Wednesday, March 1, 2017

First Christmas Card of the Year

Yes, today is the first day of Lent, but after staring at this particular pin for a few minutes, I decided the design was perfect for Papertrey's What the Doodle: Snowflakes.

And it was.


You can clearly see the inspiration of the pin in this narrow 3.5" x 5.5" card. The densely stamped strip at the bottom contrasts with the open spaces of the raised panel pleasingly, just as in the pin, although I did add a strip of silver to give some definition between the two parts...it looked odd without the silver. Adding some clear bling brings the silver into the design, though, and it all looks unified and snowy!



This stamp set is absolutely delightful, and I see myself making lots of cards with it. I needed a fresh and fun snowflake set, and this definitely fits the bill!

Today is Ash Wednesday, and I'd love to hear from those of you who honor Lent how you're preparing for Easter. Are you giving up chocolate or Facebook, doing extra volunteer work, praying extra, committing to going to church every Sunday, eating fish on Fridays, or some other observance?

While many benefit from giving up something for Lent (especially my mother), that practice has never felt spiritual or meaningful to me. Years ago, a pastor suggested that instead of taking away something, Christians should add something to their lives during Lent. It was a revelation that truly turned Lent around for me. My plan is to read Ann Voskamp's book The Broken Way and to send a card for every day of Lent.

I'm a big believer that we are all on unique spiritual walks with God or divinity or the universe...whatever you want to call it. As a consequence, I hope each of you who wants to do something for this season finds what leads you in the direction you choose to go.

And if you want to start making Christmas cards, well, go right ahead!

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,
Susan


Supplies
stamps: Papertrey What the Doodle: Snowflakes
ink: Archival sky blue, cornflower, black
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: rhinestones, Prismacolor Silver Metallic marker, ruler, craft foam, glue

5 comments:

  1. The card is absolutely amazing!

    I love the idea of adding something in the way of caring for others.

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  2. The card is absolutely amazing!

    I love the idea of adding something in the way of caring for others.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So soft and serene! I'm really studying your placement and amount of all the snowflakes -- this is where I always have trouble.

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  4. What a lovely Christmas card. This was your first of what I'm sure will be many, many Christmas masterpieces.

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  5. Praying each day of Lent for a different person and his or her intentions. Asking the person to tell me the intentions ahead of time if they are willing to share them.

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment!