Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Blue Jay on a Branch with Pine Cones

Blue Jay on a Branch with Pine Cones


This blue jay was so fun and easy to make!  Being able to use the cardinal dye to create a blue jay is such a bonus!  Pigment inks and embossing powder makes it easy to create the perfect shading and and adds depth. The pine cones are also very easy to make!  The die set from LeCrea 3-D dies, allows you to make a small pine cone (as shown) and a larger pine cone.  All of the dies for each layer of both sizes are included in the set.  Add snow to the pine sprigs and pine cones and you will be well on your way to a winter/Christmas version of this lovely card.

Blue Jay on a Branch with Pine Cones

Materials:

Cardinal Die (Dee’s Distinctively)                          IME091
Branch                                                                             IME095
Ponderosa Sprig                                                           IME096
Pine Cone Dies (LeCrea 3-D dies)                          45-9876
Tattered Lace Victorian Corners                           D072
Picture Embossing Folder Snow Birds                PiF015
Stampendous liquid embossing ink
Clear Embossing powder
Sky Blue, light blue, grey, black, brown pigment inks
Green, White, Navy, Ivory, Black, Light and dark brown card Stock
Double sided tape
Foam tabs 1.5 mm and 0.5 mm
Foam embossing mat
Glue pen
Die Cutting Machine
Heat gun

Instructions:
  1. Cut a piece of navy blue card stock 10” x 7” and fold in half.
  2. Cut a piece of ivory card stock 4.5" x 6.5”.
  3. Emboss the right half of the card using the embossing folder but only run through your die cutting machine about ¾ or the way.  Remove the embossing folder and place on the last part of the card and run through your machine again. This will give the appearance of two tall pine trees in the background. 
  4. Attach the embossed layer to the card using double-sided tape.
  5. Use the ponderosa sprig die to cut all of the pine sprigs at once from dark green card stock.
  6. Die cut the branch from brown card stock.
  7. Die cut all of the layers for the small pine at once from light brown card stock and then emboss using your foam mat.  Repeat x1 for the second pine cone.
  8. Place the branch on the card as desired using a glue pen.
  9. Use brown/black inks to color the pine cone. I added some clear embossing powder to add some shine to the design.  Place the 3 layers on top of the largest layer using foam tabs.
  10. Lay out your ponderosa sprigs and pine cones in the desired positions then attach to the card using foam tabs.
  11. Die cut the blue jay and facemask out of white card stock and feet out of black card stock.  All of the pieces for the blue jay are included in the cardinal die
  12. Use some pigment ink on the body of the blue jay to create the appropriate coloring.  I used a photo from the web to give me some guidance about the coloring.  First I used a lighter blue then went over some of the areas in a darker blue.  I added stripes of black to the tail and the ends of the feathered wings.  Black ink was used for the beak and the edges of the white face mask.  I used grey along the bottom edge of the breast.  I used several layers of pigment ink to get it right.  With each layer I added some embossing powder to the pieces to set the ink and create a shine to the design. Use an alligator clip and small cotton piece to be more precise with your shading.
  13. Glue or use double sided-tape to attach the black facemask (I put black behind the eye) to the blue jay as shown.
  14. Attach the wings to the body using foam tabs.
  15. Attach the feet to the body of the blue jay using a glue pen.
  16. Attach the blue jay to the card using foam tabs.
  17. Die cut 4 corner pieces from navy card stock using the Tattered Lace Victorian corners. 
  18. Rub over the designs with the clear embossing ink and then add embossing powder and heat with the heat gun.  This will create shiny corners for your card if desired. 
  19. Attach to the card using a glue pen.