a little bird crafts

A Crate of Watercolor Flowers

Hi and thanks for visiting! This sweet little Mother’s Day project has very few supplies (for a change).

Soooo. Please don’t judge me, but, I save trash.

I try to hide it, but apparently my family knows and occasionally they’ll leave interesting paper, string, or containers for me – things that most people would consider trash. This cute 3″x4″ Vermont Creamery box was definitely not going to see the inside of the trash can at my house. I’ve had it for several years just waiting for the right project and I’m so pleased with the outcome.

I used the Elizabeth Craft Designs Stemmed Flowers set to cut a minimum of 6 of each stem from Canson Watercolor Paper. Each stem needed to be two layers thick for strength to “stand” within the box. I painted the front of half the die cuts and the back of the other half using watercolors. After the paint was dry, I glued the unpainted front and back of matching dies together with Art Glitter Glue. This way the flowers could be alternated with some “backs” and some “fronts” facing the front of the box to alternate the direction and look less repetitive. The flowers are also pretty from any side.

Originally my little cheese box did not have the two slats. I cut the two slat pieces from flat disposable chopsticks that I had (more good trash). They were glued in place with Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue. These were added so flower stems could be added in the middle of the box to fill it.

I glued stems to the front and back of each slat for depth.

A bit of kraft paper grass (more of my stash being re-used) covers the bottom opening. This project is now ready to give to my mother for Mother’s Day.

Thank you so much for visiting. Please leave a comment or ask questions.

Happy crafting,

Supplies
Elizabeth Craft Designs Stemmed Flowers dies #2027
Canson XL 140 lb watercolor paper
Watercolor set by Elizabeth Craft Designs
Small box or cheese “crate”
Art Glitter glue
Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue

Pop-Up Bouquet

Annette Green’s Release

Hi! I’m Di. Thanks for dropping by.

When I learned that Annette Green was creating her first line of stamps and dies with Elizabeth Craft Designs, I was so excited to get it all. I already admired Annette’s beautiful creative album and card designs. Well, I was not disappointed! Her bee-inspired line, Everyday Elements, is fantastic!

I started with a 5 x 7″ kraft card base and added blue Reminiscence patterned paper to the inside. A large doily and circle large enough to cover the hole in the doily were cut from text pattern paper. I glued the doily over the circle then cut it with the My Favorite Things Pop-Up Surprise Die.

I adhered the pop-up doily to the inside of the card centering it with the card fold. Hopefully this will be a fun surprise for the recipient!

The smaller, hidden pop-up allows more flowers to be added to the empty space.

I fashioned a second pop-up element from a 2″ by 3/4″ piece of the text paper, folded it in the middle, and folded 1/4″ tabs to secure it to the card base.

This pop-up was adhered between the card base and the doily so that it is hidden.

I cut multiple of all of the Stemmed Flowers dies from watercolor paper. I painted some of the die cuts with Elizabeth Craft Designs Watercolors then glued two layers together to strengthen the die cuts.

Hint – when watercolor painting, the water can cause the two glued dies to pull apart. So, the top die should be painted prior to gluing the two layers together.

The stamped and fussy cut bee seems to hover over the flowers.

I really enjoyed creating this spring bouquet with this wonderful new line. The stamps leave a very clean image and the dies cut well.

Thank you for reading and I hope you’ll come back soon. Di

Supplies:
Stemmed Flowers Dies #2027
Layered Honeybee Dies #2024
Large Doilies Dies #2019 from
Honeybee Stamps #CS300
Happy Stamps #CS299
Watercolor Palette #WC01 from Elizabeth Craft Designs
Elizabeth Craft Designs Reminiscence book 4
Elizabeth Craft Designs Reminiscence book 5
Pop-Up Surprise Die from My Favorite Things

Paper Flowers, Paper Frame

Hi! I’m Di. Thanks for dropping by.

Today I’m sharing a project using all Elizabeth Craft Designs products.

I’ve had the Shadow Box Frames dies for awhile, but this was my first time to use them. Happily, the frame went together really easily. If you need help there is a good tutorial on the Elizabeth Craft YouTube Channel.

