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

  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 ...

Good morning, all! Welcome to a new Challenge at My Time to craft! Our theme is Animals. I have been digging through my older stamps and came across two adorable images by Penny Black.  The frogs are perfect for a friend who volunteers at a Community Farm where they have a lot of frogs in their pond.  The second is for a couple who have just announced their engagement and who love Birdwatching.   I found some paper in my stash that looks like water splashes which seemed just right for the image! The sentiment is gold-embossed and is from a stamp set by Altenew full of 'Happy Birthdays' in different fonts and sizes.  I underlined the sentiment with a couplw of shiny green peel-offs by Love from Lizi. For the background of the geese I wanted a paper with some bright orange and found this one by Basic Grey many years ago.  The sentiment is cut with an old die by Clearly Besotted.  I used a Scallop Corner Chomper on the top corners and brushed Peeled P...

 Hi! I hope you're all keeping well.  I have slowly been getting back into the swing of things after the past 2 years and now the Toddler Group at my Church is opening on a Tuesday as well as a Wednesday.  I really enjoy it, I missed seeing my friends in real life - Zoom is fine in its way, but it's not the same! Anyway, you're here for our new challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge and not my wittering!   I coloured and fussy cut a poinsettia stamp by Penny Black twice.  I cut one image in half and added the other on top with foam tape.  The leaves are made with an old Spellbinders Foliage die.  The sentiment is by Taylored Expressions.  Finally I added stickles to the centre of the flower. A clean and simple card suitable for a bloke, I think.  Check out the challenge blog for more inspiration! Thanks for looking and take care! love Mags B x

Whaddaya mean, 'Christmas Transport'? At least, that's what I thought when I saw what today's challenge at My Time to Craft Christmas was to be.   Well, with a little guidance from my lovely teamies I understood that it means: Santa's Sleigh; Sledges; Trucks bearing Christmas Trees; Snowboards; Skis; maybe even the Three Ships that come sailing by on Christmas Day, on Christmas Day. (I love that carol!) I went with a sledge. This adorable image is by Penny Black (unfortunately it may be out of print, as I can't find it online.) I coloured the sweet hedgies with Copics, and added Diamond Stickles to their hats and the snow. The holly paper is an old digi-paper from Lili of the Valley which is also out of print, but check out their pretty background digi papers!  The chipboard sentiment came from a magazine several years ago, the green script matches the background paper very well. The red and gold ribbon is from my stash.   Sledge across to our new Challe...

  Evening, all! We have a new Challenge at My Time to Craft Christmas and you have probably realised, from the atrocious puns in my heading, that we'd like to see kraft on your kreation!  I absolutely love white heat embossing on kraft cardstock, so that's what I did. I used a lovely stamp by Penny Black of snow-covered trees. Unfortunately I put the stamp away in a safe place and now can't find it. Sigh. I need to tidy again, don't I?  After embossing the image I added splatter in white watercolour and perfect pearls.  Go and see what my teamies have done with kraft kard and be inspired!  Thanks for looking and stay safe.  love Mags 'I'm not giving up my mask!' B x

Hi there! We have a new Challenge at My Time to Craft Christmas - Christmas is getting closer! My favourite Christmas Stamp is 'Antique Santa' by Penny Black, it's one of the first stamps I bought 11 years ago, and it's gorgeous! He is a dream to colour. The background paper, ribbon and sentiment are from my stash.  Do join us and share your favourite Christmas stamp!  Thanks for looking and take care!  love Mags B x

Good morning! It's quite odd to be thinking of Christmas on a beautiful Spring day, but it's time for another Challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge.    I have used a darling image from Penny Black's 'Celebrate the Wonder' set which sadly no longr seems to be available. The paper is from my scraps drawer and the sentiment banner is a foiled die-cut from my stash.   We also have a DT Call, so if you've ever wanted to join a Design Team, go and see the blog for the details! All welcome!   Thanks for looking and stay safe!   love Mags B x

