Madcap Manor

Good morning, all, from a sunny and chilly S-E Herts! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas! Ours was quiet, mainly because we were both going down with colds!! Now things are getting back to normal, and we have our last CRAFT Challenge of 2017, which is Anything Goes. I have made a birthday card for an old friend, using one of Bugaboo Stamp's fun images. This is Gus Birthday - Golden Years. The sentiment reads 'If these are the Golden Years, I am NOT impressed!' The papers are from stash and I used an MFT Vintage Buttons die (sadly unavailable) and some blue Centura Pearl cardstock for the embellishments. Our fab sponsors: Digital Delights and Bugaboo Stamps My teamies have left some great inspiration on the Blog, do go and see! Thanks for looking! Wishing you all the best for a happy and healthy and crafty 2018! love, Mags B x

Hi, guys! I'm sceduling this post, as we will be in Ireland just before Christmas, visiting our daughter, soon-to-be son-in-law and our gorgeous grandson! I hope I get it right!! Our Challenge at CRAFT Challenge this week is Anything Goes. I have made a circle card for a Mum - or Mom! I went with a shabby chic look, distressing the edges of the papers and adding some lace and a lot of flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts. The chipboard 'Mom' and butterfly are from stash, as is the doily that's just visible behind the image. I added a gem swirl from Hobbycraft as the butterfly trail. The lovely image is Teapot from Eureka! Stamps. Our sponsors this week: Melonheadz Doodles and Eureka! Stamps. Go and see my teamies inspiring creations! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! As Christmas gets closer I find myself making CAS cards that are quick to reproduce! Some metallic embossing and a bit of mirri card for bling, a die-cut or two, et voila! Here is my simplest card yet, for the last Challenge of the year at My Time to Craft! It's open until January 5th. The silver-embossed wreath is made with an old Penny Black wood-mounted stamp, and the sentiment is from an old Clearly Besotted set. The bow is a Tattered Lace Smaller Bow die and I filled in the knot with red Nuvo Drops and added Wink of Stella to give some shimmer. The background paper is from a 12 x 12 sheet that was hanging about my Christmas supplies box without a name, but the snowflakes all have some very pretty glitter on them. Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Hello, my lovelies! At CRAFT Challenge we have our regular Christmas theme! This cute image is Snowman Broom from Crafty Sentiments. I love his smiling face! I have used up some old papers from stash, adding red Nuvo Drops to the berries on the bushes. The silver ribbon and the blue gems are from Hobbycraft, and the sentiment is made with a Sizzix Thinlits Holiday Words Script die and brushed with a clear Sparkle pen. Our lovely sponsors: Crafty Sentiments and Bugaboo Stamps My teamies have made some great cards using images kindly given by our sponsors, do go and see! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Hiya! It's our last Challenge of the year at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge and as always the theme is Anything Christmas Goes! I have made a set of gift tags. The Spellbinders Heirloom Ornaments stamp came with a magazine a few years ago and it echoes the shape of the 2011 Heirloom Ornaments dies. I embossed some in silver and sone in gold, then fussy cut around the edges. I used the coordinating die to cut out pink and blue card as backing, then used my crop-a-dile to punch holes and added ribbon. Simple, but I like them! I hope you're all getting along ok with your Christmas preparations. Thanks for looking, and have a good week! love Mags B x

Hello! We have a gorgeous Colour Combo for you at CRAFT Challenge this week! Such rich colours! The DT were given some fab papers by Jo, our boss, from her site: Trimgym's Digistamps and images and if you go to the Challenge blog you can see that my teamies made excellent use of them! The fun image is Ambrose King of the Road by Doctor Digi. Fans of 'Noddy' will recognise the car! I dry embossed a strip of yellow card to act as a 'road'. I also added some doubled-up twine from stash and tied a knot. The sentiment is by Clearly Besotted from the Message Me set, and the banner is made with a Simon Says Stamp Sall Folded Banners die. Our Sponsors: Melonheadz Doodles Doctor Digi Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Dear Blogger pals, I apologise that I haven't been around recently to thank you for your comments or to appreciate your lovely creations. However, now that our Christingle Service has been more-or-less organised, and the Christmas Parties at the Church Toddler Club have come and gone, I hope to be here for you more! I always appreciate your comments, they are so encouraging! Thank you! love Mags B x

Hello, my lovelies! If you need encouragement for making Christmas cards, our new challenge at Dream Valley is - Christmas! This adorable image is Christmas Star from Star Stampz. So sweet! The papers are First Edition's Merry Little Christmas The gold twine is from stash. The red banner (which I cut a bit short) is printed with 'Merry Christmas' and so I didn't add a sentiment. We have THREE sponsors for this Challenge, which lasts until January 6th 2018. Star Stampz Lemon Shortbread Ppinky Dolls Art Each one is offering a prize of 3 digis of your choice! Go and see my talented teamies' gorgeous inspiration on the Challenge blog! Thanks for looking and have a good week! love Mags B x