Most of the flowers & greenery were die cut from white Soft Finish Cardstock. Distress Ink pads were pressed onto a kraft mat and spritzed with water.

Then I pressed and dragged the cut shapes into the diluted ink until I got the desired color. I repeated the process with each color. The variation in color and the water spots are interesting and add texture.

When the ink was dry, I spritzed a few flowers at a time and shaped them with a ball stylus.

The basket was cut from two shades of brown cardstock with the darker color placed behind to create a shadow. I used a blending brush to apply brown Distress Oxide Ink to the edges of the basket for shading.

After all of the pieces were cut and colored, I assembled the project using Glitter Glue, Uhu Stic Glue, and Glue Dots.

After these photos were taken I removed the small fallen flower and placed it on the lower right side of the basket (not shown). That helped to balance the composition. This was a slow project, but I enjoyed creating it. I hope you like it. Thanks for staying until the end!

Happy crafting,

Supplies (all dies are Elizabeth Craft Designs)

Shadow Box Frames
Easter Basket
Florals 16
Ferns
Stamen Flowers
ECD papers
Uhu Stic Glue
Glitter Glue
Various Distress Inks

Saint Patrick Cards

Hi and welcome! Just a quick post using stamps and dies from several companies to create a couple of Saint Patrick’s cards. I had fun looking through my stamps and dies for anything that could be used for these: a witch’s cauldron for a pot of gold, bubbles for gold coins, a file for a card base etc.

The Elizabeth Craft Designs File Folder set 1 is a perfect size for an A2 card base. The beautiful background paper is from an ECD Reminiscence Book. The Leprechaun was made with the ECD Gnome die set, but his hat was made with a Lawn Fawn set. The rainbow, pot of gold, and mug of beer are all from My Favorite Things sets.

A pot of gold and a mug of beer. What more could a leprechaun want?!

Thanks for dropping by. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to you and wishing you the Luck O’ the Irish!

Products:

General File Folder #1982 from Elizabeth Craft Designs
Gnomes #1922 from Elizabeth Craft Designs
Slimline Adventure Edges #1925 from Elizabeth Craft Designs
Witch’s Cauldron from My Favorite Things
Once Upon a Rainbow from My Favorite Things
Pint Sized from My Favorite Things
Hats Off to You From Lawn Fawn
My Lucky Charm From Lawn Fawn

Easy Valentine Cards

Hi. I’m Di. Thanks for visiting.

Isn’t this little mouse stamp so cute?! It’s a Simon Says Stamp set from a few years ago. I enjoy getting it out every winter to color a few images. These Zig colored mice were buried (along with a lot of other images) on my craft table and I decided they are too cute to lose again.

Since the detail work was already done, it didn’t take long to turn them into Valentine Cards.

I placed a rectangle stencil over the white card base and then a hill stencil over the bottom of that. I blended Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide over the sky area then removed the hill stencil. I added just a hint of a light gray Distress Oxide ink along the edges of the rectangular stencil to help the “snowy” hill and sky show up against the white cardstock.

I stamped the coco sentiment in black, a few blue snowflakes, and a tiny red heart.

The cookie heart was cut from kraft cardstock and stamped with red ink.

So, now I have these four cards from the colored images that I found while cleaning off my craft space. And there are many more to come! Drop by again soon and see what else I made from the little buried treasures. Thanks for visiting.

2023 Year of the Rabbit

Using Joset’s line of Elizabeth Craft Designs Products

Gong Hei Fat Choi – that is the Cantonese greeting meaning congratulations and best wishes for a prosperous new year! The Lunar New Year begins January 22, 2023.

2023 is the Year of the Rabbit and the rabbit is considered clever and energetic. The Elizabeth Craft Designs Bunny die set seemed a whimsical way to portray those traits.

I first cut the bunny from red card stock and the inner ear and face from white card stock. I colored the inner ear and face pieces with Copic Markers. Then I applied gold Lunar Paste to the rabbit through stencils with very small flower designs (I don’t have the names of these older ECD stencils). I assembled the rabbit and using my preferred glue, Art Glitter Glue.

Then I created a small red and gold envelope for the rabbit to hold. It’s Chinese tradition to give red envelopes containing money during holidays and special occasions.

I cut a piece of Soft Finish Cardstock to slimline card size. Then I lightly blended tumbled glass Distress Oxide over the sky area.

Bamboo was die cut from a lime green card stock and grass from a shiny, lime green, embossed paper that I’ve been hoarding.

The lanterns were very easy to make using just red and gold cardstock. I added a few details with tiny gold dots of paper.

I assembled the scene by layering two pieces of grass. Then I attached a long curved piece of the bamboo with a short piece to add length. The addition is visible between the rabbit’s ear and face. A piece of string hangs the lantern from the bamboo.

All that was left was to place a typed sentiment and the rabbit at the front.

Thanks for reading along,

Supplies: all dies are by Joset at Elizabeth Craft Designs

Bunny die set #1929
Bamboo #1733
Party Lanterns #1533
Slimline Adventure Edges #1925
Soft Finish Cardstock
Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide
Ranger Ink Slippery When Wet Gold Lunar Paste
Neenah Smooth Finish Solar White 110#
Small flowered stencils

Tags, Tags, and …Tags!

Welcome and Merry Christmas!

I love making tags. They are tiny pieces of art, but easy to part with since they don’t require a lot of time. My family has even started to save some of the “used” tags to reuse because they are special. How sweet and affirming is that?!

I made tags using sooo many different products. Several stamped images are from Tim Holtz, a few are from Simon Says Stamp, and My Favorite Things is represented, as is Stampin’ Up.

I used Copic Markers or water colors. I even painted a few branches and berries myself using Iulie Colorshift Watercolor. (Oh my – those are beautiful metallic paints!) I was inspired by Marie Claire to hand draw a couple of lined pages, one in red and one black, which I used to cut a few tags.

I hope these inspire you.

Thanks for visiting,

Interactive Critter Card

Using Elizabeth Craft Designs Dies

Hi. Thanks for dropping in. I have a cute, pull-tab, slimline card to share with you today.

The cute beaver peeking our from his dam

Here is the beaver has appeared from the dam

This whimsical slimline card was easy to make using Elizabeth Craft Designs dies. First, I used the shrub die from the Slimline Adventure Edges set to make a stencil for the clouds, then I made layers of clouds using Distress Oxide. Blending light blue ink on the lower end of the card created water for the beaver dam to sit in.

The beaver and shrubs were cut from various colors of card stock and the beaver was assembled.

Using the Beaver die set, I traced the short log and extended the drawing to about 3.5 inches long. Then I hand cut several of the longer “logs” from kraft paper using that template. Several more logs were cut using both of the log dies from the set.

I applied Wild Honey Distress Oxide to the cut end of the log. Then I placed a circular mask over that end and darkened the log with Vintage Photo Oxide ink.

Below are some logs after being cut and colored. I added a few score lines to the longer logs to add “bark”.

I cut the pull tab from the background created earlier and created the pull mechanism, then attached the beaver. I built the beaver dam with the logs by attaching them to an oval piece of scrap paper. The dam was elevated with foam tape. I allowed room between the pieces of foam tape allowing the beaver to hide under the dam.

A few green leaves and tiny dragonfly embellishments completed the card.

Any questions? Please let me know if you make this card. I’d love to see your creation.

Fondly,

Supplies:

Elizabeth Craft Design Pull Tabs #1936
ECD Beaver #1931
ECD Forest Accessories #1688
ECD Slimline Adventure Edges #1925
Distress Oxides
Blending brushes

Gift for a Master Gardener

Hi and welcome.

Do you enjoy gardening? My sister and I do and she recently became a Master Gardener. It involves months of classwork, tests, and accumulating many volunteer hours.

My sister’s efforts inspired me to create this little book filled with seed packets for her birthday. The packets can actually be used to collect and label seeds or just as a garden inspired mini-album. Like most albums, it can hold memorabilia, journaling cards, or photos.

Inside front cover and the first seed packet

Starting with floral papers that I already had, I cut ten packets with the Seed Packet die. Using a heavy-duty paper cutter, cut the book front and back from cardboard about 4&1/2″ x 4&1/2″. I covered the outside and inside of the covers with patterned paper using a combination of tape and glue. A Crop-A-Dile was used to round the corners of the covers.

Adhere vellum or decorative paper to the inside of the packet to cover the window opening. Then fold the die cut at the score lines and tape the bottom and side closed. I used Elizabeth Craft Designs 3mm double sided adhesive.

I used a variety of patterned papers and some solid papers for the mini-album.

Also cut ten of the four-hole notebook edge die from the Seed Packet Set in coordinating paper. Keep the excess piece from the seed packet “window”. Attach the edge piece to the back of a seed packet while making sure not to glue down the top flap.

This is how the back of the seed packets look and the inside back cover

Score the window piece in the center lengthwise, fold it, and adhere it covering the front and back of the notebook piece over the two middle holes (see the white and kraft pieces in the photo above).

Now assemble the book using the book rings and embellish it. Shaped flowers are a perfect accent. This is a fun, cute, and quick little album.

Thanks for reading along. Please let me know if you have any questions.

SUPPLIES
Elizabeth Craft Designs Sidekick Essentials 16, Seed Packet Set #1838
Elizabeth Craft Designs Paper Love stamp set #CS214
Elizabeth Craft Designs In My Garden stamp set#CS212
Elizabeth Craft Designs Home & Nature stamp set #CS213
Elizabeth Craft Designs Planner Labels dies #1658
Crop-A-Dile hole punch
Cardboard
Patterned paper
Vellum
Black stamp pad
Glitter Glue
Two 1″ book rings

Torn Paper Bag Flowers

Hi! Thanks for dropping by. I hope you will be inspired to create!

This post satisfies the “paper bag” prompt for two different groups: Journal with Us (using Elizabeth Craft Designs Art Journal Specials) and Art-Play-Fun (a My Heart’s Fancy’s Facebook group) .

I challenged myself to use the paper bag as much as possible and limit the number of other products. The hand torn flowers, bottle, and embossed background are all from the same paper bag. While it’s not too complicated, I’m happy with the outcome.

The Process

Stamp the Love Makes A House Home bottle in VersaFine black ink and heat emboss with black embossing powder. Use turquoise watercolor to color “water” in the bottle.
Cut leaves/vines with Elizabeth Craft Designs Summer Journal Specials die
Stamp the cork stopper with black Archival ink onto cork and fussy cut
Emboss the paper bag background with Tim Holtz 3-D Foliage embossing folder. I did not spritz the paper with water before embossing, but I would recommend it.
Cut a 1&1/2 inch strip of paper bag approximately 12″ long and tear to make flowers (instructions below). Use a blending brush to lightly add white ink to the the large flower and vines. Use a different brush to add Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide lightly over the top of the smaller shaped flowers.
Attach the elements then add white splatters mainly over the flowers.
Attach to a white A2 card base.

The torn edge creates a natural look and softens the flowers.

Creating the Flowers

To make the smaller flowers, cut a 1&1/2″ strip of paper bag and tear down the middle, going side to side, to make hills and valleys. Tear the valleys deeper than this picture shows to create the flower petals. The flower is very hard to shape if the petal tears aren’t deep enough. Starting at one end, wrap the paper around a skinny chopstick or pencil flaring the petals out as you work. When you’re happy with the shape, go back and add dots of glue as you wrap or put glue dots on the bottom to hold the shape.

This was before the white splatter was added. The splatter ties the card together better.

Supplies

Paper bag
Elizabeth Craft Designs Art Journal Love Makes A House Home stamp set
Elizabeth Craft Designs Art Journal set Summer Journal Special
Tim Holtz Foliage 3-D embossing folder
VersaFine Onyx Black inkpad
White inkpad
Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide
White acrylic paint
Glue dots, tape, glue

Thanks again for stopping by. I hope you’ll come again soon.