A Little Messenger to Remind You...

The Angels challenge continues until December 31, so you still have time... Enter up to three creations, and you may win the drawing for $15 store credit at Lunagirl.com!

See the beautiful angels created by my readers and the Lunagirl Design Team so far, and link up your own, HERE.

And here to share with you is a lovely little snow angel with pink wings, helping a little bird friend by protecting her nest. Snow angels are among my favorites, especially this time of year... find many vintage angels ~ majestic messengers, sweet snow angel children, bright holiday angels, and more ~ at Lunagirl!

December Angels Challenge: Week Four

VICKI ROMAINE Cheerful Stamp Pad
Background is wrapping paper.
Image is by LG and sentiment is by Gecko Galz

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and the Design Team angels this week bring you greetings for a Merry Christmas and Joy to the World!

Remember that the challenge continues all the way until December 31, so you have plenty of time to enter. And we welcome any and all kinds of angels!

Blessings to you... I hope to see your angelic creations, so link them up here.

I'll do a random drawing at the end of the month, and someone will win store credit to have some fun shopping for images at Lunagirl.com!

ATC by MICHELE STORMS Art From the Well

CORINNE MARIE Digital by Corinne

More Angels... welcome back Mandy!

MANDY CHILVERS  http://tagalongchallenge.blogspot.com/

Here is more angelic inspiration for the December challenge...

I'm happy to again share work by Lunagirl DT member Mandy Chilvers. Mandy took a little break for awhile, and I hope you will all join me in welcoming her back! I know you'll enjoy seeing her beautiful work :-)

Here is a journal page she has created... (more inspiration from Mandy and all of the DT coming soon!)

A Third Week of December Angels

In this very busy time of year, I hope you'll find a moment to enter my December creative challenge. The Latin word Angelus means messenger ~ angels are messengers of peace and joy. In the long, dark nights of winter, they bring a message of hope and light returning!

The challenge continues until December 31, so you have plenty of time. I suspect we may get quite a few entries in that last week, between Christmas and New Year's Eve ~ usually a mellow time around my house! Remember that you can share up to three creations, and every entry has a chance to win the drawing for $15 store credit at Lunagirl.com.

ATC by MICHELE STORMS Art From the Well

by Shelby Pizzarro Sisterhood of the Muse

CORINNE MARIE Digital by Corinne

Angels: Week Two

Week Two of our December challenge featuring Angels! We have some lovely entries so far, and the charming inspiration from the Design Team continues all month... Please remember to share your Angelic creations with us! The challenge continues until New Year's Eve, and in addition to the fun of sharing, you might win the drawing for $15 store credit at Lunagirl.com.

CORINNE MARIE Digital by Corinne

ATC by MICHELE STORMS Art From the Well

A poem to greet the short days & long nights of December

I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.

"We are nearer to Spring
Then we were in September,"
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.

- Oliver Herford

December Challenge Theme: Angels

It's time for a new challenge theme, and what could be sweeter for December than ANGELS. This challenge theme will continue all through this month, and I hope you'll find time during your holiday hustle and bustle to create something to share in our challenge! Share up to three entries ~ and when your entry includes a Lunagirl image it doubles your chances of winning the drawing :-)

Just FYI you can find hundreds of angels at Lunagirl.com, including the digital collage sheets used by the Moonbeams Design Team... Don't miss their inspiration below! And always feel free to email me if I can help you find something in my store.

CHALLENGE GUIDELINES:

Challenge ends at 3:00 pm CST on December 31.

Any craft or medium is welcome.

Vintage style is encouraged but not required.

Use a Lunagirl image and your entry will count twice in the drawing!

Link to this blog and to Lunagirl.com on your site if you have one.

Prize:  Winner will be selected randomly to receive a $15 credit at Lunagirl.com!

We can't wait to see your angelic creations! Celebrate December with us at Lunagirl :-)

An InLinkz Link-up

LUNAGIRL MOONBEAMS DESIGN TEAM

ATC by MICHELE STORMS Art From the Well

VICKI ROMAINE Cheerful Stamp PadThe scene in the window is a recycled commercial card.

CORINNE MARIE Digital by Corinne

St. Nick visits for real in just ten days...

In case you need a reminder, St. Nick is here to remind you that Christmas is on the 25th... just ten days!

This pretty distressed Santa card is from Vicki Romaine of the Moonbeams Design Team:

"I made a distressed card with my choice of designer paper and inking the edges of this lovely Santa.  The background actually has three papers.  Down the right side are three token squares and at the bottom I used a Spellbinders diecut  on which to place the date." ~ Vicki

You still have time to CELEBRATE ST. NICK by linking up your work in my blog challenge! Come see all the entries so far, and don't miss your chance to join in the fun for a chance to win $15 store credit at Lunagirl.com!

The challenge continues until Sunday noon CST. Need St. Nick pictures or other Christmas and Winter images? Find hundreds at Lunagirl. Many are ready to download instantly!

Creative Challenge: CELEBRATE SAINT NICK

It's time for a new challenge, and since it's well into December let's celebrate good Old Saint Nick, shall we? I absolutely adore vintage Santa Claus pictures, and there are so many to enjoy! We have over 300 in our collection (all available on my Victorian Holidays Volume One CD, btw) and the variety is fascinating.

