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Welcome Alpha Stampers!

The artwork I'm highlighting in this post was created using new Collage Sheets made for the Birds in Hats Swap at Alpha Stamps! Click the picture below for more information.

I'd like to share this lovely project I created for Alpha Stamps called Coo Coo for the Birds!  The inspiration for this project came from fellow design team member Laura Carson.  Be sure to leave a comment on this post between June 7 and June 10, 2012 and you could win the lovely "Stage Beauty" ATC I created for Alpha Stamps.  Please leave your name and email in your comment, if you prefer not to leave your email please check back on Monday June 11, 2012 to see if you're a winner.

Coo Coo for the Birds!

I started this project by covering two of the Chipboard Birdhouse Shapes with the shimmer vellum on one side.  To do this I used studio multi-medium in matte (the stuff in the jar), laid the vellum down and then used one of my Tim Holtz grid blocks to squeegee out the excess mutli-medium so that the vellum wouldn't wrinkle (being the use what's on hand person I am, I then placed the birdhouses under my dapping block set which is very conveniently stored in a nice flat wood block and is also very heavy while they dried).  I also covered the backside of one of the houses with the flora & fauna aqua bird eggs scrapbook paper.  (My plan at a later date is to attach a picture hanger on the back so I can then hang this on the wall).

While the houses dried I cut 1/4" strips of heavy chipboard, painted one side with metallic champagne paint and then glued them on edge to one of the Chipboard Birdhouse Shapes with hot glue, making sure the painted side faced out (I wanted to make a 3-D clock with one of the Tim Holtz Clock Keys which you can see peeking out on the left side).  I then painted both sides of one of the birds from the Trinket kit with the some gesso and a couple of layers of the champagne metallic paint.  I then assembled the bird using only one of the niche inserts.  I then used more shimmer vellum to cover the bird.  Inside the niche I used the vintage brass bird charm (cutting off the loop) and added a couple of pink Lucite flowers that matched the cherry blossoms cut out from the Finches Collage Sheet.  

I then began to layer on different bird images and the clock face (I attached the spinner with one of the brads that comes with the spinners, leaving enough leeway so that the spinner would spin).  I glued the clock face down with studio multi-medium in matte (this time the stuff in the bottle).  I love this stuff, I use it to glue down everything.  I used tiny clamps to hold the clock face down and let it all dry.  

I then covered a tiny chipboard house (front and back) with more of the shimmer vellum (before covering the house I colored the edges with a gold krylon marker).  I then attached this using the dollhouse hinge and the teenie weenie little tacks that came with the hinge.  I laid the hinge down and used a stick pin to make pilot holes, used my chasing hammer, a pair of bent noise jewelry pliers,  and hammered the little suckers in.  I then used a 1/16" dowel to help drive in the tacks that were hard to reach with the hammer.  This is where an extra pair of hands would have come in handy!  But after many, many attempts I finally got them in.  I then glued down the bird that hides behind the door, making sure he was hidden when the door is closed.  I then used a copper colored filigree piece from my stash on the outside of the door.  

A picture with the door open

Before gluing the clock face onto the "box" I created with the chipboard strips, I used a crop-a-dile to punch a hole for the clock key and attached it.  I then punched two small holes into the bottom for the dangles.  

To create the dangles I used vintage Lucite trumpet flowers, threaded a golden colored czech rondelle on a head pin and made a loop at the top that I could attach to the chain.  I attached one dangle, threaded the chain through the holes, cut the chain to length and then attached the second dangle.  To keep the dangles from moving, I used some more mutli-medium (in the bottle) and glued the chain down.

A close-up of the dangles

I edged the underside of the roof with the dresden boarders and once dried, attached the face to the bottom of the "box" with hot glue and finally attached the bird trinket to the top with more hot glue.

  

I used the following Alpha Stamps Products in this project:

Songbirds Collage Sheet 

Red Robin Breast Collage Sheet

Finches Collage Sheet

M for the Magpie Collage Sheet 

Bird Trinket Keepsake Kit

Engraved Garden Bird Shimmer Vellum

Flora & Fauna Aqua Bird Eggs Scrapbook Paper

Vintage Brass Bird Charms & Connectors (1 Loop)

Dollhouse Hinges 

Clock Keys 

Thin Fleur Dresden Borders  (I used bronze but you could very easily use black and paint them)

Large Game Spinners

Chipboard Birdhouse Shapes 

Be Sure to visit the other Design Team Members Blogs to enter a chance to win some of their amazing artwork!