Whimsical/Cute christmas

So here is my second take at my whimsical/cute Christmas card. This is pure Rubadultery - a term my friend told me to describe stamping and card making with non-stamping up products. I do feel naughty, but I like it. The biggest issue with rubadultery is the cost. When you stay in the stampin up line - everything coordinates. As soon as I venture off (like I did with this Stampavie image) I need new papers (better paper to handle marker ink), new markets (better quality markers like copic) and of course MORE STAMP's. and the joke is the other stamps are so darn cheap, that it hardly feels like spending money - that is till you see your paypal bills and see that when you get three $5.00 stamps - that's $15.00 that you could have spent on Stampin up stuff. Ah well.

So, here is my second attempt at this card. The first time around I used Soft Suede, which I liked with the Christmas DSP, but the bear done in soft suede is just too dark. So this guy I did in creamy caramel and I kind of like him. You can't see it well in this photo, but the hat trim and pom-pom were done with the new shimmer paint and it has a nice look. You may be able to see the Christmas message in the upper left (from the teeny tiny messages) and the clear button with twine bow. The only real debate now is the bird. I had wanted to do him red - like a cardinal, but both my husband and son liked him better in blue. So now I need to find the perfect blue - is it bordering blue? Ballet Blue? Bashful blue? Oh and the birds belly is with shimmer white ink also. Let me know your ideas. I won't start making this card in bulk until later this month. Now I'm still in trial and error mode to get the 'perfect' design.