Crafters Of Faith Monthly Challenge

Crafters of Faith is a group of Christian bloggers that met and bonded on SplitCoast Stampers.   Every month, on the last day of the month, we post a card with a theme chosen by a member of our group.  This month’s theme was chosen by MaryRose and here’s what she had to say:

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 Hello, Crafty sisters! Can you believe the holidays are here? I LOVE this time of year! Peppermint Mocha Lattes, twinkling lights, Hallmark Christmas movies...every good and perfect gift pointing to our Savior. My favorite part of the season? Christmas carols. I LOVE Christmas music, and I have so many CDs that I have to start listening to them in October just to fit them all in! LOL I have a few favorites that make it into heavy rotation (Amy Grant, Kathy Mattea, Point of Grace, Sara Groves), and others that are strictly instrumental and fill the house with the ambient sounds of the season (Jim Brickman, Windham Hill's Celtic Christmas, and more). This month's challenge: Make a card based on one of your favorite Christmas songs or carols. (The Bible verse I chose is often associated with Handel's Messiah, another favorite!) Make sure your card has a little twinkle to represent the light of the world. Bonus points to anyone who includes kraft and gingham in their design (just because I LOVE kraft and gingham!) So there's your challenge! Plug in that Christmas music and get inspired! I'm even learning some Christmas carols to play on my dulcimer.

 

 

One of my favorite Christmas Carols is “The First Noel” so I went to my favorite resource for images and googled the song.  I found the perfect image that had an antique’ish look to it so I saved it and printed it.  Then I cut it into an oval using my Silhouette.  I adhered it to a slightly larger, black oval to matte it.  The red paper by Recollections, although not quite gingham but as close as I could get, was used because MaryRose said she was giving out bonus points, lol.

 

 

The “Noel” on the bottom right was also printed and cut with my Silhouette. I used a copic marker to color it and washed over the top of it with my colorless blender to try and achieve an antique’ish look.   I adhered a few jewels to the bottom left to give it the twinkle which represents the light of the world.

I can’t believe Christmas is less than 4 weeks away.  I’m not one who enjoys all the hustle and bustle of the season – in fact, it rather brings me down -- so taking some time out to reflect on this challenge and what this holiday is truly all about was just what I needed.  Thanks, MaryRose. 

I’ll end this post by sharing a poem that I wrote back in 2004…

The Reason For The Season
©  Dec. 21, 2004

‘Twas 4 sleeps until Christmas and all through the town,
much hustle and bustle and madness abound.
The people all scurrying about in a flurry,
in hopes that their shopping got done in a hurry.

The children done school & home for a break,
stirred up & excited, give Mom a headache.
And Dad working steadily to pay all the bills,
how that long list of Christmas gifts gives him the chills.

Soon all had lost sight of the wonderful reason,
why Christmas was such a significant season.
Far off in their minds was that day long ago,
when a babe was sent down to a manger laid low.

His birth was a blessing from the Father above,
given to mankind to show His great love.
A treasure so precious to you was bestowed,
on that day in a stable where love overflowed.

God knew that one day His Son's life would be given,
and into His hands & feet nails would be driven.
Christ would die, rise, ascend to his Heavenly place,
Our sins now forgiven by His mercy and grace.

This is what Christmas is really about,
a free gift of LOVE that never runs out.
There is only one present that truly has meaning,
it's the CHRIST that's in Christmas on Whom the star's gleaming.

I hope you enjoyed.