Free as a Bird Oval Easel Card

If you are looking for a craft that takes your card making to the next level, check out the Free as a Bird Oval Easel Card tutorial. The oval card stands out from the base and features a message, paper bird, and various embellishments like ribbon and paper flowers. This handmade card catches the eye because of its unique shape and also its pop-up construction. The embellishments are intricate without being too busy and the color scheme is elegant and rich.

Materials:

• EZ Runner®  Permanent Strips Refillable Dispenser
• 3D Foam Squares White Regular Size
• 3D Foam Squares White Variety Pack
• Dodz Medium
• Crafty Power Tape in Dispenser

Other Materials:

• Kaisercraft Curiosity Papers
• Kaisercraft Paper Bloom Coral
• Prima Flowers
• Ranger Distress Ink Walnut Stain
• Kraft Cardstock
• Ribbon
• Oval Cutter or Template
• Scissors

Instructions:

1. Take a piece of 12" x 12" cardstock and cut it in half to 6" x 12". Put the spare half aside to use later.
2. Fold the 6" x 12" piece in half to make a 6" X 6" card base.
3. Turn the card so that the fold is at the top. Place the Oval cutter (or just print a template from the computer and trace around it) so the top is just sitting over the fold. You can use any size you like, but the size used in the photos is 3.5" x 4.5".
4. Cut out your folded oval.
   
   
    
5. Cut a complete oval from the other piece you had placed aside.
6. Take the double oval piece and make sure the oval is fully folded out flat. Score the top oval half way. Fold it forward.
7. Fold back the oval and place EZ Runner® Permanent Strips on the bottom half.
8. Carefully line up the full oval piece with the folded oval.
   
   
    
9. Ink the edges with dark brown ink.
10. Cut an oval slightly smaller than the base of your card. Distress and ink the edges.
11. Adhere the oval black side up using the EZ Runner® Permanent Strips Refillable Dispenser.
12. Cut another oval slightly smaller than the base of your card. Distress and ink the edges.
    
    
     
13. Open the card base and place the oval on the bottom oval. Rule a line to cut off the tip of the oval.
14. Cut off the tip. Adhere oval cream side up to the bottom oval using the EZ Runner® Permanent Strips Refillable Dispenser.
15. Cut another oval slightly smaller than the base of your card. Distress and ink the edges. Score this oval in half. Place tape on either side of the score mark. Stick it to the top oval, making sure you line up the score marks.
16. Fussy cut the bird and half of the twig from Kaisercraft Curiosity Peculiar:
    - Cut 1.5" x 5" strip from Kaisercraft Curiosity Eccentric. Cut a V out of the end to make a pendant. Distress and ink the edges.
    - Cut out the sentiment box and the fruit branch from the Kaisercraft Curiosity Unusual paper. Distress and ink.
    - Cut 2 flowers and  x1 branch with flowers from Kaisercraft Curiosity Queer paper. Distress and ink.
17. Adhere Eccentric strip to the front of the card using the EZ Runner® Permanent Strips Refillable Dispenser.
18. Adhere x2 flowers to the front of the card using the EZ Runner® Permanent Strips Refillable Dispenser. Place one at the top right and one at the bottom right.
    
    
     
19. Attach the 3D Foam Squares (White Regular Size) to the fruit branch.
20. Adhere the fruit branch to the middle on the right side of the card.
21. Adhere the flower with the branch overlapping the fruit branch using the EZ® Runner Permanent Strips Refillable Dispenser.
22. Attach 3D Foam Squares (White Regular Size) to the sentiment box. Place foam squares on the top, bottom, and left side only. Place EZ Runner® Permanent Strips on the right side.
    
    
     
23. Adhere the sentiment box just to the left of the center.
24. Attach Dodz Medium to the bird.
25. Adhere the bird to the top of the sentiment box.
26. Select a mix of flowers and stick Dodz Medium on the top of the flower branch.
    
    
     
27. Adhere the flowers to the card.
28. Make a bow from coral ribbon. Adhere it to the bottom of the sentiment box using Dodz Medium.
29. Using Kaisercraft Curiosity Extraordinary, cut the tip of the oval using the oval cutter or template. Distress and ink.
30. Using 3D Foam Squares (White Variety Pack) adhere the tip of the oval to the bottom of the bottom oval.
    
    
     
31. Using Crafty Power Tape, adhere a strip of lace along the piece cut from Step 30.
    
    

          And you are done! Here is the finished card face: