Tits galore!

Tits galore!

Hello there!
Well, it is TV day on Create & Craft 9-11am, and I am hoping I will be able to do a demo for you with these lovely new Garden Birds of Mel’s. But if for whatever reason, I cannot show you my little birds on TV, I thought it would be good to do a step-by-step here, too, and take a really good close-up look at them. 
They are pretty special!
I used:

Firstly, composition. I find stamping the elements on a sheet of copy paper, cutting them out and playing with them, where they look best, helps me decided what goes where.
So do this with your Garden birds, too. 
Then I simply transfer that composition to the A5 Theuvacard,
using Black Archival ink pad

Next, colour in with good quality colouring pencils.
Faber-Castell for me, all the way. Polychromos.

I love colouring in. Very relaxing. 

Colour in the blossom, too.
Add low-tack masking tape around all 4 sides.
Load your Clarity Stencil brush with Stonewashed Adirondack ink.

Jim has actually made Garden Bird-masks in the meantime,
but I cut my Garden Birds out of Post-its, because I couldn’t wait!

Dust around the edge with the brush.

Using our Cloud mask, 
very VERY gently add clouds to the background.
Just avoid getting ink on your birds.
Better to hardly be able to see the clouds, than to overdo it.

I love the little bird sitting on the branch…

When you remove the masking tape, there will be tails
 and wings overlapping into the border.

Very trad, very gentle, very easy to do actually.
Fresh Garden Birds will put a smile on anybody’s face! 
The birdfeeder needs attaching to the cherry blossom. 
Using a black Micron pen, make a chainlink.
Mount on complimentary card, and then go show your 
lovely Garden Birds to somebody nearby. 
I bet they are impressed…

Right. 
Did you notice I didn’t say TIT once?
Not Blue Tit, not Little Tit, not Big Tit.
All this innuendo that’s been going on all week on Facebook!
Have you no sense of decorum??

Now go back to the beginning, and everywhere I have written Garden Bird or Bird, read Tit instead;
Much love,

74 thoughts on “Tits galore!

  1. Good morning Barbara, I've just seen you demo this card on tv and loved it so I'm very pleased to see the step by step for it here. The new stamps are gorgeous and my mind is in a spin with all the possibilities they create, thank you! x

  2. Wow Barbara I love the birds thank you for the step by step I will love doing that so many people love birds all my lot will want one love always safe journey home xxxxxx

  3. Morning Barbara, this is such a beautiful card and the colours are just perfect. Will have to go and rummage around to find the watercolour pencils as I had forgotten how good they can look. Have set the recorder for todays programs as unable to watch during the day. Safe journey, Jane x

  4. good morning Barbara, I loved the Show this morning and I mostly love "Schornsteinfeger – Bäuchlein" LOL – so funny
    And thanks for the step by step. Wish you would come mor often to Germany. LOve

  5. Hi Barbara. Just finished watching the show (can't record) and loved all the demos.Thank you for this step by step – brilliant! Have a small collection of Faber Castell Polychromes, which are wonderful pencils. No titillating comments from me!

  6. Just watched the show. What a great laugh with both Dean and yourself. I loved this card when it was demonstrated and am glad I have the step-by-step guide on your blog today as I have ordered this stamp set.

  7. Don't ask me how it has taken so long but I have just discovered your blog today! But better late than never as the saying goes. I love your artwork of the T… Oops I meant birds and your humour is great i have had a lovely morning catching up on and enjoying some of your past blogs. Oh, as well, I love your poem! Hope you never ever think your blog takes up too much of your time.
    Geordie Viv xx

  8. Thanks for today's lovely step by step garden bird tutorial – the finished result is so beautiful! I'll have to catch up with the shows later on the recording, as I'm busy today. Hope you're feeling fully recovered now, or at least on the mend! Susan x

  9. Hi Barbara… love the tutorial. Your artwork is so beautiful. I've watched you on C&C this morning….. fabulous, funny shows but so worthwhile.
    Thank you.
    Hugs
    Heather
    x

  10. You and Dean should be put on the National Health. Your humour and real enjoyment are a real tonic. And that is before you look at the stamps and the wonderful art work that you keep showing us. I thought I had finished my shopping before the show, then I had to start again to order some of the others once I could see how they would work. Now Paul Church has done it to me as well. I am glad I cleared my credit card last night. I can't wait for the Cyanistes caeruleus (see I am using the proper name) to arrive, and play with them. Thanks for a wonderful show. Now make sure you get some proper rest and treatment for that poor neck. xx and lots of hugs Maggie

  11. I watched you do this this morning, and these new stamps are lovely. I can watch it on my tablet but only for a few hours after the programme, so I really like it when you repeat, or in the case of those new products you didn't have time to show, put them on here as well. Thank you for all the time and effort you put in to this blog. I saw your neck is still playing you up. Perhaps you could
    get Dave to give you a nice neck and shoulder massage. Mind you when I had a similar problem
    and my DH tried massaging mine, I think it felt worse when he had finished, I think he thought he was kneading dough, haha, but it might be worth a try. x

  12. Hi Barb,
    Just watched the show that I recorded. Saw this and loved it and then came to the blog and there it was – fabulous. Really good to have the step by step. So pleased that I had the sense to order the garden bird set early as I see they sold out in the show. However, while watching I fell in love with the cherry blossom set so I've just ordered that too & managed to get it – yeah! The samples on the show were absolutely stunning, you have an incredibly talented design team. Word chains are a very clever idea too. Thanks for everything Barb, go & have a rest now. Love Alison xx

  13. What a lovely card I think the bids are great as is the feeder and blossom. I too love my polychromos for colouring. Going to watch this mornings show later just hope the machine did it's thing

    Jackie x

  14. Thank you for a fabulous show today Barbara. Watched you demo this card and thought it was absolutely stunning. Love the look of the word chains, great idea. Are you going to be at Harrogate in two weeks time? Pat x

  15. I love the card, it's so classically beautiful. I then returned to the beginning of the tutorial replaced the appropriate words with a 't' and giggled all the way through. Naughty but I loved it! Thank you for a really good giggle on a miserable wet Sunday.

  16. Hi Barbara. This blog should have had a warning at the beginning "Will cause loud laughter when re reading!" I woke my hubby who was having a Sunday afternoon nap because I laughed so loud. (It's even funnier if you read it out loud inserting Tit in place of birds etc. as you instructed) I am still chuckling now. You must win the award for funniest blog : ) Thanks for 2 great hours this morning with Dean. Your demos were brilliant and as usual I loved the banter between you two. The samples were all stunning and the Garden Bird set has gone to the top of my wish list. I hope your neck improves very quickly. Thanks again for the funniest blog I have ever read : ) (Does anyone know how I can save it for easy access? Sorry I am not good at this type of thing but I want to be able to re read and show to others) Take care.

  17. Hi Barbara, If there were blogging awards then I think that you would sweep the board clean. So entertaining and informative! I enjoyed this morning's show too. Not just for the hilarity, but also the many brilliant, new stamp/stencil designs, the demos and the wonderful artwork from the DT. Think you may have got Dean worried with you New job comments!!! The Garden birds are beautiful, have always had a soft spot for these birds and have many close up photos of them on my bird feeder. Did send in an email in the hope of winning your tits…erhm I mean your garden bird art work. (childish snigger, but I had resisted the temptation for a while!) Thanks for the step by step instructions on the blog and for brightening up the weekend. best wishes JB xx

  18. Really enjoyed the show,had a good laugh and bought a few things.I think the blue tits are my favourite stamps so far and can see myself using these quite a bit.The step by step will be really helpful and maybe I'll even use my brushes I bought a while ago. Love your blog,hope your neck gets better soon

  19. Hello Barbara,
    Thank you for a brilliant show this morning, the look on your face when Dean did his intro was a picture how he kept it together throughout the show despite your 'think it through' (T.I.T) prompt was priceless. I truly hope there is no truth in Deans new job prospects as the 2 of you really bounce off each other, long may it continue. Beautiful stamps, artwork and demonstration, can't wait to get my own supplies.
    Have a good rest you deserve it. Best wishes Bev x x

  20. Ha ha very funny but a lovely card with your little garden birds. Watched this morning I love the freesia stamp as well, they were my mum's favourite flowers she would have loved a card with them on. Take care with your neck, I have a similar problem with mine been told it is basically wear and tear. Painful and annoying. Hope you had a good journey home Lynne xx

  21. Hi Barbara watched one hour of the shows another to look forward to later, my hubby thinks I'm a nutter as I chuckle away to myself. Love the tutorial today but looking forward to the journaling one this was my favourite set this morning. Also loved what you did with the grunge past yesterday. Look forward to your blog each day xx

