November 23, 2024

BIRD SYMPATHY

Are you familiar with the type of card known as a Tent Topper? In this kind of card, the focal point extends beyond the fold of the card. 

I made this tent topper card as an oft-needed synpathy card.

Following you will find a tutorial on how to make this specific card.


SUPPLIES:
White cardstock
Garden Green cardstock
Bird-flavored Designer Series Paper

Garden Green ink

Big Shot
Seasonal Labels dies
Splendid Stems dies
Layering Circles dies
Blue flower embellishment
Dimensionals

DIRECTIONS:
Cut a piece of white cardstock to 4" x 8", folding it in half and creasing it well with a bone folder.

Cut a piece of the bird Designer Series Paper to 3 3/4" square. Add this to the card base, paying attention so the birds and branches are facing the right way.

Fussy cut one of the larger birds from another piece of the DSP, leaving a small white margin all around.

From the Garden Green cardstock, die cut a leafy branch on which your bird will sit. Set it aside for now.

From white cardstock, die cut a circle with a 2 3/8" diameter, then from Garden Green cardstock, a scalloped circle slightly larger.

Adhere these circles together.

Use Dimensionals to place the bird on the branch to the circle. Add a blue flower embellishment to the branch.

Putting adhesive only on the lower 3/4 of the circle piece, add it to the card, letting about 1/2" extend beyond the fold of the card.

On a scrap of white cardstock, in Garden Green ink, stamp "With Sympathy". Die cut the sentiment with a label die from the Seasonal Labels dies. Attach it to the lower portion of the card with Dimensionals.

Sympathetic
Smiles.

November 17, 2024

THE DAILY BIRD MAY 2024

Here I am, ready to present another handful of my birds from my personal challenge, The Daily Bird. I, at this point, am only SIX MONTHS behind, in that today I am showing you birds that I drew during May, 2024.

As always, I will note the name of the bird, as well as where in the world this particular specimen can be found. I hope you enjoy!

 great hornbill

india, bhutan, nepal, mainland southeast asia, sumatra


blue-naped chlorophonia
atlantic forest in brazil, paraguay, argentina, venezuela

cactus wren
southwestern u.s. and northern and central mexico

allen's hummingbird
coastal california

laughing kookaburro
australia

osprey
north america

veery
(isn't he veery cute?)
northern u.s. and southern canada

pyrrhuloxia
arizona, new mexico, texas and woodland edges in mexico

mourning warbler
california, eastern canada, florida, great lakes, mid-atlantic, new england, plains, etc.

pond heron
tropical old world

bufflehead duck
north america

whooping swan
alaska and "the north"
finland's national bird

european collared dove
europe and asia

red-crested cardinal
argentina, bolivia, southern brazil, paraguay, uruguay

And there you go. I must admit that, after drawing more than 900 bird profiles, I am becoming a bit "birded" out. I'm not sure how long I will continue on this avian path.

I would love it if you would follow me on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/paperseedlings/. That would thrill me no end!

If you would ever like to own a good quality print of one of my birds, please let me know!

birdie
smiles.



























November 4, 2024

SAY IT WITH CIRCLES

Sometimes random is perfection. By doing random, no one is in control of the situation. It is always interesting, and sometimes surprising, what results when doing the random thing.

The only controlled part of this card is that I chose deeply saturated colors in cardsdtock. I wanted to place the random colors and circles against a black background, which added a lot of impactful punch.

Another random facet of this card is the die cut holes in the circles. However the circles came away from my Big Shot is how they were added to my card. I loved how this added to the total randomness.  


SUPPLIES: 
White cardstock
Black cardstock
Coordinating cardstock
Assorted cardstocks in saturated colors

Many Messages

Black ink

Big Shot
Spotlight on Nature dies
Coordinating grosgrain ribbon
Stampin Dimensionals

INSTRUCTIONS:
Fold a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of white cardstock in half, creasing it well with a bone folder.

For this card, I chose scraps of strong-colored cardstocks. Use one of these colors and cut it to 4" x 5 1/4". Adhere this to the white card base.

