Celebrate the Wonder

Winter.

The Christmas decorations are packed in their boxes for another year. All that remain are a few lit decors lending their tranquil light, cozying up our longer evenings. The once tall Christmas candles continue to burn throughout this season of Winter, their flames adding a bit of warmth to the cold and the darkness. 

It is that time when my days are more contemplative, my doings more intentional. Next to the grandeur of Autumn, the serenity of Winter embraces my favorite season of the year. I don't wish these days away nor do I want to let them slip away, their gift a treasure. I cherish the times they bring when we are glad to be inside; the slowness; the contemplation; the reflection. I wait with Winter, in her time of silence and sleeping, that period of rest for reawakening, rejuvenation, and rebirth!

Is it any wonder then my friend and I decided to delay our Christmas celebration until mid January? A time when the must-do's are done, the frenzies completed. The time when we are content to be home and warm, anticipating the quiet and some planned days of nothingness. A celebration in the midst of the grey descended Winter. It is just what we did! We arranged the day of festivity, and in preparation I lit the candles and listened to Christmas music, while wrapping paper and ribbon spilled once more from the kitchen counter. The Priority Mail box was just the right fit and a trip to the post office sent her package along its too far away journey. The feelings were the same as those of Advent. Waiting. Hoping. Anticipating. Welcome emotions to experience again so soon. Two days later the exchanged emails arrived: "It's Here!" We planned our time of sharing carefully. Around dinner. Around pet feedings. Around one husband arriving and one husband departing. The call was made and the phone was answered. Such a grand time we had chatting and giggling, opening a card, a gift, and oohing and ahhhing. And the gratitude, the thanksgiving for friendship, for Christmas, above all else. A celebration well worth the wait when quiet and attentiveness were within easy grasp adding warmth to Winter's chill evening.

I chose "Celebrate the Wonder" as the sentiment since I wanted to include both Christmas and Winter wishes. I so enjoyed the process of creating this Christmas card, not only because it is the only one I made this year, but because the idea for it has been jostling around my head since October. What I once held as a wish deep in my spirit became a dream-come-true that month in Autumn when this card was selected by Penny Black as a winning entry in their Color Combo Challenge. As I looked through all of the wonderful Penny Black stamps, "Magic of Christmas" was one that brought much inspiration, her arms outstretched and her hands open for receiving. I am still looking forward to creating the rest of these ideas for this delightful angel; she makes my heart happy! 

The size of this easel card is rather large, 6" x 5", to accommodate both the angel and the deer. I paper pieced her dress with paper from Echo Park, "Winter Park," and traced the gather and fold lines with a Wink of Stella clear glitter pen. The pen adds such wonderful sparkle to the garlands on the angel and the deer also. 

And look at her sweet shoes - shoes for an angel! The top part of her dress was adhered directly to the base design, and foam tape was added to the hem, lifting it for the appearance of a wind blown Winter's night.

I stamped her wings twice with White Staz-On onto transparency and cut them out, leaving a "tab" to adhere behind her dress for attaching them. Both were layered on top of the white base angel wings; the top layer was folded for dimension. Upon finishing the card, I decided a bit more sparkle was needed and used a toothpick to add Stardust Stickles on the wings.

I die cut the Simon Says Stamp Falling Stars background (a previous Christmas gift from my friend), from Little Yellow Bicycle "Winterings" patterned paper and adhered it with many tiny pieces of foam tape to the silver glitter background paper. The glittered snow banks were cut with the PaperTrey Ink "In the Meadow" die and each layer was adhered with foam tape. The Sizzix Mini Reindeer was cut first from chipboard and then from cardstock. They were glued together and I stamped the tiny snowflake from the Penny Black set, "Robin's Kingdom" with Vintage Cream ink. 

The base of the easel is another piece of white glitter paper. I adhered the Memory Box Gabriella Border at the bottom, and a Spellbinders "Grommet Tags" delivers the card's silver embossed message. 

This late Christmas celebration was so enjoyed. Winter allows us to hold and remember, to cherish all that is Christmas, to keep its memory and honor its message each day of the year.

Celebrate the wonder of Christmas. 

Celebrate the wonder of the Star. 

Celebrate the wonder you are!

Winter blessings,

Materials:

Cardstock: Neenah Solar White; Bazzill Blank Check; Best Creation Opal White Glitter; Silver Glitter

Pattern Paper: Echo Park "Winter Park - Teal/Natural; Little Yellow Bicycle "Winterings"

Stamps: Penny Black "Magic of Christmas - PB43636"; "The Wonder - PB30-040"; "Robin's Kingdom - 30-056"

Ink: Versafine Black; PaperTrey Ink Vintage Cream; Versamark

Dies: Simon Says Stamp "Falling Stars"; PaperTrey Ink "In The Meadow"; Sizzix Mini Reindeer and 25; Spellbinders Grommet Tags;

         Memory Box Gabriella Border; Memory Box Star of Wonder

Markers: Memento: New Sprout, Bamboo Leaves; Copics E000, E00, R30

Other: Transparency; Wink of Stella Brush Clear; Wink of Stella Red; Ranger Super Fine Detail Embossing Powder; Crystal Stickers

          Glitter Dome Silver; Stardust Stickles