Good morning, all! I hope you're all keeping safe and well. To inspire your crafting we have a new challenge at My Time to Craft. Our theme is Summertime. I hope some of you, at least, are enjoying sunshine: here in S-E Hertfordshire we have grey skies and a chilly breeze. And apparently storms are on the way for the weekend. Yep, that's the traditional British Summer! However, we can always create something summery to brighten up a gloomy day! The stamp is a very, very old one by Penny Black, and I love it! The papers are from my scraps drawer, the stripy background is glossy. I added a Grass Green Sway Peel-off by Love from Lizi to cover the edges between the two papers. The sentiment is from Lizi's Summer Fruits stamp set . Finally I added some Nuvo Drops. Go and see my teamies' creations over on the blog, they are so summery and cheerful! Thanks for looking, and stay safe. love Mags B x

It's 5.15 pm and I have just realised it's Friday! Not only that, but there's a new challenge over at My Time to Craft! Our theme is Easter Cuties so any adorable image related to Easter (Chicks, Bunnies, Eggs....) will be great! I have used a VERY old wood-mounted stamp from Penny Black called Bun Bun. Its copyright date is 2008, so it's now 12 years old! I colouredher with Copics, die-cut her with a Lawn Fawn Stitched Circle die and layered her onto pearlescent green card. The yellow spotted paper is also very old, and the green card is a snippet. I used a Lawn Fawn Grassy Hillsides Die to cut the edge of the card. The flower sequins are from my stash. Do hopalong (geddit?!) to the Challenge blog ro see the Easter Cuties that my teamies have made, and to say hello to 3 new members of our Design Team: Judith and Tracey and Cazro , who is returning for another stint on our loopy and lovely team! Thanks for looking! Stay safe and well and CRAFTY! love...

Hiya! My, it's a cold, dank day today! Just the kind of weather to stay indoors with a big mug of tea and craft! Our new theme at My Time to Craft is Christmas Animals. I dug out this adorable stamp from Penny Black's Christmas Critters stamp set. These caroling mice are perfect for our Church Choir leader's card this year! I used some gorgeous foiled paper from my stash, which came from First Edition but is sadly no longer available. I matted everything onto gold mirri card and used a scallop punch to decorate the corners of the image. Finally I added stickles to the snow under the mice's feet. Christmas is coming! Have a look at the adorable cards my teamies have made, and join in the fun! Thanks for looking, and have a lovely weekend! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! It's mid-June and the rain is tipping down. A good reason to make a Christmas card or two! Especially since we have a new Challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge. I have used one of my favourite Christmas stamps, Penny Black's Antique Santa. Such a delight to colour! I used up some very old paper that came free with a magazine long ago, and some equally old red mirror card. I added stickles to Santa's hat and the star on his wand. The gold-embossed sentiment is also old, it came from Clearly Besotted. I wish I could say that my humongous stack of paper pads obtained over the last ten years was shrinking - but no!! I'm sure we all have that problem!! Hopefully you can all dig into your Christmas stacks and make a card and join our challenge! My teamies, as usual, have done sterling work to give you inspiration. Thanks for looking, my dearios, and I hope your week is going well. love Mags B x

EEK! I'm so sorry I'm late with my post, I had my Church's Baby Club this morning, then the weekly shop, then an electrician came to mend a couple of lights, and then I was packing my rucksack for the Anti-Brexit March tomorrow! (Which is going to be HUGE and I'm also meeting a cardmaking Facebook friend In Real Life for the first time, and I'm so excited!) Sorry, I normally keep my political views on Facebook, but I am so looking forward to tomorrow! *Breathe* I'm calmer now, and I can tell you about the new Challenge at My Time to Craft which is Mother's Day or for a Female. I lost my Mum 13 years ago, so I'm grateful for the alternative to Mother's Day. In fact, I made a card for a friend's birthday last week. This adorable ballerina is a very old Penny Black wood-mounted stamp, she was one of the first stamps I ever bought back in 2009. The papers are from my snippets drawer, and the ribbon came from Hobbycraft. The gold-emboss...

Eek! I'm so sorry that I'm late posting this! A busy few days with the Irish Contingent meant I totally forgot. Wot a plonker! (My grandson is adorable, but that's no consolation for you guys!) Our theme at My Time to Craft! is Summertime! Ice cream! The seaside! Sunshine! Scorchio! Torrential rain! (Well, maybe not the latter, I hope!) This is one of a pair of birthday cards that I made for a friend's twin daughters: The image is a very old wooden stamp by Penny Black, and sadly it's out of print. The paper is from an ancient pad that was a magazine freebie. The mat is cut with Spellbinders' Floral Ovals die, and the sentiment is by Lili of the Valley. The stickers are from Paperchase. I have been keeping to my 'stash diet' as you can tell - I'm trying to use up stuff, which is why so often what I show is no longer available. Apologies, I know it can be frustrating! However, if I don't make the effort I'll slowly be driven ...

