Sunday Snippet - Trimming the Tree

Afternoon Everyone,

From a very stormy Ayrshire today. Actually, the weather was foul this morning, but it's not too bad now. It's still blowing a gale, but the sun is out ... come to Scotland and experience all weathers in one day :))

The EM dismantled a shelf in the room the computer is in this morning  and has been filling in holes made by screws so now there's a layer of fine dust lying on top of everything ... I had to dust down the keyboard before starting to type. I fear there is going to be a lot more dust-making over the next few weeks :(

Happily, he's not started on the craft room yet which means I've been able to make this little snippet card so I can nip over to Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground - where it's Week 90 and Di is already anticipating reaching the magic 100 :)

It's a brown Christmas ... not very traditional I know, but I had this polka dot design paper leftover from yesterday's card which I wanted to use up. I dug around the snippets pile and found a scrap of brown textured card and a rummage in the toppers box unearthed a wee pack of LOTV pre-coloured images in just the right tones. And, as luck would have it, the die cut poinsettia which was still lying on my desk from the beginning of the week ... sometimes it pays not to tidy up :)) It was too white though so I inked it over with a sepia shade of ink to tone it down a bit.

The sparkle is from iridescent glitter and some rather special aurora borealis gems ... these have been in the stash for months because, much as they are gorgeous, and like a magpie I could not resist them, usability is limited by the colours. More NBUS being cracked open ... Darnell will be pleased :))

Materials used: 

• white 4" square card base
• Papermania textured cardstock, brown
• polka dotted DP printed from Grafter's Companion SWALK CD
• LOTV pre-coloured topper from Christmas Animals - Decorations set
• poinsettia cut from smooth white card using Spellbinders Poinsettia die set and inked with VersaFine Vintage Sepia
• X-cut scalloped edge punch for belly band
• Habico iridescent gems, aurora borealis
• iridescent glitter

It's back to the craft room for me now. I have a VIP card to make, in a hurry ... it's the EM's birthday tomorrow ... his 75th! I don't think either of us can quite believe it ... the years seem to be just flying by. It seems only yesterday that we were young and old age was eons away. One of the few advantages, perhaps the only advantage, to having lived for so long is that he now no longer needs to pay for a television licence ever again :)) 

All this talk of gales, rain and old age and all that, has brought to mind a favourite Longfellow poem, and for no better reason than it's Sunday I hope you will forgive me this little indulgence. 

The Rainy Day

THE day is cold, and dark, and dreary;

It rains,and the wind is never weary;

The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,

But at every gust the dead leaves fall,

And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;

It rains,and the wind is never weary;

My thoughts still cling to the mouldering past,

But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,

And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart, and cease repining;

Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;

Thy fate is the common fate of all,

Into each life some rain must fall,

Some days must be dark and dreary.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Take care and happy crafting,