Madcap Manor

To celebrate Hogmanay, Sugar Nellie has candy until 7pm GMT on January 1st. love Mags B x

Sorry I've not been online recently, ye olde manne and I have been visiting family in Shrewsbury, meeting our beautiful granddaughter. Lillie is a Downs baby, which means she's been subjected to various tests in the hospital, but they're all home now, thank goodness! She has my ears!!! And my daughter's mouth!!! She is just so cute and lovely! I read somewhere that the job of grandparents and grandchildren is simply to adore one another. That's not hard! I want to wish all of you a very happy New Year! 2011 has been a wonderful year for meeting all you lovely, inspiring crafty folk, and I look forward to seeing you all again online in 2012! with much love, Mags B xxx

Here are pics of Lillie, taken soon after she was born on 23rd December. Best Christmas Present! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day! Happy New Year! love Mags B x

I'm a Grannie! Lillie was born at 8.26. To celebrate, I'm off to Saino's to do the Christmas food shopping! I hope you'll all have a Happy Christmas! love Mags B x

Well, nearly. DIL has had a 'show' - grandchild due in the next day or so! I probably won't be online much this next few days, so I want to take the opportunity to wish you A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! Thank you so much for your lovely comments this past year, and also for your gorgeous, inspirational blogs. You are all amazing!!! with much love Mags B xxx

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...

Debbi has a great video tutorial on her blog, demonstrating Flexmarkers and how the technique you use has to be slightly different from Promarkers. Very interesting! She also has Flexmarker candy for anyone who'll post and link. You should look at her blog anyway, my dearios, because her colouring is so good! I hope you'll all have a good weekend! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! No news yet of the grandchild, my poor daughter-in-law is doing her nut because she's fed up with being pregnant, poor lass! So I made some Christmas cracker boxes. The measurements were worked out by the talented Julie who kindly sent me the details. It took quite a bit of due care and attention, because numbers and me do not get on, but accurate measuring was the key! Julie's are beautiful, and I'm certainly going to be trying them again, but this time I Kept It Simple, Stoopid! The card and the wreath toppers and the ribbon stickers came from a Papermania bargain bag I picked up at Hobbycraft. The green bows are made with bog-standard wrapping ribbon from Saino's. I used a Martha Stewart punch on one box, but my measurements were a bit off (naff maths skillz!) so I left the other one plain. They aren't nearly as elegant as Julie's, but I'm quite happy for a first attempt (especially since I have half an ear permanently cocked listening for the ...

It's the final Dream Valley Challenge of the year, and it lasts until January 8th 2012 The theme is 'Christmas' so you can use the opportunity to do a scrapbook page, or a box for a last-minute Christmas present - or, of course, make a Christmas card! We have some lovely sponsors: One Stop Card Crafts and Digi Doodle Shop and Stitchy Bear and Crafty Ribbons Wowee! As you can see, I've made a Christmas card - my last one!! I love this Penny Black antique Santa, and he's a dream to colour. The paper was a snippet, and I can't remember who it's by, but it's at least a year old! I also used a snippet of card for the Spellbinders label. The sentiment is The Greeting Farm, from the Amelia and Oliver Santa set. Gems are from stash. I stickled the spots on Santa's robe and the star on his crook, and also around the sentiment. I made a similar card last year, but this time turned it through 90 degrees. I used Promarkers to colour him. Are you all ready f...

Hi, guys! At last here's another Christmas card! We have been having the annual Grand Christmas Tidy Up a little earlier than usual, since at any time we might get The Call to rush to Shrewsbury to behold The Grandchild! (I wonder if the wives of the Magi felt the same when their fellas were preparing to travel to Bethlehem on a moment's notice?!) My Beloved Husband and Adorable Daughter seem to think that the best way to tidy all my stuff is to dump it in my room. Consequently my room looks like a rubbish heap - there are carrier bags of STUFF on the floor and a basket of ironing balancing precariously on the top. So this card is very simple, because I can't get at my drawers. (Apart from those in the laundry basket, but let's not go there!) In Sainsbury's I found 3 boxes of Forever Friends cards on offer (buy 2 get 1 free) and thought I'd try decoupage on them. The first one was rubbish, but this has turned out better. I've a friend who adores these little...

