Saturday, 13 September 2025

September DT Project 1 For Country View Crafts and Challenges - Hello Fall

Hello and welcome to my September DT post for Country View Crafts and Challenges with the theme ‘Hello Fall - Use Rust Colour Tones', hosted by our lovely team member Fiona. 

The challenge is open worldwide and you can join the group here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/164920247712393


You must use products from brands that Country View Crafts stocks and please list them in your entry. You can enter 5 times each month with different projects. 

We’ve got a fabulous prize that one randomly selected winner will win this month. 

Recently Tim Holtz Sizzix re-released some dies and this fabulous leaf set was one of them. I already had this from the first time round so it was lovely to see it back again. It is one of my favourites. 

I thought I'd make a card to have on hand when I need one.

First I added Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks to vellum - using Fall tones - Latte, Terra Cotta, Butterscotch and Mushroom. I spritzed some Isopropyl Alcohol to move these around and then gave one final spritz on top, and it gave this lovely mottled effect.
 
 
Then I ran the vellum and the leaf dies through my die cutting machine. This is such fun! They look gorgeous. 
 
 
 
From there, I brayered some PaperArsty Fresco Chalk Paints onto cartridge paper and left to almost dry. I used Vintage Lace, Rusty, Pumice, Kiln, Pumpkin Soup and French Roast.
 
 
Next, I rubbed some Jet Black Archival ink onto the Tim Holtz 3D Texture Fades Embossing Folder - Cracked A5 Large - and placed my painted paper in this and ran through my Big Shot Switch machine. Oooh, it's come out looking very sumptuous! 
 
 
I stamped the Squirrel from the Visible Image stamp set - 'Nuts About Squirrels',  heat embossed this with black embossing powder, and painted the Squirrel with some Distress Watercolor pencils and fussy cut out.
 

Then it was time to put my card together - I decided on a square shape so cut my black border card to fit the craft card that would form the base, and glued this on. Then I cut the 3D Textures Embossed Cracked background to fit the black layer, leaving a border around it, and glued this down. 
I laid out the leaves and where my Squirrel would sit and glued these down into place. I didn't glue the leaves and the Squirrel fully down to the page as I wanted some 'movement' to them.
I've left a gap top right so that I can add a sentiment to it when I need it.

And here's my 'Hello Fall' card - I hope you like it.
 

If you've enjoyed reading my blog, please do leave a message if you get a moment.
Thank you for stopping by and don't forget to check out the Challenge over Facebook and join in too.

hugs
Carol x


Products used:
(If an item is out of stock you can always ask Susan to see if she can order it in for you).

Tim Holtz 665559 Sizzix Leaf Fragments

Tim Holtz 3D Texture Fades Embossing Folder Cracked A5 Large

Tim Holtz Ranger Alcohol Inks
 
Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Watercolor Pencils

Visible Image Nuts About Squirrels stamp

PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk Paints
https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/fresco-chalk-paints-1734-c.asp
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Monday, 8 September 2025

Simon Says Stamp - It’s STAMPtember 2025!!

Hellooo,
So who’s excited about STAMPtember? I know I am and I am ecstatic to be chosen to receive a special STAMPtember stamp set from Heidi, the founder of Simon Says Stamp. They did a call out in August for people to apply to receive a set and spread the STAMPtember word, and I was amongst those chosen. You cannot imagine my joy at being picked and receiving this awesome set. It was released on the first day as part of the Simon Says Stamp special releases. 
 
These sets, and all of the STAMPtember releases, are only available while stocks last, so if you don’t buy when you see them, they won’t be restocked and you’ll miss out. 
You can find all of the collaborations here as they arrive each day.

Straight away I knew I wanted to do an old look recipe page, in vintage colours, when I looked at the set I'd received which was STAMPtember Baked With Love 2269ssc. 
In my journal I stamped the cupboard with Ranger Distress Ink Ground Espresso. I had spritzed this with a little water as I wanted it to be a bit blurred. I went a little bit too heavy in the middle with the water, so I ended up free hand drawing over some of the lines with brown marker to define them a little. 
I dabbed Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Inks Vintage Photo and Ground Espresso onto my non stick mat and with a water brush, I water-coloured in the cupboard. I stamped the jars on the top of the cupboard and also the picture frame with Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Ink Ground Espresso and water-coloured these too with Ground Espresso, Vintage Photo, Tea Stain and Festive Berries. 
I blended some of the browns with water around the cupboard and below it to further give an aged look to the scene and make look like a room. 
I stamped the girl on separate white card, with Ground Espresso and VersaFine Clair Acorn and then coloured her in with the inks as detailed above. I went over her outlines with the brown marker to define her a little more and glued her down onto the scene. 

