Christmas Cardinal: Matthew 6:25-34

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. A season to reflect and prepare for the coming of Jesus! Today is also time for another Stampin' Sisters in Christ  challenge based on scripture!

This week it is the Lovely Linda who is our hostess and the verse she chose is  from Matthew 6:25-34 . Be sure to stop by our home page to read her devotion.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?"

I have a bird feeder in the back yard and I love watching the cardinals come to feed. Their chirps are so distinctive and their color so vibrant. They always make me smile. They do not worry and I know I should not worry. I do though, no matter how often I have a strong talk with myself not to. So this is a good reminder at this time of the year as we prepare ourselves for Christmas. We are not to focus on the shopping for presents or food and all the other things that the world tells us we must have to make us or others happy at Christmas, instead focus on preparing our hearts.

The challenge this week is to create a project that has a bird on it - as DP, image or charm.

I think you can tell that my bird is center stage for this card. I love this winter cardinal, so bright and cheery.

Our sponsor this week is Sweet and Sassy with a  $10 gift card. 

Be sure to stop by my SSIC design sisters (listed on the sidebar) to see what they have to share this week:

It is always great to see you, thanks for the comments!

Recipe: 

Stamps: GKD - Winter Wings
Paper: Gina K - Kraft and Red

Designer Paper: Graphics 45

Other: Red gems, ribbon, spellbinders die, Copics to color and sponging

Challenges:

The Sweetest Thing - Sketch (too late for the challenge but loved the sketch!

Simply Create Too - 2W – Week 1, All About Christmas

Totally Papercrafts - Christmas

Southern Girls - 2W, 1E - (2nd week) BINGO* (Die Cut, Gem, Ribbon)
Gingerloft -Winter OR ChristmasScrappy Frogs - Use Kraft Card Stock

Stamptacular Sunday - Must use a stamp - Anything Christmas

Hallelujah: Job 13:15

This is Thanksgiving week - oh I have so much to be thankful for! I want to  sing my Hallelujahs to the heavens above! One of the many things I am thankful for is all of you who join us regularly at Stampin' Sisters in Christ for another challenge based on scripture!

This week ever faithful  Rebekka is our hostess and the verse she chose is  from Job 13:15 . Be sure to stop by our home page to read her devotion.

"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him "

Yes I do sing my Hallelujah for all my blessings. It has been a tough year and throughout the challenges I have trusted in Him and not let the difficulties slay me. A lot to be thankful for indeed.

Make a card of praise, using music, stamp, or design paper or just the word praise.

I stamped the musical notes on white card stock, first stamping off so that it would look a little muted. I placed that panel behind the poinsettia frame. Teh trumpet was stamped on gold and very carefully cut out. I colored the image with Colpics.

Our sponsor this week is Pizzazz Aplenty with a $15 value surprise grab bag . 

Be sure to stop by my SSIC design sisters (listed on the sidebar) to see what they have to share this week:

It is always great to see you, thanks for the comments!

Recipe: 

Stamps: GKD - Festive Frame, Vintage Borders, The Magic of Christmas. The sentiment is from LOC.
Paper: Gina K - White and SU

Designer Paper: None

Other: Gold peals and a little ribbon

Challenges:
Art Impressions Stamps Challenge: Use Red, Green and Metallic

Card and Scrap -  Traditional Christmas colours

Digi Doodle Shop's Best -  Red and Green

Inspire Me Fridays - always anything goes

Floweret - Christmas
JUGS - Red White and Green

CSS - Inspiration Blog Hop - 11/18/2011

It is another StampTV blog hop. I really enjoy these blog hops, it is such fun to see all the different things everyone comes up with - each one wonderful! This one is an Inspiration Blog Hop, look at this great photo, so many options to choose from. 

You should have arrived from Melissa Shultz blog. She always has such wonderful ideas and projects.

This is the first card I made - I focused on the circle and decided to make a round card in blues. The stamps are from the Stamp TV kit called "Wishing you Joy". There are so many really nice images in this set. I love it. In fact the second card is also made with this stamp set. I used a silver doily on the back and stamped the snowflakes in white craft ink. the dove was colored and popped up. The snowflake was purchased at the end of the season last year. The card stock is GinaK Little Boy Blue.

This second card also uses the new StampTV set, called Wishing you Joy. I wanted to show the circles so I used 4 on one. I pulled in a little DP from Jillibean Soup and I also used GinaK Designs Rocket Red card stock and some of her luscious  ribbon. I colored the images with my Copics.

Now hop on over to visit Sharri Seffins! I am sure she has some inspiration for you as well. If you want to start at the beginning  or get lost along the way, just jump directly to the links for all of the wonderful creations on StampTV. 

Make sure to leave a comment as you hop along because on Tuesday morning (November 22), we will randomly choose one of the comments from all the blogs who will get a stamp set of their choice valued up to $24.95!