The wonderful Sylvia Zet has two freebie images on her blog . They are so pretty - have a look! (Look at her blog anyway, chums, it is great!) love Mags x

I may be even more dopey than usual this week, since First Grandchild is due next Tuesday!!!!! love MagsB x

/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...

Lili of the Valley is having a Twelve Days of Christmas event! From now until the 12th December there will be a daily draw, and all you have to do is put this banner in your sidebar, link it to the site, and add your name to the Inlinkz list each day. Simples! Stay warm, my dearios! love MagsB x

Oh my, what an awful photo! But it's so grey and gloomy today that this was the best of a bad lot! The purples are MUCH prettier in real life! I made an easel base from a 5" card and stuck the matted image to the flap, a nice simple way to make an easel! This darling image is Christmas Dance from Lili of the Valley. She makes me smile! I coloured her with Spectrum Noirs but I forgot to list them! (Slapped wrist!) There are gold stickles on the stars, and Diamond stickles on the snow. The papers are Nitwits - I think they're both from the 'Still Joyful Hearts' collection, but I forgot to note the name of the set on the back - it's been a very forgetful week, I'm afraid! The sentiment, which is raised on foam pads to make the stop, is also LotV. I used a Woodware corner punch on the image and sentiment for added interest. The Poinsettia is a Marianne die. The ribbon is from stash, and the rose is from Wild Orchid Crafts. Finally I added some Paperchase stick...

Card Carousel has a terrific freebie template on offer for this bit of gorgeousness! Get a free "Santa's Magical Sleigh" card making template from Card Carousel. Just visit www.cardcarousel.co.uk/free/sleigh.html There are some fabulous things on the site! love, MagsB x

Afternoon, all! I hope you're all doing well. It's time for another Dream Valley Challenge and this time the theme is SPARKLE! . So get out the glitter, the glamour dust, tinsel and gems - and remember, it doesn't have to be a card! The prize this time is two Lili of the Valley stamps: Well, I'm in full Christmas flow, so I made a Diamond fold Christmas card following the tutorial on Split Coast Stampers . I used a 12 inch by 4 inch strip: if you use A4 paper you have to adjust the two side flaps, making them 1mm narrower than the centre - it sounds complicated, but it's really quite simple. The folds look like this when you're done: I like that the base card makes the borders so you don't have to mat the papers on coloured card! So what else did I use? The papers are Papermania 'Noel' collection, which are glittered and shiny! The cute Santa, which I cut out and popped onto foam pads, is a Whiff of Joy stamp, coloured in Promarkers. I slathered G...

Well, it's not Christmas yet, but it won't be long! So far I have wrapped 1 (one!) present! My son's birthday is December 5th so I tend to be a bit distracted until after that! Cardmaking, though, tends to get intensively Christmassy rather earlier. Here's another 8-incher! The papers and sentiment came from a magazine freebie but I'm sorry I can't remember which :( The sweet Christmas images are The Greeting Farm. I coloured in Speccies, and Glamour Dusted all the fluffy fur trim on their outfits. The mats behind them are cut with a Nesties die and embossed in a daisy pattern with my faithful Cuttlebug. I used more die-cuts on this card: the Memory Box Frosty border, a Marianne Poinsettia set, and a Magnolia doo-hickey swirl. They all came from Crafts U Love I Glamour Dusted the swirl and border, and added Stickles to the veins of the flower. The stars are Paperchase. The sketch is from Inspirational Card Sketches and as soon as I saw it I knew it would be pe...

This is the biggest card I've ever made - it's an 8-incher! (Don't you dare say, 'Oo, Matron!!!') The image is a Tickled Pink stamp from last year which I picked up in the sale - it looks as though he's no longer available, unfortunately. I coloured him with Promarkers, and stickled his feather, the snowman's pom-pom, and the ground. I distressed round him in Bundled Sage DI. The papers are Dovecraft 'Tis the Season' which I've had for yonks! The sketch is the current Sketch Saturday one, and I really like it! I must use it again to use up some snippets! I faux-stitched around each square in black fineliner to give a bit more definition. I used my gorgeous new Memory Box 'Frosty' die from Crafts U Love in a scrap of gold card. The Christmas tree is a Marianne die, and the swirl is Magnolia. I made the rosette from a 1.5 x 12 inch strip, scored every quarter inch on one side, then scored again between the first scorings on the other sid...

