Shabby Wings

 A project for Country View Crafts

Dragonflies

See both pages at the end of this post

I find it impossible to visualise finished projects so although I had no preconceived ideas about how the panels would look when I’d finished them I was thinking “shabby wings” but also I had the 4 dragonfly colours in my head and the idea that I really wanted to add to the lines that Tim Holtz had designed in the Dragonfly stamp.

Process steps

Take piece of watercolour paper and use low tack masking tape and lay across centre, both landscape and portrait directions, and half the size along the edges. Give each panel a coat of white gesso

Blend some Pumice Stone in random places and spritz the ink with water. Hold paper up to let ink move around a bit and then heat dry.

Mask off bits of the stamp you don't want to be stamped ie the bottom line and the round button and ink up. I used Versafine Claire Nocturne and Pinecone.

You can see they didn't come out brilliantly but I'm not too worried as I am getting out the distress inks and my coloured permanent pens, gold and silver pens and my Posca paint markers to see where they take me. I have no preconceived ideas here other than the dragonfly colours I have in my head and I really want to add to the lines that Tim Holtz had designed in the Dragonfly stamp.

I pulled out those Distress Ink colours and did a wet stamping on each dragonfly, spritzing them with water before they were dried. I'm absolutely loving the distressed look that's starting to appear!

I chopped the large sheet up so each panel had a clean white frame and then worked on each one until I was happy with it. They are all different!

The Cracked Pistachio was the first to get my attention. 

I added extra black lines and used a similar mint green paint marker for additional lines and for the dragonfly body. I also lightly stamped some text. I stamped the button 4 times on card with versamark and added silver embossing powder and created the button separately to add to each panel.

Here's the blue one ad this is where I introduced the rub on transfers by Katie Pertiet.

Then the purple one and I moved the button to a different place.

Finally the brown one and it's definitely my favourite.

I loved creating these, I spent quite a lot of time on them and they are not as shabby as I thought they might be ..........

.... but I'm really happy with the outcomes.

Here they have been added to my sketchbook.

I distressed the page and the collage strips ...

added some secondand third generation text stamping and then ruled in some lines to bring that effect out into the whole page. I also added some TH transparent wings.

Here's a happy find, I was transferring watery ground espresso ink onto the sketchbook page and dabbing the splodges dry but all of a sudden I realised I was getting grid marks appearing. I was using a Tim Holtz stamp block that has the grid marks on and i was picking up the ink on the ridged side (not the smooth side as on the next page (which I completed first!). Love it - something I will try again maybe?

xx

Supplies

Tim Holtz stamps - Classics #1,  

Distress Inks, Pumice Stone, Ground Espresso, Cracked Pistachio, Villainous Potion, Uncharted Mariner

Tim Holtz Collage Strips - large

Tim Holtz - Remnant Rubs

Tim Holtz - Transparent Wings

Tim Holtz - Small Talk Sticker Book

Arden - Rub On Transfers - Katie Pertiet Garden Chronicles

Katie Pertiet stamps - Chronicle Remnants

Versafine Claire Nocturne and Pinecone

Versamark and silver embossing powder

Posca pens 0.1 black, sepia

Posca Paint Markers - Light BLUE, lavender, Glacier Blue, Blue, Aqua Green, Silver

Masking tape

Autumn Vibes #7

 A project for Country View Crafts 

October Challenge Autumn Vibes #7

Take Six Stamps

and make 7 panels - this is 7/7

Here is the link to the first panel where the vital information is. It refers to the colours and process steps for all the panels 1-7

http://www.bumblebeesandbutterflies.com/2026/10/autumn-vibes-2.html

Having started with 7 pieces of card postcard size, 14 x 9.5 cms, I am so pleased with the results and these have inspired me to work more often in multiples using the same collection of stamps, stencils, colours, mediums etc.

I love choosing palettes of colours and experimenting with tones and shades and this style of working will give me plenty of opportunities to mix and match in my own way.

It's also enabled me to experiment with using pens, brushes and products to extend and enhance the finished designs by adding more details and drawings of my own to complement the stamps and stencils that I started with, ie as I have done on these 7 panels by extending lines and patterns and drawing some of the flower heads myself. 

