You are going to LOVE the secret behind this die cut birdhouse!

You all know I love a die set that gives you lots of ways to use it – I like getting the maximum amount of use out of all my tools. Well, I am guessing you won’t know right away how this die cut birdhouse was made…. What if I told you it was a repurposed shed? Yes – that’s right – this adorable birdhouse was made using Rubbernecker’s Shed Die with their brand new Bird House Shed Add-On die set!

This versatile die can be used on its own, with the Shed Winter Add-On die set or the Shed Add-On Spring die set and now this Bird House Add-On set, complete with different sized openings including this precious heart and a specific roof trim to make this look so realistic. Honestly, if you’d told me a couple of years ago I would NEED several different SHED dies I would have wondered. Now I can’t live without them!

And as the most charming complements to this die cut birdhouse are these new Spring Birds. The detailing, size and scale of these beautiful creatures makes them ideal for so many sizes and styles of cards as accents or even as stand alone stunning little works of paper art.  I love how pretty the birds look embellished with the Cherry Blossoms flowers and Branch dies. And I couldn’t resist adding a leaf and flower covered tree branch made using the Half Tree, Tiny Leaves #2 and Flower Buds.

Let’s make this card together!

Birdhouse and Frame

• Cut an A2 sized card base using white cardstock and use yellow cardstock to cut the eyelet frame from the Rectangle Combo OPC #3.
• Apply strips of mounting tape to the back of the frame and attach it to the card base.
• Use woodgrain cardstock to cut the shed birdhouse parts.
• Cut the opening in the front of the shed using the heart die from new Birdhouse Shed Add-ons set.  
• Apply Pecan ink to the shed birdhouse parts using a wet baby wipe.  Pro Tip:  Using a wet baby wipe to apply ink to large pieces of cardstock is so much easier than using a blender brush or water coloring.
• Attach the roof and base sections to the birdhouse using pieces of mounting tape.
• Attach a piece of woodgrain cardstock behind the heart opening using pieces of mounting tape.
• Apply pieces of mounting tape to the back of the birdhouse and attach it to the card base.

Coloring the Birds

• Use white cardstock to cut the bird sections.
• Apply Beachside  ink to the upper body and wings of the birds using a mini applicator.
• Apply touches of Whisper ink to the edges of the birds top sections and wings for definition.
• Use Lemon and Custard ink and a mini applicator to apply shading to the bottom sections of the bird.  Pro Tip:  Always start by adding very light touches of ink to your die cut and continue adding light layers of color until you get your desired color.  
• Color the bird beaks, eyes and legs using a black marker.
• Attach the wings to the bird bodies using pieces of mounting tape.
• Use glossy accents to attach the eyes and legs to the bird bodies.

Branches, Flowers and Leaves

• Use woodgrain cardstock to cut the Half Tree branches and Brach Set branches.
• Apply Pecan ink to the branches using a wet baby wipe.
• Use green cardstock to cut the Cherry Blossom leaves, tiny flower centers and the Tiny Leaves #2.
• Cut the Cherry Blossom flowers and Flower Buds using yellow cardstock.
• Place the flowers face up on the molding pad and gently form them using a large stylus.
• Attach the tiny leaves and flowers to the tree branches using glossy accents.
• Use glossy accents and tiny pop dots to attach the tree branch to the top frame section using glossy accents and tiny pop dots.
• Attach the cherry blossoms and leaves to the branches using glossy accents.
• Attach the cherry blossom branches to the birdhouse using glossy accents and tiny pop dots.
• Use pieces of mounting tape to attach the birds to the birdhouse and sky area.

I love all the new die sets and cover plates in this release.  Click on this NEW CATEGORY to see all the dies and several new clear sentiment stamps sets as well.

5218D Rectangle Combo OPC #3 Die Cut [ RBB ] 5422-01D Shed Die [ RBB ] 5422-07D Bird house Shed add-on Die [ RBB ] 5422-06D Spring Birds Die [ RBB ] 5510-01D Branch Dies [ RBB ] 5510-02D Cheery Blossoms Die [ RBB ] 5403D Half Tree Die [ RBB ] 5334-02D Tiny Leaves #2 Die [ RBB ] Flower Buds Die Cut 5147-09D [ RBB ] Color Fuse Set #1 [ RBB ] Color Fuse Set #9 [ RBB ] Color Fuse Set #3 [ RBB ] PanPastel Sofft Applicators 12/Pkg [ RBB ]

The Color Catalog by Sarah Renae Clark [ SRH ] Sizzix – Paper Sculpting Kit [ SBC | BLIC ] Paper Blossom Tool Kit 4/Pkg [ RBB ] Paper Blossoms Molding Mat [ RBB ] Amazon.com : Dahle 550 Professional… [ AMZUS ] Scotch Advanced Tape Glider & Tape [ RBB ] Crossover II Fabric & Paper Cutting… [ RBB ] Mini Glossy Accents, Ranger Accents [ ELH ] Amazon.com: 1000 Pieces Foam Sticky… [ AMZUS ] Amazon.com: Mini Foam Dots… [ AMZUS ] Amazon.com: Scotch 1/2-Inch by… [ AMZUS ] Teflon Bone Folder, Essentials by Ellen [ ELH ] Scor-Pal Measuring & Scoring Board 12×12 [ ELH ] Glue Dots, Mini (3/16″) [ ELH ] Amazon.com : Accent Opaque White 8.5”… [ AMZUS ]

Sometimes I make a card that even surprises me with how pretty it turns out and this is definitely one of them! Once you learn some basic flower shaping techniques and how to layer things together, the only thing that could stop you is your own imagination! And now that you can create this perfect little die cut birdhouse with a new add-on set for Rubbernecker’s basic shed, you can make cards year round with this classic motif.