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Matchbox Birdhouse tutorial

Thanks for all the nice comments on my Matchbox XL Die Birdhouse from the Tour de Freaks Blog Hop last week!  I’m so glad you liked it! 

Here is another one that I made a few months ago.  It does use To The Nines Specialty Designer Paper…heavier weight paper is PERFECT for using with the Matchbox XL die!  Can you see the little momma bird holding a worm for the little chick in the nest?  The inside bird and branch are images from Cheep Talk stamp set, the outside bird and leaves are the Birds & Blooms and Little Leaves Sizzlet dies.

I made up a little picture tutorial, so you can see how I just added one extra piece to the basic Matchbox XL die to form the roof of the birdhouse.  Here is the outside sleeve.  I just punched the shapes before I put it together.  This one I used two 1" circles.  The one above I used 1 1/4 circle and added a Scallop Circle Ring around it.

This is the template I used for the roof.  You can see I wrote the measurements on it.  (From top to bottom is 4", base is 1 7/8" wide, roof folds are 3/4" and point to point roof is 4")  Score on the dotted lines and cut the small slit on the left roof line.

Next you can see where I folded in on the score lines and overlapped the cut piece on top of the other roof line (the tab should go UNDER to be hidden and secured…I am just showing how to overlap the pieces here.)  Before you secure, you can add a knotted piece of ribbon loop.

This is the view from the front once the roof tab is adhered.

This shows how I adhered the roof to the back of the bottom box portion of the Matchbox XL die.

This next picture shows the finished back and how the Matchbox sleeve fits over the Matchbox bottom with the roof tucked inside.

I hope that gives you a visual of how the pieces of the Matchbox XL die with roof are attached!  Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Enjoy the new week!  It is back to school for a lot of kids.

Cheep Talk

I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  It was gorgeous here…we took several little tours in the convertible and the sun felt SO good!  We ended up buying a new car for me on Saturday…my lease is up on my Nissan Murano.  I ended up getting the same thing again with a few added options I wanted!  Yeah!  And in the color I wanted…Bronze.  It is SO pretty!  They have to bring it in from out of town, so I probably won’t get it until early next week.

So, this is another card I worked on when Mary, Lisa and I did some challenges…  We used a sketch (that I can’t find!).  But I wanted to use the lucious paper, Sweet Slumber, one of the Specialty designer papers that is cardstock weight…great for boxes and 3D items, but a very nice texture on cards, too!

I started with a base of Baja Breeze and added a layer of So Saffron.  Then I added a strip of the Stripe DSP across the bottom (my favorite pattern!) and hid the edge with the wide 1" Baja Breeze double stitch ribbon.  I added another strip of the Blue Check DSP going down the center…it was layered on Riding Hood Red for contrast.  I stamped the little bird from Cheep Talk stamp set with Riding Hood Red on Very Vanilla (with So Saffron and Chocolate Chip marker accents for the beak and legs) and the branch with Chocolate Chip.  This was punched with the Wide Oval punch.  I punched 1/2 inch circles from So Saffron and adhered them to the back of the Oval so they look like scallops.  Final touches were adding the Hello There greeting from Cheep Talk with my Riding Hood Red ink and two 1/4 circle punches in the upper left corner.

I like how it turned out!  I’ll have to use that sketch again. Don’t forget…Sweet Slumber could be one of your choices to order 3 Designer Packs of Paper and get one additional FREE!  Contact me today with your order!

I need to finish up my cards for my Technique Class tomorrow night.  I have two designed…one more to go, plus cut all the paper.  PLUS, be watching for my new May Card Kit…hope to get it finished today and posted tonight!

Take care!

Cheep Talk

My Customer Appreciate post will stay at the top for a while, so remember to scroll down for the current post.

For some reason, I’ve gotten out of my routine…get up…post to my Blog…get ready for the day.  Today is one of the few days that I have had recently that I didn’t NEED to get some stamped thing DONE.  It actually feels pretty good!  But, I know you are waiting for a new creation…so I won’t disappoint you.  Actually, I’ve had this card done and it has been sitting in my files to post.  It has been SO long, but I think it was a card I did when playing some challenges with Lisa and Mary!  I held it for a while thinking I might submit it to a magazine, but don’t think I will.

I started with a base card of Chocolate Chip and added a layer of Tangerine Tango that I ran thru the Big Shot with the Texturz Swirl from Backgrounds 1.  I stamped the flower on a stripe of Old Olive and adhered it to the Tangerine Tango.  Then I used my markers to ink up the branch in Chocolate Chip and Old Olive and stamped on Whisper White.  And the bird I inked with Tangerine Tango, Summer Sun and Chocolate Chip for the legs.  I added You’ve Got A Friend in Me in Tangerine Tango under the stem.  This was layered onto Chocolate Chip.  I guess I was thinking of the Baltimore Orioles when I made an orange bird…I remember I was fascinated with them when I was a kid!

