Has one of your designs ever been inspired by a person? This is a card that I created with my daughter in mind. My original objective was to create this for the June challenge at Picket Fence Studios so the focus was on using their products with the theme being “food & drink.” Whatever my original intentions were, this card soon took on a personality mirrored by my 6 year old diva.

I recently added the “Your’e a Hoot” stamp and die set to my collection and I adore the pair. They are still on sale if you want to snag them. I used the 3 small coffee cups to create a background by arranging all 3 on a block in different directions. I then began from the center and stamped out to fill the background. I used Versamark then embossed with white embossing powder from Ranger. Next I used Picket Fence Studios Life Changing Blending brushes (also on sale!) with Catherine Pooler ink to blend the background. Ink colors were Rose Petals, Peppermint Scrub and Over Coffee. Peppermint Scrub is definitely one of my favorite colors. It’s red I have not really seen from other companies.

For my sassy little owl, I stamped her, her coffee and the sentiment in Over Coffee ink. Then I colored her by dabbing each of the ink pads on my craft mat and using a water brush to pick up the colors and “paint”’the owl. I felt the soft subtle colors were an interesting contrast to the bold and sassy character and design.

For the finishing details, I used dies from Stampin’ Up for the vellum shape behind sassy owl and the branch she is perched on. Her necklace is pearl accents also from Stampin’ Up. I filled her glasses in with Stampin’ Up’s Fine Tip Glue pen to make them look shiny. Finally I added a few sequins from the Champagne Bubbles Sparkle Blend mix from Doodles Paper Playground. One awesome thing about these is how the colors can totally change when the sequins are separated. At first glance, looking at this mix in the bag you would not think it coordinated. Once I removed a few select pieces, they were perfect!

Just like my sassy little girl, this card has a softness to it. One of my favorite design approaches is to contrast ideas, elements or colors. Another example of this approach was the color burst card I created. Check it out if you haven’t already and thanks for stopping by.