Just Believe... spring is coming!

At CASology this week the cue word is Winter. Now, I can appreciate the beauty of a crisp, snowy winter day and icy berry-laden twigs but I have to admit that long-term cold and dark gets me down. That's why I love snowdrops; to me they're a symbol of hope that spring will eventually come. So I settled down to work out how to make a Stampin' Up snowdrop. Come and see:

I think it works quite well! I used the iris image from Just Believe for my snowdrop leaves, colouring just the stems on the rubber with a Gumball Green marker before stamping. The flower was made using the tip of the leaf on the 2-step bird punch (there are SO many uses for this amazing punch!)

I punched out three of the leaf tips and added shading on the back two with a grey watercolour pencil before glueing them together. All it needed then was a little green shading, which I did with a Gumball Green marker and a blender pen. Snowdrops have a little 'hood' behind the flower, so I doodled that in with the thin end of my marker.

The background was sponged in and I added a torn scrap of card stock to make snow, then punched the image out with my 2 1/2" circle punch. For a little bit of subtle texture I mounted it on a panel I'd subtle-embossed with my woodgrain folder so I think it can be a second entry into the re-styled  Make My Monday challenge where the theme is Dry Embossing this week.

This is one of my all time favourite sentiments and it's from A Word For You. I used a marker to colour just the word 'thanks' and used my stamp-a-majig to position it where I wanted it.

Here's what you'll need to make today's card
Stamps: Just Believe, A Word For You
Ink: Bashful Blue, Marina Mist, Gumball Green, Tangerine Tango
Card stock: Whisper White, Naturals White
Punches: 2-step bird punch, 2 1/2" circle punch
Other: Markers, Woodgrain embossing folder, Big Shot, stamp-a-majig

I'd be delighted to order any of these items for you and have them delivered straight to your address in the UK. I'm committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to offer help and advice. To place your order, just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593.

• I still have a few places available for my Stampers 6 club in February and you'd be welcome to join in. With the Sale-a-bration promotion coming up and a new mini catalogue coming out soon, it's a great way to buy your wish list gradually and get lots of freebies too! Email me here to reserve your place.

Yesterday morning I made fish finger sandwiches for breakfast (no honestly, try them - they're delicious!) I must have dropped a piece of fish on my way to the table because next minute we were entertained by the sight of Tuppence, our cat, batting it about and chasing it around the kitchen! After a few minutes she sat down, ate it and then swaggered out licking her lips and quite visibly thinking: "I am Hunter Killer Tuppence, great warrior and defeater of the mighty fish finger!"

Have a fantastic weekend and I'll see you very soon.