Birds of a Feather and Ribbon Go Together

Good Morning, Friends! Here we are in the middle of winter. It is dark. It is cold. The sun has not been shining. Sometimes, the bleak winter days can really get me down. Thankfully, I have my sweet winter birds at the feeder to keep my spirits up. I really enjoy watching the "bird circus" on these wintry days. I wanted to create some more winter bird cards, and got out my Beautiful Birds Creativity Kit from Polly's Paper, my all time favorite Etsy shop and got to work. In the course of an afternoon, I made these 5 all occasion cards and then loaded them up with gorgeous Really Reasonable Ribbon. I think you'll agree with me that birds of a feather and ribbon go together!

These precious birdies are cedar waxwings. I think they are so regal! I have paired them with lovely Lime Juice Swiss Dots Grosgrain ribbon and a bow made with Hemp Cord from the Bright Hemp Cord Assortment. I doubled up two strands of the cord, and then tied the bow with my Zutter Bow-it-All Tool, (All the papers you see here are part of the creativity kit, including the sentiments. The brads, doilies, feathers and buttons are from my stash.)

I don't know what kind of birds these are, but we'll just call them pretty birds. I think they are probably from the finch family. I paired them with one of my favorite new ribbons from RRR. This Blue, Gold and Ivory Gingham ties the most beautiful bows!  It's just a little bit rustic, but oh, so elegant with that gold thread running through it. I topped it with a Natural Burlap String Bow. I also added some gorgeous red cosmos daisies from the mixed colors assortment available at RRR.

I had fun with texture when making this sympathy card. After embossing/sanding/inking up papers from the kit, I layered them with Brown Shimmer Satin, Chloe Natural Crochet Lace, and more Natural Burlap String. I love the burlap string, and at just 10 cents a yard, I can have it in every color!

This card has loads of layers, distressing, stitching and ephemera from the creative kit. I picked up on the blues and greens in the focal image and papers by adding loads of ribbons in those colors. I began with a base of Old Willow Organza. I love using this in my botanical projects as it is soft and earthy with a slight shimmer. I topped the organza with a strip of Lime Juice Grosgrain and a shimmery bow tied with Topaz Satin Ribbon. A loopy bow made with iridescent white metallic string was added to the top, along with a button from my stash. The focal image was die cut, tapped with Versamark Ink, heat embossed with UTEE and then cracked to give it a real antique appearance.

I've saved my favorite card for last. I used an embossing folder on a white card base, then topped it with a layered banner and this sweet little bird on a branch. The Aqua Plaid Ribbon was a perfect color match, and brought out the blue of the sky. I doubled up a piece of Ivory Burlap String to finish off the bow. All my layers in these cards were attached with either Scor-Tape or foam tabs.

I hope these cards have brightened up the middle of your winter. Their cheery songs always lift my spirits and remind me that no matter how long or cold the winter, springtime will surely come. I think you'll agree with me, birds of a feather and ribbon go together. Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy