Hello Bluebird | Bluebird on my Shoulder

Hello dear friends,

Welcome to a cold and windy visit on my front porch!  A friend said the weather in Charleston is like picking power ball numbers - 56, 31, 27, 65, 19, 70!   Maybe I should purchase a ticket (she laughs).   How about you, how's your weather?   Our poor little cyclamen plants had to be brought in from the screened porch to weather out the next few days of cold.   But no matter the weather, rain or shine, I've got a bluebird on my shoulder!   And that my dear friends is the title of my newest card.

I'm sharing a mid-January card using several Hello Bluebird Stamp sets and transitioning these older sets to create new scene for Valentine's Day.  So let's get our beverage and start talking crafty talk shall we?

How did I create this card:

• Cut a 4.25 x 5.5 card base (top fold) from Neenah Solar White Classic Crest card stock 110 lb
• Cut a panel 3.75 x 5.25 from Neenah Solar White Classic Crest card stock 80 lb 
• Ink blend the 3.75 x 5.25 panel with Ranger Distress Oxide Spun Sugar and Wilted Violet and spritz with water.  Stamp your sentiment and set aside to dry.   I used Brutus Monroe Detail Ink (Raven) as my ink choice.
• Stamp your images and color with your choice of medium, then die-cut with the available coordinating dies.  I used the following stamp sets:
• Rainy Day
• North Star
• Springtime
• Rainbow Script
• I colored my images with Copics so I chose to use Memento (Tuxedo Black) as my stamping ink.
• With my panel now dry, I arranged my colored images.  I used the stamped sentiment to ground my larger elements.  The little girl is popped up with 3M tape as are the clouds and sunshine  The puppy and duck are adhered with Nuvo by Tonic Deluxe Adhesive 
• Instead of raindrops I've added rays of sunshine hearts in yellow "sunshine" by PaperSource
• Little details are subtle:
• The bluebird on the shoulder 
• Tiny heart on the puppy's collar
• Valentine heart in the little girl's hand.

Don't forget those little details for in my humble opinion they take a design to the next level.   A simple card such as this now keeps the viewers eye longer and brings a sigh of delight (I hope) *laughing*   Background colors also play a big part too.  I tried several different colors and mediums before settling on the purple/pink combo (remember your color wheel).

It's my hope to have a dialogue with crafters here on my front porch; so thank you as always for visiting and leaving such lovely comments.  I hope you've enjoyed this sunny little valentine.

The sun will be out tomorrow, but in the meantime let's create something that makes that little bluebird on our shoulder sing!  Until next time.

Very sincerely,

Susie ~

Hello Bluebird | Happy New Year

Hello friends and Happy New Year!    Are you ready to ring in a new decade?    Are you reflecting back on the past 10 years?  Or is it enough to wonder where the past year went?!? (she smiles).   This year is going to be a big page turner for me.    I'm as busy now as I was when I worked in the marketplace.   In the past ten years I became a grandmother for the first time, celebrated 50 years of marriage, and made two huge moves! 

Today, I am delighted to share one last card for 2019 with you from Hello Bluebird Stamps.   I wanted this to be subtle, artful, finely woven in black, white, and sliver.   Free from color, but vested in a clean design.   Designing this way isn't always easy - what is the take-away?   For me, it causes me to slow down and think.  It provides a clean canvas for creativity, and a dreaming place for new ideas.

For this card I used both new and old stamp sets.   Happy New Year from the 2018 North Star set, and the die cut tress from the 2018 Frosty Littles, and the 2019 Snowball Fight.   Instead of stamping, I chose a black/white print for the trees.   The greeting is embossed with fine sliver embossing powder on vellum and laid over a panel of soft stone card stock.   This panel is now adhered to a 3.75 x 5 piece of 110 lb weight Neenah Solar White card stock.   The little trees are applied with Tonic liquid adhesive as are the numbers die-cut from silver card stock using the Charlie Numbers die set.

The panel is complete and ready to be placed on top of the final 4.25x5.5 patterned card base with 3M adhesive tape.  While void of color, the patterns, and dimension provide interest.   A few black gems finish the card. 

I thought it might be nice to see what you liked this past year on my IG gallery so I've included my Top Nine cards for one last look.   All but one (the first card) are created with Hello Bluebird Stamps and dies and use different mediums.   From Copic markers, watercolor, and pencil to layered, scene building, and clean and simple you've encouraged me all the way!   Thank you!

My Top Nine Cards for 2019

White Washed Putz Houses with Glitter Roofs

But cards are not all I enjoy creating.  This Christmas I created some some white washed Putz Houses to decorate the inside of my china cabinet.   Back with twinkle lights they add warmth and elegance.

Snowmen and Santa's each with a story take their place in my 3-tired stand.   A vintage snow sled from years gone by and snowman stand at the ready for the fun to be had.

Christmas in Charleston 2019

And from my front porch to yours, thank you.   Thank you for your visits, comments, encouragement, and the inspiration you bring to me.   May 2020 bring you hope, peace, and blessings for your good and God's glory.

Until next time

Sincerely yours,

Susie ~ 

Hello Bluebird | Thinking of You with Love...

"I wrote in a song that in the long, long trip of growing, there are stops along the way...

~ Mister Rogers

Hello Bluebird Friends!

Christmas is only eight days away - to a child it must seem like a long, long trip of "are we there yet?"   Today I'm taking a look back through my own childhood stops along the way.

