Frizzle Emu Bird in Paradise Behind Chicken Wire Card and Hungry Mouths to Feed

I really enjoy watching all the different varieties of birds that come and go from my backyard.  Many visit my bird feeders and bird baths while others spend time in the gardens around the flowers and our ornamental pond.  They have a freedom that is beautiful to watch and are probably the envy of those birds peering out from their cages and enclosures.  With that in mind I decided that I would share a card with my take on what must be going through the minds of those birds in captivity that are watching the other birds outside.

For this card I created a digital character that I named Frizzle.  Poor Frizzle the Emu is looking through the chicken wire of his enclosure out at the world beyond.  Looking at him you just know he would prefer to be out and about as opposed to stuck in confinement.  You can just read the thought running through his mind "Just another damn day in paradise".  As it happens my card qualifies for the My Time to Craft Challenge for this week.  The challenge is titled "Bird Watcher" and asks that you have a bird reference in your project.

Before getting into the nitty-gritty of my card, let me show you a few interesting pictures.

 

How about this!  A robin has built her nest on the charred remains of a structure fire.  It always surprises me where these birds build their nests.

 

Here's a closer look at the nest.  Can you see the fuzz top on the right of the nest?

Here's a better picture of the little guy sticking his head out a little higher.

Different view of the little guy waiting patiently for his lunch.

Surprise!  There are three little ones in the nest and all are hungry.

Boy, are they hungry.  Cute little guys aren't they.

Now on to the envious Frizzle.


The Making of My "Frizzle the Emu Bird in Paradise" Card


Card Statistics

•  Final Size: 5.5" wide x 4.25" tall
• Tools: Martha Stewart branch punch, Martha Stewart cornflower punch, Marvy Uchida 0.5" circle punch, Cornish Heritage Farms chicken wire stamp, Polished Moxie Concepts and Designs Frizzle digital stamp, Martha Stewart scoring board, Making Memories paper cutter, Darice heat gun, scissors, ruler, blending stumps, sponge pieces
• Materials: cardstock, cover stock, Colorbox ink, Prismacolor pencils, embossing ink, silver embossing powder, adhesive, watercolor paper, bristol smooth paper, spray sealer, gamsol, watercolors
• You can purchase this card in my Polished Moxie Etsy Shop: Frizzle the Emu Bird in Paradise 

Card Front

To begin this card I selected a purple cardstock for my card base and then created a watercolor background panel to compliment the base color.  For this panel I dampened some watercolor paper and then used my brayer to roll color over it.  Once the watercolor masterpiece dried (ha, ha) I cut it to size and matted it on navy blue cardstock.  Before adhering the background panel to the card front I printed the sentiment "Just Another Damn Day in Paradise" in the lower right corner.

For my image I printed Frizzle on bristol smooth paper and colored him using gamsol and Prismacolor pencils.  I sponged ink around Frizzle to create his background.  Once the image panel was dry I stamped on the chicken wire with embossing ink and then heat embossed it with silver embossing powder.  I matted the completed image with navy blue cardstock and affixed it slightly off the surface of the card face to add dimension.  

As a final touch for the card front I built a 3D cornflower using several punches.  I made the main flower from two yellow cardstock punches and inked the edges for more depth.  I added two navy blue punched branches to the back of it and topped it off with a circle center punched from the brayered watercolor paper.  I curled the petals of the flower slightly to give it more volume and popped the completed flower on the corner of my card image. 


Angle View of Card Front to Show Dimension

  

The pictures above show you the dimension on the card front.  I've popped the image panel slightly from the surface and also the flower.  You can see how inking the petals of the flower and slightly curling them has added nice depth and dimension to it.


Inside Card

  
For the inside panel I matted cream cardstock with navy blue cardstock.  To finish off the panel I popped a trio of punched flowers made from yellow and butterscotch cardstock and branches made from navy blue cardstock.  The flowers I left as single layers unlike the double layered flower on the front of the card.  Again, I inked the petal edges and curled them slightly. 

Here's a picture of the card set at an angle so that you can see the dimension of the flower trio.

I also constructed an envelope from heavy cover stock to coordinate with the card.  I printed Frizzle peeking up from the lower left corner and colored him using gamsol and Prismacolor pencils.  To protect the image on the envelope I sprayed it with sealer.


Final Card and Envelope Ensemble

  
I enjoyed making this card and smile when I look at poor Frizzle peering back at me.

Purchase this card from my Polished Moxie Etsy Shop: Frizzle the Emu in Paradise


Card Recipe Specifics

• Cardstock: The Paper Company, Wausau
• Watercolor Paper: Strathmore
• Bristol Smooth Paper: Strathmore
• Cover Stock: Staples
• Stamps: Frizzle digital stamp by Polished Moxie Concepts and Designs, Chicken Wire by Cornish Heritage Farms 
• Punches: Martha Stewart cornflower, Martha Stewart branch, Marvy Uchida 0.5" circle  
• Inks: Colorbox, Rubber Stampede embossing ink
• Embossing Powder: Silver from Stampendous
• Watercolors: Winsor & Newton
• Prismacolor Pencils: orange, violet, burnt ochre, dahlia purple, sunburst yellow, pale vermillion
• Tools: Martha Stewart scoring board, Making Memories paper cutter, Darice heat gun, scissors, ruler, blending stumps, sponge pieces, brayer
• Misc: adhesive, spray sealer, gamsol
• Techniques: gamsol, sponging, heat embossing, punch art

 

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