Christmas Day 2020 + Christmas NBUS Snippets card

 Well, it’s arrived! Christmas Day 2020! Tis here, heralding the celebration of our coming King of Kings over two centuries ago. And also heralding soon the end of 2020... is that cheering that I hear? at the thought of 2020 passing?!

Wherever you are, I’m thinking and praying for you all, many are affected and will admit we are here too, as some who planned to come were obliged to stay in Syd due to outbreak there. Thankfully we here on North coast of NSW are still fine, no Covid since April. Long may it continue! Living in country definitely has its advantages.

Now Christmas is important, it’s really the most important Advent of human history. Advent meaning coming... if Christ had not come all those many years ago to be our Saviour, we truly would be bereft of all hope! Through sin we are in isolation, isolated, cut off from God. 

As COVID isolates many, so too are we isolated, without Christ as our Saviour.

Luke 2:7-11 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

This is a beautiful item I read on a friends page on FB, I’m not sure who wrote the original. 

"A Magical, Starry Night"

How many long, exhausting days had the shepherds spent feeding, protecting, and caring for their flocks? 

How many nights had they spent looking into the starry sky? 

I wonder what they thought about and if they prayed much on the hillside. 

On an ordinary night, as the shepherds were just doing their jobs, heaven exploded into the sky and invaded the hillside, their hillside, to give them a special message. 

Unbelievable! The Saviour that was promised had come to them. They were told where to find the baby! 

They were told where to find their Messiah. They were going to see God. They had been invited to see God. 

If the newborn Savior had been born in a palace, the shepherds would not have been at the top of the guest list. They were, however, perfectly dressed for a stable and would feel totally comfortable going there for a visit.

 I wonder if part of the message to the shepherds is a message to us. 

In the middle of our ordinary lives, our God wants to meet us and reveal who He is. 

He is an intimate, loving God - Who chose to come to us as a helpless baby in a smelly barn. 

Jesus is a gift of love, mercy, and grace. He alone has the power to save us. 

What a God!  (copied from a friend)

However all this is worthless!

... unless we come simply and humbly to Jesus as sinner - needing His salvation full and free.

 I think many of us this year have been strongly reminded that life maybe snuffed out as quickly as a candle flame! 

Having had a heart attack in June and adding to my list of another close call, I walk mindfully of this fact, EVERY day!

 That is why I do not stay silent, but mention it often. I’ve seen and know  how fragile life is!

God is only a prayer away, please I beg of you dear friends, do not close your eyes this night, without trusting in Him as your Lord and Saviour. 

None of us are promised tomorrow or even this whole minute.. only this second.

 “What is our life? but a vapour that appeareth for a little while then vanisheth away.” 

To read how I trusted in Christ as a child, over fifty years ago, read this post here, please, and do likewise!

Now I’ve some Aussie photos to share and also a card. Here first of all is my card.

It was inspired by dear Darnell’s card, on the left. 

When I saw it this idea popped into my head. 

I’ve used a (disc.) Memory Box stars stencil, with Versamark and gold EP instead of Background stamp like Darnell, my stamped greeting is by Our Daily Bread from Isaiah 9:6. Use it a lot.

Backed greeting on Vellum with Kraft card as gold embossed stars underneath distracted too much, and don’t have lot of thick vellum to use so added double layer, and gold bling to nativity star. The nativity is from Di's gift from Sweet Pea Nativityscape. All are snippets on this card, except for white base - Kraft, gold cheap shop Mirri card, and that vellum was one teeny strip left from a card batch bake a week or so ago, so off for a Christmas play in the Snippets playground, yay! Wonder if enough snow for a snowball fight?! 

And now I’ve started on next years cards. 

Be warned in this blog I make Christmas cards all year around.

Now to Aussie photos ..

These few are of beaches this week, such a contrast after all that rain, and huge tempestuous seas!

And the visitors and locals in this photo at the creek, five mins from my house is showing how all enjoy our summery Christmas Downunder!

