Madcap Manor

 Oh, how embarrassing! I thought I had scheduled this post, but.... no, I forgot to click the 'publish' button! D'oh! This is my last DT post, as I'm taking a break. Anyway, here is our latest challenge at  My Time to Craft!  and the theme is Rainbows.   We'd like to see 5 or more colours: as the song my kids learned at school says: 'Red and Yellow and Orange and Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet, too.  These are the colours that you will see if a rainbow shows itself to you!' My first card is based on  this video  for a Diamond Stair Stepper card by Iced Images on Youtube.  I replaced the diamonds she used with die-cut hearts. The papers are all from a 'Rainbow' pad by Papermania which is very old! The patterns use all the colours of the rainbow, so I think I covered this Challenge's requirements! I used a butterfly die with yellow paper from the pad, inlaid with orange and backed with card to give it more stability.  The gems are from my stash...

 Good morning! We have a new Challenge for you at  My Time to Craft!  where the theme is Vintage or Shabby Chic.   This is always a challenge for me, as both are outside my comfort zone! I made a Shabby Chic tag: I used an image and sentiment from an old magazine gift of papers and toppers based on the Flower Fairies by Cicely Barker.  I tore strips of patterned paper for the background, distressed the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and added a strip of lace to the right side.  I used some of the paper in the kit to die-cut three butterflies, and pearls from my stash along their bodies.  Then I used a couple of pink ribbons for the tie, I also made a Vintage-y card. The papers, birds and sentiment are from Stamperia's 'Patchwork' collection (sadly this seems to be out of print.).  I cut and tore out the pieces that I wanted and inked the edges with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink.  I added a button and 3 resin flowers from my stash. I enjoy...

 Hi there! Welcome to the 500th Challenge at  My Time to Craft!  Our theme is Numbers  - we'd like to see numbers on your background, focal point, sentiment, ephemera, whatever strikes your fancy. My first card uses an old Tim Holtz 'Bingo card' embossing folder and the  Faux Letterpress  technique.  Since 'Bingo!' is also an expression meaning 'You got it right!' I made a Congratulations card. For my second card I used individual number stamps and dye inks to make a colourful background.  It needed a bit more pizazz, so I added blue mirror card behind the sentiment. Check out the Challenge blog for more inspiration! Thanks for looking and take care! love Mags B x

 Hello, my dearios! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and that you're looking forward to the New Year. Our new Challenge at  My Time to Craft!  is Welcome, Baby.   It's a very useful Challenge for me, as I am to be a Great-aunt again at the end of February.  I don't know if it will be a boy or a girl, so I made 2 cards, both using die-cuts. I apologise for the glare, I used some beautiful matte mirror card and the day was very overcast, so the camera insisted on using the flash. The background paper is  Promises  by Nitwit Collections, so pretty! The lacy  frame is from the Square Fancy Frames set by Christina Griffiths.  The crib is cut with a die by  Tattered Lace  which unfortunately is out of print. Again I used an old Tattered Lace die.  The lovely cardstock is matte rose gold by Tonic Studios.  The heart paper is from my stash, and I used the  Complete 6 x 6 card and box set  by Card Making Magic to c...

 Hi there! A quick post today about the new challenge at  My Time to Craft  - our theme is Other December Holidays  such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or New Year. My first card is about  Kwanzaa  which wikipedia tells us is 'an African-American holiday started in 1966'.  I really enjoyed the bright colours I used on this card! I used a die from Tattered Lace that came with a magazine, trimming the image to leave just candles and a bow.  Isn't it interesting how many celebrations at this time of the year include candles, or fire?  Think of the Yule Log of pagan Europeans, Diwali ('Festival of Lights') and  St Lucy's Day  when the Saint is shown wearing a crown of candles. Anyway, I found a really colourful background paper, which is spot-glossed, by First Edition and spelt out the word using the  Calligraphy alpha stamp set  by Altenew. My second card celebrates New Year. The papers and ephemera all came from the December 2021 kit ...

 Hi, guys! We have a very unusual Challenge at  My Time to Craft!  which is - anything to do with Sheep.   Yarn, knitting, woolly sweaters and clothes, shepherds (good for Christmas cards!) or even... Sheep! I have 2 Sheep cards to show: one is fun, the other is romantic. This funny jumping sheep, and the punny sentiment, are by Paper Smooches (I still miss them!) The papers are from my stash, I edged the horizontal strip with scalloped borders and  Gold mirror moondust  peel-offs by Love from Lizi.  I added glitter Nuvo drops to the yellow dots on the background, but unfortunately they don't show in the photo.  Finally I added Glossy Accents to the sheep's nose and eyes. My second card could be for an engagement, a wedding or an anniversary! This card uses two adorable sheep from MFT's  Ewe are the Best  stamp set.  I masked the sheep and used an MFT  Cloud Stencil  to make a sky, and cut some pale green card for the hil...

 Good morning! Hooray and Huzzah, it's almost the weekend! There's great excitement here at the Manor, because our dayghter is popping over from Ireland to visit.  Tomorrow we go to That There London Town to see an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum.  I admit, I'm rather nervous, but I have a new mask and hopefully the trains won't be too crowded. Yes, there is a point to that tale: our new challenge at  My Time to Craft!  is all about Transportation.  Not just trains but cars, boats, aeroplanes, Santa's sleigh.....  I went with bicycles! I used a Memory Box die which sadly is out of print.  I used an old Spellbinders decorative circles die set for the lacy purple mats, and the sentiment is by MFT and also, sadly, out of print.  The rest is all from my stash.  I added gold sequins to the flower centres. This card is in a completely different style! The papers and image came from the October 2022 kit by  Love from Lizi. ...

 Evening, all! There's a new challenge at  My Time to Craft : Critters! I've used 2 old images from Paper Smooches, which is sadly no longer trading. I used a basketweave stencil and Distress Ink in Bundled Sage for the background, then coloured and fussy-cut the cute cat.  I love the sentiment, which comes from the same set.  I added gold glitter stickers for some bling. For this background I used a Tim Holtz/Sizzix embossing folder.  The dinosaur is from another Paper Smooches set, and I used the same flitter stickers.  The sentiment is by Taylored Expressions, from their  Simple Strips: Friendship  set.  I edged it with an alcohol pen to make it stand up more. Check out the cute critters on the challenge blog! Thanks for looking and take care! love Mags B x

 I am such a numpty! I was so sure that I'd scheduled my post for  My Time to Craft!  on Friday that I didn't check it on the day.  Massive apologies, everyone! Anyway, the theme is Wings  and I have used papers and toppers from a free gift of papers and toppers by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds which came with a magazine a few months ago.  My hubby and I have been members of the RSPB for many years, and it's lovely to see that they are now getting into card supplies! My first card uses a gorgeous kingfisher topper from the kit, it has some fabulous gold foiling on it. Our local RSPB bird reserve (Rye House) is notable for its kingfishers, which are even more beautiful in real life than this pretty image. My second card uses a dragonfly die by Love from Lizi, which is sadly out of print.  I cut it from blue mirror cardstock. The papers are from the same RSPB kit. Check out the fab creations thst my teamies have left on the challenge blog...

 Hi, guys! We have a new challenge for you at  My Time to Craft!  which is Geometrics.    My first card features circles, using a layering stencil.  Unfortunately I put the folder with all my stencils in a safe place and I just can't find it anywhere, so I can't tell you who made the stencils. My second card features triangles and an old Sizzix cover die. I used holographic card for the die-cut and sentiment, and inlaid some triangles with grey card.  A very masculine look, I think. Go to the challenge blog and see what my teamies have left to inspire you! Thanks for looking and take care! love Mags B x

 Well, autumn is definitely on the way! Tonight is the equinox, too, when daytime and nighttime are equal in length.  From today there will be less day and more night all the way to Christmas.  Wrap up warm! But we can enjoy the gorgeouscolours of Autumn in the mean time, and that's out theme at  My Time to Craft.   Becca has made a chart of autumnal colours to use: Pick at least three for your creation! My first card is a D/L or slimline design. I used beige, green, brown, purple, red, orange and yellow, with a gold sentiment.  The beige strip has a decorative edge cut with a  Slim Lacy Edges  die by PinkFresh Studio.  The leaves are cut with Lawn Fawn's  Stitched Leaves  oak die. My second card is made with patterned papers in purple, green, tan, yellow and red.  The papers are by P13 an unfortunately are out of print.  I used Jess' Crafts  Template 2  for the sketch. Check out your papers and cardstock in thes...

 Hiya! I'm sorry I'm a bit late with my DT post for  My Time to Craft , I was doing the flower arrangement at Church this morning, and then I had a mammogram this afternoon (ouchies!)  But here am I, faint but pursuing! (My Grannie used to say that, it's probably Shakespeare.) Our new theme is Fantasy or Whimsy.   Fairies, magical beasts, mages, whimsical images of quirky animals or birds or people - whatever takes your fancy. My first card uses 'Magical Day', an older clear stamp from  The Greeting Farm .  This one is out of print, but if you check out the 'Fantasy' tab on their website you'll see another set of cute unicorn images. The papers are from an old First Edition pad which has a unicorn theme.  The background is glittered and I used pearlised card for the mats and  Love from Lizi sway peel-offs  in Teal Mirror, which give some lovely shine.  The sentiment came with the stamp set. My second card is more whimsical, using a very ...

 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 your...

 Hi there! I hope you're all looking forward to a good weekend - with some me-time for crafting! We have a new challenge at  My Time to Craft!  where the theme is The Sea .  So anything beside, on or under the sea! My first card is definitely Under the Sea (darling, it's better down where it's wetter, take it from me!) The mermaid is from a stamp set that came with a Simon Says Stamp card kit several years ago, and sadly it's now out of print.  The background is a blend of Tumbled Glass, Peacock Feathers and )of course!) Mermaid Lagoon Distress Oxides.  I splayyered it with water and with a silver mica spray.  I coloured and fussy cut the Mermaid and her underwater friends as well as the sentiment. Card 2 is a nautical one, ie On the Sea. I used Lawn Fawn's  Float My Boat  stamps and dies for the images and the background paper is from my stash.  This is a mini slimline card, 6" x 3". Check out the challenge blog and my teamies' inspirat...

