Madcap Manor

Evening, all! It's been a cold, dreich day, and I have been wrapping Christmas presents! With some music on in the background it's a very soothing activity. They will be delivered this weekend along with cards for the neighbours, and then all that remains is to shop for the Big Day.  We will be on our own this year, which is sad, but we will be having facetime with the grandchildren, which is some consolation. I'd rather have a quiet Christmas this year, knowing I'll still be around to celebrate in style next year!  Anyway, we have another Christmas challenge at My Time to Craft! which is Monochromatic Christmas. We're looking for shades of one colour on your creations! I went with blue. The stamp, which is perfect for a slimline card, is a clear stamp by Woodware Craft Collection. I can't find them online - are they still in business?  I heat embossed the outline onto watercolour card and painted the image. I layered it onto blue patterned paper and b...

Hi there! I hope you're all keeping well. I have been busy wrapping presents for the family to post tomorrow. Not long until the Big Day! In case you still need some encouragement to make a Christmas card, we have the last Challenge of the year at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge.   T his Challenge lasts until 18th January 2021.   I used another topper and card set by Hunkydory Crafts to make a card and a tag to go with the present for my lovely next-door neighbours. This set is no longer available, but they have some gorgeous Christmas things on their site! Other than the gorgeous green mirri card around the images there is no extra bling!  It's hard to realise that we are approaching the end of 2020. This year has dragged so much at times, and of course we've still got a long time to go before the virus is gone. However, we've made it this far, we can carry on for a couple more months!  Stay safe and well and keep crafting!  love Mags B x

I am such a numpty! I was convinced that the last Dream Valley Challenge for the year was next week. So convinced that I only realised when I went to post my card. D'Oh!!!  We will be back on January 11th!   Our theme this time is Christmas! .  We have some terrific sponsors for this challenge, check out the blog post for details! I used an older digi from sponsor Di's Digital Stamps which sadly now seems to be unavailable. The background paper and sentiment banner are from my stash. I added Frosted Lace stickles to the snow and snowflakes.  Isn't this an adorable image?  Go and see what my teamies, who are much more alert than I am, have created, and join the fun!  Take care and stay safe!  love Mags B x

Exciting news! Our lovely Shell is setting up a new blog starting on January 15th called My Time to Craft Christmas! Go and see the details on today's post at My Time to Craft! where you can see what it's all about! DT applications welcome!  For today, we also have a seasonal challenge: Christmas Animals. I used a pre-coloured image from Lili of the Valley stamps which I've had for a long time. The backing paper, ribbon and sentiment are also old. I'm using up my stash! Unfortunately this image of the bear family is no longer available, but do check out the other adorable stamps on the site. And there's a SALE!  Thank you for your kind words about the quilt I made for my sister, I'm absolutely chuffed! Now I'm considering making one for my bro and sis-in-law! Sewing is as addictive as papercrafting!  Go and see my teamies' sweet creations on the Challenge blog, and check out the details of the new Christmas Challenge blog!  Thanks for looking...

Good morning! I hope you're all keeping safe and well and finding time to craft. My cardmaking has taken a back seat this past fortnight, as I have finally replaced my ancient sewing machine and have been digging through my fabric stash to make a quilt for my sister's Christmas present. It's not exactly an heirloom, and I've made a few mistakes along the way, but it's the first quilt I've managed to finish! I'll add a picture at the end of this post.  But onto the Challenge, which as always is Anything Christmas Goes. I don't have many cards for blokes in my stash, so I dug into an old kit by Love From Lizi . I cut out the stag picture from one of the sheets of patterned paper and popped it up on some scrap cardstock on top of another paper from the kit, which I layred onto cream pearlescent card. The 'Joy' sentiment is a sticker, layered on the same cream card.  The rest of the sentiment is from an out of print Clearly Besotted stamp s...

Hiya! I hope you're all keeping well. It's been quite rainy and blowy in S-E Herts but very mild - which is lucky, because out heating broke down on Friday! So yesterday we had the Gasman here to replace a fan. It was rather strange to have someone in the house, we kept well out of the way. Worst was not being able to offer him a cuppa!  All is snug and warm now! Time to tell you about the new Challenge at Dream Valley which is to use Lots of Layers. Our sponsor is the fabulous All Dressed Up Stamps. I have used Hopscotch which is one of the images Wendy kindly sent us for the challenge. I used papers from my stash for the three background layers.  I used flowers and die-cut leaves from stash to decorate, and added crystal Nuvo Drops. My teamies have done great things, as usual - Check out N-Eva's fabulous scene using this image! We also have a Design Team Call, beginners very welcome, we're a friendly and helpful bunch! Thanks for looking, stay safe, and ha...

