The Male Room Steampunk Travels

     Welcome to the Steampunk challenge at The Male Room, this challenge will run for two weeks for anything masculine and steampunk themed.

     Steampunk doesn't have to be dark and grungy if you don't want it to be. It's a science fiction/fantasy style with an historical setting, typically featuring steam powered machinery. I have a great set of stamps from Chocolate Baroque, called Steampunk Travel, which features several versions of everyday items with a steampunk twist.
     To start with I stamped the 'mobile home' and embossed in copper, then stamped a mask using Stix2 masking sheet and cut it out. With the image covered I used Distress Inks to colour a tag cut from mount board, making use of a cog mask at the same time. A spritz and flick with water to lift some colour and a run around the edge with the darker green finished off the Distress colouring.
     The image has been coloured with alcohol markers, because the tag is mount board the marker has not gone through to the back, which is a bonus. A little use of a copper gel pen on the cogs and a white Sharpie on the sail was followed with some Stix2 foils in the little window, then it was covered with Glossy Accents.
     The masked cogs were overstamped with the same Distress Ink colours and a small dot of bronze PVA was added to the middle of the large cogs.
     The addition of the sentiment, also embossed in copper, only left the need for ribbons in shades of green to complete the tag. It will be delivered to a friend who is building his own camper conversion since his caravan became very poorly.
     You have two weeks to join us at The Male Room with your steampunk creations, we have some inspiration on the blog to help get you started so please pop in and say hello.
   
   

I would like to enter this tag in the following challenges:

Come And Get It - Creations For Males

My Time To Craft - Travel

Cardz 4 Guyz - Tag It   (Top 3)

Chocolate Baroque - Colour Challenge

40 Watt Flowers

     We've set you a real challenge this time at The Male Room, we would like to see you make flowers masculine. The DT have come up with some ideas to help get you started.

     Chocolate Baroque have some great steampunk style flowers, this set is called Punky Flowers, it's been out a couple of years but is still available.
     This flower spray has been stamped and embossed in silver on black card. I have used Cosmic Shimmer watercolour paints to colour them in. I have the original single pots, they now come in a pallet but they are the same thing, repackaged and just as gorgeous.
     I wanted to pick out the blue so I used a layer of pearl paper to mat the image panel on before putting it on to an embossed mirri layer. The silver mirri was rather bright so I have used some black acrylic paint dabbed on to age it and dull it down a bit. I had to use redline tape to stick this on as the mirri card is very shiny and I needed a firm fix.
     I have coloured a white card blank with Distress Ink Black Soot around the edges, let it dry and then added my mirri panel on top so it looks like it's on a black card. This makes it easier to stamp inside when I decide what to use it for.
      Please come and join us at The Male Room, we would love to see what you create.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Crafty Sentiments - Flowers

Great Impressions - Anything Goes
Dragonfly Dreams - Anything Goes

Up In The Air

     We have a new challenge over at The Male Room this week, our theme is 'Up In The Air' but No Birds Allowed!

      Sometime ago I bought a set of stamps  from Chocolate Baroque called Steampunk Travel. I rather liked the play on words for some of the designs, like this one, it's called a 'Skylight'!
     To keep it masculine I decided to raid my stash and dig out the metal sheets I have from Walnut Hollow. I stamped on to a copper sheet using Stazon, then I used some of the metal work tools to trace around the design outlines and work from e back to stretch the metal and give the design dimension.
     The stippling around the design is done using a small ball tool to make tiny dents.

      Once all the metal work was done it was time to add some age. This was done by dabbing Distress Paints on to the metal and allowing them to dry. Once dry the metal was buffed with a tissue to remove some of the paint and bring a shine to the raised areas, leaving colour in the recesses.

      The background started life as a piece of Kraft card, it was embossed with a cogs folder before adding gilding waxes.
     I have used three colours of wax to build up the worn look, Teal, Chic Pumpkin and Autumn Bronze. These are dabbed on at random and allowed to dry off before being buffed up to a nice shine with a tissue.
     I haven't added much in the centre of the card as this will be covered by the main image panel.
     I like to make mildly grungy items, especially for men and I love the gilding waxes because of their gorgeous colour and the sheen.

