Madcap Manor

Yes, it's already time for the second Challenge of 2020 at Dream Valley! Our new theme is Spots and/or Dots and our sponsor is the fabulous Crafty Sentiments. I have made a birthday card for a little boy, using the adorable Gaffi. Well, he's a giraffe, so definitely has spots! The papers are from an old Echo Park pad called 'Petticoats and Pinstripes' which is sadly out of print. The gold-embossed sentiment is from Lawn Fawn's Scripty Sayings. I added Nuvo Drops to embellish, not sequins, because the little boy this is intended for would probably pick off sequins and try to eat them!! Go and see my teamies' lovely work, and check out our sponsor's gorgeous images! Thanks for looking, and have a great week! love Mags B x

Hiya! We have a great new Challenge at My Time to Craft - Check It Out! That means: use checks, or plaids or ginghams in your creations! I used up some papers from an out-of-print Basic Grey pad called 'Lauderdale.' The cute lion stamp came with a magazine a couple of years ago, I gold-embossed him and coloured him with Distress Markers. My fab teamies have left some terrific inspiration for you on the Challenge blog, do go and Check It Out!!! I hope you all have a lovely weekend. Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! It's a Bank Holiday here in the UK, and as is traditional we have grey clouds and showers! All the more reason to get into the craft room, I think! Last time at Dream Valley we had a girlie theme; this time it's the boys' turn! Our sponsor is Sheepski Designs and the lovely Andrea is offering a prize of 3 images from her shop. She also gave the DT some fab images to use - check out the Dream Valley blog to see what my talented teamies have done with them! I used Taking Pics and coloured him with Promarkers then fussy-cut and mounted on foam tape. I used a Spellbinders Labels Two die to cut spotty paper for the background, and drew round the die onto blue card and cut it out for the mat. The check paper also came from my stash. I found a little black-and-white camera sticker and coloured it to match, then added a Happy Birthday die-cut from Love from Lizi. Finally I added Glossy Accents to the camera apertures. I'm really pleased how this tur...

Hello, my dearios! I'm here with a quick post before I stagger upstairs to change the sheets. Since I am under 5' tall and the bed is over 5'long, this takes a while! However, it's all exercise, innit? I was sorting my wooden stamps the other day when I found a very old stamp by Inca Stamps called 'Lift Off'. I embossed the image and sentiment in silver - the sentiment is also very old! I also embossed the glittered strip, with Nuvo Silver Moonlight embossing powder, as the cheap glitter paper I have tends to shed! All the papers and the blue card for the mats are made with Snippets - hooray! One day soon I hope to be able to close my drawer full of scraps! Now I'm away to join in the fun at Pixie's Snippets Playground! Thanks for looking! love Mags b x

Hi guys! I hope your weekend has been good! We have had a visit from my brother and sister-in-law, plus their gorgeous dog! We had a walk down by the river, which was rather muddy, but the sun shone and the skies were blue - it was lovely! I apologise that I'm late with my post! But at last I'm here to tell you about the new Challenge at My Time to Craft. which is Transport. Any means of transport counts, from bicycles to rockets! I went with a car from the 'Hre We Go' stamp set from Reverse Confetti which sadly seems to be out of print. The papers are by My Mind's Eye, but I can't find them! They are somewhere in my craft hovel, which has had a lot of odds'n'ends dumped into it as we were tidying ready for our visitors! Oops! The gold-embossed sentiment is from the same stamp set, and the ribbon is from stash. I glammed-up the car with a lot of Spectrum Noir sparkle pen! My teamies have made some great inspiration pieces, as usual - go a...

Hi, guys! We have a new challenge at CRAFT Challenge and it's a good one: Shaped Card - but NOT Square or Rectangular! I have an old octagonal die by Spellbinders which is about 10 cm wide, and I thought it would be ideal for a small card. I drew areound the outside onto a piece of folded cardstock, then die-cut the mat and finally drew around the inside of the die and cut out the patterned paper. The adorable image is Little Boy Blue from Melonheadz Doodles. I added Glossy Accents to the horn. It was lovely to work on such a small scale, the trick is to find papers whose patterns aren't too big. Our sponsor this week is Melonheadz Doodles Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! I hope all is well with you. We have a new Challenge at Dream Valley for you: last time it was One for the Girls and this time it's One For The Boys. I have made a birthday card for a little boy, using Babay Boy and Monkey from our sponsor Sasayaki Glitter. Isn't he fun? The paper is by Crate Paper from their 6x6 Toy Box collection - sadly now out of print. The sentiment is from Paper Smooches' Sentiment Sampler stamp set, I stamped in black Versafine and clear-embossed it. Now it's your turn! Have a look at the gorgeous inspiration my teamies have left on the blog and make something for one of the blokes in your life! Thanks for looking, and have a good week! love Mags B x

