I purchased this cute stamp set and the coordinating punch near the end of the previous catalog period. I adore this cute bird, and it’s great to have a punch to cut out the parts for him. By the way, I just confirmed that typically most of the songbirds in my zone that have complicated vocalizations (called songs vs. calls) are male. So, I’ll continue to refer to the bird as “him” in deference to the expertise of the ornithologists. I think that this cute bird has lots of great possibilities, and I’ve seen some fantastic samples online. I’m so glad to finally pull the set out and ink it up to create a batch of these cards.

I do have to confess that I pulled out some retired ribbon to add to this card. I have two boxes of retired ribbon in my stash. One box is for ribbons that are colors that have retired and the other is for ribbon that’s retired but the color is still current. With the latest color change to add some new colors and bring back several former colors, I got to move a few spools from one box to the other. This gorgeous Berry Burst ribbon is one that changed it’s box home. This ribbon is so soft and easy to work with, I just had to add some to the card. Also, I don’t have any Berry Burst ribbon so this was my only option if I wanted to have a ribbon accent in that color.

This current challenge was part of the inspiration for my card design. I deviated a little bit by not having the smaller layer with the rounded corners – instead I did a typical matted focal layer so I could fit in the branches and have some white space, too. I really like making cards that feature a bit of pretty patterned paper to add some visual interest and the new Glorious Gingham paper is wonderful! I really love using gingham patterns and the colors in these new papers are fantastic!

Sweet Songbirds Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [158721] $19.00	Songbird Builder Punch [164422] $19.00	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $4.25	Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [144108] $4.25
Berry Burst 3/8" (1 Cm) Metallic-Edge Ribbon [145489] $7.00	Glorious Gingham 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [163170] $10.50	Balmy Blue 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146982] $10.00	Blueberry Bushel 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146968] $10.00
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276] $10.50	Pumpkin Pie 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [105117] $10.00	Blueberry Bushel Classic Stampin' Pad [147138] $9.00	Balmy Blue Classic Stampin' Pad [147105] $9.00
Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [147090] $9.00	Pecan Pie Classic Stampin' Pad [161665] $9.00	Berry Burst Classic Stampin' Pad [147143] $9.00