THE DAILY BIRD JUNE 2024

Looking back at my The Daily Bird drawings from June, 2024, I was disappointed to discover the overall lack of quality. June was a really bad month for me, and it is obviously reflected in how I drew. My mom died on June 17. 

Anyway, as I said, I present to you a mere handful of the drawings I did during June, 2024. The quality just was not there.

As always, I will note above each drawing the name of the bird and where in the world this bird can be found. 

I should note that not only did I complete my personal challenge of #365birds, drawing a bird each day for a full year, but, once that was finished, I jumped right in to another bird drawing challenge, which I call The Daily Bird. As of today, I am on day 382 of that challenge. So, I have been drawing a bird a day for more than two years now, with no end in sight.

red-shouldered hawk

north america

potoo

central and south america

bicolored antpitta

colombian andes

tricolored heron

coastal parts of the americas

eastern wood-pewee

north america

ruddy duck

north america

araripe manakin

brazil

syke's nightjar

northwestern south asia

burrowing owl

north and south america

red-headed trogon

asia

northern pintail

north america, europe, asia

mountain bluebird

western north america

And there we have it. Another month of my bird drawings posted in Paper Seedlings.

I hope you are enjoying our bird journey together. With about 10,000 species of birds around the world, I have a long way to travel yet.

If you would ever like to own a print of any of my birds, just give me a shout. I would be honored.

Birdie

Smiles.

PEACE AND HAPPINESS

I thought it would be a good time to share a Holiday greeting card with you. This card is really very simple to create. Get out your tools and stamp along with me!

I apologize that the photo doesn't truthfully represent the beauty of the metallics and the rich colors.

SUPPLIES:

Light neutral cardstock

Night of Navy cardstock (or cardstock that coordinates with the patterned paper you are using)

A printed paper with metallic touches

Itty Bitty Christmas stamp set

Beautiful Baubles stamp set

Night of Navy ink (or coordinating ink)

VersaMark ink

Big Shot

Happy Little Things dies

Stampin' Dimensionals

Copper Ribbon

Embossing Buddy

Copper Embossing Powder

Heat Tool

DIRECTIONS:

Fold a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of light neutral cardstock in half, creasing it well with a bone folder.

Cut a seasonal piece of printed paper to 4" x 5 1/4". At about 1 3/4" from the top of the paper, add a length of copper ribbon, taping the ends oon the back.

Adhere the seasonal paper to the card base.

Cut a 3" square of the same cardstock  you used for the card base. Rub an Embossing Buddy all over this piece. With VersaMark ink, stamp the ornaments. Heat emboss the image with copper embossing powder.

Add this embossed piece to a 3 1/4" square of Night of Navy cardstock, or any other color that coordinates with the printed paper you have chosen.

Use Dimensionals to add this finished piece to the patterned paper, leaving even margins at the top and sides.

On a scrap of the light-colored cardstock, in coordinating ink, stamp a seasonal message.

Die cut the sentiment with a small label die. Adhere the label flat about 1/2" below the square.

Holiday

Smiles.

BIRD SYMPATHY

Are you familiar with the type of card known as a Tent Topper? In this kind of card, the focal point extends beyond the fold of the card. 

I made this tent topper card as an oft-needed synpathy card.

Following you will find a tutorial on how to make this specific card.

SUPPLIES:

White cardstock

Garden Green cardstock

Bird-flavored Designer Series Paper

Garden Green ink

Big Shot

Seasonal Labels dies

Splendid Stems dies

Layering Circles dies

Blue flower embellishment

Dimensionals

DIRECTIONS:

Cut a piece of white cardstock to 4" x 8", folding it in half and creasing it well with a bone folder.

Cut a piece of the bird Designer Series Paper to 3 3/4" square. Add this to the card base, paying attention so the birds and branches are facing the right way.

Fussy cut one of the larger birds from another piece of the DSP, leaving a small white margin all around.

