Madcap Manor

Hi, guys! Do you have that 'Monday Morning' feeling? Check out our new Challenge at Dream Valley and you'll feel better! Our theme is to used Dies and Punches and our sponsor is the lovely Tracy at Dies to Die For. The background paper is a digi from Pink Petticoat (now relaunched as The Lovely Studio ) but sadly it's unavailable now. Do check out the shop, though, the colours are gorgeous! The flowers were made with Woodware punches and distressed with a Delicata Gold inkpad. I also distressed the edge of the background paper. The leaves were cut with an old Spellbinders' mistletoe die and for the sentiment I layered 3 pieces of white card and one of gold paper, all cut with the MFT Hello There die. Finally I added gold gems to the flower centres. Check out my teamies' creations and have a go! Thanks for looking, and have a good week. love Mags B x

Good morning, my lovelies! It's been a busy day so far, with a hospital appointment for my latest post-cancer checkup, and the good news is I'm still in remission! Now I can shake off the worry that always lingers before any hospital appointment and tell you all about the new challenge at My Time to Craft which is this fabulous sketch: While sorting my craft hovel yet again I came across some pre-coloured images from Lili of the Valley - sadly these don't seem to be available, but do check out their newer images, they are lovely! The papers are digis from Pink Petticoat - now back in business as The Lovely Studio. For the vertical lines I used ribbon from my stash, and I cut out the image and mat with dotted rectangle dies. The glittery snowflake was in my Christmas file, I often make several die-cuts at a time, file them carefully, then forget to use them!! Anyway, do go and see my teamies' inspiration on the blog, and give the sketch a go! Thanks for ...

Good morning! I hope you all had a good weekend! We have a colour challenge at Dream Valley this fortnight: Blue. That is, everything except an image's skin and hair, should be in shades of blue. Looking at my card, you can see that I used shades of blue that are a bit too close in colour, I needed more contrast. You never stop learning in this cardmaking lark! I used Lil Lovely Hearts by our sponsor, Sherri Baldy, and coloured her with Promarkers. The falling hearts have been Glossy Accented, the rose has been glittered, and a blue gem heart is added on top of the heart on her blouse. The papers are by Pink Petticoat . The ribbon and broderie anglaise are from stash, the sentiment is by Clearly Besotted from the Mini Basic Banners stamp set. On the right I added some flourishes cut with the Cheery Lynn Mini Fanciful Flourish die and some flower shapes which have a blob of stickles in the centre. As I said, not enough contrast! Our sponsor is Sherri Baldy Desig...

Hi, guys! I'm a bit late today with my post for The Squirrel and the Fox as I forgot to schedule it yesterday. Apologies! Our Challenge is Inspired by a Book and our sponsor is The Paper Shelter who are offering a $20 voucher for their shop to a lucky winner! TPS also very kindly gave the DT some of their fabulous, cute images to use! Isn't this a fun image?! She is Spring Breeze - I love the expression on her face! I coloured her with Spectrum Noirs, and used the 'out of the box' technique on her parasol - basically, you snip round the bit of the image that you want to hang over the edge of your die and then ease it over the die so it doesn't get cut. The papers are all by Pink Petticoat. I used an EK Success 'Apron Lace' punch for the pink scalloped edging, a Martha Stewart punch for the glittered butterflies, and a Woodware punch for the leaves. The lace is from stash, the flowers are by Wild Orchid Crafts and have spots of glitter added. Do ...

Happy New Year! And here's wishing you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2014! We had the best news ever last week - my daughter is in complete remission from her cancer! The last 6 months have been quite trying, but I've found so much creativity in your blogs, you always cheered me up when I felt low. Never underestimate the encouragement that art can give - because we may call what we do 'crafting' in a slightly deprecatory way, but really it's ART! THANK YOU!!!!! I made this card some time ago for my daughter's boyfriend's father's birthday - he is a gardener, as you can probably tell! The stamps are by Polkadoodles , last year I bought one of their Pen and Paper Circle magazines and this clear stamp set came with it. Unfortunately it seems to be out of print, I'm sorry about that. I did some masking with the hydrangea flowers, the flowerpots and the wheelbarrow. I coloured in Promarkers - and wouldn't you know? I've lost t...

