Madcap Manor

 Good morning! I hope you're all keeping well.  I am very excited to tell you that my daughter Sacha is in hospital because her baby is on the way! So this weekend Ye Olde Manne and I will be welcoming a new granddaughter.  Her name is Fiadh (pronounced 'Fee-a') and her big brother Oscar is so excited! Now on to our new Challenge at  My Time to Craft Christmas  which is sadly going to be my last.  I am taking a break from all my DTs.  Our new theme is Snowflakes. My first card has a stencilled background. The stencil has lost its packaging, and I don't know who made it.  I used blue mirror card for the mat and the sentiment, which is from and old MFT die.  I added White Blizzard Glitter Drops by Nuvo to the middles of the snowflakes and the dots as well. Card number 2 is made with the beautiful ISSA layering Snowflake dies by  Birch Press Designs  which seems to be out of print. I used 3 shades of blue cardstock for the layers and s...

 Good morning! For the latest challenge at  My Time to Craft Christmas  we would like to see traditional colours of red, gold and green. (Are you now humming 'Karma Chameleon' by Culture Club? I am!) My first card uses items from  an old  Hunkydory  magazine. I raised the middle of the circular die-cut on foam to give some dimension.  I added a square gold mat, but everything else on the card came from the magazine kit. My second card is actually a 4 x 4 inch tag!  I used an old wreath die from MFT to cut 2 colours of green cardstock which I layered together.  The bow (from the same set) is cut in red glitter card, and I added Xmas Red Stickles for the glittery berries.  The gold mat is cut with another old MFT die, and the ribbon is from my stash. Check out the challenge blog for more inspiration! Thanks for looking and take care! Culture Club: (don't they look young?) Listen out for the 'red, gold and green' line! https://www.youtube.c...

 Good morning, all! There's a new challenge at  My Time to Craft Christmas  which is to use patterned paper.  I used some old digi papers from Nitwit Collections'  Mooey Christmas .  I made 2 cards, following a  template  by Jess of Jess Crafts. The template easily makes 2 cards from a sheet of 6 x 8 paper, but I used 2 sheets and swapped the elements around. The Christmas tree dies are called  Woodlands  and are by Tim Holtz for Sizzix.  I cut them in pearlescent green card, glued them onto white paper and trimmed around the edges.  The sentiment is one of the  Winter Scripty Sentiments  by Lawn Fawn. If you're like me you'll have a lot of patterned paper in your stash, so this is a very useful challenge to encourage you to use some up! Check out the blog to see more inspiration - and remember, you can enter up to THREE times, so you can use even more papers! (It makes space to buy some more, of course!!) Anyway, tha...

 Good morning! Are you all ready for the holiday? Presents all wrapped and under the tree? Cards delivered to the neighbours? No, me neither! Well, in a week's time we'll be getting ready to welcome in 2023, and so our new challenge at  My Time to Craft Christmas  is to make something for New Year's Day.  I have kept it simple, using die-cuts. I used an old layering cover die by Sissix, the bottom layer is matte gold card and the top layer is a rather pretty magents.  The numbers were cut with an old Memory Box numbers set.  Very easy - though it takes a long time to dot wet glue over the die-cuts! I hope you all have a lovely, relaxing Christmas.  American and Canadian friends, keep warm and safe in the awful weather you're experiencing.  Here in the UK we complain about the weather (It's tipping down with rain today) but we don't really know what bad weather is like in comparison. Thanks for looking, enjoy the celebrations, and I hope all your p...

 Hi there! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! We have had Christmas Parties as the Toddler Club this week, and planning meetings for kids' events at the end of term.  I know meetings are necessary, but I've never liked them much!! But my daughter and grandson are visiting from Ireland this weekend, which is going to be fun! Before then it's time for another Challenge at  My Time to Craft Christmas!  We would like to see Candy Canes  this time - as an image or an embellishment or on patterned paper.  Lots of options there! I only had time to make one card this fortnight, and it's quite simple.  The patterned paper and die-cut came from an old paper collection by Papermania.  The sentiment is from an out-of-print stamp set by Reverse Confetti and the red-and-gold ribbon is from my stash.  I used Spellbinders' Labels One dies for the sentiment.  Everything is layered on gold and red card.  It looks much shinier irl than in th...

 Q: Qhat do you get if you cross a Kangaroo with a Sheep? A: A Woolly Jumper. A very old joke.  (Here in the UK a sweater is also known as a jumper.) Our new challenge at  My Time to Craft Christmas  is to show winter clothing on your creation.  Scarves, hats, gloves, coats, woolly jumpers...  The papers and ephemera on this card are from the  Love from Lizi November 2022 card kit  which is called 'Cosy Christmas.'  The sentiment is from the  Perfect Sentiments Holiday  stamp set by Pinkfresh Studio, and I added Gold Coast Nuvo Drops to give some sparkle. My second card uses an old Memory Box die called 'Precious Mittens' which is now out of print.  I cut the first layer from pearlised white cardstock and also red paper, trimmed off the red mittens and glued them together.  The purple pearlised background has been embossed with a 'knitted' embossing folder.  Papers and ribbon are from stash and the sentiment is anothe...

 Good morning! I hope you're all keeping well.  We have a new challenge for you at  My Time to Craft Christmas  and we'd like to see Elves or Gnomes  on your creations! I have used Gnomes that came with an old Simon Says Stamp card kit. The Gnome, presents and sentiment are from the  Gnome for the Holidays  stamp set, though the trees are from a retired  Clearly Besotted  set.  I ink smooshed the card with Distress Inks to make the sky and the snowbanks were die-cut using Lawn Fawn's  Stitched Hillside Borders dies .  I added streaks of Stickles here and there to make the snow sparkle. I die-cut and paper pieced this cute Gnome die from Simon Says Stamp using scraps of Christmas paper.  Sadly, this particular die is no longer available.  The white oval and the background have a very subtle linen look, which doesn't really show up on the phot.  The sentiment comes from the previous SSS stamp set. Check out my Gnom...

 Good morning, my lovelies! I hope you're all looking forward to a great weekend.  I shall be sorting, cleaning and tidying the guest room, because we're having a visitor next week who will be staying overnight.  The trouble is, I have chucked a lot of 'stuff' in that room, so it's going to take a long time..... Once it's done it will be  My Time to Craft Christmas!  (Do you see what I did there?) We have an unusual theme this time - non-Christmas winter cards! New Year, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Divali....  But keep it Clean and Simple. For a very useful list of CAS ideas, check out  this glossary  from the "Less Is More" Challenge blog. I have made a couple of Hannukah cards, using this lovely  Blessed Hannukah  stamp set by Altenew. I stencilled the background with Tumbled Glass distress ink.  The star is silver-embossed, and I used holographic card as my mats.  The sentiment is from an old Paper Smooches stamp set. My second card ...

 Hi there! Happy Friday! Check out our new Challenge at  My Time to Kraft Khristmas  where the theme is to use Kraft/Brown and White.  I love this combo! My first card is stencilled onto Neenah Desert Storm cardstock. I used Altenew's  Fancy Star Builder Mask and Simple Coloring Stencil  and white pigment ink for the first layer, then added sparkling clear embossing powder over the second layer.  White pigment ink stays wet for a long time, so it's easy to emboss with it. The sentiment is from an old Paper Smooches sentiment stamp set.  I added stich-lines with a white gel pen for the 'rays' and some clear sparkle Nuvo Drops. My second card has a stamped background: I used the  Deck the Halls Turnabout Stamp  by Concord & 9th and added the sparkle embossing powder to the final layer.  The  Label Die  is by Creative Craft Products and the sentiment is a very old one by Lil' Inkers. Check out all the lovely variations on...

 Morning, all! Welcome to the new challenge at  My Time to Craft Christmas ! Let's get cracking on those Christmas cards - it's not long until the Big Day! I used the adorable  Build a Snowman  stamp by Lili of the Valley.  Their images are always so sweet, perfect for kids! I added stickles to all the trim on the children's clothes and Glossy Accents to the holly berries on the snowman's hat.  The paper is from my stash, as is the holographic card. My second card is from a kit called 'Christmas Market' which came with  Papercraft Essentials magazine.   We have a funfair locally at Christmas, and the children so love going on all the rides! This is a decoupage image, which gives such great dimension.  I'd love to have a ride on this merry-go-round myself!! Check out our Challenge blog and see the various gorgeous creations that my teamies have made! Thanks for looking and take care! love Mags B x

 Good morning, all! It's a lovely bright September day here in S-E Hertfordshire, but there is definitely a nip in the air.  Christmas will be upon us before we know it! Time to check out our new challenge at  My Time to Craft Christmas!  and get some Christmas crafting underway! I love making Christmas/Winter cards, it's a theme with so much variety - almost anything goes! Even bikinis and beach scenes for those in the Antipodes!   Food and Drink at Christmas are vital, of course.  Chez the Manor we have always had salad on Christmas Day (followed by The Pud, of course!) partly because the family loves salad and partly because the prep and washing-up are so much quicker.  However, in my cards today I've gone with more traditional fare: mugs of hot chocolate, and Christmas Puddings! The die-cuts on this card came from a magazine, and the papers are from a pack by Echo Park called  A Gingerbread Christmas .  I used a  gold moondust p...

 Good morning! Welcome to another challenge at  My Time to Craft Christmas  where our theme is Holly. I used a very, VERY old stamp by Woodware for my first card.  It's so old that when I was peeling it off my Misti it tore!  I stamped the image in a pale grey dye ink and coloured it with Promarkers, then stamped again with Versamark and added gold heat-embossing.  I layered the image and the patterned paper (from stash) onto gold satin mirror card.  The sentiment is embossed with the same embossing powder and the berries have been Stickled. My second card is a bit cheeky - the 'Holly' element is mainly the sentiment! I used a 'bubble greetings' stamp by  Taylored Expressions  which is sadly out of print on their website.  I coloured it with Promarkers in a rainbow order and added stickles to the holly berries.  The patterned paper is from stash. Check out my teamies' creations on the blog and join the fun! Thanks for looking and ta...

 Hi there! Our new challenge at  My Time to Craft Christmas  needs a bit of clarification.  We'd like to see Christmas decorations or ornaments - but as images on a card, not the actual 3-D decorations. My first card is a 5" x 7" and uses a nesting ornament die by Spellbinders. I used papers from my stash, some matte gold card and some glitter cord. My second card is stamped and heat-embossed. The wreath is from the  Winter Whimsy  stamp set by Penny Black.  Since you can't use alcohol inks with embossing powder (it ruins your pens) I used my Misti to stamp the image in grey DYE ink.  Leaving the stamp in place, I coloured the image with Promarkers.  Then I replaced it in my Misti and restamped in Versamark, heat-embossing in the usual way in gold. I used a scalloped circle die by Spellbinders for the matte gold mat and popped it up with foam tape.  The paper is from my Christmas stash. Check out the challenge blog for some great inspira...

 Evening, all! I'm late with my post for  My Time to Craft Christmas  because Ye Olde Manne and I have been in Ireland, visiting my daughter and her family.  This included my grandson's 6th birthday, so it was all very exciting! In the rush to get ready to go I almsot forgot to post my card on the Challenge blog, and I made a very silly mistake.  I ONLY POSTED THE WRONG CARD!!!!! What a numpty. This is the card I should have posted, made from an old paper pad (by Lawn Fawn or maybe Doodlebug - the cover is missing!) I love the little deer family! And this is the card I posted by mistake: I suppose the background paper with the wreaths and robins could be described as cute, if you squint your eyes.... So embarrassing! Anyway, go over to the blog and check out the really cute creations made by my teamies and join our challenge! Thanks for looking and take care! love Mags B x

 Hi there! It's a hot, bright summer's day - just right to begin thinking about Christmas! At  My Time to Craft Christmas  our new theme is Snowglobes.   This could definitely include a 3D snowglobe that you make, as well as any other craft! I have made 2 tags. The first has an image layered on gold holographic card and green card; the second includes a small shaker element.  Everything (except the ribbons) came from the 'Together for Christmas' collection by Pink Paislee.  Unfortunately I can't give a link because their website is being revamped, but you should find more details via Google. Check out the blog post for my teamies' creations (Becca used the same collection as me, but hers are very different! Paper pads are so versatile!) Thanks for looking and take care! love Mags B x

