Who Let the Birds Out?

Using the New Elizabeth Craft Designs’ Whispers of Nature Collection

Hi! Welcome to a little bird crafts. I’m so excited to share a card from the beautiful new Whispers of Nature collection by Annette Green. Do you like nature? This release includes flowers, deer, moose, bear, mushrooms, and so much more. There are so many elements that I love, it was difficult to choose a project to start on.

I really wanted to create a card with the sweet birds and beautiful birdcage, but I didn’t want my birds to be trapped inside. So, with just two short horizontal cuts and two tiny vertical cuts with an X-Acto Craft Knife, as pictured below, I created a moveable door for the birds to escape.

The handle to the cage door was made with the negative pieces from the decorative top of the cage; shown in the center photo below. One “handle” is on the front of the door and the mirror image is adhered to the back of the door. That helps the handle stick and has a finished look when the door is open.

The legs of the birdcage are made from the negative pieces from between the bars of the cage.

My birds are cut from two shades of green cardstock and lightly colored with distress oxide for a bit of shading.

The card background is from the Beautiful Bounty paper pack. A frame was die-cut using the Card Maker Special Kit. I placed vellum over the background, but not the frame, to soften the colors. Tiny white and vellum flowers were cut, quickly shaped with a ball stylus, and arranged around the cage. White Prills add nice texture to the flower centers.

I’m really pleased with the result and can’t wait to make more with other nature elements from the collection. I hope it’s inspired you in some way. Thanks so much for reading along!

Happy crafting!

Di/a little bird crafts

Use this link for 10% off of your Elizabeth Craft Designs purchase. I will also receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. https://ecraftdesigns.com/ALITTLEBIRD28

Creative Halloween Cards Using Scraps

Embellishing, hand-drawn lines, and using what you have

An irregular line scrawled along the edge of the postage stamp helped create a frame

Hi! Welcome to a little bird crafts.

I love Halloween for all of its freedom just to have fun with the costumes, decorations, and enjoying a whole bag of candy….but, enough about my sugar addiction.

I had so much fun making lots of Halloween cards this year. There are so many wonderful new themed supplies this year that I bought a few. However, I really wanted to use up some papers and stickers that I’ve had for years. So, I pulled out all of my Halloween paper, dies, stamps, stickers, and embellishments and put them together in a box on my desk. I started with the darling (new) Lil Witches Quick Card Fronts from Whimsy Stamps. The little witches are both creepy and beautiful and the card fronts are so interesting that they really don’t need anything else. I cut and tore them smaller to make room for embellishments anyway. Crafter’s Companion’s 6×6″ Vintage Halloween Collection paper made wonderful backgrounds for the whimsical witches.

I embellished the cards with a spider web, tombstone, pumpkin, and bat die-cuts leftover from previous projects.

Some odds-and-ends stickers and papers from my stash were finally put to use by combining supplies from different brands. Some of the die elements are from planner sets (like the spider web and tombstones), but they work wonderfully repurposed on cards.

I ended up with eighteen cards hodgepodged together with supplies from five or more brands. No two cards are exactly alike – and that’s fine with me!

Thanks for reading along. Hopefully, something inspired you.

Happy crafting and Happy Halloween!

a little bird crafts/di

*You will receive a 10% discount at Elizabeth Craft Designs by using the affiliate links provided and I will receive a small compensation at no additional cost to you.

Adding a Few More Details

using the Card Maker Special Kit

Hi and welcome to a little bird crafts. Have you seen the new Elizabeth Craft Designs Everyday Elements release? The Beautiful Bounty paper pack has gorgeous nature-inspired artwork in rich autumn colors. And the Card Marker Special Kit includes a variety of dies: two sizes of gift card holders, two A2 size frame, flowers, sweet border dies, and much more.

Left photo: I used the new kit to create this large, 4″ x 9″, slimline card. Along the top, several patterned papers were cut with the outside edge of the large postage stamp die and layered for interest.

I really wanted to preserve the bees in this lovely paper and not cover them up. So, the flowers and leaves are concentrated along the left side. I stamped and heat embossed sentiments and postal themed accents in rose gold. I thought it was complete.

Right photo: However, the card needed something. So, I added a sweet scalloped edge of off white paper from the pack just above “happy birthday”. Pale yellow Prills added in the flower centers provide more texture and brighten up the card a bit. A stamped photo-corner in the upper right side adds just a little oomph. And now it is complete.

Thanks so much for reading along. Happy crafting!

Di/aka a little bird crafts

  • Supplies:
  • Elizabeth Craft Designs Card Maker Special Kit K020
  • Elizabeth Craft Designs Beautiful Bounty paper C028
  • Prills
  • Rose gold embossing powder

Label Cards

Hi! Thanks for dropping by. Have you participated in the Elizabeth Craft Designs challenges? Here are cards for the July Everyday Elements Challenge, #LabelMeCrazy. Get your submissions in quickly to participate. The challenge ends at noon eastern time zone the last day of each month.

Simple How To:

Created A2 (4.25″ x 5.5″) card bases with solid color cardstock

Cut Harmonious Hodgepodge paper to 4″x5.25″

Stamp and cut labels with Layered Labels sets

Cut the label shadow with coordinating Layered Labels die

Cut 1 inch coordinating paper to place across your background paper

Stamp and cut the bee

Cut flowers, music note, and plant

Shape flowers

Assemble card(s)

Add Prills or glitter to flower centers

Stamp envelopes and add splatter to cards and envelopes

Done!

Do you plan to recreate these cards? If so, please tag me. I’d love to see what you make.

Thanks for reading and happy crafting!

a little bird crafts aka Di

If you order with the links below, you’ll receive a 10% discount and I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you – thanks!

  • Supplies:

Gel Plate Nautical Card Tutorial

And Altering Stamps

Hi. Welcome to a little bird crafts. How is your summer so far?

I love playing with the gel plate, but it doesn’t happen often, and I’m certainly a novice. Even so, this 5×7 inch card was a lot of fun to create using the gel plate and some less common techniques.

To begin, use a brayer to apply a thin coat of gray ink to a 4 inch gel plate. Splatter watered down blue, yellow, and green watercolors over the gray, then pressed a piece of watercolor paper over the gel plate. It’s always fun to see what the result is!

Cut a piece of 2″ x 5″ cardstock with the wave border die to make a wave “mask”. Use the longer “negative” paper to cover the area that isn’t getting inked. Starting toward the bottom of your round print, hold the wave mask in place and lightly apply blue ink with a blending brush to create a wave. Stay within the circle background. Move the mask about 1/2″ up and add another line of waves with the blending brush. Repeat for a third line of waves.

L-R: wave stencil/mask, wave die, blending brush, gel plate on stamp block, Pigma pens, stamps,
5/0 paintbrush, Dr. Ph., Posca pen above.

Use a stamp platform and position the sailboat and lighthouse stamps, from the Travel & Postage stamp set, where you want them. Working in small sections, use the #1 Pigma marker to quickly apply ink only over the outline of the sailboat and lighthouse. Try not to get ink on the words. Repeat until the whole outline is visible.

Use the Dr. Ph Martin paint to cover the areas of stamped images that you want to be white. Use colored markers where you want to add color to the sail and lighthouse.

If needed, use the 03 Pigma marker to touch-up areas of the stamped images.

Draw birds with the 03 Pigma marker.

Use a 1 inch punch or die to create a stencil and mask from paper. Create a sun by blending yellow Distress Oxide ink through the stencil. Lightly add a bit of yellow Oxide ink outside of the sun.

Mask around the outside of the circle background. Lightly blend Frayed Burlap along the outer edge of the circle especially along the bottom where sand would be.

Add to a card base and embellish.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I’d love it if you’d leave a comment.

Happy creating!

Di/a little bird crafts

You can receive a 10% discount by using the affiliate links provided and I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Supplies:

  • 4″ Gel Press printing plate
  • Elizabeth Craft Designs Borders & Trims dies 2139 https://collabs.shop/ewfgmo
  • Elizabeth Craft Designs Travel & Postage stamps CS352 https://collabs.shop/fyue8x
  • A stamp platform
  • Watercolor paper
  • Watercolors: yellow, green, blue
  • 1 (1.0 mm) black Pigma Archival Ink pen
  • 03 (0.35mm) black Pigma Archival Ink pen
  • Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White
  • 5/0 or smaller paintbrush
  • Various ink pads: medium to light gray, blue or blue-green Distress Ink pad, yellow Distress Oxide, Frayed Burlap Distress Oxide, and black
  • Somewhat opaque markers like: Faber-Castell Pitt pen or Uni Posca

Bee Box

Decorative storage and keepsake gift box

Hi. Thanks for stopping by! Today I’m sharing a box created to hold A2 greeting cards. The box was inspired by the Elizabeth Craft Designs’ Elegant Decorative Box and the beautiful central cutout is from that set. However, I engineered my own box to accommodate A2 cards. My finished box measures: 6″ long x 4.75″ wide x 1″ deep. The inner box slides in and out like a matchbox.

I started by cutting white 110 pound Soft Finish cardstock to 6 inches x 11.5 inches. From the long. side of the paper, I scored at .25″, 1.25″, 6″, and 7″. I centered the oval die from the Elegant Decorative Box set over what would become the box top and cut it out with my Big Shot machine.

My other elements were all made from the Everyday Elements Collection by Annette Green.

I cut a piece of lovely blue and white paper from Harmonious Hodgepodge to 5.75″ long x 4.5″ wide. It has tiny sweet bees in the pattern. I intentionally cut the bees facing lengthwise. A hole was cut from the center with the decorative oval from the Elegant die set. I adhered a piece of vellum to the back and attached that over the hole in the white box base.

Embossed bee abdomen and vellum wings

I cut the Layered Bee from white cardstock. The bee body was embossed with an embossing folder and the paper wings were cut off. I assembled the bee adding vellum wings and a faint edge of faded jeans distress oxide to the body to help the lovely bee stand out.

Prill flower centers

I cut and shaped flowers, leaves, and a fern. White borders and honeycomb were also cut. White StazOn bees were stamped and cut from vellum. The bee wings were accented with Wink of Stella. These embellishments were attached with glue and the Layered Bee was popped up with foam tape. White Prills were added to the flower centers and I randomly adhered a few clear gems.

I added glue to the .25″ box flap, folded it over and adhere the sides together to complete the box cover.

The inner box measure slightly less than 6″ long x 4&5/8″ wide x 7/8″ deep. It’s smaller than the cover to slide inside easily. And viola!

Thank you so much for dropping by! Please leave me a comment or any questions.

Happy crafting!

Di aka a little bird crafts

I’ve included affiliate links with my supply list below. You can receive a 10% discount by using the links and I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

The five cards for the bee box and the whole set together.

Card Made with “Scraps”

From Extras on My Desk

Hi. Thanks so much for stopping by.

This A2 card is composed of extra pieces that were just lying on my desk from other projects. Although the embellishments were just “leftovers”, I’m really happy how the card came out. The gorgeous focal point is patterned paper from Annette Green’s This Lovely Life release from Elizabeth Craft Designs. The paper is so pretty that I didn’t want to cover it up.

Here’s how I combine these extras to make a card:

I randomly stamped script over the Hodgepodge paper in brown oxide ink with a small text area from the Love & Roses‘ rose stamp.

I added clear Wink of Stella over the veins of the moth wings and Glossy Accents over the body. The Wink of Stella sparkle looks good in person, unfortunately, it doesn’t show in the photos.

The center of the green 5.25″ x 4″ frame was cut-out with the large Postage Stamp die. That was centered and adhered over the moth designer paper.

Frayed Burlap Distress Oxide ink was used to stamp the two bees from the Honeybee stamp set. I added a thin layer of shimmery iridescent watercolor over the bees’ wings with Iuile paint and a touch of shimmery gold to the bees’ bodies. The bees are popped up from the frame with foam tape.

A small fern, little flowers, and a last minute addition of a sentiment add the final touches.

I hope you enjoyed this easy project made from the remnants on my craft table! Thanks again for following along this far. I’d love it if you’d leave a comment. Do you create projects with your “extras”?

You can get a 10% discount on the Elizabeth Craft Designs products by using the links below. I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Happy crafting!

Di

Artistic Matchboxes

for gifting or decor

Hi and welcome! Want to make a fun little (literally) project? Let’s take a utilitarian matchbox and make it into a pretty and functional matchbox worthy of giving with your favorite candle.

To begin, you will need small commercial matchboxes.

