Forget about why the chicken crossed the road, why did she tie a balloon to her tail? I mean chickens can already fly, sort of. Whatever the reason, you have to admit it’s a cute image and the perfect size for a quick bookmark project.

CHICKEN COLOURS

I began my bookmark as always with a 2″ x 5-1/2″ strip of card, this time in Thick Whisper White. Then I shaped the top and added the hole at the same time using the Delightful Tag Topper Punch.

Next, from the Hey Birthday Chick Stamp Set I took the chicken with the balloon and stamped it using Tuxedo Black ink. All I had to do now was colour in the image using Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers.

Chickens come in many different colours so I’m not sure exactly why I chose the combination I did. But I began by colouring the whole of the chicken with light Mango Melody. Then I coloured the beak with dark Mango Melody before using the marker to add some scribbles over the feathers.

Turning to the Pumpkin Pie markers I added some more random scribbles in both the light and dark shades. Then I coloured the chicken’s head and feet with the dark Pumpkin Pie. Finally I coloured in her comb with dark Poppy Parade.

Turning to the balloon I used the dark Poppy Parade to colour a sort of crescent moon shape over the left and bottom. Next, with the light poppy Parade I outlined a small oval shape in the top right. Then I coloured the whole of the balloon with the light Poppy Parade, leaving the white oval as a highlight.

ALMOST DONE

Beneath the chicken I used a light and dark Cinnamon Cider Stampin’ Blends to add random horizontal lines. This gave the impression that the chicken’s body and wings were still resting on the ground. With the colouring complete all I needed was something to thread through the hole at the top of the bookmark.

From the Snail Mail Twine Combo Pack I cut 24″ of Whisper White Baker’s Twine before cutting it into four equal pieces. Then I coloured each 6″ piece using the brush tip of some of the Stampin’ Blends I’d used on the chicken. In the end I had one each in dark Mango Melody, dark Pumpkin Pie, light Cinnamon Cider and dark Cinnamon Cider.

After colouring the twine with Stampin’ Blends I’ve discovered it needs a while for the ink to dry completely. So I set it aside while I had breakfast.

Once I’d finished my porridge, I folded the four pieces of twine in half and threaded the loop through the hole at the top of the bookmark. Then I passes the cut ends through the loops and gently pulled to secure them. With that my project was done.

If you’re a chicken fan, you might like the re-released Hey Chick Stamp Set. You’ll find more about that, and some new coordinating dies, in my blog post Old chick, new chick excitement.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS COMING SOON! – After releasing the January to June 2021 Mini Catalogue, Stampin’ Up! announced dies to coordinate with the Hey Birthday Chick Stamp Set. These will be available as part of a bundle which will save you 10% off the cost of buying the stamp set and dies separately. They will be available for customers to buy from February 1st and I’ll add a link as soon as I’m able.