As of late I am not a huge fan of off-the-page-projects. Don’t get me wrong I love making them – they have no rules and are uncomplicated to say the least. The problem I have is what to do with them afterwards – unless you have a specific place for them to permanently live or a shop to display them in to inspire others – then they just become dust collectors. So now I have the attitude that if I make something off-the-page I have to give it away to someone that will really appreciate it. And so came to be this little bird house. The base is something I have used before – a cardboard box that used to house Easter eggs – so very appropriate and fitting I think.

I started by covering the base with the Home to Nest range of papers by docrafts. WOW! Does the Ultimate die-cut pack have loads of goodies in to use – and the designs are just so fresh and beautiful! I used Artist Gel Medium to adhere and cover the paper on the base so that it would be protected against dust and general wear and tear (touchy feely people).

The roof is covered in a layer of real moss bought from an art store and then decorated with flowers from Prima and Petaloo. The blooms were picked for their beautiful shapes, designs and colours, and then I threw in the colour purple for that something a little different and interesting.

But what I loved most about making this project is that I got to work with the beautiful themed Celebr8 Chipboard elements. No matter what your theme or project you can find something that will work – and the bird themed chipboard worked so beautifully together with the Home to Nest paper range. I used a variety of chipboard accents and coloured them in different ways – I embossed some with ZING! Embossing powders, others were simple inked using Versafine ink pads and then for my all-time favourite, yes you guessed it – the layered chippies. For the word “faith” I used silver leafing on the bottom and inked the word on top and then added a layer of Anita’s 3D glaze.

Silver leafing sxs

• Apply a thin layer of size to the chipboard element using a paintbrush. Size is the special adhesive used when working with Gold/Silver leafing.
• Leave the size to dry until it becomes tacky. When you touch it lightly with your finger your finger should almost stick to it before pulling away. If the size is too wet the silver/gold leafing will simply wipe off and not stick to the chipboard.
• Apply the leafing and gently smooth it out using your fingers or a soft paintbrush. Remove any excess and brush down using a soft paint brush to remove any flakes.

And there you have a beautiful chipboard accent for your next project.

Products Used

• Celebr8 – Layered Chippies Equi – Faith, Hope, Joy [C8 MB4094]
• Celebr8 – Matt Board Midi – Clock 1 [C8 MB2035]
• Celebr8 – Matt Board Midi – Bird Cage [C8 MB2027]
• Celebr8 – Matt Board Equi – Love Birds [C8 MB4031]
• Celebr8 – Matt Board Midi – Love Bird [C8 MB2016]
• docrafts – Home To Nest – Memory Pockets (5 Pieces) [DPMA157196]
• docrafts – Home To Nest – Ultimate Die Cut & Paper Pack [DPMA169051]
• docrafts – Home To Nest – Mini Clear Stamp – Bird Houses [DPMA907109]
• docrafts – Artiste Dual Tip Brush Markers – Bright [DDOA851100]
• docrafts – Artiste Dual Tip Brush Markers – Vintage [DDOA851101]
• American Crafts ZING! Glitter Embosing Powder – Green [AC 27164]
• American Crafts ZING! Glitter Embosing Powder – Purple [AC 27163]
• Tsukineko – VersaMark Watermark Ink Pad [TVM-001]
• Tsukineko – VersaFine Vintage Sepia [TVF-54]
• Tsukineko – VersaFine Ink Pad – Onyx Black [TVF-82]
• Prima Flowers – Rosarian Collection – Perles [PM 562595]
• Petaloo – Velvet Butterflies Medium – Plum [C1295-126]
• Petaloo – Mini Delphiniums – Brites [C1300-700]
• Petaloo – Camelia – Cardinal Red [C1555-324]
• Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue [TB 62191]
• Therm-O-Web – Zots 3D 200 [TW 3786]
• docrafts – Anita’s 3D Clear Gloss Finish [D25401]

Post by The Wholesaler’s Designer Jowilna Nolte.

We are very proud to introduce you to our first designer, Jowilna Nolte. Jowilna is a true creative and she will be sharing some of her passion and creativity with you.

Read more about Jowilna here.