Good morning! It's Thursday! That means two exciting things: it's nearly the weekend AND there's a new Challenge at CRAFT Challenge! This week we have a fabulous Sketch created by our lovely and talented Aunty Sue. So versatile! I made a birthday card for a bloke. The fun image is Frog on a Log from sponsor DRS Designs. I coloured him with Copics and added Glossy Accents to his eyes. I cut him out with a Die-namics Zig-zag Stitched Circle die, then distressed the edges with Mowed Lawn Distress Ink. The butterfly sticker is from stash. The papers are all from the Snippets Drawer and the ancient paper raffia ribbon is from stash as are the star stickers. The silver-embossed sentiment is from an old Hero Arts Messages set. Go and see the gorgeous creations my teamies have made using the sketch, and join in! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Good morning, all! I hope you're all well - it's not long until the weekend, hurrah! Since it's Thursday we have a new theme at CRAFT Challenge and this time it's Animals. I have made a birthday card especially for a very sweet lad who comes to the Toddler Club that I help at, he will be 2 next month. (Already! I remember when he was a tiny baby!!) The cute image is Birthday Monkey from our sponsor All Dressed Up Stamps. Like every one of Wendy's stamps, this is adorable! I used a Spellbinders Wonky Rectangles die to cut the mat behind the image. The papers are snippets from my scraps drawer. The number 2 came from a magazine freebie, and I heat-embossed it in silver. The Lawn Fawn sentiment is also heat-embossed in silver. Have a look at my teamies' creations, they have done a wonderful job and will inspire you to join in with our challenge! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Hiya! Happy New Year! Wishing you all the best for a happy, healthy and crafty 2017! The first Challenge of 2017 at CRAFT Challenge is this Recipe: We'd like you to use ONE image, TWO patterned papers, and THREE flowers. I made a birthday card for a young man: My IMAGE is Birthday Mickey Monkey from Digital Delights by Louby Lou - isn't he cute? I coloured him with Promarkers and added glitter to his hat trim and Wink of Stella to the Balloons. My two PATTERNED PAPERS are from a very old paper pad by Cosmo Cricket called 'The Boyfriend.' The three flowers, and the leaves, are from the In the Jungle stamp set by Woodware and I fussy cut them after colouring. I added the lower leaves first, then added the flowers on foam pads. The Sentiment tag is by Lili of the Valley. Have a look at my teamies' lovely work, it's amazing how different their interpretations of the recipe are! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Good morning! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. We have the Irish Contingent here - Daughter, son-in-law-to-be and grandson! Lots of cuddles for Grandma and Grandpa! Now onto our Challenge at CRAFT Challenge which is Anything Goes . I made a birthday card for a fan of Arsenal Football Club, whose strip is red and white. This cute chap is Toby Glam Guy by Sweet Stamps . I coloured him with Promarkers and added Wink of Stella Clear to the football. I used Spellbinders dies to cut out the image and mat. The paper was loose, I'm not sure who made it. Sorry! The sentiment is by Avery Elle from the Stoked clear stamp set. Our sponsor this week is: Sweet Stamps Thanks for looking and Happy New Year! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! We have a technique challenge at My Time to Craft and it's Paper Piecing . That's the technique where, instead of colouring in your image, you stamp it on coloured papers, cut out, and pice them together like a patchwork quilt. For the background I used Snow Drifts Cover Up by My Favorite Things. The papers are Beach Boardwalk an older paper pad by Carta Bella. The yacht image is from Lawn Fawn's Float My Boat and the sails and hull are paper pieced. Go and get some inspiration from my teamies' gorgeous creations, they will inspire you to join in! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

If you're looking for my post on The Squirrel and the Fox Challenge please scroll down to the previous post. Ta. Good afternoon! It's a beautiful sunny day here in Hertfordshire, but there's a definite nip in the air, so I have my thermal socks on as well as my thermal unmentionables!! We are back at Dream Valley Challenges after our winter break, and the first one for 2014 is definitely challenging for me - Boys/Men Our sponsor is the wonderful Robyn's Fetish Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps And More is proud to sponsor this challenge Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps And More, a division of I Did It Creations, was created and owned by Robyn Weinrib. Robyn offers a wonderful variety of digital stamps and digital papers designed to meet the needs of all digital paper crafting addicts for every occasion Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps And More is happy to award the winner 3 digital stamps I already had this adorable Choo Choo Charlie and it's just r...

