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Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Do you have any Christmas traditions in your family?
When I was growing up we did the usual Christmas traditions like leaving a plate of biscuits (cookies) and a glass of milk out for Santa and those infamous Christmas crackers would come out at dinner. When I moved to the US, I introduced the crackers to my husband's family who had never heard of them! Now they're on the table every year. Christmas Eve is usually spent at either our place or at a BIL's house. A couple of years ago we discovered that the kids could 'track Santa' on Christmas Eve too! Here's the LINK.
Another tradition we started last year with our daughter was the 'Elf on a Shelf'. Have you heard of this? I heard about it last year and snapped up a copy of the book and the elf! You introduce the book to the kids after Thanksgiving time and the story goes that Santa sends an elf to every boy and girl to watch over them. Then at night, while they sleep, the Elf flies home to the North Pole to report to Santa on whether the child has been naughty or nice. And when he returns the next morning, he sits in a different location around the house and the kids have to find him. My three year old adores him and really gets a kick out telling the elf what she wants for Christmas!
Here's a card I made for a dear friend of mine. She generously sent me some more wonderful Magnolia images which I could not wait to color up!! I wanted to make her a Christmas card with one of the images but not have it appear too 'Christmassy', know what I mean?
I used some double sided SEI paper that had the polka dots on one side and the tulips on the other. I just layered it on some Bazzil cardstock and popped the image on some pop dots for a 3D effect. Then I went looking for a Christmas sentiment and couldn't find anything that fit the space beside the Magnolia image. So I made up one with the Studio G mini alphabet stamps I have from Michaels. It works doesn't it? hahahhaa I used SU's Real Red and Cranberry Crisp on her dress to give it some depth. I faux stitched the edges because my sewing machine is packed away.
Hope my friend likes it! Only 9 days until Christmas now - holy cow! Where the heck did this year go?? See you all tomorrow!
Supplies:
Stamps: Magnolia, Studio G Mini Alphabet set
Inks: Staz On 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Cranberry Crisp, Certain Celery
Paper: Bazzil cs, PP - SEI 'Winnies Walls' - "Playful Pansies"
Access: Ribbon, dimensionals, Martha Stewart edge punch, paper piercer, Zig pen, White Signo pen
3 Comments:
This is BEAUTIFUL and so very sweet!!! As soon as I saw the card, it put a smile on my face:o) You are such a gifted artist!!! I wish I knew how to shade images the way you do. Whenever I try, it looks like one hot mess! Hahaha!!
One of our Christmas traditions is sponsoring a couple families with the American Red Cross. We started this when our boys were very young, so they would understand that this is more a season of giving than receiving. We usually choose a family that mirrors ours-dad, mom, and two boys, and we each shop for our counterpart. We also take Christmas goodies downtown and pass them out to the homeless...nothing big, just cookies and sandwiches. I think this is their favorite Christmas activity. We wanted them to know that roles could easily be reversed and to never take life's blessings for granted. Let's hope it sticks when they become adults:o)
Hugs!
Carolyn
I love this card, Sandra! Your friend will LOVE it. It's just beautiful!
One of our Christmas traditions is our Christmas Eve service at church. It has always been a special part of Christmas for us, and we usually participate in the program in some way. My boys were in the productions of the Christmas story as shepherds, wise men (or wise guys as they always put it), and as they got older, they contributed by narrating, or
lighting candles. The best year was the year my niece was born on December 15th, and she played the
baby Jesus. She was so sweet and slept in the manger the entire time. I usually contribute to the program by singing a solo, or joining our pastor in a duet. We always finish the evening with a visit from Santa (played by my BIL). Very special memories for a very special time of year. Glad you're feeling better, and many happy blessings to you and yours this holiday season!
You know this card is GORGEOUS, right?? WOW!!
Two things I LOVE about Christmas: 1) my siblings and I would always sleep in the same room and then get up at 3 or so in the morning, spy what our "santa gift" was under the tree, grab our stockings and then go back upstairs and go to sleep. Even now that we're all married we still all try to stay the night at my parent's house so that we can be together Christmas morning. And 2) I LOVE to wrap presents!! I will wrap all of the presents for anyone in my family who needs something wrapped. It's very relaxing for me. Thanks for sharing with us, Sandra and for letting us share too!
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