Giving Thanks: 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Brrr... It was unusually cool this weekend here in sunny Florida - I loved it!  Thanks for joining us at Stampin' Sisters in Christ for another challenge based on scripture!

This week sweet Traci is our hostess and the verse she chose is  from 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Be sure to stop by our home page to read her devotion.

"Give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Giving thanks, do we remember to give thanks for everything? Yes, even the storms that pass through our lives. Some are small little rain showers that slow us down a bit, and others are hurricanes or blizzards that can throw us into a tailspin. We do still give thanks, for it is the storms that make us stronger and help us to cling to our God even more! So, thank you Father for the ups and downs and for standing with me through them all!

The challenge this week is to create a card or project that depicts gratitude...it can be an image of something you are grateful for, a scripture that evokes your gratitude, or it can be a card made especially for a person you would like to thank this time of year. I love this image from TCM, she is really holding spring flowers - but with the magic of fall colored Flower Soft it became a fall arrangement. Perfect for a fall thank you card.

I used the Midnight Madness sketch this time!

Our sponsor this week is Simon Says Stamps with an adorable stamp set. 

Be sure to stop by my SSIC design sisters (listed on the sidebar) to see what they have to share this week:

It is always great to see you, thanks for the comments!

Recipe: 

Stamps: TCM - Little Frieda's Flowers
Paper: Gina K - Cranberry Tart and White

Designer Paper: GKD exclusive DP

Other: FlowerSoft, Spellbinder dies, ribbon, brads, button and MS leaf punch

Challenges:

Midnight Madness - Sketch
2 Sisters - #65 Anything Goes
My Sheri Crafts  -  Be Thankful
Stamp, Scrap and Doodle -  Thank you (Thanksgiving)
Card Makin' Mamas -  thankful
Inspire Me Fridays - always anything goes
Corrosive Challenges -  Give Thanks
Sentimental Sundays -  Thanksgiving/ Thank you
Sparkles Forum - Autumn 

Joyful Penguin

I am falling way behind in Christmas cards this year! So I decided to pick up the pace and create a few. I now have several pieces of Christmas cards laying on my table - this is the first that came together.

This card was stamped with the newest StampTV kit from GinaK called Wishing you Joy. This set has a lot of really fun images for such a great variety of stamps. Nothing fancy with this card - loved the DP with the stripes. Not too much coloring, just some paper piecing and a button. .

Thanks for stopping by and your comments are always treasured!
God Bless,

Card Recipe:

Stamps: GKD - Wishing you Joy

Paper: GinaK - Green Apple and white

Specialty Paper - Jillibean Soup - Christmas Eve Chowder

Other: Ribbon, a button, Spellbinder dies

Challenges Entered:

Simon Says Stamps - Button

Card Patterns - Sketch

Top Tip Tuesday -#59 Anything Christmas Goes

Jolly Santa:Genesis 3:6

Did you remember to set your clocks back an hour? That extra hour of sleep sure is nice!  Thanks for joining us at Stampin' Sisters in Christ for another challenge based on scripture!

This week our ever faithful PeggySue is our hostess and the verse she chose is Genesis 3:6. Be sure to stop by our home page to read her wonderful devotion.

"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it."

Temptation! It is always around me. Temptation to eat what I shouldn't, buy what I don't need, and say what I shouldn't say. I think that many of us can relate to the "diet" word. It seems to be a losing battle with me lately.The temptation to have all the newest stamps and all the wonderful "stuff" that are all "must haves" is another battle that I wage, especially now that our funds are so incredibly tight. But the one that I am working on the hardest right now is the last one. There have been times lately when I really have to make an effort to NOT say what is on my mind, to NOT judge others, to think and pray before I speak. Temptation - they are all around us but we can resist with the help of our Father.  

The challenge this week is to dig in your stash and use one of your oldest stamp sets, one that hasn't seen any use for a long while. I used a stamp set that I got several years ago from SU. Love this Jolly Old Man! I did also use a new stamp for the sentiment from LOC. The sentiment  and banner is just what I wanted for this card.

I really like sketches as a starting point and Carly's was the perfect sketch for this stamp. Great sketch Carly!

Our sponsor this week is Clear Dollar Stamps  with a $15 gift card

Be sure to stop by my SSIC design sisters (listed on the sidebar) to see what they have to share this week:

It is always great to see you, thanks for the comments!

Recipe: 

Stamps: SU - Naughty or Nice - LOC - Sentimental Banners
Paper: Gina K - White, Lipstick Red

Designer Paper: EP - Season's Greetings

Other: Cuttlebug Folder and a few pearls, buttons, ribbon, liquid applique (for the beard), Copics to color

Challenges:

Stamp with Fun - Buttons

Sketch by Carly - sketch

Stempelsonnen Challenge - must have stamp as main focus - Santa Claus

Simon Says Stamp - Buttons