Stripped Gears

My dear sister is recuperating from a recent knee operation, so I wanted to make a card for her. (Sorry, Diane, you'll see the card before it arrives, but it's on its way.) I thought that this bouquet of Steampunk flowers along with the sentiment (both Heartfelt Creations) was the perfect combination.
I'll be entering this card in several challenges. At SanDee & Amelie's Steampunk Challenge the challenge is Steampunk couture. Flowers play such a big part of fashion and  couture. I also added a few metallic stitches to complete the effect. Kraft Journal challenged us to use ugly paper. I actually thought the red paper was not the prettiest, but cut into flowers and highlighted with silver color, the result is just what I needed. City Crafter wanted to see stripes, and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday wants us to use kraft paper (base card and sentiment.)

Pumpkin Jack Goes Steampunk

Today I am sharing a wall hanging depicting Pumpkin Jack dressed in his Halloween costume. It seems that Jack is a great fan of steampunkery and chose his costume accordingly. I'll bet that he and his friends will have fun at all of the parties coming up.
I decided that I wanted to make a dimensional project. To create this piece, I started with one of the burlap panels. I then sprayed Dylusions over the panel in Halloween colors. The face was cut from Graphic 45 design paper, edged in spiced marmalade distress ink, and adhered to a matching piece of grungeboard for strength. The hat was a wooden embellishment that I had picked up at a craft store. I painted it with black soot distress paint. To make the eyes and monacle, nose and moustache, and goggles, I die cut the gears and moustache and followed the effect powders technique (p. 52 of Tim Holtz's book) from the current Compendium of Curiosities Challenge. I love how it adds texture to the items. The raven and owl and die cut using some of Tim's dies and colored using distress paints. The mouth is part of a Cheery Lynn Designs die cut.
I really enjoyed working on this project for the Compendium of Curiosities 3 challenge. This month the challenge is being sponsored by the generous Inspiration Emporium. There is also a great prize package from Tim and Mario. (See, even Jack has a big smile.)
This wall hanging works well with several other challenges: Take a word -- steampunkery; Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge -- anything goes; Frilly & Funkie -- haunting Halloween; Great Impressions -- get your spook on; SanDee & Amelie's Steampunk Challenges -- steampunk stories.

Discover

Today I have a card that was a lot of fun to make. The background is done using Tim Holtz's Painted Industrial technique from p. 46 of his book Compendium of Curiosities III. I won't go into detail since the info is available in Tim's book, but I will say that I love the Steampunk type effect that it gives. I used my favorite science man stamp from Tim's collection as well as his shadowpress sentiment and woodgrain stamp. There is some tissue tape along the background. The bottles are die cut from shrink plastic, colored using alcohol inks, and then shrunk. (Shelly Hickox used shrink plastic with these bottles in one of her projects a while back which gave me the idea.). Who knows what our scientist will invent today.

My card is being entered into these challenges: Compendium of Curiosities 3 (sponsored this challenge by the wonderful Inspiration Emporium) --painted industrial technique, p. 46; and SanDee & Amelie's Steampunk Challenge -- Inventors & Inventions.

Genius

This will be the last post for today. I'm going to try and enjoy the end of a beautiful summer day outside. My card features a dapper gentleman with a steampunk attitude. The background features the painters tape technique using rust, gray, and blue ink. I overstamped the inks with a SweetStamps medallion stamp and embellished it with various gears. Dapper Dan stands there telling us that "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." (Artistic Outpost) This card is being entered into these challenges: SweetStamps Monthly Challenge -- painters tape technique and SanDee & Amelie's Steampunk challenge -- shades of grey, blue, and rust.

Steampunk Goes Heavy Metal

I am so excited and honored to have been invited to be the May guest designer at SanDee & Amelie's Steampunk Challenge. The challenge this month is heavy metal.

3D lantern

2D Card

 I created two projects for the challenge. SanDee & Amelie's challenge always includes two categories --  2D and 3D. For the 3D category I created a lantern from black and green colored aluminum metal sheets (Ten Seconds Studio) using the Tim Holtz lantern die. Each of the 4 window panels is made from vellum and stamped with a steampunk image. A few gears adorn the lantern roof.
My card was also a lot of fun to make. I used copper metallic cardstock as the base card. I die cut a postage stamp shape background panel from the metal sheet, dry embossed it, and then sanded the embossed images. Over that I layered a portion of a clock face die cut from grungeboard and painted with antique bronze distress paint. The leaves were cut from a green colored aluminum metal sheet. (All of the dies used are from Tim Holtz.) The stamp (also Tim Holtz) is part of a larger stamp. I used colored pencils to color the image and metallic copper pan pastels for the background.
I am entering my lantern into the challenge at Mark's Finest Paper Friends of Speedy which is use vellum.

