A little birdie card with a Tim Holtz bird and bird cage with a little tag

These little birdie cards are always handy in that they can cover so many occasions!!  I have made these quite a few times using this sketch.  Made up these card kits for my May Cardmaking Class. The birdcage and bird & wing (TH) were die cut in different colours.  I added a tiny black brad to the bird for his eye and add the beak detail with a marker before watercolouring in some detail. I mounted the bird behind the bird cage and added the embossed wing on the outside.  I added the top thread before  mounting it to the background paper.  I added the little tag to the thread and then glued the thread to the back using double sided tape.  I then mounted this large element to a dark brown card front.  I added rhinestones into the holes at the bottom which was backed with double sided tape when I adhered the bird cage to the decorative paper.  I mounted the tag with 3D foam tape to finish off this card.    Another one for the stash!!                 Therese

May Cardmaking - a little birdie with a cage and stamped greeting

This sketch I used more than a year ago for a class and with a few kits still sitting in my craft room I decided to make them work for this class. 
We added a beak and a tiny black brad for an eye to our bird die cut (TH).  Some added a bit of chalk for colour on theirs to make it more realistic.  We inserted our birds into the cage and added the wing using 3D foam tape which gave it a bit of dimension.  We added double sided tape on the bottom section to adhere it to the decorative paper which also allowed us to add some rhinestones at the bottom - bonus!!  We added the ribbon at the top of the cage, slipped on our stamped greeting tag and once adhered to the paper we were able to glue the end to the back using double sided tape.  We tied another short piece to it using a single knot which simulates a bow.  We then adhered this large element to our coordinating card front.  In order to not have the greeting be to floppy we used a small piece of 3D foam tape to adhere it in place.  Most of the decorative papers had some sort of accent on the edge which helped to situate the bird cage and give the card interest.    Therese

An anniversary card featuring decorative paper, a punched border and a little birdie die cut

An anniversary card for my sister and her DH.  They were married just a month before us many years ago now. 
I started with a large envelope and made a red card to fit inside.  I added a green ribbon to this piece of glittery decorative paper before adhering it to my card front.  I then border punched the right hand side of my card using this sort of ivy leafy punch. I backed the punched area with green in that it was a bit floppy on the ends.  I will consider leaving a solid end when I use it next time.  I had this die cut sitting on my desk from a while back and decided that it would work well with this card.  I watercoloured the birds, the hearts, the wings and the branch.   I slipped the end of the die cut under the ribbon and wrapped the little swirl around the ribbon.  I used small pieces of 3D foam tape behind the birds and a bit of white glue behind the branch.  Stamped the greeting on the upper portion of my card and added the two little hearts as well. Added the wings to finish off my card !!            Therese

September cardmaking - Birds, hexagons and birch tree embossing for great birthday cards

 It is time to get back to our regular activities and so I hosted three ladies for card making last night!!  I love creating the kits and having the ladies add their own creativity to end up with cards that are not the same!!
We started with some serendipity hexagons!! The hexagon die (SX) is a new to me die which my sister was liquidating from her extras and I was happy to add to my tools!!  Hexagons have been around for quite a while and they are so fun to create with!!  Everyone took some time last night to play with theirs and they all came up with a layout that they were happy with.  We added a circle greeting that was just the right size as well.  I features stamped words (SU), a flower sequin held in place with a brad.  We just mounted them with foam tape.  You can see that the right hand edge was embossed with a birch tree embossing folder (SU) which works so well with the little birdie die cut.  The little bird die is from Impression Obsession.  I die cut it from coordinating cardstock, watercoloured the wings to coordinate gluing them to the birds and glued the whole element in place using white glue in a fine tip applicator (repurposed paint bottle).  I am happy with both of my cards!!           Therese

Little birdie card with the Tim Holtz die

I made a few of these card kits for my March class.   I made this one up and have a few more to go but will do them up later as I have already several of these on hand.  They have fun background with something interesting on the left hand side.  I have given the bird a beak and a brad eye then mounted it to the cage and finally added its wing. I added the blue ribbon through the hole at the top and then mounted the cage to my card front to which I had already mounted my decorative paper background using 3D foam tape in the center and double sided tape on the perimeter.  I slipped my little tag onto the ribbon and glued it to the inside of my card using double side tape.  I tied a short length to the piece on the front using one knot to simulate a bow.  I added a small piece of 3D foam tape to the back of my little stamped tag and adhered it at a bit of an angle.  I coloured clear rhinestones with a green sharpie marker and positioned them in the holes at the bottom of the cage which are backed with double sided tape which secures them nicely!!  Therese

Card kits - little birdie cards

A made up a few of the card kits from this March class to add to my stash!! Little birdie cards are very versatile because they can be used for a wide variety of occasions.  

