Throwback Thursday: Winter Songbirds Tea Party in a Box Tutorial

Hello, Friends!  For this week’s Throwback Thursday episode, I have a Winter Songbirds Tea Party in a Box Tutorial for you.  Oh, how I love winter blues!  Ciao Bella captured them perfectly in their Time for Home collection.  I had such a wonderful time designing this week’s Throwback Thursday that I might have to bring this collection back for an encore performance!

Blue Jays were a common sight at our winter feeder when I was growing up in Vermont.  Most other birds fled our harsh northern winters, but the blue jays and chickadees bravely soldiered through all the icy blasts of winter with us.  To see a jay at the feeder on a day when it was so cold that your breath froze in the air lifted the heart.  Brilliant flashes of blue feathers against the sparkling snow broke up the monotony of our monochromatic world.  It was as though the sky came to perch on your doorstep.  What a treat!  The images in this botanical collection carry my memories right back to the hill country where I grew up.

Throwback Thursday Techniques and Details

Silver, blue and white are the perfect color palette for the wintry world we created in this Winter Songbirds Tea Party in a Box.  Carry the theme throughout your creation with ribbon, embellishments, die cuts and matting layers to make a strong color statement.

Learn how I heat emboss my Reneabouquets Beautiful Board to create this perfectly frosty finish.

Don’t be afraid to layer chipboard elements over die cut elements.  This layering creates a wonderful sense of depth and dimension.

A Peek Inside

You’ll learn how to build this box pocket and flap page in the video tutorial.  I promise you, it’s much easier to do than you think it is!

The flap page has a secret gift card pocket hidden behind it.  I decided to build the flap page when I could not bring myself to cut up this gorgeous image.

Load the box pocket up with special treats for a winter birthday, or for a Christmas gift.  I’ve tucked in a bookmark, note card, cookies, chocolate, tea bag, honey stick, mini honey dipper and one of my treasured vintage silver plate spoons.

Use the empty box pocket to store winter recipes or photos once the treats have been consumed.  The card is so pretty, you’ll want to keep it out to decorate your home long after the treats are gone!

Winter Songbirds Tea Party in a Box Tutorial on YouTube

If you’re ready to learn how to make this lovely gift, please enjoy the video tutorial below.  Have a pencil and paper handy so you can write down the measurements!

 

I’ve listed this lovely creation in my Etsy shop in case you don’t have time right now to make one yourself.

You can find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

SUPPLY LIST

**Please Note: Throwback Thursday tutorials are made with favorite retired collections and supplies.  For this reason, not all materials used will still be readily available online.  I’ll link whenever possible, but if an item is not listed, it’s because I could not find it.  Thanks for understanding!

• Ciao Bella Time for Home Collection
  • 12×12 Paper Pad
  • 6×6 Papers
  • Creative Pad
• Reneabouquets
  • Blue Jay
  • Pine Boughs Small
  • Holly Trim
  • Snowflake Charm
• Spellbinders Label #47 Decorative Elements
• Little Birdie Celestina Shabby Chic Flowers
• Bluebird Satin Ribbon
• Silver Metallic String
• Itty Bitty Jingle Bells
• Silver Glitter Paper
• WOW Diamond White Embossing Powder (out of stock but try THIS instead)
• Ranger Super Fine Silver Embossing Powder
• Embossing Ink Pad
• 1/8″ foam strips