Does anybody else still find it hard to recall what day of the week it is? For me this has been one of the strangest things about Lockdown! All day I've been convinced it was Thursday! Oopsie! Of course it's Friday, and time for a new Challenge at My Time to Craft!   Our new theme is Good Luck - I think we could all do with some good luck for a change!  I know that a Black Cat is sometimes regarded as a bad luck symbol, but in my family it's always been regarded as good luck. Is that a tradition from the North East of England, which is where my family originates? Or is it common elsewhere? Anyway, this card includes an elegant Black Cat to wish every one of you Good Luck! This gorgeous creature is from Paper Smooches 'Feline Friends' stamp set - sadly, I have been unable to find it online. Admittedly, it is an old stamp set! I used my Misti to stamp her several times in Versafine Onyx Black ink to get good coverage, then added clear embossing powder for some ...

  Hello, my loves! There is a new Challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge so now is a great time to add to your stockpile of Christmas cards! The Big Day will be here sooner than we think!  For my card I used an older collection from Hunkydory Crafts - I have collected quite a few of these over the years, and it's high time I used them up! I had a go at another slimline card, this one is 3.5" by 7.5". The background has a very subtle blue stripe, and a spray of snowflakes on the left.  I layered it onto gold mirri card for some festive bling! The gold-edged images and the striped strip came from the kit, and I added 5 star sequins from my stash. The text is the first verse of 'We Three Kings.'  Thanks for looking, stay safe, KEEP CRAFTING AND CARRY ON!  with love Mags B x

Evening, all! We have a new Challenge at Dream Valley which is to use Dies and/or Punches on your creation.  Our sponsor is the fabulous Di's Digital Stamps. , check out her adorable images, they are so cute!  Di doesn't supply images for other DT Challenges, I gather it's because she was taken advantage of by people sharing her images, which is of course illegal. So instead I made a Christmas card that is almost entirely made with dies! The Poinsettia die is a very old one from Spellbinders, and the greeting is the Holly Berry Dies set by Concord and 9th.  I used some old Christmas papers from my stash, along with some gold card by Tonic. Then I spritzed the card with Glimmer Mist, which is sparkly in real life but not in the picture!  We also have a DT Call so hop on over to the blog to check out the details!  Thanks for looking, and stay safe!  love Mags B x

 Hello! Happy Friday! There's a new Challenge at  My Time to Craft and it's Clean and Simple Christmas. Three quarters of the card should be empty space. I have used a red rubber stamp called Bubble Greetings Jolly  by Taylored Expressions and coloured it with alcohol markers. The yellow 'O' is covered with shimmer pen, and the holly berries are dotted with Glossy Accents, but those are the only embellishments.  I really like this stamp! Go and see what my teamies have made for more CAS inspiration! Thanks for looking, and keep well. love Mags B x

  Hello, my dearios! I hope you are all keeping well. It's a grey, chilly day here in S-E Hertfordshire: winter is definitely on its way! But to cheer us all up there's a new Challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge !   I used a very, very old Stampendous stamp which is long out of print for my card.  (In fact, everything on the card, from the LotV papers to the image and sentiment are old!) O gold-embossed the Christmas tree and added tiny gems to the centres of the snowflakes.  I used a corner rounder on the image piece and the glitter mat. This really sparkles! Go and see what my teamies have been up to and join in the fun! Thanks for looking, and take care! love Mags B x

 Hello! Happy Monday! Yes, it's a Happy Monday because we have a new Challenge at  Dream Valley! Our sponsor is the wonderful Bugaboo Stamps and a lucky winner will be able to choose four of their fun digis! I wasn't able to use any of the fab images we were given, because my new laptop has decided it won't talk to my printer, and unfortunately the lovely digi I chose is no longer available. I love the Art Deco look of this stamp! I coloured it with Copics, then added double-sided tape to 3 of the edges and rubbed over some gilding flakes from Hobbycraft.  In the photo it looks mostly brown, but in real life there are hints of red, orange and gold, and there's a beautiful shine, too! The background paper is an old Nitwits digi paper.   I treated myself to a new set of pyjamas recently (you know your jim-jams are at the end of their life when the elastic gives way as you're climbing the stairs and the bottoms end up around your ankles.) I used one of the ribbo...

