Christmas Kickstart challenge #87 - it's a gift

Good morning lovely friends; I hope you are doing ok and having a good start to your week.  I am honoured to be a guest elf over at the Christmas Kickstart challenge this month and the theme is 'it's a gift'.  I am so happy to be building up my stash of Christmas cards nice and early this year after only making about 6 in total last year.  

For my card today I grabbed another LOTV image as they are so cute but always lovely to colour.  I used a simple layout but one that I think is pleasing to the eye.  

Here is my card:

A close up of the image:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by stamping the cute reindeer image onto alcohol marker friendly card, coloured him with Promarkers and added some highlights with a white gel pen.  I was feeling too lazy to fussy cut him out so just cut a rectangle which I matted onto red card.  I wrapped some red twine around the panel and tied it into a bow and then stamped my sentiment below it with black ink.  For my background I used a background stamp which I white heat embossed.  The embossing was a little patchy but I think it gave it a cool distressed feel.  I decided to ink blend some brown ink over the embossing to colour coordinate with my reindeer.  I die cut this panel using a scalloped die and again matted it onto red card.  The background panel was added to my card base with double sided tape and the image panel was added with foam squares.  I didn't add any embellishments as I liked it as it was.  For the inside I cut a white panel and matted it onto red card.  I stamped the sentiment in black ink and stamped the reindeer at the bottom in brown ink.  I adhered this panel to the card base with double sided tape.  A fairly simple card but I think it looks adorable.  

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - any occasion

Allsorts challenge - lots of layers

Alphabet challenge - E is for embossing (my background is heat embossed)

As You Like It challenge - embossing wet/heat or dry (I love the look of heat embossing but don't do it very often as I always seem to mess it up.  I embossed my BG on this card and it looks decidedly distressed but I think it works. I need to practice more!

CRAFT challenge - Christmas

Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal

Creative Inspirations challenge - Christmas in June

Critter Crazy challenge - ATG with a featured critter

I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG/tropical vibes

Jingle Belles challenge - tic tac toe (embossing/red or green/die cuts)

Moving Along With The Times challenge - early Christmas

Merry Little Christmas challenge - anything Christmas goes

Peace on Earth Christmas challenge - anything Christmas goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - ATG

The Holly & Ivy Christmas challenge - anything Christmas goes

Try It On Tuesday challenge - emboss it (I heat embossed my background)

Unicorn challenge - embossing (I heat embossed my background)

I hope you can join in with the challenge; I can't wait to see your creations in the linky.  Jo does a great job running the blog singlehandedly (with just her guest elves) so please pop over and check out her gorgeous card and leave her some love too.  

I'll be back tomorrow with the final card for the Mini Card challenge IG Hop so if you have time please pop back and check it out.  Until then enjoy the rest of your day. 

Love and hugs, 

Card ingredients:

LOTV - penguins & reindeer A5 stamp set

Promarkers

Gina K Designs - close knit BG stamp

Gina K Designs - ink pads - kraft and warm cocoa

MFT - blueprints 27 (for scalloped die)

Clearly Besotted Stamps - feeling sentimental (for outside sentiment) - retired

Paula Pascual - Christmas messages (for inside sentiment) - retired

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card

Versafine - onyx black ink pad

WOW - opaque bright white super fine embossing powder

Sakura - white no. 10 gelly roll pen

red card and twine from stash