Why Do Birds Stay?

Birch trees do not grow every where but nearly every adult in America is able to recognize a birch tree by its very distinctive bark that peels off in layers.  Birch trees only grow in northern climates.  When I lived in New York State we had a lot of birch trees in the wooded area next to our home.  Lest you think I stamped this Technique Junkie Birches stamp - http://techniquejunkies.com/birches/  in a crooked fashion -- this is how they grow.  And birch trees tend to grow in groups of trees for some reason.  You very rarely ever see only one birch tree in any given location. 

And although we think of them as being white and black, they also have tan colors in the bark. Bark of the birch can be white, grey, yellow, silver or black in color. Young trees have smooth bark. Deep ridges on the bark are characteristic for the older trees. Bark of most birch trees peels off in long horizontal strips. Care must be taken so as to not damage the tree when removing the bark.

Many trees grow very wide trunks as they mature but birch trees do not.  They always have very slender trunks.  In spite of this, the bark was widely used by the Native Americans in the northern climates of North America.  The wood is highly flammable when wet, and yet it is naturally waterproof.  Thus the reason the Native Americans covered the exterior of their canoes and homes with birch bark.  

I used my Memento black to stamp the birch tree image.  Then I used a blender pen and added some additional black on the darker areas of the bark.  I used a couple of colors of tan Distress Inks and added some additional color to the bark.   I layered this on black card stock, added some silver and tan ribbons, and adhered it to the base card,

Then I stamped Technique Junkie stamps "Same Question" - http://techniquejunkies.com/same-question/ on tan vellum with back Versafine ink, covered with detailed black embossing powder, and heat set.  I tore the vellum to add visual interest, and I ran a brown marker (brush tip) around the torn edges of the vellum to make it stand out a bit more.  The vellum was adhered to the base card and layered via my Xyron machine.

Have a great day -- and get inky!

Judy Jackson