Tag Archives: birds

A new look…and more Blackberry Bliss

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Well…how do you like it?  I’ve been contemplating a blog update for quite a while, but when I saw what Cheryl did with hers I decided it was time to get busy.  Both Cheryl and Crystal served as graphic arts consultants (My Digital Studio, of course!!) and I couldn’t have done it without them.  Let me know what you think!

Brace yourselves, you’re going to be seeing a lot of Blackberry Bliss!  I love the color, and so I signed up to represent it for an In Color swap at Convention 2014 (coming soon!).  I’ll share the card I’m swapping next month – here’s one of the trials:

Maui Stamper An Open Heart

  • Stamps:  An Open Heart
  • Color Palette:  Blackberry Bliss, Baked Brown Sugar, Naturals Ivory
  • Accessories:  Gold Bakers Twine, 2013-2015 In Color Sequins, 2 1/2″ Circle Punch, Pokey Doodle, Essentials Paper Piercing pack, Piercing Mat, Neutrals Candy Dots, Petite Petals punch

Maui Stamper An Open HeartI love these new sequins!  I think Stampin’ Up! should make them in ALL the color families!! (Let’s all email them and tell them so, OK?)  And while I’m asking, I’d like some little gold brads too.  Love the silver ones, Stampin’ Up!, but need the gold ones.

Maui Stamper An Open Heart I really love the gorgeous images in An Open Heart, but it was the sentiments that sealed the deal for me.  When someone is hurting, it’s really not about the words.  I consider my cards to be paper hugs, something to send when I can’t be there.

Happy to be here!!!

 

My favorite feathered friend

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I’ve always had a fondness for birds.  Well, most birds – I’m not so fond of the ones that swoop down and scold me (or my ‘fraidy cat).  One of my absolute favorites is the cardinal.  Growing up in California, we seldom saw them, but here in Hawaii we have both the North and South American cardinals.  (The North American male is all red with a black mask, the South American male is grey and white with a scarlet hood, just in case you were wondering.)

It’s the North American Cardinal I enjoy the most.  Early in the morning, the male is usually the first bird to greet the sunrise.  He has a long, low call that begins when the sky is light but the sun has yet to peak over Haleakala.  It’s a lovely thing to hear as you’re lying in bed, trying to decide if you really do have to get up.

Watching my daughter go through her cupboards and closets has inspired me to do a little sorting of my own, and the other day I came across a bunch of tiny wreaths made from vines.  I’m sure they’ve been in my craft cupboard for years, and they were clearly waiting for This Moment.  As soon as I saw them, I visualized this:

My Maui Cardinal

  • Real Red, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip,  and Pretty in Pink card stock
  • Chocolate Chip Stampin’ Write marker, Signo White Gel pen
  • XL Two Step Bird punch and Pop-Up Glue dot
  • Heart to Heart punch, Tombo adhesive and Linen Thread
  • Real Red narrow grosgrain ribbon and LSS vine wreath

Yes, I know the real deal doesn’t have a brown wing, and yes, I realize I left off his mask.  But that’s ok because this is MY bird.  You can make YOUR bird however you like!

The Red Bird is attached to the wreath with one ginormous, super-sticky Pop-Up Glue dot, and the little hearts are stuck to the medium sized hearts with Tombo, the wonder-adhesive.  I stuck the green leafy bits to the Red Bird with Tombo before I put the glue dot on his backside.

I am very, very sorry to tell you that the XL Bird punch is currently back-ordered through Stampin’ Up!  Clearly this item was a big hit!  It’s currently set to ship the week of March 8 (I know!!).  You’ll just have to look at this one until then.

A little birdie told me…

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I should have ordered this punch!  I know, I know, I have a LOT of Stampin’ Up! goodies.  And I am very happy with what I have.  I run into problems when I go over to a friend’s house to play and she has toys that I don’t have.   (No, I am not 7 years old.)  I start to play, I get ideas, I go online and find more ideas, and before I know it, guess what’s at the top of my Wish List!

Bird Punch Pocket Notes

  • Extra Large Two-Step Bird, Scallop Trim and corner rounder punches
  • Real Red, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip and Pretty in Pink card stock
  • Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper
  • Chocolate Chip 5/8″ Satin ribbon
  • Tombo Adhesive and Chocolate Chip Stampin’ Write marker
  • Very Vintage Jumbo Wheel and Pretty in Pink Jumbo Ink Cartridge

My inspiration for this pocket note is  Becky Robert’s little note .  I really liked her placement and proportions, and you can see I was very faithful to them.  I added the simple pocket to dress up the presentation.  You can make a pocket like this with just a few steps:

  1. Cut a piece of cardstock 4 1/4″ x 11″ (here I used Pretty in Pink)
  2. Score at 5 1/2″ and 8 1/2″
  3. Cut off 1 1/4″ from the last score, making your last section 1 1/4″ wide
  4. Zig Zag fold to create a pocket
  5. Tie ribbon around the pocket to hold it in place – no adhesive is needed

Here’s the note outside of the pocket:

Pocket note and pocket

This little bird is just the right size for a card or page embellishment.  There are so many different ways of mixing and matching patterns to create different birds, real or imagined!   I’ve seen some beautiful birds that are very faithful to their feathered counterparts – this Chickadee is a great example.   I wonder if I could make a sassy Mynah bird?

Four calling birds

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I’m not much of a morning person.  If there was no outside influence on my schedule, I would be up late into the night and sleep well into the morning.  Life, however, has determined that I need to be up with the birds most mornings, and thank goodness for those birds.

If I’m awake early enough, the first bird to sing in my neighborhood is a cardinal.  It’s usually a male perched in the top of a tree – often the tall coconut in my neighbor’s yard – calling out to the rising sun.  His brilliant red color makes him easy to pick out, and his distinctive song is enough to banish the fog from my brain.  Soon the doves add their cooing, the mynahs start to scold, and the francolins…well, if you’re not awake by the time the francolins start in, they’ll do the job.

This little quartet doesn’t sing out loud, but I think there’s music here all the same.

Four_Berry_Birds_crop

  • All Holidays stamps and Cornelli Lace wheel
  • Chocolate Chip, Bermuda Bay, and Very Vanilla cardstock;  Thoroughly Modern Designer Series Paper
  • Rose Red Classic ink
  • Big Shot and Merry Details Sizzlet
  • Scallop Square punch

This little fellow is found as both an exclusive Stampin’ Up!  Sizzlet (Merry Details, 116823, $5.50) and a stamp (Berry Christmas, 116509, $22.95).  I think he performs well outside the holiday arena, don’t you?

How do you choose?

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I love this bird from the Always set.  It caught my eye the first time I saw it.  The other images in the set complement it well, and are especially useful when you need to give some texture or design to a solid piece of cardstock.

Plant your feet firmly and let your heart have wings

Plant your feet firmly and let your heart have wings

  • Soft Suede, Bermuda Bay, Old Olive and Naturals Ivory cardstock; Retired Designer Series Paper
  • Always and Hope Happens stamp sets
  • Soft Suede and Bermuda Bay Classic Stamp pads
  • Embossing powder and heat tool

Over the years, I’ve learned to be more critical when I select a set for myself.  If it’s for me, of course I have to love the images, but I also look for versatility.  I’ve bought my share of “one hit wonders” and to be honest, I begrudge the room they occupy in my little bitty stamping space (known to the rest of the family as the laundry room…sigh).  As my style develops, I have to watch that I don’t select the same thing again and again- natural images like birds, flowers, and trees.  Sure, I have some holiday stamps, and a few that would work as baby or wedding items in a pinch, but maybe it’s time to branch out to something new.  Ha.  Maybe I’ll get Season of Friendship.  I’ve been looking at that tree for the longest time.