Pockets full of blackberries

Hello all, just a quick post to share these little blackberry pocket envelopes with you.  They're full of tasty blackberries, some of them ripe enough to pop straight in your mouth, others that are going to need a few days yet...

I used my PaperArtsy botanical stamps, EAB24 Blackberries Edition.  They're stamped onto some fairly cheap watercolour card and I had a lovely time watercolouring them with Distress Inks. 

The pockets are cut with Tim Holtz's Collector Thinlits set, and I used my stamping platform when I was stamping and painting, so that I would be able to recapture any details lost in the process.

I played with both Distress Ink pads and some Distress Stains (not the sprays - I still have some of the old ones in dabber bottles), smooshed onto the craft mat and spritzed with a little water. 

My trusty Pentel water brushes were perfect for being able to add extra water for shading as I went.

There's Seedless Preserves, Wilted Violet, and touches of Villainous Potion and Crackling Campfire on the berries; Peeled Paint, Bundled Sage and Crushed Olive for the leaves and stems... 

... and a little Broken China to hint at the sky.  Watery Vintage Photo gives the paper an aged look. 

The same paper, this time dipped in slightly less watery Vintage Photo looks almost like leather as the fasteners. Simple fine twine loops around to fasten them.

Simple to do, but I think they look really effective, and you could use them as little gift card wallets or to store little photos and ephemera.

Thanks for stopping by today - I hope you're all doing well, and I'll see you again soon.  

On the motionless branches of some trees, autumn berries hung like clusters of coral beads.

Charles Dickens