12 Cards of Christmas Day 9 - Wishes & Wonder

Happy Sunday.

It's the fabulous Joanne's turn to host our Paper Players challenge this week and it's theme week.  For my card, I was inspired by a photo on our local news channel that showed sun set over the snow - and how the snow turned orange.  I decided it was the perfect time to ink up my Wishes and Wonder set.  Here's Joanne's theme:

I started by blending the winter sky with the sun setting.  I stamped, die-cut and colored the sleigh from the Wishes and Wonder set.  I added the North Pole stamp onto the base with some Copper embossing powder and then die-cut the reindeer from Metallic card stock.   I decided the whole thing needed to be placed on a piece of copper metallic card stock to continue the theme of three.  Last touch - some Dr PH Martin's white ink diluted with a touch of water.  After all a snow scene needs snowflakes, right :-)

Here's my card:

On a personal note:

Well, having had 7 inches of snow in early October - it's been really dry since then.  Right now, we are on track for a brown Christmas!  It is so incredibly dry that the animals and birds are really looking for water.  Our bird bath is busy from dawn til dusk.  I caught a photo of the pileated female visiting for a drink.  She's a regular visitor.

These guys never cease to amaze me.  The photo really doesn't give you an idea of how large they are.  Their wing span is nearly 30 inches and they are 20 inches long.  That's a pretty large woodpecker!  The thing I love about them is how prehistoric they look.  We never get tired of seeing them.

One of the things I love about having my craft room in the basement, is being on eye level with our visitors.  In summer it is pretty difficult to see anything as the flowers and shrubs get to about 6 feet.  However, in winter, it's a different story.  This is a photo I captured whilst crafting earlier this year.

A couple of hours later I captured a photo of them from upstairs near the bird feeders:

This guy is also a regular visitor - especially in summer where he can fly through the trees without being noticed.  They are amazingly agile - and smart - predators.  One of the things they have learned to do is to force their prey to fly into the side of buildings to knock them unconscious.  Which means they can feast without a fight!  They are also fearless.  If I go out to confront them, they will stare at me as if to say... you are so lucky you aren't bite sized!!! 

I'll be back tomorrow with another card and some more photographs.  In the meantime, warm hugs and prayers for those of you who need a little lift - and stay safe out there!

hugs

Jaydee

Card recipe:

• Stamps and Dies:  Wishes & Wonder - Stampin' Up!
• Card stock:  Neenah Solar White 80#, Copper Metallic - Stampin' Up!

Comments

[Joanne James]

This card is just stunning Jaydee - so vibrant, and I love the touches of copper which add real warmth to your snowy scene.

[Stef Perry]

Jaydee, your card is absolutely stunning with the rich colors of the sky and sleigh, and I love all the metallic elements as well! The snow splatter is perfect too!

I envy your craft room view, how marvelous it must be to watch all the wildlife. The hawk is quite imperious looking, he knows who is boss in that territory LOL! I was not surprised by your comment of the hawk chasing the smaller birds into buildings. I actually saw a red tail grab a poor squirrel, fly across a field then smack into the side of an abandoned farm house. They are extremely smart birds.

Thanks for sharing all the beautiful photos! Have a lovely weekend!

[Anne Marie Hile]

Jaydee, your card is so fabulously festive! I love the background colors. SO rich and prefect with the metallic embossing. I always enjoy your photos, too. What a beautiful view from your craft room. That hawk is a little scary though. We've had one appear in our yard recently. Luckily the blue jays gang up on him and chase him away. He doesn't stick around very long, thank goodness.

[Claire Broadwater]

Jaydee, this card is fantastic! I love the blended background! The sleigh and reindeer are just perfect, but the North Pole stamp sealed the deal. Every detail is amazing!
Now, on to all your visitors. You could start a zoo! WOW! Amazing! Have a wonderful, restful weekend, My Friend!

[Mary Deatherage]

Wonderful card - the sky you've created is beautiful (I am SOOO not good at the splattering to create snow - but YOU are a Jedi!). And I love the pictures of your flora and fauna. The hawk is gorgeous - and so is your female pileated. I love them! Thanks so much for the glimpses into your world!

[Ann Schach]

Oh my gosh...the deer, Jaydee! OH MY GOSH! There's enough to pulls Santa's sleigh, with extras! LOVE the view outside your windows! Your card is beautiful! I love the speckled snow against the gorgeous sky.

[LeAnne Pugliese]

Your card is very festive, I love the embossing and the snow!
We have had hawks chase birds into our patio doors several times...quite a scary thing! You are lucky to get the pilateds so close!

[Kris Markham]

Jaydee, oh my gosh the card is so fun but the pictures bring so many memories for me about the wild life in Minnesota. Thanks for sharing.

Kris

[Laurie schmidt]

Gorgeous. Just LOVE that background you created!!

[jaydee]

Linda
sorry the woodpecker isn't revealing for you. I'll try sending it via email
hugs
jaydee

[Linda Rodgers]

I'm so disappointed that the woodpecker pics won't load for me. But I'm in awe of all the other wildlife photos. I certainly didn't know that about the hawks forcing their prey into buildings. Wow!

[Hilda Burton]

Jaydee, this is a beautiful card! I love your background with the copper foil and copper embossing. The pictures of the woodpecker, etc. are wonderful. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy your day!

[Marina . . . from far Africa!!!]

You have such beautiful shots so near from you!!!

[Allisa]

Such a gorgeous scene. Love your blended background!