Good morning! I hope you're all having a great weekend! I'm going to be writing Christmas cards today rather than making them! First let me tell you about our new Challenge at My Time to Craft and we have a terrific sketch for you to follow! Lovely! I turned it around, as the image is horizontal, not vertical, it comes from a sheet of cut-aparts by Graphic45. This is for a Ruby Wedding Anniversary, as I'm sure you can tell by all the red! The paper is from an ancient pad by K&Co, the ribbon and lace are from stash, the pearl heart is from Hobbycraft, and the 3 pearl buttons are by Webster's Pages. The sentiment says 'Love is two people who share one heart' and is a vellum strip that came with a Freckled Fawn kit about 3 years ago! I added it to a strip of green paper to make it stand out more. I distressed the edges of the paper and added Vintage Photo Distress Ink, to give a shabby chic look, but I'm not sure about it as it makes the pear...

My goodness, it's Thursday already! Where did the week go??? Mind, I have now bought most of the Christmas Presents (isn't the Internet wonderful?) which is appropriate because our new CRAFT Challenge is Christmas PRESENT not merely Christmas! (I apologise for the wonky picture!) The paper comes from The Magic of Christmas paper pad by Dovecraft. I added strips of Washi to look like ribbons tying up a present . The image of a present is from Christmas Doodles by Pickled Potpourri - such fun images! Icoloured 'From Me To You' in 3 shades of Copics to give an ombre effect. I punched a hole in the corner, added an eyelet and some glitter twine, and made it to represent the gift tag on top of my 'present' card! Our terrific sponsors this week are: Pickled Potpourri and DRS Designs My teamies have had a lot of fun with this challenge, do go and check out the inspiration on the blog! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! I hope you're all keeping well! It's already time for another Challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge and we're up to number 20! As ever the theme is Anything Christmas Goes. I used an old wood-mounted stamp and versamark ink on watercolour paper, then heat-embossed in gold. I used Distress Inks to colour the image by tapping an ink pad on a palette and using a waterbrush. I'm not brilliant at watercolouring, but I like the way the ink puddles between the embossed lines to give variety. The palette, by the way, is a piece of white card that's been run through a laminator - a great idea from Kristina Werner. Good luck with all your Christmas card making! Put on some seasonal music and craft, then reward yourself with a mince pie and a mug of chocolate!! Thanks for looking and have a good week! love Mags B x

Good morning! Our new Challenge at CRAFT Challenge is Not a Card! I made a vellum gift bag for my granddaughter's birthday present, using some beautiful heavy vellum that came with a magazine a loooong time ago! I find vellum quite hard to work with, as there are no second chances if you score the lines wrong, but it only took 2 goes to get this right!! The gorgeous image is Spring Flower by Star Stampz . The ribbon is from stash. Our sponsors this week: The Cutting Cafe Star Stampz Go and see the inspiration my teamies have left for you, put your thinking caps on, and make something that isn't a card!! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! We have a new Dream Valley Challenge for you and it's a corker: Add Texture. I have made a Christmas card (surprise!) using a sweet image from our sponsor, the wonderful Digistamp Boutique. Seriously, go and have a look at their fun, adorable images! Here is my card: This fun trio is Happy Penguins and even my hubby, who does not 'do' cute, likes them! The senstiment comes with the penguins. I added Flowersoft to the trims on their hats, which gives a nice fluffy look. My background is dry embossed with a snowflake pattern and I added some Nuvo Drops for some shine. The silver trees are made with silver Nuvo Mousse and a stencil which came with the November kit by Love From Lizi and I roughed-up the mousse before letting it dry, then cut out the trees. Lots of Diamond Stickles were added to the hand-cut 'snow banks!' It's a very sparkly card! My texture is: dry embossing; Nuvo drops; stickles; Nuvo Mousse, and Flowersoft! Do you th...