 Good morning! TGIF! Time for a new Challenge at  My Time to Craft! Our theme is Halloween or   Cats. Not everyone celebrates Halloween, so you have a choice.  I went with Cat using the fabulous Ephemera and papers from the September 2020 Super Card Kit by Love from Lizi. It's called 'Wonderland' and is all about Alice! As of today (16th October) there are still a few kits left! This is the Cheshire Cat, of course - look at that grin! All the images are from the Ephemera pack. The sentiment says 'You are entirely BONKERS but I'll tell you a secret, all the best people are!' I love that! I added Spectrum Noir sparkle to the flowers, and the shiny black hearts are also by Love from Lizi. Check out my teamies' creations and be inspired to join in! Thanks for looking, and stay safe.  love Mags B x

 It's a grey, cold, wet day! Time to wrap up warm, get into your craft space and make something Christmassy! Yes, we have a new Challenge at  The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge! I used an old pre-coloured image from Lili of the Valley.  This is Winter Fairy, and she is available as a digi stamp  Here. I used silver mirri card for my layers.  The snowy paper and silver sentiment banner are from my stash.  I also added Spectrum Noir sparkle to the snowflakes on the image. Go and see the lovely creations my teamies have made! Thanks for looking and stay safe and well! love Mags B x

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa! (My fault! My fault! Completely my fault!)  I missed posting for the new Challenge at Dream Valley. I'm so sorry!  We have a DT Call out now, do check out the details on the Challenge blog! You don't have to be an experienced crafter, so if you've ever wanted to try a DT, add your name on the Challenge blog!  We would like to see More Than One Fold on your cards this fortnight. Our sponsor is Hetty Clare Art and I have used one of the images sent to the DT. This is Flower Boot it is so sweet. I made a square gatefold card, and here is the inside: The papers are from a very old pad by Authentique which is long out-of-print, I'm afraid.  The ribbon is from my stash.  I also added dots of Nuvo Drops in the top right and bottom left corners, but unfortunately they don't show very well in the photo.  The sentiment is from an old Clearly Besotted stamp set. Go and see what my teamies have made, and check out the DT...

 Hello, my lovelies! I hope you're all keeping well. We have grey skies and a lot of rain here in S-E Herts! I learned the hard way that my shoes have holes in them: my socks are dripping into the sink and my feet are cold! To brighten the day we have a new challenge at  My Time to Craft! and we'd like to see Autumnal Colours.   We are also looking for Guest Designers so if you'd like to join us for a month, making something for 2 Challenges, check out the blog post for details. Our first Guest Designer is the lovely Hazel (Didos) she has made a gorgeous card! I got out my Distress Inks and some watercolour paper for the background of my card and ink-smooshed in warm autumn colours.  Then I sprayed it with Perfect Pearls spray to give some shimmer. The grass stems are die-cut from green mirri card using an old die-set by Concord & 9th called 'Layering Leaves'  Sadly, it no longer seems to be available on their website.  Finally I rounded the...

Hello, my dearios! I can't believe it's already the end of September! The evenings are definitely getting darker. Winter is coming! It's time once again for a new Challenge at  The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge.   I am concentrating on using up older stash, and so I dug out an old Christmas kit by  Hunkydory.    I love the image of Santa in his sleigh, it has an elegant retro feel.  I matted the background on silver mirri card and used a scallop punch to add a narrow border to the vertical strip. Have a look at the challenge blog, my teamies' creations will encourage you to join in! Thanks for looking and stay safe and well. love Mags B x

Good evening, all! I'm sorry I'm a bit late with my post for the latest challenge at Dream Valley . My hubby and I spent the afternoon sealing our new garden fence, which was quite knackering in the hot sunshine! It does look rather smart, though, and we're recovering with a glass of wine. On a weeknight - so naughty!  Anyway, you're here for papercrafting, not painting and decorating! Our latest challenge is Make It Digital (no stamping. Our sponsor is Morgan's Art World and she is offering 3 sweet images that the DT used as a prize.  I used this adorable Teddy image to make a baby card. The background paper is a digi from Nitwits but it's got no name on it, so I don't know which of Mary Fran's gorgeous collections it's from.  The yellow crochet ribbon is from my stash, and now I must make a Terrible Confession. I used a non-digi stamp for the sentiment. It's lucky I'm on the DT, because my card would not have obeyed the challenge r...

Oh my ears and whiskers, I'm late! Is it Friday already? Yes! And it's time for a new challenge at My Time to Craft!   Our new theme is Inspired by Harry Potter so anything wizardly goes! Now, I'm not actually a fan of Harry Potter (I prefer the amazing books written by Diana Wynne Jones - check 'em out!)  However, a long time ago Bugaboo Stamps produced some lovely images that rather resemble characters from the series, and I have used one for my card. Sadly, they seems to be unavailable, which is a problem with using an older image. I coloured Prof not-Snape with Promarkers (it took 2 attempts with different types of grey to distinguish between his cassock and his university robe!) and added Gold Stickles around his wand and magic book.  The papers are from my snippets drawer. I layered them onto black gloss cardstock, and used black peel-offs from Love from Lizi to edge the vertical strip. I used an MFT stitched frame die (which maddeningly I can't fi...

