Snowflakes Falling All Around

Evening Everyone,
I have just spent a lovely afternoon in Purley at one of Davina's Open Houses.
She runs the shop from her home and every Friday she has an all day Open House where you can play, chat, drink tea and coffee, and of course shop, all in good crafty company.
Today we spent the afternoon looking through the new Woodware and Stampendous catalogues (boy do I have a long wish list lol) and checking out all of the new goodies that have arrived since her visit to the Trade show.
Of course it would have been rude not to shop and so I have come home with several lovely new embossing folders and a few more ready made flowers, I just couldn't resist them :O)
One of them is actually a rather nice Christmas folder which put me in mind of the fact that I have been very slack in my Christmas card making efforts this year. I think that I will have to remedy this at the weekend, but in the mean time here is one that I made last year but didn't get around to sending, or blogging for that matter.

The main panel is an old Hero Arts stamp (not sure if it is still available) which I have stamped and embossed using black versafine and clear embossing powder, and then sponged with dye based ink.

I painted the dove with thin undiluted bleach, and then covered the entire thing with crystal embossing powder which when heated has given it that fine sparkle.

  Not sure how well it shows up in the photos though. 

The background to the card has been made using a Snowflake stamp by Stampendous, some white embossing powder and Distress inks.

The punched strip across the card has been made using a Martha Stewart Punch around the Page punch.
I also added a few extra punched snowflakes and some gems.
I would like to enter this into the following challenges
Craftyhazelnuts Christmas Challenges - Let it Snow Again
Winter Wonderland challenges - Snowflakes Falling All Around
I have to say that we have been having those flurries of snow that the weathermen predicted throughout the day, so I guess that this card is eminently suitable lol.
Have a great weekend.
Hugs Kimx