Thursday, May 10, 2012

Owl tell you this...Art Inspiration Challenge Card

You may have noticed that I am having a little obsession with critter couture...   This card is my entry for the Cricut Circle NSD Crop Art Inspiration Challenge!

Inside:  Your gift was a hoot!  Thank you so much!


 For this challenge, we were given a print from which to take inspiration to make any kind of project as long as we used a minimum of three Cricut cuts.  


I used the rose image, the three blue butterflies, the blue background, and the color palette for my card.  

For the crafty details:
  • I started with the owl from Noah's ABC Animals, cutting at 3.2" on the Imagine.  I put the top layer and face layer through the Cuttlebug for a little texture (using Swiss Dots and Chevron).   I cut an extra layer for his suit and shirt "fabrics." I put the blue cuts through the Cuttlebug to give it some stripes.  The paper for the suit is a pattern from Hey Diddle Diddle; the shirt is a solid from that cart as well.  I inked him in black and added details with a Micron pen and white gel ink pen. I hand-cut the bow tie, lapels, and little pants.  Brads made the shirt buttons and belt buckle.  The owl is popped up 1/4".


  • I cut the garden arch and fence from Spring Cottage on the Expression at 8-3/4".  I manually cut off the inside gate pieces.  I inked this in black and popped it up 1/16".  

  • I used the Martha Stewart branch punch for the greenery in three different papers.
  • I created the micro roses using a fantastic tutorial on Scrapalette's blog!  Click here to see her tutorial!  (You can also find this link on my sidebar under "Inspirations".)  Per her instructions, I cut the scalloped rings from Elegant Edges (page 23) at 1.3" on my Imagine.  I flood-filled them with the peach from Hey Diddle Diddle that I used on the owl's shirt and hand-colored the back of them with a pink Sharpie marker.  I liked way the ink bled through, creating a muddled surface!  Some of the blooms have been touched with a stamp pad for extra color.  I glued them on so that some would be facing straight up and others would be on their sides.  I added one for a boutonniere.






  • The background is a 6-1/2" rounded square (built-in on the Imagine) and flood-filled with a print from Floral Emporium.
  • The ribbon banner was cut from Enjoy the Seasons at 5.2".  I added text from my computer (Americana BT at 16 point).  The banner is popped up 1/4".

  • The butterflies were cut using a Martha Stewart punch and detailed with a Micron pen.
  • I cut a smaller card and attached it to the back of the owl scene.  The inside of the card has more text with the same font at 26 point:  Your gift was a hoot.  Thank you so much!

Thank you for checking my blog today.  I think I have finally finished all of the Circle Blog NSD challenges that I can do.  They have been so much fun!    As always, you can see most of my previous projects by going to My Project Gallery.



Edited May 11, 2012 to add:  This project was featured on the Cricut Circle Blog Project of the Day!

13 comments:

cdm317 said...

OMG! I LOVE this! You are incredibly creative!

Sis Patterson said...

Oh Nadia - this is just so wonderful! I love all of the details on the owl - the boutonniere,the buttons, the embossing, his pants, buckle, and bow tie - just absolutely wonderful and amazing! I love your interpretation of the image! Hats off!

Diane Hodrick said...

Oh my gosh...cutest owl I have ever seen. Can't believe you rolled those tiny roses. What creativity and patience you have. Love this!

Sandy from Ukiah said...

So so creative, this just can't be ny cuter.. I wish I had time to enter some challenges

Tanya~Studio 5380 said...

What an amazing piece of art you have created. So many delightful little details to take in. Those tiny little roses and the handsome owl are just stunning. Love this just like I do all of your amazing creations!

Anonymous said...

Nadia, this card is amazing so much gorgeous detail. Thankyou for the reminder of the tiny roses, I had saved these instructions and I forgot all about them. The gate with the roses is so beautiful, I love it. Your owl looks elegant in his suit.
Jacquelene L.

Sukie said...

Wow is all I can, such an amazing creation! I love all of the fun details you added, your card is beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Nadia,

This is awesome. Your details are excellent. Just love all your work you are extremely talented. I can't even put two colors together lol.

Best, Mary R.

Dawn, RI said...

I love owls,and I love the creativeness and detail in this card. Simply adorable
Dawn RI

Juliana Michaels 17turtles said...

Nadia this creation is amazing! You are so inspiring! The way you created the little roses is so creative!!!

Princess Poodle said...

Wow, this little owl is just darling!
I too, love, love, love all your work. You are such an inspiration.
Congratulations on Project of the Day!

Janice said...

I love this! All the detail makes it darling!! TFS!

MelodyR aka Ry&MysMom said...

Congrats on being featured! I just realized I haven't been here in a while and have missed a few of your posts. So sorry bec I do enjoy looking at your creations, and I'm hardly at the CC MB nowadays either. So I am now subscribed via email as well so I don't miss anything again.

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But wait!  There's more!  Click 'older posts' above!