Holiday Birds: The Cardinal

Greetings! This week, the Stampendous Team will be showcasing the various Cling Stamp and Die sets that are currently offered for the holidays. I really like these sets because the stamps and dies are all in one well-priced package. Today, I am sharing a card that uses the cardinal from the Holiday Birds set.

I began making this card by stamping the cardinal with VersaFine Clair ink in Nocturne on Mixed Media Paper by Canson. Die cutting this image was much faster than fussy cutting it out, so I was happy to have the coordinating die.

My background was a lot of fun to create. On my Tim Holtz Glass Mat, I applied some Golden Glitz and Celestial Copper Delicata Ink to the white section, so that I could see it easily. I spritzed the ink with Ink Potion No. 9 to help thin it out without breaking down the color. Then I applied it to my watercolor paper with a fat brush, with the gold on the top half, and the copper on the bottom. The Ink Potion No. 9 gives you plenty of time to work with the color before it dries. The photo above is a little washed out. You can see the colors are much richer in my other pictures.

After I dried the background panel with my heat gun, I stamped one of the sprigs from the Christmas Greenery Perfectly Clear set all over with Bamboo Leaves Memento ink. Next, I added my sentiment (from the Holiday Wishes set) with Rich Cocoa Memento ink.

Next, I decided to add some Fitted Frames around my cardinal, so I used 2 from Set A. For the brown layer, I spritzed my glass mat with Sheer Shimmer Spritz in Gold and dunked the die cut into it. I didn’t want a sprayed look, or a drippy look, so this dipping technique gave me just what I wanted. The bottome die cut was done with a scrap of Doodlebug houndstooth print paper. I adhered everything to a brown card base and then added 3 sequins with On Point Glue.

This card is perfect for the holidays. It makes me think of snowy days, flannel shirts, hot cocoa, and wrapping gifts. And since it was actually pretty quick to make, it may be one that I duplicate. On Friday, I will be sharing another card using the Holiday Birds stamp and die set, so I hope you will visit me then. For now, please check out the Stampendous Blog to see which stamp and die sets the rest of the team is using. Thanks so much for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!