I'm so sorry I'm late with my post for The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge.   Whenever I cut down a sheet of A4 card to make an American A2 card base, I have a 4" wide strip left over. So I have made some small 4 x 4 inch Christmas cards. I used up some Christmas papers I had hanging around, and layered them on gold glitter card. Then I gold-embossed an elaborate sentiment that came with a magazine onto another spare scrap of white card, went around the edges with embossing ink and embossed again.  Finally I added various strips of ribbon from my stash and a few Nuvo drops around the sentiment. Go and see what my creative teamies have done and join in! Christmas is getting closer, after all! Take care, my dearios, and thanks for looking. Love, Mags B x

Hi there! We have a new Challenge for you at Dream Valley which is Embossing. This could be either using an embossing folder, or heat-embossing - or both!  Our gorgeous sponsor is All Dressed Up Stamps . I used one of my favourite images, but I'm sad to say she is no longer available. But do check out Wendy's images, they are lovely! I did some Faux Letterpress by swiping an Wilted Violet Distress Ink across the flat side of my embossing folder. I added my card (the same size as the folder) and taped the edges of the folder to stop it shifting, then ran it through my die-cutting machine. Then I carefully swiped Spun Sugar lightly across the raised pattern several times until the colour was as I liked it.  I added a strip of pale blue ribbon under the image and heat-embossed the sentiment in gold, then fastened it to the ribbon with foam tape. To keep the ribbon in place I also added some glue dots under where the sentiment is. (Does that make sense?)  Finally I glue...

Hello, my dearios! I'm sorry this post for The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge is late. I'm still having difficulty remembering what day it is! I have been playing with Distress Ink blending. I was really pleased with the background for this card, so I dug out the Frosty Trees unmounted stamp from Chocolate Baroque.  Because it's an unmounted grey rubber stamp I had to fasten it to my Misti door with pieces of rolled-up washi tape. I stamped several times in Versacolor Onyx Black and clear-embossed the image.  Then I layered it onto silver glitter card and edged it with paper from my snippets stash. No need for a sentiment as the trees have a Christmas script pattern!  Go and see my teamies' lovely creations and join in the fun!  Thanks for looking, and take care!  love Mags B x

  Good afternoon, my dearios!  We're starting the week with a new Challenge from Dream Valley and our new theme is No Squares or Rectangles. Our sponsor is The Paper Shelter. One lucky winner will be able to choose 3 of their gorgeous digis as a prize!  I have made a rocker card, using dies from Spellbinders. I made sure that my largest die wasn't too wide to fit into a 6" envelope! Go on, ask me why lol! This adorable image is Teamwork - the pandas are so cute!  I used Tonic Studios Fresh Mint pearlescent card for the cardbase, and the paper is from my stash. The gold-embossed sentiment is by Love from Lizi. I embellished the image mat with Gold Coast Nuvo Drops.   Do go and see my teamies' creations, they have been so inventive in making shaped cards that aren't squares or rectangles!  Thanks for looking, and take care!  love Mags B x

Hello, my lovelies! We have a new challenge at My Time to Craft which is Clean and Simple. I confess I didn't check the instructions carefully enough, I should have stamped my image directly onto the card front. Apologies! Don't do what I did! I used a lovely stamp set from Lawn Fawn called Simply Celebrate. The sentiment came from the same stamp set. I added Spectrum Noir sparkle pen to the candle flames, and two dots of Nuvo drops.  My teamies, who are more careful readers of instructions than I am, have made some gorgeous inspiration for you to check out on the blog!  Thanks for looking, and take care.   love Mags B x.   PS My son, who had a heart operation 2 weeks ago in London, is now back home in Shropshire. He is so much happier being at home with his wife and daughter! He's due to have more tests to monitor how he's reacting to Warfarin, but he's so very glad to be out of hospital! Thanks to all who enquired both here and on Facebook. You ar...