Hello, my dearios! Yesterday I had my latest post-cancer check-up, and I'm delighted to say I'm still in remission! The NHS really is a National Treasure, the staff are amazing and so kind. Thank you, ladies and gents, for seeing me through my treatment last year! But I'm here to tell you about the new Challenge at My Time to Craft which is Winter Birthday. A very useful Challenge, as I have 3 important birthdays between now and January! The gorgeous image is Winter Fairy by Sylvia Zet for Whimsy Stamps. I added a lot of Stickles to the 'fur' on her coat and her earmuffs, and Spectrum Noir sparkle to her wings. The papers are from stash, as is the ribbon, and the snowflakes are cut with a Lawn Fawn Stitched Snowflakes die. As usual my teamies have produced some lovely examples to inspire you, do go and see! Thanks for looking and have a good weekend! love Mags B x

Good morning! It's time for our regular Christmas theme at CRAFT Challenge How are you getting on with your Christmas crafting? At this time of year I can be found muttering 'DON'T PANIC!' in true Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' style! Every card made now means one fewer to make later! I had fun with the fold on this card, I cut a strip off the front and added the sentiment to the back. The image is Christmas Owls from Pink Gem. Aren't they fun? I coloured each one slightly differently, adding Spectrum Noir clear sparkle pen to the furon the hats, and a spot of Glossy Accents to the stars. The papers are from the snippets drawer and so are the copper-coloured mats. The sentiment is a very old wood-mounted stamp and is gold-embossed. I used my stamp-a-ma-jig stamp positioner to make sure it was straight - such a useful crafting tool! Our wonderful sponsor this week is Pink Gem Designs. Go and see my teamies' gorgeous work and be inspi...

Hello! We have a new Challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge. It doesn't seem like a fortnight since our last one! In the summer I bought a magazine about making Christmas cards, which included papers, a stamp set, some chipboard images, decoupage images and a 'how to' magazine, all for a tenner. I've been using a lot of the papers to make some quick cards. I used coloured cardstock for my card bases: they are all A4, but I can make one A2(US) card and also a 4 x 4 inch card from each sheet! Here are 3 of them: Sorry about the glare, it was a sunny day! I used 2 of the chipboards and also added a lot of shimmer with clear and coloured Spectrum Noir glitter pens. The 'ricrac' trim is made with a narrow Stitched Scalloped Borders die by Lawn Fawn which I die-cut from a longer strip of paper, then flipped the die and arranged it so that the second scallops were offset. They also have the full shimmer treatment! The papers are very brig...

Happy Thursday, all! My goodness, the nights have suddenly turned very chilly here, I have a woolly blanket wrapped around my legs to keep them warm! Winter Is Coming! And that's my cue to tell you about the new CRAFT Challenge where our theme is Winter. I have made a winter birthday card, as I always need several at this time of year. The image is Fenna Snowflake from Scrap'N'Dipity. I used papers from my scrap drawer for the background and banner. The stars are from Paperchase and the Sentiment is from the Fresh Freesia stamp set by Altenew, embossed in Simon Says Stamp's Steel Navy embossing powder which came with last month's kit. I added drops with a white pearl pen around the image to look like snow. Our sponsors this week are: Scrap'n'dipity and Lacy Sunshine My teamies have left some lovely wintry inspiration for you on the blog, do go and see! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Evening, all! I'm sorry this is so late, it's been a busy day - rather more busy than expected: and thereby hangs a tale. I want to sort all the linen and get rid of several worn sheets and duvet covers. However, the baby travel cot is still in front of the cupboard, and it's full of baby stuff that needs to be put away first. I have a box to put them in which will go under the bed, but before doing that I had to make room by sorting all the boxes already under the bed and throwing things out. Do you ever make 'To Do' lists that seem quite reasonable at the time but take a lot longer than expected? That was me today! I have cleared the boxes under the bed and that's all! I reckon I won't be sorting the linen until Wednesday!!!!! But now I'm having a sit-down and a cuppa and can tell you about our new Challenge at Dream Valley where our theme is to Add a Sentiment. We also have a DT Call so do check it out! Our lovely sponsor is the awesom...

Morning, all! Our new Challenge at My Time to Craft! is Paper Piecing. In case you haven't come across this technique before, it's where, rather than colouring your stamped image, you stamp it again on patterned paper, cut out the pieces and glue them in place instead. I used an old stamp by Woodware called 'Patchwork Christmas Tree.' Sadly it's now unavailable. The key with paper piecing is to use an image with clearly-defined shapes - have a look at my teamies' lovely creations to get a better idea. I used a selection of green papers for the tree, and a scrap of red for the heart, which has been covered in Glossy Accents. I also added Stickles to one of the 'patchwork' patterns and the star. The background paper is from stash and the ribbon is from Hobbycraft. The sentiment is from an old magazine freebie stamp set and the gems are also from stash. I made a second card, too: I only have another 2 dozen Christmas cards to make! I've ...

