A Bestie & Rudolph Noel

Hello again! In 26 days, our one and only walks down the aisle! I find myself in a near-constant state of anticipation. Thank goodness for my hobby as creating helps to calm me down and zen me out.

Seems like I never get enough time to indulge my love of coloring, but this adorable Sherri Baldy Besties image gave me an excuse to indulge. This is a 4x6" card (made to fit an unusually-shaped envelope I have). I used one sheet of patterned paper from Fancy Pants' Merry & Bright 6x6 paper pad. The card base and the rest of the papers used were found in my paper scraps (snippets) drawers stash.

  

  

I followed one of Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2 sketches, but I made sure to twist and turn it as much as possible, lol. Then come to find out I used this same sketch, equally contorted, a year ago! (This is for a special holiday challenge to use a 2019 sketch.) Anyway, you can see that I used the sketch elements plus I added the wide red satin ribbon because I just wanted to. The flower in the lower corner replaces the small oval element and I moved my Noel sentiment to the large center element. And I used 3 pearls top right but I curved them...

...and I used smaller scalloped triangles in the corners instead of squares.

The image coloring actually began weeks ago when bored one night I went through my digi files and printed the black and white images that caught my eye. This was one of them, so I had it laying around. One of my Christmas presents was a box of metallic brush pens that were unfamiliar to me, so I grabbed this image and began using my new brush pens to color her fur hat, cuffs, etc. with silver and her dress and bow in blue. Also Rudolph's fur in brown. Then I quit because there were only 8 metallic markers to begin with and I'd used the only colors in my scheme. I love the markers, though. I finished up the coloring with my ProMarkers and added touches of gold and red with Sakura gel pens.

I wanted build a little flower element since the patterned paper has poinsettias (and greenery and reindeer). I don't have any poinsettia dies that small nor any paper ones, but I did have the large blue pointy leaf so I layered some smaller flowers on and combined with pearly heart brad. I used letter stickers from my sticker stash for the sentiment. I used a Spellbinders Labels die to cut my focal image and MFT photo corners die for the red scalloped corners. Oh, and I used a corner punch on the patterned paper.

On the inside left of the card I stamped the deer and sentiment from Altenew 's Winter Wonderland set. The right side is stamped softly with a Stamplorations sleigh and then a Stamplorations sentiment. I used more of that old lined card stock I found in my paper stash about a month ago. I die cut these using the same die as on the front.

On the back I used scraps from making the front to create a little arrangement like I usually do. My siggie stamp is by EK Success.

I keep looking at the colors I chose and thinking these are not traditional Christmas colors. What do you think? I do like all the blue shades together with the red and a hint of green. I don't care for the size, though. It's only an inch length and width from the 5x7" cards I normally do but I can tell the difference! Guess I'm just used to 5x7 and 6x6 cards.

 A detail shot to show the bradded flower and her glittery love knot braided hair.

And this to show the corner pearls and shimmery silver fur.

All in all, glad I made this card and happy to have my first one for 2020 done! She and Rudolph are definitely cutesy, but you know, I do not care. She makes me happy. Liking cute never bothered me and I see just as much if not more talent in this illustration as in any other. I see more and more crafters embracing and enjoying cute nowadays and that makes my heart smile!

Challenges:

1.  Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2 Bonus Challenge - I used Sketch 151 from 2019 (sketch shown above)

2.  Christmas with the Cuties #34: Christmas Cuties

3.  Double D Challenge: Use a Punch -- Happy 4th Birthday to Double D -- I used a Fiskars 4-sided corner punch on the patterned paper on my card front. In the photo, it's the one in the back. 

  

4.  Winter Wonderland Jan. Challenge: Little Friends

5.  Christmas at Sweet Stampin Dec. Challenge: Critters

6.  Sparkles Christmas Challenge #108: For A Child -- my card suitable for a little girl.

7.  2 Crafty Critter Crazies: AG with a Critter -- reindeer

8.  Colour Crazy Week 50: AG with Colouring - I used ProMarkers and Chronicle Books Metallic Brush Pens and Sakura Gel Pens

9.  Besties International Challenge Jan.: AG -- I've used a Besties digital image

10.Passion for ProMarkers Week 523: Mega Christmas Challenge  AG -- I used ProMarkers on my focal images

11. More Mixed Media Jan. Challenge: AG + Opt. BLUE

12. Aud Sentiments #242: Sentiment + Christmas/Winter

13. Outlawz Sundays Songs & Rhymes Challenge: Let It Snow song
14. ABC Christmas Challenge Jan: A is for Anything Christmas Goes AND B is for Bingo -- I chose top row across. Patterned Paper + Coloured Image + Ribbon

15. My Besties Dutch Girls Designs Jan. Challenge: AG + Opt. Winter -- I've played the Winter option and used a Besties image.
16. Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #121: 5th Anniversary Celebration

Thanks as always for the visit! You are welcome any time. Here's to a great week ahead,  XOX