Hello my dearios! I have some good news: my son has had a heart operation which we've been expecting any time over the last couple of years, and it's all been a great success! He spent 12 days in hospital, bored out of his mind, but is now convalescing with us for a while before travelling home to his own family. I hadn't realised what a weight of worry was on my mind until it was lifted! In more good news, we have a new challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge! These tags are made with dies from a Tonic Studios kit, I think the stained glass look is very effective. Do go and see what my teamies have done and join in! It may be the middle of August, but Christmas will be upon us before we know it, so it's always satisfying to get ahead with all the cards! Take care, my lovelies, and thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Good morning! I hope you're all keeping well. It's another scorching hot day today, though apparently we are due to have thunderstorms later. I love a good thunderstorm, we are about a mile from the River Lea and storms always follow the line of the river. So dramatic!  But you aren't here to discuss the weather, you're here to learn about the latest challenge at Dream Valley. We would like to see gems, pearls or both on your creations. Our sponsor is Crafty Sentiments and I have used Kaye. I love her cute outfit!   I used up some very old papers that came with a magazine, the flowers are such a pretty pink. The die-cut sentiment is made with on old die from Love from Lizi . The ribbon and lace, as well as the gems and the pearl button on Kaye's belt, are all from my stash. Dig out your blingiest gems and pearls, and join in the fun! Thanks for looking, and take care! love Mags B x

Good morning! I am slowly getting to grips with New Blogger, so I hope you'll excuse any mistakes! Our new Challenge at My Time to Craft! is live, our new theme is Travel. We may not be able to travel as far as we might wish in these Coronavirus times, but at least we can craft and dream of better days! For my card I have used items from an old kit from Love from Lizi and sadly it has long since sold out, including the die of the scooter. Sorry. The DT have mades some fabulous cards for you to check out on the blog - take a look, and join the Challenge! Thanks for looking, and stay safe and well. love Mags B x PS I have no idea why my photo has been cut short on one side! Where's a teenaged child when I need them to get techy and find out what's wrong?!

Good morning, my dearios! I hope you're all keeping well. Our son has come up from Shropshire to stay for a while. He has an operation on Friday to replace his faulty heart valve, and he'll be convalescing with us for 4 weeks afterwards, so we are going back into Lockdown to shield him. Not that Lockdown is much different from normal life, we aren't what you might call gadabouts! A brisk stroll around the local bird reserve is more usual than a trip to the Bright Lights of the Big City! Just as exciting for you lovelies - The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge is back after our summer break! I have made a pyramage card, using an old Hunkydory kit. Instead of using foam pads between the layers I used doubled pieces of card to keep the profile low for posting = and to use up some of the tons of white card scraps that I have! The image is very pretty, it has gold foiling. I have a lot of Hunkydory kits gathered over the years, it's high time I actually used them...

Just a quick post today, my lovelies, to let you know about the new Challenge at Dream Valley which is Christmas in July. All the elements came from Pink Paislee's Together for Christmas papers and ephemera. Gotta go - our fence blew down and two panels are disintegrating, so we need to break them up and take them down to the dump! It's very exciting!!! Take care, stay safe and thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Hello, my dearios! I'm sorry I'm late with this post, I have had a horrible stomach upset today. It was my own fault, I made a delicious Tagliatelle Carbonara yesterday with butter, streaky bacon, onions, brie and cream. Sadly, my insides can no longer cope with very rich food, and I spent half the night 'calling Ralph and Hughie on the Big White Telephone,' to use our friend David's graphic phrase. Too Much Information? Anyway, I spent a lot of today asleep, and didn't realise it was Friday until half an hour ago! Whoops! Anyway, now I'm here, feeling much better and ready for my DT post for the latest Challenge at My Time to Craft. Our new theme is Summer Wedding. I made this card for the son of a good friend, who was due to marry his Young Man in June. Unfortunately the wedding has been postponed until next year. I used a Tonic Studios die from a kit for the border, and inlaid the flowers and leaves with Tonic's Satin mirror card. The ribbon...

Hello, my lovelies, I hope you're all keeping safe and well! Today, for the first time since March, I accompanied my hubby to the supermarket to shop! I was a bit nervous about crowds, but it was all very civilised, quite a few people were wearing masks, and the social distancing seemed to be working well. Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, the wife of King Henry II, was placed under house arrest for 20 years when she sided with her sons in rebellion against the King, so 4 months of semi-isolation could have been a lot worse! Anyway, you're here for our next challenge at My Time to Craft! which is Christmas in July. The Operation Write Home sketch that I used is a favourite of Kristie Marcotte who uses sketches to use up an entire paper pad! She has a great eye for matching patterned paper. I used an old Christmas pad by First Edition, matted on blue cardstock. I die-cut 3 snowflakes with a die from Whiff of Joy, using white glitter cardstock. The sentiment is heat-embossed...

