Tag Archives: birds

Graphic 45 Botanical Tea Songbird Card Folio

Graphic 45 Botanical Tea Songbird Card Folio

Hello, Friends!  It’s time for a brand new challenge over on the Frilly and Funkie Blog.  The theme this go round is “B” Happy, and Cec is our hostess.  I’ve created a Graphic 45 Botanical Tea Card Folio that’s got some fun new twists in the design.  We’ll take a look at that in a moment, but first, let’s see what Cec has to say about this challenge.

Challenge Theme: “B” Happy
Create a shabby chic or vintage project that makes you happy and features birds, bees and/or butterflies. You must use at least one of these things with wings and it must have a place of prominence on your creation but if you wish to use two or more, please feel free to do that.

Botanical Tea Songbird Card Folio

Graphic 45 Botanical Tea Songbird Folio by Kathy Clement for the Funkie Junkie Boutique Photo 01

I know I shared a Botanical Tea tag project a couple weeks ago.  So I hope you are not tired of this collection.  It is one of my top 5 favorite G45 collections of all time.  I honestly set out to make a regular card…nothing fancy.  But as I was working, this idea began to take shape in my head (never listen to the voices….they will get you in trouble every time!).  Before I knew it, I was in the middle of making another card folio.  Now that it’s finished…I’m glad I made it.  But in the middle of the process???  Not so much!

Botanical Tea Songbird Card Folio: The base layer

Graphic 45 Botanical Tea Songbird Folio by Kathy Clement for the Funkie Junkie Boutique Photo 02This is a 5.25″ x 7″ top fold folio with a 3/8″ spine.  The background layer is  a beautiful duotone botanical print with birds, butterflies, dragonflies and clocks.  I love it when I machine stitch around a card, because it makes the piece feel framed.

The lacy corner effect comes from die cutting with Tim Holtz’ Mixed Media Die #2.  I cut through both the designer paper and the cardstock matting to reveal the white card base.  That was spritzed with Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Mist.  I really love this combination of stitched edges and die cut corner.

Botanical Tea Songbird Card Folio: The Focal Image

Graphic 45 Botanical Tea Songbird Folio by Kathy Clement for the Funkie Junkie Boutique Photo 03

In keeping with the challenge guidelines, I chose this sweet pink songbird to serve as the focal image.  First, I die cut the image from one sheet of Botanical Tea using a large Spellbinder’s circle die.  Then, I die cut the doily frame using Graphic 45’s Square Tag and Clock Dies.  I adhered the frame over the die cut.  Next, the second image of the pink bird was fussy cut and layered over the original with foam tabs.  I love the dimension this created.  Foliage from Little Birdie Crafts (what else on a bird card?) adds lots of lovely green leaves to the fussy cut branch.  And Gilt Trip Prills add loads of beautiful texture.

If you look above the focal image, you’ll see a metal butterfly that I altered with Distress Paints.

Botanical Tea Songbird Card Folio: The Flowers

Graphic 45 Botanical Tea Songbird Folio by Kathy Clement for the Funkie Junkie Boutique Photo 04

The flower cluster features altered metal flowers and Little Birdie Grey Printed Linz Petals.  Linda has added these fabulous metal flowers to the shop and I received some in my design team allotment package.  Before altering the silvertone flowers with paint, I used my Tonic Scissors to cut between the petals of one flower.  Then I lifted every other petal to create a sort of cup shape.  Then I painted the flowers with a combination of Antique Linen, Broken China and Tumbled Glass Distress Paint.  The two layers are adhered together with Glossy Accents.

Next, I reshaped one of the Little Birdie Flowers by sort of cupping it between my fingers. ( You can see me use this technique in my Little Birdie Video tutorials. )  Then, I adhered it in the center of the metal flower.  All the flowers are dry brushed with Antique Linen and Broken China Distress Paint and sprinkled with Prills.

The large pink rose is just fussy cut from the paper, popped up on foam tabs and shaped a bit with my fingers.

