Birthday Owl

This card started with an embossing folder called Brick Wall (Darice).  I had an A2 card that I had embossed with it sitting on my desk - waiting for inspiration.  There was a challenge on a message board that I frequent to apply ink to the card in some way - embossing folder being one of those ways.  I decided that would be a good way to use this card.  But I needed a focal - and a birthday card for a niece who likes owls.  I thought of the Shabby Chic Owls download freebie I had gotten from Debbi Moore.  It would be perfect! 

Card front (above):  I decided on this cute tag for my card front, and looked for ink that would be close in color - it turned out that the distress oxide called "Iced Spruce" was my best choice.  I inked up the embossing folder with it - taking the ink pad directly to the embossing folder - and then ran the card through a second time.  I didn't like the way the ink looked around the edges, and I decided that brown matting would help it look better, so I decided to trim the piece and put it on a 5" x 6.5" card.  The tag really needed to be matted as well & I added a border strip of the brown to which I could "attach" the tag.  The "Warm Wishes" greeting & mat were made with dies from the Octagon Box Kit from Card Making Magic.  The little "birthday" flag was from my stash - not sure where I got it.

Inside:

Inside I used more of the brown card stock to form a wide border at the top. I cut a piece of white card stock (left over from the original A2 card I started with), rounded the corners, inked the edges, and stamped my sentiment (Birthday Cheer from HOTP - ink was Vintage Photo distress ink).  That, plus another owl, I had printed from the Debbi Moore set completed the inside.