Cut a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of black cardstock. You will use this as the base on which to add your circles.

Using the two small dies and the next larger die from the Spotlight on Nature die set, cut a variety of circles from the strong-colored cardstock. I used the circles with holes as they came off from the dies, without removing any of the little pieces that are stuck inside the holes. I love the random look of some holes empty/some holes filled. Your choice.

Anyway, add these circles to the black cardstock in a whimsical pattern. Trim the edges of any of the circles that extend beyond the edges of the black cardstock.

Adhere this circle layer to the card base.

On a 1/2" x 1 3/4" piece of white cardstock, stamp a sentiment in black ink. Add to the back of the sentiment piece a 3" strip of coordinating grosgrain ribbon.

Use Dimensionals to add the sentiment piece to the card in the lower right.

Random
Smiles.

October 26, 2024

DOILY HAPPY

Every once in awhile I get an out-of-the-box idea. I'm never sure where exactly it comes from, but when it appears, I am grateful and grab it with both hands.

I had been shuffling through some of my supplies some time back, and came across these lovely creamy doilies that I hadn't set eyes on recently. Aha! Let's make them go further than just a single use doily. Let's cut one into quarters! 

Since the doilies were symmetrical, this was very simple to do. Thus, each of the corners of this card are nicely decorative.


SUPPLIES:
Coastal Cabana cardstock
Vanilla cardstock

Beautifully Happy stamp set

Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Stampin' Blends in: Light and Dark Pool Party and Light and Dark Granny Apple Green

Big Shot
Ovals dies
Vanilla doilies
Gold swirl embellishments
Dimensionals

INSTRUCTIONS:
Fold a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of vanilla cardstock in half, creasing it well with a bone folder.

To this card base, add a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of Coastal Cabana cardstock.

Cut a vanilla paper oily in exact fourths. Add each of these doily pieces to the corners of the Coastal Cabana layer.

Use an oval die that measures 3" x 4" and cut an oval from vanilla cardstock.

In Memento Tuxedo Black ink, stamp a flower stalk onto the creamy oval. Color the flowers and leaves as you wish. 

Add a shiny gold embellishment to the center of the large open flower.

Use dimensionals to add the oval to the card. It should fit perfectly within the space left by the doily quarters.

PLEASE NOTE: I am no longer a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator -- after 19 years! -- but I will continue to refer to some of the products I use in my blog cards by name. Obviously after 19 years, I have a TON of SU product, and will continue to use it.

Also, some of the areas on my blog are not correct, what with me no longer being a Demonstrator. Please ignore that. I don't know how to fix it. My apologies.

Doily
Smiles.

October 17, 2024

THE DAILY BIRD APRIL 2024

Still soooo far behind on posting my daily bird drawings. Today I am sharing a handful of my favorites from April, 2024. Yes, APRIL 2024. 

Above each of the drawings, I will give you the name of the bird, as well as where in the world this bird can be found naturally.

 albatross

pacific ocean


gray-bellied cuckoo
india, pakistan

hawaiian goose
hawaii island, maui, kauai
hawaii's state bird

tundra swan
arctic of north america

sarus crane
northern australia, southeastern asia, indian subcontinent

canada warbler
canada and u.s.

phoenix chicken
germany

tickell's blue flycatcher
tropical asia

whooping crane
north america

pigeon
worldwide

grey heron
temperate europe, asia, and parts of africa

dunnock
eurasia, including lebanon, northern iran, the caucacus

northern harrier
north america

treecreeper
palearctic and indomalayan regions, from western europe to japan and india

west indian whistling duck
west indies

golden-crowned kinglet
canada, northeastern and western u.s., mexico, central america

And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this little foray into some of my bird drawings. Thanks so much for accompanying me on this journey!

If you would ever like prints of any of my bird drawings, please let me know. The drawings that I show in my blog posts are simply bad photos of the original art work. A print would, of course, be of good quality.

birdie
smiles.