These ones feature decorative paper layered onto coordinating cardstock as a base.  After drawing a beak and inserting a tiny black brad for the eye the bird die cut (TH) was inserted into the bird cage (TH) and secured with double sided tape at the bottom which ends up securing the rhinestones as well.  The wing was added next using 3D foam tape to give it some dimension.  Next, I secured the ribbon into the hole at the top of the cage using double sided tape and used both 3D foam tape and double sided to secure it to my card front.  I threaded the little greeting tag (die cut then stamped using a jig) on the ribbon before securing the other end to the inside of the card front with double sided tape.  I trimmed off the extra length and tied it with a single knot to the length on the front just above the cage to simulate a bow.  I used a small piece of 3D foam tape to secure the greeting in place after sponging it with a bit with ink.  To finish off my card I positioned clear rhinestones into the holes at the bottom of the cage!!              Therese

March Cardmaking - a handmade card featuring a little birdie in a cage

 

Little birdie cards are so versatile because they can be used for so many occasions!!

For our first card for cardmaking this time I decided we would make some!!  I choose decorative paper which had a decorative element on the left hand side and we positioned our little birds with their cages to the right of them.  This used some scrapbook paper which has been languishing in my stash because some of the papers were made for specialty layouts and had decorative elements that were not uniform.  A few more pages cut up and out of the bin!! 

Started by adhering the decorative paper to the coordinating card fronts.  Next, I cut the cages (TH SX) out of coordinating cardstock, trimmed off the finial and manually embossed the top with a round element from a gear embossing folder.  I die cut the birds and then the wings a different colour.  I started with the bird - created a beak with a marker and added a tiny black brad to create its eye.  I did not want mine behind the cage so I positioned it so it had its head sticking between the bars of the cage and glued the lower branch to the back of the cage.  I added the wing next using a little double sided tape.  Next, I added the hanging ribbon through the hole at the top, secured it with tape and slid on the little birdie tag before mounting this large element to my card front using white glue applied with a fine tip applicator.  The little tags were cut with a tag die (SX), stamped with a little stamp from a birdie set (SU) using a stamping jig and then had a little string tied on.  Next, I wrapped the ribbon to the inside of the card and secured it with double sided tape and tied the off cut to the front with a single knot to simulate a bow.  To finish off my card I glued rhinestones inside the holes at the bottom of the cage with white glue and secured my tag with 3D foam tape.  In the end, I added a bit of chalk to the tag to soften its edges.  Some of the girls did not secure the bird cage to the card which left it swinging which was also a nice effect.  It could then easily be removed and hung in a window or reused.  

Therese

A birdie card featuring a serendipity square, vintage seam binding and embossed background

A birdie birthday card!!  I used one of my serendipity backgrounds and die cut the bird from the TH Caged Bird (SX) die.  You can see on the top left corner that it cut the birdcage a bit but I simply put the pieces back in place and taped them on the back to the whole.  As a bonus it adds a bit of texture to the element.  I backed the bird with some over stamped brown cardstock and added the small piece just above the branch back in the proper place to define the legs.  I die cut the wing from a serendipity scrap to highlight it and glued it in place using double sided tape at the front and 3D foam tape at the back so it would have dimension.  I distressed the edges of this element and the bottom of the laser printed greeting, glued the greeting to the bottom of the square and machine stitched using brown thread all the way around to attach them and it added a bit of texture as well.  I defined the beak with a marker and added a tiny black brad for the eye. Next, I took several strips of warm blue green cardstock and made a layered background by taping them together on the back then embossing them with a TH embossing folder.  I toned down the edges by rubbing them with a vanilla stamp pad.  I layered some gold decorative paper to the front of a black card and then glued my embossed background to it.  I added a piece of vintage seam binding to the right hand side by adhering both ends to the inside of the card using double sided tape. I adhered my focal element with 3D foam tape a bit lower on the card to allow a short piece of seam binding to be tied to the one on the front with a single knot to simulate a bow.  Love how it turned out!!  It could easily be used with " a little birdie told me" greeting for a fun all occasion card!!
Therese

