BIRDS OF A FEATHER

This little mini album is one that I've worked on for quite some time, as I would get the pictures that I used. All of the photos were taken from our kitchen windows from January thru June, 2011. Since I retired two years ago, I have had more time to develop a small area where we can feed and enjoy watching the birds who visit our yard. What a treat it is to see our little feathered friends enjoy the bird seed that we provide for them! Most of our little avian friends are shy and I have to be very patient in order to get just one picture! There have been some days when I have placed a blanket on the floor and I sat there waiting to get a good photo! This little album probably should be titled, "Two Loves" because it combines my love of birds and my love of scrapbooking! 

One of our biggest surprises was the  beautiful  female Red Bellied Woodpecker who frequented our suet feeder during the winter! Our second surprise was discovering that we had two species of woodpeckers! On the page below, can be seen the a female Hairy Woodpecker. 

I have spent hours and hours researching the birds that have delighted us this year.  My  wonderful husband gave me a book called, Birds of Texas by Keith A. Arnold and Gregory Kennedy. I have also used a website called "All About Birds" and is created by the staff of The Cornell Lab of Orinthology, Cornell University. Both of these sources have helped me tremendously in my bird studies. Here's the website for "All About Birds":

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search

It took five months for me to get a picture of a Carolina Chickadee! They are delightful little birds who flit from place to place with such dexterity that their flight is similar to dive bombers! You have to be REALLY FAST and have a fast camera to get a good picture of one of these sweet little creatures! 

We had a very large flock of doves this year, and have actually counted up to ten at a time feeding  outside our kitchen window!  These two doves are always together. The one on the left is a White Winged Dove and the one on the right is a Mourning Dove. The  White Winged Doves have been rapidly expanding their territory into the northern areas of Texas. 

This is one of our many Blue Jays that come to our feeding area daily. 

This is one of the male Cardinals that came to our yard over the winter. There were a total of three males and three females! Only one of the couples is still using our feeding area. He is very watchful over his mate. Whenever there is a person in the back yard you can hear him giving a little warning sound and they both fly away. In the spring we could sit very quietly on our patio and they would sometimes get accustomed to our presence, allowing us to watch them fly from one tree to another.  

The journaling reads, "All birdies are welcome at our "nest!"

These little Juncos were "frequent fliers" in our yard throughout the winter, but when summer came, they didn't return. 

What is this squirrel doing stealing birdseed?!!!! Doesn't he know it's "for the birds"? He and two other squirrels have kept us entertained since we started feeding the birds. 

Most of the scrapbooking supplies used in this mini album can be purchased at The Crafty Scrapper in Waxahachie, Texas. 

Spring Blooms Chipboaard Album

This little chipboard album was a delight to make. After applying the gorgeous Basic Grey patterned paper , I used a flat white acrylic paint around the edges to give it a shabby chic look. Then, I used a marker to draw the stitches around each page.

Here are the supplies I used: 

Basic Grey Sweet Threads patterned paper

Basic Grey Sweet Threads Cardstock Stickers

Maya Road Vintage Trinkets, Alterable Crystals, Small

Maya Road Trinket Beads, Hanging Chandelier

Maya Road Love Mini Chipboard Set

Maya Road Birds With Cages Mini Chipboard Set

Maya Road Alterable Vintage Lace Flowers

Other supplies used are:

Maya Mists:                

Martha Stewart

Prima flowers

May Arts Ribbons

The lovely embellies added such a sweet touch and made a beautiful setting to show off the photos. 

You're Sew Special

This LO uses Jillibean pattern paper, and lots of fun Maya Road shapes from the “Still Sew Cute Chipboard Set”. In the area around the picture I used Maya Road Maya Mists (Granny Smith Apple Green) and a Tattered Angels Glimmer Screen to create the oval frame before adding the picture. Also spritzed with the Maya Mist was the Mini Triangle Banner Canvas Pieces which are also by Maya Road. For the title, I used Maya Road (Jonathan) Mini Alphabet Chipboard and October Afternoon Mini Market Stickers over a Maya Road Coaster. The Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page “Loops” set gave an old fashioned look. Also included was a little Jenni Bowlin Vintage Style (black) Button and a Maya Road Kraft Scroll Frame Journaling Tag. The chipboard pieces were painted with Ranger Ink Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint (Fired Brick). After the paint dried, I inked the edges of the chipboard pieces with Staz On Ink (Jet Black).

Some of the techniques that I used were border punching, painting, masking, sewing, inking and a little calligraphy on the journaling tag. 

I did this LO for The Crafty Scrapper Design Team in Waxahachie, Texas.