I'm still learning to make cards

I have been spending a lot of time on the computer looking at some of the cards that are being made. 

So many of them are way beyond my abilities! 

I'm starting to think that next year I may get myself a 

Cricket Expressions machine but for now I'm just going to plug along with what I have. 

I needed a birthday card for someone near and dear and I heard she loves all the bird designs that are so popular now. 

I must admit that I love the bird designs also! :) 

I bought a bird on a branch lamp for my new dresser and today I bought a straw owl. 

He's so cute!!

I found a card I liked in a gallery and was trying to figure out how I could emulate the artists design and style. 

So I dug out a few supplies that I had and set to work. 

I had the bird stamp and went from there. 

I didn't want the rest of the stamped images I used to stand out too much so I used one of the distress stamp pads I have, by Tim Holtz.

 I don't remember what color offhand. 

Then I had to use the edger punch and messed up the first one I punched out.

 Talk about complicated figuring out how to get the punched scroll edge just the right distance from the edge of the music! LOL! 

Finally I got it the way I wanted it. 

Then I had to find paper to use for the background with the flowers I had, which is not too many. Choices were limited but I was quite happy with this ugly peach color flower. 

It goes great with the color on the music page and the card stock background I chose from my stash. Now it is no longer ugly.

 I did rip out the center bead that they used and added one of the many buttons I got from my mom. 

Thanks, mom! :)

 I happened to have a small amount of the yarn/string which was a perfect fit for this card!

 After I put the card together I decided that it needed one more element, the brads in the upper corner. 

So I had to carefully pry up the edge and measure out where I wanted to put the brads.

 Finally, done! 

And I love it.

 In fact, I love it so much I'm going to try to make one for me and put it in a frame! 

But the funny thing is that it really doesn't look like the card I was using as inspiration!

 It has a bird, music and a flower but that is about it.

 So I guess this is my own. 

:)