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.

Toadstools

 Stamping Toadstools

“The children of the forest live deep in the roots of an old pine tree. They collect wild mushrooms and blueberries and shelter under toadstools when it rains.”

Elsa Beskow Children of the Forest

I love mushrooms, yes to eat, but also as a shape. I focussed on the Tim Holtz mini toadstool stamps and I made a small concertina book to house them all.

I stamped, painted, distressed all 7 stamps and the whole process focussed me in to light backgrounds, composition, shapes, colour mixing and blending. I used them to add an activity for my second Creative Sketchbook workshop that had a focus on 'Autumn'

Process Steps for all of the toadstools

Stamp chosen colour distress ink.

Stamp first using oxide inks to create the outlines and structures.

Use permanent ink fine black pen to create some of the outline and texture.

Paint DIs and/or oxides in layers similar to watercolouring.

 When dry add details with black pen.

Stamp mask and cut out. When image is dry place mask over.

Create background of your liking.

Toadstool #1

Stamp with Hickory Smoke - dry. Use black pen to start some of the detailing and outlines. Blend and layer colours of both oxides and inks to create a watercolour style. Colours listed below.

When dry add further details and shading with the black pen.

Stamp mask and cut out. When image is dry place mask over.

Blend pumice stone and lost shadow around the image. Drip water droplets on and blot and/or dry. Splatter with any left over inks on your palette and blot before they dry. Stamp texture using walnut stain.

Remove mask

Repeat similar steps of your own with all the toadstools.

xx

Supplies

All
Pens - Uni Pin fine line 0.1 Black, Uni Posca White
TH stamps - Tiny Toadstools CMS377
My supplies - media paper, black card


Toadstools 1
Stamped outline with Hickory Smoke
Colours -
TH - DOxs Hickory Smoke, Lost Shadow, Forest Moss
TH -DIs Picket Fence, Pumice Stone, Gathered Twigs, Rustic Wilderness, Walnut Stain.


Toadstools 2
Stamped outline with Pumice Stone
Colours -
TH - DOxs Vintage Photo
TH -DIs Frayed Burlap,
Paints - Snowflake


Toadstools 3
Stamped outline with Fired Brick
Colours -
TH - DOxs Fired Brick
TH -DIs Rustic Wilderness, Walnut Stain, Picket Fence, Vintage Photo
Paints - Snowflake


Toadstools 4
Stamped outline with Iced Spruce (small ones) and Hickory Smoke (large one)
Colours -
TH - DOxs Iced Spruce, Hickory Smoke
TH -DIs Peacock Feathers, Frayed Burlap
Paints - 

Toadstools 5
Stamped outline with Wilted Violet layered over on the stamp with Iced Spruce
Colours -
TH - DOxs Iced Spruce, Wilted Violet
TH -DIs Villainous Potion
Paints - 

Toadstools 6
Stamped outline with Scorched Timber
Colours -
TH - DOxs Scorched Timber
TH -DIs Scorched Timber, Ground Espresso, Picket Fence, Gathered Twigs
Paints - 

Toadstools 7
Stamped outline with Gathered Twigs and Picket Fence
Colours -
TH - DOxs Scorched Timber, Gathered Twigs, Ground Espresso
TH -DIs Scorched Timber, Ground Espresso, Picket Fence
Paints - Snowflake

Autumn Richness 3 - Berry Panels

 This is my last project post for the September 24 challenge at Country View Crafts challenges on FaceBook. Two little panels that grew to four and now five. I've added one more to complete the series.

            Here they are as a completed collection.

I made a little torn tab booklet to add them to with some collage paper elements.

xx

Autumn Richness 2 - More Berry Panels

  This is my second project for the September 24 challenge at Country View Crafts challenges on FaceBook. Two more little panels that grew to five (one more post to come very soon). 

See the first post here - http://www.bumblebeesandbutterflies.com/2024/09/autumn-richness-1-berry-panels.html

I have used Alison Bomber stamps and just love these berries.

The little diecut leaves on the words panel with berries were cut in red textured card and then scribbled with some ground espresso and forest moss distress watercolor pencils over the leaves and stems and rubbed them in. For more details click the link to the first post above.

xxx

Distress Inks & Oxides - Gathered twigs DO, tea dye DI and also Hickory Smoke DO. vintage photo  and ground espresso DIs, scattered straw and aged mahogany DIs. 

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

Stamps - Alison Bomber - Pressed grasses - Umbels, Pressed Foliage, Pressed Grasses, Fodder Berry

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

Distress Watercolor Pencils  - scorched timber and ground espresso , aged mahogany and candied apple .https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-distress-watercolor-pencils-1598-c.asp

Snippets - Field Notes, Cutator

https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/th94152---tim-holtz-idea-ology---ephemera-pack-snippets---curator-171860-p.asp

Dies - Festive Gatherings, Alphanumeric Tiny Type Lower

https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/sizzix-thinlits-and-framelits-die-sets-wstamps-by-tim-holtz-519-c.asp

Other- white gesso, Tim Holtz Butterfly punch

Autumn Richness 1 - Berry Panels

 This is my first project for the September 24 challenge at Country View Crafts challenges on FaceBook. Two little panels that grew to five (more to come later).

I have used Alison Bomber stamps and just love these berries.

