Madcap Manor

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

Hi, guys! It's Thursday! Only one more day to go until the weekend! it's also another CRAFT Challenge which this week is to make a creation for Father's Day, or for a bloke. I used an image and sentiment called 'For my tie-riffic Dad' from The Cutting Cafe The paper is an oldie but goodie from the Snippets drawer, and i coloured some of the ties to match. I went over the solid black ties with a Wink of Stella Black pen. Our sponsors this week are: The Stamping Boutique The Cutting Cafe And the top Three sponsor is Karen's Doodles Take a look at my teamies' inspiring creations, and join in! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! I hope you're having a good Monday! it's a Bank Holiday here in the UK - and true to form it's a grey, overcast day with rain to come later. It's a running joke throughout the country that is always rains on a Bank Holiday! What better time to retreat to the craft room and create? Our challenge at Dream Valley is Anything Goes. Nice and easy! Our sponsor is Sherri Baldy Designs . I used IMG935 I used papers from some old paper pads that came with magazines. The lace is from The Ribbon Girl . The sentiment is by LotV from the Mixed Circular Sentiments set. This comes as a basic stamp, with an assortment of extra words to add across the middle, and I used hero Arts Pool ink to stamp the 'very much.' The gems are from stash. Go and see my teamies' gorgeous makes, and join in! But, remember, please enter only 9 other Challenges! . Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! I hope you're having a good weekend! Our subject this week at My Time to Craft is Zoo Animals I have made a Shaker Card. I cut a circle in my top panel, then used a Sizzix diamond embossing folder for texture. The cute animals are by Paper Smooches, from the Zoo Crew stamp set. The sentiment is also by Paper Smooches from the Good Gab sentiment set. The border round the circle is die cut from paper stamped with a Hero Arts Woodgrain stamp. Sequins and beads are from stash. Go and see the wonderful creations that my teamies have made, they are sure to inspire you! I'm on my way to Bath to visit my sister, so this post has been sceduled - I hope it works! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! I hope your week is going well! My hubby retired from work on Tuesday and we spent a great evening in a pub in London, saying goodbye to his lovely colleagues. I was introduced to a Tequila Shot - actually, I thought it was a bit tasteless, but it was certainly warming! It didn't really mix well with beer: I felt a wee bit fragile on Wednesday morning. Not such a good thing when you help run a Parent and Toddler Group full of shrieking infants!!! Now it's Thursday, and I seem to have recovered, so here is our next Challenge at C.R.A.F.T Challenge . Our theme is Christmas - but no Red or Green! I used an adorable image fromm All Dressed Up - this is A Star Is Born - so cute! I coloured him with Copics. The papers are lotV, and so is the sentiment, which I embossed in Wow! Blue Glitz Embossing Powder. The snowflake is made with a Martha Stewart punch, and glittered with Glamour Dust. I used some embroidery thread to make the hanger and bow for the big star, and ...

Good morning! Our Challenge at Mt Time to Craft is to use this fab sketch: I used a darling image fromm all Dressed Up, this is I Love My Puppy isn't it adorable? I used Promarkers, matching the colours in the paper, which is a snippet from my stash. The buttons are also from stash, I've had them for years! The sentiment is from Paper Smooches Good Gab stamp set, coloured with Promarkers and with Glossy Accents on the heart. CHALLENGES ENTERED: I am entering the Challenge at All Dressed Up - Anything Goes (with an All Dressed Up image.) Go and be inspired by the lovely work my teamies have posted on the blog, and have a go at using the sketch! Thanks for looking, and have a great weekend! love Mags B x

To my horror I have just seen that my post didn't appear yesterday for this fabulous bloghop! I am so, so sorry, everyone! My post is here I am such a plonker. Much love, Maggie xxx

Happy Birthday To Us Happy Birthday To Us Happy Birthday Dear CRAFT Challenge Happy Birthday To Us! Can you believe it? CRAFT Challenge is already 6 years old. Originally started by Tracy from Just Tracy Crafts and with a DT mostly recruited from Trimcraft forum members (Hence the term CRAFT Challenge, which stood for Crafters Residing Are Friendly Trimmies. Or if you wished alternative meaning of Can't Remember A Flipping Thing) on the 4 th of May 2009. We have now grown to be a large team of Design Team Members from all around the world, supplemented with lots of Guest Designers who join us for a month at a time. We have always welcomed all kinds of craft, not just paper craft (unless specifically stated so in the challenge at the time) and are happy to have such a large group of faithful followers. So, how are we going to celebrate this milestone? Well, how else can we celebrate than to have our yearly Blogaversary Blog Hop? We all feature one of our sponsors for ...

