Today I have a handmade cardinal card for winter occasions that is so beautiful and SO much easier than it looks!

A beautiful card with crisp white, a little greenery and then the beautiful, rich pop of red from this bird that is said to bring messages from loved ones who have passed on is ALWAYS ideal for any winter occasion. That inspired me to create this design for a handmade cardinal card for winter that you can use for just about any card sending reason simply by popping on a sentiment. Even though I first shared this card last year, it remains one of the most popular ones I’ve created and it’s easy to see why.

To make this card I used the Lattice with Scallop Cover, Winter Cardinals, Greenery #3 and Mistletoe dies. And of course I am sharing all my tips and tricks below. I really like having the opportunity to share the “magic behind the mystery” of making these cards because I believe anyone can become a card maker if they know the steps.

Card Base and Lattice Cover

• Use white cardstock to cut the Lattice with Scallop Cover and A2 sized card base.
• Cut a small 1.00″ x 1.50″ rectangle using white cardstock.
• Attach a large section of mounting tape to the back of the rectangle and attach it to the center of the card base.  Pro Tip: That small rectangle will provide the popped up base for the arrangement.  Without it the cover would be squished down in the center and not stand away from the card base.
• Apply strips of mounting tape all the way around the back of the cover frame and a few tiny pop dots to several key spots of the lattice and attach it to the card base.

The Cardinal

• Use white cardstock to cut the Cardinal sections.
• Apply a layer of Barn Door ink to the cardinal body and wing using a mini applicator.
• Apply darker shading to the body and wings using Fired Brick and touches of Vintage Photo inks and a mini applicator.  Pro Tip:  I don’t try to add all the color at once.  For this I applied the lighter shade of red to the images, then the darker shade around the borders of the images and then blended them together by going over them with the lighter red again.  I kept these steps up until I was happy with the overall appearance.  
• Color the face and beak sections using markers and attach them to the bird using glossy accents.
• Attach the wing to the cardinal body using glossy accents to the back top of the wing and a piece of mounting tape to the back bottom of the wing.

The Pretty Foliage Arrangement

• Use darker green cardstock to cut the Mistletoe sections and lighter green cardstock to cut the Greenery.
• Cut the Mistletoe berries using white cardstock.
• Attach the berries to the Mistletoe branches using glossy accents.
• Begin creating the foliage arrangement by attaching the Mistletoe branches to the card base using glossy accents.
• Attach the Cardinal to the mistletoe bae using a large piece of mounting tape.
• Finish by tucking Greenery sections under and around the bird to finish the arrangement.

Here’s what I used today to make this card – grab what you don’t have so when you are ready to make some of these stunning cards, you have what you need on hand:

5512-03D Lattice with Scallop Cover [ B&B ] 5514-09D Winter Cardinals Die — Brass… [ B&B ] 5514-06D Mistletoe Die [ B&B ] 5514-04D Greenery #3 Die — Brass &… [ B&B ]

I was inspired me to create this design for a handmade cardinal card for winter and am looking forward to making another one soon.