CIE Christmas in July

Hi, everyone! It's the third Monday of the month. So, I'm here with a card for the Card in Envy challenge that starts today.  :)

This new challenge is Christmas in July. Well, let's see... I love Christmas and I love July. Sounds like a perfect challenge to me!

Amazingly enough, the inspiration for the card below came from the napkin at the right. I came across this several years ago and thought it was as cute as cute could be. I've finally  gotten around to translating my little napkin into a little kiddie holiday card. This little card will be headed to Send a Smile 4 Kids.   :)

Stampin' Up! cream, black, and cherry cordial; Distress Ink core; Echo Park this n that dp
carrot: Creative Memories burgundy pen; Distress Ink fired brick applied with Ranger water brush
punches: SU owl builder; EK hole and snowflakes; Martha Stewart branch; Sizzlits button
stash ribbon; Darice googly eyes; Imagine Crafts shimmer mist
Sizzix and Cuttlebug embossing folders; Creative Memories oval cutting system
adhesives: Scotch ATG; Zig 2-way pen; Glue Dots; Ranger multi medium
 

As pleased as I am with the final result, there were a number of times I was almost ready to throw in the proverbial towel.

• A big challenge was translating the square inspiration design to an A2 shape for CIE. Doesn't sound like it should be that tough, does it? Well, it was for me. I thought the little round face in the napkin was really cute and I didn't want to lose the whimsy that it brought to the snowman.
• It also took a while for me to get just the right look for my little face. The face felt flat until I added some pink -- and a little shimmer -- to those cheeks. Then I struggled with the mouth -- trying lots of different circle combinations before achieving just the right smile.
• However, the face was easy compared to the hat. Boy, oh boy, did this take a lot of trial and error to get right. And, I have to say that I couldn't be happier with this little hat.

So, I hope everyone will stop by Cards in Envy and play along with our Christmas in July challenge.

And, I think I'm going to link this little card up to the Send a Smile 4 Kids challenge to make a card with bright colors.

Parting Thoughts

The OWH deadline to get any and all remaining cards to Sandy is August 1. My last box was mailed on Friday. After all, it's a long way from Ohio to Washington... right?!

There is also a fun challenge going on at Words 2 Scrap By. Our Friend with Chocolate challenge has a $20 gift certificate up for grabs. Hope you'll visit W2SB and join in our July challenge.

Lastly, a couple of updates. I am going to be applying my creative mojo to support Send a Smile 4 Kids. And, starting on August 1, I will be blogging at Chapter Three. Hope you will check out my kiddie cards -- and other retirement endeavors -- that I blog about at this new Web home.