Michael Strong: Nite Owl

I'm a fan of Michael Strong's cloisonne' style stamps, and I've been trying for months to get my hands on two particular sets - Whimsical Owls and Hetty's Coffee Cup - but they've been out of stock. I was very surprised when Mike sent me some demo stamps, one or two from each set, to tide me over until the full sets are back in stock. Naturally, I felt a thank you card was in order. And since I had a coffee cup and an owl already in front of me just begging to be inked, I decided to make a 5" x 5" card with them:

Stamps: Whimsical Owls, Hetty's Coffee Cup (Michael Strong Stamps); Stationary Noted (Teresa Collins); Hardwood (Stampin' Up!)
Inks: Early Espresso, Dapper Denim (Stampin' Up!), VersaMark
Papers: Early Espresso, Dapper Denim, Basic Black, Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Gold Foil (retired), Affectionately Yours specialty DSP (Stampin' Up!)
And: Hearth and Home thinlits, 1-1/4" circle punch, Early Espresso embossing powder, gold embossing powder, white gel pen (Stampin' Up!), sponge, Stampin' Dimensionals

I debated whether the card needed the "nite owl" sentiment or not, since when I showed the card-in-progress to a few people they had to work to figure out what I was trying to convey. 

The card's already speeding its way to Mike in California so it's too late to do so, but in retrospect I think I should have put a tree or tree branch in the window to carry the brown through. 

The metallic is quite flashy in real life, so that really adds to the card. Truth be told, the flecks in the wallpaper are copper, but I figured that since the gold foil cardstock and the embossing powder gold aren't an exact match, the copper could pass as a gold.

I really enjoyed making this card, especially because there's a word play involved and I'm a bit of a punster. I sure hope Mike likes it!

Smiles,
Joyce Spear a.k.a. Stamper Joyce