Nature themed with altered patterned paper

This is a CVC inspiration challenge project.

I've focussed on using flowery paper page from 79 & Market and altering it so it is distressed and has become a more muted and subtle background for the added elements to sit on.

For the background I used a bought panel made of greyboard and a page from the paper pack cutting it to the right size.

Brayer a light coat of gesso randomly over it and when dry add some splatter areas (I used a small stamp block and dipped it in a watery puddle of magic moss paint and got some nice speckles).

 I also used the paints to bring back some of the plant details higher up, by painting them in lightly myself I felt this gave it a nice mixed media effect.

Gather die-cuts and transfers, stamp, colour and fussy cut the flower.

Create a small collage of the elements.

I love these colour swatch transfers created by Katie Pertiet.

xxx

  

Supplies

Tim Holtz - distress oxides -  Walnut Stain, Scorched Timber, Gathered Twigs, Hickory Smoke, Cracked Pistachio, Bundled Sage, Evergreen Bough,

Gesso - White

Tim Holtz Idea-ology - Foliage                                            https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/th92788---tim-holtz-idea-ology---foliage-179530-p.asp

Paperartsy Fresco Finish paints - Magic Moss, Midnight, Haystack, Snowflake

49 & Market Paper pack 8 x 8, Die-cut Elements --- Botanical Buzz. Krafty Garden Rub on transfers,

PaperArtsy - Alison Bomber EAB48 Stamps - Summer Poppies Edition

Arden - Katie Pertiet - Garden Chronicle Transfer set

Tim Holtz punch - Butterfly

Mini Clipboard Entomology

 Bugs and Bees in May

This is my first inspiration project for Country View Crafts this month called Bugs and Bees

Mini Clipboard

Using Tim's die I adhered together a kraft die-cut and a black card over the top and sanded the edges which were then edged with the distress crayon.

The clip was sanded and also had distress crayon rubbed over to distress it.

The panel was added having been cut from one of the panels I made using gathered twigs, pumice stone, old paper and antique linen.

I added a smaller panel using the lighter card to die cut the smaller rectangle.

Building the frame

I used the Entomology stamps and dies and cut them all to choose the bug I wanted to use.

I also used the Field Notes stamps to stamp ephemera with picket fence on black.

I took the black frame and stamped some text using gesso and when it was dry I rubbed over the brown distress crayon to lower the brightness of it.

For the base layer of the background I used exactly the same distress inks and I added more text this time using one of the brown distress inks,

Then I created another distressed panel mounted on black and kraft panel card and distressed the edges.

I soaked the bug and gently moulded it into a curved shape and stuck a piece of wood dowling underneath it to make it look a little more lifelike and be in a standing position rather than laying flat,

I adhered the bug onto the mini clipboard to finish

I do like the additional flowers and the 3D effect of the bug on this frame.

xx

Supplies

Tim Holtz Stamps - Entomology, Field Notes, Ledger Script, Wildflowers CMS253

Tim Holtz dies - Entomology, Vault Noteworthy, Specimen,

Distress Inks - Pumice Stone, Old Paper, Antique Linen, Gathered Twigs, Ground Espresso, Picket Fence

Distress Crayons - Vintage Photo, 

Versa Fine Clair - Nocturne

DecoArt Americana White Gesso

Kraft card, black card and silver card.

Spring Into Life Apple Blossom Frame

 Spring Into Life Apple Blossom Frame

This is a second inspiration project for the Country View Crafts challenge of 'Spring into Life'. I have used the same set of Alison's stamps as I used for my previous project, showing how versatile her stamps can be.

I used Alison Bomber tissue paper from PaperArtsy, cut the blossom part and adhere it to green card and dry. 

Paint the blossom using the the paints and again dry. Make a wash of snowflake and paint it around the blossom lightly and again dry.

Stamp large and small apple blossom stamps using archival ink onto watercolour paper and paint. Dry and slightly cut around the large blossom images so they separate from the leaves. Then spritz water on the back of them and carefully squeeze leaves and blossoms to give them some shape.