Botanical Tea Songbird Card Folio: A Peek Inside

Graphic 45 Botanical Tea Songbird Folio by Kathy Clement for the Funkie Junkie Boutique Photo 05

Inside, I’ve created a hinged waterfall feature and a fun tag pocket.

Graphic 45 Botanical Tea Songbird Folio by Kathy Clement for the Funkie Junkie Boutique Photo 06

The waterfall feature took a little figuring out, but basically, I scored a flap, then scored a second line 1/4″ to the right.  This created a little spine.  If you want to give this a try, don’t adhere your liner paper until after you’ve built the waterfall.  That way, you can run your ribbon closure behind the page, wrap it around and tie it shut.

Graphic 45 Botanical Tea Songbird Folio by Kathy Clement for the Funkie Junkie Boutique Photo 07

I’ve added some little flaps, tuck spots and journal spots inside the waterfall.  The tea cups are die cut with Tim’s Tea Time Sizzix die.  Aren’t they fun?  I wish I had a pink polka dot tea cup.  The reason I included the tea cups is that I am a real tea lover.  And since the challenge said to create a project that makes me happy…well…there had to be tea.

Botanical Tea Songbird Card Folio: The tags!

Graphic 45 Botanical Tea Songbird Folio by Kathy Clement for the Funkie Junkie Boutique Photo 09

Tags make me happy, too.  So I covered a Graphic 45 Ivory Square Tag with designer paper.  Now that I can cover these tags so easily with the G45 tag dies, I want to make tags even more often! This tag has a little pocket adorned with a fussy cut image from the collection.  Because pockets also make me happy.  Would you like to see what’s in the pocket?

Graphic 45 Botanical Tea Songbird Folio by Kathy Clement for the Funkie Junkie Boutique Photo 10

A sweet little trio of ATC tags.  How fun is that?  Oh, and there’s a honey stick in the box style pocket, too.  (I have video tutorials for how to make a box pocket, too.)

“B” Happy Challenge: Now it’s YOUR turn!

I hope you’ll play along in this fun challenge by linking up your vintage or shabby chic Bird, Bee or Butterfly inspired project at the Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog.

The winner will earn the chance to be a Guest Designer here at Frilly and Funkie, and everyone who enters and follows the rules will go into the draw for the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique. We are also awarding Top 3 Badges for three further outstanding entries, chosen by the Design Team, because we can’t pick just one favorite!

You have until 11:59PM EDT on Tuesday, July 17th to link your project.

I can’t wait to see what you make!

I hope I’ve shared some tips, techniques and ideas that you can use in your own craft adventures.  If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

Product Links

 


Purple Songbird All Occasion Greeting Card

Purple Songbird All Occasion Greeting Card with Gift Card Wallet and Button Card

Hello, Ribbon Lovers!  Are you up for one more project made with the Perfectly Purple Ribbon Club Mix from Really Reasonable Ribbon?  I have had such fun with these pretty purple ribbons. Today I have a Purple Songbird All Occasion Greeting Card to share with you.  It’s beautifully vintage and loaded with goodies on the inside.

Purple Songbird All Occasion Greeting Card by Kathy Clement for Really Reasonable Ribbon Photo 1

The inspiration for this 5″ x 7″ top fold card came from this gorgeous songbird image.  I found the French Post Card Bird Digital Images and they just flew into my shopping cart.  This lovely wee songbird is perching in a Country Chic Digital Frame.

I’ve had loads of fun finding purple papers in my stash to go along with these pretty purple ribbons.  This card features papers from Graphic 45’s Place in Time and Secret Garden Collections.

Here’s how I made this pretty bow cluster:

  1. First,tie a 3.5″ double loop bow from  Hyacinth Taffeta Ribbon on your Zutter Bow it All Tool.
  2. Next, tie a 2.5″ double loop bow from Crosshatch on Delphinium Satin Ribbon. Hot glue this on top of the taffeta ribbon, and adjust the tails.  Hold in place until the glue sets.
  3. Finally, thread a mother of pearl button with a thin strip of lavender cardstock and glue it on top.

Decorate the tops of each tag with a snippet of the crosshatch ribbon and a pretty flat back pearl cabochon.