This week I have mostly been cutting out and decoupaging while watching telly. I found these sheets when I was having yet another tidy of my craft hovel. Why does it never stay tidy for more than five minutes????? Unless I'm out.... funny, that! Anyway, today I made them into very simple Christmas cards. And here they are: The last one is Pyramage, which I hadn't tried before, but it's a lot easier than it looks! Thanks for looking, and I hope you're all having a good week! luv, MagsB x

Since there's another lady with the same username as me I've now become MagsB. Good grief, that rhymes! I hope to have a card to show later! Take care! love, MagsB x

We have sadly lost some of our lovely DT members for various reasons so there's a DT call at Dream Valley The team is an amazing bunch of crafters, ranging from the new and inexperienced (eg me!) to the very experienced. They have been so welcoming to me, it's been a pleasure to get to know everyone! Do pop over to the blog and add your name to the Linky by November 28th! love, Mags x

Here's the second card I've made for my friend's 1-year-old twins. How sweet these images are, they have such character! I used Nitwits papers again, this time from the 'Eggstra Special' collection which is full of bright and cheerful pinks and yellows. Behind the image is a heart cut with a Cheery Lynn Heart to Heart Doily Die from Dies to Die For , it doesn't show very well but it's gorgeous! The embossed corner at the bottom left is a Marianne Die, and I glamour-dusted it to make it a bit more visible behind the flowers. I used Promarkers (the list is below) and Glossy Accents on the pram. The flowers are Wild Orchid Crafts, the leaves a Nellie Snellen punch, and the sentiment is LotV again. I also used a corner punch by Woodware. Another lovely sketch, this time from Pink Ink Sketch Challenges In the few minutes since I last posted the sun has gone behind clouds - why can't the weather make up its mind, eh?! Thanks for looking! luv, Mags x Promarkers...

This card is for a little boy who is one today. He and his twin sister were born 6 weeks early, but now they are both healthy and happy and right little mischievous cuties! The LotV images of toddlers are just so right for them as they learn to walk! I used Nitwits papers from the 'Promises' collection - such soft, pretty colours! The image is coloured with Promarkers, with a touch of Glossy Accents on the wheels. The sentiment is also LotV. I kept the decoration simple, just blue and white gems and a bow made from a sparkly organza ribbon from Hobbycraft. The great sketch is from Friday Sketch Challenge though I turned it on its side, so I'm entering that challenge. I hope you're all having a good day. We have sunshine in South East Herts, though it's very chilly. Thanks for looking! luv, Mags x Promarkers: Blush, Dusky Pink, Baby Pink; Powder Blue, Arctic Blue, Sky Blue, Azure; Chestnut, Henna, Ivory; Cool Grey 1, 4

My daughter has got engaged! I'm so pleased, he's a lovely lad! SQUEEE! luv, Mags x

Good afternoon, all! It's time for another Challenge at Dream Valley and this fortnight we'd like to see some STITCHING It can be faux stitching, machine stitching or hand stitching, and you can make any kind of craft, it doesn't have to be a card! Our lovely sponsors are One Stop Card Crafts who are kindly offering a £10 voucher for their shop! Go and have a shufti at the shop, there are loads of yummy things there to tempt you! I decided to dig out my needle and thread and make a small sampler on 16HPI Aida. The pattern is adapted from an ancient book by Louisa Pesel on antique blackwork patterns. I used Holbein stitch, in which you sew every other running stitch, then turn round and come back filling in the rest. I'd forgotten how one has to concentrate with this method, but I only had to re-stitch about a quarter of the main pattern!!! I used DMC gold for the stars and border, and a very slippery but gorgeous Glissengloss for the geometric lines. The pearlescent ...

