3+1+1+1+1 = 4

Hi folks, forgive the rather strange blog title and in the real world the sum certainly doesn't add up to 4. But in my crafty world, when you take 3 Distress Oxide Sprays, 1 Spray Stain, I Distress Resist Spray, 1 Distress Sprayer and 1 Gradient Layering Stencil and add some Distress Watercolor card into the mix, the sum total is 4 cool backgrounds ready to be made into cards.

Before I share the cards, here's a quick walk through of how I made the backgrounds. Sadly the step by step photos went by the wayside during the fun creative process. I used Distress Watercolor card trimmed to A2, Abandoned Coral, Squeezed Lemonade and Twisted Citron Distress Oxide Sprays, Black Soot Distress Spray Stain, Distress Resist Spray, my trusty Distress Sprayer and the Gradient Square Layering Stencil.

I began by spraying two of the panels with Black Soot Distress Spray Stain,one more heavily than the other, dried and spritzed with water to create the water droplet look.

On the right hand panel, I spritzed the panel lightly with water, laid the Gradient Square Layering Stencil in place and spritzed the three colours of Distress Oxide Sprays diagonally from top to bottom. I lifted the stencil, flipped it over and laid on the left panel. I pressed all over the panel, dabbing with kitchen towel to transfer the spray to the panel and to mop up any excess, creating that monoprint effect. I misted both panels with water using the Distress Sprayer which reactivated the Distress Oxide Sprays and set aside to dry.

So I'm sharing the first card made with the background on the right.

I stamped the script background from Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous with Versamark ink and heat embossed with Ranger Superfine White Embossing Powder.

I stamped the bee from the same stamp set with Black Soot Distress Archival on to a scrap of Distress Watercolor card and coloured using Fossilized Amber and Tumbled Glass Distress Inks and die-cut using the Sizzix Entomology Framelits die.

I spitzed scraps of Distress Watercolor card with the Distress Oxide Sprays, dried and spritzed lightly with water.

I die-cut the letters for the sentiments from Sizzix Mat Board and the strips using Tim Holtz/Sizzix BigZ XL Society and layered to create dimension.

I die-cut Tim Holtz/Sizzix Wildflower Stems 1 from Distress Watercolor card, fixed to the panel with Distress Collage Medium, added the rest of the sentiment and the bees popped up on Tim Holtz/Sizzix Mini Foam Adhesive.

I coloured the flower centre with Abandoned Coral Distress Paint and once it was dry, added Wink Of Stella Clear Glitter to the centre and the bees' wings. I trimmed the panel to 4" x 5.1/4" and fixed to the A2 card blank.

I'll be back tomorrow to share the second card made with another Distress Oxide Spray background. In the meantime, have fun with whatever you are creating.

Toodle-oo for now

Hugs Kath xxx

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