Sunday Snippets and Rudolph Days August 2023

It's hard to believe we're heading towards September really fast. As a September baby, I really love the Autumn and look forward to cosy evenings in front of the dancing flames of the (electric effect only these days) lounge fire, using the slow cooker more for lovely stews and casseroles, not sweltering trying to keep cool with fans blowing from all directions etc and most likely still able to spend time in the log cabin to enjoy the Autumn days and evenings. 

BUT, then the panic as Christmas looms closer. So, my snippets card for today is a Christmas card - and I made two the same whilst the place was in an uproar of umpteen dies and goodness knows what else:

The sentiment circle is bright silver but our shower room (usually a great place to take photos) is bathed in golden light for much of the afternoon and so I had to go with the photo I managed to capture!

And the snippets I used:

I scrabbled around in my box of 'best' white card and found a ton of snippets, which I thought would look more interesting as 'leftovers' from some of the die cutting than just plain white snippets

I used:

- A6 white card blank, tent style

- loads of white snippets and a bundle of dies from the Sizzix Tim Holtz 'Funky Festive' set of dies. I did the die cutting using my Altenew mini die cutting machines and assembled the foliage etc. as I went along as it was much less confusing that way

- I also used white snippets to die cut a Creative Expressions Tree and star using their 'Christmas Tree Triple Layering' die set. Sizzix Micro dot sheets were a life saver when assembling the intricate layers of the tree!

- finally I had what I could see in my mind's eye enough foliage etc. to decorate the card so I then turned to the backing layers and for those I used fresh whole sheets of the same white card and two dies from the Spellbinders 'Resplendent Rectangles' set of dies

-  ran the smaller die cut layer through the Gemini using SU's 'Freshly Falling' embossing folder - and then it was time to assemble! So I went to bed for a good night's sleep to approach the 'White on White Marathon' with renewed energy - the following day

- before I went to bed I did swipe a Wink of Stella clear glimmer layer over a lot of the die cuts - not the main part of the Christmas tree as I liked it how it was, and some of the small foliage pieces only had parts 'glimmered'. Not that it matters as the camera absolutely refused to show the glimmer anyhow

- did my morning yoga session with Dudley (he strikes a cool downward dog pose during our sessions and then back to the card). OK, so truthfully I got up and just trundled into the craft room - but yoga sounds pretty impressive huh?! 

- glued the two pretty Spellbinders die cut panels onto the card front (btw, those intricate Spellbinders dies are not the best cutters so I'd had a tussle the previous day with them)

- then added the Christmas tree using red line tape and popped the star in place with a little SU sticky pad 

- next, it was just a matter of faffing around adding the foliage pieces to two opposite corners using partly glue pens and partly red line tape

- final touches, adhered with pieces of thin sticky pad, were the assembled poinsettia - from the same Sizzix set of dies - plus a sentiment circle by Craftwork cards. It IS silver, and a lovely bright shiny silver too - but once again the light and the camera weren't on my side at all! 

So that was my first 'proper' foray into making a White on White card. I did enjoy the process but am not sure that the time taken is really justifiable. The 'in house critic' hugely approved  - probably as it kept me quiet and occupied for a good while! 

I'm entering this card into two challenges:

Rudolph Days for August - HERE 

Darnell's NBUS Challenge #53 HERE.  The Tim Holtz Sizzix dies were NBUS.

The results of The Snippets Challenge # 460 are over on the Snippets Playground blog HERE. 

Dudley Pupdate: Poor Dudley, he's super quick to pick up on most 'vibes' - no matter how subtle we are. Every other week, his grooming session includes the application of either anti-flea or anti-tick liquid just in a little strip down his back, between his shoulder blades. In Winter it's just a monthly thing with the 'anti-flea' as the ticks here die off in Autumn. However, he seems to just know when the required vial/tube of a single application of liquid is brought up by Len to where I groom him. He does get groomed but he knows that 'vial application' day is serious stuff! He has light grooms meanwhile and his eyes are cleared every single day - but the 'vial of doom' is something else for him! 

When it was time for Len to lift him onto the table where I work on him, he (Dudley of course) hid right towards the far corner under my desk. He had to be coaxed, quite strongly at one point, but it's only ever verbally - to even stick his nose out from under the desk! I was sitting on my desk chair, pushed back from the desk when he popped his head out. Before Len could even lift him up - Dudley whipped out, put both of his paws up onto my knees and buried his head in my lap as if to hide from his fate. It was heartbreaking - especially as I'm the one who was lined up to do the grooming session! Talk about pulling at the heartstrings!

However,  Duds and I  got through it OK - with Dudley stood up on the table on his hind legs like a boxing hare - fighting me for much of the time. What a scamp!l

There's still one week of the current Snippets Challenge to go, hope to see you in the Playground soon if you haven't played already - make a card and come and play and also have a chance to win a nice prize if you join in the draw! 

Love, as always, from myself and Dudley (aka 'The Boxing Ring Scamp/Champ'!),