I have also been able to make little box palettes and swatch labels with just the brown and blue stains, and also add arty embellishments to bring both my love of art and craft together.

It's amazing how creative you can be with just a small amount of materials to use.

Process steps

Stamp individual stamps on all pages first.

Dip and dry each page using distress spray stains.

Use black permanent pen to add more details - particularly the small flowers.

Use stain, gesso and Dr PH Martin's white ink/gesso to hand paint the flowers.

Used my own swatches and box palettes to add as embellishments.

When the panels were completed I added them to my A4 sketchbook. These are the two pages with 4 1/2 panels on each page.

xx

Supplies

Stamps - - - - - -

Tim Holtz - Classics #3 SCF003, Correspondence CMS225, Flower Jar CMS297, Botanic Collage CMS447, Victorian, CMS300.

Katie Pertiet - Chronicle Remnants

Alison Bomber - Poppy Edition EAB37

Dies - Tim Holtz - Specimen 665930

Distress spray stains - walnut stain, vintage photo, stormy sky

Distress inks - stormy sky, Chipped Sapphire

Decoart - white gesso

VersaFine Clair ink - Nocturne, Pinecone

Ranger Archival ink - Coffee

Idea - ology - Transparent Moths, Postmarked Sticker Book, Remnant Rubs

49 & Market - Crafty Garden Essentials Rub On Transfers

Autumn Vibes #6

  A project for Country View Crafts 

October Challenge Autumn Vibes #6

Take Six Stamps

and make 7 panels - this is 6/7

There are 6 more of these panels for you to refer to as individuals in a series. 

Here is the link to the first panel where the vital information is. It refers to the colours and process steps for all the panels 1-7

http://www.bumblebeesandbutterflies.com/2026/10/autumn-vibes-2.html

Process steps

Stamp individual stamps on all pages first.

Dip and dry each page using distress spray stains.

Use black permanent pen to add more details - particularly the small flowers.

Use stain, gesso and Dr PH Martin's white ink/gesso to hand paint the flowers.

Used my own swatches and box palettes to add as embellishments.

xx

Supplies

Stamps - -Tim Holtz - Classics #3 SCF003, Correspondence CMS225, Flower Jar CMS297, Botanic Collage CMS447, Victorian, CMS300.

Katie Pertiet - Chronicle Remnants

Alison Bomber - Poppy Edition EAB37

Dies - Tim Holtz - Specimen 665930

Distress spray stains - walnut stain, vintage photo, stormy sky

Distress inks - stormy sky, Chipped Sapphire

Decoart - white gesso

VersaFine Clair ink - Nocturne, Pinecone

Ranger Archival ink - Coffee

Idea - ology - Transparent Moths, Postmarked Sticker Book, Remnant Rubs

49 & Market - Crafty Garden Essentials Rub On Transfers

Autumn Vibes #5

 A project for Country View Crafts 

October Challenge Autumn Vibes #5

Take Six Stamps

and make 7 panels - this is 5/7

There are 6 more of these panels for you to refer to as individuals in a series. 

Here is the link to the first panel where the vital information is. It refers to the colours and process steps for all the panels 1-7

http://www.bumblebeesandbutterflies.com/2026/10/autumn-vibes-2.html

Process steps

Stamp individual stamps on all pages first.

Dip and dry each page using distress spray stains.

Use black permanent pen to add more details - particularly the small flowers.

Use stain, gesso and Dr PH Martin's white ink/gesso to hand paint the flowers.

Used my own swatches and box palettes to add as embellishments.

xx

Supplies

Stamps - -Tim Holtz - Classics #3 SCF003, Correspondence CMS225, Flower Jar CMS297, Botanic Collage CMS447, Victorian, CMS300.