     The copper sheet has been stuck down with red line tape on to a black mat layer. This layer has been stuck with red line tape again on to the background. Red line tape is ultra sticky so it's great for metal and other slippery surfaces.
     The word 'Skylight' is stamped on to black card and embossed with copper before being die cut using a small label die.
     Both the design layer and the label are attached with tiny copper brads before the background was mounted on to a black mat.
     I tried this on a Kraft card but it looked too dark so it has been mounted on a cream card blank. I apologise for the photographs but it's tricky taking a good picture of something shiny.
     I do hope you come and join us at The Male Room, we have lots of inspiration from the DT to get you started, you have the next two weeks to join us with your creation.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Shopping Our Stash - For The Boys

Cardz 4 Guyz - Use a Die or A Punch  (Label)

Clear It Out - Your Style & Favourite Stash Item ( Gilding Wax)

Card Mania - Use A Metal Embellishment (Copper Sheet & Brads)

Crafty Cardmakers - For A Man Or Boy

Get Creative - For The Boys / Father's Day

Chocolate Box Tribute

     I have made frames with chocolate boxes before but this time I wanted to try the aluminium tape method which lends itself to a masculine style so well.
     It was a struggle to eat the chocolates just to get the box (NOT) but I managed it. I cut the lid to make the recess as before, see here, and used Spellbinder dies Cogs to cut thin chipboard shapes that are glued to the frame.
     At this stage I took it with me to visit my parents, Dad was very ill so it gave me something to do while sitting with him. We have always been a crafting family so he was not atall bothered by this. He would now be very pleased to see the finished item but sadly he is no longer with us. The cat was called Sprocket and he is happily toasting his bottom on the warm radiator of Dad's pride and joy, a series one long wheel base Landrover. So this is a tribute to a wonderful Father, a great hunting cat and an amazing piece of machinery, sadly only the Landrover is still running but living elsewhere now.
     The aluminium tape is cut into smallish strips and added to the frame, being small pieces makes it easier to manage. Joins in the tape have some small dents in them made with a ball tool to look like rivets, the ball tool is also used to work the tape gently around the chipboard shapes. The last stage is to cover the frame with black acrylic paint and then rub some off again so the frame is not so shiny.
     These frames are easy to make and as they are recycled boxes you don't feel quite so bad about emptying them in the first place!!
     I would like to say a big THANK YOU to all my Design Teamies for helping me through this last month, things will slowly return to normal now. Crafting is a great way to unwind and a lovely community to be involved with.

I would like to enter this project in the following challenges:

Altered Eclectics - Any Altered Art Project

Animal Friends - Dog or Cat

Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Altered Art

Vintage Challenge - No stamping.

Steampunk Cinderella

     At last here is the steampunk shoe I promised before Easter. It has taken a little longer than anticipated but it's finally finished.
    It began last year as an idea to accompany The Boot but it took ages to find the right shoe. It couldn't be any old shoe, it had to have the right look to begin with and I finally found it a couple of months ago in a charity shop. There was only one shoe so I got it for a small donation rather than throw it in the recycle bin.

     The first thing to do was chop off some of the heel and replace it with a bolt. It already had a strap and buckle which was perfect.  I had a small musical movement in my stash so I punched a hole just below the buckle for the handle to poke through and stuck the movement in the toe  of the shoe. I had to add some packing to stop it from sliding forward and to make sure the handle cleared the buckle when it was turned.
    I covered the heel with aluminium tape to help keep the bolt on and hide the join.

    I have collected all sorts of bits from charity shops and junk shops over the last year just for this project. Not everything was suitable in the end but I have used a wing nut on the back held in place by wire threaded through a button and tied off inside the shoe.  The chain of charms is part of an old necklace secured at the top by a small bull clip and at the bottom by a screw top brad through one of the holes in the strap. Also on this side is a large gem stuck in the middle of a ridged washer.

