Owl Be Yours

'Tis the time to begin thinking about that special someone. Have you bought a card yet? Since I'm home sick and feeling a little more human today, I decided to get a jump on Valentine's Day.

Once I've chosen a set of stamps for my card (Wise Owl by PaperTrey Ink in this case), I, unlike most of you talented people out there, do not begin sketching but instead go in search of a design to inspire me. Today, however, I just didn't find anything. And I actually had an idea spring to mind. So I got out my pad of paper and began with a rough design {pictured top left} - two snuggling owls holding hands with eyes closed in contentment.

Because I don't have a tree limb in my vast array of stamps, I knew I was going to have to either draw one or create one somehow. I sketched it first but didn't really like where that was going. I'm a pitiful doodler. I ultimately decided I could come back to that quandry later and decided to get started on the card instead. I could at least get the paper cut, base down, and my owls going.

As I began laying everything out, it dawned on me that I might be able to use some of my fiber stash to create the tree branches. And I was pretty sure I had just the thing. Sure enough, two strands side-by-side sufficed to create the illusion of a tree branch. Voila! Since this is intended as a valentine, I opted for small hearts as leaves. All in all, I'm quite pleased with the result.

The inside sentiment is also from Wise Owl. A few years ago I wouldn't have really understood this verse. But it means a lot to me now.

Incidentally, how do you like my watermark? I couldn't decide between having it in color or not. My mom really liked it in color best, and so do I. Hopefully it's not distracting? Anyway, I figure I should put my stamp, so to speak, on my custom card designs since they're so few & far between.

Cardstock: SU - mellow moss, chocolate chip, windsor knot; kraft; white

Stamps: PTI - wise owl, around & about sentiments; SU - happy hearts

Ink: SU - chocolate chip, really rust, mellow moss, real red

Misc: SU - alpine ribbon, hodgepodge hardware, watercolor pencils, blender pen; SU/Sizzix - top note; pop dots; Zips; Zots; Crop-a-dile; brown felt fiber; Paper Adventure - punch wheel: heart