Sin City Scraps Bird and Banner Card

I love the Clocks & Birds rubber stamp plate from Sin City Scraps!  You get nine stamps for $20.  Or you can get the Bird Trios (Steampunk or Romantic) for $8.  This project uses the Romantic bird in flight.
I wanted to make a card that looked like two birds were carrying a pretty banner to a party.  The Romantic bird in flight from the Clocks & Birds plates was perfect for this.  It doesn’t really have a discernible eye, so instead of stamping in reverse, I was able to just turn the stamp over to make a bird flying in a different direction.


First, I chose a pretty piece of blue paper reminiscent of the sky.  Then I cut it down to 8 ½ by 11 inches.  I scored the card down the middle parallel to the short side, so that when I folded the card in half it was 8 ½ by 5 ½ inches.
I rubbed the edges of the card with a piece of medium sandpaper to make it look a little aged. Then I added some silver pigment ink (Colorbox) to the edges.  If you want a gilded look, you can lightly drag the card across your stamp pad.  I wanted a slightly distressed look, so I used a little felt dauber.  This is a small piece of craft felt, rolled up and held together with a rubber band. It allows me to get a softer look. I just touch it lightly to the ink pad and then lightly to the paper.

I kept the 3 ½ inch strip that I cut off my blue paper, and used it to make my birds.  I stamped the birds with VersaMark Watermark ink and covered the image with silver embossing powder.  I used Super Fine Detail Embossing Powder (by Ranger), and I think this is a good choice for the highly detailed stamps from Sin City Scraps.  I heated the embossing powder and let it cool.  Then I cut out the birds, leaving a small border.

Next, I made the banner.  I didn’t make a template.  I’ve been making lots of fabric banners, so I had a good idea of what I wanted the pennants to look like.  You could make a template out of cardboard or a pattern piece out of paper to cut the pennants, too.  And they can be any shape!
You can make the pennants out of any material you want – paper, fabric, metal, anything!  I’ve been trying to use my scraps, so I decided to make my pennants out of stiffened pink burlap left over from other projects.  I cut out one triangle and used it as a guide to cut the others.  I laid them on my card as I worked, and  decided four would be enough.  Each pennant is about ¾ inch across and about 1 inch long.
If you want to use burlap, I recommend stiffening it so it won’t fray.  You can read my tutorial about that here.  If you want to use another fabric, you can either stiffen it or choose a fabric that won’t fray too much.
I decorated each pennant with a little flower sequin and silver-lined seed bead. This is an easy way to attach a sequin. You will need a between or quilting needle.  They are thin and straight and won’t get stuck in your seed bead.  Thread your needle and knot it.  I used regular sewing thread, doubled.  Place your sequin where you want it, or mark a dot where you want the center of the sequin.  Sew from the back to the front, bringing the thread through the hole in the sequin.  Slip a bead over the needle.  Then sew back down through the hole in the sequin.  Make sure you don’t sew back down exactly where you came up (this will remove your stitch).  Then either knot your thread or go on the next sequin.  The seed bead holds the sequin in place.  I sewed one sequin and one seed bead to each pennant.

Then I mocked up my layout:

Then I put the banner together.  You can use any ribbon or yarn or thread for this.  I chose a piece of twill tape, partly because I dyed it myself and I liked the color with the pink burlap, and partly because the loose weave of the twill tape allows it to drape.  I doubled the tape over the tops of the pennants and sewed it in place, but you could glue it.
I prepared each bird by putting a piece of foam tape on the back of each, and a little piece of glue line on the back of each, positioned so that I could make it look like the birds were carrying the banner in their beaks.

Finally, I adhered the banner to the birds, and the birds and the pennants to the card.  I used more glue line on the backs of the pennants to make sure they would stay in place.
Here is a closeup of the banner:

I generally prefer somewhat minimalist designs, but you should feel free to decorate your card anyway you like.  You could add lots of layers and embellishments to this design.  I hope you will try these wonderful stamps from Sin City Scraps!