Christmas Banner

The holiday season is here 3Birds friends, and today I have a fun little banner to share with you that would look great hanging from a mantle or even draped across a window!

This was so quick and easy to make using cards from the For All Seasons Themed Cards. I choose six color coordinating pieces from the Winter set, and then to give them a bit of sparkle, backed them all with gold glitter paper from the 8x8 Glitter Paper Pad. For the “Happy Holidays” piece, I also added my version of a Christmas poinsettia by using both gold and red pieces from the Holiday Season Edition of the Quilled Cardmaking Kit, by first spinning the gold layer, then adding the red layer.



For the next pieces of my banner, I used the cute winter accessories card along with gems from the Pearlescent & Foil Goodie Box to mark the boxes, and as berries on the holly card.



I also used a few stickers from the Sticker Flair Kit with a bit of foam adhesive to give them a bit of dimension.



To tie it all together I used gold and white sparkly Baker's twine, but ribbon would also work great too!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, be sure to come back by tomorrow to see what Katrina has to share!
Mary Ann

SUPPLIES | For All Seasons Themed Card Kit, Midday Medley Paper Collection, Holiday Season Quilled Cardmaking Kit, Pearlescent & Foil goodie Box, Sticker Flair Cardstock Mega Kit

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All That Glitters | Using Glitter Paper and Embellishments on a Scrapbook Page

I know we are officially in the cool months of Fall, but I’m going to jump back a season to the warm days of a Summer vacation for the layout I have to share today.

To start my layout, I cut out the shape of Montana using the beautiful gold glitter paper from the Graceful Season 8x8 Glitter Paper Pad and my Silhouette die cutting machine. I love that the paper cuts so smoothly, and is so sparkly too! Next I added the die cut shape to the pretty purple floral paper and added a strip of purple paper to the top of my layout.

I paired up the gold and white frame and the cute glitter polka dot bow from the Touch of Glimmer Embellishment Kit along with the purple glitter chipboard journaling shape from the Graceful Season Sticky Sparkly Chipboard Kit . (can you see a glitter theme here??) I hand wrote my journaling and layered it and the bow on top of the frame and my photo.



Next I did more layering using the gold glitter arrow with the chipboard star circle and added a title that was also cut from the gold glitter paper using my Silhouette. A few star chipboard pieces, some gold sequins, and a little bit of machine stitching completed my layout. I sure love how pretty the glittery pieces from the paper pads and embellishment kits are and how they all coordinate so well together!

Mary Ann

SUPPLIES | Graceful Season Paper Collection, Midday Medley Paper Collection, Touch of Glimmer Embellishment Kit, Graceful Season Sticky Sparkly Chipboard Kit

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Thanksgiving Turkey Place Cards

Hi 3 Birds friends, its Mary Ann here today with something fun to add to your Thanksgiving table! How about turkey place cards?

These are really so easy to make, and will add just the perfect touch to each place setting! To start, I made the “feathers” by cutting 3 scalloped circles using my Silhouette die cutting machine. (scalloped circle punches would also work for this!) Next, I cut the circles in half, and glued them on to my place card base made from a 4x5 piece of cardstock that had been folded in half.

The turkey body and beak were cut from cardstock and added to on top of the feathers. For the turkey’s wattle, I cut the individual piece from a strip of red quilling paper found in the Holiday Season Card Making Kit. Next came the googly eyes that I had in my stash of craft supplies.

After the turkey body was complete, I added a rectangle piece of patterned paper, and did some machine stitching around the edges. *Designer Tip: You can also achieve a “stitched” look by making a dash lined border around the edges with a marker. To complete the place cards, I printed the names on my computer, then cut into small strips and added to the center of each card.

I used the same patterned papers for all my turkeys, but you could also use any leftover paper scraps and give each turkey its own individual look and colors.



Thanks so much for stopping by the 3 Birds Design blog today!
Mary Ann

SUPPLIES | Holiday Season Quilled Card Making Kit, Midday Medley Paper Collection, Graceful Season Paper Collection

Silhouette Cut File - Nested Scallop Circles

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17turtles + 3 Birds Creative Team Up | InstaFun

All this week the 3 Birds team has been showcasing the fabulous digital cut files from 17turtles, and today is my day to share! There are so many cute designs in the 17turtles store, I had a hard time choosing, but I finally decided on “Everyday Polaroids 1”. I especially love that it not only has the polaroids, but five different titles too!

