Bird in a Bush for The Pals Paper Arts

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, but a bird on a card is invaluable.  It’s time for another color challenge from The Pals Paper Arts.  Woo hoo!  This week’s colors can be a bit tricky, but they can also be a bit wonderful.  Summer Starfruit, Pool Party and Old Olive.  I think any pair of the three look pretty great together, but the combination of the three is difficult.  My goal was to minimize one of the colors (but still let it be a very important part of the project).  Here’s my card:

Gifts of Kindness, Stampin' Up!, Brian King, PPA198

And here’s the challenge banner from this week’s PPA challenge:

Tips, Tricks and Reminders

  • A Smaller Platform.  I wanted the bird to be the focus of this card.  If I had placed it on a 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ card front, it would have been lost.  I decided to create a smaller panel in the middle of the card front to give the bird its proper spotlight.
  • On Off-Center Highlight.  Is it a moon?  Is it a sun?  It doesn’t really matter – the Summer Starfruit circle highlights the bird on the corner of this panel.  Rather than punch a 2-1/2″ Circle and then trim the sides off, I cropped the circle by letting the punch hang over the edges of the paper.  When I positioned the circle on the panel, I didn’t line it up exactly with the edge, allowing for a little gap.
  • Just Winging It.  It’s just a small detail, but the wing of this bird was cropped from Et Cetera Designer Series Paper.  I had been working with it when I had a different design concept in mind).  To get the wing punched in the direction I wanted, I had to punch the opposite side of the DSP.  Woo hoo for innovation and little waste.  🙂

Stamp Sets:  Gifts of Kindness  Papers:  Old Olive, Summer Starfruit, Very Vanilla, Pool Party  Inks: Old Olive  Accessories:  Bird Builder punch, Little Leaves Sizzlits, 2-1/2″ Circle punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Please head over to The Pals Paper Arts to check out the cards from the fabulous design team.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Brian

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33 Comments

  1. Love birds and love this card. You are so talented. Your blog is a highlight of my day. Thank you!

  2. Hi Brian, I love how you tell us in details how you made this card . For me as a newer stamper that is worth gold and I learn a lot . Thank you ! LG Anita

  3. … yes liking it very much. 🙂

  4. Laurie Burns Gachewicz

    Yes, yes, YES!!! 🙂 Brilliantly innovative Brian!!! I am doing a cartwheel (thank goodness I got up & stretched first!) over the houndstooth Et Cetera wing of this expertly-built birdie!!! 😉

  5. OK I want to know what Laurie eats for breakfast! And I love this card! Adorable little bird on a branch with the sun/moon behind and your sentiment is perfect!!

  6. I love this card, the little bird really stands out in this really lovely color, the rest of the card is the perfect frame for it. Some of this color challenges are really tough but you always manage to make them shine. Thank you for the daily dose of inspiration.

  7. This color palette would be a challenge for me! You’ve done a SUPER job, Brian! I am so impressed by your design thought process. I love the way you “minimized” the Summer Starfruit circle … a perfect move!

  8. I really like the idea of the smaller frame to give a smaller design element a good home. Why didn’t I think of that? You really have the best ideas!

  9. Germaine Meilach

    Really nice. It is perfect.TFS.

  10. Wow, Brian. This card just couldn’t have turned out any prettier. I LOVE the way you used the colors! This design is fabulous. Love the little bit of DSP on the bird, too. Thanks for sharing with us at Pals Paper Arts this week!

  11. Simple elegance! Adding the bird builder punch to my wish list!

  12. Your card is amazing yet simplistic and the two are hard to achieve together! This is just one reason I follow you Brian! Too bad you can’t bottle and sell the inspiration and creative you so freely share with us all! 🙂

  13. Y’all just don’t know how much it warms my hearts to see your kind comments each day. Your kind and supportive words encourage me more than you will know. Thanks so much!

  14. Brian,
    I love your cards. This one is especially appealing. I monitor your site daily. Man, what time do you post these blogs? You must get up early! I’m impressed that you never miss a day giving us beautiful ideas and great tips. I understand how much time it takes to come up with an idea, make the card – sometimes over and over again, take photographs, then watermark it, then post to the blog. You are an inspiration!

    • Thanks, Leslie. I write my posts in the evening and set them to post at 5am each morning (lots of early birds who love to read my posts first thing in the morning). 🙂 I’m up at that time, but I’m not writing at that time. 🙂

  15. You’re layering is always so absolutely PERFECT! Yikes! How do you ever do that Brian? Gorgeous card and the bluebird is perfect. The Bluebird of Happiness was the theme for our wedding reception tables. Wish I had been making cards in those days, I could have made the place cards myself.

  16. Wow. When I read the color combo, I was cringing. But, of course, you made it look great! My favorite part is that cropped off circle. Great idea that I am planning on stealing. (Ummm, I mean using as inspiration! ) lol.
    Happy Friday !

  17. Beverly Parkison aka Lateblooming Designs

    Summer Starfruit and Old Olive are just made for each other. thanks again for a great design.

  18. VERY, very pretty Brian!!

  19. Love how the bluebird takes center stage……well off center stage….:)

  20. It’s the small details that always make your card shine!

  21. love it–what a harbinger for the spring that we are fortunate enough to be experiencing right now, but that many are still longing for.

  22. Wow, as others said before, those are hard colors to pair. You made it look pretty effortless and simple. I love the layout and thought you put into your cards 🙂 I audio love the off center and bird highlight!

  23. A very appealing card. I would probably never choose to use the summer star fruit card stock because it’s out of my favorites comfort zone. You help open my eyes to possibilities for using colors. Thanks!

  24. So “tweet”, Brian! Bluebirds are my favorite!

  25. Great job using those colors, and love the layout!

  26. I love this card, Brian. It is so sophisticated yet whimsical, and I would never have thought these colors could complement each other so well! You proved they could. Quite stunning 🙂

  27. Summer Starfruit is my least favorite color of all time, but I just made this card and it’s beautiful! Thanks for the inspiration, Brian! I know I can always come to your blog for good ideas.

  28. Adorable…wonderful…super….but what’s new about that – you are the KING! hugs!

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