Bluebird of Happiness TAP™ Project by Lesley Riley

Let spring soar into summer with this delightful bluebird created by author Lesley Riley, using her TAP™ Transfer Artist Paper. So simple a project you’ll be tempted to take flight and create a flock.

TAP™ Bluebird of Happiness

By Lesley Riley

Materials:

• TAP™ Transfer Artist Paper 1 - 8.5”x 11”sheet
• Iron
• 1 – 8.5 x 11” sheet of Claudine Hellmuth STUDIO sticky back canvas (makes 2 birds)
• Cerulean Blue Liquitex acrylic ink
• White acrylic paint
• Pattern stamp
• Black or brown Sharpie marker
• Scissors
• Bird Pattern - see image below

Instructions:

1. Print bird pattern (enlarge or reduce pattern as desired) and cut out pattern pieces.

2. Paint sticky-back canvas with a wash of blue acrylic ink. Allow to dry.

3. Stamp pattern on canvas using gesso or white paint. Allow to dry.

4. On paper back of sticky-back canvas, trace pattern pieces as directed and cut out.

5. Print text “Bluebird of Happiness” (in reverse) on TAP™. (Make sure your text will fit onto the wing or use text provided in pattern.

6. Center wing top pattern over printed text, trace and cut TAP™ text.

7. Iron transfer text onto wing top

8. Remove paper backing from wings and adhere left and right wing bottoms to wing top, folding tabs down.

9. To position bird’s eye, use a pin to poke and enlarge a small hole in the eye. Lay pattern on bird body and insert Sharpie marker into hole to mark position.

10. Enlarge eye and color in beak with Sharpie.

11. Starting at beak, remove paper backing halfway on both bird bodies. Stick bodies together.

12. Insert wing tabs between bird bodies at halfway point. Remove rest of backing paper and stick rest of bird body together.

13. Embellish as desired.

Turn your birds (or a whole flock) into a mobile, hanging ornaments, gift tags, etc