A Texas Birthday!

Well Howdy!!!
That's the appropriate way of saying "hello" here in Texas!!! and I'm all about letting everyone know that we are now in TEXAS!!! (ha ha). I just think it's really interesting that people here are so proud of being from Texas... You hear it everywhere, especially TV, that they're proud of it! It's great to identify yourself so positively with the State you are living in. It's a very positive sense of belonging.

They have a little song here at Christmas time that goes: "Merry Texas Christmas to you..."
I just love it. It makes me laugh every time. Makes you think that a "Texas Christmas" is much more special than a Christmas anywhere else!!! And they do have a lot of stuff that is "Texas": the boots, the hats, the Tex-Mex food, the Fiestas for every occasion...and let's not forget the longhorn cattle and the rodeos!!!  YES, THERE IS A LOT TO LOVE ABOUT TEXAS!!!

It's my husband's Birthday and when I thought about his card, I just couldn't get that ditty out of my head about a Texas Christmas aka a Texas Birthday!!! Seemed so fitting. Last year on his Birthday, we had just moved here and had no time for a "Birthday" (we did go out to a fun restaurant)...but THIS YEAR... it was time for a Texas Birthday!!!

So here's the card I made. I love the stamps from Lili of the Valley from Australia. I haven't bought any recently, but I love the ones I have. Their little people are just so cute!!! Those ladies are very talented!!! Isn't it so wonderful that we are so connected with countries that are thousands of miles away and we can shop their stores as though they were next door. (Well, not quite... there's the postage...)

 My husband is retired... so snoozing under a tree is what he is SUPPOSED to be doing. But as everyone knows... as long as God gives us breath, we have "stuff" to do. But we do have a lot more time to relax and read the paper (or watch a football game)...  that's the favorite "do nothing" around this house!!!

 Someone gave me this stamp a long time ago. I'm not crazy about mice, but this one is perfect for the signature on the back. I did it in gold so that it would show up on the navy blue. It came out quite nice, I thought. I'll probably use it a whole lot more now.

The deets:
I just bought a set of Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils. SO EXCITED!!! I had heard about them so much but thought I really only wanted to work with watercolors. I still LOVE watercolors of all kinds, but had to get honest with myself, that trying to do watercolors on these small images was quite difficult. Watercolors need space to spread and take shape, some of the spaces on these small stamps are so little, you really don't get any flow and it is much harder to manage. Working with these pencils was such a pleasure!!! They went on beautifully. And where the space was a little bigger, like a coat, I just used a blender pencil (dry) and it was great. I think you can also use gamsol or some other mineral spirit. I will try that soon.

The background is a blend of Tim Holtz Distress stamp pads and the white grid is done with a white pencil. I like the background. The grid gives it a very different look.

 Here's the challenges I am entering with this card:

http://thepencilcases.blogspot.ca/  Anything goes with coloring
http://addictedtocas.blogspot.com.au/  Celebrate
http://chocolatebaroquechallenge.blogspot.co.uk/ color challenge

Thank you so much for stopping by.I wish I could meet all of you in person.
Have a very BLESSED and SAFE Holiday season,

Elena

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