Good Tuesday morning to all of you. I sincerely hope this post finds you well and in good spirits. My prayer is that it will be so.
Yes, Christmas is coming and soon. I have a Christmas card for you today, but I have so much more. While I pray for a safe Christmas for everyone, I know that there will be families with empty places at the table this Christmas.
In spite of the trials we have all had this year, the Birth of our Lord, Jesus, is to be celebrated anyway. Even if we can’t share that celebration with our families and loved ones, we will still celebrate.
And, speaking of celebrating, it just so happens that our theme for today’s hop is CELEBRATE! We have a choice of events to celebrate, so I chose Christmas.
The stamp set I have chosen is Peaceful Nativity.
I like fun folds, just to make things interesting, so I found several different ones on pinterest. Oh, to decide which to use. I think the bridge card fills the bill.
Many of the Nativity cards I saw had gold, or some other metallic to glitz them up. The reality was that it was a very humble manger, so I wanted to reflect more of the rustic feel of it.
While the event of Christ’s birth was earth shaking, he came as a baby to a lowly carpenter and his wife, in a stable no less! I cannot imagine what it was really like. Perhaps like this card, perhaps not.
I don’t really know if this was a night time event, but have chosen to make it a night scene to show the bright star that led the wise men to where he lay.
The base for this card is a piece of Misty Moonlight. Cut it at 4 1/4″ x 8 1/4″. On the long side, score at 1 3/8″, 2 3/4″, 5 1/2″, and 6 7/8″. Fold mountain, valley, valley, mountain and burnish to make a sharp fold.
Cut 4 side panels of Night of Navy for mats (1 1/4″ x 4 1/8″). Cut 4 panels Snowflake Splendor Designer Series Paper (1 1/8″ x 4″). Use Liquid Glue to adhere DSP to mats. Randomly stamp, sparingly, the small star in the Peaceful Navitiy Bundle on these panels. I used Bumblebee.
Cut one panel Night of Navy for a mat (2 5/8″ x 4 1/8″). To this adhere a panel of the Designer Series Paper (2 1/2″ x 4″).
Cut one panel Crumb Cake 1 1/4″ x 2 1/2″ for the floor of the stable. I used Cinnamon Cider ink and the grass stamp from Nature’s Beauty to replicate hay on the floor. I just inked and stamped randomly over and over, turning the stamp to make it really random. I did not leave any bare spaces. Adhere this with Liquid Glue to the large, matted DSP, placing it at the lower edge of the panel. This panel is the back of the stable.
Using the Nativity dies, cut one stable from Poinsettia Place Designer Series Paper, the wood grain one. Again, using Liquid Glue, adhere to the back panel, just above the floor piece. Cut one large star from Gold Foil Sheets and adhere above the stable with a Stampin’ Dimensional.
Stamp the Holy Family in Memento Tuxedo Black and color as you wish. I used Stampin’ Blends in Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, Cinnamon Cider, Crumb Cake, Bronze and Ivory, but you can use markers, pencils or whatever you like. Stampin’ Dimensionals were used to adhere this to the back panel over the floor/stable seam. Use Liquid Glue to adhere this finished back panel into the card base.
Adhere the two side panels next to the back panel. Now, you have a decision to make…whether to adhere the outside panels now and attach the bridge over them, or attach the bridge, then the outside panels. Strictly your choice. I did the former.
Cut the bridge from Misty Moonlight (1 1/4″ x 5 1/2″). To this Adhere a panel of the Snowflake Splendor DSP cut to the same size. Stamp the sentiment from Peaceful Nativity in Misty Moonlight. Use Liquid Glue to attach the ends to the outside panels, keeping the bottom edge flush with the card.
Stamp the Rejoice! sentiment in Misty Moonlight on Very Vanilla and fussy cut whatever shape you like. Stamp the sheep in Memento Tuxedo Black on Whisper White. Stamp the donkey in Smoky Slate on Gray Granite. Stamp the stable in Early Espresso on Crumb Cake.
Die cut all these with the dies in the Peaceful Nativity Bundle. Also cut 4 palm trees from Very Vanilla. I colored the trees with a Garden Green Stampin’ Write Marker for the fronds, and Soft Suede for the trunks. For the fronds, I used the side of the brush marker to make it look more like a leaf. Using the bone folder, I very carefully curved the palm fronds for some dimension.
With Liquid Glue, adhere the stable front to the two side panels. You only need a bit of glue on the outside edges of the posts, and the ends of the roof. The lower end of the posts will just go over the edge of the bridge. I ran a dab of Liquid Glue along the trunks and a tiny (1/2 mini) piece of a Stampin’ Dimensional in the center of the fronds to attach the trees. Liquid Glue the Rejoice! sentiment over the trunks and the stable post. Use Stampin’ Dimensionals for the donkey and sheep.
To finish the card with a place for another sentiment and a brief note and signature, I added a Very Vanilla panel (2 1/2″ x 4″) matted on Night of Navy (2 5/8″ x 4 1/8″) to the back of the center panel. The sentiment is stamped in Misty Moonlight, with a single star in Bumblebee.
The medium Very Vanilla envelope flap has more of the Snowflake Splendor Designer Series Paper, and the front has a few of the larger stars stamped in Bumblebee in the lower left corner.
Truly, it is time to celebrate, even though we may not be able to gather with family and/or friends this year. May God richly Bless you in the coming year.
Jaimie Babarczy
Karen Finkle
Karen Ksenzakovic
Akiko Sudano
Tara Carpenter
Mary Deatherage
Sue Prather
Julie Johnston YOU ARE HERE
Terry Lynn Bright
Donna Leonard
Amy Koenders
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