Hi, guys! Welcome to the second Challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge. I have used my favourite Santa image, this is a cling stamp by Penny Black called Antique Santa . The gold mat is made with a Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Rectangles die and the background paper is from an old pad by Papermania. The stars are from Paperchase and the ribbon is from stash. There's a lot of Spectrum Noir sparkle on the fur trim of Santa's gorgeous coat! Go see what my talented teamies have made - as always, the theme is Anything Goes! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Good morning! We have a fab sketch for you to try at My Time to Craft this fortnight, created by the talented Jo. You can turn it, but we need to see the sketch in your project - have a look at my teamies' creations to get some ideas! I have made..... a Christmas card! The adorable image is by Penny Black from the Christmas Critters stamp set. I love those cute mice! I used papers from the ever-expanding Snippets Drawer , and the green card is also a Snippet. The gems are by Papermania and the gold-embossed sentiment is from Hanging Around which is one of Clearly Besotted's mini stamp sets. The ribbon is by American Crafts. CHALLENGES ENTERED: I am entering this card to the Snippets Playground at Di's blog. as so much of the card is made with leftovers! Thanks for looking, and have an excellent weekend! love Mags B x

I'm very late with this post, for which I apologise. I had written the wrong Challenge at Dream Valley in my diary! What a plonker!! So I made a card in a hurry, but I'm quite pleased with it! So here I am at last! Our new Challenge is Winter Animals. I have used a cute Penny Black image from the 'Celebrate the Wonder' stamp set - sadly I can't find a source for it so I suspect it may be out of print. Those mice are so sweet! The paper is from stash and the ribbon is by American Crafts. I layered the image in gold and stickled all the decorations and trim on the Christmas stockings. Quite a simple card, but I wanted the image to stand out. Go and see the amazing work that my teamies have done - their cards are so elegant! I admit, my card is more 'Christmas' than 'Winter'! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Well, we finally have sunshine and warmth here in S-E Hertfordshire! Is it possible that summer's here? I do hope so, one of my chemo side-effects is that I feel chilly all the time! Lots of hot tea and a woolly cardigan are the answer! (In fact the chemo is going ok, and the staff at the hospital are so encouraging. Hooray for the NHS! Awesome people!) Seeing that it's warm and sunny, at My Time to Craft our theme is Christmas in July . We're a mischievous lot!! Here's my card: It's a small card, only 4" x 4". The image is from Penny Black's Holly Day Critters and I added stickles to the fur on his hat. The papers are from an old pad by LotV - sadly they are no longer available. I used holographic gold card from stash to mat and the ribbon came with a magazine a couple of years ago. Do join in our Challenge, the more Christmas cards you can make before the panic sets in on December 1st, the better you'll feel! CHALLENGES ENTER...

Hi, guys! I hope you're all having a good weekend! Some big news: my daughter has got engaged! She and her wonderful Young Man will be tying the knot next year in Dublin. What a beautiful place to get married! Now on to our latest challenge at My Time to Craft which is Domestic Animals . So that's cats, dogs, fish, rabbits... I went with a cat. This stamp is an old one by Margaret Sherry for Penny Black, called Xmas Hat. The papers are from another freebie stack that came with a magazine. I distressed the edges with Pine Needles Ink, which was a bit of a mistake, because it makes the card VERY green! However, we live and learn! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Evening, all! I'm just popping by to show one of a whole series of thank you cards I made this month. They have all reached their destinations, so it's time I blogged the design. I stamped a butterfly by Indigo Blu and a sentiment from the Penny Black 'Gratitude' stamp set on a square of card with Tsukineko Delicata Gold ink, and rounded the corners. Then I brushed round the edges with the same ink pad and mounted the piece onto a 4.5 inch white card base, using foam tape. The ink is gorgeous, it has a lovely gleam! It's a very CAS design, but consequently the stamping has to be quite accurate! I did have to chuck a few that weren't up to scratch lol! Have a great weekend, and I'll see you tomorrow for the next My Time to Craft Challenge! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x