Madcap Manor

Morning, all! Welcome to another Challenge at My Time to Craft Christmas.   I have chosen to make 2 cards with Stockings, since I don't have anything for a Christmas fireplace!   My first card uses one of the adorable Elves from MFT's Santa's Elves stamp set. The background paper is a snippet from my stash - it also has stockings on it! The sentiment came with the stamp set.   My second card uses a Penny Black image from the Wonder stamp set. I love these cute mice! The paper and sentiment are also from the Snippets drawer.   Check out the blog for some more inspiration!   Thanks for looking and take care.   love Mags B x

Hi there! We have an interesting Challenge at My Time to Craft Christmas - anything BUT a card! I made a little box using Lawn Fawn's Scalloped Treat Box die. I used Christmas paper from my stash and decorated it using an old Poinsettia die from Marianne, with 3 gold gems for the centre. The tag is made with a Memory Box bauble gift-tag die, I cut the pattern from glitter cardstock and the base from plain green.  I hope you're all on top of things at this stressful time and that you find time to craft and to join in our challenge! Check out my teamies' creations for inspiration!  Thanks for looking and take care!  love Mags B x

  I apologise, folks, I thought I had scheduled my post for My Time to Craft Christmas but I mucked up the scheduling.  Our new challenge is Christmas Critters and I used an old stamp from Penny Black of the cutest singing mice! I painted the image with Distress Inks (I really need to practise my watercolouring!) I channelled my inner Cathy Zielski and included a wide margin around the panel. Finally I added a few clear sequins for a touch of bling.  Dig out your cutest Christmas critter images and have a go at our Challenge!  Thanks for looking and take care.  love Mags B x

 Hello, my dearios! Well, it's flaming June and here in S-E Herts we have had grey skies and drizzle all day.  At least it's not cold!  I can't think of a witty segue from that, so I'll just say: we have a new Challenge at  My Time to Craft Christmas ! Our theme this time is Santa. I have been a wee bit obsessed with Bridge cards recently! I've been following this video from Sasha Reade, I find it easier to follow than Splitcoast Stampers' tutorial.  I used Christmas paper from my stash and MFT's cute 'Jingle All the Way' stamp set. Sadly, it's no longer available on their website. The dancing Santa and the Christmas tree came from the set, I coloured them and fussy-cut, then added a silver star gem to the tree.  The sentiment is also from the stamp set. (I wanted to use 'Rockin' around the Christmas Tree' but the sentiment I have didn't fit!) Rock on over to the Challenge Blog and see what my lovely teamies have made, and jo...

 Hello, my dearios! It is such a cold, wet, windy day today in S-E Hertfordshire, more like November than May! A good day to snuggle in the craft hovel with a big mug of tea and make a Christmas card! Yes, we have another Challenge at My Time to Craft Christmas! and this time our theme is Fairy Lights - also known as Christmas lights!  I have used a funny image from a Tim Holtz/Simon Says Stamp set that came out last September. Unfortunately it was a Limited Edition, so is no longer available as far as I can see. I used scraps of paper from the Snippets Drawer - both these came from an old Lili of the Valley Christmas pad.  I used Love From Lizi green glitter peel-offs to edge the vertical strip, and the green layers are made with pearlescent card.  The sentiment reads: 'Have you learned nothing from last year's tree?' I finished by adding Glossy Accents to the lights and Nuvo Drops around the image. My teamies have been so inventive with this theme, do check th...

 Good morning! It's a beautiful but chilly day here in S-E Herts, the sky is a glorious blue and the sun is shining! SPRING IS ON ITS WAY! While we're waiting, what is more natural than thinking about Christmas?! It's time for our 4th Challenge at My Time to Craft Christmas and our theme is Christmas Flowers. I used the gorgeous Christmas Florals stamp and die set by Concord & 9th. I used the outline die to cut out the coloured image, then cut out the letters in gold linen-effect card, using the co-ordinating word die, and glued them over the image.  The background is also linen-effect, it is from an old First Edition Christmas pad.  My teamies have produced some very pretty examples to inspire you, do go and see! Remember - in 10 months' time it will be Boxing Day, so stay ahead of the curve and start Christmassing now!!  Thanks for looking, and stay safe.  love Mags B x

Hello! Good evening! And welcome! I'm sorry I'm so late with my post for My Time to Craft Christmas! it has been quite a busy day! My Olde Manne and I have appointments for our first vaccine jab arranged for Tuesday, AND I am once again a Grand Aunty! My lovely niece gave birth to a son this week and I have made and sent them a card. I'll try and remember to post it once the card is received. There IS light at the end of the tunnel, and WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS! Anyway, I'm actually here to tell you about the new challenge, and the theme is Wreaths. I used an old stamp from Clearly Besotted (love their cute stamps!) which I heat embossed in green. There are small stamps to fill in the baubles, and I heat embossed them in gold and added some Studio Katia gems on top. The bow is from the same stamp set, and is heat embossed in red. All the embossing powders came from Love from Lizi she has such pretty embossing powders.  I die-cut the image and layered it with red...

  Hiya! Well, it's been an exciting but rather sad day today! When we moved here in 1986 there was a beautiful dwarf weeping copper beech outside our door. It was always so interesting to see it put out delicate pink leaves in the Spring and watch as the summer sun turned them a deep copper red. Then in the autumn they faded to red-orange and finally fell to leave the elegant bare branches.  Sadly, last year the tree died. The branches went dry and brittle and the leaves were very sparse. We finally bit the bullet and had it removed. Today the plot where it stood has been covered with grass. It looks very neat, but it isn't the same.  At least there are still 3 lovely silver birches at the end of our cul-de-sac, which are just beginning to put out their first leaf-shoots. Spring is on its way!  In the meantime we have the second of our Challenges at My Time to Craft Christmas! and our new theme is Penguins. I have used items from last December's Love from L...

There's a new Christmas Challenge in town! Check out My Time to Craft Christmas!    Our lovely Shell who is the Jedi Master of My Time to Craft Challenge has set up a Christmas Challenge to encourage us all to get ahead of our Christmas creating and ease the stress at the end of the year.   The Challenge will be fortnightly, with a different theme each time. The first one is Reindeer.    I have used an adorable digi from Di's Digital Stamps which I have had for so long that, sadly, it's no longer available. However, check out her website, there are so many cute Christmas digis available! My papers are from my snippets drawer (yes, once again my New Year's Resolution is to USE UP MY STUFF!) and I added Glossy Accents to the reindeer's nose and Spectrum Noir sparkle to the bells. Neither of which show up very well on my photo - sorry!   Go and see my lovely teamies' contributions and join in the fun! I know it's not that long since last Chr...