Hi, guys! yet another fortnight has whizzed by, and it's time for another Challenge at Dream Valley . Our theme is Things With Wings - Fairies, Angels, Butterflies - anything with wings should be your focal point. Our sponsor is Crafts and Me . I have used a cute image Glowing Love Girl . I coloured her with Promarkers and glittered her wings and also the magic dust swirling from her wand. I used an old Whiff of Joy swirl stamp and hero Arts Soft Pool ink to make the flourishes around her. I am so sad that Whiff of Joy is closing down. The papers are Promises by Lili of the Valley and Nitwits and the sentiment is also LotV. Lace and ribbon are from stash, and the flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts Do fly over to Dream Valley, be inspired by my teamies' gorgeous creations, and join in! Thanks for looking, and have a great week! love Mags B x

Good morning! Our theme at My Time to Craft is 'Sympathy.' These are such difficult cards to make! I kept the design very simple. The butterfly is from the Painted Butterflies stamp set by altenew. The stamps are designed to be layered to build up the image. I used Ranger Dye Ink in Caribbean Coast for the base, Blue Ribbon for the pattern, and finally Hero Arts Shadow Ink in Navy for the outline. The sentiment is from the Clearly Besotted Butterfly Wishes set, heat embossed in silver. Go and see what my teamies have done, their work is so beautiful. And do join in - it's a lot easier to make a Sympathy card before you need it! Have a good weekend, and thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Good morning! (I hope it's morning, I'm scheduling this post - I hope I've got it right!!) My daughter is here, she has popped over from Ireland to VOTE because she is still on the Electoral Register here. My Grannie would be proud: Grannie spoke to me and my sister about how Emily Wilding Davison leapt out from the crowd to stop the King's horse in the Derby as a protest in favour of votes for women. Emily died 3 days later, and Grannie spoke of the country-wide shock at the news. So in memory of Emily, she said, we must vote! It was very moving to hear her memories. But you're here for the CRAFT Challenge and this week we have a Sketch Challenge. Some lovely layers here! My card uses a yummy image from Sunflowerfield called Strawberry Muffin The papers are Raspberry Road Designs Summer Goodness, they were freebies some time ago with a magazine. I used Spellbinders Parisian Accents for the doily and lace strip, and embossed them with sparkly embossing...

Hi, guys! I hope you're enjoying your weekend! I am at the yucky stage of a cold - why do I always come down with a cold when there's a holiday coming up?!! On to our new challenge at My Time to Craft and it's very topical - New Baby Congratulations to Wills and Kate on the birth of their little girl, and also to everyone who has a new little prince or princess in their family! I have used an adorable image from Saturated Canary - Krista's images are wonderful! This is Butterfly Baby The papers are from the Snippets drawer. I used Copics to colour him - I am still learning what the colours are like, so the blending on the wings is a bit off, but I love that lemon yellow! The sentiment is from a stamp set by American Crafts which I picked up for £1 and is now out of print. I used Mama Elephant Stargazer pigment ink to stamp it, and Broken China Distress Ink around the edges of the image. The butterfly sticker is from stash. The flowers are by Wild Orchid C...

Good morning! I apologise for the delay in posting this, unfortunately I have a streaming cold and spent most of yesterday asleep! Our CRAFT Challenge is to use a charm or metal Our sponsors are Bugaboo Stamps and Oddball Art I used Rose can by Bugaboo stamps (I love their images!) The metal I used is the beaded sentiment, which is fastened by two tiny brads - very fiddly to apply! Have a good day, and thanks for looking! love Mags B x