     The metal toe piece is a decorative corner from Creative Expressions bent to fit. The crochet lace has been added to the back of the strap using double sided tape and the zipper rose was made from a new zip I chopped up. I found a really good tutorial on line showing how to make zip flowers, this one is no where near as good as the tutors!!
    The inside of the shoe had to be hidden after all the things that have been attached to it so I have chopped up some polystyrene and covered it with a dark red fabric that matches the stitching all around the shoe. This is not stuck in so if anything comes undone or the music stops working it can be sorted without destroying the shoe.
    The clock is made from a charm stuck on to card and covered with a Glass Glintz dome, stuck on with Glossy Accents. The wings are from a butterfly stamp cut out and stuck on the back. It is attached to the memo pin with a jump ring.

     The invitation is cut from black card using a Spellbinder die Decorative Labels Eight. I've run around the edge with a gold acrylic paint to jazz it up a little and spelt invitation in peel off letters.
     The light bulb paperclip is from a stationary shop but I can't remember which one ...sorry, that's what happens when you spend the best part of a year collecting bits and pieces, but it is fun.
    The right side of the shoe has been dabbed with silver acrylic paint and then I've stuck on some cogs I die cut out of an old pie dish. If you run the pie dish through the Bigshot without any dies it will squash it down nicely ready for you to select what you want to cut. They have been grunged a little with brown paint.

     The cogs have been stuck on with silicone glue and some have screw top brads through them as well. There is another gem washer on the toe and the fizzy drinks can flower that you saw last month has been attached to the heel.

    I hope Cinderella likes her shoe, the Prince could have The Boot. They would make quite a couple don't you think?

    I didn't have a particular challenge in mind when I started this as I didn't know how long it would take. Imagine my delight this morning when up pops Make My Monday's new challenge of anything but a card!!!  There are also a couple of steampunk challenges on the go at the moment so lucky me.

 

    I would like to enter this shoe in the following challenges:

SanDee & Amelie's Steampunk Challenge - Fairytale

Try It On Tuesday - Inventors, Inventions & Steampunk

Make My Monday - Anything BUT a card

Crafty Emblies - Anything goes

All Steamed Up

   Good morning and welcome to my 100th post.

   This is my entry for SanDee & amelie's Steampunk Challenge 3D section. This month it's a steampunk cuckoo clock and I've had a lot of fun with this. A few month's ago I would never have thought of trying something like this, it has no function, no purpose but it was fun to make and I love it. Thank you to the ladies at the challenge for stretching my imagination, it's like being a child again....anything's possible.
   I began with a birdhouse pattern downloaded for free from one of the crafting magazines. I cut the roof from silver mirri card and embossed it with a checker plate mask, masks give a softer impression than folders which can be just as effective. The silver was a bit bright so I toned it down with a Ranger Acrylic Dauber Espresso brown, dab it on and wipe some of it off.
   The bottom and sides are cut from gold satin card and then run through a cogs embossing folder. They have been given the paint treatment too. I chose to cut little doors in the front instead of the hole on the pattern.

    There are two holes cut in the bottom to let the chains and weights hang down, this is from an old necklace I found in a charity shop.  I have cut various cogs from dark brown pearl card and attached them with brass look paper fasteners.
   The winged clock is from Inkadinkado stamped and embossed in copper, the wings are layered but that doesn't show too well in the pictures.  The cuckoo is a Marianne die and he hangs from jump rings through an eyelet just above the doors.
   Once all outside decoration was done I stuck it all together and added foil tape to the side joints with dots of Cosmic Shimmer PVA in copper to look like rivets.

 The chimney should really be a cylinder but that was very tricky to get just right so I opted for a square one. It's cut from the same brown card as the cogs and attached inside the roof. The 'steam' is a cotton wool ball opened out and fluffed up.
   The ribbon that it hangs by is through a hole in the roof, inside the roof the ribbon goes through a button so that it won't pull through.
   
There is a new challenge blog over at Country View Crafts which this month is Pick and Mix so anything goes and they accept altered art too. There aren't many rules and if you need anything to complete your creation they sell lots of lovely things on their website.

   There is another challenge that accepts altered art as well as papercrafts called Crafty-emblies. They also have a shop with lots of lovely things just crying out to be altered. It's so good to find challenges that stretch your crafting that little bit further.

  Happy crafting.

