Winter Cardinal
26 October 2016
Hi Everyone. Happy Wednesday. It is officially hump day and we are on our way to the weekend. I don't know about you - but I am SO ready for the weekend.
I did get some special time in my craft room this weekend and wanted to make a start on my Christmas cards. With the weather we are having, I am reminded that - although we haven't had Halloween or Thanksgiving yet.... winter is very definitely on his way!
I love the multi-layer Winter Cardinal set from Altenew and thought that the sentiment would work well with the music background stamp I had in my stash. The only problem.... the stamp is meant for a vertical card and I wanted to make a horizontal card. In keeping with my new... go with the flow attitude... I decided to heck with it - I was stamping it and not caring that the notes were going the wrong way... it's still obvious what it is meant to be... :-) well... at least I hope so.
Creating this card also gave me an opportunity to bring out my Studio Katia stitched die as well. I do like that these days are a different shape to any of the others that I have - and it was perfect for the Cardinal.
Here's my card:
Isn't he pretty resting on his branch? In case you are looking for a little inspiration - here's the real thing... except this one is a juvenile :-)
He was certainly enjoying the seeds! There is a family of them and they have made their home in the white cedars that we planted. We really wanted to plant the cedars because they give us privacy from the neighbors - but, more importantly, we know from our last house that they provide tremendous cover for the birds, especially in the cold winter months. Since we planted the cedars, we have managed to keep the Cardinals - and other birds - in our garden throughout winter. They love the safety and cover they get there - and the fact that we wrap the trees in hessian in winter - also acts as more protection from them.
On a personal note:
The maples, ironwoods and river birches have all finally turned their colors - the maples were the last to turn and they look gorgeous this year
I am so glad that changing the photo of our mystery bird made it easier for some of you to recognize him. Need a reminder - check out this link
I have to tell you that he confused me for quite a while. They are the most flittery, hyper-active birds - it was really hard for me to get a good look at them and I was very lucky that I managed to capture the shots that I did. It was only when I saw the photo used in my post that I could identify him. Why was it so difficult to identify him? Well... couple of reasons.... 1) he and his little cohorts were mixed in with two different types of vireos and 2) he looks NOTHING like the birds of his species that I have seen before. Let's take a look at just how different they are:
This is our mystery guy - all dull and olive and pretty drab (really pretty though)! However, he has a yellow-rump - and it was that - along with the white eye - that allowed me - and several of my dear blog readers - to identify him.
So...what is he? He is a juvenile yellow-rumped warbler. yep... the yellow-rump really does give him away. BUT.... this is what the adults look like
Yep... not quite the same. You can check out the source of the adult photo - and all the details you need about this wonderful little bird on the allaboutbirds website. So, congratulations to my blog readers who were determined not to be beaten by our mystery bird. Marina - good guess on the american goldfinch - the colors are very similar to the winter plumage of the goldfinch.
I'll be back tomorrow with another card and the winner of the mystery bird competition blog candy. In the meantime, warm hugs and prayers for those of you who need a little lift tonight - especially Tinkerbell.
Hugs
Jaydee
card recipe:
- Stamp: Winter Cardinal - Altenew. Background - Music Fun Stampers Journey
- Inks: Altenew
- Cardstock: Neenah Solar White
- Die: Studio Katia