Background for book page panels - dipped and dried - gathered twigs DO.  Repeated with tea dye DI and also Hickory Smoke DO. Brayered white gesso randomly and lightly over the top. I then stamped some of the pressed foliage range of Alison's stamps and some little ephemera stamps with walnut stain DI and covered it with a piece of vellum.

Stamped berries with Clair Pinecone and coloured in with wet aged mahogany and candied apple distress watercolor pencils. Cut them out and added to the panels with sme Tim Holtz snippets and leaves diecut from distress inked backgrounds.

The second panel was put together in the same way as the first but included a Tim Holtz die-cut with words from Alison's stamps.

Materials used

Distress Inks & Oxides - Gathered twigs DO, tea dye DI and also Hickory Smoke DO. vintage photo  and ground espresso DIs, scattered straw and aged mahogany DIs. 

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

Stamps - Alison Bomber - Pressed grasses - Umbels, Pressed Foliage, Pressed Grasses, Fodder Berry

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

Distress Watercolor Pencils  - scorched timber and ground espresso , aged mahogany and candied apple .https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-distress-watercolor-pencils-1598-c.asp

Snippets - Field Notes, Cutator

https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/th94152---tim-holtz-idea-ology---ephemera-pack-snippets---curator-171860-p.asp

Dies - Festive Gatherings, Alphanumeric Tiny Type Lower

https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/sizzix-thinlits-and-framelits-die-sets-wstamps-by-tim-holtz-519-c.asp

Other- white gesso, Tim Holtz Butterfly punch

Mixed Media Eileen Hull Notebook

A  little Notebook, made from an Eileen Hull die, went off to the Craft Stamper to be used for an article about Eileen's dies to celebrate her visit to England last September. It was published in the October 2019 issue and given to Eileen when I saw her at Country View Crafts. (You can see it in the bottom left hand corner on top of the CS magazine.

I chose my colour palette by googling and flicking through my Pinterest board, keeping the colours fresh but vintage at the same time.

Background. 

First there were three layers of brayered paints all mixed to create the colour I wanted from the palette. To start using yellow green light, paynes grey, titan buff and titanium white to get  the darker green colour. Next the beige mixing titan buff, titanium white, burnt umber and paynes grey, and lastly a mix of white and titan buff to lighten it again.

Dip, drip and dry with  a mix of pyrrole orange and paynes grey and rubbed it into the surface - the colour was grabbed by the white card substrate, dry and repeat the process with quinacridone gold but let this layer really drip and dribble before drying.

Next stamp using the entomology text stamp and coffee archival ink.

Use a couple of stencils and a bending tool and blending foam to stencil through both titan buff and titanium white.

Make a weak colour glaze using soft touch varnish, paynes grey, translucent white, yellow green light with a little water mixed together and use this to knock back the background and vintage it up a bit more.

Alter one of Tim's lace baseboard frames with quin gold and titanium white watery paints.

I had some notebooks bought last year and just waiting to be used. Tey fitted perfectly so I bound the nto the spine just going over and through the centre of each booklet using thin elastic.

I used some black thread to pull the elastics together and tie on a typed token at the same time.

For the cover I used some wildflower stems that I watercoloured using media fluid acrylic paints and Tim's new crochet die with one of his quotes too.

Unfortunately I didn't get any more photos taken of the finished design, but I do have this one taken by Craft Stamper which was in the magazine.

I'm catching up a bit with some previous projects and hoping to get to grips with more new ones.

Happy Sunday.

xxx

Shabby Mini Album for DecoArt and Tando Creative

An 'Encore' Post

I made this little album for Di as a sample to take to her Hochanda show at the beginning of March and this was also my DecoArt Media Team Project too. I know some of you will have seen this already but I always like to bring my work back into the fold here at Bumblebees and Butterflies.

It was fun experimenting with painted lace covers and some small collage panels inside.
I am also sharing it over at Tando Creative.

Using lace as the texture for my front cover proved to be a great way of getting the shabby chic effects I wanted and it really didn’t take too long. 

Process steps 

1. Take the mini boards and using matte medium some lace onto the outer covers. Let dry naturally or speed the process up with a heat gun.

2. Add a fine layer of texture sand paste in the gaps between each row of lace and again dry.

3. Take the cover boards and the page inserts and paint everything with a coat of white gesso on both sides.

4. When everything is bone dry sand the edges and any rough spots then use a natural sponge to blend over a neutral palette of media acrylic paints mixing the colours on the project spritzing and blending them together with a babywipe as you go. Dry each layer before adding another. I used burnt umber, titanium white and titan buff.

5. Because I wanted the next layer of watery paint to seep into the recesses and not into the lace I gave the covers a couple of coats of matte medium. When they were dry I dipped and spritzed the washes over them then took some time to add the colours directly into the recesses with a small brush heat drying as I went.

6. Now came the time to add embellishments to the front cover…..

7. …. and to add some collages to each of the pages and some uplifting words.

Here are some close ups -

8. Once assembled I added some American seam binding to tie it together.

Thanks for popping in today and -

xxx

Supplies

DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics - Raw Umber, Titan Buff, Titanium White, Burnt Umber 

DecoArt Media Speciality - Media White Gesso, Media Texture Sand Paste, Media Matte Medium

Tando Creative Mini Album/ Journal 

Lace and embellishments 

Vintage photos and collage fabric scraps