Welcome, Lumberjack Plaid Distress

Hello friends!! These are such exciting times…first the Halloween release, then Christmas and now we have a new Distress Color to keep us busy and making all the way through the holidays and beyond. Lumberjack Plaid couldn’t be a more perfect color for just about anything, but especially for Christmas or Winter themed makes. I had the honor again, of being one of the first makers to get to find out and play with this beautiful color and am so happy to share some of my creations with you over the next week or so. It’s funny, Tim let’s us know when the color is coming, but doesn’t share a peep about what it is going to be, so it’s always fun to open the box, take a guess and be surprised as to what it is, and I was ECSTATIC to say the least when I tore open this box.

If you missed it, Tim debuted the color today over on his Youtube channel, if you missed it you can CLICK HERE to watch the replay.

Lumberjack Plaid is exactly the color that you think of when you think of a lumberjack…at least to me. I just love the names that Tim chooses for them, it gives you a feeling and I just LOVE that!!!

Here’s a peek at some of the backgrounds I created when the package first landed on my studio desk, and a few of the projects that I made for the YouTube LIVE today.

Today, I’ll be sharing how I created the cute little red bird cards using the Lumberjack Distress Spray Stain, Oxide Spray and Distress Embossing Glaze. These would be perfect for gift giving during the Holidays or even for everyday…just by switching up the phrase.

Did you know I have a thing for birds? Hence my blog named tattered nest, but, I also have a thing for Cardinals. Although these are not specifically the shape of a cardinal it is an artistic interpretation of them, and why I chose this particular phrase.

Cardinals are beautiful and carry a special meaning to me and to so many others. It is said that when you see one, that a loved one is sending you a message that they are near, thinking of you, and that they will always be with you and also, that whatever you are going through, things will be ok. Cardinals tend to appear during moments when you are sad or happy, and I always think of my mom when I see them. It gives me joy to know that she is out there somewhere and reminds me that I carry her spirit with me wherever I go.

They give me hope, as I hope they will bring to you.

Now, let’s get moving on the tutorial…

I started by creating a background paper to create the birds. I spritzed a piece of watercolor paper with water, then some spritzes of Lumberjack Spray Stain and Oxide Spray, then dried the paper with my heat tool. After it was slightly dry, I spritzed some tiny drips of water, then, while the drips were still wet, lightly sprinkled some Lumberjack Embossing Glaze over the drips and splats of water, then I embossed the glaze with my embossing gun. This gave my paper variation, which for me, gives the shapes that I will cut, personality.

I cut out the birds from the paper using my Sizzix BigShot Foldaway Machine and the Tim Holtz Sizzix Silhouette Birds set, then began adding details to the birds using Black Soot Distress Ink, Lumberjack Distress Ink and a Blending Tool, plus, Distress Black Soot Paint and Dina Wakley White Gesso.

I started by blending the edges of the birds with Black Soot Distress Ink using a blending tool, then in places where some of the birds needed additional darker tones of Lumberjack, blended it on using a blending tool.

Using an empty (not filled with water) Detail Waterbrush, I dipped my brush into some water to lightly get it wet, then dipped it into a drip of Black Soot Distress Paint that I put onto my craft mat. I lightly shaded in some areas of the bird in random areas.

I used an embossing stylus dipped lightly into Distress Black Soot Paint to add an eye, then dried it with a heat tool.

I washed off my detail water brush to remove any black paint, lightly dried it on a towel, then dipped it into a drip of White Gesso that I put onto my craft mat, then lightly shaded in some areas around the cheek of the bird and chest area, then dried it with my heat tool. If you can’t picture where shading should be, you need help with shading, google a photo of a bird, this helps to give you an idea where the shading would be naturally.

I continued on with shading and painting until I had my flock of birds complete!

Next, I created the backgrounds to place the birds on.

I blended the background of a piece of watercolor paper with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink using a blending tool, then inked up the Tiles (CMS259) background stamp with Distress Lumberjack Ink, spritzed it with a quick mist of water, and randomly stamped onto the paper to create the backgrounds for the cards.

Using another sheet of watercolor paper that had been blended with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink, I stamped the phrase, from the Tiny Text Christmas stamp set CMS424, with Lumberjack Distress Ink, then sprinkled it with Lumberjack Embossing Glaze and embossed it. The phrase was then cut into a strip to use on the front of the card.

I cut several “greens” using some more inky papers that had been spritzed or inked with Frayed Burlap and/or Walnut Stain Distress Inks and Sprays. The greens were from the new Modern Festive Thinlet set. I cut them out, then embellished a few of them with tiny red berries that were cut using the berry die included in the set, and adhered to the branch.

I rubbed the greens with Glossy Accents, then dipped and sprinkled them with Clear Rock Candy Glitter and Distress Mica Flakes.

I cut the stamped background papers into approximately 3.25×3.25″ squares, then began arranging the front of the tags.

I decided that the squares needed to be matted to something to give them a layered look, so I used the 3D Woven Texture Fade to emboss several squares that were approximately 3.75×3.75″. After the squares were embossed with the woven texture fade, I rubbed them with a blending tool loaded with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink.

Then, I stitched around the outside of each of the background squares, matted them onto the woven backgrounds and adhered them to square card fronts that I cut from watercolor paper.

I punched a hole in the top of each card, then tied a piece of cotton string through and tied a knot to create a tag.

Here’s the photo tutorial on how to make the swing tags that I promised during the LIVE.

1. Create the tag base & punch a hole in the center crease of the card.
2. Pull one end of cotton string through the inside hole of the card, wrap the other end around the outside of the card and then through that same hole.
3. pull the two ends through the hole and tie a knot at the top of the card, just above where the hole had been punched.
4. tie a knot at the ends of your strings.

With that, my tags were complete.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and letting me share the good news of this beautiful new Distress color, Lumberjack Plaid. I love it and hope that you give it a try with any and all sorts of projects now, and through out the upcoming seasons.

Be sure to stop by timholtz.com and check out all the other amazing projects by Paula, Zoe and Cheiron. Also, keep an eye out as I’ll be sharing my other makes very soon.

Have a great day!

Creatively yours,

Stacy

Products used to create this make… to purchase from Simon Says Stamp CLICK HERE, to purchase from Scrapbook.com CLICK HERE

Lumberjack Plaid Distress Products including Distress Ink, Distress Spray Stain, Distress Oxide Spray, Distress Embossing Glaze and more, Sizzix Silhouette Birds, Modern Festive, 3D Woven Texture Fade, Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz Tiles and Mosaic Background Stamp Set CMS259, Tiny Text Christmas CMS424, Ranger Distress Watercolor Paper, Clear Rock Candy Glitter, Distress Mica Flakes, Glossy Accents Adhesive, Frayed Burlap Distress Ink, Walnut Stain Distress Ink, Blending Tools, Cotton String, Sewing Machine and Thread and more…

What is an affiliate program, and why should I click on the link and buy through you?

When you shop via the affiliate link (linkdeli) on this blog, I receive a small commission from the affiliate provider (Simon Says Stamp & Scrapbook.com) at no extra cost to you, whatsoever. These commissions help me to cover the hosting fees and other costs to run my blog and be able to provide you with FREE inspiration. If you shop the links, THANK YOU! I truly appreciate being able to share my love of creating with you.