Be Present for Christmas - Lesson 6 - Be a Dwelling Space for God

It's been 6 weeks of great bible study and this is our last class.

Our activity this week is putting together an Advent Calendar.  I chose to make it simpler this year because several of the girls from last year are now finishing up theirs so hopefully the calendars will be displayed and used this year.

I designed the 25 sheets with my Bethlehem drawing in navy blue on a gradient sky blue background with red numbers in the top right hand corner.  The scripture for each day is in the center of the sheet.  They are 3.5 x 5 inches and are hung on a 10 foot navy blue twine cord with wooden clothes pins.  We put 3 red wooden beads at each end with a pretty scroll metal hanger. Each person got a box to store the calendar during the year.

This week the lesson focus is Be a Dwelling Space for God. It's the story of Mary. When you make space in your words, in your wants, in your ways for Jesus, He comes and lives in the most miraculous way in your heart, too. Only one thing is necessary - just let your hands and your heart be a space for love to come into the world.
Is there anything you need to take a break from for a while to make more space for Jesus?

I'm selecting my lessons from The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp.  The book provides 24 lessons for each day of Advent of which I have chosen 6 for this class.  We will have readings, questions, discussion, and an activity each week.

This is the calendar hung across my living room curtains.

I gave each person in the class a freebie from Ann Voskamp's website.  A reminder about slowing down and if our heart is open then rest will fall into place.

Take time to enjoy the season with family and friends and do what you can but don't let it spoil your joy at Christmas.

Pop Up Gift Card Holder

I'm working on gift card holders for last minutes gifts.

For this one, I used the Stampin Up Card Base Pop'n Cuts Die.  The card stock is River Rock with Holiday Thyme designer paper cut with the Top Note die.  I added an Ornament punchie stamped with the Delightful Decorations ornament in Cherry Cobbler on Very Vanilla.  I added a bit of Cherry Cobbler twine.  I created the dip in the pop up with the Word Window punch.  I added a piece of DSP which matched the front then a sentiment from the Festival of Trees stamp set. I followed up with the rest of the sentiment on a piece of Very Vanilla which I cut again with the Top Note.

I love the way this card closes with the tabs in the slots. 

Cards - Tab Closures

I made a couple of cards for my exchange group.  A Stampin Up Card Base Pop 'n Cuts XL die has come my way and I didn't know it created a card which closes with slits and tabs.  That was a super surprise. I've done some research and there are interesting projects to come.
For these cards I cut the double sided card stock with the card base then folded it in half.  For the blue one I used Make a Wish Dandelion paper from Pebblesinc.  I cut a SU Lattice Die in white and adhered it to the card front in the tall orientation.  I punched a couple of SU Five Petal Punchies in deep brown then 2 small white Five Petal punchies and adhered them onto the brown ones.  I added a bit of a centre with a marker.  These were mounted with 3D foam tape. I added a greeting in the bottom right hand corner with a SU Modern Label punchie in white stamped with a stamp from the Small Script Stamp Set. I punched a brown punchie same card stock as the flowers, cut it in two crosswise and offset them to the back of the greeting layer.  This layer was then adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.

 This second card was cut with the same card base die.  I used this map card stock with a deep red on the back side.  I cut the Tim Holtz Camera Mover & Shaper from the same card stock but with the red in front.  I cut it twice and then layered some pieces from the second onto the first so I would have map accents on it.  I used a strip of white card stock which I put Distress Stain in Antique Linen and Gathered Twigs to help it coordinate with the card stock.  I then cut the sentiment with the Stampin Up Little Letters dies and adhered them onto the colored strip.  I ran the edges of the strip into the dauber of Gathered Twigs stain.  I adhered the strip to the card front. I wrapped the card front with several layers of kraft twine and knotted it on the front. I then adhered the camera to the left of the sentiment with 3D foam tape.  Note the card is being used in the reverse manner from the first one hence you only see the red tabs showing through the slits.  Very versatile die.

Card - Challenge - Jar

I made this card for one of my on-line groups.  The challenge was to use a jar on the card.

I searched on-line and found this jar at Sweetly Scrapped.  I printed it on vellum and fussy cut around the image.  I printed the daisies from Graphics Fairy on yellow DP.  I then dug out the chalks I haven't used in a while and applied some to the back of the jar, the flowers and stems, and the background of the image. I mounted the flowers onto a blue card with french script from Graphics Fairy too as the background.  I added some thin twine around the neck of the jar. It needed something else, so I added a thin black border on the yellow done by hand.

Card - Challenge - Apothecary Framelit

I created this card for a sketch challenge on Clean & Simple Cards FTL203 using the Apothecary Accents Framelits.  Aren't they great?
I wanted to give the card to some guys who worked on renovations at my house so I chose SU Well Worn DP which I printed from the His & Hers DVD.  I placed it on an Early Espresso card.  I cut the Framelit accent in blue trying to match as close as I could the color in the DP. I printed the greeting on Very Vanilla and cut it with SB Oval Nestabilties.  I adhered the accent die cut onto the DP and tack it down then placed burnt orange eyelets on either end. I used my Crop-a-Dile to put them in place.  I found some twine which I wrapped through the eyelets a couple of times and knotted it on the right hand side.  The greeting I splattered with walnut ink and rubbed the edges as well.  I mounted it over the Framelit die cut with 3D foam tape to leave space for the twine.