For the Birds Challenge

For the Birds Stamp-Off Challenge

Welcome to another Stamp-Off Challenge with Susan, Jackie, and me! This one is so fun. It’s all about birds.

Birds in the Catalogs

There are lots of birds in the Stampin’ Up! catalogs. In the Annual Catalog, there’s High Tide, Best Birds, Bella & Friends, Quirky Critters, Feathery Friends, You Move Me, Badges & Banners, Wherever You Go, Good Vibes, flamingos in Glamper Greetings, Pop of Paradise, a swan in Swan Lake, and (not sure if these count) a chicken in Wood Words and a flying pig in This Little Piggy. In the Occasions Catalog, we have A Good Day, Petal Palette, Sweetest Thoughts, Hedgehugs, Flying Home, and Bird Banter. Not in the catalog, but still available while supplies last is the Color Me Happy Stamp Set. (And I’m sure I’ve missed some; birds seem to be a big deal.)

Scary Childhood Incident Involving Birds

I’ll be honest – I have a lot of bird stamps (most of the ones I listed, plus some retired ones I just can’t bring myself to get rid of). I love bird stamps, but real birds creep me out. I think it’s because of a childhood event. My younger brother and I were picking cherries one year. We were on ladders in the trees and having a lovely time picking (and eating!) fresh, ripe cherries when all of a sudden, a blackbird flew at my head. Apparently he (or she) was also having a lovely time eating cherries and we startled him or her. I don’t care how old you are, when a blackbird suddenly flies at your head, it’s startling. (I have another story about blackbirds that involves my dad, but I’ll post that another time. Suffice it to say, whether they’re crows, starlings, grackles, or any other black bird, they all have the same name to my farmer dad.)

This bird, though, is super cute. (Maybe because it’s not flying at my head with murder in its eyes.)

I love this card for spring! The little bird house with the bluebird and flowers…I can almost feel the sunshine and warmth. (Not literally, of course, It’s freezing here. Ok, maybe not freezing. It’s in the low 50’s, but there’s also wind that cuts right through your bones. I’m seeing “snowbirding” in my near future.)

Quick Details

I used two bird sets – Flying Home for the image and Petal Palette for the sentiment. I stamped the birds in Basic Black Archival ink, then colored with Classic Stampin’ Pads and Blender Pens. I die-cut the image with the Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, and the Basic Black scalloped circle layer with the Layering Circles Framelits. The Designer Series Paper (DSP) is the Wood Textures DSP Stack. I added a layer of Crumb Cake Cardstock, embossed with the Pinewood Planks Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder and a bit of Copper Trim, then added it all to a Blushing Bride card base.

Today I get to see Susan in person for the first time in almost two years. I’m so thrilled and excited! One of these days, I’ll get to meet Jackie as well, but in the meantime, I’ll visit with her via email, blogs, Facebook and other forums. I love my cyber friends!

Take a few minutes to see what Jackie & Susan have done For the Birds!

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day.