S"now Challenge at all!!

Well do you like my Post title??  Corny huh? :-)  The new challenge starting today at Di's Digis has the theme.... can you guess?.... Snow or Snowflake(s). I have used the opportunity to make a TRULY early start on my 2016 Christmas cards!  This one has an acetate front; the one thing that's even harder to capture in a photograph than glitter is acetate... so it is a picture-heavy post - and loooooooong ... warned ya!!

It looks like the image (the cuter than cute The Magic of Christmas available here)is stuck to the inside of the acetate but it's not; I wanted it to "hang" from the inside of the card rather than be back on an angle, as it would be if stuck to the "inside" of the card, so I worked out a system.  I'm sure it's not original, but I haven't seen this exact way of doing it before so I'm claiming it, lol.  

Well to be honest "system" is putting it a bit strongly, all I did was fold a small tab of the (very thick) acetate I used on the front of the card and stick it behind the image; when you push the card closed it flattens the tab down and the card is perfect for posting, when you pull the tab so it's 90 degrees to the back panel it holds the image panel out from the back panel meaning it's easier to see with the card standing "open".... I think you've probably worked out from all that "verbage" why there's a lot of pics, them speaking a thousand words and all -)) 

Straight out of the envelope :-)

Flattened for posting

With the acetate "tab" opened out

Here's the  "apparatus"... alias "bit of acetate", lol, and how the card looks when ready for posting as well as what it looks like when it first comes out of the envelope!

The panels at the top and bottom of the acetate front are embossed with Darice embossing folders... they are two of a set of three in the Seasonal Theme Embossing Folders set... I made sure I used the snowflake one to fit the theme, heat embossed with Ranger Bridal Tinsel EP... I know, it doesn't show in the pic, sigh.  A sliver of gold card adds a touch of elegance, I think :-) Paper Smooches Dots and Dashes dies were used to cut the edges of the embossed panels, it just finished them off somehow.  

I used a Joycraft Snowflake die to cut a gold snowflake (just to make EXTRA sure I had the theme covered, lol) and added a rhinestone and pearl embellishment from my stash to the centre to finish it off.
The "inside" of the card (which of course you can see most of from the outside) had a strip of paper from the same pack as the background (Wild Rose Studio's Annabelle's Xmas Pack) and a Memory Box Ivy Tendril die cut in gold to add interest, and to tie in the gold mat behind the image.

I coloured the image with Copics, and used the snowy sky paper I created before Christmas as a background (it's available in two colours on my freebies page, here, if you're interested) I added some Ice Stickles to the fur trim and snow on the image, it's pleasingly sparkly IRL :-))
I was going to use the back of the image panel as a jotting space, but decided the recipient may never find it!  So I added a panel to the rear of the card for that purpose and stamped a sentiment - my favourite Christmas sentiment, from (the sadly now defunct)  Tickled Pink Stamps - using Memento ink and my stamp-a-ma-jig... I LOVE that thing, it's made the world of difference to how often I'm prepared to use a rubber stamp;

I always botched it before I got this brilliant tool, not anymore :-
That's it for today's card, it's really very simple, just difficult to describe!  I hope you get a chance to pop over to the challenge blog and have a look at all the snowy wonderfulness there... and that you get a chance to enter the challenge too; great prize on offer as always, and if you use one of Di's cute images (digi or a Candibean rubber stamp) there's extra opportunities, WooHoo!!
I am SERIOUSLY going to be back in a few days, I even have the post ready.... well almost, rofl. In the meantime I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

As You Like It Favourite: Paper or Non Paper (paper…. At the moment, I love all crafts so it IS a "movable feast", lol

Pile It On Your First Initial … D = (Di's) Digis, Darice embossing folders… and of course a Duo of Darling mice!!

Hiding in my Craft Room Embossing

Clear It Out Theme: Winter Stash: Add a Snowflake

The Crazy Challenge Celebration

Creatalicious Challenges Something Old (Snowflake die, acetate- which is recycled packaging) Something New (Image, Embossing folders, edge dies)

Winter Wonderland Glitter and Shine

Crafty Hazlenuts Christmas Challenge Cute or Anything Christmas

Crafty Hazlenut's Christmas Extra Challenge Anything Goes (Christmas)

ABC Christmas Challenge A for Anything Goes

Craft Your Passion Anything Goes

Through the Craftroom Door Anything Goes

Crafting With Friends Anything Goes

Art by Miran Anything Goes

That Craft Place Anything Goes

Inky Chicks Anything Goes

Little Miss Muffet Anything Goes

Despite my post title it WAS something of a challenge for me to "think snow"... in fact I thought I'd share a pic or two of the reason I have posted this a little late: it's been really hot here and as it was still over 30C at 8 pm I was having a bit of R&R and a "quick" dip in the pool that ended up involving a cheeky chardonnay and some particularly nice gorgonzola, yum yum.  

I especially love the pool in the evenings, the frangipanis we've planted have started to bloom and the fragrance in the balmy evenings is really quite gorgeous.  Now we've finally got around to putting the lighting in it's very nice out there at night. Snow wasn't really on my mind, but I DID remember to get this post out, so here it is :-))  Until next time, Happy Crafting, Donna