Christmas Angel - O Come Let Us Adore Him

We finally finished celebrating Christmas with three of our children's families this week, including eight grandchildren. It's heartwarming to see how they're approaching gifts this year now that they're a year older. The youngest two are in second grade and the oldest is 13. They're now old enough to be patient watching others open their gifts and the oldest let everyone know he didn't need much, didn't want his parents to spend much. And, hopefully, they're growing in their understanding that we're celebrating the birth of our Savior who came to earth to live as a man so that He could someday die in our place to pay for our sins.

As a cardmaker, I was still racing this year to finish Christmas cards and still didn't make enough. While my supplies aren't all put away I've determined to get an early start on next year so this doesn't happen again. Here's a multicultural card I've made for families in my grandsons' Christian school. I used the digi image, "In the Manger," from Mo's Digital Pencil. The sentiment is from a Close To My Heart retired stamp set.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

A Snowflake's Promise #13 - Christmas
Cards und More #148 - Christmas
Creative Card Crew #103 - anything Christmas goes
Creative Moments #83 - Anything Goes/Optional Traditional Christmas
Holly Jolly Christmas - anything goes that's Christmas
The Crafty Addicts #5 - Anything Goes/Celebration
Word Art Wednesday #216 - anything uplifting

Cammy's Christmas Stocking

Here's another multi-cultural Christmas card I made for someone at my grandson's school. I used an adorable digi from Mo's  Digital Pencil colored with Copics. Her face truly reflects the delight of a child with her gifts.

Thank you for visiting during this busy season. May God bless you as you spread Christmas cheer to those around you, especially to those of different nationalities or cultures!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
A Snowflake's Promise #11 - anything Christmas themed
ABC Christmas Challenge - Y for Youngsters
Cards 4 Galz #11- Cute Christmas
Craft for the Craic - Christmas cheer
Crafty Creations #304 - Happy Holiday
Crafty Gals Corner #49 - anything goes
Creative Moments #83 - anything goes/traditional Christmas option
Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge - anything Christmas

Decorating the Tree

This week I'm sharing some multi-cultural Christmas cards I made for families at my grandsons' school. I was really glad to find some digital image companies This first one is Jada with Bauble from Pink Gem Designs. I loved the fact I could use their colored image to help me make cards faster. With the stars and snowflake designs included in the design I thought it should have glittery papers and blue shimmer trim.

Thank you for stopping by. May God bless and keep you as you prepare for this lovely Christmas season!


I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

A Gem of a Challenge #159 - anything Christmas goes
Brown Sugar Challenge #175 - anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #258 - Time to Decorate
Crazy 4 Challenges #318 - O Christmas Tree lyric inspiration
Creative Corner Challenge - Sparkle and Shine
Dream Valley Challenge #121 - die cuts (2) and punches (snowflakes)
Eclectic Ellapu Purple Team Challenge - one or more dies (2 - white rectangle and tree)

Snowflake Kisses Card for Atlantic Hearts Sketch #136

Have you ever lifted your face to the sky and let snowflakes kiss your face? I loved the sentiment I used today. My card may not do it justice. But it still reminds me of that delightful sensation from childhood, so I hope one of my grandkids will enjoy this thought.

This was a quick card using this week's sketch from Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge, some glittery shimmer trim, a Cricut Art Philosophy snowflake pair, and border trim and clear acrylic sentiment circle from the CTMH White Pines collection.  I wanted this card to be fairly flat for mailing, so I added Glitz glitter glue on the tips of the snowflake instead of sparkles.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks #275 - Winter

All Sorts #340 - CAS

Atlantic Hearts Challenge #136 - sketch 

CAS-ual Chic #6 - snowflakes

Crafty Calendar - Let It Snow

Crafty Catz #304 - Let It Snow 

Creative Corner Challenge - Sparkle and Shine

Inkspirational Challenga #97 - word prompt "FLAKE"

Simon Says Stamp - Let It Snow

Candlelight Garden Stamp of the Month Cards

We're having unseasonably warm weather for December. Temperatures in the 50's seem like fall or spring. I took an evening off from making Christmas cards to play with some lovely pastel paper that reminds me of spring. This month the stamp of the month is a lovely combination of flowers, jar, and candle with sentiments perfect for thank you or friendship cards. I used it to make this week's Mojo Monday Tall & Skinny Sketch #426:

 

I stamped the jar and flowers for this one on watercolor paper and painted the flowers with watercolors. 

I'm sharing this first card with the following challenges:

Come and Get It - Anything goes with a sentiment

Crafting by Designs - anything goes 

Crafty Gals Corner #48 - anything goes

Dragonfly Journeys #33- Thank you

D.L.Art December Challenge - anything goes

Mojo Monday Sketch #426

Moving Along with the Times #9 - give thanks

Here are two more cards I made with this stamp set and paper pack.

I colored the flowers of the second card using ShinHan alcohol markers. I curved the stamp to curve around the larger sentiment and cut it so the flowers went off the panel. 

