This is tough for me, because there are so many techniques I enjoy! It's a bit like being asked 'What's your favourite book?' To which my answer is always 'The one that I'm currently reading.' Anyway, I love using patterned papers on my cards, but rather than use a sketch I decided on paper piecing for a change.  I used an old  Woodware  stamp by the brilliant Francoise Read, it's called 'Large Patch Tree' and unfortunately is out of print.  But check out the other stamps she has designed, so many are great for paper piecing. One of the good things about paper piecing is that it's so easy to make 2 cards at once. I used 2 green patterned papers, a scrap of red tartan paper, and some red card.  I stamped the tree on all the papers and fussy-cut them out.  Then I went around the cut edges with a black marker to hide any imperfections in my cutting!  I stamped the image again on 2 4 x 6 inch pieces of white card and assembled the trees like a q...

 I have had this 'Patchwork Boat' stamp by Woodware for many years, and I thought I'd use it for my Olde Manne's birthday card.  Making cards for him is very difficult because he does not do Cute in any way at all! Fortunately the paper-piecing was judged to be acceptable! I used 6 papers from an old paper pad, stamped the image on each one and fussy-cut the 'patches.'  I re-stamped the image on some white card, glued down the patches and then cut the image out.  Then, because I had all those extras left over, I made 5 more to give to the Toddler Group at my Church. The background is made with an old background stamp from Hero Arts and Peacock Feathers Distress ink.  The border is made from blue holographic card from Tonic and I added the embossed greeting to 'ground' everything.  Finally I added 3 drops of Nuvo Drops for a tiny bit of bling! He likes it! Thanks for looking and take care! love Mags B x

Hello! Happy Friday! Christmas now seems a long time ago, doesn't it? However we have a new Challenge at My Time to Craft which will bring back some of the excitement of Christmas Day - New Stash! It's a chance to show off any lovely new inks, stamps, dies, paints etc that you received. My lovely daughter bought me the gorgeous Peony stamp and die set by Reverse Confetti. Instead of colouring the images I stamped them onto snippets of patterned paper and added a little shading with my Prismacolor pencils. The background has been dry embossed with an old Spellbinders folder, it scarcely shows in the photo but irl it adds a subtle background. The sentiment is from Lawn Fawn's Simply Sentiments stamp set. I added shimmer with a Spectrum Noir pan and finished with dots of various Nuvo Drops. After several days of cleaning and tidying it was great to get back into ye olde crafte hovel to create! Thanks for looking, and have a great weekend! love Mags B x

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! We have a technique challenge at My Time to Craft and it's Paper Piecing . That's the technique where, instead of colouring in your image, you stamp it on coloured papers, cut out, and pice them together like a patchwork quilt. For the background I used Snow Drifts Cover Up by My Favorite Things. The papers are Beach Boardwalk an older paper pad by Carta Bella. The yacht image is from Lawn Fawn's Float My Boat and the sails and hull are paper pieced. Go and get some inspiration from my teamies' gorgeous creations, they will inspire you to join in! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x

Good morning! At CRAFT Challenge this week we have a Technique for you to try: Paper Piecing . This is when instead of using pens to colour your image, you stamp it on patterned papers, cut them out and piece them together like a jigsaw. There is a tutorial on our Challenge blog here . Our lovely sponsors this week are: Di's Digistamps The Stamping Boutique Sweet'n'Sassy I used Blast Off! by Sweet 'n' Sassy to make a shaker card. I apologise for the picture, the rocket ship is much clearer irl! I printed and cut out a plain image and then paperpieced the rocket with scraps from my stash, and before I glued them onto the base I went around the edges with a black felt tip to add definition. I added Wink of Stella to the blue bubble cockpit and the flames. The papers are also from stash. Go and see my creative teamies' paper piecing, and have a go! Thanks for looking! love Mags B x