How to Turn a Purple Songbird Card into a Gift

Turn this Purple Songbird card into a gift by adding a pair of pockets to the inside.

The top pocket contains this pretty gift card wallet.

A small tag makes a great tuck spot, and the pocket can hold a gift card, or a tea bag.  Making the gift card wallet is quick and easy:

  1. First, cut an 8×5″ long x 5″ tall strip of lavender cardstock.
  2. Score on the long side at 3.5″ and again at 7″.
  3. Fold to form a little wallet.
  4. Place 1/4″ Scor-Tape around the front, spine and back covers.  Then secure Crosshatch Delphinium Satin to form the ribbon closure.
  5. Add a rhinestone cabochon on the front of the gift wallet.
  6. Decorate the front and interior.
  7. Use a circle punch to create a thumb hole.
  8. Glue just the top and bottom edge of the short flap to form a pocket.
  9. Cut a tag from the May pages of Place in Time.  Glue just the bottom edge to create a tuck spot.

And what paper pretties do we find in the bottom pocket?

A sweet little handmade button card and a pretty postcard.

I love anything with vintage style bird images, so this Purple Songbird All Occasion Greeting card is precisely my cup of tea.  (Pardon the pun!)

I hope you’ve found some tips and tricks that you can use in your own crafty adventures.  If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

 

Love Warms Every Nest Springtime Vignette

Love Warms Every Nest Springtime Vignette for Petaloo International

Hello, Friends!  Don’t you just love springtime?  One of my favorite things about this lovely season is the return of all the little songbirds.  Birds will build a nest in the oddest spots. Last year, a pair of bluebirds built their nest in our neighbor’s mailbox, and all anxiously anticipated the arrival of those baby birds.  Thinking about this inspired me to make this Love Warms Every Nest Springtime Vignette for Petaloo International.

Love Warms Every Nest Springtime Vignette by Kathy Clement for Petaloo International Photo 1

Lovebirds Nesting in a Rusty Wagon

Love Warms Every Nest Springtime Vignette by Kathy Clement for Petaloo International Photo  2

I’ve been saving this little metal wagon for just the right project.  After treating it with Prima Rust Paste, it was filled with a bed of Spanish Moss.  Then I added this cute little bird nest.  Next I painted some miniature eggs with Distress Oxide Ink and added them to the nest.  Then I had the best time creating a garden full of pretty Petaloo flowers in shades of purple, green and white.

Love Warms Every Nest: Building the Base

Love Warms Every Nest Springtime Vignette by Kathy Clement for Petaloo International Photo 3

Earlier this year, I happened across a fabulous clearance sale at Michael’s where I found this chunky 4″ x 4″ canvas which was perfect for the base of my vignette.  I covered it with a green floral print from Graphic 45’s Place in Time Deluxe Collector’s Edition.  Then I wrapped it with these lovely bird feathers.  Next, the top was covered with more Spanish Moss and more pretty flowers and butterflies.

Love Warms Every Nest Springtime Vignette by Kathy Clement for Petaloo International Photo  4The chipboard tag is attached to a mini chalkboard that is in turn attached to a clothespin.  This way, I can just clip the tag onto the side of the wagon and it stands all on its own.  The tag is from Graphic 45’s A Place in Time Deluxe Collector’s Edition.

Love Warms Every Nest Springtime Vignette by Kathy Clement for Petaloo International Photo  5

Love Warms Every Nest Springtime Vignette by Kathy Clement for Petaloo International Photo 6

Making this sweet little vignette was almost as much fun as planting real flowers.  I hope it brought some sunshine into your life, too.

You can find a supply list at the end of this post.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

Supply List

 

All the News that’s Fit to Print

All the News that’s Fit to Print…a little update post

Hello, Friends! Can I hear a giant TGIF resounding out there?  What a wild and wacky couple of weeks I’ve been having.  I felt like I needed to touch base with all of you with a little update post.  So, without further ado, here’s all the news that’s fit to print.

