Birds of a Feather Birdhouse

Hi chippie fans!  Barbara here with another birdhouse project for you.  If you haven't guessed by now, I love birds, and this Birdhouse Mini Display Tray from Gina's Designs Lasercuts started my creative juices flowing.  

Trim chicken wire to fit over one of the birdhouse frames.  Paint chicken wire with Sterling paint, then dab Rusty paint randomly for a weathered look.   Adhere to one of the black painted birdhouse frames.

Measure and mark chickenwire for size

Paint the two frame (open) pieces with black chalk paint.

Select a print clock face, adhere to the remaining frame (open) and trim excess.  Insert a set of tiny clock hands with a tiny brad.  

Select a portion of the print paper, using the open frame piece as a template to see which portion of the paper you want to show through. 

Cut out the paper just inside the pencil marks and adhere to the base (solid piece) of the birdhouse.  Paint the back and sides with black chalk paint just to finish it off nicely.  Color background paper with Rusty Hinge, Stormy Sky, and Peeled Paint distress inks.  Set aside.

These are the three pieces you should have now, and will be adhered together in this order later.

Use a spatula to spread a thick coat of the white crackle paste over the frame with the clock face.  (TIP:  You might want to do this before adding the clock face and hands).

Dab Gathered Twigs and Vintage Photo distress stains over crackled frame to bring out the cracks and to give depth with the different brown colors.  Then dry brush some of the Turquoise paint over the crackles.

Here is a closeup of the color variations from this technique.

 Adhere first frame piece with the chickenwire attached to the solid print covered background piece.

Adhere second frame piece with the clock face over the piece with the chicken wire, sandwiching the chickenwire between the two frames.

Color both the lace border sticks and one corner from the Art Deco Border & Corners Set with Prima Color Bloom spray mists in Soft Teal, Gilded, Cobalt, and Emerald.  Rub Rose Quartz Treasure Gold over the top.  Deepen the color for a better color match by sponging on Peeled Paint distress ink.

Adhere these three pieces to the top of the birdhouse, as shown.

Paint Birds of a Feather with Rusty paint (words), and Turquoise paint on birds and feather.  Add Rose Quartz Treasure Gold, more Turquoise to each section.  Adhere to the bottom section of the birdhouse, as shown.

I thought something was missing, so I used this tiny butterfly from the butterflies and dragonflies shape set, covered with the Rose Quartz Treasure Gold on both sides.  On the front side, I added a bit of blue color with the Prima Cobalt mist, but I used a paintbrush to add it to the wings.  I gently lifted the wings and adhered to the clock, as shown.  

Gina's Designs Supplies Used:

Mini Display Tray - Birdhouse

Butterflies and Dragonflies

Border Sticks Lace

Chicken Wire Large

Birdwatching Shape Set

Art Deco Border & Corners

Other Supplies Used:

Tim Holtz 8x8 Paper Stash - Collage

Dina Wakley Sterling  and Turquoise acrylic paint

Black chalk paint (FolkArt)

Viva Decor Rusty paper paint

Tiny clock hands (Blank Slate-Hobby Lobby)

Prima White Crackle texture paste

Tim Holtz Idealogy:  Mini brads

Tim Holtz Gathered Twigs and Vintage Photo distress stain

Tim Holtz Wild Honey and Peeled Paint distress inks

Prima Color Bloom sprays: Cobalt, Soft Teal, Gilded, Emerald

Treasure Gold Rose Quartz metallic wax

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you are inspired by my project today and will take a moment to hop on over to Gina's Designs Lasercuts to see the wonderful selection of chipboard to help get your creative juices flowing.  And be sure to visit the blog for more fabulous projects from the design team.  

Barbara

House Shrine Box by Barbara Rankin

Hi everyone!  I am so happy to be here today, as this is my first post with Gina's Designs.  I was thrilled when I was asked to be their guest designer for June, and I hope I can inspire you with my creations.  I have to admit though, that with great products, such as these, it is quite easy to make even me "look good".  

I love birds and wings and feathers, so my first project is an altered bird house, using Gina's House Shrine Box.  

Assemble box with Beacon's Quick Grip glue.  Coat entire box with white gesso and let dry.  Then color inside of box with Spanish Moss, and the outside with Cascade chalk paint.

Trim a piece of print paper from the Tim Holtz Wallflower paper pad to fit inside the house, distress edges, ink with Chestnut Roan chalk ink.  Adhere inside box.

 Cut an irregular piece of the Chicken Wire Large, color with Krylon Silver Leafing Pen.  Adhere at the top of the box opening with the Quick Grip glue.

Measure and cut Boarders Sticks Lace to fit along roof eaves.  Coat both sides with white gesso, then paint with ColourArte Indian Copper Radiant Gel.  Cut a 2" x  8" piece of silver duct tape, emboss with a decorative embossing folder.  Trim length of duct tape to 1-3/4" to fit the roof.  Paint the silver side with Indian Copper.  Pick up a tiny amount of the Cascade chalk paint with your finger and dab randomly over the lace border, as well as the duct tape, to simulate patina on copper.  Peel off adhesive liner on the duct tape and adhere to the top of the roof first, then adhere the lace border along the eaves.  Use the two extra lace pieces to form a decorative element at the center where the two border strips join. 

 

Coat one of the birds from the Birds on Branches Assortment with white gesso, let dry.  Color with Silks Acrylic Glaze in Nutmeg, Pretty Peridot, Silver Bells, Mango Mamba, Ocean Wave. 

Cut a few branches off of one of the Leafy Branches with Birds and coat with white gesso.  Paint the leaves with Pretty Peridot and the branches with Nutmeg Silks.  Adhere both pieces to the side of the house and part of the chicken wire for support.

I first sketched in some details on my bare bird with a pencil, then painted it with the Silks Acrylic Glaze in Pretty Peridot, Silver Bells, Mango Mamba, Ocean Wave.  I drew the eye with a black marker and the white spot from a white gel pen.  For added depth, I used a charcoal pencil to shade in the same areas as my sketch.

 Make three eggs from Creative Paperclay and a tiny bird's nest from green excelsior.  Paint the eggs blue and add tiny dots of brown to each egg.  Place inside the nest and then place the nest inside the house. I attached a 1/4" dowel, approximately 1-1/2" long, to the back of my bird so I could attach him to the back of the house, but make him appear to be sitting on the nest.

Coat the Hypericum Berries with white gesso, then paint with Olive Vine and Rusty Mauve Silks, let dry.  Add dots of 3D Crystal Lacquer to each berry.  Adhere to front of house.  Here a a few closeups.

 

Gina's Designs supplies used:

House Shrine Box

Leafy Branches with Birds

Hypericum Berries

Birds on Branches Assortment

Birds Shape Set

Feathers Shape Set

Border Sticks Lace

Chicken Wire Large

Other supplies used:

White gesso (Liquitex)

2" wide silver duct tape 

Beacon Quick Grip glue

FolkArt Home Decor Chalk Paint (Cascade, Spanish Moss)

ColourArte Radiant Gel (Indian Copper)

ColourArte Silks:  (Nutmeg, Pretty Peridot, Silver Bells, Mango Mamba, Ocean Wave, Olive Vine, Rusty Mauve)

Decorative embossing folder

Chestnut Roan chalk ink

Tim Holtz Wallflower paper pad

Krylon Silver Leaving Pen

Green Excelsior

Light Green Moss

Petaloo tiny blue flowers

Black Pen

White gel pen

Charcoal pencil (for shading)

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I hope I have inspired you to try making some of your own art projects with Gina's Designs.

Until next week, when I have another project for you, I hope you will have a very creative week.

Barbara Rankin