  • Remove the cover and cut it so it lies flat, but avoid damaging the strikers. Measure the length and width. Add 1/4″ to the length for overlap when assembling.
  • Cut-off and save the strikers.
  • Cut the box cover to the size you measured in the first step. The new Harmonious Hodgepodge paper makes a beautiful cover. If using other paper, 90# is good. Too thin and the paper may warp like my yellow rose box did in the photo above.
  • Score your cover where it will be folded to make crisper folds.
  • If stamping directly onto the cover, do it now. Or, if you are stamping your image to be die-cut, stamp that now. Use the postage stamp images from the new Travel & Postage stamp set. Stamp with an ink appropriate for your coloring medium. I used black hybrid ink.
  • Color your image as desired. I tried different mediums: alcohol markers, watercolor, and colored pencils.
  • Adhere your colored image to your box cover. Add embellishments such as die-cut rope or chain from Borders & Trims. Glue the strikers to the sides of the cover.
  • It’s a fun surprise to stamp a sentiment or decoration to the inside bottom of the box.
  • Last, use glue or tape to adhere the box ends overlapping the 1/4″ flap.
with watercolor
also with watercolor
Copic Markers

There are so many fun things to do with these! Make them as hostess gift to accompany a candle, stamp the host’s name on them, or make some representing their hobby. Or, remove the matches and insert a message or gift. Endless possibilities.

Thanks so much for reading along. Questions?

Happy crafting,

Di, a little bird crafts

The products used are listed. You will get a 10% discount if you use my links and I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you https://ecraftdesigns.com/ALITTLEBIRD28

  • Misc Supplies
  • Matchboxes
  • Black ink
  • Alcohol markers or
  • Caran D’ache Luminance colored pencils
  • Kraft paper (optional rope border)
  • glue or adhesive
Colored with colored pencils on the textured side of Soft Finish Cardstock

Little Birder’s Journal

Have You Ever Counted Birds?

Hi and welcome! I’m Di. This is the first blog that I wrote for Elizabeth Craft Designs as a design team member. Now I can share it here. 

Have you heard of the Great Backyard Bird Count? It is an event where people all over the world count and record birds. It’s hosted by The Cornell Lab, Audubon, and Birds Canada. This year’s count is February 16-19. You can get more informations at https://www.birdcount.org.  I’ve submitted my counts several years and that inspired me to create this small birder’s journal. My observations will include bird location, date, species, and notes. Here’s how I created the journal.

  • Die-cut the large folder from the ATC Special Kit from Neenah Desert Storm paper. 
  • Position the die-cut with the two slits on the left.
  • Use brown ink to stamp “For the Record” on the right side. Score at 3 1/2” from the right side.
  • Turn the folder over. On the back middle section, stamp “Journal” from Honeybee stamps in brown ink. This will become the journal’s cover. Stamp frames from Layered Labels around “Journal”.
  • For the woodpecker, use Reminiscence book 3 paper and Layered Birds dies:
  • Cut a bird body, then an extra black tail using the bird body die (left)
  • Cut one large black wing and the bird’s eyes, beak, and feet from white paper and black paper.
  • For the woodpecker’s red head, cut the jagged breast piece from red paper. It will be used in reverse. Cut with the red side away from the die (photo on right above). Assemble the woodpecker.
  • Cut a cork branch and small leaves from red paper using the Fall Wreath & Owl dies.
  • Turn the file over. The slits should be on your right. Adhere the cork branch and leaves. Add the woodpecker.  
  • Flip the folder over so the  woodpecker is on the back. Fold the side with the slits along the score lines, and adhere creating a pocket. 
  • Use Splatter Page 1864 to cut a bird silhouette from black paper. Attach the bird above the top slit. 
  • Cut & create two vellum envelopes with the Journal File XL 2 envelope die. Leave the top flap open for memorabilia like found bird feathers.
  • Cut 4 of the Journal File XL 2 from tan paper. Score and fold all of them in the middle.
  • On three of the Journal File XLs, use the “Highlights from Today” from the Ink with Journaling Cards set to stamp on the front left and back left with brown ink. 
  • On the fourth Journal File only stamp “Highlights from Today” on the back left.
  • Use the lined stamp (from Ink with Journaling Cards) to stamp on the right front and right back of all four Files.
  • Cut four 1 inch wide pieces of Rustic Winter paper 4 3/4 inches long. Score each lengthwise at 1/2”. 
  • Attach a Rustic Winter strip to the back of the pocket folder with glue. The fold should be at the back. Glue it to the File Folder XL front that wasn’t stamped.
  • Adhere each folder back-to-front with the next folder to create a book.
  •  Use the bird from the Fall Wreath & Owl set to make the dove pair. Cut one gray body and one pink chest.
  • Turn the papers over and cut again to make mirror image doves.
  • Cut a red wreath from Fall Wreath & Owl from the Reminiscence book 3.
  • Adhere the wreath to the front of the File that wasn’t stamped. Attach the lovebirds (a nod to Valentine’s Day).
Embellish with stamped VersaMark ink
Small die details
The paper has a list of birds – perfect!

