ABC Christmas: S & T

SEPTEMBER. Now that we've entered that final third of the calendar year, can't you feel the impending rush of the holiday season in the background? You know it will be here before you know it... and that's why, if you haven't already begun, it's a great time to start making your Christmas cards! And ABC Christmas Challenge is here to help you with two fun themes for the month: S for SPARKLE and T for TEXTURE. 
Here is my sparkly card: 

Probably the majority of my Christmas cards have at least a little sparkle on them, but of course when faced with the prompt, my mind suddenly went blank. After I wandered around cyberspace for a few minutes, I found this card by Donna Mikasa, and my own grew out of her pretty inspiration. The blue panel has three types of sparkle: shimmery watercolour powder (and why more brands don't have a sparkle option is really kind of surprising); a few sprays of shimmer mist; and finally, some splatters of a different shimmer mist where the sprayer is now clogged. ;) More sparkle is offered by the snowflakes cut from glitter cardstock. Of course I used sparkly embossing powder for the sentiment. And finally, iridescent snowflakes and confetti for even more bling. 

For my texture card, I decided to go rustic:

Again, I needed a nudge to get me started, and these tags by Elena Roussakis provided just the right inspiration. Texture? Let me count the ways.  Textured cardstock for the stitched die cut focal panel. Embossing paste snowflakes. Torn paper snow. Stitched die cut tree and trunk. Jute twine. Woodgrain embossed background panel. I think that about covers it. :) 
Lots of sparkle and texture to admire on the ABC Christmas blog! I hope you can join us with your own Christmas creation! 

Supplies: (sparkle) Neenah white & Stampin' Up whisper white glitter cardstock, Canson watercolour paper, Clearly Besotted Message Me stamp, mermaid lagoon distress ink, Wow clear glitter embossing powder, Cosmo Cricket Pixie Paint pool party watercolour powder, Tsukineko sheer sparkle & Radiant Rain shimmer sprays, MFT double stitched rectangle & Tim Holtz/Sizzix mini paper snowflakes dies, Studio Katia iridescent ice flakes & crystal clear confetti; (texture) Neenah desert storm, Stampin' Up naturals white & old olive, Bazzill textured kraft & scrap of brown cardstock, Lil' Inkers Holly Jolly & MFT double stitched rectangle dies, PTI woodgrain impression plate, Simon Says Stamp falling snow stencil, Dreamweavers glossy white embossing paste, May Arts red jute twine, Little Things from Lucy's Cards gold dust star confetti