Happiness Blooms

Hi Creative Friends,

I am sharing a new card design where the focal point is a sweet little bird among sprigs of tiny leaves. Birds are one of my favorites, so having him as the feature of the card design is perfect.

Penny Black always does it right when it comes to birds and foliage. This one comes from the stamp and die set of Happiness Blooms by Penny Black.

I started by stamping the branch with Versafine Clair Fallen Leaves onto hot-pressed watercolor paper, making sure to stamp only the branch, not the bird. Then, I went back and stamped the head and back of the bird with Chipped Sapphire and the breasts and underside of the bird with Gathered Twigs.

Using a damp brush, I urged the color from the edges into the bird’s body. Then, added more color. I used Chipped Sapphire, Broken China, Vintage Photo, and a dash of Wild Honey. The eye and feet were stamped with Black Soot, or a black Tombow brush works great too.

The stems of the sprigs were stamped with the same Fallen Leaves ink, then the flowery-type leaves were colored with Wild Honey, Saltwater Taffy, and Vintage Photo. When dry, the pieces were cut out using the matching cutouts (dies).

For the background, I used a hot-pressed 5″x7″ (well, slightly smaller) watercolor paper panel. Then, very lightly blended on Chipped Sapphire, Wild Honey, Gathered Twigs, and Saltwater Taffy. The lovely sentiment that comes with the set was stamped with Fallen Leaves ink. Then, a true 5″x7″ panel of Celestial Blue cardstock was mounted to the back. The final step was to mount the bird and foliage using foam strips and squares.

So, there it is… a lovely, gentle card for those special people in your life! ♥

Goodies Used: