Christmas Poinsettias

This is Week Two of our Shining the Light Christmas with ODBD.

I kept my card fairly simple this week because I was not feeling very well. However, it turned out to take a while to "construct" it (mostly because I had something in mind but did not exactly know where it was going - ha!). I decided to use Peaceful Poinsettia dies together with Fancy Foliage dies to frame my lattice circle. I used one of the sentiments from the Cardinal Ornament set and placed it all on an embossed background with a shaped frame. And, of course, you know how much I love to pierce for a border accent! For my poinsettias, I sponged them to give them definition and added seed beads for the centers.

Our pastor's sermon this past Sunday was excellent, and he reminded us about the meaning of Advent and how the Israelites were longing for the coming of the Messiah. Today we look back to the first century when Jesus to earth, and we look forward to the second coming of Jesus when He returns to rule and reign...forever.

In the meantime, we are to leave at peace with others and to live in such a way that people are attracted to Jesus, not to us. We never know how God will use us in our everyday lives.

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy,
always being prepared to make a defense to anyone
who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;
yet do it with gentleness and respect.
1 Peter 3:15

This year John Piper has once again published a wonderful Advent devotional, and it is a free download. Perhaps you will join my husband and me as we read through it. It certainly can be a wonderful family devotional.

To see all the designs in one place or join the challenge, please visit Our Daily Bread Designs Blog. You have until December 14 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. By participating in the challenge, you have an opportunity to win a $15 ODBD gift certificate good towards the purchase of stamps in the "stamps column" on the ODBD website or to be "spotlighted" for the Shining the Light Award. We would love to see your designs!

For more beautiful inspiration ideas for this challenge, please visit my precious design team sisters:

Chris Olsen * Diana Nguyen * DJ Rants
Elizabeth Whisson * Linda Carson * Robin Clendenning

Thanks so much for "stopping by" and sharing a comment, thought, or prayer request, and I hope you have a wonderful week as we look forward to celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus!

For His glory,

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Cardinal Ornament (ODBD)

Paper: White (PTI), Lucky Limeade, Old Olive, Ruby Red (SU)

Ink: Black (Versafine), Old Olive, Crisp Cranberry (SU)
Tools/Accessories: Peaceful Poinsettia dies (ODBD), Fancy Foliage dies (ODBD), Circle dies, Petite Ovals dies, Fancy Lattice die, Grand Labels One dies, Dainty Dots M-Bossabilities reversible embossing folder (Spellbinders), seed beads, Diamond Glaze adhesive, piercing tool, red tape
Techniques: Paper-piercing, fussy cutting, sponging
Card Size:  5 1/2"