Warning...Ultimate Christmas Ornament Below...

Earlier this week, I met up with a wonderful friend for a breakfast date, full of milky coffee, bacon and egg butties and a good old gossip.  And she bought me an early Christmas present.  I feel I need to give a little history to our gift giving before proceeding, just to set the tone...

For my birthday this year, she got me a resin life size guinea pig for my garden.  It's very realistic and I lovingly refer to it as the dead guinea pig - it freaked me out when I opened it (much to her delight) and it still freaks me out when I catch sight of it outside (much to her continued delight).  For her birthday, and following a conversation where she declared that the best job in the world had to be a Penguin Feeder, I made her this:

And when I borrowed her spade to bury my beloved Catalpa earlier this year and plant a tree over him, I made this for the spade to say "thank you".

Then there was the eye-wateringly coloured tourist dish she bought me back from holiday and the torn off cardboard box end and biro Christmas card she made me...

So back to breakfast, and she is suspiciously gleeful at announcing she's got me a present, and hands over a gift bag, declaring that I will love it.  I nervously ask if it's another dead animal and she looks a bit shifty.  She tells me that it's the ultimate Christmas decoration; that it is everything associated with Christmas all in one marvellous little package.

I'm thinking holly...santa...presents...a tree...baubles...Christmas Pud...oh God, a Turkey...

I. was. wrong.

Ready?  You might want to sit down...

Behold!

Yes!  Yes, this is a Giraffe!  With pink fluff!  And pearls!  And a glittered bow!  And a beaded tutu!  And ballet shoes..en pointe!  And....white ankle socks!

It's hideous and gorgeous at the same time.  I hate it and love it with equal measure.  Most of all, it makes me grin like a loon.

It has, of course, been inspiration, for my Christmas card for Kay this year.  But in blue, because I've faced pink enough in the last week!

And yes, this is a deliberately over the top card - it had to be.  The digi stamp is a freebie from Starry Nights Studio, printed onto Centura Pearl card stock (Yes!  I've found a way to make the Epsom take it!), coloured with Promarkers and backing card from Kanban. It took far too long to hand stitch beads and tiny buttons onto a ribbon tutu, but I love the effect.  Then there is lace, more hand stitching, glitter, feathers, more buttons, felt snowflakes, gems, pearls, glossy accents, distress inks and a sparkly pom pom tail.  She'll love it.

Entering it into the Pastel Christmas challenge at Totally Gorjuss, the Lets Get Cute challenge at Divas By Design, the Anything Goes challenge at Crafty Catz, Add Sparkle challenge at Ribbon Girls and the Christmas Anything Goes at Crafty Bloggers Network :)

I have a couple more cards on the craft table that I need to finish off, then I really need to make a start on presents.  If you have any great projects for handmade gift giving, please shout out - any craft...if I don't dabble in it already, it might inspire me to give it a go!