Woohoo! I love birds!
This week's AWESOME challenge at
Shopping Our Stash is...
-Duck, Duck, Goose-
Use a bird, or birds, and/or a feather, or feathers!
Okay, I have to just say my piece: you guys be nice if you are joining up, and just know that I will probably be creating a shopping list for all of the bird and feather paraphanelia you show off. I might even be willing to buy it off of you. I am kind of a bird nerd. Or bird freak. Story time below...
Here's my finished project:
Here are a few pictures of the journey:
Supplies and notes:
- I used a 2016 calendar from Autumn to make my bird-day-- I mean birthday-- calendar
- Coated the calendar cover with white Liquitex gesso
- Dabbed various Distress Paints around then blended together with my fingers and partially heat-dried and sun-dried
- Stamped designs and patterns using Andrea's stamps with Tim's Mixed Media Ground Espresso ink
- Splattered with white gesso
- Added a bird from an old "Discover Birds" sticker book-- it's pre-sticker, really: it's lick 'n' stick like old stamps!
- Sealed the project with matte Mod Podge
- The trim/page marker is made from old cotton cording, dyed with various coordinating Adirondack alcohol inks
Story time: I am totally a bird-nerd for life. For starters, my grandparents were big-time birders as I was growing up. Fine... kids just absorb information and truthfully, I can't say I was very interested-- I was just highly exposed to the avian animals. Fast-forward to college. I was going to school for forestry (which I often mention because a] it was a difficult major and b]I also am in L-O-V-E with trees and plants native to the PNW, and all conifer species... anyway...), and when the going got tough and classes got hard I turned to the birds. I birded all the time. I would study hard until I got too fried, then I'd drink and read my bird guide. I'd get up and hit the marsh before a test. If there wasn't enough time to walk the marsh, I'd drive the bird hot-spots in the hopes of "getting" a rare-but-regular. Larger amounts of free time would entail drives up or down the coast to catch a harlequin duck in the Humboldt Bay or searching for a solitary common grackle amidst a mixed flock in the farmlands. (Common grackles are
not common in the west!). My grandmother was still alive when I was in school, and we would have wonderful phone conversations about birds: discussing species, behavior, adaptation, and habitat. So there. Birds are SOOO special to me. If anyone wants my attention, just talk birds with me! (Or paper crafting!)
Enjoy your crafting, and watch birds! Both are good for your health!
For more inspiration, please go visit the gals at
Shopping Our Stash! See you there!
looooooove the awesome journal AND the story!!! fantabulously feathery!!! <3
ReplyDeleteLove the vibrant colors of those paints!! I also love that the creation of this project evoked such wonderful memories for you.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful job on the journal and great story. We feed the birds here all winter and then some.
ReplyDeleteWell, my dear Mimi, that is quite a story about your love for birds and the way your grammy inspired you to learn about them. My bird knowledge is just from the feeders out in my back yard where I have a display or beauty all year round. From Cardinals to Blue Jays to Chickadees to Finches and the Hummingbirds flock to their feeders all day long during their season, I have to continuously fill all of the feeders and I love it. I have a window feeder that fits on one of the kitchen windows with a double sided mirror, you know? the kind that you can see the birds but they can't see you.....so when I'm in my kitchen, I'm enjoying all of this beautiful birds plus some extra visitors, like Chipmunks and little Squirrels, awesome little critters.
ReplyDeleteLove the Journey your Birthday calendar took, from plain to fabulous, you also have the ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Thank you for sharing your memories of your grandma, they evoked my own memories about mine.
XO
Maria.
Well, my dear Mimi, that is quite a story about your love for birds and the way your grammy inspired you to learn about them. My bird knowledge is just from the feeders out in my back yard where I have a display or beauty all year round. From Cardinals to Blue Jays to Chickadees to Finches and the Hummingbirds flock to their feeders all day long during their season, I have to continuously fill all of the feeders and I love it. I have a window feeder that fits on one of the kitchen windows with a double sided mirror, you know? the kind that you can see the birds but they can't see you.....so when I'm in my kitchen, I'm enjoying all of this beautiful birds plus some extra visitors, like Chipmunks and little Squirrels, awesome little critters.
ReplyDeleteLove the Journey your Birthday calendar took, from plain to fabulous, you also have the ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Thank you for sharing your memories of your grandma, they evoked my own memories about mine.
XO
Maria.
I love the story! What a special interest to have in common with your grandparents! Your journal is so pretty!!
ReplyDeleteI love being outdoors, when not in my craft room. Can I name birds? No. Trees? Doubt it. Mushrooms? No way. I often joke that if earth would be hit by a catastrophy of any kind I wouldn't survive a week. Would I have thought of covering a calendar wallet? Nope! You clever girl:)
ReplyDeleteI can't decide what I adore more, your fabulous altered date book, or your birder story! Love them both!
ReplyDeleteAren't you so clever! What a great altered item. I had one of these and donated it... boo! Love the colorfulness and artsy edge. Hugs, Autumn
ReplyDelete