I thought I would never arrive at my design for this year’s Christmas card. In September, I began an in-depth study of the book of Isaiah, and I’ve gained a fresh perspective on Jesus. Amid pages and pages of terror and dread, of the wrath of God unleashed on a sinful people, the promise of redemption—the hope of Jesus—shines. I knew I wanted our Christmas card to be all about Him and His labor of love. Without Him, there is no peace on earth, no joy to the world, and no Merry Christmas. The gratefulness in my heart was something that I wanted to express through paper. But how to go about it?

Isaiah says that “the people walking in darkness have seen a great light” (9:2). Speaking of Jesus, John tells us, “the true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world” (John 1:9). We know that Jesus left his throne in Heaven, that “he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:7-8).  These truths influenced my design.

The central image for our card is a simple, rustic rendering of the manger holding the Christ child. I heat-embossed it in white against a dark navy background to represent the great contrast between the darkness of our sinful state and the light that He alone brings. I selected a brown kraft card base and natural twine for their rough texture and simple appearance. The hay in the manger must have been rough on tender newborn skin, but I imagine it was as soft as moss compared to the roughness of the Roman cross where He laid down His life for me. A brilliant star marked the advent of the Maker of the stars as He entered our world in tiny form. Our daughter lovingly formed the stars for our cards from polymer clay. The simple star hangs suspended on twine to cheer the babe, even as it guides wise men to Him. The front sentiment proclaims that “Unto Us a Child is Born” and the inside continues with eternal names of God . . . “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:5-7).

Now I realize that it is quite likely that no one will get all of that when they open our Christmas card. In fact, some will just toss it aside. But as I made these cards, I prayed that each recipient would somehow recognize the immense love of God contained in His simple gift. I prayed that each person would know the peace and joy of Jesus in a fresh way this Christmas, that they would know him as all He was prophesied to be and all He has proven Himself to be.  My prayer is that come January, as people toss or store the cards they received this season, they will be touched and refreshed by the Living Lord. 

Mojo Monday 221

I'm so excited about a new toy I got for Christmas. It's a Hero Arts/Sizzix Happy Birthday Cupcakes Stamp and Die Cut set. I gave it a quick test drive tonight using the Mojo Monday sketch. Can't wait to play with it more later! Here's this week's sketch on which my 4.25" square card is based:

I'm very excited to have time to play Mojo Monday this week. I haven't been able to play much lately, but I hope to play more consistently in 2012.

The Original Juice Box

Last week, Jenni and I were enjoying lunch at our kitchen counter and contemplating the oranges Randy had purchased the night before. Out of the blue, I remembered how my grandma used to fix an orange for me many, many years ago.

I really don’t know why I haven’t eaten an orange this way in the past thirty years because, after trying it with Jenni last week, I have to say it is the BEST way to eat on orange. “Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, how do we do it?” you are probably asking (that’s Sally from Peanuts Halloween Special in case you’re wondering). I was trying to think of how to describe the wondrous technique, but no need! When I googled “how to eat an orange,” I found that the blogger at The Hipster Home blog had already done it for me . . . with pictures. Thank you, Hipster Home Blogger. If you have not tried this, you must because it is neat, delicious, and just plain fun!

Mojo Monday 204

I almost gave up on this birthday card for my sweet friend, but I'm glad I stayed with it. Thanks for the sketch, Julee Tilman at Mojo Monday!

Some Hard Anniversaries

The end of this month marks two difficult anniversaries. Since losing my dad last August, we’ve endured lots of firsts without him. Each one has presented its unique challenges, but tomorrow will be my parents’ wedding anniversary. They would have celebrated forty-eight years together. I am more thankful than I can say for their example of committed marriage. People used to accuse me of being too picky when it came to boys, but I knew I had to hold out for someone who would love me the way my daddy loved my mama. I never once doubted my mom and dad’s love for each other—what a firm foundation for a family. In an effort to acknowledge my gratitude at this difficult time, I created this card for my mother.

I pray that she will be filled with peace, comfort, and sweet memories as she marks this first anniversary without him. I also pray for strength as we reach the one-year anniversary of Daddy’s passing next week on 8/24. I am very certain that he held on to life last year long enough to have one more anniversary with her. This year, they are apart, but because of the finished work of our Lord, they will one day be together again.

Thank you, God, for blessing me with such wonderful parents.

Just Married!

It sure makes you feel old when the little red-headed boy who was six when you got married . . .  just got married. Congratulations to my husband’s cousin’s son and his new bride who were just married last Friday. As the inside of this card notes, “May your journey of life together be one long, happy adventure!”

Happy 88th!

Last week, my father-in-law celebrated his 88^th birthday. My sister-in-law and I worked together to create a scrapbook for him of his pictures from a trip to Washington, D.C. Because he is a WWII vet, he was able to take part in the Honor Flight Program. We really enjoyed preserving those memories for him.

His birthday card was a little bit of a challenge for me because I was designing it around a couple of embellishments. My 12-year-old daughter’s craft medium of choice is polymer clay. She loves to sculpt things—the tinier, the better. She recently made some adorable mini-treats for me to use on cards and I just had to include her little cupcakes on her granddaddy’s card. I like the way it turned out.

Happy Anniversary!

