Hi, my name is Chirp, and today Pat is letting me tell you all about my house in the Autumn Woods.
But first I want you to know that I'm not sure what kind of bird I am because I don't see any birds here in Michigan that look exactly light me. I think I must be a mixture of a bunch of different kinds of birds, but I don't care because I like my colors, and they match my house.
I love my bright, cheery, Crushed Curry house with Cajun Craze trim and a Mossy Meadow Roof. It is made out of Birch Wood which is highlighted with White Craft ink. Isn't it pretty?
My house sits on a little hill right on the edge of a Splendid Autumn woods that is at the peak of the color season here in MIchigan.
Since it is Autumn, most of the flowers here in Michigan are looking a little peaked, but I managed to find a few to decorate my porch.
And if you look out my back window you will see this sign hanging in my back yard.
I really like this sign because it makes me sing every time I see it.
Oh, Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. If you want to learn about side-stepping around my house watch this video!
Thank you for visiting today and letting me tell you all about my house! I hope you will come back for a visit again!
Today my two cardinal friends, Carter and Callie, are busy decorating their house for Christmas.
They have added some colorful Christmas Lights from the Reindeer Fun Bundle and decorated their porch with greenery from Season of Gold and Green Designer Series Paper (DSP).
Carter and Callie said that they wanted a unique background for their house, so I obliged by giving them a Faux Leather background.
This is a fun and interesting technique that after a bit of research I learned can be made many different ways.
I mixed and matched various steps from several different videos I watched to create my own version of the technique. I think it made a warm and moody faux leather for Carter & Callie's house.
To see how I did it, you can watch the following Learning with Friends video.
Today's card has very little stamping. The only stamping on the card were the birdhouse and the two sentiments from Peaceful Season. Carter and Callie and their friend Dee, who is visiting inside of the "house", all came from the Nests of Winter DSP.
The materials to build their house and it's trim are from the Country Woods DSP.
Do you provide houses for the birds to live in? When I was young I remember my Dad built a house (It was more like a hotel) for Purple Martins. I think the real reason was more about trying to cut down on the number of Mosquitoes that bugged us in Northern Michigan than trying to provide a nice home for the Martins. But whichever was the "true" purpose, our hotel didn't really succeed at either. Birds loved to live in the pretty hotel my dad made, but some other type of bird always beat the Purple Martins to the house.
This week I am going to share cards made with the Country Birdhouse Bundle. I've had a lot of fun building these little houses this week.
The first house I have for you is for a cute little bluebird named Billie. She asked for a feminine little house that had a bit of an aged look to it. She wanted it to have lots of "character" and "charm". Well, character and charm are not my area of expertise, but I do watch HGTV, so have picked up a thing or two. It seems to me that a request for "character and charm" usually means the homeowner wants it to look a bit worn and loved. This isn't really my style. I like "clean" and contemporary", but Billie wanted "charming" so I aim to please. After all I'm not living in the house, she is.
I decided to make full use of the Country Woods Designer Series Paper (DSP) as it had several selections that look worn and loved. I used the Embossed Designer Series Paper Technique to add even more "wear & tear" to the DSP. If you aren't familiar with this oh-so-simple technique, you can watch a replay of my Learning with Friends video below.
Here is a little closer look at the embossed DSP.
The Country Woods DSP that was used for the Misty Moonlight background strip and the Birdhouse were embossed with the Timber 3D embossing folder. Although these DSP designs already have a printed woodgrain, embossing them with the Timber 3D embossing folder adds additional texture that makes them look and feel even more like wood. Billie the Bluebird was happy with the effect.
However, even if Billie were to insist, I do not recommend embossing small pieces of DSP (like the scalloped edge of the roof) with an embossing folder. They might survive the embossing process, but it breaks down the fibers in the paper, and if the pieces are small they can crack.
I kept the inside of the card very simple -- but not naked. I added a little strip of the same Country Woods Misty Moonlight DSP to add a little color.
Billie didn't really express her thoughts on her new home, but I hope she is happy with it. What do you think?
Use this link to download a copy of the tutorial for Billie's house. The tutorial also includes a link to the Embossing Designer Series Paper Learning with Friends Video. So, even if you can't find this post in the future, if you download the tutorial, you will be able to find the video.
A list of the products used on the card is shown below. Click on any link to learn more about a specific product or to purchase it.
