Birdie Journal Page with Katy

Finally spring has arrived here in the UK - now it's warm enough to open a window at night I was woken by birdsong this morning and yesterday I watched some baby bunnies scampering around a field. For me that makes it official that the horrible cold winter is gone! So to celebrate spring, I got out the bird stamps for this month's tutorial. I am probably biased but I really adore the Rubber Dance bird sets and I've found them very versatile. 

So far I am doing OK with my resolution to continue making art journal pages - which for me are more about the art than the journaling but there is no right or wrong in art!!! For this page, I've adapted the technique Tim Holtz used on his February tag for this page - layering up pieces of patterned paper with element cut from the paper pad to create a collaged background. Some book page makes an appearance too - at least I'm consistent!

1) Use a selection of various patterned papers to create a collaged background - I used Tim Holtz's Wallflower paper as the nature theme fitted with my stamp choice perfectly. Once you've glued the pieces as desired, use a water soluble black pencil (I like Stabilo All) around the edges of all the pieces and smudge the pencil with a lightly damp cotton bud (Q-Tip).

2) Paint a page from an old book with a wash of cream coloured acrylic paint. When dry, overstamp with the bird in black and the plant in green Archival Inks. Heat set the inks (necessary because you are stamping over paint). Add a wash of colour to the bird with Distress Ink, tear out the panel and smudge the same brown ink around the edges. Add to the background.

3) Stamp the quote on another piece of painted book page and heat set. Carefully tear the quote into pieces and edge them with brown ink. Glue in place as shown. Repeat with the word 'Soar'.

4) Die cut a feather (Tim Holtz) and distress it with several colours of Distress Ink. To add authenticity to the feather, randomly overstamp with the speckle stamp from the 'For the Birds' set.

5) Add a little detail with a stamped image and Tim Holtz heart embellishment,

6) Finally dye a little piece of cotton trim by dragging it across a Distress Inkpad. Fray the edge before using it to finish the page.

I used these awesome stamps for my journal page:

For the Birds

Vintage Birds

Vintage Travel (just the compass stamp used)

You can find all the stamps over at the Rubber Dance webshop: www.rubberdance.com
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