Madcap Manor

Firstly, welcome to my new followers! Glad you could make it - take a pew, I'll put the kettle on! Evening, all! I hope you all had a good weekend, and that that Monday morning feeling hasn't been too bad. This is a larger card than I usually make, because it's for one of our ladies at the Toddler Group, so there will be a lot of signatures on it! The lady has brought her 3 grandchildren to us over the last 3 years, and the youngest goes to nursery school in September so we'll sadly be saying goodbye. The papers are ancient, they are from the days when Lakeland did craft materials as well as kitchen and homeware. The pink gingham ribbon, which hides the join between the two papers, is from stash, and so are the Papermania gem brads in the middle of the chrysanthemums (of which more anon!) The pretty butterfly is a Penny Black, I picked it up at the very first craft show I went to, nearly 3 years ago! I cut the mats with a Nestabilities die, using a patterned g...

Phew! I think I'll just scrape in to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge which this time is for no patterned paper I coloured the cute mouse with promarkers, Glossy Accented balloon and basket, and glittered the flowers. The purple paper has been embossed with a docrafts folder. It took a lot of thought, and inspiration struck almost too late!  Thanks for looking!  love Mags B x  Edited to add: The wreath is by Memory Box, a new acquisition from the Ally Pally (gotta love that show!) The ribbon is from stash. Flowers are all Wild Orchid. Leaves 9which are only just visible!) are made with a Nellie Snellen punch from a scrap of green glittered paper. The green background is embossed with a Cuttlebug Daisy folder, then cut out with a Nesties die. Sorry my original post was so scanty, I was in a hurry! ;) xx

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...

My hubby was late home tonight so I've had a nice evening in the craft hovel and this is the result! The Penny Black Saturday Challenge is 'The Young Ones' ie a card for a child. This hedgie sitting on a parcel is an acrylic stamp from the 'Party Time' set. I love Margaret Sherry's animals, they are so perfect for children's cards! The sketch is from Mojo Monday isn't it nice? I used papers from a Daisy and Dandelion pad called 'Some bunny loves you' and also embossed some of the blue matting card with a papermania folder (which I've left upstairs and I'm too lazy to go and find it but I'll add the name later. Actually, there's no name, but it's a Triboss chequerboard with hearts.) I smeared a bit of stickles on the embossed hearts though mostly they're covered by the image! Ribbon and round stickers are from stash. The number is a T!m Holtz grungeboard jobbie, coloured with Broken China Distress Ink and then Glossy Acce...

Hi, guys, and welcome to my new followers! Nice to see you! My lovely friend Jacqui gives me a lift to and from the Toddler Group 3 times a week, so I wanted to make her a card. She has an adorable little dog, who is a lot hairier than the one in this 'Penny Black' image, but it's the thought that counts! Papers are Basic Grey 'Pyrus' apart from the doily, which was cut from a snippet with a Marianne die. I also used a Memory Box die for the green flourish. Flowers and lace are from stash. I paper-pieced the dress and handbag and used Speccies for the rest. The image mat is distressed with Tea Dye and there's a line of stickles round the edge, too. I'm entering this into the Penny Black Saturday Challenge which this week has this great sketch! I hope you're all having a good week - it's one day nearer to the weekend! Huzza! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x Spectrum Noirs: TN1, 2, 3;FS2, 3, 6; DG3; CG1, 5

Hi everyone! Isn't it cooooold?! Here's a cheerful springtime card for the current Penny Black Saturday Challenge and this time the theme is 'Floral Frenzy!' I love this little hedgie surrounded by flowers, saying hello to a bee, it makes me think of springtime. The sketch is from Sketch Saturday and at first I thought it would be tricky with the diamond shape, but in fact it all came together very nicely. I layered the image on green, pink and green card, because the original diamond was too small, but I rather like the effect. Papers are Basic Grey 'Porcelain.' The swirl is cut with a Marianne die, and the flowers with a medium Retro punch, using the same papers. The sentiment was a magazine freebie, the gems are from stash. I stickled the bee's wings but didn't add any more bling because I didn't want to cover the pretty papers too much. The white velvet ribbon is from Hobbycraft, and I used a Woodware punch for the brown leaf-shapes behind 3 of...

