Spring Into Life Apple Blossoms watercolour

Apple Blossom 

Stamps by Alison Bomber

I am using a technique I taught at Country View Crafts a few weekends ago, Everyone loved it and the effects they achieved.

Stamp and wider stamp the apple blossom to cover approximately half the page. This was a practice one I did.

Paint the images with masking fluid and leave to dry - this is an experiment in a Hobbycraft Shore and Marsh A5 sketchbook which says it is watercolour paper but it does not allow the distress inks to work and react with water like other card and watercolour papers do. So I shall be giving this sketchbook a miss in the future. After stamping over the images with the masking fluid still on and dipping into watery distress ink puddles, I made sure the ink was dry all over and rubbed the masking fluid from the page and then painted the images using  my chosen palette of colours.

From there I made sure I had recorded colours on a colour palette I created and use quite frequently at the moment.

I also made some swatches as I needed to include Rustic Wilderness which was an additional colour at the last minute.

 After adding the words and some thin cheesecloth I cut coloured papers echoing the coloured inks I had used and made the tiny bunting. The composition just needed something in the top right hand corner ......

.... and it finished with a splattering of white using a large white chalk marker.

xx

Supplies

PaperArtsy Alison Bomber stamps - Apple Blossom Edition EAB46

Ranger arhival ink - Watering Can

Tim Holtz distress inks - Scattered Straw, Bundled Sage, Mowed Lawn, Rustic Wilderness, Spun Sugar, Kitsch Flamingo, Vintage Photo and Ground Espresso.

Watercolour book of hearts

'Hearts' - using distress inks like watercolours

 Cut a long strip of watercolour paper - mine was 7 cm wide and 38 cm long.

Crease the central line vertically, cut 1 cm off each end and score at 6 cm to create each page.

Create distressed backgrounds by using stencils - rub some ink randomly over the stencil, spritz with water and lay randomly a couple of times along the strip, repeat with another colour and a different stencil and dry. 

Then take an old credit card or something similar and aged mahogany ink, press one edge into the ink pad, spritz water lightly on the horizontal line of the card pages and push the edge of the credit card into it and watch the colour disperse outwards as it moves into and through the water. Dry and stamp some random text along the line just above and below using aged mahogany ink.

Take some card and using the dip, drip, spritz and dry technique, create distressed backgrounds from which you can die-cut some hearts. I used all the colour inks in my colour palette and the distress spritz sprays as well.

bring the pages together with the die-cut hearts, some thread for texture and rub-ons.

I added distress ink and distress spritz colour palettes and left over hearts to the back pages of the book.

I also made a belly band to keep the booklet together.

 xxx

Supplies

Tim Holtz distress inks - aged mahogany, picked raspberry, candied apple, tattered rose, spun sugar, saltwater taffy, picket fence, 

Tim Holtz distress Spritz - picked raspberry, worn lipstick, tattered rose

Sizzix Tim Holtz dies - Vault Matchbook, Vault lovebirds,

Tim Holtz stamps - Ledger Script CMS241, 

Fabriano watercolour paper, bookmaking thread. punched hearts.

Vintage Heartthrob

 A Vintage style Valentine's card.

Take the background and blend pumice stone distress ink round the edges. 

Using small stencils create some design texture using hickory smoke distress ink.

With  black archival ink stamp some text to add more interest.

Die-cut the 3 hearts from the Vault Lovebirds, score them to fold in half and ink edges with black soot distress ink before gluing together.

Stamp the hearts with black archival ink.

Find some snippets and stamps to add further interest.

 xxx

Supplies

https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-distress-ink--re-inkers-103-c.asp

Stampers Anonymous TH stamps - Watercolor CMS217, Field Notes CMS396,

Stampers Anonymous - TH mini layering stencils set#14, #48

Sizzix TH dies Vault Lovebirds,

Idea-ology - TH Photobooth, Film Strip, Snippets, Ephemera

Blending tools and foams

A Starry Sky

 A second inspiration project for the Country View Crafts Challenge on Facebook where Zoe set the theme as Snowflakes and Stars. I decided to use a mop up piece of card with TH Tiny Stars embossing folder and his Sizzix Dimensional Stars dies.

