{DIY Christmas Nativity Card}

Hey, y'all!  Do you send out Christmas cards?  I don't normally because I never remember to mail them in time, but I love to have cute cards on hand in case I need to give one to someone as part as a gift.  This DIY Nativity card is something that can easily be made with the help of a Silhouette.  And if you hang around to read this entire post, after the tutorial you'll find links to thirty-four other Silhouette projects AND an AWESOME giveaway! 

I began the card by creating my design with my Silhouette software.  Here's the steps I followed: 1.  I drew two rectangles--one inside the other--to create a frame.  The outside of your frame needs to be the size of the front of your card. 2.  I opened a nativity design (#52103) from the Silhouette store.  The design contains all of the people and animals you would expect to be in a nativity set. 3.  I ungrouped the shapes and deleted all the ones I wasn't going to use.  I kept Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, the large star, and the little stars. 4.  I then selected Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus and grouped them back together. 5.  I positioned them and the large star within the frame that I had created.

6.  I selected those and the inner rectangle and used the "Subtract All" tool found under the Modify icon to get rid of all the extra cut lines that would keep my design from being one piece.

I was then left with the image above.  (Please note that if you need to move or resize the design after you finish this step you will need to group all the pieces together.)  7.  I added a few of the smaller stars to the background and cut the design with my Silhouette.  

The process may seem like a lot of work, but it really wasn't.  It took more work to explain the process in this post than it did to actually create the design.  

The rest of the process of creating the card was even easier.  I folded a piece of card stock to create a card, and I used double sided tape to adhere a piece of glitter card stock to the front of the card.  I then taped and glued my nativity scene to that.

I glued on the extra stars and some rhinestones to complete my card.

I love the way it turned out!  I've been guilty of normally only using my Silhouette to create stencils, so it was fun to use it for something different.   Are you like me and need more inspiration to create projects with your Silhouette?  Well, this part of the post is just for you.  I have teamed up with thirty-four other bloggers to share links to some amazing Silhouette projects with you.  The projects are part of what's called the Silhouette Challenge.  Check out the links below!

1. 2013 Snowman Christmas Card by Please Excuse My Craftermath...
2. Christmas Hoop Art by Lil' Mrs. Tori
3. Silhouette Nativity Advent Candle Box by One Tough Mother
4. Christmas Party Photo Booth Props by unOriginal Mom
5. Another Stenciled Tea Towel by Cutesy Crafts
6. Silhouette Gift Tags by Rain on a Tin Roof
7. Snowflake Pin / Ornament by Coley's Corner
8. State Sign Couple Gift by It Happens in a Blink
9. Mason Jar Christmas Ornaments by Vintage News Junkie
10. Merry Christmas Wall Decor by One Artsy Mama
11. Deer Head Holiday Banner...featuring Santa's Reindeer by The Thinking Closet
12. Restore your UGGS (with PAINT) by From Wine to Whine
13. Monogrammed Snowflake Ornaments by Architecture of a Mom
14. Christmas Countdown Sign by The Girl Creative
15. Elf Chalk Sign: "The Best Way to Spread Christmas" by Weekend Craft
16. Glittery Christmas Subway Art by The Turquoise Home
17. Sketch Pen Labels by Sowdering About in Seattle
18. Snowflake NOEL Sign by My Favorite Finds
19. DIY Holiday Hostess Gift by Everyday Paper
20. Folding Nativity Backdrop by Chicken Scratch NY
21. Recycled Glass Jar Advent Calendar by Nearly Handmade
22. Reindeer Card: Double-Sided Print & Cut by GetSilvered
23. Personalized Block Ornament by Suburble
24. Paper Medallion Christmas Tree by Create & Babble
25. Mini Mid-Century Homes by Tried & True
26. Glitter and Vinyl Minecraft Christmas Ornament by A Tossed Salad Life
27. DIY Countdown to Christmas Refrigerator Style by My Paper Craze
28. Reversible Recipe Holder/Block Frame by The Sensory Emporium
29. DIY: Lettered Christmas Pillows by The House on Hillbrook
30. Simply Charming Christmas Ornaments by Life After Laundry
31. No Glitter was Worn by GiveMeAPaintbrush
32. Make Easy Ornaments from Paper Circles by Bringing Creativity to Life
33. Cutting Machine Embroidery Applique by Terri Johnson Creates
34. "Believe" Christmas Banner by Daily Dwelling
35. DIY Christmas Nativity Card by Pitter and Glink

Do you have a Silhouette machine?  Looking for Silhouette inspiration, support, or trouble-shooting? Interested in joining us for our group posting event next month? Then we'd love to have you join our Silhouette Challenge Facebook group. 

To join, simply fill out the new member request form, and Lauren from The Thinking Closet will get you squared away.

Amazing inspiration, right?!  Well, maybe you were reading this post, and you were sad because you don't have a Silhouette to create these projects.  You're in luck!  Along with today's post, the Silhouette Challenge Group is also hosting a giveaway.  One lucky person will win a $155 Amazon gift card that she can use to purchase her very own Silhouette!

Thirty-one members of the Silhouette Challenge group made this giveaway possible, so there are thirty-one potential entries per person.  Please note that the giveaway runs from  Monday, December 9th - Monday, December 16th at 11:59 pm eastern.  This international-friendly giveaway is open to anyone 18 years of age and older.  The winner will be contacted by Lauren from The Thinking Closet by email and will have 48 hours to respond, so watch your spam folders!  The rest of the giveaway terms and conditions can be found in the Rafflecopter widget below.

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Good luck!