I made up the little ‘recipe poem’ and you are welcome to reuse it in your makes if you’d like to. 

I composed the text on my computer and printed it onto tissue collage paper (I attached this to a piece of copier paper so it would run through printer ok). 
Then I went around it with a line of water so the tissue would tear away easily. 
I adhered this with Tim Holtz Collage Medium and finished it off with some Tim Holtz Idea-ology Cello Sticker Tape. 

And here’s my first make with my STAMPtember gift from Simon Says Stamp. 
I hope you like it. 
 
 
You could use this set to make multiple recipe pages or recipe greeting cards to give to friends. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I hope you’ve been inspired by my make to try this for yourself. 
Have a great day
Hugs 
Carol 

Use #Stamptember to search for more STAMPtember makes on Social Media

You can find all the products I used here:

STAMPtember Baked With Love set1045bl Stamps and Dies

STAMPtember Baked With Love 2269ssc stamps only 

Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Inks

Ground Espresso
Walnut Stain
Tea Dye
Festive Berries

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Cello Sticker Tape

Tim Holtz Water Brush 

Tim Holtz Glass Media Mat

VersaFine Clair Acorn 


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Wednesday, 13 August 2025

August DT Project 2 For Country View Crafts and Challenges - Silhouettes

Hello there, 

I’m back with my second DT project for the theme that I’m hosting this month for Country View Crafts and Challenges, which is Silhouettes.

The challenge is open worldwide and you can join the group here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/164920247712393


You must use products from brands that Country View Crafts stocks and please list them in your entry. You can enter 5 times each month with different projects. 

We’ve got a fabulous prize that one randomly selected winner will win this month - the Sizzix 662386 Witchcraft by Tim Holtz die set AND a set of the new Distress Oxide Mini Ink Pads 4 Piece Set #6.

So, as some of us turn towards thoughts of Halloween, I decided to use some of the new ‘second time around’ release dies from Tim Holtz.  
If you missed these the first time round, now is your chance to get them. Country View Crafts has got them all in stock here:

For my second project, I’ve used my Dylusions square journal to create a 3 layer picture. It’s a bit of fun and I thoroughly enjoyed coming up with this idea and how to make it work. 

I die cut out the silhouette elements first - the characters from Tim Holtz Sizzix 662384 Trick or Treat as my main focal image. I didn’t want to cut the bottom out as a thin line as I needed it deeper to act as a page, so I moved the die to leave a bottom piece on it when I cut it, just like Tim demonstrated in his recent Live release of these Sizzix dies. You can find it here: 
 

 Next I cut out the Tim Holtz Sizzix 662378 Haunted House, leaving a bottom piece as before, except it would form the second page so needed a longer bottom than that of the first one. 

And in keeping with the trick or treat theme, I die cut out the trick or treat words on black card. 

I die cut the moon from Tim Holtz Sizzix 666386 using a piece of card that I’d previously inked with tea dye (I think) and added frayed burlap, squeezed lemonade and fired brick to colour. 
 
 
Then I turned my attention to decorating my third page, the actual background. 
I wanted it to look like there was a fire in the background going into night sky, so I blended Distress Inks -  Squeezed Lemonade, Spiced Marmalade and Fired Brick blended a third up from the bottom,  to almost the top of the page. Then at the top I added some dark tones with Chipped Sapphire and Black Soot. I also blended Black Soot at the bottom of the page which made it look a little like a wasteland. 
Using the straw part of the spray,  I splattered some Distress Spritz Hickory Smoke to give it a lift like ash rising but not so much that it’s in your face. 
 
 
Once dry, I stencilled the bats from Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous THS184 with Distress Glow Paste. I wanted some texture there but not to take over the page, so the Glow Paste gives a hint of texture in the daylight and of course, glows in the dark. 
 
 
I added some of Tim’s marbled Washi tape in random strips to the bottom of the page to tie in with the Washi that I was using to adhere the silhouette die cut pages. 

So, for the hidden trick or treat reveal - I stamped the Mummy and pumpkin basket from Tim’s Stampers Anonymous Unravelled CMS452 with Black Archival Ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I coloured these with Distress Watercolor Pencils in Antique Linen, Squeezed Lemonade, Spiced Marmalade and Fired Brick, and then fussy cut out. Gotta love a Mummy! 


