff of paraffin just floated by - one of the neighbours is firing up the barbie! In March!! Thanks for looking! I really appreciate all your lovely comments...

It has been an amazingly lovely day here today! Call me sad, but I get a lot of satisfaction in hanging the washing outside! I have no life... This cutie is a Penny Black stamp, of course! I paper pieced the egg, which has dots of stickles on it, and the ribbon, which is Glossy Accented. I used Promarkers for the rest. The ribbon and pearls are from stash, and the papers are from my snippets box. I reversed the papers for the inside: Decorating the inside is such a good way to use up snippets! I'm entering The Penny Black Saturday Challenge which this week is 'Easter Eggstravaganza! ie an Easter card. I'm also going to pop along to the playground because I've been very remiss at joining in the snippets challenge. Maybe I'll have a go on the pogo sticks! If that is completely incomprehensible to you, don't worry, it's just Pixie's Crafty Snippets Challenge Hubby's home, time to make him a cuppa after he's spent an hour and a half on the Undergro...

A quick Easter card: I made 9 of these while listening to the cricket this morning! The beautiful cross is by Wild Rose Studio, and came from Handy Hippo . I embossed it in gold and added some colour with brush markers - it's an age since I tried that technique, I'd forgotten how good it looks!! Some gold card and a Labels Ten Nestie, plus a Penny Black sentiment on the inside, et voila! Simples! I'm entering this into a new-to-me challenge The Squirrel and the Fox whose theme is 'Easter.' I hope you're all enjoying a sunny day - don't forget the sunscreen and a hat if you're going out! I'm so short I look like a mushroom in a hat, but that's just too bad! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

What a glorious day it's been! Spring is here!! I'm looking out of my craft hovel's window admiring the lovely soft shades of pink and blue as the sun sets behind the houses opposite. Pretty! Here's a card for the two beautiful daughters of a good friend of mine. The lovely image is by Sarah Kay, I love her old-fashioned boys and girls! Papers are from a Tilda pad, 'Winterbird' which was a bargain at Hobbycraft in January. I used a Martha Stewart Deep Edger Punch on pearlescent white card, which irl has a nice soft gleam. The only embellies are Glossy Accents on the lollipop and candy canes, and glitter on the younger girl's apron frill. The papers are so busy I don't think it needs any more. The ribbon was in a candy from the lovely Lilackat . The sketch is the latest one at Friday Sketch Challenge isn't it nice? I'll leave you with this question: What is the longest time, from stamping an image to taking the photo, that you've taken to mak...

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...

Hi, guys! Sorry about the long time without blogging, we visited my granddaughter in Shrewsbury and when we got home discovered the fuses had blown on all the sockets! I thought I'd got it fixed, but it happened again, I reset the fuses again, and called the electrician, who can't come until tomorrow :( But the reason he's busy is he's very good, so I don't really mind too much!! So this will be an ultra-quick post! The image is LotV, of course, I love their cute bunnies! The digi papers are by Bearly Mine Designs , their 'Peach Dreams' set, which is just yummy! The circles are done with Nesties, and edged with Glamour Dust. The sentiment is by Pink Gem . I used a decorative blade on my Woodware Fingerguard trimmer to give the wavy edges. Gems are from stash, and the butterflies are punched with a Martha Stewart punch from a snippet of copper paper. I didn't list the colours of the pens I used! Sorry! But the yellow on the image has been covered with Gl...

It took me 20 minutes to make this card this morning, when I realised I was one Easter card short! And it's all made of snippets - the bp is Bearly mine, the butterfly is a Marianne die. I always try out dies whenever I first buy one, so this was hanging around my 'already made' box. The PB flowers were also from the same box. I used Rose Pink, Pink Carnation and Blossom Promarkers on the blooms (love how they shade together!) and Leaf Green for the leaves. I glittered the butterfly, glued everything together, et voila! The lovely Jules posts every Sunday with cards made only from snippets. She doesn't use any paper that hasn't already been cut, and her cards are inspirational. So I'm entering this to her 'Crafty Snippets Challenge'. Do go and look at her blog, I know you'll be inspired! luv, Mags x ETA: PB flowers STAMP I should have said!

