Let the Countdown Begin

by Roni Johnson

Can you believe it, it’s that time of the year again…time to start the countdown to Christmas! This year why not count it down with this darling little bird advent calendar? It’s easy to make and oh-so-stylish.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 2-4 hours

Directions

Step 1

Purchase  or build a small decorative pallet. I chose to make my own using wood scraps salvaged from my woodworking father’s scrap pile. To do so, I cut (14) 1” strips of wood 12” long. I also grabbed (2) 2” wide pieces that were 15” long. The 2” strips of wood were placed vertically on my craft mat. The 12” long pieces were spaced evenly along the runners. Once the spacing was even, each cross member was glued in place with a hot glue gun.

Step 2

Arrange 24 birds on the pallet in the shape of a Christmas tree. Once you are satisfied with the layout, place a small dot above each bird for nail placement.

Step 3

Remove the birds and set aside for now. Hammer in 24 finishing nails, one for each dot you made in step 2.

Step 4

Use scrap paper to mask off the area around the nails. Use Fireworks! spray inks to color the tree. Pear Tart, Bamboo Leaves and Cottage Ivy were used in the example. Let the sprays dry completely. Spritz with Bamboo Leaves irRESISTible Texture Spray for a bit of dimension.Remove mask and let dry.

Step 5

If desired, use a paintbrush to add additional ink around the outside of the tree to soften the hard masked edges. Spray the entire pallet with Sparkle Shimmer Spritz. Set the pallet aside to dry.

Step 6

Decorate the 24 wood birds as desired. This is where you can really let loose and have fun. You can use Memento Dye Inks, StazOn inks, Radiant Neon Inks, Delicata, Brilliance, Fireworks! sprays, Studio Glaze; the list goes on and on. In addition to adding color you might choose to stamp designs, create patterns with irRESISTible Pico Embellishers or Texture Sprays, pouncing inks through stencils, and so much more. Use a single color palette or the entire rainbow, just have fun! Don’t forget to let them dry between layers, and when you’re done decorating.

Step 7

Insert a tiny eye screw into the back of each bird to allow for hanging. Make sure your eye screws will fit over the nail heads!

Step 8

Attach a piece of twine or ribbon to the pallet for a hanger. If desired add dots of irRESISTible Pico Embellisher, faux gemstones, half pearls, sequins, etc. to spruce up the tree. The star on the tree was created by inking a piece of chipboard with Gold Delicata ink and hand cutting a rough star shape from the chipboard.

Hang one bird for each day during December. Once the tree has been filled up you’ll be ready for Christmas Day. Merry Christmas to all!

Supplies

Imagine

• Fireworks! Spray – Pear Tart, Bamboo Leaves, Cottage Ivy
• Sheer Shimmer Spritz – Sparkle
• irRESISTible Pico Embellisher & Texture Spray – Cottage Ivy, Wedding Dress, Gold, Bronze, Silver
• Delicata – Dark Brown Shimmer, Black Shimmer, Celestial Copper, White Shimmer, Golden Glitz, Silvery Shimmer
• Brilliance – Pearlescent Yellow, Pearlescent Sky Blue
• Memento – Love Letter, Bahama Blue, Grape Jelly, Rich Cocoa, Rhubarb Stalk, Dandelion
• Radiant Neon – Electric Blue, Electric Purple, Electric Yellow
• StazOn – Jet Black, Spiced Chai
• Monterey Pine – Bird x 24

Other

• Wood pallet or wood scraps
• Finishing nails
• Hammer
• Eye screws
• Hot glue gun
• Large pieces of scrap paper
• Stamps or stencils (optional)
• Faux Gemstones, sequins & pearls (optional)
• Ribbon or Twine

 

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