 
Then it was a matter of compiling the pages. 
I placed the Mummy on the background under where the Haunted House would be so that it was covered, but leaving the left side of the Mummy unglued for the time being. 
I added the words Trick or Treat with foam dots to the moon and glued this in place on my page. 
 
I folded the Washi tape in half and added half to the the left underside of the Haunted House ‘page’ gluing it to make sure it was secure. Then I folded the other half back on itself and glued this part onto the background in the journal so the Haunted House opened like a page. 
 
(I didn't take a photo of my process for this as I was in the 'assembling groove' - lol, so here's a photo of how it would look).
 
I added some torn strips of the Washi tape to blend in the line and then glued the left side of the Mummy down over the top of this. 
I repeated this to the right side of the Trick or Treaters page. 
I painted over the Washi tape on the backs of the black pages with Black Gesso as I didn’t want the Washi tape showing as such. 
 
 

And here you have my Trick or Treat journal page. 
I hope it’ll inspire you to try out a 3 layer make - this could also work for a card too, and maybe enter into our Challenge on Facebook.
 

 
Thank you for stopping by to check out my blog. 
Hugs
Carol x 


Products used:
(If an item is out of stock you can always ask Susan to see if she can order it in for you). 

Tim Holtz Sizzix Trick or Treat

Tim Holtz Sizzix Haunted House

Tim Holtz Sizzix 666386 Moonlight


Distress Spritz

Distress Inks

Distress Grit Paste Glow 

Distress Watercolor Pencils

Archival Ink Jet Black

Dyan Reaveley Dylusions Creative Journal Square

Wow Clear Embossing Powder

Wow Embossing Pad

Wow Dual Speed Heat Tool
https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/wow-dual-speed-heat-tool---uk-134352-p.asp
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Friday, 1 August 2025

August DT Project 1 For Country View Crafts and Challenges - Silhouettes

Happy August!
 
I hope you're all keeping well and survived the heatwave we recently had. Some of my herbs didn't seem to like it much - I'm not sure if I overwatered them or not enough. :-D
 
It’s my turn to host this month's theme for Country View Crafts and Challenges on Facebook and I’ve chosen Silhouettes. 
The challenge is open worldwide and you can join the group here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/164920247712393


You must use products from brands that Country View Crafts stocks. You can enter 5 times each month with different projects and one winner will be selected randomly. And you won't want to miss out on the prize this month! It's the Sizzix 662386 Witchcraft by Tim Holtz die set AND a set of the new Distress Oxide Mini Ink Pads 4 Piece Set #6. What a prize this is!!

 

So to be clear - according to Google... 

'A silhouette is a solid, usually dark shape, representing the outline of a subject against a lighter background.'
It's a visual representation where the interior of the subject is filled with a single color, typically black, emphasizing the form rather than detailed features. Silhouettes are often used to create a striking contrast and can evoke a sense of mystery or simplicity'.
In Mixed Media, I've also seen this done as a light silhouette against a darker or coloured background - Dina Wakley quite often does this and it has a lovely effect.

But here are some guidelines too...
Basically, so long as the image is a solid block, then it's a silhouette.
I also feel it must be something that you can recognise. If you just plonked a circle or a rectangle on as the focal point on your page - it kind of doesn't say what your picture is about - but yes, this could be just abstract I guess.
But if you put a bow on top of the rectangle, instantly that's recognisable as a gift. 
Or if you added a string line from the top of the page to the circle, that gives the impression of a hanging bauble.
 
You can also use numerous items to create your silhouette - stamps, dies and stencil masks are all very easy to use. Then you can concentrate on what you're going to do for your background. The background really becomes what you would work on rather the focal point. Choose what you are going to use for your main image and then work around that.

Anyway, without further ado, here's my first make for the month.
 
I picked out which stamp set that I was going to create with and I chose the Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Theories CMS329. 
 
 
I wanted to show how easy it is to make a couple of cards quickly and still be really effective looking. Of course, you can make multiple cards at the same time like this.

Using Distress Inks, I created my 2 inky backgrounds on Tim Holtz Mixed Media Card. I used Distress Inks Tea Dye, Frayed Burlap, Speckled Egg and Fossilized Amber (Oxide) in that order, drying in between each smooshing.   

Then I randomly stencilled over these with Distress Ink Fossilized Amber using the spotted stencil from Tim Holtz Layering Stencils that came with a clear stamp set but you can also use the one from the Mini Set #48 as it's got the same type of spots.

I also stamped the sentiment I was going to use, with Archival Frayed Burlap, second generation prints.