Guest Designing at Petaloo International this week

I’ve had the incredible honor of serving as a guest designer with the fabulous folks at Petaloo International this week.  Earlier this week, I shared Birdie’s Sweet Springtime Retreat on their blog.  These springtime flowers are sooooooo dreamy!  I hope you’ll find a moment to pop over to the Petaloo International blog and say hello.  I have lots more pictures and information on this project posted HERE.

Birdie's Sweet Springtime Retreat

And as if being Guest Designer at Petaloo once was not enough to make my heart go pitty pat, they invited me back again today!  What a treat!  Today I’m sharing this “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” banner on their blog.  I’ll give you a sneaky peek here, and maybe you can pop over and see all the fun details on this project as well.  Click HERE to visit this post.

Childrens Hour Spring Banner 02small

Photos from my most recent project for BMW

As many of you know, along with my design team work, I also create for special events at BMW.  (Yes, the automaker.)  Their Odyssey events are held in spectacular locations all over the world and I have the incredible honor of designing custom souvenir menus for these incredible events.

In September of 2015, BMW Odyssey was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the birthplace of the tango.  After being given photos of the venue for the event, I went to work to create 116 menus to tie in with the venue and table decor.

BMW Argentina Finished Menu 01 BMW Argentina Finished Menu 02BMW Argentina Finished Menu 03BMW Argentina Finished Menu 04

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The event was held at El Zanjon in brick tunnels that were built in the 1500’s. The menus I created contained embossed “brick” papers, the history of the venue, the story of the tango and embossed metal to reflect the industrial feel of the tunnels.

This week, I received photos of my menus at the event, which is always a thrilling moment for me, and I thought I’d share them with you here.

BMW Odyssey 2015 Argentina 02 BMW Odyssey 2015 Argentina 01 BMW Odyssey 2015 Argentina 04

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although I’ve never attended one of these extravaganzas, I always feel like Cinderella at the ball when I get the event photos back.  It’s a magical moment when I see the menus that I lovingly created by hand on the tables in these magnificent venues.  I just shake my head in wonder every single time.  I thought you might like to see an example of the sorts of things I do outside my design team work.

Update on our MOVE: The 3rd time’s the charm????

And, the other big event that you all have been following here on the blog is our upcoming move.  During the summer of 2015, we made the difficult decision to downsize from our beloved family home into something smaller and more manageable.  My sweet husband, Dale, has recovered well from his open heart surgery, but just doesn’t have the energy necessary to maintain this big house and acre of land.  And, to tell you the truth, the house gets bigger every time I clean it, and the stairs get harder to climb at the end of each day.  We realized it was time to choose a simpler way of life.

We worked overtime to get the house spiffed up and ready to go on the market in September.  Little did we know the roller coaster ride we had just stepped into.  In 5 month’s time, we showed the house 55 times!  We went under contract for the first time in late November….and in January, that buyer backed out of the deal.  Within a week, we had competing offers for our home, and had another contract.  Hooray!

Everything was going great until 2 weeks ago when our 2nd buyers had to terminate the deal due to a health situation in their extended family.  You know those rides at the amusement park where you go up up up in a balloon and then they cut the power and you free fall to the ground and your stomach migrates to your mouth?  Yeah….that.

But…and this is amazing to me, even as I write it….our realtors pulled out all the stops and by the end of last week we were once again under contract with a sweet husband and wife who are expecting their first baby in June.  They fell in love with our house and can’t wait to move in.  So, barring anything unforeseen…we are back on schedule to move into a lovely ranch style home on April 5th.

I’ve been working ahead on projects and writing blog posts in advance as well.  I have one or two more things to wrap up here in the studio, and then I will pack up the Closet of Shame and the rest of my crafty stash.  You won’t even know I’m gone, though, as projects will continue to post while I’m busy setting up my new nest. Technology is our friend!

In case you’re interested, here are a few photos of our future home.  These are realty photos, so none of the decor is ours, but we can’t wait to move in and get settled! We move out of this home on April 3rd, so I’d better get busy packing!

New Home 02 New Home 01New Home 03 New Home 07 new home 06

So there you have it, my friends: all the news that’s fit to print!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I’ll be back in “real time” soon!