A Man Among Boys

Today seems to have been a Tim Holtz inspired day. Before I go any further, I'd like to thank Linda Ledbetter for holding the Compendium of Curiosities III challenge. This is Tim's third Compendium and the third round of challenges. Thanks also to Inspiration Emporium for their sponsorship of this challenge.
Challenge #1 is paint marbling (p.43 in Tim's book) The background of my card shows the paint marbling technique. Over the background I stamped several Steampunk images (Hampton Arts and Artistic Outpost). Overlooking these images is Tim's man among boys, Umbrella Man.
The monthly  Inspiration Journal challenge is a few of my favorite things. The background technique is one of my favorite techniques. Steampunk is a favorite theme. And Umbrella Man is one of my favorite dies.
Other challenges fitting my card: Mark's Finest Papers Speedy Fox & Friends -- rain; Fashionable Stamping -- flying things; and SanDee and Amelie's Steampunk Challenge -- favorite technique goes steampunk.

Machines and Nature

Today my card is a little steam-y...steampunk that is. I found a quote from Antoine de Saint- Exupery which I thought was appropriate to use here. "The machine does not isolate man from the great problems of nature, but plunges him more deeply into them. My card started with a panel of Steampunk word design paper from Graphic 45. I then cut a panel of transparent packing, colored it with alcohol inks, and dry embossed it. I attached the two panels by using brads in the corners.  The die cut leaves and bicycle were cut from Cheery Lynn dies. The hat was off stamped over the typed quote.
This card is being entered into these challenges. SanDee & Amelie's Steampunk challenge -- transparency; Three Muses -- age of steam; Mark's Finest Papers Friends of Speedy challenge -- 3 or more brads; and Simon Says Monday Challenge -- transparent .

Time Travel

It's a beautiful day. The sun is bright and the temp is about 48 degrees (balmy weather!).  I love to create Steampunk art when I'm in a fun mood. Here's the result. I started with a kraft base card. I die cut the background from copper metallic cardstock using the concentric circles mesh die from Cheery Lynn Designs. The die cut Steampunk owls with gears are also from Cheery Lynn. The old-fashioned bicycle and the owl's goggles are Dazzles from Hot Off the Press. The sentiment letters are stickers I found in my stash. Can you believe that they are the right size and that all the letters I needed were still there!
My card is being entered into these challenges: SanDee and Amelie's Steampunk challenge -- Time Machine and Ink on My Fingers Sunday Challenge -- birds.

Valentine, Steampunk Style

My card today celebrates Valentines Day in the steampunk style. I used my Sizzix diamond flip-it die to cut the card base. The designer paper is from Graphic 45. The gorgeous steampunk lady is stamped using a Hampton Arts stamp. The hearts and chain border are cut using Cheery Lynn dies. These dies are the newest in my collection. They just arrived in the mail. I guess they qualify as new stash! The sentiment is cut using a Tim Holtz die.

Card front (closed)

Card inside (open)

My card will be entered into these challenges:  SanDee and Amelie's Steampunk challenge -- new stash; Inspiration Journal -- die cuts; and City Crafter's challenge -- Valentine love story.

Steampunk Maiden

SanDee & Amelie's Steampunk challenge this month is dolls 'n robots. To make it even more interesting, they have divided the challenge into 2D and 3D. I'm going with the 2D challenge, as you can see; although, there is some dimension on my tag. To create this tag, I started by covering a large tag with Graphic 45 paper. I used several stencils with distress paint, distress ink, and Dylusions spray. My Steampunk lady is part fussy cut from a Graphic 45 image (Steampunk Debutante) with a skirt made from a die cut bird cage (Tim Holtz Caged Bird) over another piece of Graphic 45 paper. The skirt is decorated with Tim Holtz washers and jump rings. I added a Tim Holtz light bulb and a die cut bird for added embellishment. I used a Tim Holtz word band (dream as if you'll live forever) as my sentiment.
I am also entering my tag into the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge which is anything goes.

Notion Box in Steampunk

What do you get when you combine two metallic atc sized cards with two small match boxes and then add the flavor of steampunk. You get a great little metallic steampunk notions box with drawers.
To make this box, I started with two Ranger metallic atc blanks and two small  matchboxes. I then dry embossed the atc blanks using the riveted sheet embossing folder (Sizzix). A little black soot alcohol ink was added around the edges for distress and contrast. The corset is die cut using a Cheery Lynn die. Pearls were added as fasteners for the corset. The handsome guy is Mercius from the SB Collection. The stamp image is from Graphic 45. The matchboxes were painted with antique bronze distress paint -- both the outsides and inserts, inside and out. I attached a brad to the front of each insert to serve as drawer pulls. The two painted match boxes are glued together along one side. I added tissue tape along the outer sides of the boxes to give a nice finish. The two atc cards are glued to the top and bottom of the match boxes. The completed box with its two drawers makes a great little notions box and is easy and fun to make.
I am entering my box into several challenges. Ink on my Fingers Sunday challenge had the theme, Titanium, and we were to use metal. Three Muses wants a steampunk theme. MFP Friends of Speedy is challenging us to use metal as is Simply Steampunk. SanDee and Amelie's Steampunk August challenge is matchbox steampunk.