I wanted the third card to be light and airy to go with the candlelight idea so I chose the striped paper. It was also colored with alcohol ink markers and lightened with the colorless blender. 

Here's the inside:

Here are the images in this stamp set. It is only available in December and can be purchased at full price or for $5.00 with a $50 purchase. The links to see these items are below.  If you'd like to see more cards using these stamps you'll find a blog hop here.

Card Ingredients:

Paper - CTMH Kaleidoscope, Creme Brulee Cardstock, Watercolor Cardstock

Stamp - CTMH Candlelight Garden

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

Markers - ShinHan Touch Twin Golden Yellow, Marigold, Tender Pink, Cherry Pink, Pastel Green, Cerulean Blue, Colorless marker

Tools and Accessories- Watercolor Paints, Brushes, white Shimmer Trim,  Glacier and Pink Thick Twine, Purple Enamel and Glitter Hearts, Cricut Art Philosophy

Let There Be Peace on Earth Candles

Our world, in so many places, seems to desperately need peace.  I find myself praying constantly for  world leaders and hurting groups of people being terrorized, displaced, or worse. I find my peace in knowing the God whose loving care can comfort and strengthen us beyond the dangers and circumstances wrought by sinful mankind. I wanted this card to convey the message of His peace, especially for personal friends of ours in Paris.

I made a recipe from this inspiring board of ingredients from Mod Squad:

 

 I used embossing (Cuttlebug 5" x 7"snowflakes folder), ribbon, favorite color (red), glitter (silver glitter trim), and patterned paper.

I had seen a card made by another CTMH consultant that had wide strips of paper corner punched into candles. I decided to try that technique for the challenge at Shopping Our Stash with no stamping. My sentiment was a leftover chipboard piece that matched the old Sparkle and Shine paper from my aging stash. It has part of the lyrics of the song, "Let there be peace on earth...and let it begin with me." If you don't know this song, you can read the lyrics and hear it sung on you tube here. I also punched some evergreen branches and added a small ribbon bow and silver glitter trim and hand-cut glitter flames.The best part was a free card sentiment for the inside about candles that I found here.

"May You feel God’s presence in the candles, that softly spread their glow at Christmas and may you experience the wonder of His abiding love, as He guides you, through each day of the coming year. May God’s Blessings be with you. At Christmas and New Year!"

I wanted to make more cards like this one, but I only had one chipboard sentiment. Here's the other card I made with a stamped sentiment from the Christmas carol "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." The sentiment says "Peace on earth goodwill to men."

Thank you for visiting. May God give you His PEACE this year!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge #158 - Inspired by a Christmas song/carol (2nd card - I heard the bells on Christmas Day ....of peace on earth goodwill to men)
A Snowflake's Promise Challenge #11 -  Christmas/winter theme
Cuttlebug Mania - Embossing
Hiding in my Craftroom # 227 - any holiday
Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge - Embossing
Little Red Wagon #318 - Traditional Christmas colors  (I used red, juniper, ponderosa pine, and white, plus gray/silver)
Mod Squad Challenge - Ingredients to make our own recipe. Use at least 3 (I used 6).
Shopping Our Stash Weekly #229 - No stamping (1st card)
The Crafty Addicts Challenge #5 -  anything goes/celebration
Word Art Wednesday #212 - anything uplifting

Christmas Joy in Purple and Silver

I love the word "JOY!" It brings so many happy experiences to mind. Yet I have learned after many years that joy doesn't have to depend on circumstances. It can be a deep abiding sort of cheerful peace that helps me resist the negative elements in changing conditions. I chose the word JOY for this card and made it relatively flat so I can send this message to a friend in the mail.

I was inspired by this sketch at Try Stampin' on Tuesday:

The twist at their challenge was to use Non-Traditional Christmas Colors or ornaments. I was putting away some purple paper on my desk when I saw this challenge so here's the result. I embossed all of the images with silver embossing powder and adhered it to silver glitter paper with a punched snowflake from that paper.

This card focuses on the joy we have because Christ came to the world to give us the free gift of salvation. Knowing  how He gave His life for our sins is the source of my greatest joy. I stamped the inside with a sentiment from Our Daily Bread Designs: "Joy to the world, the Lord has come!!!"  Here's the sentiment I made for the inside. You're welcome to use it if it fits one of your cards. 

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
Addicted to Stamps and More #173 - Holiday
Always Playing with Paper #53 - Non-traditional Christmas (my 4 shades of purple)
Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge - embossing
Inky Chicks #60 - Christmas
Inspiration Destination #62 - anything goes
Ruby's Rainbow #118 - Christmas with metallic twist (silver)
Try Stampin' on Tuesday #247 - sketch and non-traditional Christmas colors
Word Art Wednesday #212 - anything uplifting

Stamps used: CTMH Christmas Village, Christmas Love, and  Snow Flurries (all retired, like the 4 papers)
ODBD Joy to the World