Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Candles, Wreaths & Pinecones

Happy Wednesday and welcome to Cooking With Cricut' challenge day!  Melin challenged the Design Team to use candles, wreaths and/or pine cones in our projects this week in honor of the First Sunday of Advent -- which was Sunday, November 27.  Advent (from the Latin word adventus meaning "coming") is a season observed in many Christian churches, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas.  Advent wreaths are often used to mark the passage of the season.  Traditionally they hold five candles -- one to be lit on each Sunday during the Advent season with the fifth candle being lit on Christmas Eve to celebrate the coming of the Christ Child.

I managed to use all three images in my double scrapbook layout commemorating my youngest daughter's first Christmas.

Here's the recipe:

Joys of the Season cartridge --

• Fireplace - cut at 6" high.
• Pine bough with pine cone - cut at 1 1/2" wide.  (I trimmed the cones off of the boughs to make my mantle garland and journaling block decoration.)
• Wreath - cut at 4 3/8" high.
• Candles - cut at 1 3/8" high and 1" high.
• Stockings - cut at 2 3/4" high.
• Christmas Tree - cut at 11 1/4" high.
• Star - cut at 2 1/2" (trimmed by hand to eliminate the long tail)
• Beaded Tree Garland - cut at 2 3/4" wide (welded several together to form a string, then trimmed to fit the tree).
• "Christmas" -- cut at 5 1/2" wide (this is "Merry Christmas" cut without the "Merry").

Animal Kingdom cartridge --

• Cat - cut at 2" high.

Cake Basics cartridge --

• "2004" -- cut at 1" high.
• Picture frames -- cut at 2 1/8" high.

I used two 12" x 12" pieces of a creamy yellow Bazzill card stock for my base.  All of the other papers are from my scrap stash; except for the tree and I don't know the manufacturer on it.  The packages are Jolee's Stickers and the Christmas ornaments are stickers by Creative Memories.  I used 3-D Crystal Lacquer on the tree garland for shine.  Some chalk, pen details, and Stickles complete this layout.

I LOVE the way this turned out!  It is one of those rare times that what I imagined could be, turned out even better!

Now it's your turn!  Link up your candle, wreath and/or pine cone project up at Cooking With Cricut and you just might be this week's Top Chef!  And don't forget to join us for our 2nd Annual 25 Days of Christmas Crafting which begins tomorrow, December 1st.  There will be tons of projects and even some freebies every day!

~ Jen

P.S.  I'm entering my LO in the Creative Cutter Room's "Animal" Challenge.