A card at last! On Sunday I surveyed my calender with glee because of all the lovely blanks spaces that meant I could craft! Of course it didn't end up like that, though there were nice reasons (friends coming round for supper) as well as irritating ones (ye olde manne not telling me he had no more clean shirts until he was wearing the last one - the rest were all heaped on the floor because he forgot to bring them downstairs. Bless.) When I finally settled down yesterday in my craft hovel (it badly needs a tidy. Again) it was such a satisfying feeling! Anyone for Anya? challenge is asking for a thanksgiving or thank you card or a December calendar page. I owe a dear friend a thank you card, so it was a very timely reminder! The image is one of The Greeting Farm's Hope and Grace stamps, I've had this set for quite a while now but I think she came from Quixotic Paperie . I coloured her with Promarkers. The sketch was lovely to work with - it's the current Sketch and Sta...

Look at this amazing stash offered by Handy Hippo! Perfect for Christmas! Though unfortunately it's ONLY OPEN TO UK RESIDENTS :( To have a chance at the draw, you must leave a comment on Jules's post . Then post about the prize, with the picture on your blog, and add the Handy Hippo banner to your sidebar, linking to the shop. Simples! Have a good day, chaps! I'm hoping to stop doing housework soon and actually make something! luv, Mags x PS Why can I link to Jules's blog but not the post? Blogger says 'page not found', the meanie! I'm not sure what mistake I'm making with my a href= HTML. Help?? xx

Hi, guys! Sorry I'm so late, Friday night tv is actually rather good at the moment, there was a slightly strange hybrid of concert and drama, mixing a performance of Beethoven's 'Eroica' symphony with a telling of the circumstances surrounding its first performance. The programme was a bit of a curate's egg, not quite satisfying as either music or drama, but it did include Frank Finlay as Joseph Haydn. Frank Finlay is always a plus! Oh, do get on with the card, Margaret!! This adorable image is by Sarah Kay for Stampavie - I love her big straw hat and the cute chicks! I used my Speccies but didn't make a note of what I used because this began as an idle experiment. I must say, blowing my own trumpet, that I'm rather pleased with the hat! Papers are Bo Bunny Vicki B and they are lovely and bright! The ribbon is actually olive green, recycled from a top. I used my new Martha Stewart 'Cherish' border punch, and die-cut a Marianne swirl. The flowers are...

But at least the weekend isn't far off! On Saturday I'm going with my neighbour's son to a concert of videogame music at the Albert 'All. He has never seen a live orchestral concert! Nor has he eaten Japanese, so we're going to Wagamama for our grub. Yum! Enough waffling! This card, you won't be surprised to learn, is for a Harry Potter fan! The image ('The Brave One') is from Bugaboo , their Har Repotter set. The papers are very shiny, the stripes and the spots are gold. They're Papermania's 'A Silent Night' stack - gorgeous burgundies and greens and gold! I've had them a year and this is, I think, the first time I've used any. But if I don't use my papers I'll soon be buried under a heap of them, and there won't be room to buy more!! I used my new Marianne Christmas Stars border die, threaded with yellow ribbon from Hobbycraft. The flowers are yellow Prima and red Wild Orchid, and I punched fronds with a Nellie Sne...

Hi, guys! It's time for another challenge at Dream Valley . There were lots of lovely entries for the Halloween Challenge last time, with spooky characters and spiders and bats and pumpkins! This time the challenge is 'Anything Goes!' Make anything, not necessarily a card - go wherever your mojo takes you! Unfortunately we haven't heard from our sponsors, so the lovely Melly is giving a £10 voucher for either Crafty Emma's Store which is full of the most gorgeously tempting stuff; or for Saturated Canary's Etsy shop of digital images. If you haven't yet come across Saturated Canary , do go and look! If you like the images Krista does for the Simply Sassy range for Sugar Nellie, you'll love these, too! Okiedokie, cut the cackle, Mags, what about the card? This is for my dad's birthday, which is today! We've just come back from Derby and a family lunch, which is why this post is so late! The lovely image is LotV, of course. My Dad always likes to...

