Hello, my sweet friends! I hope the weather has been as beautiful in your part of the world as it has been in mine!!! I’ve been enjoying the sunshine and doing quite a bit of gardening, tending to the veggies and flowers. Gardening settles my nerves, gets me back in touch with nature, and renews my gratitude for the everyday things in life. I’m also lucky to live in a wooded area where I get to enjoy the sights and sounds of all the native wildlife while I’m sitting in the garden. One of my favorites is hearing the screech owls at night (not sure why they are called screech owls because they don’t screech!).
This month’s challenge at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies is sponsored by Beccy’s Place. Beccy has some amazing sets on her store site but she also has a ton of freebies on her blog! For my card, I opted to use a free digi called Owl Love, which comes in both b/w and color, and with and without a sentiment. I used the b/w version without a sentiment as I had a plan for an alternate sentiment using stamps in my stash. To create the card I first printed the image, die cut it with a stitched circle die, and colored it up using Prismacolor pencils. I knew I wanted a blue/gray color combo, so I made the owls gray. I made the background next, using products from Impression Obsession… I used their Navy Hybrid ink on a background stamp called Birch Trees stamped on a gray heavy weight card base. I used the same ink to blend the edges of the focal point. The navy ink wasn’t as dark on the white paper as it was on the gray, so to make it match I added some Chipped Sapphire Distress Oxide ink to darken the edges.
I created the sentiment by using and masking two sentiment stamps… one said “all you need is love” (from CTMH) and the other said “its OWL good” (an old Studio G stamp). By masking the words “all”, “its” and “good”, I was able to create and stamp “OWL you need is love”!!! I will admit it took a few tries to get it lined up and without smudges… so when I got brush marks in the ink blending on the strip, I wasn’t keen on starting over. This picture was taken as soon as the card was complete, but I noticed today that the brush mark has faded some after drying and is not noticeable. I’m glad I didn’t trash the sentiment strip and start over!!! You might ask why I even bothered to ink blend the strip…. It was just too stark on the gray and navy background but had I stamped on matching gray cardstock, it would have blended in too much. I played around with sequins and confetti stars, but in the end I vetoed the embellishments, and I’m really pleased with how this turned out. Its like someone was using a camera to look at the owls and zoomed in on them sitting in the trees! Here’s another look at the card:
I have had a sneak peek of the rest of the DT’s projects, and there is so much cuteness in store for you at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies!!! Head on over to see all the fun projects, and while you are there be sure to link up your latest critter project for a chance to win a prize from Beccy’s Place!!! For that matter, head over to Beccy’s store and blog because she has some unique images you are going to love! And don’t forget to snatch up the freebies from her blog if you haven’t already!!!
I have a couple crafty events this week and I’m hoping I’ll be able to share more info about those soon! One I’m a little nervous about, and the other I’m *SO* looking forward to!!! My heart is happy to have made a new (and local) crafty friend, and I hope she feels the same! And I feel like both of these crafty events will provide an opportunity for me to grow in new ways, which is a blessing right now as I deal with some of life’s new challenges. Wish me luck!!!
