Madcap Manor

Hello, my dearios! I'm here with a quick post before I stagger upstairs to change the sheets. Since I am under 5' tall and the bed is over 5'long, this takes a while! However, it's all exercise, innit? I was sorting my wooden stamps the other day when I found a very old stamp by Inca Stamps called 'Lift Off'. I embossed the image and sentiment in silver - the sentiment is also very old! I also embossed the glittered strip, with Nuvo Silver Moonlight embossing powder, as the cheap glitter paper I have tends to shed! All the papers and the blue card for the mats are made with Snippets - hooray! One day soon I hope to be able to close my drawer full of scraps! Now I'm away to join in the fun at Pixie's Snippets Playground! Thanks for looking! love Mags b x

Good morning! We have a fab sketch for you to try at My Time to Craft this fortnight, created by the talented Jo. You can turn it, but we need to see the sketch in your project - have a look at my teamies' creations to get some ideas! I have made..... a Christmas card! The adorable image is by Penny Black from the Christmas Critters stamp set. I love those cute mice! I used papers from the ever-expanding Snippets Drawer , and the green card is also a Snippet. The gems are by Papermania and the gold-embossed sentiment is from Hanging Around which is one of Clearly Besotted's mini stamp sets. The ribbon is by American Crafts. CHALLENGES ENTERED: I am entering this card to the Snippets Playground at Di's blog. as so much of the card is made with leftovers! Thanks for looking, and have an excellent weekend! love Mags B x

Good morning! I hope the sun is shining for you today! Our new CRAFT Challenge this week is a sketch. Our ace sponsors this week are DRS Designs and Digital Delights I have used Shelldon the Turtle for my card, isn't he cute? I turned the sketch sideways. The papers are from the snippets drawer, I think they are both by Prima but can't give any more info. Sorry! The sentiment is from Clearly Besotted and I stamped it on a tag cut with an MFT Die-namics die. The sparkly green candy is by Papermania. I'm entering a Challenge, since all my papers and the turquoise card are snippets! I am going to re-visit Pixie's Snippets Challenge - it's a long time since I last visited The Playground, I'll stand at the back and hope that Miss doesn't notice me! My teamies have done marvellous things with this sketch, do go and see and be inspired! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Evening, all! I have been paper piecing some thank you cards, since I needed a bunch, using Penny Black flower stamps Gossamer 3865K and Whispers 3377K This one is made with blue Snippets - paper piecing is such a good way to use up scraps of paper! Though even so I have to force myself to throw away the snippets left after fussy cutting the design! And I apologise for the naff photo, the card base is in fact white! And this one is, of course, made with pink snippets. the very tiny areas are coloured with felt tips. The banners are by Lawn Fawn and I edged them with Spectrum Noir pens in the appropriate colours, to look like mats, and put them on foam adhesive to give some dimension. Two very simple cards, with no glitter or Glossy Accents, just stamped and cut papers! An ideal technique for quietly cutting out while watching tv! I'm now off to enter Pixie's Snippets Challenge Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Evening, all! While tidying the craft hovel yet again I came across some little 4 x 4 inch square cards. I also had some paper on my desk, left over from a previous card - this is from 'Bonnets and Bowties' by LotV which is the current freebie with "Simply Cards and Papercraft" magazine. They are such pretty papers, I have the original Nitwits digis, and the LotV paper pad, and now this freebie!!!!! I had already die-cut a circle in the chequered piece, so it just needed a trim. The spotty paper is also a snippet, though I'm not sure where it's from. I raised the die-cut paper on foam pads (lots of them round the cut edge so it wouldn't sag!) and added the flower: this is 2 Prima flowers layered together, and the pink button is from stash. Finally the sentiment is by Hero Arts from the Clear Design 'Messages' set, and I stamped it in Hero Arts Navy Shadow Ink. The tiny pearls were from Hobbycraft. I'm entering The Snippet Playground wit...

Hi, guys! The stranger returns!! I wish I could tell you that I've been away from Blogland because of some exciting holiday or something else dramatic and thrilling - but, no. Unless you count my dropping my stam iron, which broke and spattered water on the tv plug. ALL the lights went out - but luckily I only needed to reset the fuses. Phew! And then the builders came to replace a broken gutter and ended up relacing 3 rotten roof joists. What a palaver!!! But you don't want to hear me whinge! Here's a card I made, using a pre-printed LotV image that came as a freebie with a mag a long time ago. Well, I need to use up my stash before Christmas, when hopefully there'll be new stash wrapped up under the tree! The background paper is from stash, it was another freebie, it's a lovely colour! The vines are cut with a small flourish die by Cheery Lynn, using a snippet of brown cardstock. The flower used a Spellbinders Rose Creations die, with a gemmed brad in the...