  22. Hi Barbara, very sweet card with "your little bird". I have done what you've suggested, and read it all back changing the word "bird"……That really makes me laught…… I really try to imagine you showing "your little tit" on TV……. Thanks for sharing. xx

  23. Hi Barbara. Absolutely loved the show this morning. Such a laugh with you and Dean it brought tears to my eyes. The products were beautiful and the samples by your DT amazing. So love the bird stamps.
    Love Val in Spain x

  24. What great 'tits' they are!!! I get these lovely birds in my garden and find them fascinating – such gentle little intelligent birds – your show was great – these stamps are great – just GREAT!!!! xxxx

  25. Well Barbara, I could not believe it, only a few days agos, I was making a comment on the latest Kingfisher card on your blog and was going on about the birds that come to my bird table etc, and there you were today with your birds stamps and birdfeeder. They are lovely stamps – well done Mel. I was in two minds about the word chains, but seeing the demo with the tag stencil, I could be persuade – though I don't do weddings. Will be back to visit the shop later as I don't think I can wait until Harrogate.

  26. Stunning artwork again, yours and all the design teams cards.a great show again this morning, I giggled through most of it I think.can't wait for my word chains to arrive.Wx

  27. Hi Barbara brilliant show again today. Your artwork and that of the Design Team was fabulous, really lots of different ways of using the stamps. I can't wait for all my new goodies to arrive. Dean was on form again and it looked like you were both having fun. I also thought your blog yesterday was great – loved the look of the washing. xx

  28. Beautiful garden birds Barb. I loved this demo on the TV this morning. Even with dean being his usual naughty self. The cards from the design team were inspirational as usual. Brilliant. Loved it.
    Lesley

  29. Re-read your blog – it's funny with the "tits" in….read it out loud to my other half and he laughed too, even though he's not a crafter. Can't wait for my tits to arrive in the post….soon I hope!!! lol x

  30. Not much decorum on tv today i thought 😉 that dean is so naughty! anyway lovely demo. I thought you said you used spectrums to colour in but hey ho it's the ones they sell on c&c! anyay i have them as i got them as my valentine's pressie from hubby. they are very creamy and blend nicely too. great show xx

  31. Thank you for tese beautiful tits I look forward to receiving mine and attempting to copy this design thought you went all series on us then last minuite had me cracking up haha you really do give us bested a laughter an happiness xxx

  32. I thought Dean was very subtle for him!!! It was a good show as always. I love this card you have made here I might even give this one a go myself once I get all that sticky stuff off my Brayer. Your colouring of the birds is gorgeous. xx

  33. Lovely post again Barbara. Unfortunately I didn't get to watch the programme in peace so I missed a lot of the laughter. Good to catch up on it here! Lovely new stamps sets and lovely demo. The Cards made by The Ladies were really stunning. Well done to all. xx

  34. Hi Barb, these stamps are really gorgeous, the show was fab, had some good laughs, although I watched the recording, not live, so did not send an email. Demos were great especially this one, but great to have the step by step as well. All the samples were lovely, and really liking the word chains. Great post, wonder how many people read it again? Bx

  35. Great show Barbara, you really brighten my day. Lovely stamps and good to see the step-by-step instructions for one of the demos. Anne

  36. Beautiful piece of artwork Barbara! I think the colouring on that large Garden Bird is stunning!
    And Well done on not saying the T word on telly even once! I was waiting for you and Dean to fall about laughing but no! It was a smashing show and another sell out but I am not surprised in the slightest! xx

  37. Loved the show, loved the stamps and demos. Wasn't quick enough to order but will keep an eye on your site for stamps. You and Dean are a double act, so funny. Joan x

  38. Hi Barbara, I enjoyed your show on C&C yesterday and can't wait for my bird stamps to arrive, they were irresistable as were the grundge stamps. Your show inspired me to get my Easter stamps out and make Easter cards. I particularly wanted to have a go at making a large Easter Egg similar to the example you showed us but I found it difficult to draw the egg shape. Maybe it is something you will consider as a new stencil idea! Happy Crafting at Clarity Towers, Natasha Cole

  39. Ooops…..keypad disappeared on my phone, before I was finished…and then it published! Just catching up on this weeks blogs Barbara, and ended up laughing me birds off!! The bit that really gave me the giggles was going to show other people and how impressed they would be !! My son came in and asked what was so funny, and then he joined in…thank you for such a good laugh….and such beautiful artwork and tuition xxxx

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