Happy Year of the Rat

It has been very spring like today. Warm and sunny, birds twittering in the bushes, a little spring cleaning going on and the windows open. We'll probably have snow tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow - it's the Chinese New Year. This will be the Year of the Rat. Being a rat myself (having been born in the year of the rat - not that I have a tail and fur) and with a love of all things rodentia I am quite pleased. However, I took a look at a Year of the Rat horoscope and discovered that it wasn't to be too great a year for us rats. Usually a specific animal year is good for those born in those years. In other words, it should be good for rats. But it isn't. And water rats (those born in the year corresponding to a specific element - water, air, earth, metal, wood) are to be worst off of all rats. Guess what I am? Yup, a water rat. Oh deep joy! One of these days my luck will turn and I will drop dead of shock. Lucky I don't pay much attention to horoscopes then.

Anyway, to commemorate the Year of the Rat I have made an ATC with a papercut rat. I have also included some pics of inchie designs I am sending out for swap.

To burn or not to burn!

There is a curse about heat embossing for me. Terrible dramas ensue when I start to emboss. The latest - I nearly set fire to the carpet. There is a fetching ATC shaped burn mark on my studio carpet now. I usually do heat embossing on my desk but it was rather overflowing this time so I knelt on the floor. Big mistake. I didn't even notice the heat. Usually if my fingers start to burn I realise that it is too hot. But I was so busy watching the colours change that I didn't see the carpet.

There have been a few situations like that. The first time I tried it I didn't have a heat gun so decided to use a candle. Once again I got so caught up in watching the colours that I didn't notice the card had set on fire. I panicked, ran round the room twice with the burning paper then remembered to throw it in the bathroom sink. The second time I had just bought a new heat gun. I switched it on, it screamed like a harpie and then blew up. I tell you there is a curse about heat embossing. On the up side, it gives some lovely effects. You can see my attempts in the photos.