Thursday, November 30, 2017

Christmas Cards - Surrounded with Music

I've been considering how to share the many ideas that flooded my mind when I saw the challenge at the Path of Positivity: Surround Yourself with Music. I especially identify with the idea of "surrounding myself" when it comes to music. I've worked on several Christmas cards to express Christmas joy using a music theme because singing carols was always a big part of my life.

As a child we would have a children's choir to sing in church Christmas programs. In Girl Scouts, we sang carols and served cookies to elderly folks in nursing homes. As a teen I sang in school choirs and learned I could sing alto to the familiar carols and popular Christmas songs. My mom would have my friend who lived next door, a soprano, come over so the two of us could serenade her acappella with Christmas songs. Our amazing music teacher taught us so many songs with a Christian message back then. My friend became a music teacher and greatly influenced my music choices. While living there I fell in love with classical music and keep that on in my car to relax me and in my craft room  to inspire my artwork.

In college, a professor convinced me I was a soprano and taught me how to stretch my vocal chords, which helped me in the years I taught in Christian schools. I was the teacher who led the children's singing in Christian programs in two of the schools.
When I was a teacher in public school, we would put classical cd's in our computers to play soft classical Mozart to help the kids calm themselves and focus. It really worked! It does the same for me, now, too!

It's probably no surprise, then, that I keep a separate box of just music related papers and embellishments to use on crafts.  Here are two cards I made celebrating music and Christmas! This first one uses CTMH Beary Christmas paper and an old carol from the back of a Graphic 45 paper I had cut up. Since it was called "The Holly and the Ivy," I embossed the top with a holly embossing folder.


The second one uses papers from long-retired Mistletoe papers and a more recently retired PML card of carolers, all from CTMH.



I hope you, too, find that music uplifts your spirit when you need it and find wonderful ways to enjoy Christmas carols this season as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I'm sharing this post with the following challenges:
Aud Sentiments #194 - Christmas + A Sentiment (2nd card)
Heart 2 Heart Challenge - Anything goes with a CTMH product
International Art & Soul Challenge #22 - Buttons and Bows (first card)
Moving Along with the Times #59 -  Christmas Animals (2nd card)
Path of Positivity Challenge #53 - Surround yourself with music (optional)


11 comments:

Wendy L said...

Love your cards, thanks for joining us at MAWTT, xxxx

Jenny L said...

Hi Vickie,
what wonderful card and your designs are brilliant.
I too love to sing and used to be in a group that went around entertaining Nursing Homes for charity.
I also love classical music too and always listen to music while crafting.
Thank you for joining the MAWTT Challenge.
Lots of crafty love. Jenny L. DT

Christine Harrop said...

Two super cards. The first one is terrific and perfect for our challenge Buttons and Bows at IAAS this time. Good luck and we hope you come back again. Christine DT x

Cards by Beckie said...

Such a lovely card. Thank you for sharing your creation with us at MAWTT. Beckie x

ScrappyHorses said...

This is so festive and absolutely beautiful! I have to say this is one of my favorite carols as it always reminds me of the lovely holly bush outside my grandparents' home. Thanks for sharing this gorgeous card and bringing back such a wonderful memory for me! Katrina
Path of Positivity

Planetsusie said...

What beautiful cards - just wish you hadn't put the song sheet on the first one 'cos I'm now trilling that carol all over the house now. Lol!! Poor hubby!!! I love the vintage feel you've created with that gorgeous 'modern' look paper. Thank you so much for entering the IntAAS (Buttons and Bows) Challenge this month. Lots of luck to you and I hope we see you again soon. Hugs Sue Pxxx

Suzanne Reynolds said...

Love those PML cards, I even got an extra set...adorable card. And then your first Christmas card with the Beary Christmas is very pretty. Thanks for sharing with us at Heart2Heart in November. We will be partnering with ColorMyHeart Color Day the full month of December, one project may fit both challenges. Please check it out.

Sheila Bennett said...

Adorable card using the PML. Thanks for playing along with the Heart 2 Heart challenge.

Melissa Robinson said...

Especially love the elements of your "carolers" card - CUTE! Thanks for joining us at Heart 2 Heart.

Melissa Robinson
H2H Design Team

Creative world said...

Beautiful winter card with great design..thank you for joining us at AUD SENTIMENTS CHALLENGE this week,hope to see you again
Željka DT xx

Brandi said...

I love them both. I love the sweetness of the card with the animals, they are adorable. I love the sentiment with the song sheet for the other card, very pretty. Thanks for playing along with Heart 2 Heart Challenges (H2H).

Brandi R.
DT member H2H
crzy4scrapbooking.blogspot.ca