Yes, the new Challenge at My Time to Craft! is Colouring on Kraft. I made an Anniversary card with white heat-embossing and Prismacolour pencils. This lovely bouquet image is Beautiful Bouquet: Ranunculus from WPlus9. So pretty! For bling I dotted quite a lot of Gold Coast Crystal Nuvo Drops around the bouquet. My teamies have left a variety of lovely cards to showcase the technique, do go and see them! Thanks for looking, and stay safe and well. love Mags B x

This Challenge will last until July 25th. Oops, I did it again! I lost track of the days and I'm late with my DT post for Dream Valley. Sorry! Our new theme is All Occasions and I've made a retirement card, using Teddy's World Digi Stamp 2 by our lovely sponsor, Morgan's Art World. This cutie is perfect for a gardener with three grandchildren! I used papers from the good old Snippets Drawer and edged the floral strip with Grass Green Mirror Sway Peel-off stickers by Love from Lizi. (Her peel-offs are addictive! And so pretty!) I added Spectrum Noir Sparkle to the cup and also the flowers on the watering can. The sentiment is a very old clear stamp from Lili of the Valley who now have their gorgeous images available as digis. This one, sadly, is out of print. Finally I added Nuvo drops in Navy Blue. You have until July 25th to join in with your All Occasions creation (it doesn't have to be a card!) - pop over to the Challenge Blog to see how my teamie...

Good morning! I hope you're all keeping safe and well. We have a new Challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge to take your mind off the stresses of lockdown. I must admit, I've rather lost my cardmaking mojo recently. Whenever that happens I have a sort through some of my craft stash, and usually that sparks a bit of creativity. This time I was sorting my Christmas papers and found a very, very old Papermania pad that includes red and gold papers that made me think of opulent Victorian decorations. I dug out a vintage-style rubber stamp from Stempelglede and gold-embossed it. I layered the image and background paper on some dull gold paper from my stash. The glitter snowflakes are cut with a die from the sadly-missed Whiff of Joy. I edged the gold paper strip with Peel Offs by Love from Lizi. I think it turned out ok! Check out the Challenge blog for some fabulous inspiration from my teamies! Thanks for looking, and take care! love Mags B x

Good morning, all! I hope you're all keeping safe and well. To inspire your crafting we have a new challenge at My Time to Craft. Our theme is Summertime. I hope some of you, at least, are enjoying sunshine: here in S-E Hertfordshire we have grey skies and a chilly breeze. And apparently storms are on the way for the weekend. Yep, that's the traditional British Summer! However, we can always create something summery to brighten up a gloomy day! The stamp is a very, very old one by Penny Black, and I love it! The papers are from my scraps drawer, the stripy background is glossy. I added a Grass Green Sway Peel-off by Love from Lizi to cover the edges between the two papers. The sentiment is from Lizi's Summer Fruits stamp set . Finally I added some Nuvo Drops. Go and see my teamies' creations over on the blog, they are so summery and cheerful! Thanks for looking, and stay safe. love Mags B x

Well, wouldn't you know it! Our new Challenge at Dream Valley is Summer Colours just when the weather has changed from hot and sunny to cold and rainy! Time to stay indoors and craft, I think! Our Sponsor this fortnight is Crafty Sentiments and the DT recived some of their lovely digi stamps to use in our Challenge. I used Looking Up which is so cute! My papers are from a very old Papermania pad. I used a Spellbinders' Captivating Squares die (now out of print) for the image mat, and an old My Favorite Things 'Plentiful Petals' die for the flower. I edged the green paper with a ribbon from my stash, and also a Jade Green Glitter peel-offs by Love from Lizi. The sentiment die is the Simon Says Stamp Bold Hello die. Go and see my teamies' bright and cheerful creations and join in the summer fun! Thanks for looking, and stay safe. love Mags B x

Hello, my dearios! It's been hot and humid today, so of course now is the time to think of making a Christmas card! Yes, our latest Challenge is up at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge. I tried my hand at a slimline card, and you'd think it would be quick and easy to do. The papers come from an ancient Papermania pad, I cut a snowflake border from a blue sheet and glued it onto the stocking-border paper. The sentiment was from the same paper pad. Then the fun began. I spent well over an hour trying to work out what to put on the left-hand side, once I realised that my die-cut and layered Poinsettia was both the wrong colour and didn't relate to any of the papers! Then I tried a holly wreath mounted on a vellum circle, too. Nope. Finally I used a very old Christmas tree die from Whimsy, cut from white glitter card, and that worked. Hooray! What a performance, eh? Go and see my teamies' cards for some lovely inspiration, and join in the Challenge. I hope yo...