"A little birdie" card with digital stamp and branch die cut

I am adding cards to my stash and am finding that little birdie ones are quite useful as they can be used for almost any occasion.  I downloaded this little guy from Pixabay, added the font greeting and laser printed it onto white cardstock. I trimmed it down leaving a white frame all the way around.  I embossed a green cardstock background and added a scalloped border in brown.  I embellished this piece with paper piercing using a push pin and foam as well as running a pattern tracing wheel next to a ruler to create a straight textured line.  I adhered the border to the embossed cardstock  using double sided tape and adhered this large element to a white card front.  Next, I added my little birdie image then embellished the lower portion with a die cut branch (TH) to which I added several tiny watercoloured leaves.   I will be on the look out for a few more birdie images I can use for making these cards.  I made these a while back with birdie sticky notes which worked out really well.       Therese

Birdie fabric postcard for a birthday swap

Another fabric postcard for a birthday swap on one of my groups.   I started with a piece of this fabric collage background which I created a while back.  I added batting and then some crazy quilt hand stitching on all of the lines between the different fabrics.  I then cut a paisley shape out of light blue fabric and stitched it into place with my sewing machine going around several times to give the bird some definition and once in the middle to create the wing.  I added a beak using a small triangle of heat & bonded black fabric.  I hand stitched the eye, the legs and feet and the frilly tail feathers in black.  It needed something to help define the ground so I added some turquoise flowers with green stems and yellow centers.  That worked!!  I stitched on a black border with zigzag, added a white anf pink floral backer and stitched it into place with straight stitch all the way around.  Next, I  folded over the black border and adhered to the backer with fusible web.  I restitched the border with straight stitch really close to the outside edge to finish it off.  Pretty happy with how it turned out though it is a bit busier than I thought it would be when I started!!
Therese

Cards using transparent diecutsI

A few cards I made in the last week or so using die cuts that I received from my secret sister, Rena for Christmas.  Out of the collection she sent I used the cups and the large birdie with a cloud.
For the birdie card, I embossed a red frame and mounted it over my "grass" which was several layers of green die cuts which I had stamped a bit to provide some texture on a kraft card base.  I mounted the bird over the frame using a small piece of double sided tape and did the same for the little cloud.  I added a dyed piece of crochet thread across the top and mounted a round birdie greeting (Bird's Cards) over it using a mini brad.  I included a red sequin below the brad to embellish the greeting.  Afterwards, I added a bit of watercolour to the greeting because it seemed to "bright" compared to the rest of the card.
For the cup cards, I layered the cups on white using double sided tape, layered that onto a coordinating coloured cardstock and then laser printed a greeting on white card fronts and layered the cup elements just above  using 3D foam tape.  I really like the Clean and Simple look of these thank you cards.
It was fun to use these die cuts and I expect the others will show up in future cards.  Thanks, Rena.

Therese

Another calendar with birdie photos

 I made another birdie calendar with the photos from my second 2014 photo calendar.  Here is the first on I made.  I have enjoyed the calendar all year on my desk and have now given it a new life and it will bless someone else this coming year.  I wanted this one to have a lighter feel so I used blue cardstock (8.5" x 5.5") and stamped it on the top portion with a newspaper text background stamp (IO) using Versamark ink.  Because it darkens the cardstock colour it always coordinates.  It was just as much texture as I was wanting.  I trimmed the blue bird images (4" x 4") off the original photo calendar (4" x 6") and layered them onto 4.25" squares of black paper before I glued them to the top of the calendar pages.  I printed another of the calendars I created for the first one, trimmed them to leave a slim border and glued them below the layered photos.  I added a length of wide white gros grain ribbon in between and added a little flower sequin with a brad on the left hand side.  I added all the flowers before I used double sided tape to affix the right hand side of the flagged ribbon which covers the back of the brad from the other side.  I added a silver bull clip at the top to keep the pages together.  The calendar can now be hung on a pin or nail, attached to any metal surface with a magnet or will stand on its own on the bottom edges of the pages.

 Here are the rest of the pages I created for this calendar.  Again, this is a double sided one  - January to June are on one side and July to December are on the back.

 
I have really enjoyed creating these calendars for gift giving this year.  I have more ideas for next year!!

Therese

Calendar with collage photos

I created a calendar this afternoon using 4"x 4" photos trimmed from my little bluebird calendar.  The calendar was a Christmas gift from my sister last year.  She creates 4"x 6" photo calendars for sale using her photographs.  She photographed my little 4" x 4" collages last year and created a calendar with them.
I used the originals on a swap calendar last year and thought it would be really cool to reuse these little images and give them another go around in the world.

I started with six half sheets (8.5" x 5.5")  of black cardstock and stamped a flourish background (IO) on the top portion using silver pigment ink on both sides.

 I trimmed the calendar portion off of my 4"x 6" calendar pages which left me with 4"x 4" photo images.



I created these little buttons for my embellishments.  They are a digital image which I laser printed, punched out, sponged on the edges and added white thread through the holes I punched in the center.

I used double sided tape to glue my blue bird collage images over the stamped backgrounds and used glue stick to adhere my printed calendar pages. The pages were created in Word Perfect inserting numbers into a table.  January to June are on one side and July to December are on the backs.  I wrapped white thread around the calendar between the two pieces and tied the ends off on the left.  I covered that with one of my little buttons using a large glue dot.  On the back, I simply tied a piece of the same thread on the left hand side to simulate a knot and added my button the same way.

 Here are all of the calendar pages I created.

They can be held together with a bull clip at the top and hung on a nail OR stuck to a magnet on any metal surface.

They could also be punched with a small hole punch in the top center and hung on a pin OR strung on a ribbon or cording and hung almost anywhere.

I am in the process of producing several calendars - a couple for swaps I have joined and several as gifts for the holiday season.  I have not yet decided which calendar will go where!!

Therese

Birdie Tag Calendar

On one of my groups I have joined a tag calendar swap so I created this calendar for my swap partner!
I have used birdie artwork that I created in 2009 for a 2010 calendar which simply never happened!!  I have been storing this artwork in a file folder since then.

Recently, my sister Sylvia was over and she suggested using them for a 4" x 6" calendar because they were square - they would work perfectly.  She photographed them and created the calendar. It turned out wonderfully!!! You can check it out here.  (third down)  She has been making 4"x 6" photo calendars for several years now with her own photographs.  She has two new ones for 2014 - Garden and Nature. They are the first two on her calendar page.

 I created the little collages after I finished these birdie ATCs.  I started with squares of cardstock, layered on torn papers for the backgrounds adding watercolour and sponging as needed.  Added my little birdies with their wire tails and embellished each appropriately for the twelve months.

With the artwork already created it only took a few days to get this calendar ready to go.  I cut six tags - 8.5" x 4" - from black cardstock, stamped them with background stamps - one definition and the other script (SU) using white pigment ink - one on the fronts, the other on the backs.  I downloaded a 2014 calendar off the internet (12 months on one page), laser printed it and cut apart the months.  

  I glued the calendars on the bottom portion of the tags, added the birdie artwork above them then stitched on a length of white ribbon using black thread on my sewing machine.  I added some little black diamonds (squares) over the stitching, added yellow circles above that and punched holes for hanging the pages.

The tags are double sided with Jan to June on one side and July to August on the other side.  I alternated the backgrounds to create a bit of contrast month to month.

The pages can be stacked and hung on a pin or nail.
 Alternately, they can be clipped together using a small bull clip and hung or attached to a metal surface using a magnet.  They could also be tied together using a loop of string which allows it to be hung.  At the beginning of each month the old month page can simply be flipped to the back along the loop.  This method secures all the pages to each other and avoids losing any!!
I will be creating another set of collages for next year's calendar!  I am considering using houses, hearts, flowers or quotes as my next theme!!  So many possibilities!!


This has be a very fun experience.  It has been really cool to see my art on a 4"x 6" calendar and I am really looking forward to creating some collages for next year!!

Therese

Birdie art

I love the combination of the sheet music and the bird!!  This piece of art uses one of the handmade paper sheets we made the first day which has a piece of sheet music layered onto it.  I die cut the body of the little birds (TH) from colourful hand decorated wax crayon  paper I had left over from one of my cards a few weeks ago.  I layered it over a die cut of the whole bird cut from brown cardstock, added a brown wing with 3D foam tape and a tiny black brad for his eye.  I layered the handmade paper over the embossed cardstock background, glued my bird into place and added three little black squares for accent.  I really love the vibrant colours of this little bird.

Therese

Exchange Cards

Canadian Card Exchange has a new blog!! You can check out the challenge and get other info about the exchange there!!
I created a few cards last week and will be sending out two of them for the exchange.
#1 features a fiber flower layered over a brown strip of cardstock punched on both sides with an eyelet border punch (SU) which is overlaid with lace. The card front has been embossed at the top with my new floral screen embossing folder (CB) and stamped at the bottom with script background stamp(SU)!! Thrifty Tip: Fiber flower is created using used dryer sheets!! You take a strip about 2.5" x 5" and fold into four and round the corners to create the "petals". Lay it flat, gather accordion style in the middle and tie with string or crochet thread. Spread the petals around and you have a flower!! Too easy!! I added punchies to the center and attached it to the card using a brad. All kinds of options!!
#2 - D'vineSwirl (CB) embossing on the top, a strip of brown border punched (SU) embellished with faux stitching in white gel pen (SU), a ribbon and a watercoloured heart 3D accent!! The birds (SU) I stamped in brown and watercoloured!! New stamp set from my SU party!!
#3 - SwissDots (CB) embossing on the top, a strip of brown as previous card and a watercoloured flower 3D accent. The little birds are the same as I used in the previous baby card - a new set from my SU party!!

Therese

Baby card

A baby card!! It is always a great thing when babies are born!! I made this card for the new baby in our extended family born to my cousin and his significant other. Everyone is doing well.
These little birds are new to me!! One of the sets I ordered at my SU party in March. I love that there is a mom with her babies and that they are cute but not too much.
Stamped them in brown and watercoloured. Added the greeting in brown. Some brown accents with white gel pen embellishment. Used the Swiss Dot (CB) embossing folder on the card front.
You can see below the brag book I made as a gift.

Therese

Cardmaking - March - birdie

What a wonderful birdie!! It is a new SU punch!! It cuts the bird, the wing and the branch!! My friend cut me a whole bunch in coordinating papers!! So fun!! I added the circle background (SU) and embossed it with glittered embossing powder to coordinate with the glittered paper. Added the little birdie saying from the SU birdie stamp set and a little piece of ribbon!!

Therese

My Art - Bird ATC

I am so happy with my little birdie ATCs!! They worked out better than I had envisioned. I need one ATC for a swap on one of my groups but while I was at it I created these four!!

I downloaded the bird template from Pixels and IceCream. It is a ways down if you are looking for it (2009-02-17). I printed it on the back of the blue cardstock and then cut him out. I added a black brad for the eye, cut out a wing from blue paper and applied it with 3D foam tape, added a swirly tail in silver wire similar to what he had before I cut it off and a little triangle beak!! I highlighted his edges in blue ink.
I created the backgrounds using a few layers of altered paper - stamped, sanded, distressed, ripped, etc, the layers until they looked good with each other. I also created the flowers using punchies (1.25", 1", 3/4" for the bigger ones, 1", 3/4" and 1/2" (handcut) for the smaller ones. I inked them, distressed the edges and then mashed them up before I layered them with a brad. Hand cut some leaves which I also inked up to add depth and glued them to the back of the flowers. Mounted this embellishment to the ATC with 3D foam tape. I was reminded by the roses on Andrea Walford's blog (july1, 2009) that I had seen recently somewhere in my travels an altered flower which was done in a similar fashion. Could not remember the details so just went with it and I am happy with the way they turned out.
I mounted the bird onto the ATC and then added legs using a black fine line Sharpie marker! I like him better with long legs.
So one of these little guys is headed out to my swap partner in today's mail. I have a few more birds in pieces on my desk which I should build while I can still find them all and maybe they will show up in my art down the road a bit!!

We had a great Canada Day!! Started with breakfast in the park (thanks to the LIONS) and ended with fireworks!! We are very fortunate to have a very decent display of fireworks (15 minutes!!) considering we live in a very small city!! We are also fortunate to be able to watch them from home from our second story window!! A bit of rain in between but we need the moisture to keep everything growing!! Celebrate all that is good each and every day!!

Therese

My Art - card for god daughter

My god daughter will be eight next week and I made this cute little card for her!! I love that little bird and it seemed to go so well with this paper! I layered several flowers - some silk, some cardstock to create my flower embellishment!

I have discovered a new blog that has card maps called "A Sheet Load of Cards". Check them out! Great for anytime you are feeling lost of ideas and need to get some cards fast!!

Therese