As folks were fascinated last week by the well camouflaged Tawny Frogmouth, my friend in SA, who did last week’s wren mid flight, posted this.. a pair of Tawny Frogmouth!

Please note - some folks kept thinking they were owls, even though I said they are not owls. Just like koalas are not bears, Aust is often different to northern spheres. To read up more on Tawny Frogmouth, see here

I may take a wee break from blogging and come back in the new year. Depends on what happens as uncertain at moment. 

However I really want to thank every single one of you who comment so faithfully even though I’m not as good at returning your kindness, as I ought to be, you don’t know how much really bless my heart!

I pray every blessing upon you and yours this Christmas and in the days ahead, especially prayers for UK, USA, Europe, and too in Oz the north Sydney beach area in lockdown, I’ve family there...  and too many other places. 

Love and prayers Shaz in Oz.x 

Linking over with:

1. Word Art Wednesday - anything goes. Both cards  http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com

2.  The Impression Obsession bauble is also a NBUS, Never Before Used SCHTUFF - so off to the NBUS Challenge too. Here!

3 Dis Snippets challenge over here

4. Simon says Wednesday Challenge  - sparkle and shine.Here

5 Simon Days Monday Challenge- Celebrate! Here!

6. Chocolate Baroque- anything Goes https://www.welovechocolatebaroque.uk/2020/12/december-challenge.html

7. Allsorts Challenge Sparkle and shine http://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/2020/12/week-6034-sparkle-and-shine.html

Beccy’s Digi in Christmas + WOYWW

 Hi there everyone, yippee, another Wednesday, please hop over to WOYWW or What is On Your Workdesk Wednesday at Julia’s! 

Desk sharing time... okay desk isn’t very riveting, in fact it’s from a few days back as no crafting this week, but have things to share.This was at my computer where I’d put Beccy’s images into a Word doc ready for a few cards as I’d run out again. 😃 this the lovely Silver bell by Beccy, added the digi verse is one of Karen’s from Word Art Wednesday. Love them together and had great fun making these cards below.

I’ve been busy as summery visitors arrived on Sunday for week, however have had a truly wonderful time in spite of the weather, which I shall mention below.

These are the cards which I made with this silver bell by Beccy, EF is Swirls by Embossaliscious, plus SB ovals and ribbon etc. quite simple.

Aussie photos - first of all, a couple of birds, one by a friend, a blue wren caught mid flight, very skilful, I thought.

Secondly a very unusual bird rather owl-like but not actually an owl, a Tawny Frogmouth on family’s fence in Brisbane. The first one shows how well camouflaged they are, look all the world like a part of a tree when in a tree. 

Second is up closer.

Another photo below ..

... taken  by a nephew out gardening. How is this for a bromeliad? Huge!

Talking of huge, we’ve had a huge amount of rain, over 400mm in past five days, that’s 16+inches. Here’s some photos to show you what a rain, low depression on NSW coast is like. Quack, quack! First few are in hinterland up in mountains overflowing waterfalls.

 Above photo.. that is a mountain road halfway down that the waterfall is roaring across!

Lavenders bridge, only moderate , as its often under water.

.... and then some ocean ones to share.

To cheer you up I’ll leave you with a couple of sunsets.

From our What’sApp, one by BiL 30 mins north of here. The other by his eldest son in Norway, both show that “ the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shews forth His handiwork”. Ps 19:1.

God bless you, everyone, thank you so VERY much for popping over, especially if you’ve time to say hi, and I pray that the blessing of the Lord will be upon you and those you love this Christmas time,as we look to remember the Christ of Christmas.

Prayer hugs, Shaz in Oz.x

Thought of the day.

The Christ of Christmas is front and centre here!

 An exquisite card has just arrived from France! 

Announcing "Born is the King of Israel".. Jesus , our Saviour!

Yes, it's for us, you and I, that LOVE came.

Came as a little, tiny baby, born in a lowly cattle shed, a babe... 

Yet a King, the King of Kings born to die that we might live by faith in Him, and know the true joy of sins forgiven, and a home in heaven!

Hallelujah,  what a Saviour!