Hi, guys! It's another lovely day here in S-E Herts. I hope everyone is keeping safe and well. During the summer I wear a straw hat shaped rather like a Stetson, and whenever I go out in my hat and mask my hubby howls with laughter because I look like a short and pudgy outlaw from the Wild West! We have to get our entertainment where we can, these days! We have even better entertainment for you at My Time to Craft where the new theme is to Use a Stencil. I used the Hero Arts Swirl Stencil to make a background with glitter embossing paste. I coloured 3 dollops with Mustard Seed, Worn Lipstick and Wilted Violet Distress Inks before smooshing it over the stencil. Once it was dry I added a die-cut in gold card with a vellum shadow. Go and see my teamies' gorgeous work, they are so full of inspiration! Take care, my lovelies, and thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Hi, guys! We have a great challenge for you from Dream Valley - add Sparkle! Our sponsor is the fab The Paper Shelter, they have so many sweet digis. Unfortunately my printer died early this month, and the new one has just arrived, so instead of using the gorgeous image we were so generously given, I had to use one I already had. This is Coquette. I love TPS's more historical images, they are so charming. Once again I used very old papers from my stash. I coloured Coquette with Promarkers - I love colouring her hair grey, like a powdered 18th century wig. I used some glitter peel-offs from Love from Lizi to edge the green paper. The heart border was cut with a Martha Stewart border punch (which is now unavailable) from paper which I coloured with a pink Delicata pearlised ink pad. I added 5 offcut hearts to the image, and covered them with glitter Nuvo Drops. Finally I added Spectrum Noir Sparkle to all the pink trim on Coquette's outfit. My teamies have made some ...

Good morning! I hope you are all keeping well. If you wear spectacles, do you find that they fog up a bit when you're wearing a mask? I haven't yet found a way to stop that, but it's only a minor inconvenience, really! Now to our new challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge and I have once more delved into my old stash for my card. The digi image is no longer available, it came from Stitchy Bear, which is now closed. I coloured the lantern with copics and added Spectrum Noir Shimmer around the candle. The paper came free with a magazine long ago, and the gems are from my stash. I didn't have room for a sentiment! I'm enjoying rooting around in my files, finding printed digis that I had forgotten about. I aim to use them all up before starting again! It makes me feel very prudent and frugal to use up my stash like this, though I apologise if you see something you like that's now unobtainable - sorry! My teamies have made some lovely inspiratio...

Evening, all! It's Friday! My hubby and I have great plans for the weekend - he will be busy in the garden while I do the ironing! We live such a thrilling life these days, lol! It's also time for another Challenge at My Time to Craft to give you an idea for your crafting. Our delicious theme is Foodstuffs. Anything edible or drinkable will do. (My hubby swears that BEER is a foodstuff, as it contains Vitamin B! Nice excuse, eh?) I have made a card suitable for a birthday or as a party invitation. The papers and the glittered mat came with an old kit by Love from Lizi. It's a very simple card, but I really love the colours. I added Spectrum Noir sparkle pen to the glow round the candles, and Nuvo drops to look like pearls. The gold-embossed sentiment says 'A party without cake is just a meeting.' So true! Do go and check out the yummy inspiration that my teamies have left on the blog. There is a lot of cake, which is always a good thing! Thanks for loo...

Good morning! I apologise that I'm a day late with my post for Dream Valley where our new theme is Favourite Colours. Our sponsor is the fabulous Di's Digi Stamps and I have used the adorable Ellie Wrapped with Love , she is so cute! My favourite colour is green, and in the spring I love it paired with yellow. The papers came from my oddments drawer, and I used plain yellow card and pearlescent green card to mat and layer. The ribbon is from an old American Crafts spool. I used Marianne dies for the sentiment, sadly they seem to be out of print. Finally I added Nuvo Crystal Drops in Soft Mint and covered the presents with Spectrum Noir Clear Shimmer Pen to give some bling. My teamies have used some beautiful colours and images on their cards shown on the challenge blog, go and see! Thanks for looking, and stay safe! love Mags B x

Oops! I'm so sorry, I'm late with my DT post for The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge. I was so convinced that yesterday was Monday! The trouble with self-isolating is that there is so little to distinguish one day from another! I said to my hubby this morning 'Is it Wednesday today?' He just looked at me and said dryly, 'All day.' Anyway, it's high time I showed you my card for this week's challenge! The cute Santa is an old stamp from Whiff of Joy, and I coloured him in Promarkers. I added White Blizzard Nuvo Drops to the trim on his outfit, and little blobs of red ones to the holly berries on his hat. The papers are snippets from the scrap drawer, and the narrow strip is foiled. I edged it with Red Glitter Peel-offs by Love from Lizi. The sentiment is from an old stamp by Clearly Besotted. As usual my talented teamies have some gorgeous creations on the Challenge blog, go and see! Thanks for looking, and take care. love Mags B x

