A Blue Christmas

(If you're here visiting looking for my Twist of Faith Card Challenges post, please scroll down!)

Hello Again!  Two posts in one day...something must be up, right?  

I've had this huge secret I've been keeping under my hat, and I'm finally able to tell someone...and I choose you!

Guess what...I am so happy to announce that I am now a Design Team Member over at

{Pinspirational} Challenges!  Yay!  And today is my first showcasing for their current challenge! 

Here's how it works...each week there will be a new {Pinspirational} photo put up on the blog.  This photo which has been pulled from Pinterest is where you will draw your inspiration from for the current challenge...whether it be colors, objects, textures, etc.  If it isn't obvious, just be sure to write somewhere in your blog post how you were inspired!

And now here's the {Pinspirational} picture for this week...

Don't you just love the colors...blues, whites, browns and reds!

But wait...there's more!  We are so excited to have two sponsors this week...

Fresh Brewed Designs

who is offering one lucky winner 3 digis of their choice

AND...

My Heart Pieces

who is offering one lucky winner _________.

For this challenge I chose to work with a Fresh Brewed Designs image..."Wonky Christmas Tree".  I wanted to try a new technique to celebrate being part of a new design team and decided to give paper piecing a try!  I had never tried this technique because it seemed a little daunting...but I dug in one morning and had so much fun putting this together. The minute I saw the inspiration photo, I knew that I wanted to make a blue themed Christmas card.  I don't know why, but blues are always my choice for non traditional Christmas cards!  So I have paper pieced the tree with 3 different shades of blue patterned papers...and I think it came out pretty good!  Take a peek and let me know what you think...

For this card I've used a navy colored background paper, and have put a snowflake patterned overlay I've cut with Silhouette Cameo on top of it.  I've also used some snowflake swirls in the bottom left corner behind the sentiment which have also both been cut with the Cameo.  The sentiment is a print and cut file which I ran through the Cameo as well.  I've used some red Stickles on the wonky tree to bring out the red in the photo and the sentiment. I have mounted the tree image on a die cut I've created using my Spellbinders Nestabilities and BigShot.  I cut two of the die cuts in different papers, and trimmed the light blue one to include just the centre portion of the die cut which I then embossed with a snowflake embossing folder.  I then layered that piece over the darker die cut so just the ornate edging frames the lighter piece. I've also used Diamond Stickles on the snowflake swirls, baubles on the tree and a portion of the sentiment.  And lastly, I cut a 3D bow on the Silhouette, assembled it and then placed it on top of the boxed sentiment to make is appear as a present. I then applied Stickles to the perimeter of the bow and added a red button to the centre and glittered it as well.

Here's a closer look at some of the details...

I hope you can see how the {Pinspirational} Photo has inspired my card this week!  I also hope that I have been able to inspire you to play along with us at {Pinspirational} Challenges!  Be sure to stop by the blog to see some other awesome creations the rest of the DT have come up with, and then link up your own creation!  I can't wait to stop by your place to see what you've created!

Until next time...

This card has entered in the following challenges...
365 Cards..."Day 278 Fussy Cut & Paper Pieced"
Great Impressions..."Button and a Bow"
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge..."Make it Square"
Digitally Sweet..."Favorite Colors" (Blue & White for Christmas)
Fairy Tale Challenge Blog..."Bingo"  (Blue/White, Wintertime, Christmas)
Southern Girls Challenges..."Sing a Song, Sing Out Loud"  (O Christmas Tree/Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas)