Madcap Manor

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...

Hello, my dearios! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas! My grandson (and his parents!) came over from Ireland and we all spent time in Shropshire with my granddaughter (and her parents!) It's very rare that we all manage to get together, since we all live far apart, so it was a very special treat! I am now at the slightly gloomy stage where everyone has gone home and it's time for a Grand Tidy Up! It's astonishing how much clutter is created when a very lively 2-year old boy is staying! Though I confess I did enjoy laying out train tracks all over the floor and playing with the train! Now I'm taking a break, with a cuppa, to tell you about the new Challenge at My Time to Craft. The very topical theme is 'New'. That can be New Home, New Job, New Baby, even New Stash! My nephew and neice are expecting a baby next month, so of course I went with 'New Baby.' We don't know if they're having a boy or a girl, so I went with lilac for the co...

Hello, my dearios! My, what a gloomy, grey, rainy day! Time to stay indoors and craft, I think! For your inspiration, at My Time to Craft! we have this gorgeous sketch: Lots of lovely layers! The sketch is ideal for using this lacy Tattered Lace die (sadly it seems to be out of print) because it's quite large. The papers are from a pad that's lost its front - I think they are Crate Paper. I added swags cut from a scrap of pearlised paper, and the ribbon was from a dress! The sentiment is by Clearly Besotted, now also out of print, sadly. Do go and see the lovely varitions on the sketch produced by my teamies! Thanks for looking and have a good weekend! love Mags B x

Good afternoon! I hope all is well with you, especially those who are having winter weather and commuting through snow and ice! Be safe! I went to a wedding on Saturday which was wonderful, the Church was absolutely full! The Bride's family have attended our Church for many years, and members of the congregation came to the service and enjoyed delicious cake and fizz afterwards. It was a really special day. One of the great things about cardmaking is being able to tailor your creation to the recipient. I don't think I'd have found a grey and yellow card in any shop! I layered Spellbinders dies in yellow Centura Pearl and grey cardstock (which looks blue in my naff photo), and the glitter silhouette is made with the 'Dancing Couple' die by Tattered Lace. The flowers were cut with a Woodware Daisy punch and have gems in the centre. The ribbon is from stash. I like using dies for special occasions like this, they look so delicate (and they are so easy to use l...

Good morning! It's another great Challenge at My Time to Craft - the weeks are going by so quickly! Our theme is Die Cuts Only - that is, use die cuts and a sentiment but no image. So I made a 6x6 card out of white Centura pearl and trimmed off an inch at one side, then dug out a variety of dies: Two are from Tattered Lace: High Heel Glam and Smaller Bow which I trimmed down and then added a scrap of card behind the knot to give more definition. The oval die and the Floral Ovals dies are Spellbinders Nestabilities. The corners are a Whimsy Shapeology set, and the Sentiment is by Marianne. I used some Papermania card which has a pearlised effect. My daughter suggested drawing lines to join the corners (thanks, Sacha!) but other than that everything has been die-cut. I had such fun making this card!! Please go and see my teamies' fantastic makes, then hunt out your dies and make something gorgeous!! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! I hope your week is going well! I am almost caught up with the washing and ironing created by our holiday last week in beautiful North Cornwall - we were only away for a week, so how come there was so much washing?! I took a break from the dreaded housework to be creative. This card is for a lovely couple who will be married on Sunday: I have known the bride since she was a baby, it doesn't seem like over a quarter of a century ago! As you can see, I got out my dies! The base card and Spellbinders Floral oval are in blue Centura Pearl. The Spellbinders decorative Labels 8 layer is cut from white card. The Tattered Lace dancing couple was cut twice, once in white card and once in silver glitter paper, I glued them together to give the image more body. Finally I added gems to the top and bottom of the white layer. Quick and easy, but quite effective, I think! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x Challenges entered: My Mum's Craft Shop use dies or punches