Those crazy birds AKA "Bird Crazy"...

Hi friends…..today I want to share the coloring technique I've been using on my Bird Crazy projects. I have totally fallen in love with these guys and before my last post I hadn't colored any Bird Crazies, not even one. 

Now I'm Crazy about them and the accessories make it even better! 

First lets talk about paper. It's very important to use a good quality Watercolor Cardstock. I use the Ranger Watercolor Cardstock. I love the it allows you to blend the colors so beautifully. Stamp the Bird Crazy of your choice onto the Watercolor Cardstock with Jet Black ArchivalInk and let dry. 

Now cut the bird out. Don't forget no fussy cutting required because there's this AMAZING Thinlits set that cuts out the birds for you. It's soo detailed! Coming soon will be the Thinlits set for the accessories. That will make it so easy!  


I like to die cut my birds before I color them just incase I don't get the die lined up or it slips. Here's my sandwich…use the Magnetic Platform on the bottom, next the Precision Base Plate with the metal side up (perfect for this detail cutting), lay the stamped piece face up, line up the Thinlits dies and then one cutting pad on top. Send it through your Vagabond or the Big Shot. 

Now for the coloring….you have 2 choices 

1. You can color directly on to the bird with the marker and blend it out with the Detail Waterbrush. OR….

2. Scribble the marker on to your craft sheet, pick the color up with the Detail Waterbrush and color. I find this works the easiest if you're working with a dark color or you are wanting a light area like the breast of the bird. One things for sure there's lots of different ways to color! Use what works best for you and have fun.

It's very important to dry the color as you work because you don't want to overwork the cardstock when it's wet. Over working the cardstock will cause it to pill up. 

I also find to avoid streaking that I wet the entire area each time I add color. especially to the light areas. Now that I have the entire bird colored as desired I wanted to add a little something to the image.

 I fell in love with the Distress Spritzer the first time I used it. It just adds a little texture and I like that. I also think that the Distress Spritzer hides imperfections that might have come up when you were coloring your image. Load the marker into the Distress Spritzer so the tip goes over the spritzer nozzle. 

Hold the Distress Spritzer so the bulb is vertical not the marker. The Spritzer will blow air across the tip and blow the ink onto your paper. Practice on a piece of scratch paper to get a feel for how far away form the cardstock you need to work. This may vary with each marker too. Squeeze the bulb with quick burst. Keep in mind if you are close to your paper you will get a very concentrated color. Hold it farther away for a little spritzing. 

The trick here is to not show a hard line…I still want the belly of the bird to be light. Masking will create hard lines so I use my finger. If you hold your hand above the surface a little it will bleed under unlike a mask. If you don't want to get inky you can always wear a glove. It really does wash out pretty easy, just use a craft scrubby! 

Once all the coloring is done Ink the edges with Distress Ink on an Ink Blending Tool.

Add the wings and eyes to your "Bird Crazy" girl or boy with foam tape. Adds such great dimension! 

Here are a few finished cards! 

I like these Bird Crazy stamps so much that I've started to give the birds names. 

Harriet is on the left she is a little shy just like me! 

She likes to hang out with her friend Ethel. 

And this is Max! 

Max loves Harriet and has decided on Valentines day he's going to proclaim his love for the first time to her. 

#maxandharrietforever

Sam likes to fly the red, white and blue! 

I love this background stamp don't you?

Maxine is ready to go trick or treating. 

Ethel was a little cold so she put her hat on. 

Graduation day for ______! 

I need help naming this one, please leave me a comment with your suggestion. 

I'll be back soon with more of these cute Bird Crazy cards. 

Thanks for stopping in.

Richele

Get your Bird Crazy supplies from Simon Says Stamp! 

InLinkz.com

InLinkz.com

"Bird Crazy" just got better!

Hello friends…so glad you've stopped by today! 

I'm so excited about the NEW Thinlits die set for Tim Holtz "Bird Crazy" Stamp set! The die cuts out all the birds, wings, eyes and beaks. 

I LOVE these guys soo much I had to use them all for my project.

Stamp the birds on to Watercolor cardstock and die cut using the matching Thinlit die. I like to do all my die cutting before I color just incase I make a mistake when I line up the die. 

I found it INCREDIBLE that the dies fit so perfectly around all the bird images. Simple AMAZING two companies can work together with such detail. Mind boggling really! Kudos to Stampers Anonymous and Sizzix for making this happen. 

I used all the new Distress Marker colors Cracked Pistachio, Abandon Coral, Mermaid Lagoon, Fossilized Amber, Twisted Citron, Hickory Smoke and I need a brown so I used Gathered Twigs. I also used a Detail Waterbrush to blend out the colors then added a little more color with the Distress Spritzer. Love all the texture and depth it adds. 

At the bottom of the pile is the bird I have named Max. He's such a cutie don't you think!!

Which "Bird Crazy" friend is your favorite? 

Thanks for stopping in! 

Richele

If you're "Bird Crazy" like me 

you can find everything you need over at Simon Says Stamps! 

InLinkz.com

WildFlower Card - Simon Says Stamp

Hello friends! I'm so excited to share a fun technique over on the Simon Says Stamp blog today!

I hope you will join me there to see how I used Distress Micro Glaze to create this beautiful watercolor background. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Richele

Patriotic Mini Mason Jars

Hello friends! Can you believe it's the middle of June already and the Fourth of July is just a few weeks away? Get ready because it'll be here before we know it. 

Mason Jars seem to be so popular, I have been seeing lots of projects on Pinterest (I could spend hours) anyway….I think we're having a BBQ with all the fixings and I thought it would be fun to have a little decoration on the patio table and a tea light in them will be all the better! 

Paula Cheney's has some adorable Mini Mason Jars on her blog too, you can check them out here. 

Don't you just love the graphics on these jars. 

Gather up these supplies...

Mini Mason Jars, Distress Paint, Adornments - Souvenir, Chitchat - Seasonal, Paper String - Air Mail, Sanding Grip, Wire Pins, Brush, Masking Tape and Tea Lights. 

Clean the Mini Mason Jars with glass cleaner. This will help with getting the paint to adhere. 

Make sure the jar is completely dry then mask off the star with masking tape. 

Paint the jar with Distress Paint. 

Smooth out paint with a brush. Let the paint dry for several hours or overnight before handling. 

Lightly sand the raised areas with fine sand paper. If a little paint bleeds under the tape you can scrape it off with a Craft Knife.

Tie Air Mail Paper String around the top with a bow. 

Embellish the Mini Mason Jars with Seasonal Chitchat on a little handmade tag and attach with a Loop Pins. 

Add a tea light or flowers to the Mini Mason Jars and you're ready for a celebration! A perfect centerpiece for the Fourth of July. 

Thanks for stopping in!

Richele

Here's all the goodies I used….find them on Simon Says Stamp!

InLinkz.com