Evenin', All! Halfway through the week already - it'll be the weekend before we know it, huzza! Just a short post today, I ought to be making the tea but I've just finished off a card, and here it is! Isn't she cute? She's a Penny Black stamp I've had for ages. I coloured her with Speccies, they are so vibrant! The papers are Tilda 'Winterbird' which was a bargain, half price at Hobbycraft!! Well, yes, I broke my stash diet for them, but - half price!! Cute Card Thursday has a theme of 'Music and Dance' and I'm almost too late to enter!!! Penny Black Saturday Challenge is to use a bargain and say what it is - well, I think these papers are going to be the bargain of the year! The Prima flowers and Wild Orchid roses are from stash. The ribbon is actually a stamp by LotV which I coloured, then Glossy Accented, then Decoupaged. Papertake Weekly wants us to highlight a part of our cards, and I hope that fits the bill! The lovely, simple sketch...

I apologise for this terrible picture, the colours are rather faint and faded :( The current Penny Black Saturday Challenge is to make a tag. I don't have any readymade ones, so I took a slightly battered ivory card blank and cut it to size. The sketch is from Mojo Monday , it fits what I wantwed to do very well! The background paper is Papermania, from the Vintage Christmas stack. I coloured another piece of ivory card with Shabby Shutters Distress Ink by smearing the pad onto my craft sheet, spritzing with water and dabbing the card until I had a nice speckly pattern. Very Time Holtz!! I used the small music stamp from the PB 'Clearly in Love' set, stamping with Versamark Gold, then tore round the image. I went over the edges of the papers with the Versamark, which gives a very pretty sheen that is nowhere in sight on the photo! The holly is a Memory Box die from Crafts U Love and I glittered the leaves with gold Glamour Dust. The lace is from stash, and so is the ribbo...

/PB%2Bmouse%2Bin%2Bstocking%2BChristmas%2Bcard%2BDec%2B11.jpg"> It's too long since I've joined in at Penny Black Saturday Challenge . This week's theme is Christmas + Red and Embossing . I love this little Penny Black mouse, all snug in his stocking! I coloured him with Speccies and stickled the fur trim of the stocking. The spots are gold liquid pearls. The fab papers were free with this month's 'Cardmaking and Papercraft' and they are gorgeous! I embossed the mistletoe strip with a snowflakes folder and my cuttlebug, then lightly sanded to make the snowflakes stand out better. The two strips of ribbon are from stash. The gold corner is from Wild Orchid Crafts, the chipboard snowflake is by Woodware and I covered it with gold Glamour Dust, then put it on a large Magnolia doohickey flower die-cut. The swirl is a Marianne die. The sentiment is LotV, stamped in Fired Brick Distress Ink and mounted on gold holographic paper. The sketch is from Friday Sketc...

I am all over ink and glitter and Glossy Accents! It's a long time since I made a Penny Black card! This week's Challenge is monochrome . I picked up the gorgeous Dovecraft 'Noel' papers in a sale after Christmas, and was inspired to do a vintage colouring by the damask background paper and the glittery paper on the right! The third piece, with writing on, is a snippet by K and Co. The sketch is from Sweet Sketch Wednesday I used Speccies, and glittered the angel's trumpet, wings and the stars. I got some Diamond Stickles at Ally Pally on Saturday, and they seem to pick up the colour of the Vintage Photo Distress Ink I used to stamp the image. I like the effect, though it was pure serendipity (sounds better than 'luck' doesn't it?! The snowflake is a Marianne die, distressed in Vintage Photo and stickled. The lace is from stash, and the card candy was coloured with Natural Oak (Spectrum Noir no 91) and glossy accented. It all took ages to dry! In spite ...