Isn't this a lovely image? She came from Dies to Die For along with a few other goodies I hope to play with soon! I love how Tracy at Dies to Die For signs each invoice, and includes lovely die-cuts! The service is so quick, too! Ordered Sunday, arrived Tuesday! On to the deets! The papers are Pink Petticoat Wild Blossom (they were a magazine freebie but I also downloaded them). The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts . The sentiment is LotV, the ribbon is from stash. I used a Nellie Snellen punch for the leaves and a Martha Stewart punch for the scalloped border. The layout is copied from a card by Jacqui Dennis which is shown on an advert for Flexmarkers in a magazine. Which is ironic, because I used Speccies for this! I can't find my list of what I used (I knew it was a mistake to tidy and chuck out all my bits of paper!) Sigh. The card is a thank you to my neighbours, who gave me a box of fruit from their apple tree. The only stamp with an apple that I have is a Magnolia ...

... that a girl going to a Zombie Party must be in want of a Jane Austen dress. Sorry I'm late, I've just spent over an hour photographing the bratette, because she didn't like most of the pictures! The pattern is Simplicity - next time I'll buy size 14+! The fabric (which was lovely to sew) is sheeting: Saino's has brown kingsized sheets on offer for £6.50 and two were more than enough! I did enjoy getting out my sewing machine! Thanks for looking! I should be back to the old cardage tomorrow! Sleep well! luv, Mags x PS oh dear, in the corner you can see the wires from the playstation, laptop, tv, etc; and behind them is a collection of books. Sorry!

I have been 'sew' busy making a Jane Austen dress for my daughter! But - oh, no! - there's a 2-inch gap at the back! Now, I know she's a size 12 (I'm not jealous, really!) and the pattern says it's Size 12, but I really think a Size 10 girl would have trouble with this one! Maybe '12' in the US is '10' or '8' over here. What's annoying is I always cut a bit large, and stitch a bit narrow, to make sure there's enough 'give.' Never mind, I can patch it, but it's rather annoying! Hopefully it'll be done by tomorrow and I can post a piccy! I hope you're all doing well! luv, Mags x

My daughter is going to a party next weekend. Today she presented me with a dress-pattern for a Jane Austen dress. 'Mum, can you make me this by next Saturday?' I have found some brown sheets on offer in Sainsbury's (half price) and bought two. That should be enough fabric, and I have some left-over polyester, too, for the bodice lining. THANK GOODNESS it's half-term! I'll have time to make the dress and, I hope, fit it on Sacha in the moments when she's at home between work at Waterstone's in Bishop's Stortford and sleeping over at her boyfriend's parents' house. I'll post a photo of the finished article, if you like! luv, Mags x Edited to add: ARRRGGGHHHH! She's just told me she's going to be a ZOMBIE Jane Austen, and the dress is going to be sploshed with fake blood! AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!

Hi, guys! Isn't it cold? We've a frost forecast for tonight, and I have dug out the winter duvets! I made a card with a Whiff of Joy springtime image that I bought last year - even if we're heading into winter we can make happy springtime cards, I think! The young man it's for likes a videogame that features big yellow birds (don't ask!) so I think he'll like the joke! I apologise for the wonky, faded photo, I really don't like taking pictures indoors when there's no natural light! I took my colours from the striped Nitwits paper (Canibefranktoo). The diamond paper is also Nitwits, but I forgot to write down which collection! The yellow ribbon is from stash. I stickled the girl's hairbands and also the centres of the flowers, and put Glossy Accents on the eggshells but otherwise left it plain. The great sketch is from Sketch and Stash - everything is old except some of the Promarkers, which I picked up at Ally Pally. I may be even more erratic than ...

Sorry I'm late with my DT post this fortnight! It was the Sunday School Open Day this morning, which involved lots of real coffee and cakes, and a fair bit of shifting furniture! Who needs the gym when you can weight-lift tables and chairs, eh? We had some gorgeous creations for the last Challenge - there are a lot of very talented crafters out there! This time the theme is 'Halloween' and we have the lovely Robyn's Fetish as our sponsor. There are 5 digital images up for grabs for one lucky person! I didn't use a digi image, since I've run out of black ink on my printer, instead I used 'Halloween Birgitte' by C C Designs. She came from Funky Kits . Isn't she sweet? I love the little spider! I made an oblong card, following the current sketch at Friday Sketch Challenge . The paper is Nitwits. The black fence is made with a Whiff of Joy die, and behind the flowers there's a Marianne swirl that's only just visible! The flowers are from stash,...

