One stamp - four ways....

I have been down in London for a few days helping out with Molly - sheer joy! Look how tiny she is, I just love that gorgeous feeling of a newborn nuzzling into your neck as they fall asleep on your shoulder.  

Back to crafting - I bought this Woodware background stamp which is just a collection of Christmas words, and played around with heat embossing it. I cut out a tree shape, and realised I had two useful bits left over......

So my first card with a stencilled background looked like this (I applied distress inks over the white heat embossed stamp)

 and by fitting the two left over pieces onto a base white card, I was left with a white tree shape, which I embellished with some texture paste stars and dots

and the same idea using different colours.......

My cards have been sent, my presents have been bought and wrapped, the only thing left to do is decorate the house, and I am having a bit of a bah humbug moment about that, but today will see me climb up into the loft and start sorting through all the junk, tangled lights, broken winged angels lovely Christmas ornaments that I should have taken far more care when packing away last year......


I have a confession to make, all those rants I have made here about those 'round robin' Christmas messages people put in with their cards......you know, the ones that make their lives so perfect, with clever children gaining a PhD at the age of 18, marvellous holidays in far flung places where it never rains......yes, I hang my head in shame and have to tell you that this year a  'round robin' was tucked into cards sent to old school chums and far away cousins. As I didn't bother to tell them that the boiler was on the blink,  the car broke down twice, my hips aren't what they used to be,  and stuff like that, there are now people scattered around the UK cursing me for having the perfect life. I feel rather smug - I have been taken in by my own hype!