ODBDSCL219 - Christmas with ODBD (week 2)

It's week 2 of the Our Daily Bread Designs challenge, ODBDSLC219, Christmas with ODBD. You can see the first card I made for this challenge here. Here is my next card:

I had lots of fun making this card and I really love the Peaceful Poinsettia dies from ODBD. They are gorgeous and I cannot get enough of them!

I've used Bazzill textured card as my card base and then for the layer of green. The gorgeous stripey DP is from ODBD Christmas Paper Collection 2013. I love how this piece has a bit of swirly pattern to match my leaves :-)

I've diecut one of the ODBD Beautiful Borders dies from Bazzill textured French Vanilla and also diecut the ODBD Peaceful Poinsettias dies from the same card. I've inked the Peaceful Poinsettias with Distress Ink Aged Mahogany and Peeled Paint while they were still in the die. The poinsettias have been bent slightly, lengthways, along each petal and I've glued them altogether with "normal" glue except for the smallest piece, which I have used a small piece of foam tape.

The holly looking leaves (which I think match the Poinsettia's nicely) are from ODBD Circle Ornament dies and the swirly foliage/leaves are from ODBD Fancy Foliage dies. Both are diecut from Bazzill textured card and have been inked with Distress Ink Peeled Paint while still in the dies.

For the banners I've first lined up my Our Daily Bread Designs Christmas Pennant Swag stamps with the ODBD Pennant Swag dies (place the die cutting side up on your table, then line up the stamps on the die (stamping side down), once lined up press your acrylic block onto the back of the stamp and pick it up. When you stamp it you know it will line up with the die (this works because it is a symmetrical die)). I've inked the stamps with Distress Ink Aged Mahogany and stamped onto Bazzill textured French Vanilla (but on the non-textured side). I've then diecut them using the ODBD Pennant Swag die and inked the bows while they were still in the die with Distress Ink Aged Mahogany. These are popped up on foam tape to give some dimension.

Here are some more photos:

For more inspiration for this challenge please visit my talented design team sisters:

Chris Olsen ~ Linda Carson ~ Diana Nguyen

Cheryl Scrivens ~ DJ Rants ~ Robin Clendenning

To see all the projects created for ODBDSLC219 or to join the challenge click here. You have until 8 pm Sunday, 14 December 2014 EST to join us (or 9 am Monday, 15 December 2014 AWST). By participating in the challenge, you have a chance to win a $15 ODBD Gift Certificate that can be used towards the purchase of stamps in the “stamps column” in the ODBD store; or to be spotlighted on the ODBD Blog at our next challenge! The random prize winner will be posted on our next challenge post.

We put up our Christmas tree a few days ago. My girls, who are 6 and 3, were soooo excited to get the tree out of the shed (we just have a plastic one - not a real tree), check for spiders (you can get some nasty big ones in Australia - like the huntsman! - thank goodness there were none in there!), and then put it up in our loungeroom. This was a bit of an ordeal in itself as our house is only small and we had to re-arrange the lounges in our loungeroom to fit the tree in - so now you have to turn sideways to get past the lounge to get out the front door! I think we'll be using the back door quite a bit more in the next few weeks :-) We then got out the Christmas tree lights to find out they wouldn't turn on :-( The girls were rather disappointed. So we postponed our Christmas tree decorating a day while my husband sourced some new lights. Back to tree decorating the next day, both girls were excited to see the new, coloured, star-shaped lights (the last ones were white, small, round lights) and helped to carefully put all the decorations on.

A few years ago my Mum bought me some material that has the nativity scene on it that you can sew together. I've only got as far as Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus and the manger... but it's a start and it was a lovely time of sharing the Christmas message with my children as we placed them under the tree. It's amazing how much little children understand, even my 3 year old, who will proceed to tell me all about baby Jesus and him growing up and dying on the cross for the "bad things that we do". It reminds me of Mark 10:14-16 which says:

"...He [Jesus] said to them [the disciples], "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it al all." And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them."

How precious are our children!

It's getting more of a struggle each year as my children get older and they are exposed to more "wordly" things, like Santa (my husband and I are anti-Santa.... but it doesn't seem to be rubbing off on the kids too well!), to keep the true meaning of Christmas as the main focus. But as we look at the decorated tree each day and discuss what Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus have to do with Christmas - I pray it is planting seeds of faith in their hearts.

I am entering my card in Word Art Wednesday Challenge #161 - Anything Goes.

Thanks so much for looking!