Hi, guys! Just a quick post on a quick card made for the engagement of a couple of my daughter's friends. The stamp is Penny Black, and I used scraps to paper-piece the image in pink and green. I used a Nestie Labels Three that I got at the Ally Pally. The paper ribbon is from stash (I think it was from Whiff of joy) and the rose is Wild Orchid. Simples!! I'm going to enter the lovely Jules's Snippets challenge, because althoug this only used smidgens of paper, it was still all from scraps!! Thanks for looking! luv, Mags x

Hi, guys! Sorry I haven't been around a lot lately, I am having a Grand Tidy Up of the WHOLE HOUSE and it's taking forever! Honestly, the amount of JUNK one collects over 25 years is astonishing! Thank goodness I can listen to my iPod and dance around! However, I've made time to make this card for my daughter's friend who's getting married next month. Her colour scheme is green, so I used papers from the DCWV 'Mariposa' stack, which are lovely! The image is LotV, of course, coloured with Promarkers, and I stickled parts of her dress, and also around the edge of the image. I used a Martha Stewart Hearts punch as a background for the green ribbon (from Hobbycrafts). The flowers are Wild Orchid, mostly, and the leaves were cut with a Magnolia die. Here's the inside, the wheel-shapes were cut with a MS Deep edger punch - an idea I got from a card by Bev Rochester on the Lili of the Valley 'Inspiration' section. I could spend hours browsing all the ...

Beware, this is rather picture-heavy!! At A Passion for Promarkers Challenge the theme is 'alter something that is not a square.' Well, ever since seeing a tutorial by Jane Johnson on the Whiff of Joy inspirations blog last year for adding images to candles I've wanted to have a go and so I've altered a small candle. The image is by Penny Black, I stamped it on tissue paper and coloured with my faithful Promarkers. The colours come out much more faded than on card. Here's another section of the cat finding the hat. When all was safely coloured in I trimmed round the tissue paper and wrapped it round the candle. It does seem to cling to the wax. Then I slowly and gently heated it with my heat tool holding it about 5 inches away, moving about all the time, until the wax softened. I had to smooth the edges down to make them blend. I kept gently heating until the tissue paper melded with the wax leaving the image. I made the candle a decorated hat rather than apply d...

Ingredients: 200g (approx) red split lentils 1 large onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 can tomatoes 1 red pepper/pimiento 1 teaspoon mixed herbs or oregano (dried) or 1 handful fresh basil, chopped No-need-to-presoak lasagne sheets (or you can blanch ordinary lasagne sheets in boiling water with 1 Tablespoon oil added for 4 minutes, but they stick together in a very annoying way so you have to peel them apart and spread them in 1 layer on a plate or a chopping board while you wait to use them) Grated hard cheese - this is a good way to use dried-up Mousetrap cheese. Cheddar or Edam or any hard cheese will do. For the bechamel sauce: 2 Tablespoons butter (approx) or oil 2 Tablespoons flour about a pint of milk grated cheese. Make the bechamel first: melt the butter over a low heat, stir in the flour (you may need a bit more, you need enough to soak up the fat.) Off the heat, slowly add the milk, stirring. Put the pan on a medium heat and stir with a whisk until it thickens. It...

Every crafter should read this . No, not just every crafter but every writer or artist or reader. It's about what Copyright REALLY means. I know that none of you would ever, ever upload someone else's images, or books, or other creations. Let alone try to sell them as your own work!!! But a few very stupid people do, and there's a very nasty word for it: PIRACY I'm posting links on Facebook and LiveJournal to this moving post, not because I think for one moment that anyone I know would do such a wicked thing, but because I believe that word should be spread that this dishonest behaviour is, simply, wrong. Grr! Thanks very much for looking, m'dears! luv, Mags xxxxx

