Christmas Cards Abound, WOYWW, NBUS, Snippets,

 Well, as we know, the months are are flying by. I'm into my batch card making for Christmas card, I've three main designs using old and new stamps but all are definitely inky. As it's WOYWW, What is On Your Workdesk Wednesday (see over at Sarah's here, I'm sharing a view of my current desk.

To the right are some very old Unity Stamps, a nativity set, partly under the card I'm making, not attached. It has  a **NBUS Lavinia large holly, ** Elements Sahara to background it also NBUS,  and stamped holly in versafine Twilight. Did try Green Shady Lane on one but curiously preferred Twilight. I hand-cut the tags as dont have a large enough tag die. I get 6 out of an A4 sheet.😄 that's great economy! The back two cards are partly made up sets, both in older stamps especially the one on left using the MFT Peekaboo die.  Nativity stamp from 1990! I managed to make almost 70 cards so been busy. My recent leg cancer ops slowed me up especially one of the skin cancers, on lower left shin, was a reaĺ whinge bucket! It was an unexpected excision. My right cheek excision was 4cm long and no picnic either! 😁 however my cards are on the homeward run now, with a few assembly steps on one set then putting inserts in and mailing overseas, ASAP!

This the MFT frame Peekaboo die with 1990s nativity, wood mount and ODB bible verse. I love that MFT peek-a-boo die! (Thanks Marilyn!) Allsorts card - Christmas challenge. Link below 

** NBUS Holly from Lavinia the verse is a very old Stampendous stamp. 

This is the Unity Nativity stamp set about 15years old. Also using two Lavinia stamps , pine branch is **NBUS, and small holly.

**NBUS Lavinia *small robins, *pine branch and holly. Made for my friend, her name is Robin.

Loved these, simple design using old Stampendous verse from Luke 2:11, a star die and snippets of gold glitter card and ribbon.. 

 This below is Snippets Sympathy. The snippet of gumleaf serviette has been sitting for ages, added silver snippets in decorations.

This is the technique from last post, double inking and double embossing, needed in a hurry for a 50th birthday. Last card has double **NBUS. AI or Artist Impressions Isaish 41:31 and Stampendous Greeting, "I'm praying for you". An encouragement card made on one of those hand cut tags.

To some Aussie photos.. a beautiful spring beach day. I drove there as was when I wasn't well... but still can view this so very blessed. Then followed by my spring roses from my garden,  I love them!

Well, it is a really bumper post, today, but it is that time of year. I'll be glad when I've finished my last Christmas card for 2025... I am almost there! 😁

Thanks so much for popping over for a peek and a chat, I pray God's blessing on your day, wherever you are 

Prayer hugs, 🙏🏻🤗

Shaz in Oz.x

Thought of the Day. 

Well, I am grateful after the past few weeks that I have the LORD as my Saviour.

 (This is the verse on a number of my cards).

And because Jesus is my LORD and Saviour I really do love Christmas time, and that's why I continue the practise of mailing out cards even when many are saying its too time consuming, expensive, etc. Yes, it's really worth doing well for Jesus' sake. Think how much He  on the cross He suffered for us all.

Praying for you, hopefully I'll be back again next month too.  

Linking up with the following:

1. Word Art Wednesday Challenge 

https://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com/2025/10/weeks-720-721-anything-goes.html?m=1

2 Snippets Playground - the serviette gumleaves card 🍃

3. NBUS Never Before Used Schtuff   **cards as indicated (thoughts and prayers are with Darnell and Mister, for hubby's continued healing in God's mercy). 

4. Allsorts Challenge  Christmas cards or Anything goes, certainly have some Christmas cards this time.

5. Beccy's Christmas Card Challenge Month of Holiday cards . 

Christmas 2024 Christ our Saviour has Come! + WOYWW + Snippets + NBUS

Well, 2024 has simply evaporated! And I haven't blogged since Oct! Happy Christmas everyone, and as it's Wednesday- happy WOYWW,  popping over at Sarah's Craft Shed. Here is my desk, posed a few days ago - Darnell's is the Joy to the World, above it is Mrs A.s, Neet has the Jesus, Mary and Joseph silhouette, she's used all Lavinia stamps, and Chris D has the one next to Neet with the beautiful star.  The others aren’t bloggers, but beautiful too.