Linking over with:

1. Word Art Wednesday - anything goes. Both cards  http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com

2. Beccy's lovely digi is one I won on her xhsllenge last month,  and is also a NBUS, so off to the NBUS Challenge too.

Joinging with  Beccy's December  challenge,  too, here. And please check out the freebie digis that Beccy  has there too. 

WOYWW 600 + Christmas NBUS Embossing folder

(EDIT: CANDY DRAW below)

Hullo, amazingly yet again - it’s Wednesday here, which means WOYWW or What is On Your Workdesk Wednesday at Julia’s YES, WOYWW 600 is here! Shouldn’t be here as super busy and as write this it’s late on Tues, but as it’s WOYWW 600 Felt that I must join.. even if quick lob in! Hoping to catch Beccy’s November bonanza post too over here.

Here is my desk at midnight, yes it’s still Christmas.. as I keep adding to my card list. I visited nursing homes yesterday as we’ve not been allowed in some for ages so it was grand to see some, and will be again today. 

So making more nativity here, on the wee 🐑 sheep, I used the Woodware Fluffy stuff that’s in the white tube in shoebox lid. All the images laid out ready to do with heat tool .. this is a Sweet n Sassy nativity image stamped and die cut kindly for me by Marilyn in USA. 

The verse stamped on vellum is Our Daily Bread... here it is above, up close!

I had this lovely 3D Gemini embossing folder of “Hark the Herald angels sing” so multiple embossed it for extra pop, adding some gold brilliance inks highlights. 

Now to Aussie shots, first from walk last week, down at our main sweep of beach’s there are surfers 🏄‍♀️  in those waves.

Then next ones are courtesy of the grey nomads in our family. The white sticklike flower is the head of the grass trees as shown in collage, grass trees were once called black boys too.

The beautiful Christmas looking flower is a a native flower of NSW called Christmas bells, they flowered here in the wild on our block, when we bought it in 1969 but no matter what dad did he couldn’t keep them flowering once not in bushland. They like grassy, marshy or damp areas but zero cultivation.

I hope to pop around but maybe next week, also hope to zoom on Sat. for the virtual crop, but as think it’s 8 or 9pm and maybe for me even later - I’ll be at a Christmas function till 9.30pm I’m not hopeful. I put it on my phone in case, but don’t know how to drive it yet! Learn on fly. 

God richly bless your week and keep you in the days ahead.

Prayer hugs, Shaz in Oz.x 🙏🤗

Thought of the day: 

In light of 600 WOYWW thought this rather apt.

“ Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” 

It’s  something I need to remember, I may not know what tomorrow will hold, but I know Who has it all safely in His hands! 

Praise God for that!

I often think of that saying on the American $ note, “In God we trust” in light of current events on a number of continents, it’s something we all do well to trust in!

(Arghhh boy blogger drives me nuts. It’s eaten my edits again!)

Candy draw... done published earlier, and still showing on my iPad..  but blogger ate it. So sorry.

 Two draws as two prizes.

 

Alice and Sunshine...

... please email me, my email link is on my sidebar.

 I will need both your addresses. Thanks so much everyone who entered.

I really appreciate you all so much. God bless you all!

*****

Linking over with:

1. Word Art Wednesday - anything goes. Both cards  http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com

 2. https://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/simon-says-anything-goes-79/

3. This embossing folder is also a NBUS, sometimes I’m a bit ashamed how long I take to use NBUS, so off to the NBUS Challenge too.

3.**Christmas cards linked up to new challenge We love Chocolate Baroque, theme is Christmas.

Scrappy Mo’s Christmas Challenge, Stencilling Snippets + WOYWW

 Well, yes! predictably it’s Wednesday here, which means WOYWW or What is On Your Workdesk Wednesday over here at Julia’s... AND it’s the 25th!

Exactly one month till Christmas!? 

How does that happen? And so it’s the last 2020 Rudolph Day or Christmas challenge at Scrappy Mo’s until the 30th Nov. 

