Madcap Manor

Yes, we're back at My Time to Craft! and also My Time to Craft Christmas! Our lovely Becca is taking over while Shell has a well-earned rest.  Our theme for the next Challenge is All You Need is Love and it will go live at 6pm CST - that's 12 Midnight here in the UK! The background is made with layering stencils from the 'Love and Luck' kit by Gina K Designs - I indulged in this fab kit because I love the heart layering stencils that I used here. I blended lightly over the solid stencil with Spun Sugar Distress Oxide and then used the patterned stencil and the same ink for the layers. Then I cut it down slightly with a Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle die.  The gold-embossed sentiment is from an old Paper Smooches stamp set, on white cardstock cut with a heart die, and I layered it on foam tape. Finally I added some gems from my stash.  Check out the Challenge and feel the Lurve!  Thanks for looking!  love Mags B x

Hi, guys! We have a new challenge at Dream Valley and the theme is Lurve! Our sponsor is Crafty Sentiments and the Design Team were given some adorable images to play with! I used the gorgeous Bundle of Hearts digi. I'm sorry that the sentiment is a bit wonky, I didn't notice until I had already uploaded the photo! It's centred now.  The background paper came with a magazine, it's so pretty!  I fussy-cut the bear (his name is Benson) and raised the blue mat behind him on foam tape.  The twine is from my stash.  I added pink Nuvo drops to the centres of all the flowers. Check out the cute cards that my teamies have made, they will definitely put you in the mood for love! Thanks for looking and take care! love Mags B x

 Hi, guys! I hope you're all keeping safe, well and crafty! Have you found that you're reading more during Lockdown? I have been devouring books like nobody's business, mostly my favourite Science Fiction and Fantasy but also History books.  I have recently been reading a book by Bill Bryson called 'Shakespeare' which is really interesting.  We know so little about Shakespeare himself (although in the past people used to forge documents about him, and even bits of plays!) but the book looks at the context of the times he lived in.  And - yes, in the controversy over 'Did Shakespeare write his plays or was it [insert name of high-born courtier] instead, I am firmly on the side of the man from Stratford. I recommend this book highly - actually, I recommend all Bill Bryson's books! But you're here for our new challenge at  My Time to Craft!  and not my ramblings! Our theme is LOVE, since Valentine's Day is getting closer.  I used a free kit that came wi...

All together now: "Love, love me, do! You know I love you! I'll always be true! So pleeeease! Love me, do!" (Cue Harmonica.) Yes, I remember that Beatles song from when I was young! Now all of you will be singing it all weekend! And perhaps you'll join in at our new Challenge at My Time to Craft! too! For my 'Love' card I have done some paper piecing, using more papers from the Nitwits Perfect Pair digi papers that I used on Monday. I used pearlescent pink card for the die-cut heart outline and the mat. The heart die came from Simon Says Stamp and unfortunately is no longer available. I backed the outline with a scrap of white card and cut around the outside, then glued the patterned paper in the apertures. I used foam tape to give the heart some dimension. The sentiment is from Good Gab by Paper Smooches, and I filled in the little heart with some Nuvo Glitter Drops. I like that sentiment, it makes me smile! My teamies have created some lovely i...

Hello, my dearios! It's time for anotherChallenge at Dream Valley where our theme is Love. Our sponsor is The Paper Shelter who kindly sent one of their adorable images for us to use. Unfortunately my printer broke down, so I couldn't use the image, but luckily I already had the gorgeous Victorian Beauty printed out. (This is the original image, the current one is slightly different but still gorgeous.) She is a delight to colour, and I love the flirty glance she's giving as she checks her hair! I fussy cut her and raised her on foam pads, and cut a pink frame with a Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles die (sadly no longer available.) I used papers from Nitwits' Perfect Pair collection, so pretty! The place where the two papers join is edged with a Love from Lizi Matt Gold peel-off. The Valentine sentiment is from an old Clearly Besotted sentiment set, which sadly is out of print, and embossed it with Ranger's Rose Quartz Embossing Powder. Finally I use...

Morning, all! Happy Valentine's Day! I apologise for the lateness of this post, we had a rather busy weekend and I forgot! Sorry! Our current Challenge at My Time to Craft! is Love Is All We Need. I used a digi by The Greeting Farm called 50s Sweetheart . The mat is a Spellbinders Heart Circles Die. The papers are from a very old K & Company pad which sadly is out of print. I also used little heart-shaped gems from my stash and two gorgeous glitter peel-offs which came from a kit from Love From Lizi. My teamies have made some gorgeous creations to inspire you - go and see! I hope you're all having a good week. I don't know about you guys, but I find February to be the dreariest month of the year: the weather is always grotty! However, there are yellow crocuses beginning to peep out of the ground in the garden, and soon it will be Spring, hooray! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Good morning! To cheer up your Monday we have a new Challenge at Dream Valley which is Lurve . With Valentine's Day approaching fast, it's a very topical Challenge! The sweet image is Emma With Heart Ballon from Paper Nest Dolls. I fussy-cut her so I could put her against a patterned background. All the papers are from the Love Story collection by First Edition. The heart sentiment is also from the paper pad, it reads 'You Make My Heart So Very Happy.' The lace is from stash, and I added Glossy Accents to the hearts on the image and Spectrum Noir Sparkle to the sentiment heart. Our sponsor is Paper Nest Dolls. I'm entering the current Challenge at Sweet Sketch Wednesday and this is their fab sketch: Go and see my teamies' gorgeous creations and feel the love! Thanks for looking, and have a good week. love Mags B x

Evening, all! I hope you're all having a restful weekend! I've made a card using items from the January Kit by Simon Says Stamp. Everything is from the kit apart from the little heart-shaped gem, which is there to cover a smear of glue, and the banner, which is also from SSS, and the heart die. It's a bit too pink and girly for my Olde Manne, but I'm pleased with it! I am entering the current Challenge at Stamp Ink Paper because I used their lovely sketch! I hope you all have a happy week ahead of you! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! It's Thursday, ao that means a new CRAFT Challenge. This week our theme is Love or Valentine. This cutie is Stanley - Valentine's Heart from Crafty Sentiments. I used a Spellbinders Heart Circle die to cut the mat, and used some of the heart leftovers in pink and kraft to decorate the image. All the hearts have added sparkle. The papers are from stash, and the gold-embossed sentiment is from an old Simon Says Stamp set that came with a kit. Our sponsor this week is the fab Crafty Sentiments. My teamies have left you some sweet inspiration, go and see! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Is anyone else now singing 'Love is All Around Me' by The Troggs? (Or the cover version by Wet, Wet, Wet.) I love this song, it brings back memories of youth!! Anyway, I'm here with a late arrival for the Challenge at My Time to Craft - I apologise for the delay! Our theme, if you hadn't guessed already is LOVE including weddings and anniversaries as well as Valentine's. I originally wanted to make a shaker card with this Heart die from Simon Says Stamp but I just couldn't get it right! So istead I inlaid the heart into the card base, with a piece of computer paper behind it to hold the glue. The sequins are from Neat and Tangled, and the sentiment is from Clearly Besotted All Occasions Sentiments. Go and see the pretty creations that my teamies have made, they're an inspiration! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Good morning! It's time for another CRAFT Challenge (where is this week going??) Our theme is Love/Valentine/Anniversary since Valentine's Day is only a few weeks away! Our sponsors are: Sweet Stamps and Sami Stamps I used Kendra Glam Girl by Sweet Stamps, she looks so happy! I imagine she's going to meet her Significant Other! I coloured her in Copics and added spots to her dress with a white gel pen and a Copic marker. The papers are from stash. The flowers were made with a Woodware daisy punch and a Retro flower punch by EK Success, and they have been edged with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink and then glittered and with pearls in the centres. The leafy swirls are made with a Cheery Lynn Small Fanciful Flourish die. The sentiment is cut from the same pack as the other papers (it was a magazine freebie but has lost its front page so I don't know who made it!) Go and see my teamies' gorgeous creations, thy will inspire you to start your Valentin...

Our new challenge at C.R.A.F.T Challenge is a topical one - Valentine or Love . this cute digi is Country Hearts designed by Floppy Latte for Stitchy Bear Stamps. I embossed the card front before adding the image, which is coloured with Promarkers. The image is edged with papers cut with a Fiskars Bubbles punch. The sentiment is by Paper Smooches, and I used a matching die to cut out the banner. Finally, I went over the hearts with a Wink of Stella pen. Our Sponsors: 1 Stitchy Bear Stamps have a $10 voucher as a prize Please note that now if you are in the EU and want to buy a digi from them there is a new system in place, because of the new EU VAT laws for digi downloads. Like so many other very small businesses, Stitchy Bear have had to change their methods and send purchases by e-mail, but it's well worth the wait! At least they are still in business, thank goodness! 2 Yours or Mine Papercrafts also have a $10 voucher as a prize. Have a look at my teamies...

It's Saturday! That means there's another Challenge at My Time to Craft! Our theme is Love is All Around - that can be Valentine's Day, a Wedding, an Anniversary.... I went with a Valentine's card - a round one lol! The card base is made with a Spellbinders Circle Die: I scored half an inch down on the back circle and glued the resulting flap behind the front. The heart is cut with a Nellie Snellen die from white cardstock, then I embossed 'Love is everything' from the Favorite Flowers stamp set by Simon Says Stamp and coloured the heart with Festive berries Distress Ink. The papers are from the 'Love' 6x6 stack by Fancy Pants. I punched lots of circles and stuck them round the edge - a great idea from Kristina Werner This is a very bright card!!! Do go over to the Challenge Blog and see my teamies' creations and be inspired to 'feel the love' and join in! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

For the new challenge at The Squirrel and the Fox please scroll down to the previous post. Thanks! Hello again, my dearios! We have another challenge at Dream Valley and this time it's No Designer Paper. Our lovely sponsor is Freckled Fawn who are offering a $20 voucher to spend at their store! You really have to go there and drool over their fabulous washi tape!! Well, I don't know about you, but I found this challenge quite hard - every idea I had needed to be revised! It's not just that I couldn't use dp to mat and layer, I couldn't use it for embellishments or paper piecing, either! Thank goodness for embossing folders! I used a Cuttlebug Tiny Hearts folder to emboss the background, then went over it lightly with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink. I cut the 2 hearts with an X-cut die. Henry Mouse hugging Heart is a stamp from Whiff of Joy and I used Promarkers to colour him. (List below.) The heart has been Glossy Accented. I fussy cut him and added him w...