Christmas Birthdays...

or birthdays very near to Christmas.  When I started this card it was going to be another Christmas card, but it sort of changed along the way.  The image and backing papers are taken from Joanna Sheen's Fashion Boutique CD and printed on to glossy photo paper.  The image was mat and layered on to two shades of brown card and gold mirri card to add more glitz.  I've added border and corner peel offs to both the image and the outside of the card and a gold leaf with berries that has been in my stash for ages.  The gold peel off sentiment looks a bit wonky in the photo, but it was straight on the card I'm sure.

My card is for the challenges at ...

• Crafty Ann's Challenge - Christmas and a sketch (spooky how I started this card yesterday and yet it is so close to Ann's sketch that I just had to enter it)
• Alphabet Challenge - Foliage (think the lady sitting on the branch holding her bunch of mistletoe should count)
• Tanda Teaser - Ladies Only
• CD Sunday - White Christimas ( I do hope this card is okay even though it is a birthday card - I did print the image originally with this challenge in mind - honest!)
• Allsorts Challenge - Monochrome

Well I'm back to work tomorrow providing the snow doesn't get any worse.  Have a great weekend everyone.

It's that mouse again!...

This House Mouse guy seems to be appearing everywhere this week.  This time he's got himself into a snowglobe I picked up at our local Home Bargains store.  I really like this globe as it's flat backed and has a huge magnet on so that you can stick it on the fridge, etc.  It was nice and easy to open and has a much neater finish than the last globe I used.

My globe is going to make it's way on to my Mum's fridge this afternoon when I go on to do her tea, but it's also for the challenges at...

• Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog - Christmas Animals (wow Cynthia can you believe I entered on your very first day?)
• Bunny Zoe's Crafts - Anything for Christmas but not a card.
• Ooh La La Creations - Here comes Santa CLAWS (lol)
• One Stop Craft Challenge - Christmas Cuties

Hope this snow melts soon.  My Graphicus goodies are still being held at the Post Office and our milk and bread supplies are running dangerously low.  I'm not sure which of those things is worrying me most!  Probably the Graphicus box as they are like gold dust to get hold off.

Take care everyone.

Ann xxx 

Bah! Humbug! Part 2...

Just got back and changed into dry clothes after our lovely walk, which was only spoilt a little by the drivers who soaked us through by driving too close and scaring the living daylights out of us.   Unfortunately the pub was closed, but the walk was still good and it was lovely to be out in the fresh air taking photos of our very own 'winter wonderland'.

Trees look stunning with a snowy coat.  Whoops there I go with my thing about trees again - if Lorraine reads this she will be giggling. 
 

We really walked much further than we should have done especially seeing as we weren't able to have a meal while we were out.  Luckily the garage was open on the way home and although a bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk hasn't got quite the same attraction as lasagne it at least fuelled up the energy levels enough to get us home.  Sadly the garage had sold out of essentials such as milk and bread which was a bit of a pain, but being made of stern stuff we didn't let it get us down and came out with two bottles of wine instead.

It's all good I think, but please can the snow go quite quickly now as I've taken my photos and I've seen enough of it for this year. 

Ann xxx

Bah! Humbug!...

I'm sorry, but the snow I like is glittered and on Christmas cards.  The real stuff is also okay for the occasional country walk, sledging and building snowmen, but on no account should it fall when people need to get to work or even worse know that they have a huge parcel from Graphicus stranded at the Post Office and there is no way they can get their hands on it.  Eeek!

Anyway grumble over and on to more fun things such as this totally cute House Mouse stamp from one of the sets on the Joanna Sheen website.  How cute is he?  I love him to meeces!

I missed the last challenge at the House Mouse and Friends Challenge blog and was determined not to miss this one which is all about the 'envelope'.  To compensate for missing out last time I did a card to match the envelope.  Actually not sure which came first - a bit like the chicken and the egg query really.

The envelope was stamped with the mouse and then using another stamp set in my collection I stamped the ground and the snowballs using a bit of masking and a pen to join things up.  I coloured the image using Promarkers.  I was a bit unsure as to how they would blend on the envelope paper and I must admit I put an protective piece inside the envelope just incase the ink went through, but it all seemed to work fine. The snowflakes are one of the really tiny corner stamps by Clarity bought at a show years ago and were stamped in Versefine Sepia.  I added the address to the photo only - I don't really know Maxwell's address!

My card is a really simple one with the mouse image mounted on a fab die cut by Nellie Snellen and then matted on some of my favourite wording paper by DCWV.  Organza ribbon, die cut tags and corner peel offs have been added for a touch of oomph.

My card and envelope set is perfect for the following challenges...

• House Mouse and Friends Challenge Blog - Envelope Art
• Crazy 4 Challenges - Script (background paper)
• Promarker Challenge - Old and New (new is House Mouse stamp - old is DCWV paper and snowflake corner stamp)

Well, I'm off for a walk in the snow.  I must be mad, but I do think that it will be really beautiful on the pastures near us and am hoping to take some good snowy day photos.  Also hoping that Pasture's Lodge is open too as I think on a cold day their lasagne, garlic bread and chips meal would go down very nicely accompanied by a glass (or two) of red wine.

Have a good day all and keep warm and safe.

Ann xxx