My Little Chickadee

 

Happy Monday to you, my friends!  This Monday is bird day here on the blog.  I may have mixed up the species in my coloring, but he’s still a handsome fellow.  I was determined to use this gingham frame which I’d made some time ago but never used and therefore it was relegated to the card parts basket.  Today it’s a frame for my Bugaboo Spring Bird.  The frame is was created with a Sizzix Elegant Wreath embossing folder.  I cut out the inside, as you can see, and added some punched flowers with black sparkly centers.

 

 

Coloring of the bird image was accomplished with Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits, but the blue sky shading around him was done with Copic markers.  There’s a little sanding on the frame and the Core’dinations card base.

 

Some honest to goodness Chickadees are populating my garden since I put the feeders out.  Below are three Chestnut Backed Chickadees enjoying a seed cake which hangs from the Eucalyptus tree.

 

 

I can’t help but have a mushy soft spot for the White Crowned Sparrows as they reside here year round and have grown quite comfortable with us.  This one is perched in the smoke tree.  He (she?) has carried a sunflower seed away from one of the feeders.

 

 

They’re so cute!  Have a happy day!

 

Stamps:  Bugaboo Spring Bird digi, Hero Arts sentiment  Paper:  X-Press It Blending Card, Pool Party Core’dinations card stock, October Afternoon Fly a Kite designer paper  Ink:  Printer, Memento Tuxedo Black (sentiment), Barely Banana  Coloring Medium:  Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits, Copics  Accessories:  Flower punch, Black Diamond Stickles, Sizzix Elegant Wreath embossing folder, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Comments

[Joan B]

I'm a sucker for anything gingham and this is perfect!!! your real life bird pics are fantastic

[Glenda]

Your card is darling! I love that sweet little bird. I can't put out suet cakes because the squirrel knocks it down and eats the whole cake. So my chickadees have to eat sunflower seeds and seem to love them.

[Nancy C.]

what a cute card to start the week off! I can tell your birds are happy to be in your yard! Have a great week!

[Yogi]

cute, have a great day

[Sherri Dean]

This is just beautiful! Even if it didn't have a gingham frame it would be gorgeous! ha ha LOVE the bird! And I am in love with your sparrows there! They look nothing like our drab little brown ones here. Yours are gorgeous little birds! isn't it funny the difference in aimals & birds from region to region? At my sister's in Minnesota, they have gray squirrels! Ours are reddish brown.

[Pauline]

This is just beautiful. I love how you framed the spring bird in that gorgeous gingham frame! And those little yellow flowers - so, so pretty! And of course your real life bird photos - beautiful - we don't have the chestnut backed chickadees here in Ontario, just the black capped. And the white crowned sparrow so pretty sitting in your smoke bush - fabulous picture. I love our white crowned and white throated sparrows. We don't have any more now, they have left our area but will return for the winter into late spring. I love their little song they sing. Thanks for sharing your photo's Leslie, such a treat! Have a wonderful day.

[Maggie S]

Beautiful! Love your coloring whether it's true to life or not. The frame is just amazing!

[Ros Crawford]

Those birds are gorgeous!! You're a fabulous photographer! And your card is adorable!

[Greta H]

Beautiful spring bird & I love how you colored it, Leslie! The frame is perfect for that image, too! We don't see the Chestnut Backed Chickadees, but have lots of the Black-capped. It's always a treat when the white & golden crowned sparrows come through. I've noticed lots of white crowned when we're at the Bay, so bet they're year round residents there. Great pictures!

[Lynette]

Oh, I love your birdy card, Leslie! Great coloring, and such a wonderful frame. Thanks for sharing the pictures of your birds. You have differents ones than we do, for sure! Very cool.

[Diane Hover]

Pretty, pretty birdie...so soft and airy..just love it!! Fabulous pictures of your birds too. One of my greatest pleasure when working outside is listening to the birds sing and we hear a lot fo woodpeckers too pecking away at the trees. I love Spring and Summer!!

[Linda Carson]

Love that delicate embossng folder!! It's perfect for your sweet birdie! Your photos are beautiful too! Nature is just amazing to watch and enjoy!

[CherylQuilts]

Oh, Leslie, what a sweet little bird, and I love the nice artwork...a more stylized design. Oh, I am with many others who love gingham, and I love this now retired embossing folder. Is there an embossing folder that we just don't love? Very few, I believe. Hehe! But I love how you've used it and cut out the center to frame your beautifully colored bird. And I really love the sweet little flowers you've added. Now, I always love seeing little birds that you've shown us in your yard. My mom always LOVED her precious birds, and she would put out all sorts of special feeders for her favorites. She would sit on their enclosed back porch and gaze at them for hours. One of her favorites was the nuthatch. She just had a special heart for them. I now have all her beautiful Lenox birds that I cherish. Well, thanks for sharing this sweet card and the beautiful photos of your beautiful birds! Hugs, sweet friend...till next time!

[Conniecrafter]

Oh my goodness is that ever the cutest bird stamp and awesome coloring of it. I love your idea of cutting out the center to the embossing folder, such a wonderful touch to this!! Your little flowers are so sweet with it.
Wow those birds are really enjoying that seed, love that last shot you got, he looks great nestled in the branches!

[Stacy Morgan]

Soft coloring which with the gingham is perfect. I like the birdies, glad they have some to like it there too. hee hee The smoke tree as you called it looks so cool on the trunk. I like the colors almost matches the card. :-)

[Ida P. Krause]

Very sweet and charming card. - Plus I loved seeing the photos of the birds. They are cute.

[Donna Ellis]

Love your sweetheart of a spring birdie, Leslie. The matching leaves and background make me feel happy, and I especially like that matching die cut framework. Fantastic ideas! Thanks for sharing your backyard feathered friends. This morning I opened the front door to let Kitty out and there she was! A hummingbird! She was eye level about a yard away! We startled each other. After closing the door, I continued watching her pollinate the flowers on the porch. The cat never saw her. LOL

Thanks for sharing your pretty card and wonderful photos! XO

[Evelyn in Oregon]

The soft colors of the pencils are perfect for this darling bird. I didn't know there were chestnut-backed Chickadees! We have the "standard" black and white ones. I noticed one or two in a smaller lilac bush yesterday, so they're still around. The white-crowned sparrows are infrequent visitors here, but they seem to come in groups. I haven't seen any this year.