Katie Pertiet - Chronicle Remnants

Alison Bomber - Poppy Edition EAB37

Dies - Tim Holtz - Specimen 665930

Distress spray stains - walnut stain, vintage photo, stormy sky

Distress inks - stormy sky, Chipped Sapphire

Decoart - white gesso

VersaFine Clair ink - Nocturne, Pinecone

Ranger Archival ink - Coffee

Idea - ology - Transparent Moths, Postmarked Sticker Book, Remnant Rubs

49 & Market - Crafty Garden Essentials Rub On Transfers

Autumn Vibes #4

A project for Country View Crafts 

October Challenge Autumn Vibes #4

Take Six Stamps   

and make 7 panels - this is 4/7

There are 6 more of these panels for you to refer to as individuals in a series. 

Here is the link to the first panel where the vital information is. It refers to the colours and process steps for all the panels 1-7

http://www.bumblebeesandbutterflies.com/2026/10/autumn-vibes-2.html

Process steps

Stamp individual stamps on all pages first.

Dip and dry each page using distress spray stains.

Use black permanent pen to add more details - particularly the small flowers.

Use stain, gesso and Dr PH Martin's white ink/gesso to hand paint the flowers.

Used my own swatches and box palettes to add as embellishments.

xx

Supplies

Stamps - -Tim Holtz - Classics #3 SCF003, Correspondence CMS225, Flower Jar CMS297, Botanic Collage CMS447, Victorian, CMS300.

Katie Pertiet - Chronicle Remnants

Alison Bomber - Poppy Edition EAB37

Dies - Tim Holtz - Specimen 665930

Distress spray stains - walnut stain, vintage photo, stormy sky

Distress inks - stormy sky, Chipped Sapphire

Decoart - white gesso

VersaFine Clair ink - Nocturne, Pinecone

Ranger Archival ink - Coffee

Idea - ology - Transparent Moths, Postmarked Sticker Book, Remnant Rubs

49 & Market - Crafty Garden Essentials Rub On Transfers

Autumn Vibes #3

A project for Country View Crafts 

October Challenge Autumn Vibes #3

Take Six Stamps

and make 7 panels - this is 3/7

There are 6 more of these panels for you to refer to as individuals in a series. 

Here is the link to the first panel where the vital information is. It refers to the colours and process steps for all the panels 1-7

http://www.bumblebeesandbutterflies.com/2026/10/autumn-vibes-2.html

Process steps

Stamp individual stamps on all pages first.

Dip and dry each page using distress spray stains.

Use black permanent pen to add more details - particularly the small flowers.

Use stain, gesso and Dr PH Martin's white ink/gesso to hand paint the flowers.

Used my own swatches and box palettes to add as embellishments.

                                  

xx

Supplies

Stamps - -Tim Holtz - Classics #3 SCF003, Correspondence CMS225, Flower Jar CMS297, Botanic Collage CMS447, Victorian, CMS300.

Katie Pertiet - Chronicle Remnants

Alison Bomber - Poppy Edition EAB37

Dies - Tim Holtz - Specimen 665930

Distress spray stains - walnut stain, vintage photo, stormy sky

Distress inks - stormy sky, Chipped Sapphire

Decoart - white gesso

VersaFine Clair ink - Nocturne, Pinecone

Ranger Archival ink - Coffee

Idea - ology - Transparent Moths, Postmarked Sticker Book, Remnant Rubs

49 & Market - Crafty Garden Essentials Rub On Transfers

Autumn Vibes #2

 A project for Country View Crafts 

October Challenge Autumn Vibes #2

Take Six Stamps

and make 7 panels - this is 2/7

There are 6 more of these panels for you to refer to as individuals in a series. 

Here is the link to the first panel where the vital information is. It refers to the colours and process steps for all the panels 1-7

http://www.bumblebeesandbutterflies.com/2026/10/autumn-vibes-2.html

So continuing with my chosen palette of stormy sky, chipped sapphire, walnut stain and vintage photo I brought together another design. They've come out rather bright on this close up but they are deeper irl.

Process steps

Stamp individual stamps on all pages first.

Dip and dry each page using distress spray stains.

Use black permanent pen to add more details - particularly the small flowers.

Use stain, gesso and Dr PH Martin's white ink/gesso to hand paint the flowers.

Used my own swatches and box palettes to add as embellishments.

Please visit #7 for the sketchbook photo.

xx

Supplies

Stamps - -Tim Holtz - Classics #3 SCF003, Correspondence CMS225, Flower Jar CMS297, Botanic Collage CMS447, Victorian, CMS300.

Katie Pertiet - Chronicle Remnants

Alison Bomber - Poppy Edition EAB37

Dies - Tim Holtz - Specimen 665930

Distress spray stains - walnut stain, vintage photo, stormy sky

Distress inks - stormy sky, Chipped Sapphire

Decoart - white gesso

VersaFine Clair ink - Nocturne, Pinecone

Ranger Archival ink - Coffee

Idea - ology - Transparent Moths, Postmarked Sticker Book, Remnant Rubs

49 & Market - Crafty Garden Essentials Rub On Transfers

Autumn Vibes October #1

 A project for Country View Crafts 

October Challenge Autumn Vibes #1

Take Six Stamps

(and make 7 panels - this is 1/7)

The endless days of our amazing summer heatwaves are officially behind us, and the autumn shift has begun. You can feel it in the crisp morning air and see it as the daylight draws in. As plants slow down and their sap begins to drop, nature is trading its vibrant greens for the rich, warm colours of a new season. It’s time to welcome cooler mornings, cozy layers, and the beautiful transition of autumn. 

My chosen colours for these panels is —Stormy Sky, Chipped Sapphire, Walnut Stain, and Vintage Photo— these perfectly capture this shifting season. It brings to mind a beautiful day spent outdoors under clear blue skies, where the last flowers of the season still echo the warmth of our long, hot summer. Before the deep autumn fully takes over, our parks and gardens are alive with these exact tones: the lingering brights of summer mixed with the new, rusty edges and prominent veins of changing leaves.

To build the backgrounds, I gathered six stamps from various sets, three Distress Spray Stains, and my trusty black Uni-ball permanent pens. I used the pens to add extra depth and detail, extending the stamped lines and patterns, and even hand-drawing some of the flower heads myself. Once I was happy with the overall look, I began painting the flowers using a mix of the stains and gesso. To finish the panels, I created tiny box palettes and custom swatch labels using just the brown and blue stains to tie the theme together.

To finish them off, I added a few arty embellishments and inked the edges of each panel for a beautiful, framed look. It is truly amazing how creative you can be with just a small selection of materials! 

I’d love for you to follow along as all seven panels come to life.

 In my final post on October 19th, I will share the pages of my sketchbook, where they all come together beautifully to showcase the stunning colours of autumn.

Process steps

Stamp individual stamps on all pages first.

Dip and dry each page using distress spray stains.

Use black permanent pen to add more details - particularly the small flowers.

Use stain, gesso and Dr PH Martin's white ink/gesso to hand paint the flowers.

I used my own designed swatches and box palettes to add as embellishments.

xx

Supplies

Stamps - -Tim Holtz - Classics #3 SCF003, Correspondence CMS225, Flower Jar CMS297, Botanic Collage CMS447, Victorian, CMS300.

https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-collection-193-c.asp

Katie Pertiet - Chronicle Remnants

https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/arden-creative-studio-1792-c.asp

Alison Bomber - Poppy Edition EAB37

https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/alison-bomber-by-paperartsy-1731-c.asp

Dies - Tim Holtz - Specimen 665930

https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-by-sizzix-152-c.asp

Distress spray stains - walnut stain, vintage photo, stormy sky

https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/spray-stains-696-c.asp

Distress inks - stormy sky, Chipped Sapphire

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

Dina Wakely- white gesso

https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/dina-wakley-media-heavy-body-acrylic-paint-1oz---white--gesso-138601-p.asp

VersaFine Clair ink - Nocturne, Pinecone

https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/versafine-clair-ink-pads-and-re-inkers-1311-c.asp

Ranger Archival ink - Coffee

https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/ranger-archival-inks-108-c.asp

Idea - ology - Transparent Moths, Postmarked Sticker Book, Remnant Rubs

https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/idea-ology-102-c.asp

49 & Market - Crafty Garden Essentials Rub On Transfers

https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/49-and-market-1673-c.asp