 It's sweltering here in Hertfordshire, and due to get even hotter over the next few days, so I'm glad that on Monday we will be flying to Ireland to visit our daughter and her family.  The forecast for Dublin is much cooler than in the UK! Since it is so hot and sunny, what better than to make a cool Christmas card? Our new challenge at  My Time to Craft!  is Christmas in July.    I made a set of Christmas cards with 3 12 x 12 papers, following the July  Sheetload of cards  by Alicia.  If you haven't come across  Call me crafty Al  do check her Youtube channel, she produces a new sketch and cutting guide every month and they are so much fun to do - and use up your patterned papers! Here are 2 of the 12 (!) cards I made. The gold-embossed sentiments are from various older Christmas stamp sets in my stash. Have a go at making something Christmassy (not necessarily a card!) and join in the challenge! There is some gorgeous inspiration...

 Good morning! Last time the theme at  My Time to Craft  was 'Fruit' and this time it's 'Vegetables.'  Salads, root veg, corn, peas, greens... Any veg! I made 4-bar cards for a change, because my images looked a bit lost on a US A2 cardbase. Card 1: I love the punny sentiment on this one! The stamp set by Lawn Fawn is sadly out of print.  The background paper and gems are from my stash. Card ": These cute mushrooms are from a stamp set by the much-missed Paper Smooches.  My first version of this card had 'Get Well Soon' as the sentiment, but these mushrooms are poisonous so I had to start again! Check out the Challenge Blog for more inspiration from my lovely teamies! Thanks for looking and take care. love Mags B x

 Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to add tomatoes to a fruit salad. Good morning! Yes, our new theme at  My Time to Craft!  is Fruit.   Oranges, lemons, strawberries, melons, kiwis, pineapples, pears, grapes, mangoes... So yummy! The June kit by  Love from Lizi  includes some fab melon paper and a cut-apart, so I used those for my first card. I used pale blue pearlescent card as my mats and added some blue Nuvo drops as decoration.  I think it looks very refreshing for a hot day! My second card is made with one of my favourite stamps by Simon Says Stamp , the 'One Cool Pineapple' set, which I'm very sorry to say is no longer available.  Chiz. The background paper is from stash, and the fruit bling is from the June '22 kit by Love from Lizi.  The cool shades came with the stamp set, I embossed and fussy cut them and glued them in place. Check out the fruity cards that my teamies have made to inspire you! Tha...

 Good morning, all! We have a new Challenge at My Time to Craft! for your delectation and delight. Our theme this time is Thank you. It's always useful to have thank you cards on hand!   My first card is simply embossed. I used Simon Says Stamp's Thankful Flowers stamp set and their Bold Thanks die . Both came in a card kit a couple of years ago but are still available in their website (if you can afford the extra 20% VAT that the UK Government now adds to everything.) I used gold embossing powder and gold mirror card and layered the image onto black and gold card. This is very much inspired by Amy R's series of Black, White and Gold cards - the link is to her playlist at Prairie, Paper and Ink on Youtube.   For my second card I used the Pinkfresh Studio Fuchsias washi tape and Matching Die for this card. They are part of the March 2022 release. I fell in love with this beautiful washi, it's even more gorgeous in real life than in a photo! ...

  Hi there! We have a new Challenge at My Time to Craft and our theme is Around the House. Think kitchens, living rooms, conservatories, bookshelves, flowers in a vase, furniture, a fireplace, reading a book, playing a computer game or Scrabble...   As an ex-Public Librarian who lives in a house with bookshelves everywhere, I went with reading and books!   My first card uses a Lili of the Valley coloured image called Story Time.   Such a cute scene! The background paper is a scrap from a Nitwit Collections set. I see that now they are producing paper pads in collaboration with Crafter's Companion, as well as their own digi bundles.   My second card uses a stamp set by Simon Says Stamp called 'To Thine Own Shelf' which is sadly unavailable. I used various brightly-coloured dye inks to stamp a very graphic design. I'm very good at smudging designs like this, being too impatient to let the ink dry properly, but this time I did it all right...

  Hiya! We have a challenging Challenge at My Time to Craft but it's actually easier than it sounds! Think of how your garden is marked out - maybe it's a trellis supporting climbing plants, or a stone wall or a fence or a hedge or maybe there's an arch shading the path to your front door.  Or maybe there's a field nearby full of horses or cows that's surrounded by a wood or wire fence.  Any of those can be inspirational, whether for a scene with animals or a row of flowers. I admit, it took me a lot of thought, but I have one stamp that shows a fence and one die that cuts one.  The first card is naturalistic, using a Penny Black stamp of a winter scene. I used a Kaleidoscope ink pad in various shades of blue which is darker at one end and lighter at the other.  Blending inks directly on the stamp would give the same effect.  You can just see the line of the fence between the groups of trees.  The sentiment is by Taylored Expressions. The second card ...