Ignore this post - I'm just getting things off my chest!!!

I returned home from Germany on Monday, and what a disastrous time I've been having. First I couldn't open my vestibule door to get at my mail - it was jammed shut - I had to 'jemmy' it open, now I need a new handle for it. When I did - OK there were a few goodies, but the amount of paper work waiting was unbelievable, (I'd only been away a fortnight for goodness sake).

When I opened my front door the handle came off in my hand, the door had swollen so much whilst I was away. I loaned my plane out to someone who hadn't returned it, so off I went to buy another, to plane down the door and then re-varnished it.

There was a message on my answering machine from my accountant wanting my yearly accounts - ooops!! I lost them when my computer was giving me problems earlier in the year and hadn't caught up.

My prize for my Basic Grey challenge has 'gone missing' in the post and the PO attitude frankly left a lot to be desired. Haven't given up on this one yet though.

Everytime I try and leave a comment on someone's blog my stupid computer tells me 'Internet Explorer cannot display this Webpage' - several attempts later I usually get there - but this is so time consuming. Apologies to all for my missing comments.

By Saturday I was just about losing the will to live, but being the eternal optimist - I'm thinking - New Week - New Start.

(LOL - I'm beginning to see the funny side of all this now I've written it all down.)

Penny Black, Basic Grey & Sketch Saturday challenges

How thrilled was I when I got home from work, looked at the three challenges and realized how well they would fit together. Penny Black is 'Funky Christmas'. using funky images or colours whilst Basic Grey is embossing. I followed the sketch for Sketch Saturday. I used Basic Grey papers - Granola and embossed the top left & bottom right with Provo crafts snowflake folder which I distressed.

I had thought to use core-dinations for the distressing, but was thrilled with how well it worked on the BG paper. I stamped the two outside, one inside snowflake, the greeting and sentiment with metallic blue ink, and heat embossed them using pearl blue embossing powder. Hedge is coloured in watercolours and his scarf finished with twinkling H2O's. The snowflakes and snowballs on the image are rub-ons from my 'Use-up' box. I finished it with a holographic snowflake and ribbon bow from stash.

Stamp with Stampavie

This week's Stamp with Stampavie is a wonderful sketch by Sandra. As I had an anniversary card to make for a forum friend I decided to combine the two. I love these little Stampavie owls which I managed to get whilst in Germany. I have watercoloured them and used HOTP 'Icy Rainbow' papers. The hearts were cut on the cuttlebug, the sentiment is a peel off due to my computer being out of ink when I returned home from holiday - could this perchance be one, or both of teenage grandsons - I think so. (Teenage boys are horrible - but I love 'em anyway). The rest from stash. It's just a pity I assembled this card upside down - derrr.... now I will have to Chop the front off and stick it to another card. It's not the first time I've done this and I don't suppose it will be the last.

Penny Black challenge - week 23 - Monocromatic

The Penny Black challenge this week is Monochrome.
I've always fancied doing Modesty in black and white but now I have I don't think I like it. I wasn't going to post it, but thought I've spent that much time doing it - get it posted. Should have done what I intended to do originally. Can't say much more about this really - the image is coloured in watercolours, the black paperis embossed, but doesn't show on the photograph. Gems ribbon and brad

from stash.

House Mouse challenge 14 (All about Christmas)

Easy this week - I thought. Hah !! - why do I do it - make things difficult for myself, that is. I got this roll of leaves and thought - great a wreath, fasten some red beads to it and there we go. Now came the problem of how to

fasten it all together. After several attempts I resorted to the old favourite - silicone glue which takes forever to dry. I used Making Memories paper - Poinsetta stripe Falala, edged this with Spellbinders small squares cut diagonally and added dewdrops which look pink, not red in the photograph. Photographing this card was difficult as the wreath put a shadow on the poor little mice. After taking a dozen or more photos. I gave up a chose the best one, which is slightly crooked, but I didn't care by this point in time. Now on posting this I have realised I haven't put a greeting on it, this I'm afraid will have to wait.