 Good morning! Welcome to another Challenge at  My Time to Craft Christmas  where we'd like to see what you make when Inspired by a Christmas Carol or Song.   A very versatile theme, I think.  I chose a Christmas carol, but of course you could choose a song like 'Walking in a Winter Wonderland.'  I'll keep you in suspense as to what I chose until later - though I bet you'll all guess! Card 1 is an upcycled Christmas card from last year, I trimmed it down until only the image was left. There's some lovely delicate foiling on the image.  I used foam tape to add it to a dark blue mat and then glued it to a 5 x 5 inch card base. Card 2 used the  Star layering die-set  by  Sasha Reade  (that's a link to her Youtube Channel.)  The star is part of a limited edition set and may not be around for very long! I used shades of blue card and silver mirror for shine.  The tiny star gems are from my stash.  I didn't have a stamp wit...

Hello! I hope you're all keeping well and finding time to craft.  Even in the summer I make Christmas cards, it saves so much wear and tear on the nerves in December! To inspire you to do the same we have a new challenge at  My Time to Craft Christmas  where our theme is Candles or Lanterns.    My first card uses an old die by  Tattered Lace  which I think came with a magazine.  It took several passes with a shim to cut it - my dear old Cuttlebug's life is drawing peacefully to its close.  But it's so gorgeous it was worth the hassle! The background is a speciality paper from  Tonic Studios  which seems to be out of print.  I added a silver mirror border, and the card base is made from the same blue card that I used to back the die-cut.  The silver-embossed  sentiment is by Taylored Expressions. My second card is heat-embossed in gold, with a gold mat on a 5x7 card.  The image is by  Woodware  but unfo...

 Good morning, all! Welcome to a new Challenge at  My Time to Craft Christmas ! Our theme this time is Wreaths  - not just standalone wreaths but wreaths on a door, wreaths on cute critters, any variation on the theme! I have made cards with standalone wreaths, though with different techniques. For my first card I used a die from Tonic Studios that came with a magazine.  I cut it once in textured dark green card and once in lighter green mirror card.  I glued them down onto the die-cut base slightly offset. The silver metal snowflakes are table confetti, I added a few red nuvo drops and a bow.  Papers and ribbon are from my stash and the green striped paper is edged with  Love from Lizi Sway peel-offs . Card 2 is stamped. I used the  Every Good Thing  layering stamp set by Pinkfresh Studio to stamp the base of the wreath in two colours.  I added tiny images of leaves, poinsettias and pinecones.  The sentiment is an old one by Clearl...

  Good morning! We have a new Challenge at My Time to Craft Christmas to inspire you to make a Christmas card! Our theme is Sleds or Sleighs think Santa's sleigh, children sledding in the snow, bringing home a Christmas tree tied to a sledge...   And it doesn't have to be a Christmas card! I have a very old book by an inspirational crafter named Valerie Janitsch, which includes a template for a small sleigh to decorate the festive table, and here it is: I will make several of these and fill them with chocolates. I used double-sided patterned paper, some bobble trim and some gold cord for the bows.   I also made a card using 'Christmas Delivery' by Newton's Nook which sadly is no longer available. The paper is from an old Kaisercraft pad, and is perfect with the stamp! I chose Copics that matched the colours in the paper for the image, and the green ribbon is from my stash. Finally, the sentiment came with the stamp set.   Have a look at the e...

Morning, all! It's April, two weeks away from Easter, so OF COURSE we have sleet and snow in S-E Hertfordshire! A good day to stay snug and warm indoors and craft! We have a new challenge at My Time to Craft Christmas to inspire you, and it's a great challenge - Use 3 or more Patterned Papers. I don't know about you, but I have so many patterned paper pads that this kind of challenge really encourages me to use some up. My first card includes some paper piecing/decoupage on a cute gnome from Simon Says Stamp.  I used snippets of 6 different papers. There's quite a lot of bling from gold glitter peel-offs by Love from Lizi, both straight strips and mini circles.  I added a glitter circle to the Gnome's hat, and layered the image on gold glitter card. My second card also uses Lizi's peel-offs, this time in silver, and a star ornament die that I think came in one of her kits a couple of years ago.  This time I managed to use 5 different papers.  The mats are al...