Gift and Tutorial

I know I'm late with this.  I have a whole list of excuses, but I'll spare you.  Here is your little birdy gift.  Just click on the image for the large size and then save to your computer.  (Edit:  click and it will take you to the for shared site where you can download it.) Then you can print him out on card stock and follow the tutorial below.  Have fun!

Tools and supplies needed:

bird printed on card stock; scraps of paper; acrylic medium; paint brush; embellishments such as eyelet, beads, wire; eyelet setter; little hammer; hole punch; wire snips; scissors.

Gather your scraps of decorative paper.  I save any bits of pretty paper I come across.  Good sources are wrapping paper, old books, magazines, the insides of pretty envelopes, maps, sheet music.

Tear the paper into little strips and glue them to the unprinted side of your bird shape, using acrylic medium.  You can't even tell this guys a bird can you?  Let it dry completely.  It will dry faster if you place it in a warm spot, such as near a heater vent.  Once it's dry, cut the excess paper off, following the contours of the bird shape.

Next, punch a hole in the top for hanging.  I like to add text and even a drop or two of paint.  Let it dry again.

Set an eyelet in the hole.

It will look something like this.

With the wire snips, cut about a 10 inch length of wire.  Thread it through the hole you made.

And twist it near the base.

Add some beads to your wire and maybe a pretty button.  You can make decorative wire ends by wrapping it around a small stick, like a knitting needle or crochet hook.

And Taa Daa!!!  He's ready to hang in your window!

Enjoy:)

***1/18/10  I updated this posting to make it all one post.  Took me awhile to figure out some things;)  You might want to try printing on plain paper first to be sure it works.  I have it saved as paper size 5x7.  I'm still learning.

***addendum**  I know that this should go without saying, but I just thought I'd mention it; please feel free to make as many of these as you want for yourself or to give as gifts, but please don't try to sell them as your own original design.  It just amazes me how many people on Etsy are selling other people's designs as their own original art!