I love red, I do!   And I love Christmas with all that it brings.  But I am especially fond of Valentine's Day.  Valentine baskets, mailboxes, cards to create and color, cookies to bake and decorate -- February colored in pink and red; adorned in chocolate and lace!   Oh I'm in love with love itself!

And, with each and every Valentine card I create I wander down memory lane to second grade.  I drop a card into each doily trimmed basket and look forward to the party about to take place.  Sweets shaped like hearts and little candies that say, "Will you be my Valentine!"  YES!

So today I've created a Valentine's Day card for YOU using the stamps sets and the available companion dies:

• Merry Mice
• Storybook Friends
• North Star
• Banner Blessings

I've also used the Stand Alone Die set, Gallery Frame #1 cut from red card stock.

How did I create this card?

I cut an A2 card base (top fold) in 110 lb Neenah Solar White card stock and set it aside.  Then I began stamping the images from the stamp sets listed above in Memento Ink (Tuxedo Black) and set them aside.  I also cut 2 white card stock panels (3.75 x 5.0 inches).   I die cut a heart from one, and ink blended the other with Distress Ink, Spun Sugar and a little Victorian Velvet.  Then I married the two with some adhesive, let it dry, and stamped my sentiment from the Banner Blessings set in VersaFine Ink (Black).  Sometimes I will do a "ghost" mock up that helps me with placement.  I die-cut the companion dies without stamping on them and move them around until I like the placement.

Satisfied with placement, I continue on.   I played with the idea of leaving the heart die-cut panel white, but decide to see what a contrasting color pattern might look like.  Hmm, I like that!

Now the fun begins - coloring!   All stamp images are colored with Copic markers.

• Mouse = C00, C1;
• Mailbox and Scarf = R22,24, and 27; E31, 32, 34
• Bluebird = B00, B01; R00, R01
• Flowers = B00, 01, 34, 64; R22, 24, 27; Y08
• Leaves: BG 70, 72, G03
• White Gel Pen

With all the images colored, I adhered them in place.  The only images raised with 3M adhesive tape are the mouse and bluebird.   I cut a slit in the mailbox opening and tucked one of the envelopes inside and that gives it a little height - enough that I can tuck an extra letter underneath.   The third letter is held by the little mouse.  I like to keep little negatives from dies, i.e., dots, hearts, etc.   They come in so handy for additional ephemera to put on your card.   For this card, thoughts of love using negative dots and hearts drift upward as the little bluebird gazes at the sentiment - Thinking of You with Love!

I hope you've enjoyed my card today.   Wishes for the Merriest of Christmases and a Happy New Year!  Be sure to visit the Hello Bluebird IG and Facebook galleries for new cards and inspiration from the design team.   Until next time ~

Sincerely yours,
Susie ~

Hello Bluebird | Good Tidings of Great Joy

"And the angel said unto them,

Fear not: for, behold, I bring you great tidings of great joy,

Which shall be to all people."

Luke 2:10 KJV

Hello friends,

November is a list makers extravaganza!   There are shopping lists for Thanksgiving dinner, decorations, gift giving ideas for Christmas, and all the things in between.  November found me in my craft room creating Christmas cards, and participating in Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags event.   And of course, preparing for our Thanksgiving dinner which is an event unto itself!

With company gone and the house quiet once more, I took a cup of tea up to my craft room and spent some time creating a card to share good tidings of great news!   A Savior is born - to all people!   Lord of Lord, and Kings of Kings.  Even the lowly animals of the forest know His name.

I love the pure innocence on the faces of our little friends as they hear the Savior's name whispered on the winds of joy through the winter night.   Can you imagine their excitement as they traveled to the edge of the forest to see the star that would light the way to the manger where the young babe laid?

The beautiful scripture from Luke 2:10 found in the Hello Bluebird set, Away in a Manger, set the stage for my creation.  I wanted to let the animals from the Hello Bluebird stamp sets, North Star,  Away in a Manger, Moose and Friends, and Snow Play tell the visual story on this card and opted not to use the traditional manger scene.

I used the newly release Winter Woods Overlay die and cut it from cold press watercolor paper.  I saved the negatives and put them aside.   I watercolored the trees with Schmincke Horadam pan watercolors using a wet-on-dry technique.  This means I used wet paint on dry paper.  The technique effect will leave "edges" which, when dry, achieves an interesting look especially when painting trees.

I adhered the overlay to my card base and then placed the negatives back in place.  I placed the animals in their order and then laid the sentiment down -- once I had the sentiment where I wanted it, I picked up the animals and put them aside.  Then I stamped the sentiment with VersaFine Instant Dry Pigment Ink, Onyx Black.

Watercoloring over this ink once it's dry is like a resist - I wouldn't use anything else.  But... be patient and let it dry thoroughly.  If you are in a hurry, use your heat gun.  Once the sentiment was dry I began watercoloring the night sky, which is the negatives from the Winter Woods Overlay.   Then with everything dry, I placed the animals using Nuvo Tonic Deluxe adhesive onto the card.  I did use some 3M adhesive tape on the fox and cardinal for a little dimension.

I should have splattered before I stamped the sentiment and placed the animals, but not to worry -- I carefully covered them with scratch paper and splattered away using, Finetec: Coliro: Mica Watercolor paint in gold, white gouache, and some brown Schmincke watercolor paint.   A few little negative stars from the Snowy Sky Scene die in white finished the card.   Simply stated and created, this quiet card shouts with joy --  A Savior is Born! 

As we enter this first week of Advent, I hope you'll find time to read the passage in Luke, and give thanks for the good tidings brought to all peoples that quiet night in Bethlehem.

Sincerely,

Susie ~