To start my layout, I cut the Polaroid frame strip, then cut pieces to fill each frame and added them along with my photo to the back of the frames. Next, I backed the frame strip with a coordinating color cardstock.

Once I had my Polaroid frames cut, then it was time for my title. The “insta fun” was perfect to use with my photos, and looks so pretty cut out of the gold glitter paper from the 8x8 Glitter Paper Pad. I just love the glitter paper, and it cuts so smoothly with my die cutting machine!

Next came the darling embellishments that are all from the Flora Festival Premier Page Kit. If you haven’t seen the page kit yet, be sure to check it out! It comes with beautiful papers, chipboard pieces, 3d stickers, borders, and more!



I also added some sequins and the super sweet little bow from the Touch of Glimmer Embellishment Kit; it gives just the perfect amount of dimension to my layout!

Be sure to check out all the great designs in the 17turtles Etsy Shop, there’s something for scrapbookers, paper crafters and card makers too!

Remember, you could WIN products from 3 Birds Design and 17turtles just for playing along! All you have to do is create a project and share it with us on the either the 3 Birds or 17turtles Facebook page. One lucky winner will be selected and they will be able to choose 2 products of their choice from the currently available 3 Birds Design products and 5 Digital Cut Files of their choice from 17turtles! We can't wait to see what you create and share with us.

Mary Ann

3 BIRDS SUPPLIES |Touch of Glimmer Embellishment Kit, Flora Festival Premier Page Kit,  Midday Medley Paper Collection

17TURTLES DIGITAL CUT FILES | Everyday Polaroids 1

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Halloween Cards & Circle Punches

October is finally here! Celebrate by sending these cute and not-so-spooky cards to a friend. They’re both easy to make, using circle punches and cards from the For All Seasons Themed Card Set.

First up, a layered pumpkin card.

I made the base of the card using the “Hello There” card, matted it with coordinating paper, and then added it to my blank card. To make the pumpkin, I punched three 2” circles from the orange paper and glued two of them together with the patterned sides facing out. After the circle had dried, I folded them in half, and added a piece of orange twine down the fold.

To finish off the pumpkin, I added a small piece of green twine, a stem and leaves to the remaining circle, then glued on the folded circles.



Now, how about a green eyed spider!

I made the base of the card with the OCT themed card, matted it with coordinating paper, and added it to my blank card. To make the spider, I punched a 2” circle and a 1” circle from the black paper. I added a foam square to the smallest circle to give it a little dimension, then glued the whole spider to the OCT card.



Green gems from the Pearlescent and Foil Goodie Box Set are the perfect eyes for this guy, and the legs were hand stitched with black twine.

DESIGNER TIP | Short on twine or thread for the pumpkin vine and spider legs? Draw them on with a colored marker.

A circle punch can be used for some many things. I hope these card ideas inspire you to pull out your circle punches and play!
Mary Ann

SUPPLIES | For All Seasons Themed Cards (Autumn set), Pearlescent and Foil Goodie Box Set, Midday Medley Paper Collection

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Crafting With Found Items | Fall Home Decor

Last week while I was cooking dinner, I noticed that the jar the pasta sauce came in was such a nice shape and thought maybe, just maybe I could make something fun out of it. That got the ideas going, and before I knew it, I had two home décor projects ready for Fall.

So how about a pasta sauce tealight holder!



Once I had the jar rinsed and dried, I added orange paint to the inside. I rolled it from side to side, making sure all areas of the glass were covered, and then let it sit overnight to dry. To decorate the outside, I cut the “Fall” themed card into an oval, and fussy cut the floral swag, both from the Autumn For All Seasons Themed Card set, then added a few gems from the Pearlescent and Foil Goodie Box Set.

After decorating the jar, I added a ribbon to the top and a tealight to the inside! It looks just as pretty during the day as it does at night!

For my next “found item” project, can you believe I used a tuna can?

After cleaning and drying the can, I gave it a coat of orange paint and let it sit long enough for the paint to dry. Next I cut a circle with a 3” punch and added the cute face cut from cardstock. The stem is a scrap of paper, and the leaves and vines were made from green quilling strips in the new Holiday Season Quilled Card Making Kit.

