Card Design: Lady Anne's Progressive Christmas Challenge #2-First Card

Once again, it is time to submit my cards for the Lady Anne's Progressive Christmas Challenge.  This will be one of two posts.  I'd love to combine them but all the linkies are so particular and won't let you submit two images from the one post.  I was hoping to get my first post done before supper and post the second later on in the evening, unfortunately it didn't work out that way so here we are and they'll be going out back to back.  Well, as soon as I get the second one done that is.  All the preamble will be here and the next post will simply be card details.

So here we go... 

Each month Lady Anne hosts a progressive Christmas Challenge where we get two images to play with.  As long as we submit a card with at least one of them, we are eligible to receive two more the next month.  Now that is some deal!  She is trying it out for six months to see how it goes.  I hope it is a success, because this is certainly one incentive to help me stay ahead of the Christmas card panic!

This month the sponsor is Stamp -N- Doodle.  

Here is the front of my card...

 With a closer look at this funny trio...

 

Here is the inside...

General Notes:

• You would not believe the amount of time I spent trying to figure out how to layout this card and what papers to choose.  I must have spent an hour and a half alone just stuck trying to figure it out.  Nothing was coming to me.  I finally ended up with what you see which certainly doesn't justify the amount of time I took to make my choices for Pete's sake!  It certainly isn't anything elaborate. (Poor Pete.  I wonder if he get's upset when so many people invoke his name to express frustration.  Things that make you say hmmmm......)
• I do have to say though that I'm pretty proud of the colouring in this one. 
• As I was about to do a blue background it dawned on me that not all the images have to be outside.  They could be inside up against neat coloured walls.  Wait, you might just see some funky wall paper behind one of them, one of these days.
• Oops!  I just noticed that the red marker bled a bit up onto the choirbooks and off the collar of one of the girls.  Damn and it was so close to being one of my best! I'm probably going to have to invest in better paper but that will be a little while yet.  Although I don't understand why it is that the reds are the worst offenders of the bleeders.
• Actually, it is a bit fortuitous that one of the challenge themes is 'merry and bright'.  It just so happens that I have those exact same words on the card.  Now I know that the interpretation can be much broader than this but I thought it was just a bit funny is all. 
• One of the challenges calls for sparkle and bling.  My shadow cardstock is shimmery and I have two hearts at the top that are pretty sparkly and blingy.  
• One of the challenges is a color throwdown.  As it turns out I just happen to have all these colours in the card.  While it is hard to see, the E31 I used for the highlights in the hair are very close to the 'crumb cake' colour.  Now the card is mostly supposed to just be made from this palette; so I hope my golden yellow wall isn't too much.

 Digital Image:

• As previously mentioned this stamp is from Stamp 'n Doodle.  It is called Carolling Trio and is available for purchase HERE.
• Copic markers used--Girls: E000, E00, E02, R20 (skin); E02, E04 (lips & tongue); E21, E23, E25 (hair); B00 for one and G00 for the other (eyes).  Clothing:  R20, R22, R24 (robes); B32, B34 (shirt collars).  Choirbooks:  N0 and the colourless blender (CB).  Wreaths:  YG31, YG63, YG67 (leaves); R22, R29 (berries).  Wall:  Y21 and the CB.

Digital Sentiment:

• Spirit of Christmas:  This is a sentiment that I got a few months ago as a freebie from Jak Heath.
• I would have liked to have come up with a funny sentiment but my brain just wasn't up for the challenge the night I printed out the elements for the card.  Can anyone come up with one that would be great to use on another card with this image?  Huh, huh, anyone??!

Paper Products:

• Card Base: Michael's Recollection's Cardstock, white.
• Designer Papers:  Plaid paper (front)--Recollections Bright Christmas Cardstock Paper.  The red strip at the bottom on the front with the text was cut from a paper within this pad as well.
• Other Papers:  Shimmery red (shadow front & inside) --Michael's open stock scrapbook paper.  
• I had actually thought of putting a DP on the inside, but nothing looked right and I think that the white and red look fine combined with the green text.  Anything else may have been too much.

Embellishments:

•  Button is from our stash.  I love this big green button.  I hope it goes to a home that loves it as much as I do.  Yes, I do get attached to my embellishments.  These things tend to happen when you don't have children.  Buttons, flowers, pretty ribbons...you tend to get attached to lots of inanimate objects.  And really, I don't need therapy!  I'm completely well adjusted.  Well, as well adjusted as any person can be given the strange circumstances that make up my life and of course all the different characters that live in my head with me.   Don't you be worrying about us, we're juuussst fine!
• I used cross stitch cotton thread for the bow threaded through the button holes.
• Sparkly and blingy (while those probably aren't real words I think they should be) hearts are from Dollarama.
• The hearts on the inside are from Dollarama too.  Apparently my brain is having a word retrieval issue.  You will come to note that happens a lot around here, and for the life of me I can't think of what the material is called that the hearts are made from.  Spongey just doesn't cut it.  Of course, I'll wake up in the middle of the night shouting out the word but it will be a little late by that point. 

Challenges I hope to enter:

• Lady Anne's Challenges -- Progressive Christmas Card Challenge #2.
• Stamp 'n Doodle -- Anything Goes
• Crafter's Digital Art Centre --  Anything Goes 
• Pin & Tack--Spark Your Creativity Now Challenge -- Challenge #7:  Anything Goes
• Word Art Wednesday -- Challenge #72:  Anything Goes
• 613 Avenue Create -- Anything Goes/Optional Twist
• Christmas Card Challenges -- Challenge #16:  Picture Inspiration
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge -- Challenge #116:  Merry and Bright  
• Color Throwdown --  Challenge #234
• Christmas Cards All Year 'Round -- Sparkle and Bling
• Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge 2 -- Anything Goes

I may add to this list throughout the week and or month.

Now, I'm headed to post number two.  See you again in a few minutes!

Until next time,