Once dry, using a stamping platform, in Black VersaFine Clair, I stamped my chosen image and then heat embossed this with clear embossing powder. 

I also left one as a plain black stamped image. Both were then added to black cardstock and a border cut around them.

I dug out my very cheap sewing machine and sewed around the edges because I hardly ever use it and thought it'd be good for this project, but of course you don't have to sew the edges. You could just draw a scribbly line around it.

I added a brad in each corner and lightly hammered these with the Tim Holtz Idea-ology Tiny Texture Hammer.

Finally I mounted them onto kraft cardstock and here's the finished cards. I cut one a little smaller to make the image bigger in the frame, so you have two sizes for comparison.

Thanks for stopping by to look at my blog. I hope you'll maybe try this out for yourself and enter into the challenge at Country View Crafts and Challenges on Facebook - it really is a fabulous prize to win. See you there.

Have a great day,
hugs
Carol x

Products used:
(If something is out of stock you can always contact Susan to see if she can get it in for you)
 
Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Theories

Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Inks
 
Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Oxide
 
Tim Holtz Layering Stencils - Mini Set 48
 
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Tiny Texture Hammer

If you would like to purchase the die set and ink pads without entering you can find them here:
 
Distress Mini Oxide Ink Pads - 4 Pack

Sizzix Witchcraft 662386

 
 
 




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Tuesday, 15 July 2025

July DT Project 2 For Country View Crafts and Challenges - The Great Outdoors

Hello,

It’s time for my second DT make for July for Country View Crafts and Challenges, with the theme ‘The Great Outdoors’ and we’re  certainly making the most of the outdoors at the moment with the heatwave we’re having. 

 

The challenge is open worldwide and you can join the group here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/164920247712393


You must use products from brands that Country View Crafts stocks. You can enter 5 times each month with different projects and one winner will be selected randomly. There's a fabulous PaperArtsy Summer Poppies stamp set designed by Alison Bomber to be won for the lucky winner.

 

I love squirrels and decided to use the Visible Image Nuts About Squirrels stamp for my project this time. 

First I prepped my background with a blend of Cosmic Shimmers by laying clean water randomly down first on my journal page. Lightly tapped the powder from the nozzles over this and then blended in with the water with a paintbrush and left this to dry. 

I smooshed some Distress Inks over the Visible Image Mesh It Up stencil and then spritzed with water. 
I made a print with this on some paper, then did a secondary print on my journal page.



I stamped the squirrel and some acorns onto white card with Nocturne Versafine Clair ink and cut these out. I also stamped some maple leaves from Erikas Maple set and fussy cut these out too. 
 

I stamped the city outline from Visible Image The Right Direction set with Versafine Clair Morning Mist as I wanted to give a nod to  how some squirrels co-exist with city life. 
Using the words ‘Evolve’ and ‘Resilience’ from Visible Image The Right Direction stamp set, I part inked in Rustic Wilderness and Stormy Sky Distress Inks and then spritzed a little with water before placing on my background.
Then I lightly splattered the background with a watered down Pumice Stone Distress Ink (smooshed onto a stamping block) and also splattered the cut outs. 
 

I cut out a Polaroid frame from a template I got from the internet which I printed out.
 
 
For the squirrel and some of the maple leaves and acorns, I watercoloured these using Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor pencils. 
I left the rest of my stamped images black and white. 

Then it was a matter of compiling my picture, placing the Polaroid frame and then tucking in the cutouts around it. 

And here is my second project for The Great Outdoors.


Thanks taking the time to visit my blog. I hope you’ll be inspired to try out some of my techniques and join in the Challenge - it's always awesome to see what people make for the theme.

Have a great day
Hugs
Carol 



Products used:
(If something is out of stock you can always contact Susan to see if she can get it in for you)

Visible Image Nuts About Squirrels

Visible Image Erikas Maple

Visible Image The Right Direction

Visible Image Dragonfly Reflection

Visible Image Mesh It Up Stencil

Cosmic Shimmer

https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/cosmic-shimmer---pixie-burst---green-jasper-149259-p.asp

Versafine Clair
https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/versafine---clair-ink-pad---nocturne-116915-p.asp

https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/versafine---clair-ink-pad---morning-mist-116918-p.asp 

Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Pencils
https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-distress-watercolor-pencils-1598-c.asp

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


 

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August - DT Project 1 for Country View Crafts and Challenges - Monochrome

Hello, Happy August!  Here I am with my first DT post for August, for Country View Crafts and Challenges on Facebook.  The theme for this mo...