I didn’t worry about the back or inside of the can since I was going to sit it on a shelf, but you could also cover the back of the can with a scrap of paper too.

Thanks so much for stopping by the 3 Birds blog today, we love to inspire!
Mary Ann

SUPPLIES | For All Seasons Themed Card Set, Pearlescent and Foil Goodie Box Set, Midday Medley Paper Collection, Holiday Season Quilled Card Making Kit

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Welcome Fall Wall Art Frame

Can you feel it? Fall is in the air, and I must admit I’m a little more than ready for this change of seasons!

Although, living here in Southern California we don’t actually “see” a whole lot of difference between summer and fall, so the change of seasons takes place in our home décor. It’s Mary Ann here today with a fun piece of home décor that will welcome friends and family as the leaves start to fall.

To start, I cut a leaf shape using my Silhouette Cameo. This could also be done by looking for a leaf shape online, printing the image outline, then cutting the leaf out with scissors. Next, I tore small pieces of five different fall colored papers from the Midday Medley 12x12 Paper and Vellum Pad and glued them randomly to the leaf shape. After the whole leaf was covered with the various papers, I turned the leaf over, and cut off any overlapping patterned papers.

I glued the leaf to a piece of cardstock, then machine stitched around the outer edge.



DESIGNER TIP | Don’t like to sew? Use a marker to draw around the leaf instead of sewing to achieve a similar look

To finish it off, I added the scalloped shaped sticker that I backed with a scrap of cardstock, and the letter stickers from the Sticker Flair Kit along with the die-cut word welcome.

This was so much fun to make, and would be a great project to get the kids involved with by having them help with the paper tearing. So how about you, are you ready for fall?

SUPPLIES | Midday Medley Paper Collection, Sticker Flair Kit

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Happiness Found | September Sketch Challenge

We’ve been sharing layouts made with the September sketch all this week here on the 3 Birds Studio blog, and today is my day to share! I don’t make a whole lot of two page layouts, but when I do, using a sketch sure helps because it gives me an idea of where to place my photos to get the most out of both pages.

As you can see, I picked different elements from the sketch to follow, but moved some of them around. Instead of placing the stripes behind the photos, I instead added one stripe to the top of my pages. I also still used a background piece behind my photos, but changed the size of it.

For the left side of my layout, I used the same amount of photos as shown on the sketch, (this is where a sketch comes in handy!) but changed the size of the photos, and also the placement of the embellishments. The new Pearlescent & Foil gems were perfect for a touch of glimmer and shine!

On the right side of my layout, I still used the same number of photos, but, I printed the four photos all together as one large 6x6 photo. I followed the sketch to place the 3D embellishment and red foil gems, but added those to the bottom of my journaling instead the top.

DESIGNER TIP | I like collecting patches from the different places we visit. These make great custom embellishments to add to your layouts.

Thanks for stopping by the 3 Birds Studio blog today; we would love to see how you use the sketch. Be sure to share them with us on our Facebook page!
Mary Ann

SUPPLIES |  Pearlescent & Foil Goodie Box Set, Graceful Season Paper Collection, Graceful Season 3D Embellishment Kit, Graceful Season Sticky Sparkly Glitter & Foil Set

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Awesome Summer

I’m sure many of you have heard by now of “Pocket Scrapbooking” a trend that is hitting the scrapbooking world by storm. It can be a simplified version of scrapbooking where making a layout is as easy as adding photos and cards to fill up the pockets of a 12x12 (and other sizes too!) page protector. But what if you haven’t jumped in to give the pocket style scrapbooking a try? What if traditional scrapbooking is more your thing? How about using those cards on a traditional 12x12 layout! It’s Mary Ann here today and I have a layout to share using the “For All Seasons” themed cards that will be arriving soon on The Home Shopping Network. With Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring themed cards, there really is something for all seasons!

For my layout, I used the 4x6 “awesome” card and the 4x3 “summer” card as embellishments with my photo in between. Both cards are from the Summer themed stack, and are just two of the sizes included. There are also 3x2 and 4x4 cards in each stack, perfect for not only layouts and pocket scrapbooking, but cards and crafty projects too!

As you can see, I embellished the awesome card by adding stickers from the Sticker Flair Kit, and added a bit of foam tape under the memory sticker to give it a bit of dimension.

I added scraps of paper along the edges and a trio of chevron stickers to finish it off. Another layout completed to remember our summer!
Mary Ann

SUPPLIES | For All Seasons Themed Cards, Sticker Flair Kit, Midday Medley 3D Embellishment Kit, Midday Medley Paper Collection

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Pearlescent & Foil Goodie Box Inspiration - Scrapbook Page

We have something new and exciting coming soon to 3 Birds Studio and I already know you are going to love it! It’s called the “Pearlescent & Foil Goodie Box”, and the best part, it has over 1400 pieces!!



That’s right, over 1400 pieces of color and shine to add to your paper crafting projects! All this week the design team will be sharing projects using the Pearlescent & Foil Goodie Box, so be sure you stop by for inspiration and ideas.

And now on to my project! I love old black and white photos, and this picture of my dad when he was about 7 years old is no exception. I wanted to add some color and shine to my layout, but still wanted the focus to be on the photo.

After layering pieces from the Midday Medley Paper Pad and the Nestable Festival Sticker Pad, I did a bit of machine stitching in a messy circle, right on top of the copper chevron stickers. Next I added my photo, and then various colors of the Pearlescent & Foil gems.

DESIGNER TIP | I used both a liquid adhesive, and glue dots to add the Pearlescent & Foil gems to my layout to see which worked best. I liked them both, so give different adhesives a try to see what works best for you.

I finished off the layout by adding the You and Me sticker and my journaling that was done on a computer and cut into small strips

Thanks for stopping by today! We love to inspire!
Mary Ann

SUPPLIES | Pearlescent & Foil Goodie Box (coming soon to HSN), Midday Medley Nestable Festival Sticker Pad, Midday Medley Paper Collection, Midday Medley 3D Embellishment Kit

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Creative Cards

Hi friends! Do you like making cards, or are you like me and have a hard time creating if your project isn’t 12x12? It’s Mary Ann here today, and I actually do like making cards, but sometimes I hit that creative block if it’s not a 12x12 scrapbook layout. So how about a few cards that still use creativity, but are super simple and easy to put together!

First up is this “hello” card that I created. I started with my cardstock base, then added the floral background card from the new 3 Birds Studio Themed Cards Set which is coming to HSN in September.

Next, I fussy cut the flower cluster from a coordinating paper, and added it with foam tape. I used alphabet stickers from the new Sticker Flair kit, and sprinkled a bit of glitter from my stash. To finish off the card, I adhered a few gems from the soon to be released Pearlescent & Foil Goodie Box Set. The gems really set it off and add a touch of color and shine!

For my second card, I went with another simple design by using a block pattern made of 1” squares I cut from coordinating papers.

After I had all my squares cut, I added them to my card base. Next I layered the two journaling spots from the Sticky Sparkly Glitter & Foil Set, and topped them off with the vase of flowers piece from the 3D Embellishment Kit.



So there you have it, two very simple but creative cards! Thanks so much for stopping by the 3 Birds Studio blog today. We love to inspire!

Mary Ann

SUPPLIES | Midday Medley 3D Embellishment Kit, Midday Medley Paper Collection, For All Seasons Themed Cards (coming soon to HSN), Pearlescent & Foil Goodie Box (coming soon to HSN), Graceful Season Sticky Sparkly Glitter & Foil Set, Sticker Flair Kit

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August Scrapbook Sketch Take 2 | Mary Ann Jenkins

Hi 3 Birds friends, it’s Mary Ann here today to share a layout made with the very first 3 Birds Design scrapbook sketch, designed by our very own Juliana Michaels!! The whole design team is jumping in to play with the August Scrapbook Sketch, so be sure to look each day to see how each of us “makes it our own”.

If you’ve never used a sketch before, this might be a fun time to give it a try! There’s no right or wrong, you just use it as inspiration. You can copy a sketch exactly, or change it up a bit by rotating or flipping the image, use a square in place of a circle, 2 photos instead of one etc. The possibilities are endless.

For my take on the sketch, I followed the general design pretty close, (but still made it my own!) starting with the large triangle in the bottom right corner, along with the stripes at the top of the triangle.

I also followed the sketch and added in the two rectangles at the top of the photo, and embellished them with the cute camera from the Midday Medley 3D Embellishment Kit, and the Geotag sticker from the Sticker Flair Kit. Notice the sweet little heart I stamped in the center of the Geotag, using a stamp from the Midday Medley Timeless Stamp Kit.

Next to the photo I added the “this is my favorite” shaker box in place of the square on the sketch, and then embellished the area a bit more with a few splashes of paint, and the glitter chipboard chevrons. You probably noticed the pretty sparkly gems too! These will be coming to HSN soon They are part of a 1,400 piece set of Pearlescent and Foil Goodie Box that you will be able to add to your projects. You are going to love them!!

DESIGNER TIP | I wanted just a bit of white in with the cluster of embellishments so I added the white arrow from the Stamp Kit. The Stamp Kit comes with pre die cut pieces of paper, cut to perfectly fit the stamps, but I used the arrow just as it is, without stamping on it at all.

One of the elements I didn’t follow on the sketch was the title and journaling placement. Instead of adding them below my photo, I added the journaling directly to the photo before printing, then added the title using stickers from the Sticker Flair Kit. You could also achieve the same look by handwriting your journaling on the photo with a “photo-safe” permanent marker, then adding the sticker title.

Don't forget to share your projects with us on our Facebook page for your chance to be featured on our 3 Birds Blog and Facebook Page!

I hope you enjoyed my take on the August Sketch. For more 3 Birds inspiration, be sure to visit my blog - i rock paper & scissors - for some quick and easy cards that I created.

Mary Ann

SUPPLIES  | Midday Medley Paper Collection, Graceful Season Paper Collection, Midday Medley 3D Embellishment Kit, Graceful Season Sticky Sparkly Chipboard Shapes, Midday Medley Timeless Season Stamp Kit, Sticker Flair Kit, Pearlescent and Foil Goodie Box 9 coming soon to HSN)

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Altered Burlap Canvas Using Xyron Adhesives & A Giveaway

Welcome to our second day of projects created by our amazing 3 Birds Design Team using products from our friends at Xyron! Yesterday, we had an amazing altered wood letter by Juliana Michaels. We continue the home decor theme today with an altered canvas by Mary Ann Jenkins.

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Hi friends, it’s Mary Ann here today with a fun little piece of home décor to share! One of the highlights of my project was using the Xyron Creative Station and 3” Sticker Maker, that were so generously given to all the design team members to show the many different ways this amazing adhesive can be used. I used the Creative Station with the adhesive cartridge, but it can also be used to make magnets and for laminating too! And now on to my project…



I started with a burlap canvas panel I found at my local craft store, and added a bit of white paint and a few splatters of coral and teal mist.

Next, I chose the green oval stripe sticker from the Midday Medley Nestable Festival Sticker Pad and layered it over the floral patterned paper, cut the banner shape from the pink striped paper, and die cut the doily shaped from a piece of coordinating cardstock. I laid all the pieces along with the “Find a Favorite Little Memory” and green polka dot banner shaped sticker gently on my burlap panel to check for placement and see how it would all fit together.

Since I am using the burlap panel, I didn’t want to use a liquid glue that could warp the panel, so using the Xyron Creative Station was the perfect answer to add adhesive to all the various pieces of papers.



For the smaller stems of leaves, the 3” Sticker Maker was ideal to use.

After adhering all the pieces to the burlap panel, I added the sweet little birds nest (also found at my local craft store) with a bit of hot glue, made a tiny little flower with the a strip of paper from the Graceful Season Quilled Cardmaking kit and added it to the birds nest, then add the “favorite memory” sticker with some foam tape for a bit of dimension.

I really like how well the pieces adhered to the burlap using the Xyron adhesive! A strong hold, without having to use a liquid glue. I will definitely be using my Xyron Creative Station for many more of my crafting projects!

Mary Ann

SUPPLIES |  Midday Medley Paper Collection, Midday Medley Nestable Festival Sticker Pad, Graceful Season Quilled Cardmaking Kit

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Don't forget to enter to WIN one of two amazing prize packages as we celebrate the HSN Launch of our new products and the generosity of our friends at Xyron! Click on this link to enter for your chance to WIN - http://tinyurl.com/kc3gxfa

Visit the Xyron blog and Facebook page for more inspiration and ideas on using their products and make sure you let them know that 3 Birds sent you!!!

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