Spring Love Birds with Perfect Paints
Hi, friends! It's Walter on the blog with a really cute mixed media piece that has some vintage flair. It's the beginning of March and my mind is turning to thoughts of Spring. One of the things that I love the most about Spring is the return of so many cute birds to the North-Eastern US. That was the inspiration for the project that I'm sharing with you today: two colorful love birds in a nest set against a Spring backdrop. Let's get started!
I used the following Perfect Paints products to create it:
49 and Market Meadow Juniper 12x12 Paper
Ranger Little Birdies Stamp & Stencil Set
Popsicle Sticks - 10
Spanish Moss
Distress Inks: Tea Dye, Old Paper, Vintage Photo, Scorched Timber
Versa Fine Claire Fallen Leaves Pigment Ink
Craft Glue
Double Sided Foam Tape
Gold Gel Pen
Small Black Gems
Directions:
I began by glueing the popsicle sticks together to create two parts of a branch that will serve as the base of the piece. I glued together two stacks of five popsicle sticks and set them aside to dry.
I used a sheet of 12x12 paper from 49 and Market to stamp my birds and create my backdrop; however, you may use whatever you have on hand. I knew that I wanted to stamp the birds on paper that had some writing on it in order to add some interesting detail. Additionally, I wanted the backdrop to be made from paper that looked like a vintage book page and have a nice meadow-like scene. The Meadow Juniper paper from 49 and Market was a perfect fit for it! I cut out a piece with writing on it and stamped the birds with the Fallen Leaves pigment ink. I also stamped the Love Birds sentiment onto a scrap of paper using the same ink.
For the backdrop, I cut a piece of the paper down to 4.5" x 6.5". I then used the stencil that came with the stamp set to add leaves onto the paper. Perfect Paints Frosted Pine Polishing Plaster was the perfect choice to add both color and texture to the backdrop.
Once dry, I blended layers of Old Paper, Tea Dye, and Vintage Photo Distress Inks over it. I then rounded the top edges by cutting them with scissors, distressed the edges with a plastic knife, and ran a Scorched Timber Distress Ink pad around it.
I knew that I wanted a nice scene to be featured on the backdrop as well. This paper had the perfect one, so I cut it out it out with scissors. I then added layers of Old Paper, Tea Dye, and Vintage Photo Distress Inks, distressed the edges with a plastic knife, and ran Scorched Timber around the edges. Double sided foam tape was put on the back, and it was adhered to the backdrop.
I now turned my attention to coloring the birds. I mixed just a little Sea Glass Shimmering Matte Acrylic and a little Afterglow Shimmering Matte Acrylic into some Perfect Glaze Medium to make them more translucent. Once mixed, I painted some onto each bird and let them dry. The beaks and claws were colored with a gold gel pen, and a small black gem glued in place as an eye. I then fussy cut the birds with detail scissors.
The last step before assembling was painting the popsicle sticks brown to look like a tree branch. Espresso Shimmering Matte Acrylic did just that! I then glued the Love Bird sentiment onto the front of one of the stacks.
It was now time to start assembling! I started by glueing the birds down to the branch without the sentiment and then glued the branch with the sentiment on top so that the bottom of the birds are sandwiched between the two.
I then added glue to the back of the branch and secured the backdrop in place. Once dry, I glued some Spanish Moss around the birds to add a nest. I find that mixing the glue with a little water and painting it over the top of the moss helps to keep it in place.
The piece is now complete and I'm so happy with how it turned out! It has a little vintage flair (which you know I love!) and a touch of whimsy. It would be such a nice gift to give to that someone special!
I hope that you enjoyed this project! I'll see you on the blog again soon. Until then . . . be well!
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