Pets at Allsorts

I had a little smile when I saw the Pets Challenge at Allsorts this week. I have a pet Giant Africa Land Snail called Brian...  My make is a birthday card I made for my God Daughter who also had a pet Snail called Gary until quite recently. 

I created a distress oxide background on coated card stock, stamped with Lavinia stamps and then sealed with laquer. I wasn't sure it was going to work, but having done some of the stamping in versafine Clair and the chalky texture of the oxides I knew it would need something to stop it smudging. Very happy to say that it worked.

If you aren't keen on snails you might not want to look any further, but just to prove snails are great pets, here is Brian...

He munches his way through the salad drawer, and has a great love of cucumber and sweet potatoes.

He loves having a shower in the sink and doesn't need a great deal to keep him happy. His grandfather (also called Brian) lived to the grand old age of 9 and had many offspring.

Thanks for looking!

Cute Snails!

My God daughter's birthday card had to involve snails in some shape or form. She is the proud owner of Gary II  and made this video of Gary I having a shower. She has since gone to university and gained a degree in Zoology, where snails played a part too.  I used a penny black image and coloured it with promarkers before cutting with spellbinders dies and dusting with distress inks. The base card was stamped with the tiny snail (stampendous) and dusted also.
As you read this I am starting 5 weeks of school holidays. Thought it would never come!
Thanks for looking!

My Pets...

Many people will think I'm a real wierdo, but I think it's time to introduce you to my pets. There are three of mine and two belonging to Megan. We don't own a cat or a dog, we don't have rabbits, guinea pigs or hamsters, but we do have...Giant African Land Snails! These are the perfect pets for anyone who can't have fur around and wants something cheap. They eat about half a cucumber and a quarter of a lettuce each week. They are very good at finishing off limp salad from the bottom of the fridge, old fruit and some vegetables. This particular variety don't need extra heat. They are fine at room temperature. They live in a plastic tank with irish moss peat in it and need spraying with water each day. If you look closely at the bottom picture you will see Brian is giving a piggyback to his/her son/daughter (they are hermaphrodites), about 3 weeks after it hatched.
They are also very entertaining when given a 'shower' under the tap. You can see Brian's brother, Gary here. My three snails live at school in term time, and are a big hit with the children, particularly when we race them and give them a shower! They are fascinating creatures, honest!