This is a NBUS stamp set, the sub greeting. The JOY die is Christmas washi die cut. Linking up to Allsorts Challenge - Use your dies, sub greeting were die cut too. I made all sorts of these but only took this photo! BELOW: This blue in this Solar paste card is NBUS too, other colours are Lunar paste ( on black rectangle die cut,disc then used disc. EF. Below are my Lunar and Solar paste cards, you certainly get some different colours, I've used the Lunar paste before but the blue solar paste is a NBUS, (Never used before Schtuff) so I'm off to HERE - Darnell's NBUS challenge.

Everyone of these cards in the next two photos could be called Snippety but I'll chose the one in middle above which has "Christ is born " stamped in gold over a Shepherd scene. They were all upcycled cards. Very handy. The greeting are either digi or stamped. I made 76 cards, but gave some away. Linking some of 76 to Word Art Wednesday

The top left card tells us the importance of today. Jesus was God's greatest gift to us for through Him we have salvation and the promise of eternal life, if we trust in Him as our Saviour, which I did at 12yrs old down at our creek, see photos below. May we remember in all the gift giving to give the best we can to Jesus as it's His birthday, may we give Him our heart ❤️.. 

These are the beautiful flower boxes taken up in town, I'm glad I took them a week ago, when up there a few days ago the hot dry weather had frazzled some of them.

These are some of my flowers, the Christmas cactus on left, and some of my roses on the right.

Some of our Sunshine 🌞 on my walks. I am very blessed to live where I do. This bird below is a King Parrot, in our rose garden, I think he was eye-ing off the green tomato also growing among roses.

Here, may we always remember:

I borrowed this image from Betsy, Life of a Queen because it said what is often left out at this time of the year. Our greatest Gift is Jesus, may we give our greatest gift back, our heart. Praying this as our blessing in full today. Prayer hugs, Shaz in Oz.x

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“In the Fullness of Time, He came..” + Snippets Challenge + WAW

    Christmas is a celebration of Christ’s birth, yet He is often banished these days out of hearts and homes, stores and public locations… some even substitute X for Christmas calling it Xmas. 

X is an unknown quantity but Jesus is never that. For He is our LORD, our Saviour and coming King.

There are many prophetic passages promising Jesus would come, starting with Genesis 3:15 - man sinned, so our loving God promised a Saviour.

Another promised our coming Christ oft forgotten is of His second coming: the promise given by the angels when Jesus went back to heaven after His resurrection … .

“… HE SHALL COME AGAIN, IN LIKE MANNER AS YE SEE HIM GO into heaven”

 Acts 1:11

As in the fullness of time, ie God’s time Jesus came the first time, He was born, died and rose again - Paul says here: 

.. but when the fulness of the time was come, 

God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 

to redeem (save, buy back) them that were under the law...” Gal 4:4

With Christ’s coming there were a few faithful ones in total expectation of the promised Messiah.

They were not surprised in unbelief that He should come as a babe not a conquering King was to rescue them from the Romans. 

Here’s a list of five but I’m sure there are more:

Elizabeth - the mother of John the Baptist was believing (though Zacharias, his father was struck temporarily dumb for his unbelief) Luke 1: 5-26, 40-45

Mary - Luke 1: 26-80

Joseph - Matthew 1:15-25, 2:13-23

Simeon - Luke 2:25-35 faithful prophecies were made by Simeon, to Mary.

Anna - Luke2:36, 38, at 84 yrs, she’d long waited, in expection. 

Two gospels tell of Christs birth.

Matthew gives it from Joseph’s perspective and dealing in angel appearances and Magi coming; Luke is Mary’s perspective, each also share their respective genealogies.

Are we likewise expectant that our beautiful LORD Jesus Christ will come again, AT ANY DAY, as promised?

 "THEREFORE BE YE ALSO READY for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh.”  Matt24:24

Will Christ find us ready longing for His coming as these faithful ones were at Christ’s first Advent? I pray so with all my heart, perhaps it might be today!

At Christmas time may Christ not be left out - but may we ALL remember the most important gift is not UNDER THE TREE,

BUT WAS PLACED UPON THE TREE TO DIE for our sin.

 

Praying earnestly that the real reason of Christmas shine brightly in your home and heart.

 

Just sharing some cards too, partly so I remember what I've made 😆😅, and sent out! The multi coloured cards are done on black card with Lunar Paste then embossed with various folders. 

Most of my cards this year were recycling, which is what the second one in this list here is, stamped with "Jesus is the reason of the season". Stamps are mostly wood mounts from 1990s.