1. Dip, dip and dry card with Chipped Sapphire distress ink.

2. Put card through the cutting machine in the Tiny Stars embossing folder.

3. Apply foundry wax with finger over the star tops .... 

4. ..... and heat.

5. I wish I'd stamped over the blue, so I stamped now to get some more interest in the background.

6. Cut three stars. (see supplies below)

7. Take a new piece of card and cover in the star washi tape.

8. Mount the background onto dark blue paper and add a narrower washi tape.  The blue pieces I made myself.

 

Supplies from Country View Crafts  

Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Chipped Sapphire, Ground Espresso    https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-distress-ink--re-inkers-103-c.asp

Tim Holtz Distress Archival ink - Ground Espresso                               https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-distress-archival-ink-1235-c.asp

Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlits dies Dimensional Stars                          https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-152-c.asp

Tim Holtz Idea-Ology - Deco sheets Sparkle Classic in gold,      Word Chip   https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-idea-ology-102-c.asp

Tim Holtz Foundry Wax Statue                                                            https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-distress-accessories-storage--and-mediums-855-c.asp

Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous - Ledger Script CMS241                        https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-stamps-by-stampers-anonymous-193-c.asp

My own supplies

 Golden washi tape   and   Fabriano watercolour paper 

Snowflakes

 Hopeful

Snowflakes for Country View crafts

Under New Ownership

The first project for 2026 with CVC having a new owner and Zoe Hillman choosing the first theme.

Every year I am hopeful of a white Christmas but we rarely see snow these days in the south of England - just hoping we might see some in the new year.

The snowflakes were cut using one die and one colour. i altered two of the snowflakes to give them slightly different shapes.

I used acrylic paper and coloured up three pieces differently, 1 - just using the distress ink pad, 2 - blending the same blue over the card and 3 - again the same colour but dip. drip and dry technique.

Ink the edges of the snowflakes with Brown Distress ink and then paint a thin layer of wet glue over them and dip in some sparkly glitter

The backing paper is a piece of Tim's splattered with white paint.

The mount was created using the back of a stencil and some handmade tape added to it.

Other papers I gathered from bits boxes to build a collage

The tapes were made by sticking strips of Scotch Magic Tape onto vellum - you could use greaseproof paper. Blend over distress inks and then stamp with archival ink.

Stamp the 'Hopeful' label with blue archival, cover with clear embossing powder and heat. Ink the edges with blue and brown inks.

Layer up the pieces to put the project together.

Supplies used from https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/

Distress Archival ink – Ground Espresso – Reinker only available in the shop at the moment- https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz---mini-distress-archival-re-inker---ground-espresso-139012-p.asp

Tonic Studios Tim Holtz - Stamp Platform 8.5"X8.5" - https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tonic-studios-tim-holtz---stamp-platform-85x85-75973-p.asp

Tim Holtz paper – from my stockpile but Brenda might be able to purchase it for you.

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paint – Snowflake - https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/paperartsy-chalk-paint-fresco-finish---snowflake-175174-p.asp

DecoArt Americana Decou-Page Sealer/Glue Matte 4OZ  https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/decoart-americana-decou-page-sealerglue-matte-4oz-69604-p.asp

Distress inks – Uncharted Mariner, Black Soot, Ground Espresso  https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-distress-ink--re-inkers-103-c.asp

Sizzix TH dies – Vault Winter Wishes which sold out before Christmas, but Brenda will gladly help you out if you contact her.  https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-152-c.asp

TH Rock Candy Glitter - https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-distress-rock-candy-crystal-glitter-clear-179-oz-179113-p.asp

Clear embossing powder - https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/wow-embossing-powders-15ml---clear-gloss-regular-t-171662-p.asp

49 and Market – Winter Stories Rubons - https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/49-and-market-1673-c.asp