Trend Watch – Feathers

I want to call the trend this week a Trendy Tuesday feathered boomerang trend.   You have probably seen the use of real feathers used in paper projects in the past.  Now there are so many manufacturers that have come out with handy dies and clever crafters that have come up with ways to make their own feathers there is a feathery resurgence I just had to share with you.  I invite you to look through some of these beautiful examples to get inspired anew in the feather trend.

 Michele created this card with stamps from Waltzingmouse , the Fine Feathers set.  The feathers look so realistic I had to look several times to make sure they were stamps.  Her color choice and blending are so lovely.

card by Michelle photo courtesy of Amusing Michelle

Aaron’s card is so colorful and I just love the contrast of the pinks and purples in her card.  You can see the different techniques she used with each feather.  It is so cheerful and perfect for a birthday card.

card by Aaron Brown photo courtesy of Booth #32

Aren’t these die cuts great?  I love the trend of keeping some of the negative of the die within it and coloring it too.  Look at the “spaces” in the feathers that are colored along with the outline.  That just adds a bit of extra interest that is so creative.

card by Robyn Werlich photo courtesy of Studio Calico blog

Rachel had so many fun trends in this card I had to include it.  Plus, I am a sucker for anything pink and this card was right up my alley for the bokeh look in the background, the splatters and of course the awesome pink feathers.

card by Rachel photo courtesy of Seize the Stamp

I haven’t yet started any pocket scrapbooking yet but am obsessed with a good shaker and this super awesome example is so trendy and well done, I just ooohed and aaahed when I saw it.

pocket card by Bronwyn Eastley photo courtesy of AddINKtive Designs

I was totally floored when I saw this mobile and immediately wanted to make one of my own.  Look at the natural curve Allison created on each of her feathers.  The colors are so rich and are perfect for the season.  She stamped and die cut each of the feathers.  It turned out beautifully.

mobile by Allison Okamitsu photo courtesy of Nice People Stamp

Feathers are so versatile.  This next card shows off the lovely white on white design and is used for a simple sympathy card which looks very stately.

card by Mandy photo courtesy of A little Space of my own

They can also be added for a fun color punch like Jingle used in her color on color card below.  The solid nature of the feathers makes it perfect for a deep gold saturation and looks great on this card.

card by Jingle photo courtesy of Just Jingle

I just love how you can use various products you may already have to play with new ways to make this trend your own.  Vellum is a lovely alternative that adds a cool unexpected bonus to your projects.  The feathers look awesome on this thank you card.

card by Heidi Baks photo courtesy of Running with Scissors Stamper

If you follow the link on Rebekah’s site you can see her tutorial for making your own feathers sans the die with washi tape!  You can design them to match whichever paper projects you have going now.

feathers by Rebekah Gough photo courtesy of A Bit of Sunshine when Skies are Grey

Feathers also make a cool background too.  I just love the look Yana creates from her scrap paper.

card by Yana Smakula photo courtesy of Yana Smakula Cardmaking and Scrapbooking

I am very excited to try the emboss resist technique Helen used to create this awesome purple background with the white feathers floating on it.

card by Helen photo courtesy of H2 Designs

If you had not participated in this trend on the first go round, I hope I have inspired you to give it a try for some of your paper projects in the future.  I have also found several products you can check out to help bring the creativity to your crafting desk.  So go ahead… make something pretty.