Good morning, all! By the time you read this (if kind Mr Blogger schedules the post) I will be away camping at a Christian Conference called New Wine, in Somerset. The conference is a first for me, though camping in mud isn't, my family used to go camping every year.  My hubby, who's staying at home, predicts trench foot, rust, mud baths... Enough of that! It's time for a new Challenge at Dream Valley and this time the theme is Summer We are being sponsored by Squiggle Stamps and the DT were offered some of their lovely digistamps to play with. I chose Geeky Goth Boy isn't he cute? The bright summery papers are "Sunshine" from the "Little Miss Collection" by Pebbles Inc, I can't remember where I got them, sorry! I used both sides of the double-sided paper, and added an Owls scrap from the Snippets Box. I reversed the main papers for the inside: The Geek is coloured with Speccies. I Glossy Accented his specs and Goth...

Hi, all! It's Wednesday, huzza! The weekend is in sight! Think of me on Saturday, when I go with 2 other middle-aged ladies to Somerset, where we'll be camping for a week at a Christian Conference called New Wine. I have camped (though not for years!) but never attended a conference like this. It's the opposite for the other ladies! Wish us luck! Back to today, and a card I made after doing some more colouring of dark skin with my Speccies. This is by Francoise Read for Woodware stamps, and I love him, he's having such a great time! I apologise for the wonky photo, the light today is abysmal. The colours are much brighter irl. The papers are snippets from Nitwits Tour of London set, I love these blues! I used a Nestie to cut the lad out but for once didn't try distressing round the edges, as I thought he'd need a lot of space for the marvellous tricks he's about to do!! The baker's twine is from The Ribbon Girl and the buttons are from my bu...

Good morning, all! At least, I hope it's morning, I'm scheduling this post and if it doesn't work I'll be re-posting after Church, the Supermarket and, most importantly, LUNCH! It's time for another challenge at The Squirrel and the Fox . The entries for the last challenge were lovely, thank you for entering, I got some good ideas for Christmas cards! This fortnight we'd like to see cards made for Kids and Babies Our sponsor is the wonderful Bugaboo and the DT were delighted to be able to use some of their adorable images! Here's my card:  This has been made for a young man who has just turned 4. Isn't this image just right for a boy who loves exploring? I used Promarkers to colour him (list below) and used a Nestie to cut him out, then did the usual trick of drawing round the edge on my matting card and cutting out to give a thin border. The papers are 'U Bug Me' by Bo Bunny. I happened to be browsing the Dies to Die For site (as o...

Good afternoon, all! *peers through curtain of rain to make sure it's still afternoon, not twilight* It's time for another Dream Valley Challenge! This time the challenge is simple - Anything But A Square .  So you can go for a circle card, or a rectangular card, or push the boat out and make a hexagon-shaped one! Our lovely sponsors are One Stop Card Crafts  They are offering a £10.00 voucher for their store.   and Meljens Designs is offering 4 images of their choice. Great prizes! Here is my card, which was made for a lad who has just turned 15 - it's no time at all since he was a baby! I went for a circular Easel card. I used this lovely Meljen Cupcake Birthday image, it's suitable for so many ages! The base, papers and mats were cut with Nesties and Grand Nesties - whatever did we do before die-cutting? Here's a side view: Papers are an ancient pad by Papermania, I like the cheerful yellow! The sentiment/stop is LotV. I put Glossy Accent...

Evening, all! Who's enjoying Wimbledon? Normally it just seems like a procession, but this time the upsets have made it really interesting! Come on, Murray! I made this card for a young lad who is besotted by science - specially biology! So this chameleon, from the Woodware stamp set 'In the Jungle', seemed right. It's not an animal that appeals to me much in real life, but this one is just so cute! I used a nestie to cut him out then drew round the edge of the die on pearlised charcoal card by Papermania and cut out the narrow mat. He's coloured with Speccies, and there are stickles on the fly's wings and Glossy Accents on the ridges of his crest. I distressed the edge lightly with Scattered Straw DI. Papers are Paislee Road by Prima. The tags are Lili of the Valley. The leaves and flowers and butterflies are all made with Woodware punches: I used scraps of multicoloured, shiny green and copper paper. I hope the young man will like it - the card's ...

Good afternoon! I'm sorry this post is a bit late, we had a big Baptism this morning, and then there was the excitement of a trip to Saino's! Anyway, better late than never, and I'm here with the latest Dream Valley Challenge . (You may want to grab a cuppa, this is a long post!) This time the theme is CASE the DT Our wonderful regular sponsor One Stop Card Crafts is offering a £10 voucher. Our other wonderful sponsor this fortnight is Crafty Ribbons who are offering one of their gorgeous 'Bev's Bags' of ribbon. Ok, I had to have 'CASE' explained to me. Apparently it means either 'Copy And Steal Everything' or 'Copy And Selectively Edit.' I prefer the second definition! Basically we're asking you to pick one of the DT's cards on the Challenge blog and use it as your source of inspiration. Simples! But PLEASE can you state in your post just whose card you picked and which bits inspired you? Thanks! I've Kept It S...

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...