Hi everyone!

I have a pretty winter card to share with you today.  Believe me, I’m not looking forward to cold weather – but I do love how pretty a snowy branch can be!  And if you put a bird on it?  Well, that’s just pure perfection!

This card features the new “Hemlock, Cones, & Chickadee” die set that is part of the Snow Garden Collection from Spellbinders.  These dies were designed by Susan Tierney-Cockburn who is an absolute genius when it comes to designing realistic 3-dimensional dies for flora and fauna.  I’ve done several cards with her dies and every single one has turned out beautifully!  

To make this card:

1. Die cut all the pieces for the branches (twice), the cones (I made 2 ½), and the chickadee.
2. Use your Copic Markers to color all the pieces – being sure to color both sides of the branches and the cones.
3. Assemble the cones.  For one of the cones, I only used a few of the layers so that I could get a smaller cone.
4. Use the new BetterPress Letterpress system and the Hello BetterPress plate to add the “Hello” to the bottom of a piece of Pebble-colored BetterPress paper.  I inked my “Hello” with my Simon Says Stamp dye ink in Pine, which turned out perfectly, but you can certainly use the BetterPress inks that are recommended.
5. Arrange your Hemlock branches on your panel being sure to leave a few of the pine needles and branches unglued so that you can bend them up and give them dimension.
6. Add your Chickadee to your branch using foam adhesive.
7. Add your pinecones to the branch.
8. Add some snow to your branches and pine cones – I applied glue randomly to the branches with a paint brush and then added glitter.
9. Add a few gems to the card for even more sparkle!

I love the soft winter scene on this card and I hope you do too!  Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever used 3-dimensional dies!

I hope you have a wonderfully creative day!