May God richly bless your Christmas day wherever you maybe! And thank you so much for popping over especially if you’ve time for a comment, you are much appreciated.

 I’m with family and enjoying a lovely low key day. God is very good to me.

Prayer hugs,

Shaz in Oz.x

1. Linking over to Snippets playground with the Recycled card, as all snippets except card base.see here

2. Linking over to Word Art Wednesday for first five cards. link here

Christmas Stamp Relief Snippets + Masking Stencil + Window card + WOYWW

Okay it’s WOYWW day again ie desk day, What is On Your Workdesk Wednesday, over HERE 😁 at Julia's .. so where’s my desk!? Actually it's four desks, over a few weeks!

 Desk 1: Happened to come across this video by Christine Stokes (link here). Chrissie used 5 layers of toilet paper = snippets, I used four (forgot one layer). I think I'd use serviette next time, I've done this with serviette and die cutting, although didn't wet it, added card base too - See it here. Very successful too.  

Snippets card (and a NBUS, as definitely never used loo paper on a card before!😂)

Added shimmer paints to define the letters, NOEL, this large wooden stamp was a gift from Ginny Maxam in US. Extended in shimmer green the quite small rectangle die .. cut it thrice to make green scalloped strip base.

Desk 2: Masking was inspired by a GinaK Insta movie - this is HERE closest I can find to it, as she used a stencil and masking on it.

Ahh, one I watched, here tis! Both are great five min videos, anyhoo 😂✅

Next desk 3 for Christmas cards, brayering. (Desk 4 is bonus background done while had brayer out - for brayering background file, note colours do fade some)

Video on this background below done ages ago here.

It's an idea that popped into my head as I was waking up one morning, seen the window die the day before in an old blog post, plus stamp was using too in other set! Adding another very old sentiment stamp from early 1990s. Decided it needed another appearing. Most of my crafty stash these days may be labelled DISCONTINUED. But still too many NBUS, think next set of dozen Christmas cards must use some NBUS. 

The embossing of "Christ the Savior is born" is two tone, gold and platinum EP. 

Loved effect, not that it's very visible in photos.. 

These are roughly A2 cards, as can get two of them and one larger 5 x 7” out of one A3 top quality 300gsm white cardstock sheet. Three cards out of one sheet is very economical. 

Thankfully I’ve a new ream and a half of it left, as probably very expensive now, as thought it was when bought it years ago. So a dozen each in two designs, plus 1 in NOEL stamp = 25 cards, roughly a third of number needed. 

Give some as presents at Christmas. 

We’ve had some lovely clear days with stunning winters skies, this very short video is one taken and shared on the day I was out walking.

It was very cold about 4.30pm, the dogs didn’t notice cold, but swam joyously with the swiftly, moving creek tide. One more obedient than the other, he took the longest route possible! 😂

Took some still photos, too. Different days, my dad loved to paint these skies, see one of his here.

This is a photo of him (in 1970s) painting up on top of lookout above our coastline, it’s the only one I have of him painting ... 

A memorable day, I took it on my first proper camera (a Ricoh), circa 1975. 

Well, busy with birthday cards too, but share another day. Started also another dozen Christmas cards, so almost caught up when done, as was way behind. July 25th reminder helps me get skates on.

Thanks so much for popping over - I really appreciate it so much! I will visit as many as I can, but iPad now blocks all bloggers except those with pop up windows comment boxes.

May God bless you and all whom you love, 

Shaz in Oz.x

Thought for the Day:

I think this is very hard today... to 

"BE *STILL" 

and 

"*KNOW that I am God.."

two deliberate actions with a liberating result.

For then we are free to love and worship God, Who loves us so very much.

Stillness brings peace and rest, contentment .. as we rest in His everlasting arms.

Joining up to:

1. Word art Wednesday Anything goes! http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com/ 

2. Snippets playground https://pixiessnippetsplayground.blogspot.com/2022/07/challenge-433-christmas-in-july.html toilet paper card = snippets card.

3. Rudolph day - Scrappy Mo’s Christmas challenge https://scrapsoflifebyscrappymo.blogspot.com/2022/07/july-rudolph-days-challenge.html

4. Crafty hazelnut Christmas challenge http://craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge.blogspot.com/

5 NBUS = Never Used Before Schtuff = loo paper on a card before.. a NBUS technique that’s for sure, and it will be having another outing too as itching to do a blue or purple version, maybe with silver? https://mynbus.blogspot.com/2022/07/nbus-challenge-40.html