There are Santas in red, green, blue, white, purple, even pink. Santas in fur, in bishop's robes, in monk's robes, in fancy red suits. Santa Claus on foot, in his sleigh (of course), on horseback, in antique automobiles, hot air balloons, boats, airplanes, trains... what have I forgotten?

We can call him Santa or Saint Nicholas, Pere Noel, Father Christmas... We have plenty of pictures of St. Nick with Victorian children, and also with angels and animals. Some are funny and silly, some are dignified and elegant, some are primitive, some are quite fancy... all are just wonderful to explore and to include in card-making, scrapbooking, ornaments, and other crafts this time of year.

So, I'm  hoping to see St. Nick in every style and guise and color and costume! Need a few pictures of St Nick quick? Check out the CD above or download 110 vintage Santa pics instantly.

Here are the guidelines for this challenge:

Any craft or medium is OK.

Limit of 3 entries from one person in each challenge, please.

Vintage style is encouraged.

Use a Lunagirl image or element and your entry will count twice in the drawing!

Remember to link to this blog and to Lunagirl.com on your site if you have one.

Prize:  Winner will be selected randomly to receive a $15 credit at Lunagirl.com!

Challenge ends at noon CST on December 21.

I love it when you use Lunagirl images, and I hope you'll go take a look at my collections... but that's not a requirement!  But do remember that if you use a Lunagirl image, you will be entered TWICE in the drawing! I welcome everyone and every style but also want to give a little something extra to my wonderful customers! Most important is have fun, get creative, enjoy vintage. 

And don't miss the creations of my Design Team below, for your enjoyment and inspiration!

An InLinkz Link-up

FROM THE LUNAGIRL MOONBEAMS DESIGN TEAM:

The Moonbeams are using just a few of the hundreds of Santa images that are found on Lunagirl Victorian Holidays Volume One...

by MICHELE STORMS of Art from the Well
Michele has used one of my very favorite St Nick pics -- in his green suit
and looking so kindly and gentle with the deer. And I love holly and evergreens for
Christmas. Beautiful card, Michele!

by MANDY CHILVERS of Tag Along
Another favorite image of old Saint Nick! A fabulous Victorian
die cut in a white fur coat and hat, carrying a Christmas tree!
Mandy has used the die cut beautifully here, with such a
lovely snowy-looking background, just the right touch of glitter,
and even some "snowballs" at the bottom!

by VICKI ROMAINE of The Cheerful Stamppad who writes:
Today I used the Lunagirl "Freebie" for my card.  I just love this digital.  The card has a tan base and on top a rustic vintage print designer paper.  I used a couple of leftover strips from previous cutting of card to fill in the front.  Down the side on top of the strip of cardstock are three small glittery reindeer. 

Long Nights

The Winter Solstice is almost upon us -- the longest night (and shortest day) of the year, and the original winter festival! This is the darkest time of the year, but also the turning point when the days begin to lengthen again -- Light overcomes Darkness as the Sun is "reborn" and moves toward the promise of Spring, when Light finally triumphs at the Spring Equinox.  The Winter Solstice is a perfect time for any Festival of Lights, and candles, twinkling lights, Yuletide fires, evergreens, etc.

Tonight go outside and you'll see the Moon is full.  The full moon of December is sometimes called the Cold Moon or Long Nights Moon.  The term Long Night Moon is especially appropriate because not only are the midwinter nights especially long, but also because the moon is above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full moon takes a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low sun.

The nights are cold, but the stars are bright.

Exclusive image from our Victorian Holidays Volume One collection available on CD.

For the Winter Solstice

I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.

"We are nearer to Spring
Then we were in September,"
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.

- Oliver Herford

Today marks the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere).  It is also the point in the Wheel of the Year when the days begin to lengthen again, when the Sun is "reborn" and starts to strengthen.  Although today is the beginning of winter, it is also the day we shift from increasing darkness to increasing light. 

Long before Christianity came to Europe, the ancient people there celebrated in December at the Winter Equinox (sometime around December 20-24), because although that is the darkest time of the year, it is also the time when days start getting LONGER again rather than shorter! They lit fires and candles to symbolically strengthen the sun's fire, and they decorated with the evergreens that magically survived through the winter.  The Romans likewise held their greatest celebrations this time of year.  This season has for thousands of years been a time of joy and celebration, and a festival of light.

P.S.  Remember to put out food for the birds this time of year, especially when there is snow on the ground.  Enjoy the season, and if the cold gets you down, remember that Spring is getting closer every day! 

Full Long Night Moon

Tomorrow night is the full moon of December, which has sometimes been called the Cold Moon or the Long Nights Moon. The nights now are cold and long as we move toward the Winter Equinox, the longest night of the year (but also the day when the days begin to lengthen again!)

The term Long Night Moon is especially appropriate because not only are the midwinter nights especially long, but also because the moon is above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full moon takes a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low sun.

Brrrrr! The nights are cold, but the stars are bright.

Exclusive image from our Victorian Holidays Volume One collection available on CD.

Poem for December's Dark

I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.

"We are nearer to Spring
Then we were in September,"
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.

- Oliver Herford

Remember to put out food for the birds this time of year, especially when there is snow on the ground!

I'm gathering some winter folklore and Victorian Christmas tidbits to share in the coming days.... with pictures of course!