Joy to the World with Pure Innocence

I haven't made a Christmas card for a while, so it's about time. There are three challenges that go together really well this week. When I saw that Crimbo Crackers Challenge #14 was ANGELS, I knew it was time to use my Pure Innocence angel from Heather Ellis. Winter Wonderland's challenge this week is Here Come the Girls, so it's perfect for girl angels. Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #70 is to use any sentiment without the word "Christmas." So let heaven and nature sing, Joy to the World!

I used the CPS Sketch #263 which provided the extra room my angel needed for her horn and a bird.
I knew some glittery snowflake paper would be great in the middle with white embossed snowflake panels on each side.

I added aqua blue sparkles on each side of the sentiment and bitty clear sparkles on the center of each embossed snow circle. The angel's halo is also glittered with a Sakura glitter gel pen.

Thanks for the inspiritng challenges!! May the message of Christ's birth bring you joy all year long!

Christmas Challenge Sketch #18 for a Child

Five of my grandchildren are boys, so I always appreciate challenges to make a card for a boy. Crimbo Crackers has a challenge to make a Christmas card for a boy. I used this sketch from Christmas Challenges (with sketches) #18 to make one for five-year-old Aidan, who looks like the boy in this image. I've been stamping (and collecting) for so many years that I really have a lot of clear acrylic stamps, mostly Close To My Heart, but I can't allow myself to get rid of any, hence the use of retired stamps not available anywhere. Besides, when that stamp was available, I didn't have this cute five-ear-old grandson.

The paper and snowflakes are actually glittery, even though the photo doesn't reveal much. I made the resolution to make Christmas cards all year so I'd be ready in November and December. Now I should also make the resolution to make more masculine cards!

5"x 5" card:
Paper - Recollections "Naughty or Nice" collection, CTMH Colonial White and Desert Sand CS, Bazzil dark brown CS
Stamp - CTMH retired "Christmas Memories"
Ink - CTMH Juniper, Chocolate (both sponged), Memento "Tuxedo Black"
Other - CTMH buttons "Red Collection,"Colonial White Waxy Flax, Glitz Glitter Gel, sponge; various circle punches, Martha Stewart snowflake punch; Copics E33, E35, RV29, Prismacolor pencil

Non-traditional Christmas Colors

Christmas Challenges with sketch #17 was my inspiration for this first card:

I thought the color palette from CRE84FN was bright and cheery for a snowy Christmas Card and the orange-definitely not a traditional Christmas color. I used 2 retired papers from Close To My Heart (blue and orange) and the yellow was Basic Grey from "Nook and Pantry."

My second card is black and white, suggested by another Christmas Card Challenge - Crimbo Crackers. I always think black and white are classy so I challenged myself to find one of my stamp sets that could be interpreted that way. The sleigh with music pattern was my choice along with a scrap of white I had previously embossed with snowflakes and the black and white dots with text in the dots reminded me of snow.

All of the stamps I used on these projects were from Close To My Heart.