EEK!

How does someone turn a sweet little tweety bird into a black Raven especially for Halloween? Read on and I'll show you how... Welcome to the next edition of the Sizzix Blog Hop, featuring the dies from the "Fresh Vintage" designs by my friend, Eileen Hull!

First you take the Sizzix ScoreBoards Die-Bird #657120...

...and cut it out of black cardstock. You'll need two of these for the banner project. To make this sweet little birdy a bit tougher, a little meaner, a little bit raven-ish, we'll first need to give him a sharper beak. With a bit of imagination you can find a perfect beak shape in the wing, as shown in the photo below; cut where indicated. And for the tail... well, Ravens don't have perky tails like this little guy, so we'll cut it and flip it over so the feathers are pointing downward. NOW... we're getting a little more wicked looking!

To make the pennant banner, cut 5 burlap rectangles 7" x 9." Cut 5 text pages from an old book, into rectangles slightly smaller than burlap rectangles. From decorative paper, cut 5 strips 1" x 7." With a sewing machine with black thread, stitch paper to burlap in "sloppy" stitches; stitch paper strip across lower section.

Cut 5" letters to spell E E K from black cardstock; adhere to rectangles above the paper strips. Adhere your "Ravens" to the remaining two flags, with one facing left and the other facing right. Adhere a wing to the side of each bird... keeping the feathers pointing low to add to the raven-ish effect. Draw simple feet using a black marker. With a white paint pen make a round dot for the eye on each bird. When paint is dry add a black dot to center to make a scary beady eye. Arrange rectangles with a bird on each end and the letters E E K in the center. Leaving a 2" space between each rectangle and a 16" tail on each end, stitch rectangles to a 3/4" ribbon. Embellish by tying a 12" strip of tea-stained cheesecloth between each rectangle.

Now you're all set to decorate your hearth... or your wood-pile!

So many possibilities with these dies, so hop on along to the next blog for another great idea! To view the hop, you can click on the Fresh Vintage blinkie on the sidebar. This will take you around to all of the designers on the hop. Be sure to visit the "Oh My Crafts" blog for details about how to have a chance at winning this die. THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!