Rejoice... And A Pen

Do you ever struggle

while making a card? Sometimes I just can't seem to come up with the right combination of patterns or images/stamps. As was the case of this one. The Penmaker was working on one of his masterpieces to give to a friend, and he had asked me to make a Christmas card to go along with it. Naturally, I wanted it to be special... but had a total brain freeze. It took me two days of hard labor on this...LOL! Seriously... I did struggle, but I'm pleased with the results. I hope our friend will be also!

 I started with these 

patterns from the collection of Christmas papers from My Mind's Eye called All Is Bright.

The base is Kraft by 

Recollections and matted with a dark red from Core'dinations.

The cardinal is from

my new Artistic Outpost set called MidWinter.

I stamped it onto a

scrap of white cardstock and colored it using a Ranger Craft Nib and Festive Berries, Evergreen Bough, Iced Spruce and Vintage Photo Distress Inks plus Ink It Up's Cranberry. I fussy cut it, inked the edges with Vintage Photo and brushed on a coat of Distress Crackle Paint in Clear Rock Candy. When it was dry, I adhered it to two layers cut with My Favorite Things Die-namics Layered Labels die set that I stamped with Rejoice (from an old Sweet 'n Sassy set).

Here is the point that

everything went awry... but I digress.

The Alterations Distressed

Doily, Pine Tree and Mini Pine Tree were all cut out of paper from the Core'dinations Kraft-Core Nostalgic Collection pad, and the trees were embossed with Cuttlebug's Swiss Dots. I wrapped the tree trunks with May Arts brown burlap string.

There's a bit of cheesecloth

tucked under the tree here to give a snowy effect. A ChitChat sticker was put into the Label Pull... both are from Idea-ology.

I added bronze metal

corners from Momenta... popped up the trees with 3-D foam adhesive... and my two day card was complete.

Oops... I forgot to do the inside!

I already had the papers

in for the message, but I thought a verse should go inside as well. So out came the Layered Labels again, and I stamped them with Luke 2:11... For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Here is our completed set.

The pen is Black Ash,

and the clip has a Swarovski crystal in the tip.

I'm linking my card up with:

Anything Goes Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges - Die Cuts/ Punches

Make It Monday - #114

The Crafty Pad - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs!

Linda