"'Twas the night before Christmas ...

...  when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap."

I just love that poem - it really evokes the feeling of excitement that comes on Christmas Eve.  I wonder if Clement Moore realised what he was doing when he wrote the poem in 1823!!  It's changed how we consider St Nicholas!

This is another of my scheduled posts - while we celebrate Christmas with our family - and today I'm going to show you the cards I made for my craft club friends - I kept them a secret until today, just in case anyone dropped by for a visit! 

For these cards, as they were all hand delivered and I didn't have to worry about the post, I allowed myself a few layers.  I used a mixture of pre-printed toppers from Kanban Cards (QVC kits) and my trusty Waltzingmouse stamps to create these special cards.  Apart from the black and silver bauble card, all the others have been made by stamping a border around the edge of a 5" x 7" card and adding a topper.  My friend Kath just loves the monochrome look; she has the most magnificent black, silver and white Christmas Tree in her hall.  So it was entirely natural that her card was monochrome.

This is the one for Kath - queen of monochrome!!

That's all for today.  Whatever you're doing today - have fun and enjoy the build up of excitement.  And I don't just mean the children!!  Sending you all best wishes for a Happy Christmas.