Warmest Wishes To You This Holiday Season

Welcome...and a happy Christmas Eve!

I'm sure you are hustling and bustling about just

 as I am today...so I'm ever so appreciative that you took the time to stop by for a minute or two. 

I have to say that Christmas Eve is one of my most favorite days of the year.  For me, Christmas begins on Christmas Eve...I am finally able to slow down a little that day and just enjoy the season. Our little family celebrates together with a candlelight supper meal that has been specially planned together.  After supper we head out to church for the Christmas Eve service...which is just my favorite service!

The candle light, the mixture of hymns and carols, the reading of the Christmas story...it sets ones focus on what the real reason for the season is!  Then we head home and the kids get to open up their traditional present that they receive every year...a new pair of pajamas and a Bible based book about the true meaning of Christmas.  By the time they leave home one day, they'll have a wonderful collection of Christmas books that they can share with their families one day. 

With today being Christmas Eve and also a Heartfelt Creations Wednesday, I wanted to create a special creation from me to you...please consider this holiday card my warmest wishes for you this Christmas season and the upcoming New Year!

Here's a peek...

I wanted to create a card with a simpler vintage and country style feeling...something warm, cozy and a tad rustic that looked like it had been just recently rediscovered in your attic.  The Festive Christmas Collection is perfect for this type of card.  The rich reds and greens in this collection make this so easy! The premade card panels are perfect for creating a quick card, and some distressing and inking around the edges bring out a rustic and antiqued look perfectly!

 And what could be more country and rustic than a candle in the window and some poinsettias around the tree!  I love driving by houses and seeing their candles in the windows during the holiday season... and you will always find a poinsettia under my Christmas tree.

 

 So, I knew that I wanted to incorporate the candle stamp image on this project. To add to the country feeling, I've added some burlap paper in the background and some rusty elements such as jingle bells and a rusty safety pin!  And of course, several threaded buttons!  For a finishing touch, nothing says vintage country more than bakers twine!

You can find all the products and instructions for this card at the end of this blog post, or on the Heartfelt Creations blog!  While you're there, be sure to check out all of the other design teams creations!  Oh, and don't forget out the holiday special that is happening in the Heartfelt Creations store...maybe treat yourself to a little Christmas present from you to you? 

My wish for you this holiday season is that you would be blessed by family around your table, and beautiful memories of those who are no longer able to join you in the flesh... a peace in your heart that only our Heavenly Father can impart and a New Year full of God's richest blessings.

Oh, and one last bit of sharing...I have a video of one of my favorite Christmas songs that I'd love to share with you.  For those of you who have followed me for some time, you will recognize it as I try to post it every year.  It is sung by one of my favorite contemporary Christian bands...Third Day... and the lyrics so clearly remind us of what Christmas is really all about...the gift that was given so long ago, and the price that was paid for each and everyone of us after that. 

Enjoy!

 

Until next time...

Project Instructions:

HCDP1 246 Festive Christmas Paper Collection

HCPC 3625 Festive Notes PreCut Set

HCPC 3552 Bright Christmas PreCut Set

472182 Spellbinders Die Fleur de Lis Doily Accents

SMP001 Stamp Mat Pad

Other Products Used:  Scor Tape, maroon card stock, Burlap paper, Versacolor Pine Cone Ink, Espresso Truffle Memento Ink, Toffee Crunch Memento Ink, distress tool, 3D pop dots, rusty jingle bells, rusty safety pin, bakers twine, small buttons, hot glue gun, premade 5"x7" premade card base, Spellbinders Decorative Labels Eight Die, Big Shot manual die cutting machine, Stampin Up 1 3/4" circle punch, washi tape

Select the background paper you wish to use to cover the entire card front.  (This will only show through in the areas where the distressed premade card panel will curl or lift off the page.)  Next, select the premade 5"x7" card panel from the Festive Christmas Paper Collection you wish to work with as well as a smaller coordinating premade card panel. Mask the the open area in the smaller card panel with washi tape making sure to cover all areas you don't want stamped.  Ink a portion of the Festive Notes PreCut Set and stamp into open area.  Allow to dry and remove washi tape. Cut a piece of solid card stock slightly larger than the small panel to use as a mat. Ink all of the panels with a light brown ink.  Using a distress tool, distress the large and small card panels from the paper collection, however not the smaller solid color mat.  Then ink upturned edges with a darker brown ink.  Cut a piece of burlap paper to the size you wish to use on the card.  Die cut all of the pieces you will be needing in coordinating colors that you wish to use as per example shown.  Create one white circle using a circle punch.  Ink candle image from Bright Christmas PreCut Set with Toffee Crunch Memento ink, stamp it onto circle and allow to dry.  Mat onto doily die cut from the Fleur de Lis Doily Accents Set.  Moving back to the card panel, begin to assemble card.  Adhere background paper to front of card.  Then adhere large 5"x7" distressed premade card panel on top of background paper. Moving along, it is now time to adhere the burlap paper onto the card front, setting it down on an angle.  Next move along to the grouping of the smaller card panel elements. Take the distressed smaller panel and adhere it to the red solid color mat.  Now adhere this panel to the ornamental die cut background you have cut with the Spellbinders Decorative Labels Eight die.  Wrap the bakers twine around the small panel several times and tie in a bow on the front.  Apply 3D pop up dots to small panel grouping and adhere to center of card front.  Add corner die cuts to one top and one bottom corner.  Add candle die cut to opposite top corner.  Choose and cut greeting from the paper pack collection you wish to use and add rusty safety pin.  Adhere to card.  Choose two buttons and thread with bakers twine.  Adhere with glue gun to the corner die cuts.  Adhere jingle bells to desired locations.  Surprise someone with a holiday greeting card in their mailbox this holiday season!

This card has been shared in the following challenges...
 Card Mania..."Christmas"
Crafty Cardmakers..."Christmas"
Melonheadz Friends Challenges..."Christmas"
Ohh La La Creations..."Christmas"
Pile it On..."Christmas"
The Glory of Christmas..."Anything Christmas"
Country View Challenges..."Nostalgic Christmas"
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra..."December Challenge"