It's too long since I entered the Penny Black Saturday Challenge ! The current request is "Stitch It Up" using stitching, either real or faux. Well, my sewing machine is at the back of a cupboard and my hubby has strewn papers across the dining table, so I did the faux version using a fine nib pen. I was lucky enough to win the Penny Black stamp from the lovely Joey . Wouldn't it be blissful to be having a picnic like this with lots of cake!! The papers were a mag freebie, the Serif paper stack Picnic in the Park. The paper ribbon (which irl is redder than this!) is from Wild Orchid Crafts, and it makes a nice, crisp bow! The text is also PB. The card candy was coloured with Ruby promarker and covered with Glossy Accents, and I also Glossy Accented the tarts. There's a bit of gold stickles around the candle flame, too. And that's that! Now I'm going to have a quick shower, and then I'm off to London to see a cricket match with hubby and some friends fr...

Evening, all! I have finally made a skewed easel card! I used the tutorial on Jacqui Dennis's tutorial blog . It was much easier than I thought, but taking pictures isn't that easy! The challenge at Penny Black Saturday Challenge is 'Milestones' and this card is for someone who's just had her first baby! The sketch is this week's Sketch Saturday offering. I used a Nestie for the circular element - on reflection the text should have gone into the bottom corner, but never mind! Papers are a freebie 'Honey and Hugs' from (I think) 'Papercraft Essentials.' I have a bigger version of this pad, and the papers are so cute and pretty! The narrow ribbon is white velvet, from Hobbycraft. Flowers are Wild Orchid, plus a white rosebud from stash that I coloured with Rose Pink Promarker. The pink blanket is glittered, and so are the cute little socks on the message square. Here's the inside: I hope you like it! I can't produce a list of Promarkers, ...

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...

Evening, all! Late post here, we have been celebrating a friend's birthday. I won't give away his age, but I'll give you a clue - he got a tin of Heinz Baked Beanz!! This card is for another birthday boy, my nephew, who's 21! It's no time since he was a yelling baby at his baptism! How time flies, eh? The image is Penny Black - these frogs are really useful for boys' cards! The sketch is from this week's Penny Black Saturday Challenge which I turned on its side. It's ideal for the froggies, because the two lines on it made me think of water ripples. So I used blue velvet ribbon (Hobbycraft) to give a watery impression. The paper is Basic Grey Porcelain. The sentiment is also PB. I distressed the edge of the image with Shabby Shutters DI, and stickled the flies in gold. I also stickled the Marianne die swirl, just to give a bit of bling - I hope it's not too much for a boy's card! The buttons are from stash. I've lost my Promarker list, but I...

Just a flyby post - I've spent the day trying to get rid of this awful virus from my hubby's laptop. I've now called in the cavalry, but he can't come until Wednesday, so hubby will probably be nicking my laptop for checking emails and playing his computer game! We're off to Shrewsbury for the weekend to see dear son, at least! The sweet rabbit is of course Penny Black. The Penny Black Saturday Challenge is 'Spring has sprung!' and it's certainly been a gorgeous spring day today! The sketch is a nice one from Sketch Saturday . Papers are Basic Grey 'Origins.' Ribbon is Hobbycraft, flowers are Wild Orchid, and the sentiment is PB, too. The border and the punched butterflies are Martha Stewart - I glittered the butterflies, but the pic makes them look much more dull than irl. There's a Marianne swirl, also glittered, which also isn't showing too well! The bow was made with my trusty bow-easy! All edges are distressed in Scattered Straw and...

Afternoon, all! It's a grey, chilly, dank day today and my feet were so cold at church this morning! Hurry up, Spring! We can always make cheerful springtime cards in the meantime, of course! This one is for two challenges: Less is More whose theme is 'Spring' and Penny Black Saturday Challenge who want Mens' Cards. I loved the technique that the lovely Jules used on a card a few weeks ago, when she paper-pieced one of the pretty, sketchy PB flowers. So I decided to have a go. Actually, this is my second attempt, as I chose the wrong shades for my first attempt, and made a dark purple SPLODGE. That's what it looked like, anyway! The papers are Papermania Capsule Collection. The sentiment stamp is from an unmounted collection that's lost its cover, so all I can say is it's not Woodware, who very sensibly print their name on the protective acetate. The flower stamp is PB 'Gossamer.' Thanks for looking! luv, Mags x

This week's Penny Black Saturday Challenge is 'Monochromatic Christmas. Isn't this Traditional Santa gorgeous?! It was love at first sight when I saw him on The Glitter Pot website. I thought I'd give him a vintage look for his first outing, and I'm really chuffed that he came out so well! IRL the browns are a bit darker, he's not really this faded! And the stickles dotted on his coat and on the star on his walking stick aren't showing too well! I also stickled the snowflake. I used a nice, straightforward sketch from Sweet Sketch Wednesday which gives the image the main emphasis. Ok, time to see to tea. I can recommend Salmon smeared with pest and baked in foil, it really is yummy! Stay warm this evening! Thanks for looking luv, Mags x Recipe: Promarkers Tan, Cinnamon, Cocoa, Putty, Ivory Papers: Papermania Vintage Christmas Copper stickles Marianne snowflake die Brown card and ribbon from stash

It's another Chrimbo card! This is for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge (I've worked out why my links went wrong - I was linking to the page, not the blog. What a prat!) I love this cute cat crowned with holly! So pretty! I glittered the holly leaves and put dots of liquid pearls on the berries. I used a Woodware punch on the corners of the image and mat to give some interest. The holly papers are a Lili of the Valley download. The greens are brighter irl. The horizontal strip is a scrap from stash, edged with a holly border punch, also Woodware. (Can you see a holly theme here?!) The snowflakes are Marianne, cut from silver holographic card from stash. The big one is raised on foam pads, and so is the image. The corner is a sticker (Craft Creations), and so is the ribbon (Papermania) My, it's cold! I'm off to clean the kitchen floor: at least the hot water will keep my hands warm! Thanks for looking. Hope you're all having a good Thursday - not long till the ...

Here's a birthday card for a friend of my daughter! The dancing girl is Penny Black. She's one of the first stamps I bought, must be 3 years ago now, when I was just starting. The Penny Black Saturday Challenge this week is for zig-zags. Can you see the zig-zag pattern on the girlie's top and trousers? Cute, eh? The bp, which is only just visible, is also zig-zaggy, and came from an old mag, and of course I've also used the MS zig zag punch on the blue card (from stash). I think that's enough zig-zags! I'm also entering this into the Oldie But A Goodie challenge, which wants butterflies. I love the MS butterfly punch! I've stamped them from the pink matting card, ang stickled all over, then curled up the wings for dimension. You can just see the small Retro flowers that they're sitting on. The great sketch is Sunday Sketch and Stamp which I am just in time for! The one new item I used is the nestie, isn't it pretty? I distressed the edges with Spu...

Here's a second birthday card I made for another of my Sunday School kids, whose birthday is this week. It's for Penny Black Saturday Challenge which this week has a great sketch! It's one of those sketches that can be stretched for an A6 card, and it also shows off this yummy paper (Basic Grey 'Origins.' The sentiment is supposed to read 'Hoppy Birthday' but my enthusiastic springing lines under the O make it look like an I, chiz! Isn't the frog cute? He looks so happy jumping in the water! I used my Woodware corner punch on opposite corners of the image and sentiment, and stickled them. The ribbon is Hobbycrafts. Thanks for looking, and have a good evening. It's nearly halfway to the weekend! luv, Mags x Recipe: Promarkers Lush Green, Leaf Green, Vanilla Sentiment stamped with Woodware oriental alphabet