Hi, guys! It's October already, and time for another Dream Valley Challenge . We had lots of great entries for our 'buttons' challenge - this week it's all about monochrome, so experiment with shades of one colour (except for skin and hair!) and see what you come up with! Our lovely sponsor One Stop Card Crafts is offering the lucky winner a £10 voucher for their online store! I made a Christmas card: I used a scallopped Grand Nestie for the card base, and the next size down for the blue card, and a smaller plain circle for the paper. The cute image is Lili of the Valley coloured in all the shades in the blue pack of Spectrum Noirs. I also used 99 (from the essentials set) and 133, 135 and 142 from the Skin Colours set. I slathered glitter over the snow spatters and the ground and also on the snowflakes, which were cut with a Woodware punch. The paper is Nitwits 'Heavenly' collection, and the ribbon is from stash. The sentiment is also LotV. I really like maki...

Hi, guys! It's a glorious sunny day, and everyone seems to be smiling! Here's a card using one of the first LotV images I bought. I made it for a neighbour's son, but apparently the image shows an X Box and he has a Play Station, and never the twain shall meet! It sounds like they're rivals like Lancashire vs Yorkshire or Arsenal vs Tottenham! Who knew?! So I'll probably make him something else. I used Speccies again (finally becoming used to the colours!) I edged the Nestie shape and the sentiment with 64 in lieu of a mat (I ran out of the blue card) and glittered over the top. The racing car has also been slathered with glitter. The papers are Nitwits 'Heavenly'. I used a Martha Stewart zig zag punch. The ribbon and stickers (including the sentiment sticker) are from stash. I'm entering these challenges: Lili of the Valley who want Aqua, White and Glitter; Oldie but a Goodie whose theme is 'One for the Boys' the RUBBER stamp you use must be m...

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 ...

Crafty Cardmakers and The Spotlight Challenge are under new management and have a DT call. Do pop over and have a look, and see if you'd like to join them! luv, Mags x

This card is for a new challenge blog, The Cutie Pie Challenge which has a very nice sketch. Tilda is coloured with Speccies. The papers are snippets again - the horizontal strip is pearlised and through bad planning I managed to cover the pretty pattern! I put blobs of gold liquid pearls round the scallopped oval, and Glossy Accents on Tilda's shoes and orange stickles on her flowers. The ribbons are from stash and so are the flowers and the crystals. The round orange stickers are Paperchase. Right, I really ought to keep on with sorting my room (again!) Thanks for looking! luv, Mags x Spectrum Noirs: Browns - 91, 94, 98, 100, 104; Greens - 42, 43, 48, 175; Skin Tones - 132, 133, 135, 142; Yellows - 24, 33; Warm Grey 1

Purple and black are not my normal colours, but Lil Haunts Vampire Lilith , who is a digi from Tickled Pink Stamps, demanded to be given a Gothy and mysterious look, so what could I do?! I have had the sparkly black card for years - it came in an assortment from The Range and I found it while having yet another clear-out of my shambolic craft room. The purple paper with writing on it is Papermania capsule collection, and I put it twice through my paper crimper to give a waffle texture, just for a change. The other paper was loose in a drawer and I can't remember its provenance! I used a MS deep edger punch and a Nestie to give a bit more interest. The ribbon is from stash, it has a slight sparkle that isn't showing well. Also not showing is the distressing round the image and the addition of Whiff of Joy Christmas swirls, both in Milled Lavender DI. The sentiment is from The Greeting Farm, stamped in Dusty Concord DI. The flowers are from stash, I coloured the gems with my Spec...

My daughter has been making cupcakes. My kitchen looks like an explosion in a cake factory! Here's a card she commissioned for a friend who likes 'pretty' but not 'cute.' I used a scrap of K and Co paper for the background, and the glittery butterflies were cut from a piece from the 'Mariposa' stack by DCWV which was fluttering in my scraps drawer. I found these gorgeous glittery stickers at the bottom of my Christmas papers drawer - heaven knows what they were doing there! So I decided to use them for the inside of the card. Simples! Although the stickers weren't snippets, the rest was, so I'm entering Jules's Snippet Challenge. It's so encouraging to know I'm not the only one with a paper snippets overload!! Thanks for looking, and have a good week! luv, Mags x