FUSSY CUT BIRD ON A BRANCH

One more thing in the new Annual Catalog that I fell in love from the first moment I set eyes on it is the Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper, found on page 166. 

In the catalog, flip to that page, or even better, to page 92. On this page, the patterns in the DSP pack are shown a little larger, making it ever so much easier to feast your eyes on it. Page 90 shows a few cards on which the DSP is used.

After looking at the paper, can you guess why I love love love it so much? If you noticed the plethora of opportunities for fussy cutting, you got it right! Yes, I love fussy cutting. 

Of course, as soon as my DSP arrived, I went to work, clipping out varying sections of several of the pieces. For the past couple of weeks, it has been a real treat when I can sit down and work on cutting out these images.

 

The image I used on this card is one of the first larger ones I've completed. So, today I decided to sit down and create a card using it for this blog post.

If you notice, I cut right up to the lines of the bird, but left a small margin uncut around the flowers, leaves and branch. My reasoning for doing this is twofold. First of all, I thought that by leaving a margin around the floral pieces would give it a more airy, flowery look in contrast to the solidity of the bird. Also, if I would have cut to the lines on the flowers, leaves and branches, it would have made those portions much too fragile and weak, susceptible to tearing off completely. I am very happy with my decision.

The summer weather here in central Wisconsin these past few weeks has been beautiful and conducive to spending time on the deck. If I sit on the deck with nothing to do, I almost immediately fall asleep. How can I enjoy being in paradise if I'm sleeping? So, I bring my papercutting out with me and cut cut cut -- and love every minute of it!

The next photo shows my set-up for cutting on the deck. The blue container on the far right holds pieces that are completely cut. The double red container in the center holds the pieces that I am working on. I take pieces from the right side, make a cut, and transfer it to the left side. I know it's a weird way to do things.The real reason I do it this way is that I have terrible arthritis in my hands, and if I cut too long on one piece, my hands get quite sore. This way, the cuts are brief, and I have a few beats in between to rest my hands.

Finally, the yellow container on the far left is my garbage can, where I drop any scraps that result from my cutting.

Don't you love that the three containers are in the primary colors? I do! Weird again, I know.

When my cutting session is over, I put all the in progress pieces on one side of the red, scoot them all to one end, cover the blue container and set it in the empty space, leaving just enough room for my Paper Snips. I snap the red container closed and slide it sideways into the yellow one. An easy way to transport everything in and out of the house.

The next photo shows the card resting against a curved uncut piece of the DSP 

from which my focal point was cut.

And here is an identical piece all ready to find its new home on a card creation:

As far as putting the card together, my card base, as well as the piece which has cord wound around it are both in Very Vanilla. The flowers in the image are actually white and yellow, but I thought the Very Vanilla would be a softer choice than the more stark look of Whisper White.

I ran the corded piece through my Big Shot inside the Subtle embossing folder (page 199 of the Annual Catalog). This folder adds SUBTLE texture and a little bit of class without overwhelming anything else.

Although the photos don't depict the colors of the oval and the pointed label correctly, the oval is actually Pool Party, while the pointed label is Mossy Meadow. 

Obviously I have a whole lot of fussy cutting going on, so I am sure you will be seeing other creations featuring these images in the future. Stay tuned!

Fussy

Smiles.