Firstly to my desk on Monday night. At the weekend I was watching Eileen Godwin with her Lavinia videos, using masks and gesso... so as I watched I found myself hunting out masks, gesso and two snippets a strip which became the sunflower and one of the stitched rectangular pieces left from frame making for the holly. 

And oh! did I have fun when I should’ve been doing other things. 

Technique explained:  First ink dusted a base colour with Distress Inks all over on the masked piece allowed it to dry then decided it was too dark, so spritzed it with water and dabbed off with paper towel, finally happy so let it dry again.

So here on my desk I lined up the masks yet again in right spots (not easy!) to add more colours and depth for dimensions. To the holly I added the red pearl drops to great effect. 

This is closer to real colour than card photographs below, too.

 To sunflower added blue watercolour sky. It was longer scrap of card but cut it down for snippets frame made with Scrapdragon 5 x 7” dies set. 

Love these.

Used DI Wild Honey and Mustard Seed on sunflower, Peeled Paint and Pine Needles for the holly leaves. Added Hero Arts prayer set to Sunflower, and Our Daily Bread Stamp set embossed on Christmas card vellum. “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given.” Isaiah 9:6

Each card base top was dry embossed too on one side, a 5 x 7 Courture Creations Christmas folder on prayers , A4 spots on Christmas card, which matched the holly rather well.

Sharing another Christmas card made some weeks back - it’s with the Sweet n Sassy Silhouettes set, like the holly card, using the Christmas tree on this one. Used gold ink stamping on this too. This card adding to Beccy’s challenge along with holly one to help her beat last year’s record entries. 

This is my last pair of cards made with the happy birthday die. It’s two cards for one again.. and they are really really pretty with that glitter silver, which is so flat looking in these photos.

 Is anyone else finding with the new blogger they have to multiple add editing? This is second time I’ve re-edited parts of this post.

AND just a reminder. ..

You can win this die at my tenth Blogaversary blog candy over here! 

This was the card that was supposed to be on last week’s desk, I did get it off in good time along with another early Dec birthday.😊

Onto the Aussie photos today... some to begin with from walk yesterday.

I love paperbark trees or melaleuca.. isn’t it beautiful?

This is down at creek mouth looking over to jetty.

Next are flowers, perhaps some native tucker, I think as common name is sea cabbage, it grows in Sandhills on way to beach, very pretty flower.

These are some white Agapanthus planted down by the creek.

Then when walking up in town..

Here are some crab claw Helaconia, very unusual. Last few are from friends visiting New England district, it’s granite country.

Mushroom rock is a favourite as are the others, very, VERY big rocks.

We lived up there in granite country when young and the big rock formation reminds me of Kangaroo Rocks, which was a five mile walk out of our town. We’d walk out for the day, have a BBQ on the rocks, cooking sausages in a pan on a fire.

We went with friends, then one of parents would come and pick us up. I remember one of the lying down long rocks looked like a thumb and I called it Shaz’s thumb. We named the formations after ourselves ... of course!😄

Well, that’s it for today. Praying much for all in USA, UK, France and many other countries to be kept safe and for God to watch over all whom you love.

Thanks for popping over and saying hi, am hoping to do better this week in visiting, God willing.

Prayer hugs,

Shaz in Oz.x 

Thought for the day:

“O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.

Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.”

God is omniscient, all knowing

God is omnipresent, everywhere present.

God is omnipotent, all powerful.

However God is God, and we may be very sure, our ways are not His ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts. 

May we walk always in the light of this.

Linking up with also:

**Word Art Wednesday - anything goes. Both cards  http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com.au/

**Also linking over to http://craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge.blogspot.com/2020/11/chnc-challenge-515.html?m=1

**Christmas cards linked up to new challenge We love Chocolate Baroque, theme is Christmas, used Stamping on greetings on both cards.. and embossing and masking on first card.

*** new challenge “Let’s Squash it!” https://letssquashit.blogspot.com/ and it’s using embossing folders, cards with a Christmas theme, see my Christmas card. Not sure if it fits or not .. but linking anyway.