A summer wedding—what a romantic notion! That is until you realize a few years later that it will ALWAYS be hot as blazes on your anniversary. For my love and me, a July wedding made perfect sense at the time. I was a teacher and had about ten weeks off from mid-June to early August. A July wedding gave me a few weeks to devote to last-minute preparations once school was out and gave us plenty of time to get our two households worth of stuff settled into my husband’s bachelor home after the wedding. That all worked out well enough until we found ourselves sweltering through the streets of Williamsburg and D.C. on our honeymoon. In recent years, we’ve taken to celebrating our anniversary with a short overnight trip here or there in April or May, but we just cannot let that special day pass us by. On July 8^th, we celebrated sixteen years of happy marriage. What a blessing from our Lord! Here is the anniversary card I tucked into my husband’s suitcase. (We actually braved a “stay-cation” on our anniversary this year, and yeah, we were melting on the streets of Marietta.)

We are not the first in the family to marry in July. Randy’s parents preceded us in marriage by almost fifty years. They celebrated sixty-six years together last Tuesday. It is so sweet the way they still hold hands when they are out together. Here’s the card I made for them:

And, last but not least, today marks forty-five years of marriage for Randy’s sister and her husband. Guess how they celebrated? Zip-lining. A facebook friend commented that many people celebrate a 45^th anniversary with cake and punch. I’m afraid I’ll take the cake and punch. After all, if the Lord allows us forty-five years, I will be 73! They were able to join us, along with Randy’s parents, for lunch today. It is always such a blessing to have family in our home. Here’s the card I made for them, which just happens to be based on Mojo Monday Sketch 201.

I love this sketch! I’m thinking about adapting it for my Christmas cards. Yes, to escape the heat, at least mentally, our minds have already turned to Christmas. And oh, I think that  stamp is a Christmas sentiment, but I thought it applied in this case, too. Inside, the card completes "wishing you PEACE, JOY, LOVE" with "and all the gifts of a happy marriage . . . Happy Anniversary!"

Another Birthday . . .

for my nephew and a milestone for Mojo Monday. What fun to combine the two!

It looks like I took the sketch very literally this time, but it just so happens that the new sketch look contains two of my nephew's favorite colors—black and green. I used some of my recent bargains on this one—Martha Stewart border punch and new ink—and one of my favorite punches, the MS party hat. And yes, if you look closely, that is a Halloween brad holding my ribbon together. If you knew my nephew you'd understand. Thank you, Mojo Monday, for providing some great inspiration and for the chance to win stamps this week. And Happy Birthday to you, Chris!

Special Birthdays in July!

Two special girlfriends have birthdays this week and I’ve managed to make a card for each. I think I’m even going to get them in the mail on time!

One card is based on this week’s Mojo Monday sketch. The recipient of this one is classy, classic, and beautiful inside and out, so I went with a vintage rose print juxtaposed with rose embossing.  Finished it up with some classic colors, some pretty cotton lace, and a fussy-cut rose. I hope she will enjoy it as much as I enjoy her friendship. Thanks to the gals at Mojo Monday for an inspiring sketch.

The other card was featured here since I entered it into the Pals Paper Arts challenge last week. This card is going to a friend I don’t see often in person anymore because she lives about an hour away, but she is forever in my heart. We shared a townhome in our single days and did we ever have some fun! I hope she’ll appreciate the whimsy of these little birds who’ve gathered on a city-block to wish her “Happy Bird-day!” (And I'm hoping her sweet little girl will like it, too).

Thanks for visiting.

My Kind of Challenge

My kind of challenge this week on Pals Paper Arts! The chance to win lots of blog candy and you don’t even have to be the best. You just have to enter. A random winner will be chosen. Thanks to Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty for the heads up. Here’s my entry:

To celebrate the 100th PPA Challenge, the call is to enter a card that features a technique you love or one you’re learning. There are so many! But I was short on time, so I've used a couple of quick tricks for this "bird-day" card. I like making little windows with my Big Shot and Spellbinders dies, so I’ve done that on this card. I’ve also put some very cute Heidi Grace Designs paper to work and fussy cut the little birds to sit outside my window. Can you tell I had to draw on their tails and legs? 

Why Good Paper?

Overall, I am a lover of paper. Always have been. But it has to be good paper! I mean it has to feel nice to the touch. Don’t give me a newspaper, too light and too grimy, or that thin wrapping paper that rips when you try to make a tight seam. I want thick, strong, smooth paper. My printer paper must be at least 24 lb. and bright. We keep cardstock—in several colors. I like my notebook paper wide-ruled with light blue lines and a medium red left margin. I’ll use a spiral notebook IF, and this is a big “if,” the pages are perforated. If ever I am forced to use non-perforated spiral-bound paper, I will instantly cut off the messy edge. With scissors. No uneven edges for me. And, yes, back in the days of the dot matrix printer, I ALWAYS neatly removed the hole-y edges BEFORE reading the document. Oh, and old-fashioned fax paper made my skin crawl. Yeah. I’m a little picky about my paper.

Mostly, my relationship with paper is positive. Receipts, post-it notes, and to-do lists are a topic for another post. I like to write, and I love to read. I try to draw. I don’t have much natural talent for it, but I’ve found that when I draw daily, I improve. I’ve tried my hand at watercolors a time or two—I love the rough texture and thickness of the paper alongside pleasing colors on the palette, even if I’ve yet to produce a painting I like.

Given my natural bent toward good paper and vibrant colors, it surprises me that I’ve taken this long to discover card making. While the paper crafts industry is vast, beautiful paper is at its foundation. Solid, print, embossed, glittery, flocked, smooth, textured, shiny, matte—it’s a paper lover’s paradise. Here on this blog, I plan to share my journey as I indulge my artsy-craftsy side. This web-log is mainly an online history for my own benefit—a place to document ideas & techniques and to post challenge entries, a scrapbook of sorts. However, I invite you to read along and perhaps you’ll see an idea that inspires you. I hope so. If you do, leave me a comment and let me know. Thanks for reading.