Christmas Cardinals

Red is my favorite Christmas color, and when I think of Christmas red, I think of my mom.  She loved Christmas and would begin decorating the house the day after Thanksgiving, with many accents in red, culminating on Christmas day.  She loved cardinals, so I thought of her a lot as I made this easel card.  I think she would have loved my cardinals but would have pointed out that the second one on the left (the female) should have had different coloring.  But, I just love the bright red males!  (I think she would have understood…and I miss her a lot this time of year.)

As I miss my mom at Christmas, I am reminded that because of the birth of Christ and His death on the cross, I will see her again. Such a wonderful reminder that Jesus came to earth to give us life, not only in this world but in our ultimate home with Him.  That is the true joy of Christmas!

This week's Shining the Light challenge is an Alternate Fold or 3D project.  I used the Cardinal Ornament set, which has some lovely Christmas sentiments in it.  I chose two of them.  This really was a challenge for me, since I had never made an easel card before. 

Here's a view from the side.  After viewing a tutorial on Splitcoaststampers, finding some samples on Pinterest, and playing around, I figured it out.  Of course, I used some practice paper to get the angle I wanted and made my engineer husband proud to see how I figured it out (smile).  I hope you like it as well and will try one yourself.

To see all the creations in one place or join the challenge, please visit Our Daily Bread Designs Blog.  You have until December 15 to join us.  You may use any stamps to enter, but if you have any Our Daily Bread Designs stamps, we would love to see you use them.  If you participate, you have an opportunity to win a $15 certificate toward ODBD stamps or to be "spotlighted" for the Shining the Light Award (the SLC award is only for those who use ODBD stamps).  We would so love to see your creations!

For more absolutely gorgeous inspiration for this challenge, please visit my precious design team sisters:

Chris Olsen * Jan Marie Ennenga * Diana Nguyen
DJ Rants * Guest Designer Robin Clendenning

Thanks so much for "stopping by" and leaving a comment or sharing a thought.  Have a wonderful week, and in all the hustle and bustle, may you continue to remember the real meaning of Christmas!

For His glory,

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Cardinal Ornament (ODBD)

Paper: Solar White (Neenah), Poppy Red (PTI)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Black (Versafine)
Tools/Accessories: Copic markers; Circles and Scalloped Circles dies (Spellbinders); fine line marker (Prismacolor); red tape
Card Size:  3 1/2" circle
Technique:  Easel Card