How Time Flies

    This is for a new challenge blog that's just started this month, SanDee & amelie's Steampunk Challenges. As you can tell by the title it's a steampunk site which I am SO pleased about, there are very few steampunk challenges around so a dedicated blog is fantastic news. This month it's cuckoo clocks.
   I began with a white tag which I coloured using Distress Inks Wild Honey and Rusty Hinge, then I spritzed it with water and blotted off. I have a border mask of cogs which I put down the side and coloured over with more Distress Ink Rusty Hinge. I have used a crackle stamp on the opposite side in Archival Ink Coffee. The Coffee brown stamped cogs are a stamp from Inkadinkado - Steampunk. The chimney is also stamped in Coffee brown with a stamp from Eco-Green Crafts - Steampunk Accessories 1. The tag is edged with Distress Ink Aged Mahogany to darken it a little.
   The gold cogs are die cut using DoCrafts die - Chronology Cogs in patterned mirri card and fastened on to the tag with big brass effect paper fasteners from the office supply shop.

    The cuckoo clock is cut from greyboard and coloured with Distress Ink Brushed Corduroy and then stamped with the crackle stamp in Coffee brown, it also has a small die cut hole for the cuckoo backed with black card. The roof is another piece of greyboard coloured with Distress Ink Forest Moss and mounted with foam pads. There are two charms on chain hanging from the bottom of the clock fixed with tiny brads. The clock is mounted on foam pads on the tag so the charms hang free.

   The clock face is from the same Inkadinkado stamp set as the cogs but stamped on white card and embossed in gold. I stamped them twice so that I could cut and layer the wings.
   The cuckoo is cut from greyboard and triple embossed with UTEE. The first two layers were clear and the last layer was gold and copper. I inked up the cog stamp with Coffee brown before heating the last layer and then while it was still soft stamped into it to get the texture.
   There are two copper eyelets  near the top and it is finished off with a gold edged copper crinkled ribbon.
   I have really enjoyed making this tag for the challenge and now I'm planning what I could make for the 3D section too. I love this style and find it much easier than making cute cards...must be the tomboy in me!!

Steampunk Christmas

Here is my contribution to this weeks challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown, the theme is eyelets.
Having invested in a Crop-A-Dile a few months ago I thought it was time to put it to good use. I have a set of stamps from Chocolate Baroque called Steampunk Christmas of which this tree is one.
The tree is stamped with Perfect Medium and Embossed with a Verdigris powder on to white pearl card, not such a good choice once all matted up so I have toned it down by using Distress Ink Old Paper to get more of a grungy look.
I have used two different sizes of eyelet, both came with the tool and a few tiny brads. The gems are also in two sizes just to add a little sparkle. The lovely gold star on the top of the tree is a brad sent to me by Ruth in a wonderful act of pure kindness, thank you Ruth.
The backing card is a lovely olive green run through an embossing folder called Victorian Fleur.
The green layer is matted on a small piece of chocolate pearl card and then an embossed gold card I picked up at a show before going on a chocolate pearl card blank. I have added some more gems to lift the colour a little. It is rather a masculine card because of my colour choice but I can think of two friends who would be happy to receive it so all is not lost. I think I'll try another one in silver and purple now.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to you. Some of my friends were a little downhearted when they didn't receive the usual crafted Christmas card this year, so to make amends I've made them a little easel style calendar.

I used an A6 card to make the easel and then had fun making the 'artwork' to stand up and celebrate a new year. This one was for someone who loves steampunk...who am I to disappoint!

The little calendars are available from most stationers at only a few pence each. If you wanted to make a mini monthly page calendar you could take each sheet off and mount it in amongst your artwork to make something truly original.

I hope you got some crafting goodies for Christmas, so have fun creating and see you next year.

Craftmania's little gems.

This little fellow was stamped in Archival Black and clear embossed. Then he was painted with Cosmic Shimmer Drawing Inks, which are little bottles of gorgeous shimmering paint with a very fine brush, perfect for dainty butterflies.
The head and body of the butterfly is a beautiful stick on embellishment that Craftmania have in stock at the moment. We'll definitely be using these for the demonstration next saturday.
The other stamp plate I'll be working with has a Steampunk theme, just right for men's cards.
If you are in the area please come in and say hello.