Encre, papier, ciseaux: Merry Carolers

This week's Merry Monday challenge (#238) calls for lamp posts. This gave me pause because I wasn't sure I had any stamps with that image. But I had a vague recollection of maybe having something that would work in my Purple Onion stamps. Lo and behold, I actually found not one but two different stamps in my Purple Onion collection - one between two carolers (the one I was thinking might have it) and another one as part of the Stacey Yacula collection, to add as a scene element. (Which, I'll admit, has not seen ink yet...) Since the carolers was the image I had in mind and that this stamp had never been inked either, I thought now was the time.

I looked through my Holiday papers, found the Be of Good Cheer DSP pack, which I'm down to a few scraps of, and decided the colours and style could work nicely with the carolers image. I started coloring my image with Prismacolor pencils and was not sure how much I liked the result, initially. Not that the coloring was bad, it's just that I was afraid that the mix of the cartoon-like image paired with the pencils would be a little too childish. I'm glad I kept going, though, because once I die-cut the image with the scallop rectangle, added the embossed sentiment (Gumball Green powder), found the felt wreath to add underneath the image, peeking out the side, and added the button threaded with gold thread, it was a completely different card.

Because the stamped image is quite big to begin with, I looked at my Envelope Punch Board to see which other size of card I could make and went for an A6 format: 5" x 6-1/2". This size reminds me of a lot of the printed Christmas cards I receive during the Holidays. Fortunately, I had a full-size page left in the paper pack, which I used to make a matching envelope.

The design is inspired by an old Mojo Monday challenge (#374).

Supplies
Stamps: Carolers (Purple Onion Designs), Joyeuse Année (Wonderful Year - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Gumball Green, Very Vanilla
Designer Series Paper: Be of Good Cheer
ink: VersaMark, Tuxedo Black Memento, Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Berry Bouquet Felt Embellishments, Button, Gold Thread,
Envelope Punch Board, Elegant Tag Topper Punch, Dotted Scallop Rectangles Dies (Elizabeth Craft Designs),
Prismacolor Pencils, Stampin' Dimensionals, Gumball Green Stampin' Emboss Powder