Hi, guys! This week at CRAFT Challenge we have a fabulous sketch! Isn't it great? I think the 3 squares look like tiles, so that inspired my interpretation. The image is Magnolia Block by Sweet'n'Sassy Stamps. I coloured each image with Copics, then added a thick layer of Glossy Accents over the top. The paper is from the 6x6 paper pad from the Rose Cafe collection by Bo Bunny. I also used a Simon Says Stamp Small Banner Die for the sentiment. Our fab sponsor is Sweet'n'Sassy Stamps. Go and see my teamies' gorgeous interpretations of the sketch, and have a go! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Hi! Here at last is my post for The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge I apologise for the delay. Suddenly Christmas seems much closer, so I am trying to make at least two of every Christmas card now! This time I made two Shaker cards. For this one I used a Spellbinders 2010 Heirloom Ornaments die to cut the window. I cut it again from gold cardstock and then, without removing the die, traced around the edge and cut it out to make the frame. The sequin mix is from Little Things by Lucy and the paper is from stash. The sentiment is cut in the same gold card with a Simon Says Stamp die. This is made in the same way but with circle dies for the window and frame, and the sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp's Deco Christmas Tree die. Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Morning, all! I hope you're having a good week. We have a new theme at CRAFT Challenge which is to Add Ribbon and Distress your card . I don't normally make Hallowe'en cards, and in fact this is intended as a birthday card for someone who loves creepy horror stories!! The fun image is Calista the Witch by Rick St Dennis. All the papers, the sparkly ribbon, the spiders and the webbing are from the October kit by Love From Lizi . The tag is a little advert for a potion made of snake scales - it looks as if the snake curled around Calista's had has seen it and is alarmed!! I distressed the edges of the background paper with scissors, and added Distress Ink in Pumice Stone around the image. Our sponsor is Rick St Dennis Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Evening, all! There is a DT Call at Dream Valley Have a look at the details which are on the blog and see if you'd like to join us! DV was the very first DT I was ever asked to join, and my teamies are so welcoming and kind. No experience necessary! We have a great Challenge this fortnight - Birthdays! I have made a card for a little girl: This is Ellie, and she's having difficulties carrying that big pile of presents - I love how the bottom one has slipped sideways and she's supporting it with her foot! She is from Di's Digi Stamps and sadly this image has been retired, but there are other equally adorable images on the site! The papers are from an old pad by Crate Paper called 'Little Bo Peep.' The narrow white ribbon originally came from a blouse - does anyone else snip those off to use on cards? The sentiment is from an old Hero Arts stamp set. Our fab sponsors are: Di's Digi Designs and Crafty Ribbons Thanks for looking, and ch...

Hi, guys! We have a new challenge at My Time to Craft! and the theme is either Cats or Halloween I found a very, very old stamp set by Francoise Read for Woodware which has some lovely cartoonish cats. I heat-embossed him and used Prismacolour pencils to colour him in. He had to be pink and white, like Bagpuss! The papers are also very old, from My Mind's Eyes Quite Contrary paper pad. The sentiment is from the same stamp set, I bent it into a wave to give some interest. Go and see what my creative teamies have done with these themes! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Using items from the Love From Lizi October Kit, plus paper scraps, plus stickers, plus a chipboard ship from Hobbycraft, plus a little Santa hat stamp from Lawn Fawn. Isn't it a horrendous pun?! love Mags B x

Morning, all! I hope your week is going well and that you're looking forward to a good weekend! Maybe you're planning on making Christmas cards? If so, you're in luck, as Christmas is our new theme at CRAFT Challenge! The sweet image is Christmas Bella from Paper Nest Dolls. The crown of candles is worn by Santa Lucia, whose feast day is now 13th December - but before the calendar changed in 1752 it was on the shortest day, hence the candles to signify light. A friend of my daughter's is called Lucy and she's a big fan of Santa Lucia, so this is for her! The papers are from an old pad by Papermania, there is gold foiling and glitter on some of the papers. The sentiment is from the Paper Smooches Christmas Sammpler. Our sponsors this week are: All Dressed Up Stamps and also Paper Nest Dolls Go and see the gorgeous creations made by my teamies using digis generously given to us by our sponsors! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Morning, all! I hope everyone is ok this morning, especially those in the British Isles hit by Storm Ophelia yesterday. It was a bit blowy in S-E Herts, and the sky turned a strange reddish-sepia: I remember 'red dust' from a couple of times in the 60s and 70s when I was at school, but never anything like that! Fortunately the sky is clear and the sun is shining today. How are you doing with your Christmas cards? The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge is here to encourage you! As usual, our theme is Anything Christmas Goes! In my never-ending quest to use up my patterned papers I investigated Youtube and found a tutorial on making a pleated card here by a talented lady called Crazy Paper Chick. The paper isn't actually Christmas, but I love the pattern! I scored a piece of 10" x 5" paper at 1" and half an inch alternately, trimmed out a truncated diamond, and folded. Then I re-folded because I had the wrong side of the paper facing up!!! The car...