Altered Bird Cage with Bird Watcher by Graphic 45

Who doesn’t LOVE Graphic 45 paper? ReNae here, with the FotoBella.com Design Team. The Bird Watcher paper collection by Graphic 45 is definitely one of my favorites! Bird Watcher is full of cerulean blue hummingbirds, delicate nests, spring green foliage, golden yellow and ruby pink florals. The thoughtful sentiments and lovely imagery Is ideal for cards and albums for all the special people in your life. But did you know that it is also perfect for home decor projects? It is! On the G45 blog there is a tutorial on how to alter a BIRD HOUSE. And today I’ll show you how I altered a BIRD CAGE using the Bird Watcher collection. But first, let me tell you about this amazing paper collection.

The Bird Watcher Collection

Bird Watcher, like all other Graphic 45 collections, includes the following products. A 12×12 Collection Pack (comes with sticker sheet), 8×8 Pad, 12×12 Patterns & Solids Pad, Chipboard, Journaling Cards,Ephemera (Stickers and Die Cuts)

Bird Watcher Collection Pack

If you’re like me, you’ll want it all…the whole Bird Watcher collection! FotoBella has put it all together in this “I REALLY Want It ALL! Bundle”. This paper crafting kit includes the Bird Watcher 12"x12" paper pack (2 sheets of 8 double-sided designs and two 6"x12" decorative sticker sheets), 8" x 8" paper pad (3 sheets of 8 double-sided designs), 12"x12" Patterns & Solids paper pad (2 of 8 double-sided designs), decorative chipboard, 4x6 & 3x4 Journaling & Ephemera Cards, Die Cut & Tag embellishments, and an exclusive FotoBella paper storage box. FotoBella does this for most of their paper collections. And FotoBella puts together coordinating card stock and fibers for many of their collections as well! Isn’t that awesome?

Creating an altered bird cage is easy and fun, especially when using the Bird Watcher paper collection. There are two styles I’ll show you here…one is the simple version and one is more detailed.

Creating an Altered Bird Cage

The simple way to create an altered bird cage relies on this beautiful Graphic 45 Bird Watcher patterned paper for the images for inside your bird cage, and with very little effort you can create a stunning piece of home decor.

After selecting a birdcage, decorate it using the detailed paper in the collection. The folks at Graphic 45 have done the design work for you, creating beautiful paper collages which translate to a gorgeous finished product. Of course you may want to fussy-cut out desired bird images to add to the bird cage but you don’t have to. The diecuts ephemera pack has lots of images that work perfectly to add detail and interest to your project. This simple version goes together quickly and looks great!

Select the paper you want for your Bird Cage

Fussy-cut bird images

Fussy-cut desired bird images

A beautiful finished product-Simple version!

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The more detailed version uses die cuts, fussy-cut images, ephemera and flowers to create a look suited to your own personal taste. With this style the background paper is muted, and allows the images to stand out. You can create exactly the look you want by cutting out only what you wish to use. In my sample, I used some dies from my personal collection to add to the fussy-cut images. This version takes a bit more time, but is worth it! Creating an altered bird cage suited specifically to your own decor definitely has it’s advantages!

Create and prepare die cuts

Preparing die cuts

Mermaid Effect Paste by Prima

Creating with die cuts

Create design for bird cage

Add embellishments and flowers

Use packaged die cuts for interest

Note the dimension

The finished Altered bird cage

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Sequins make great bird’s eyes

Supplies Used

My altered bird cage was made by first die cutting and fussy cutting images from the beautiful Bird Watcher patterned paper. I used Mod Podge to give these papers a satiny finish. As they dried, I painted the bird cage with Art Alchemy Opal Magic Paint. This paint is a unique two-tone, iridescent effect, water-based acrylic paint. It changes tone from different angles.

The bird cage was embellished with Finnabair Mermaid Effect Paste which is a creamy iridescent glitter paste. It added dimension and shine to the bird cage.( it will be perfect for future mixed media projects!) After the Mod Podge dried, I used Art Alchemy Opal Magic Wax in Blue Velvet, Turquoise Satin and Rose Gold to embellish the birds and leaves. These also leave a two-tone effect!

Finally, I finished embellishing the bird cage by adding some Sparkletz Rainbow. Sequins, sparkles and gems are always a good thing!

Details make all the difference!

Altering a Bird Cage is really fun and a gratifying summer project. I hope you’ll give it a try! And FotoBella.com is just the place to shop when you’re ready to do it!

Happy Creating!

ReNae

Voyage Beneath the Sea

There are all kinds of treasures found "Beneath the Sea"and deep-sea divers and treasure hunters have searched for centuries for long-lost antiquities, rare gems lost in a shipwreck, even GOLD!

When those rusty rare treasures are found, it's cause for celebration!  

ReNae here, with the FotoBella Design Team, and I found a treasure of my own this week!  I wanted to make a Trading Card Block this week.  Looking to the FotoBella website for inspiration, I found that we still carry the "Voyage Beneath the Sea" paper by Graphic 45.  This collection came out last year, and is hard to find.  Yet FotoBella has 8 products still in stock from the collection! This includes coordinating card stock that matches the collection perfectly!

So let me tell you how I made this beautiful Artist's Trading Block!

After I painted the block with a combination of Adirondack Paint Dabbers Sunset Orange and Mountain Rose), I adhered blue patterned paper to all sides of the block. Next, I altered some metal pieces and adhered them to the sides of the block.

 I used a combination of paints and embossing powders.

 I LOVE the way they turned out!

I fussy-cut out the beautiful Mermaid, painted the back side of her with the orange paint, and placed her strategically inside of an orange sea shell.  (I cut her in such a way to free her arm, allowing her to hold on to the beads.)

I adhered little glass drops to the bottom of the block 

to give the illusion of water!

Little waves cut with dies add to the allure...

I moved things around until they were just right.

Here is the finished product!

If you've been searching for treasure of your own, that hard to find paper collection no longer in the stores,  I invite you to check out our website! We probably have it! You can shop by THEME here.

FotoBella has an extensive collection of NEW patterned paper too, ephemera, dies and die cuts, mixed media products and paints... everything you need to create a treasure of your own!  

Happy Creating!

ReNae

From Trash to Treasure!

Hi Bloggers!

ReNae here, and if you're like me, you are always looking for ways to incorporate your crafting with recycling...we in the craft world call it "repurposing" or taking an item originally designed for one purpose, and altering it to give it a new life and purpose. 

With that in mind, I decided that my Design Team project this week would be Altered Pringles Can!  I can't think of a better way to give it new life and purpose but to cover it with the gorgeous paper from the Petal Lane paper collection by Bo Bunny! The flowers are from Bo Bunny and Petaloo.

Often we artists use items that we would otherwise toss in the trash (heaven forbid!) 

Likewise we take items laying around the house and alter them to make all kinds of home decor projects including old jars, paintbrushes, and even Pringles cans! It goes from Pringles can to Jewelry box!

The gorgeous Petal Lane paper from Bo Bunny and Flowers from Petaloo make this project so pretty!  

All you need to add is your IMAGINATION!

Happy Creating!

ReNae