Add some textured card to the photo frame and blend some distress oxides over it, spritz and dry. Then brayer one coat of the snowflake paint over it.

Edge all the flowers with brown distress ink and adhere pieces to the frame.

I now have a winter and a summer frame for displaying in my conservatory at the appropriate times of year. I think I will be looking to make a Summer and Autumn one as well.

xxx

Supplies

PaperArtsy Alison Bomber stamps - Apple Blossom Edition EAB46

PaperArtsy Alison Bomber Tissue Paper

PaperArtsy - Fresco Finish paints - Bougainvillea, Blah Mange, Snowflake, Vintage Lace, Haystack, Magic Moss. French Roast.

Distress Oxide - Tattered Rose

Distress Archival ink - Ground Espresso

Ranger 12x12 paper in green (old stock)

Miscellaneous - Ikea Frame, Fabriano watercolour paper 280 gms cold pressed, flower stamens, white bought flowers.

Silhouette Framed

 Every Adventure is Worthwhile 

I enjoyed making my last CVC August frame project and thought I'd try another one to go to 'Men In Sheds' for their fundraising fayre. If you've not heard of Men's sheds before, it's an association where men can meet for connection, conversation and creation and also to make, repair and repurpose mostly wooden items, supporting projects in their local communities. It also helps to improve wellbeing, reduce loneliness and combat social isolation. Since retiring this has given hubby a great place to hang out and develop his love of woodworking.

I used another piece of the woodblocks hubby had cut me, prepped it and layered with the Frenchic chalk paint. The last bar one layer I added the most minute amount of the scottish salmon paint and mixed it in the the fresco paint. When it was dry I rubbed over some vaseline, randomly, and painted the last white layer. I left it to dry but not mature. I warmed it slightly with my heat gun and then rubbed over the surface with some kitchen paper so it revealed some pink areas underneath, then I lightly sanded to smooth the revealed areas and the sandpaper also exposed some more of the underneath layer.

I used a Tim stamp to produce a fabulous pattern, stamped the words to add and punched a black bird to add as my silhouette. 

To finish I used some paper from Tim's correspondence pad for the background in the frame, found a stamped star in my bits box and die-cut a border using tim's provincial embosslit using white card then rubbed a black soot distress ink pad lightly over it, spritzed with water, dried then brayered white chalk paint over the protrusions.

I kept this one quite clean and simple and finished off with some tissue/washi tapes giving me extra words.

Supplies

TH stamp - Classics #3, Nature's Wonder CMS343

Frenchic Chalk Wall Paint

PaperArtsy - Fresco Finish Paint - Scottish Salmon

TH Punch (very old) Bird

TH Paper pad - Correspondence

Use a frame - CVC April #2

 Apple Blossom Frame

The cherry blossom in my garden, that I can see from my workroom window, is stunning and when I was out last month, in the sun, it was buzzing with bees, in fact I can see a few now flying around the flowers, in and out.               (Time of writing 23/03/25)

I have used the beautiful Apple Blossom edition of stamps by my lovely friend Alison Bomber to meet the challenge theme for Country View Crafts. I stamped all the images and then cut them out and watercoloured the blossoms with distress inks.

I adhered the large blossoms in the background and added some wood offcuts to support the frame.

I extended the layer frame to fit the size of the opening and sewed around it to match the rest of the piece.

The background was created using distress inks and clear embossing.

I added elements I had prepared to fill the bottom inside of the frame ...

.... and the top of the frame. The bottles have real dried seed heads, seeds and moss inside them. Some of the labels were bought from Etsy and others I have made myself. You can of course substitute them with TH snippets.

I also added the bird and 'Springtime'.

xx

Supplies

TH Distress Inks - Shabby Shutters, Tumbled Glass, Kitsch Flamingo, Evergreen Bough, Picked Raspberry,

Alison Bomber stamps - Apple Blossom Edition (PaperArtsy EAB46)

TH Idea-ology Layer Frames, Snippets,

TH Sizzix dies - Silhouette Birds

Ranger Archival ink - Peat Moss, 

My own bottles but Tim Holtz has great ones to use.