Christmas Already?

Well it is in magazine land!  This is a card I made for PaperCrafts magazine last submission call. It wasn't chosen but Im happy that I tried and Im really loving how it turned out. 

That yummy sheet music paper was sent to me by Janelle (thank you again Janelle!!), which I cut out with my new Tim Holtz Baroque Alterations die.  The dove image is from PTI's 2008 Holiday Tags which I cut out and layered with my Spellbinders Blossoms die. See those flourishes on the corners and on the sentiment tag? It's actually the tree stand from Tree Trimming Trio. The sentiment is from Mega Mixed Messages. The finished card size is 5x7.

Can I say again how much I love how this turned out?  I don't know about you but for me it's hard to come up with my own design/layout for a card. I try to do a sketch beforehand but I actually need to see all the elements in front of me to know whether it works together or not.  So this card took quite a bit of time to create. How do you guys come up with your own card designs? Do you start with a sketch or an image?  I'd love to know your design process. Maybe it'd make the process go a little faster for me!

Supplies used - 
Stamps: PTI 2008 Holiday Tags, Tree Trimming Trio, Mega Mixed Messages
Ink: PTI True Black, Fresh Snow, Versamark
Paper: PTI - Dark Chocolate, Ripe Avocado, Scarlet Jewel; Actual Sheet Music not sure of manufacturer!
Other Stuff: Tim Holtz Baroque Alterations die, Spellbinders Blossoms die, PTI Dark Chocolate satin ribbon, white & gold brads