Here's another LotV bunny! I love those daffs! The sketch is from Sunday sketch and stamp . Papers are Craft Creations and MME Bloom and Grow. The daffodil ribbon is Dovecraft, and I've had it for ages, waiting for a suitable stamp to go with it. I layered the ribbon on card punched with an MS Lattice punch. Under the flowers (from stash) a Magnolia doohickey flower die has been used to make the yellow flowers stand out a bit. Brads are from stash. The leaves are done with on old punch with no name (cue Ennio Morricone's music for the Clint Eastwood film!) and the sentiment was a magazine freebie. The two tiny orange stickers are Paperchase. I used flowersoft on the bunny's tail. Phew, it's hot! I think we'll have a nice cooling salad with our pork chops tonight! Thanks for looking. luv, Mags x Promarkers: Ice Grey 2 and 3, Pink Carnation, Lime Green, Leaf Green, Canary, Gold, Bright Orange

It's another glorious day and I am wearing a summer dress! Everyone I know has been doing a double-take and saying, 'Mags, you've got legs!' I've joined the Church Flower Arranging Team and had my first lesson today, watching the ladies put together the marvellous arrangements for tomorrow. They talked of rhythm and flow, and 'always leave room for the butterflies' - in other words, don't crowd everything together. It was fascinating! For now, I'll make do with the flowers on my cards, though I have some chrysanths and carnations and daffs soaking in a bucket so I can have a go myself! Anyway, now for the card. This LotV image always makes me smile! The current challenge is Easter . Papers are Basic Grey Sugar Rush, and the sketch is Sweet Sketch Wednesday . I added the candy in the corners to the sketch to echo the bunny's bounce over the Easter eggs and down. The sketch wants 3 embellies on the smaller circle so I added a rose and two buds (fro...

Hasn't it been a glorious day? And - amazing! - the good weather's due to last over the Easter weekend! Even though Monday's a Bank Holiday and traditionally that means rain! Appropriately, the challenge at PBSC is 'Easter Extravaganza' and I've used my new PB 'Easter March' stamp. Isn't it sweet? I love Margaret Sherry's cute animals - and stamping them is a lot quicker than cross-stitching them! Result! The sketch is from Inspirational Card Sketches who also currently have a blog hop. Papers are Daisy and Dandelion. The sentiment came with the hedgie, though I had to trim it down. Everything's been distressed with Tea Dye DI, and stickled. The border is a MS punch which I got for Christmas - it's quite a simple pattern, so I think it's useful for boys' cards. The flower is Wild Orchid and the ribbon is from stash. I hope you're all doing well, chaps! Enjoy the weekend! Thanks for looking Mags x Promarkers: Satin, Putty, Ta...

We had loads of fantastic creations for the last Challenge at Dream Valley , thank you everyone who joined in! This fortnight's Challenge is nice and topical - it's 'Easter'. You don't have to make a card - an ATC or tag or Easter bonnet or jewellery or a box or... Wherever your mojo takes you, really! Our sponsors are the fab Stitchy Bear Stamps and the prize is a $10.00 voucher to spend in their shop. "Hi my name is Stitchy and I am Co-Owner of Stitchy Bear Stamps...we started this store April 1st, No Fooling haha..I live in upstate New York with my husband and two TEENAGE adults haha, I do say that loosely as they think they run the show here, NOT... I been creating stamps for a little less than a year now and I am totally addicted to the craft..I started about 4 years ago making digital scraps and I knew there was much more out there, so a friend of mine introduced me to digital stamps...and the rest they say is history...I look forward to seeing all the b...

It's been too long since I entered the Anyone for Anya? Challenge. This week the theme is Easter, or a calendar page for May. So I made an Easter card! The sketch is from Sketch and Stash Challenge . The requirement is to say which old or new stash has been used - I always find this challenge is a good one for encouraging me to use old stash! So here goes: I've had the Miss Anya stamp for ages, and isn't she great for Springtime! The papers are Honey and Hugs, and the yellow is from stash. The lace ribbon is from Hobbycraft, the flowers are Wild Orchid, the glittered swirl is a Marianne die and the leaf punch is Woodware. All of those I've used before, but the Easter greeting is from a new stamp from Pink Gem - there wasn't enough room for the whole greeting so I cut it in half. I distressed the edges of the oval with Shabby Shutters DI, and stamped in the same ink with a very old swirl stamp, then I glittered the swirls. It's supposed to look as though Anya...