Sadly, I have had to make another Sympathy card for a dear friend. I used the lovely Penny Black stamp 'Fireworks' with a Kaleidocolor 'Fresh Greens' multicoloured pad. The paper is by Pink Petticoat from the 'Waterfall Hearts' collection and the ribbon is from stash. I had the sentiment already stamped in my file - it might be Hero Arts from either 'Messages' or 'Framed Messages' clear stamp sets. Or it might be Penny Black! I really should organise my sentiments one day! (An update: Thanks for all the kind thoughts and comments about my daughter's cancer, I appreciate them very much. You guys are a tower of strength. Good news - the chemo is definitely working and she will be CURED by Christmas, hooray!) Wishing you all a happy weekend, and thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Evening, all! I hope you're all keeping well. We have had glorious sunshine for several days in a row, it's wonderful! My nephew was married on Saturday, so I can at last share the card I made for him and his lovely missus. The delicate, romantic image is by Whiff of Joy and I used Promarkers, with the fine pen nibs, to colour it. The hearts have Glossy Accents on them, and the centres of the blue flowers and the bride's tiara have been stickled in gold. I used gorgeous Spellbinders Decorative Labels Twenty Two, in pink and purple, to mat the image and also some very pretty paper from Pink Petticoat's Vintage Rose Collection . The label is another Spellbinders die, from the Parisian Motifs set, and the sentiment is by Stampendous. I tied a triple bow with ribbon from my stash and added a very sparkly sequinned flower. The gorgeous 3D butterfly stickers are by K & Co. I really enjoyed making this, I love creating something special for friends and family! ...

Hi, again! If you're looking for my DT card for The Squirrel and the Fox please scroll down to the post below. Ta. I'm a bit late today, it's been a busy Sunday again, but I'm here at last with a card for Dream Valley . Our theme is Sports - nice and easy, and perhaps a chance to get your Father's Day cards sorted! Our fab Sponsor is Di's Digi Stamps which used to be called 'Di's Digi Downloads' and one lucky winner will receive a $10 voucher to spend in the store! Go over there and have a look, there are some adorable, cute images there! I admit I didn't use a Sponsor image this time. I had this dynamic Karate Kick Girl from Redonkadoodles - formerly known as Redonkulous. I coloured her with Promarkers: I, like so many, am indebted to Kimberly Brown who posts wonderful videos on Youtube, and I used her recommended colour combo for the hair, I really like it! Isn't she fab? I used a Spellbinders Wonky Rectangle to cut her out. ...

Good afternoon! I hope you're all ok in this snow, we've got off quite lightly in S-E Herts but I know other parts of the country are having a very bad time. Keep warm and safe! If you're looking for my DT post for The Squirrel and the Fox please scroll down to the previous post. Ta. It's Dream Valley Challenge time again! We have a gorgeous theme this fortnight: Pearls AND Lace and our sponsor is the amazing Krista Smith of   Saturated Canary One lucky winner will have $10 to spend on her gorgeous images! Krista very generously let the DT choose an image: this is Easter Dress - isn't she cute? The picture is very faded, in real life the colours are much better! I took my colours  from the papers, which are by Pink Petticoat from the Snippets box. The bracket tab is an MFT Die-namics die called, unsurprisingly, 'Bracket Tab.' The corner pieces are cut with Spellbinders Parisian Motifs dies and I added little pink pearls. There are also 2 pear...

Happy St Patrick's Day! Here's a card I rustled up to celebrate the occasion - my daughter's boyfriend is Irish and she's spending the weekend in the Republic with his family, I hope they like it! The image is a digi by The Greeting Farm called 'Good Luck Anya.'  I coloured her with Speccies and glittered the 4-leafed clovers/Shamrocks. The sentiment and row of hearts are also by TGF but I can't remember which sets they came from. The papers are by Pink Petticoat, and I distressed the edges with Frayed Burlap DI. The flowers are Prima and the die-cut leaves are by Whiff of Joy. Ribbon and gems are from stash. Nice and simple, eh? It took me a long time to make, mainly because my first two attempts at colouring Anya were really naff! I should practise with my Speccies more, the technique is slightly different than with Promarkers as they tend to be 'juicier'. We live and learn. I hope you're all staying snug and dry. The rain has bee...

Hi, guys, I hope you're all doing well! This afternoon I was visited by my friend's daughter, she sat in her wheelchair and I did the ironing while we giggled at 'Top Gear' on the telly! Yes, I confess, I have a sneaky liking for 'Top Gear'! Yesterday I managed to find the Magnolia image that I 'lost' by sweeping it off my desk with my baggy cardigan sleeve and completed a Christmas card. I meant to post yesterday but I was out at a meeting in the evening and I got home late and knackered and went to bed instead! It was interesting to colour the same image with Spectrum Noirs ( here and this one is done in Promarkers. The Speccies I used are more vivid than the Promarkers, but I like both effects, thoug I find that Promarkers blend more easily. Experimenting is fun! The stars and crown have been glamour-dusted. I used Spellbinders' Opulent Ovals' for the mats, which are cut from Centura Pearl cardstock, they have a pretty sheen that does...

Here I am at last! I'm sorry I'm late, today ran away with me! I hope you're all keeping well, my lovelies, and not suffering with snow (in the North) or excessive heat (in the South)! It's time for another Dream Valley Challenge . We had a record number of fabulous creations for the last challenge, it's inspiring to see such gorgeous work! The theme this fortnight is 'Girls, girls, girls,' so get out all your pink and pretty stash! We're sponsored by the lovely Robyn's Fetish and the lucky winner will be able to choose 5 digital stamps! The DT were generously given stamps from the store: mine is Easter Girl . Isn't she a doll? I used Promarkers to colour her and stickled her wings and the centre of the flowers.. The basket holds eggs, but I covered them with two tiny sequin flowers. The green mat was cut with a Spellbinders Fleur de Lis rectangle and the leaves used a Woodware punch. Gems are from my stash. The papers are Pink Petti...

Hi, guys! I hope you're all having a good weekend! I am getting back into what my Mum called 'the rhythm of things' - a more elegant phrase than 'back to the old routine' though that's what she meant! Just before Christmas my daughter announced that she was leaving Waterstone's bookshop, where she'd worked for 4 years, at the end of December. As you can imagine, that was a bit worrying! But she immediately got online and within a week she had a new job! It's office work, with office hours and every weekend off! So of course I had to make her a card! This hard-working mouse is by The Greeting Farm, he was the first of their stamps I bought, about 3 years ago. He's coloured in Speccies (list below.) The papers are all Snippets, mostly Nitwits but the blue strip is Pink Petticoat. The Spellbinders corner (from the Parisian Accents set) uses a snippet of pearlised card. The lilac jute ribbon and the spotted ribbon are from stash. I added a ...

Hi, guys! I'm sorry I haven't been around much, we had the annual Holiday Club at Church last week, and it's been manic! Fabulous fun, too! This last few days I've been making thank you cards (7 since Thursday!) This is for the wonderful team who supplied us with tea and coffee - I don't know how I'd have managed without them! I have this new die-cut of a teapot and cups by a firm called 'Joy!'  but I can't recall where I bought it! I used Pink Petticoat papers for the die-cuts and smaller square, and the background is a freebie from 'Papercraft Essentials' magazine. I went round the edges of the pot and cups with Old Paper DI to give a bit more definition, as one of the ladies has bad eyesight. The photo is a bit faded, irl there's more of a contrast. The sentiment is a Marianne die, and you're going to see it several times in the next few days! I stickled in Cotton Candy - I've discovered a new way to stickle compl...

Afternoon, all! I hope you're having a restful weekend! It's Dream Valley time again, and our theme this fortnight is Animals . Our wonderful Melly is giving a surprise package as a prize for the winner! So here's what I did: I used one of the lovely Lili of the Valley ready coloured squares, so useful! The butterflies and roses have been stickled, though as usual the camera hasn't picked it up! The bp is from the Snippets Box, it's Pink Petticoat Vintage Rose set of digipapers. So pretty! The ribbon is recycled from a box of chox, the punched butterflies are made with a scrap of wrapping paper. The flowers are Wild Orchid, and the sentiment is also LotV, stamped in Broken China Distress Ink. I also decorated the inside: The bp here is a patchwork, as I didn't quite have enough to cut one piece, but I stuck butterflies over the join near the fold, so it looks ok! The sentiment is Penny Black. I'm entering Pixie's Crafty Snippets Challenge again, beca...

Happy Saturday, all! I hope you're having a good weekend. I had a wonderful time on Thursday watching cricket at The Oval! Unfortunately, thanks to having 2 pints of beer in the warm sunshine that evening, on Friday morning I felt a wee bit delicate!!! Here's a card I did for the current Whiff of Joy Challenge which is a really interesting sketch. Inspired by some of the WoJ DT cards, I used a tag for one of the elements. The papers are by Pink Petticoat, a pack called 'Wild Blossoms' that is free with 'Quick Cards Made Easy.' The gorgeous ribbon is recycled from a Christmas present! Honestly, I've become such a magpie since starting this cardage lark, I save everything!! Here's a pic of the tag, which is from a WoJ die. I distressed the edges with Spun Sugar and then went round with stickles. The oval round the image is also distressed with Spun Sugar. Flowers arw Wild Orchid, the pink ones stickled, and the gold ornament is from stash. While I was mak...

One of the babies at our Friday morning baby club is being baptised on Mothering Sunday, so obviously I had to sit down and make a card! (Ironing? What's that?) I used Dawny P's sketch from Lili of the Valley Challenge 84 which is a beaut! Papers are Pink Petticoat (try saying that fast 3 times!) Vintage Rose (There's £2 off until Feb 28th.) The papers came free with Quick Cards, and I love them so much I bought the download! The sentiment stamp is also from a mag, but I can't remember which one! I also used MS heart punch, inside-out rounder punch and Woodware leaf punch, Wild Orchid flowers, pink gingham ribbon from stash, and stickles on every edge! Have a good day - I'm waiting for my daughter to get dressed so we can take the train to Hertford and buy her a trouser suit for the wedding she's going to on Saturday. Thanks for looking! luv, Mags x Promarkers: Blush, Dusky Pink, Pastel Pink; Buttercup, Canary, Gold; Blossom, Pink Carnation; Ice Grey 1, 2, 3; ...