From the Garden Green cardstock, die cut a leafy branch on which your bird will sit. Set it aside for now.

From white cardstock, die cut a circle with a 2 3/8" diameter, then from Garden Green cardstock, a scalloped circle slightly larger.

Adhere these circles together.

Use Dimensionals to place the bird on the branch to the circle. Add a blue flower embellishment to the branch.

Putting adhesive only on the lower 3/4 of the circle piece, add it to the card, letting about 1/2" extend beyond the fold of the card.

On a scrap of white cardstock, in Garden Green ink, stamp "With Sympathy". Die cut the sentiment with a label die from the Seasonal Labels dies. Attach it to the lower portion of the card with Dimensionals.

Sympathetic

Smiles.

THE DAILY BIRD MAY 2024

Here I am, ready to present another handful of my birds from my personal challenge, The Daily Bird. I, at this point, am only SIX MONTHS behind, in that today I am showing you birds that I drew during May, 2024.

As always, I will note the name of the bird, as well as where in the world this particular specimen can be found. I hope you enjoy!

 great hornbill

india, bhutan, nepal, mainland southeast asia, sumatra

blue-naped chlorophonia

atlantic forest in brazil, paraguay, argentina, venezuela

cactus wren

southwestern u.s. and northern and central mexico

allen's hummingbird

coastal california

laughing kookaburro

australia

osprey

north america

veery

(isn't he veery cute?)

northern u.s. and southern canada

pyrrhuloxia

arizona, new mexico, texas and woodland edges in mexico

mourning warbler

california, eastern canada, florida, great lakes, mid-atlantic, new england, plains, etc.

pond heron

tropical old world

bufflehead duck

north america

whooping swan

alaska and "the north"

finland's national bird

european collared dove

europe and asia

red-crested cardinal

argentina, bolivia, southern brazil, paraguay, uruguay

And there you go. I must admit that, after drawing more than 900 bird profiles, I am becoming a bit "birded" out. I'm not sure how long I will continue on this avian path.

I would love it if you would follow me on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/paperseedlings/. That would thrill me no end!

If you would ever like to own a good quality print of one of my birds, please let me know!

birdie

smiles.

SAY IT WITH CIRCLES

Sometimes random is perfection. By doing random, no one is in control of the situation. It is always interesting, and sometimes surprising, what results when doing the random thing.

The only controlled part of this card is that I chose deeply saturated colors in cardsdtock. I wanted to place the random colors and circles against a black background, which added a lot of impactful punch.

Another random facet of this card is the die cut holes in the circles. However the circles came away from my Big Shot is how they were added to my card. I loved how this added to the total randomness.  

SUPPLIES: 

White cardstock

Black cardstock

Coordinating cardstock

Assorted cardstocks in saturated colors

Many Messages

Black ink

Big Shot

Spotlight on Nature dies

Coordinating grosgrain ribbon

Stampin Dimensionals

INSTRUCTIONS:

Fold a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of white cardstock in half, creasing it well with a bone folder.

For this card, I chose scraps of strong-colored cardstocks. Use one of these colors and cut it to 4" x 5 1/4". Adhere this to the white card base.

Cut a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of black cardstock. You will use this as the base on which to add your circles.

Using the two small dies and the next larger die from the Spotlight on Nature die set, cut a variety of circles from the strong-colored cardstock. I used the circles with holes as they came off from the dies, without removing any of the little pieces that are stuck inside the holes. I love the random look of some holes empty/some holes filled. Your choice.

Anyway, add these circles to the black cardstock in a whimsical pattern. Trim the edges of any of the circles that extend beyond the edges of the black cardstock.

Adhere this circle layer to the card base.

On a 1/2" x 1 3/4" piece of white cardstock, stamp a sentiment in black ink. Add to the back of the sentiment piece a 3" strip of coordinating grosgrain ribbon.

Use Dimensionals to add the sentiment piece to the card in the lower right.

Random

Smiles.