From our House to Yours!

Hello friends! 

From our house to yours.... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! 

Today I have a quick card to share with you using this month's ODBD release, Let it Snow, and some partial snowflakes from a past release, Sparkling Snowflakes.  I stamped and sponged my MB snowflake stencil with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Iced Spruce.  I love the blueish green tones.  It reminds me of the retired Sage Shadow color from SU! which I miss very much.  My card base is Neenah Solar White and I cut my image panel with last month's die release, the Flourished Star Pattern die.  That gives the edge the tiny piercing that I could never do myself that evenly.  I popped the entire main panel up on dimensionals for a little extra pop, since the card is basically very simple.  I added the sentiment which is cut with a SB Ribbon Tag Trio die, and I added some tiny partial snowflakes from the Sparkling Snowflakes set and adhered with ribbon.  Simple and very doable in mass!

I hope you enjoyed my card today.  If you need a quick idea, this might help you get some made up in time to mail this year! :)

I have been focusing my mind and thoughts on the birth of our Savior throughout this Advent season.  I thought I'd share some Scripture with you today which gives the account of how Mary was first told by the angel Gabriel, that she would conceive a child, and that He would be great, and would rule His people.  There is so much to ponder in these verses, but what touches my heart today is Mary's response.... "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word. " I'm not sure I would have been that willing to be scorned for being pregnant out of wedlock in a time when that was an offense with dire consequences.  I'm not sure I would have wanted to start my marriage to Joseph already pregnant.  I'm sure I would have worried about what Joseph would think of me!  However, I think it was her heart that God found favor with, for her response showed her willingness to  do whatever God wanted her to do.  I hope you can take a couple moments to read Luke's account:

²⁶ Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”^[c]
29 But when she saw him,^[d] she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. ³⁰ Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. ³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. ³³ And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
³⁴ Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
³⁵ And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. ³⁷ For with God nothing will be impossible.”
³⁸ Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

I am entering this in the ODBD Shining the Light Challenge, which is Christmas!

Blessings to you during this most special season, from our house to yours!