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

Feeling Blue...

It's not just the awful cold that I came down with the other day that's causing the blues.  This week sees our very last challenge at Bah! Humbug! till the New Year.  Yep, we Bah! Humbuggers! are taking a break and as it is our last challenge it seemed appropriate to have the theme of 'Feeling Blue'.

Even though I was so snuffly I wanted to just curl up under the duvet I really, really couldn't miss the last challenge so out came my favourite glitter card and a gorgeous snowflake die from a set by Marianne.  The snowflake is set behind the circular aperture cut into embossed white card.  A really simple card to make, but a useful one to send out.

My card is for the challenges at...

• Cute Card Thursday - Blast from the Past (Week 91 aperture's)
• Crafts and Me - cards with snowflakes on
• Pollycraft - anything blue
• Incy Wincy Designs - blue and white. 
• Fussy and Fancy - Christmas with no red or green

While I was in my blue phase I had a little play using a Kaleidoscope ink pad I have that has loads of shades of blue in it. Using art card and ink dusters I shaded the whole of the card with the lightest blue in the middle and getting darker and darker towards the edge.

Then using a Hero Arts sentiment stamp that I've had for years I stamped the word 'Joy' in the bottom corner.  I must admit that I was intending to add white embossed snowflakes to the tag at this stage, but while I was searching for snowflake stamps I found this wonderful Stampendous branch that hasn't seen the light of day for years.  Eeek too many stamps - NO never!  Having stamped the branches I felt the need to add a bauble and decided to use my Sizzix die again.  This die cuts the circle and tag part separately so I cut the outer tag ring in blue and the inner circle in white art card.  Then using the Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder I put the circle over one of the snowflakes and embossed.  To make the bauble match the rest of the tag I dusted it with ink and for a bit of glitz added a gem stone to the centre and a touch of glitter to the branches.

As well as some of the challenges listed above my tag is also perfect for the challenge at...

• Oldie but Goldie - glitter (really must enter this challenge more often and get some of my old stamps used.  The Stampendous branch is a design from 1992 and there was I swooning over the new Waltzing Mouse stamps when I had this in my collection already.)

I hope you will have chance to pop over to Bah! Humbug! to see the work of the rest of the team and maybe join in.  Next week, although there will be no challenge, we will be announcing the winner and runner up in our loyalty club so that's something exciting enough to banish the blues for quite a while.

Have a great day everyone.

Ann xxx

It can't be Friday already...

Sheesh, where are the weeks going?  Time is just flying by and it's getting nearer and nearer to Christmas.  I know I've said this before, but thank goodness I've been a part of Bah! Humbug! over the last year, because we may not have a cake yet or a hundred and one other essentials, but at least the cards are well and truly underway. 

Plus I've got my Christmas hat too!  Have you checked out my new profile picture? 

I shall be wearing it to do all my commenting for Bah! Humbug! from now on.  Both my team mates, Max and Irene, are hoping to get one too.  Irene says I look like Maria out of 'The Sound of Music'.  I think she's jealous cause they haven't got them at her Poundland store.  LOL!

Our challenge this week is entitled 'Lovely in Lilac' and we would love to see creations in many different shades of lilac.  Now one of the Bah! Humbuggers! (see card above) got the wrong idea completely and just did a card with a touch of lilac.  Oh dear, I really must pay attention in future!

Anyway no worries as my card did give me chance to use my lovely new embossing folder, by Papermania, given to me by my dear friend Susan.  I love it.  Thank you so much Susan.  Think I will be using this one often.

My card is a very easy one to create and is a style of card I have used many times before.  It's larger than the normal cards of this shape as I have some envelopes that measure 9" x 4.75" which I was given by my local Hallmark shop.  They were throwing away all the old card stock and envelopes.  How wasteful is that?  Anyway they allowed me to salvage all the envelopes and some of them have been so useful.  This particular size is great, because it allows enough space for the whole width of embossing folder and enough to matte and layer too.

I've used lilac gems to embellish the embossing and a sizzix bauble tag die cut for the sentiment.

My card is also for the following challenges...

• ABC Christmas Challenge - X is for Xmas
• Simon Says - Sparkle (my gems and mirri card)
• Tuesday Taggers - Peace. Love and Joy
• Crazy for Challenges - A Christmas Card or item
• Secret Crafter - Sparkle and Shine

Have a great weekend everyone and do pop over to Bah! Humbug! to check out the samples by my team mates and our super talented Guest Designer Pat.

Ann xxx