What do zombie vegans eat? GRAAAINS! Good morning from a damp, grey Hertfordshire. We have a new Challenge at My Time to Craft! to brighten your day with a Recipe to follow. We would like you to use: 2 or more images; 1 patterned paper; 2 die-cuts or buttons; 1 ribbon or bow. Here is my card: My 3 images and the sentiment come from the Look For the Rainbows set by Simon Says Stamp. I thought the upright bird looked a little sad, so his 2 friends are looking up at him to reassure him. The patterned paper is from a very old Authentique paper pad, and has a slightly textured surface. My 2 die-cuts are an old pierced and scalloped border die by My Favorite Things, and an even older corner die from Whimsy Stamps, both cut in glittered blue cardstock. I added a narrow black ribbon along the border die to bring in more of the black in the patterned paper. The 3 squares were cut using my paper trimmer, they aren't dies, as you can tell if you look closely, as they are v...

Hi, guys!I hope you're all keeping well at this difficult time. I am no longer merely tidying my craft hovel, I am giving it a thorough Spring Clean! It's going to be fantastic when it's all done, but at the moment I'm at the really messy stage of clearing out all the boxes stored under the bed and finding somewhere to put them so I can hoover! Anyway, I'm taking a break to tell you about our latest Challenge at Dream Valley which is Our Four-Legged Friends. Our sponsor is the marvellous Crafty Ribbons so I hd to use ribbon on my card!! I have used a very old, very cute pre-coloured image from Lili of the Valley called Patchwork Butterfly. It's now available as a digi stamp. The papers are also very old, and were by K & Co about 10 years ago! I added some Purple satin ribbon to cover the join between the papers. The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp's Look For The Rainbows set. Go and see the awesome cards my teamies have made, they w...

Good morning! It's a beautiful, sunny day her in S-E Hertfordshire, so what better time to make a Christmas card or 2? Yes, we have a new Challenge for you at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge where as usual it's Anything Christmas Goes. I have been posting cards to various friends and relations and quickly realised that a lot of dimension means a lot of postage. So I had a play with masking paper, a star die and some Christmas word stamps to make a (nearly) one-layer card. 'Nearly' because I worked on a die-cut piece of card a little smaller than my cardbase and glued it down flat. The words all come from Altenew's Festive Silhouettes stamp set. I stamped them in shades of Altenew green inks. Then, to define the edges, I blended on some Delicata Gold pigment ink. It has a very subtle shine when it catches the light. Finally I stamped the greeting (an old one from Clearly Besotted) in the same gold ink and clear-embossed it. In 2016, when I was bein...

Well, what a topical challenge this is at My Time to Craft! At least, here in S-E Hertfordshire it's topical, as today, after days of sunshine, we had rain this afternoon! This old stamp is from the 'Tatty Button' series by Creative Expressions but unfortunately she is now out of print. She is such a lovely image that I didn't want to detract from her by using patterned paper, so this is a CAS card. I stamped her on a piece of card that I cut with a MFT die that measures 4 x 5.25 inches and coloured her with Promarkers. I added Glossy Accents to the raindrops and puddles. The sentiment (which is just right for these difficult times) is from the Happy Days stamp set from Love from Lizi, embossed in her Golden Crown embossing powder. I received both in her amazing kits, do check them out! There are some fabulous cards on the Challenge blog to inspire you to have a go at a 'Here Comes the Rain' project! Thanks for looking, stay safe, stay home and cr...

Hi, guys! I hope you and your families are keeping safe and well. To while away the time at home, we have a new Challenge at Dream Valley. We'd like to see Things With Wings. Bees, Butterflies, Fairies, Angels, Birds, Aeroplanes, Pterodactyls..... Our sponsor is Morgan's Art World and there are 3 of her beautiful digis on offer for the lucky winner! Sadly I had to make this card early, so was unable to use one of her digis, but they are so gorgeous! I used a silhouette digi from Scrapper's Delights, which sadly has ceased trading. I coloured the fairy's wings with metallic gel pens in two shades of pink. The background paper is from an old First Editions pad, and I die cut the black glitter cardstock with an old die from My Favorite Things. The card is winging its way to Shropshire, to my daughter-in-law. I have been sending out some cards to friends and family recently, it seems to cheer them up! Don't forget to fly across to the Challenge Blog to s...