Thanks so much for reading along with these very long instructions. I’d love to see what you make!

Happy crafting!

Di

Want 10% off your Elizabeth Craft Designs order? Just use links provided. I will also earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Elizabeth Craft Designs Supplies:

Layered Birds #2023 https://collabs.shop/ufivjl

Fall Wreath & Owl #2079 https://collabs.shop/31kmei

Splatter Page 1864 https://collabs.shop/qvus09

Floral Foliage 1 #2087. https://collabs.shop/ajn687

Festive Season stamps #CS327 https://collabs.shop/j0injh

Bloom #CS298 https://collabs.shop/k6gr3h

Ink with Journaling Cards #CS280 https://collabs.shop/y8g1wl

Honeybee #CS300 https://collabs.shop/l6nev3

Layered Labels #CS328 https://collabs.shop/utbskf

All Occasion Sentiments #CS329 https://collabs.shop/plgejx

ATC Special Kit #K016 https://collabs.shop/quheju

Journal File XL 2 #2015 https://collabs.shop/xui7u7

Reminiscence the book 3

Rustic Winter paper #C013 https://collabs.shop/0jk1j4

Soft Finish Card Stock #80 https://collabs.shop/95ccuq

Other Supplies:

Neenah Desert Storm #80 paper

Vellum paper

Cork paper

Distress Oxide gathered twigs

Distress Oxide black soot

VersaMark

Cigar Box to ATC Storage

Using Everyday Elements

Hi and welcome!

Elizabeth Craft Designs fun new ATC Special Kit has inspired me to create many artist trading cards (ATC) that I now need to store. Fortunately, I have an empty cigar box that’s the perfect size (3.75″ length x 3.5″ wide x 5″ depth). There is space for about 35 trading cards – I’ve made 29 ATCs in the last month!

I want the box to be decorated, but still have a hint of its original purpose, so, I left the blue and gold paper strip that came on the box intact. However, I removed the paper from inside the lid and saved the gold lion stamp. You’ll see that again.

To decorate the box, I only used the new Garden Party paper pack, Soft Finish and black cardstock, and Annette Green’s Everyday Elements line of dies. I was inspired by Reana van Haren’s recent video to make a layered mixed media feature on the lid. I stacked and glued two layers of thin cardboard honeycomb die-cuts, adhered the honeycomb to the lid, then applied gesso. Next, texture paste was randomly applied through the honeycomb stencil. When dry, I sanded some areas to soften the look, then applied brown distress stain and wiped it off. Some gold splatter and the “ATC” letters were added and it was topped with the beautiful, detailed, large honeybee. A dusting of Silk Microfine Glitter over the top represents pollen. Unfortunately, it doesn’t show up in the photo.

I used the partial die cutting technique (described in my previous post) to adapt the postage stamp dies to fit the sides of the cigar box. The largest and second largest postage stamp dies were the best fit. I selected and cut areas of the Garden Party paper that had blue flowers. Since I wanted the paper to coordinate with the original blue cigar box paper, I used a blue Copic Marker to add touches of deeper blue around the center of the flowers.

I avoided the flowers in the paper when I cut the owl, flourish, flower stems, and large layered honeybee. I was concerned that flowers on both layers would not be enough contrast. Brown Distess Oxide was added to the die-cut edges and I splattered gold watercolor over most elements. Each little scene was assembled and adhered to my box. I’m really please with the final result!

Do you make ATCs?

Thanks so much for reading along. Do you have any questions? 

Happy crafting,

Di / a little bird crafts

Box front with the owl on a cork branch.    
Back of box.          
Side of box.           
   Side with the lion image originally inside the box                                  

Use the links provided to receive 10% off of your order and I will receive a small commission with no additional cost to you – thank you.