Tando Stampendous Blog Hop - Christmas Birdhouse

Today's the last day of our blog hop with Tando Creative and I'm sharing a piece I created for the Stampendous catalogue. I used a kit with three little houses from Tando - it's designed as a vertical hanging but I chose to use just one of the houses to make a freestanding Christmas decoration. Apologies to my bah humbug friends that I am sharing a Christmas project already! I do love these little birdies though. Instructions for how I created it are further down this post.

We have PRIZES too!!! Each prize package includes a Tando Mini Heart Printer Tray and a Nathalie Kalbach NK Studio Fiesta stamp set and there are three up for grabs! To be eligible, leave a comment telling us where you live on the Stampendous blog, the Tando Creative blog and on each of the designer's blogs. Each comment counts so make sure you check out the posts all week! The draw is open to all commenters with a US or UK mailing address.

It's a hop and a half today - look at this amazing list of inspiration!!!

Stampendous BlogDee AdamsKristine ReynoldsKarenKazWendy PriceCarolJamie MartinIritLouise HealyLisaLaura DrahozalDanaJanelle StollfusGezKaty Leitch - you are hereDiAlison HeikkilaTenia NelsonLea FrittsTando Creative Blog

Here's how I created my piece:

1 Paint all the pieces of the Tando house with white gesso to prime it.

2 Stamp International Snow with Ultramarine StazOn all over the chipboard panel (the piece with the ‘window’ cut in it).

3 When the ink is dry, edge the piece roughly with Versamark and emboss with Ice Blue embossing enamel. Sponge the edges with Ultramarine StazOn.

4 Stamp Snowflake Sky in Versamark onto dark blue cardstock and emboss with Sparkle Puff embossing powder. Cut to fit the back panel making sure it will fill the whole of the aperture in the chipboard piece. Glue to the back piece of the house kit.

5 Stamp the birds onto white Mixed Media paper and onto several colours of cardstock. Lightly colour the image with Inktense pencils. Paper piece the scarves and hats and colour the designs on them with Sakura metallic pens. Apply wet glue to the hat brims and bobbles and sprinkle with multi glitter.

6 Assemble the house and use a palette knife to apply lots of regular embossing paste, adding texture with the palette knife to resemble snow. While the paste is still wet, sprinkle it with multi glitter.

7 Smear a dried twig with white gesso then some small areas of embossing paste. Glue in place. Stick the birds to background with 3D foam tape so that they overlap the twig and appear to sit on it.

8 Ink a Tando snowflake with Ultramarine StazOn ink. When dry smear with wet glue and apply multi glitter all over. Add to the house to embellish it.

Products used:
Stampendous products:
CRP289 Birdie Trio Stampendous Cling Stamp
CRY032 International Snow Stampendous Cling Stamp
CRR234 Snowflake Sky Stampendous Cling Stamp
DEPRegular Dreamweaver Embossing Paste – Regular
FREG048 Stampendous Embossing Enamel – Ice Blue
EP525 Stampendous Embossing Powder – Sparkle Puff
FRGL01 Stampendous Frantage Multi Glitter Mix
MPW811 Mixed Media Paper
WA101 Versamark Watermark Ink Pad

Other:
Tando Creative – Triple House Hanging
Tando Creative Chipboard – Mini Snowflakes
My Colors Cardstock – Deep Indigo, Seafoam, Spearmint, Madras Blue, Winter Lake
StazOn Ink – Ultramarine
DecoArt Gesso – White
Sakura Metallic Glaze Pens
Twig
Palette knife
3D foam tape
Wet clear drying glue