My Grandma loved birds. In fact, when my grandparents moved into their new house 13 years ago, while helping unpack, I learned just how much she liked those birds. There were figurines for the china cabinet in the living room. There were owls for the den. There was an entire set of Fall dishes that featured a pheasant. There were paintings and wall hangings. Where had all these birds been hiding?! They all made her happy and we smiled and laughed together as we unpacked everything and found homes for all of them.
And then there’s my husband’s grandmother. Now she LOVED her birds. Bird feeders everywhere. She’d get so mad at the squirrels eating all of her bird seed and not leaving any for the birds. They used to keep my kids while I was at work. My son would go out and “help” Nanny (Little Crafter was still a baby). They spent their days playing in the sunroom or working outside. My son’s favorite thing…waiting for the birds to gather and then yelling, “Wooga! Wooga!” and watching them all fly off in a flurry. Nanny was not nearly as impressed with his talent. LOL
And I’m coming around…I have grown to love watching the birds at our own bird feeders now. We have a cute little “couple” that sit on the perch together and eat together. We like to say they’re on a date…to which my kids say, “Ew! Gross!” We’ve got a couple cardinal couples. We’ve got some little black and white birds, some doves (or maybe it’s a pigeon…I dunno…it’s got feathers). So needless to say, I’ve grown more and more fond of birds. And when I saw the Free As a Bird Suite at OnStage last year, I knew we HAD to have it.
For this card we started with a standard card base with Crumb Cake Cardstock (8.5″ x 5.5″, scored at 4.25″).
Cut your Blushing Bride Cardstock using the largest Stitched Rectangle die. Next run it through your die cut machine with the Subtle Embossing Folder. (I use this embossing fold ALL the time. It’s so versatile and adds great texture and dimension to your projects.)
Cut your Seaside Spray Cardstock using the 2nd largest Stitched Rectangle. Randomly stamp the leaves using Seaside Spray Ink.
Next die cut the large scalloped circle out of Crumb Cake Cardstock, then emboss it using the Layered Leaves Embossing Folder.
Die cut a large circle on Whisper White cardstock. Stamp your bird image and sentiment using Memento Black Ink. I colored my image using the following blends:
- Balmy Blue – Light and Dark Blends
- Crumb Cake – Light and Dark Blends
- Soft Suede – Light and Dark Blends
- Petal Pink – Light and Dark Blends
- Granny Apple Green – Light and Dark Blends
Now glue all the pieces onto each other, but NOT on the base yet. Once all 4 pieces are glued together, wrap your linen thread around the card twice and tie a bow. Now you can glue to the base.
Add a 4″ x 5.25″ piece of Whisper White Cardstock to the inside of your card. Stamp with a fun image, color if desired, write a note and send it off to someone special!