Good evening, my lovelies, I hope you're all having a good week! I have been sorting out our filing cabinet, which was full of out-of-date computer info and old receipts! Not any more! The drawers will actually shut easily now, since they are no longer jammed full of rubbish! I found some time the other day to make this card: The image is by Hanglar and Stanglar I bought it when I first started this carding lark but was never satisfied with how I coloured her gorgeous hair. Three years on, with fine nibs for my Promarkers, I think I'm beginning to crack it! The papers are from my Snippets box. I used a fleur de lys rectangle by Spellbinders for the image mat. I fussy cut my image, curved her slightly, and added her with foam pads just down the middle, to give dimension. there is purple glitter on the flower and Glossy Accents on her shoes. The white satin ribbon and the textured pink one are from stash. The leaves were cut with a Spellbinders foliage die. The purple f...

Hi, guys! And a warm welcome to my new followers! Thanks for coming by! I hope your week is going well. We had an exciting day yesterday, as the new tv digi-box, phone and Internet were installed! Everything seems to be working a wee bit faster and, even more importantly, we haven't lost the Internet in the last 24 hours! I took the afternoon off, since the ironing is always with ye, and set up a mini-assembly line to make 4 baby cards: It wasn't much quicker than doing them individually, since as usual I kept putting things down and being unable to find them a minute later! I also managed to sit on a pencil and stab myself in the bum! Now, that takes real talent! Here's my favourite of the cards, I love the soft green Promarker colours: I used a different colour combo for the face and hands, since I saw this video on skin tones by Kimberly Brown yesterday. The image and the sentiment are both by Lili of the Valley The papers are all snippets, even the green...

Evening, all! I must apologise again for being MIA: we have had a most frustrating time with our Internet coverage, in fact after 15 years with Virgin we are changing to BT next week. I hope that will be an improvement, it costs a bit more but at least you get the service you pay for! Rant over! This rather vibrant Thank You card has been received by the person who it was made for, so now I can blog it. Brace yourselves, chaps, it's bright! The papers are all snippets, even the orange and white card. The purple paisley is from a Papermania Capsule collection pad, and I think the orange papers are from the orange pad in the same series. I used a Tim Holtz die to cut out both rosettes, folded them and glued the ends together and added the circle in the middle. Does anyone else get excited when you press down on the middle of this frankly boring concertina and then - pop! - it all squishes together into a rosette? No? it must be just me, then! The orange die-cut is made w...

Good evening, all! I hope you're all keeping well! Brrr, it has been so cold and damp and windy today, more like October than May! Do I not like this weather!! I hope the rain stays away tomorrow, when the First Test against New Zealand begins! Yes, it's cricket, huzza!!! But you're not here for me wittering about The Summer Game! Here's a card I made for a friend, using a Lili of the Valley ready-coloured image called Little Girls Tea Time isn't it cute? My friend and I often meet for a cuppa, and I'm rather sad as she will be moving away soon, so I hope this card reminds her of happy times. Mind, we are both considerably older than these little girlies, take a look: I made a joy fold card , and the blue bow is positioned so that it just about holds the flap closed. The papers are snippets of Nitwits - but I can't remember which set!! Here's a side view to give a better idea of the fold: I used part of a Martha Stewart Punch Around the Pag...

The Mediaeval spelling in the title is a family joke, Hubby isn't quite as old as Chaucer! This is Gus, I think he's my favourite Bugaboo character! The rather naughty sentiment came with him! He is coloured in Promarkers and *Flexmarkers with Glossy Accents on his specs. I used a Spellbinders 'Wonky Rectangle' to cut him out. Papers are snippets, the ribbon and buttons are from stash. Here's an inside view, the buttons show up better here: Simples! Hubby's birthday is at the beginning of February and this year I've got tickets for us to see STEPHEN FRY as Malvolio in 'Twelfth Night'!! So exciting! I'm entering several challenges: Here Come the Boys have BINGO - I used the 4 corners: blue, buttons, image and patterned paper Catch the Bug Challenge also has a Bingo card, I hope it's not too cheeky to enter two Bingo challenges! I used Sentiment, Bugaboo image and ribbon Last but definitely not least is Pixie's Crafty S...

Good afternoon, all! Apologies, I meant to schedule this post but it didn't work! However, at last I'm here with my DT card for the first challenge of 2013 at The Squirrel and the Fox and our theme is Anything Goes Our lovely sponsor is Robyn's Fetish who are offering our lucky winner their choice of 5 digistamps! The DT were generously given some images to play with - I chose the adorable 'Puppy Paws' who looks so much like my brother's dog, Millie! I used Speccies to colour her in. The brown circular mat is cut with a Nestie, and the horizontal one with an EK Success punch. All the papers are Snippets, the blues are Nitwits but I can't remember where the pawprints came from. The button and twine are from stash. The sentiment is from a Woodware clear set called 'A Dog's Life.' I coloured 3 tiny heart gems with DR7 Spectrum Noir and glued them over the 'Os' I'm entering Pixie's Crafty Snippets because everything, ev...

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 ...

Yes, it's time for the last Dream Valley Challenge of 2012! Because it's such a busy time of year, this challenge is open for an entire month. The theme is Christmas and we have Four Sponsors offering prizes!!! Well, I thought I'd do something a little different, so here are some tags. They're really quick and easy, which is a good thing because I need 27 of them!! The base is a Nestabilities circle - not the biggest shape but the next one down. The scalloped red mat and the smaller white circle are also Nesties. The holly leaves are cut with a Whiff of Joy die, using pearlised green card. I wish I knew where it came from - it's what was left over a couple of years ago when we cut out a mahoosive Prayer Tree at Sunday School, and now I'm running out! The berries are white card candi coloured with a CT4 Spectrum Noir. I then put some Glossy Accents on top and sprinkled with Glamour Dust. The ties are all recycled from articles of clothing! I just glu...

I am waiting up for my daughter to return from a weekend away, since she doesn't have her keys! So I thought I'd post this card now, especially since next week looks quite busy again! This is for my brother, who in spite of living slap bang in the middle of the country (Derby) took up sailing 5 years ago! The cute image is LotV. Unfortunately I forgot to write down the Promarkers I used - sorry, chaps! The papers are Nitwits from my snippets box. The shiny stickers are Paperchase. The twine is from The Ribbon Girl. eta I'm entering Pixie's Snippets Challenge after too long a time away from the Playground! And that knock on the door is my daughter! I'll love you and leave you, my dearios, and hopefully see you again soon! Take care! love Mags B x

Have you been following the Olympics? Isn't it exciting? I do feel sorry for the women running the Marathon today through the rain, but I suppose it's keeping them cool! It's time for another Dream Valley Challenge and this time it's to use your Punches and Dies. We have 2 fab sponsors: One Stop Card Crafts is offering a £10 voucher and and Inked Treasures is offering 4 digis! So what did I do? I made a Christmas card! I think that's Number 6 - I have another 40 to do! I kept it quite simple to emphasise the shapes. The image is by Docrafts, and I embossed it in gold. I used my gorgeous new Nesties Labels 5 die. I stencilled with Antique Linen Distress Ink while the card was still in the die, and matted twice, on green and gold card. The gold card is thick enough to be embossed, so it looks as though there are 4 layers here! I think I've shown all the things you can do with a die! I used a Woodware Holly border punch, also layered on green and g...

The carol 'While Shepherds Watched their Flocks by Night' can be sung to the tune of the folk song 'On Ilkley Moor 'Baht 'At' (I hope I have the apostrophes in the right place.) I seem to recall that the tune we now call 'On Ilkley Moor' was actually originally meant for this carol but the Victorians didn't think it sounded respectful enough, which is a big pity. Try singing it yourself - the original sounds so much better! And here is a card featuring a Shepherd and the Angel Gabriel from Lili of the Valley. I used Promarkers, and gold stickles for the stars, halo and to edge the background square and LotV sentiment, and Icicle stickles for the wings. The papers are Nitwits 'Still Joyful Hearts.' I used a Marianne die for the star border which has ribbon from my stash threaded through. I popped foam pads as usual behind the image to lift it up. The stars are stickers from Paperchase - they are VERY sticky, and not in the right plac...

Yesterday, Hoddesdon Parish Church's Mothers Union went to see the Great Bed of Ware IN WARE! The Victoria and Albert Museum has lent the beautifully refurbished Bed to the Ware Museum until next April. DO go and see it if you can, it's wonderful, and so is the museum. I made a Thank you card for the lady who organised the trip: I could not resist the new LotV bears. Yep, the family will be dining on lovely cheap 'Mum's overspent on crafty stuff again' soup and home-made bread for the next week once again! It's lucky they like it! This is a small card (5" square) so I made it quite simple. The papers are snippets of K & Co from my snippets box, so I don't know their official names, and the brown matting card is also a snippet. I coloured with Promarkers and added Glossy Accents to the hearts and the bear's nose and also to the LotV sentiment banner. I popped the image and the sentiment on foam pads to give a touch of dimension. The ...

Morning, all! I want to thank you for your lovely comments! Yesterday I had a very minor op and when I got back from the surgery I was feeling rather shaky, but when I read your comments they made me feel so very much better. so - THANK YOU!!! I wasn't allowed to do the ironing (shame!) so I made this. It's the first attempt at masking two images together that has turned out quite reasonably! The stamps are Magnolia, of course. I used Promarkers and Glossy Accented both skulls. The papers are digis by Creative Cottage, and I've had these scraps hanging around for about 2 years! I used baker's twine from The Ribbon Girl. The skull charm and pearls are from stash. The buttons are from my Mother in Law's button tin - the big one has lines on it rather like the points of a compass, so I thought it was appropriate! Here's the inside with more skulls: And here's a close-up of the button: I'm entering Just Magnolia Challenge whose theme is ...