Festival of Lights

As designer of the day for the Card A Day Blog I had the pleasure of creating, for the first time ever, a card for Hanukkah.  This is the first time we've had a week featuring this well-known Jewish holiday at the CADB, and it's been a true learning experience for most of our participating designers.  I know that Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights, celebrates the miracle of one days' worth of the special olive oil (that remained after the rest had been destroyed) keeping the candles lit in the Temple for a full eight days until a fresh supply could be made.  Not traditionally a religious holiday Hanukkah, falling during the same season as the Christmas holiday, has come to be celebrated in a similar fashion with celebrations, special foods and gift-giving.

My card features the Star of David and the menorah, or candelabrum, on which one candle is lit for each of the 8 days of the holiday.  The center, or highest, candle is the one used for lighting all the others.  Please remember I am speaking as a Christian who is not too well-versed on the traditions, and giving a much condensed explanation.  So, if you need to set me straight in any way, feel free to do so in a comment.  Here is your first look at my card:

 

 I started with a card base cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" in a dark navy and folded in half to form an A2 sized card..  I added a lighter blue mat measuring 4" x 5 1/4" and then the card face, in white, cut at 3 3/4" x 5".  I used two stamps for the greeting, one a background frame stamped in blue and the second stamped with Versamark and embossed in silver.  I couldn't find a stamp of just the word 'Blessings' in my excessive collection (How crazy is that, right?!), so I used 'Autumn Blessing' and taped over the word autumn.  The menorah is a sticker, and the stars are die cuts, the larger one being affixed with foam dots for dimension. 

 

Before the layers were affixed I rounded opposing corners of each layer for a little interest.  I used my tape runner for the blue layer and more foam dots for the white layer.  The rhinestones were added for a bit of sparkle.  Here is another photo where you might be able to see some of the dimension:

 

 I added a white liner to the inside, and created my own sentiment using MS Word.  I thought the bright white pieces were a little too stark, so I inked all their edges letting some of the ink stray toward the center.  Finally, I added two more candle stickers to dress it up.

 



 I'll end with one more slightly closer shot of the card front, and I'll be looking forward to your comments.

Here are the details:
     Stamps:  Clear Stamps "Faithful Friend" set, TCP Studio "Autumn Harvest" set
     Inks:  Versamark, Stampin' Up "Bashful Blue"
     Papers:  Gina K. Designs "In the Navy", Recollections medium blue, and Georgia Pacific white
     Hanukkah images:  Creative Memories "Judaic Combination Pack"
     Embossing Powder:  Stampendous Metallic Detail Silver


So happy you decided to stop by!  Sending lots of hugs!!!
CHRISTINE