Of course, I pulled out my Big Shot again with a scrap of Urban Garden Designer Paper and used the Scalop Circles #2 die to cut the 1/2 circle I placed behind the focal images.  I stamped the flower in Tangerine Tango and small leaves with Old Olive on Whisper White and cut them out.  Finally I added a Filigree mini brad to the center and adhered it onto the base card.  Whimsical and fun, I think!

Hope you have a great week.  I do need to stamp some 50th Anniversary favors and a gift certificate for the 50th Anniversary party dinner on Friday evening.  My son and his girlfriend are coming in Thursday night, so I have to be done with everything by then!

Set:  Cheep Talk
C/S:  Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Inks:  Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, various markers
Other:  Texturz Backgrounds 1, Scallop Circles #2 die, Filigree mini brad

Cheep Talk

I LOVE this set!  I think it makes the cutest cards!  So different from the flowers that I usually gravitate towards.  This card was a challenge card for one of my groups.  We were supposed to make a card to send with a bird on it!  I had a hard time chosing between this set and Good Friend…I LOVE them both!

I started with the Sale-A-Bration designer paper, Delicate Dots, to pick my colors.  (Get it FREE with a $50 order!)  I love the stripe in this paper!  I pulled out the So Saffron for the base of the card and layered Certainly Celery on top.  Then I used a piece of the stripe, matted with Bashful Blue.  I used the polka dot Bashful Blue and rounded the corners.  The focal point, I used my markers to ink up the stem and leaves with Chocolate Chip and Certainly Celery.  The little bird is inked with Bashful Blue, then I added Summer Sun on his beak and Chocolate Chip for his legs….sitting him on the branch.

The Scallop Circle punch fits perfectly underneath the curve of the branch.  I stamped Hello There and punched it towards the top of the 1-1/4 circle.  Then layered it on the Certainly Celery 1 3/8 circle punch, and the So Saffron Scallop Circle punch, that I pierced in each scallop.  Finally I stamped the flower and cut it out, placing it under the words.  I added a 1/4 circle punch from glittery Iridescent Ice Certainly Celery cardstock.  I think this card turned out SO cute!  I was sad to give it away!

I leave tomorrow afternoon for a LONG weekend stamping retreat!  I can’t wait!  I’m mostly packed, just need to load it in the car.  I feel like I brought my whole studio…actually, I probably did!  lol!

I’m going to try and get several things scheduled to post while I’m gone.  I’m going to try to do my Blogger’s Challenge card for Friday, if I can find something to stamp that isn’t packed!  lol!

Bloggers’ Challenge 83

Today’s Bloggers’ Challenge was to use the colors of Kiwi Kiss, Red, Black and White.  I went with Riding Hood Red, instead of the true Real Red.  I also added just a touch of brown for my branch…sorry for the little cheat!

Yes, I expedited my order so I could get my NEW stuff yesterday.  I sat last night and mounted almost everything…a record for me!  This set, Cheep Talk, is one of my favorites in the new catalog AND it has some coordinating designer paper (Good Morning Sunshine) that I didn’t use because the colors were different than I needed.

To start, I inked up the branch with Kiwi Kiss, then used my Blender Pen to remove the Kiwi Kiss from the stem (hint from Convention last year!)  Then I added the Close to Cocoa color with my marker.  The bird I colored with markers in Ruby Red, Summer Sun and Basic Black.  I matted the Whisper White with Riding Hood Red and Basic Black.  I used the polka dot print from Bella Rose Designer Paper and matted it with Basic Black.  I also added two Ruby brads in the upper right corner.  I stamped A Special Note of Thanks on the Riding Hood Red layer with Basic Black.  I used my piercing tool and mat to run a line of punches across the bottom left.

I love this!  I’m so happy it turned out exactly as I had planned in my head.  I can’t wait to use this set some more…too bad I have to finish prepping for my Love You Much class this weekend!  lol!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend…these weeks go by SO fast!

Stamps:  Stampin’ Up! Cheep Talk
C/S: Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Bella Rose DSP
Inks:  Basic Black, Kiwi Kiss
Markers:  Ruby Red, Summer Sun, Close to Cocoa, Basic Black
Other:  Blender Pen, Ruby mini brads, piercing tool and mat, dimensionals