Cheerio,

kathy

Wander Mini Album for RRR Show Me the Pink Challenge

Wander Mini Album for Really Reasonable Ribbon “Show Me the Pink” Challenge

Hello, Ribbon Lovers!  It’s time for another fabby challenge at Really Reasonable Ribbon.  This time our theme is “Show Me the Pink,” so I created this Wander Mini Album in soft shades of pink and cream.  It’s even got a pink birdie on the cover!

Wander Mini Album for RRR Show me the Pink Challenge 01In the process of purging “stuff” from my closets this month, I ran across a whole stack of 4.25″ x 5.5″ white card bases.  I mean a STACK, people!  As I was flipping through them, a little lightbulb went off in my brain: “Wouldn’t these be perfect as a base for a mini album?”  And just like that, the idea for this Wander mini album was born.  The corrugated cardboard covers were cut from another pile of “stuff” I found while cleaning, and they add strength and stability to the project.  I really need to work up a tutorial for this one, as I think some of you would like to give it a go.  Let me know, and if enough people say “pretty please” I’ll put something together.

Wander Mini Album for RRR Show me the Pink Challenge 03I found these pretty Bo Bunny Garden journal papers while cleaning out the Closet of Shame and the color palette is perfect for this challenge.  I wanted my pretty pink bird to sit inside a sort of wreath, so I created one using an empty spool of 1/8″ redline tape.  The plastic base was wrapped with Grey Canvas Color Band ribbon and White LeavesBaby Pink Seam Binding was a perfect color match for the designer paper.  To give it more of a shabby chic feel, I spritzed it with water and crumpled it after tying it with my Zutter Bow-it-All.  The bow was topped with a soft pink Cottage Rose and some creamy white Gypsophila Blossoms.   These same Gypsophila Blossoms were clustered around the wreath with Pink Sweetheart Blossoms.  

Wander Mini Album for RRR Show me the Pink Challenge 02You all know how much I love my little birdies, so this album makes me happy, happy!  I tucked in a beautiful bronze leaf that I painted with Picket Fence Distress Paint.  Then a snippet of Molly White Crocheted Lace was secured below the title to add even more texture.

Would you like to peek at the inside?

Wander Mini Album for RRR Show me the Pink Challenge 04This little book got fat in a hurry, so I ‘m glad I thought to add the natural mesh ribbon as a closure.

Wander Mini Album for RRR Show me the Pink Challenge 05I added pocket pages, fold out pages and fold down pages to the book, making it very interactive and fun to stroll through.  I also dug into my scraps of crocheted lace trim, using it to add texture and pattern to the inside pages.

Wander Mini Album for RRR Show me the Pink Challenge 06It was fun to add these little cards to the pockets.

Wander Mini Album for RRR Show me the Pink Challenge 07And you know how much I love to slip tags in between pages.

Wander Mini Album for RRR Show me the Pink Challenge 08This trio of tags is topped with a combination of Natural Burlap String and Pearl Pink Shimmer Satin Ribbon.  Short ribbon scraps like this make great tag toppers!

Wander Mini Album for RRR Show me the Pink Challenge 09This page folds out to reveal two more decorated pages.  The center page has a double fold down pocket filled with more pretty cards.  The gypsophila and sweetheart blossoms are just the right size to tuck inside an album like this one.

Wander Mini Album for RRR Show me the Pink Challenge 11Here’s a peeky at the fold down pocket page.

Wander Mini Album for RRR Show me the Pink Challenge 12The final page has another pocket and more pretties to look at.

You could easily add photos to the backs of the tags and cards, or write little notes, encouraging quotes or memories on the backs, too.  I designed this Wander Mini Album as more of a “look book” than a true photo album.  I love the way it feels in my  hands, too.

Be sure to visit the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog because the design team is showing you all their fabby pink projects today.  And, you get to play along!  Just create your own pink project using ribbon or trim and link it up on the RRR Challenge Blog.  You can find all the information HERE.

I’m so glad you stopped by today, and I hope you enjoyed this little Wander Mini Album.  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy