Birch Press Design Block Print: Crane

 Hello everyone!  Can you believe that January is almost over?!  What an amazing month this has been!  Today I'm popping in to share my second Birch Press Design card for the month of January.  For this card I used the new Block Print: Crane die set.  Let's have a look.

I knew I wanted to create a scene where the crane was standing on a shoreline with some reeds.  When I saw the current Freshly Made Sketches sketch I thought it would be a great way to get my card going.  For the banded element in the sketch I tore strips of patterned paper from two different Memory Box 6x6 paper pads (Anemone Plaid and Poinsettia Plaid).  I adhered the strips with glue to a white panel of cardstock.  I left an area with no glue so that I could slip some of my "reeds" and the crane's legs behind the first bluish strip.  I then die cut the panel with a rectangle die.

The "reeds" were die cut from some of the scrap patterned paper that was left after I tore the green and brown strips using the Budding Twigs Contour Layers dies.  There are two dies in the Budding Twigs die set.  Each die cuts three pieces that are supposed to be layered together to create the budding twig.  I only used one layer from each die.  I placed the die on the patterned paper so that I would mostly just cut the piece I needed.  I cut a bunch, but didn't use all of them.  Because the card already had a more masculine feel I die cut the crane from light gray, white and brown cardstock.  I layered all of the pieces and then inserted the crane in behind the first blue strip.

Then I began adding my "reeds".  I inserted most of them into the little pocket I created, but added a few in front to give the reed cluster a fuller look.   I finished off the card with a sentiment from the Sugar Script Sentiments 1 hot foil set that I foiled in matte gold.   

Well, that's it for me.  I'm also going to add this to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of anything goes.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!