Time Project for River of Creativity's June Theme

Hi all!! I am here presenting my design team project for River of Creativity's June Challenge where the theme is Time; I'd advise you to get a nice drink and relax because this is picture heavy and there are a lot of great things to see! Now, I could have done the whole clock thing, or even a birthday thing {after all, when does time bite you in the butt the worst?} but I really wanted to get messy and have fun.  I am a night creature; some people get their second wind at a nice normal time, say 5ish, or even 7ish but me? Nope.  If I am not in bed by 9pm, my second wind comes around at 10 pm.  In fact, I am typing this post at 12:30 a.m.  So, for my June piece I've turned Time into Nighttime.  Clever if I do say so myself.  My mom can tell you stories of a young me fighting my bedtime {no matter when it was} as early as 3 years old when I told my mother I was not yawning because I was tired, I was yawning because my brain needed more air.  I was such a joy, but I digress.  My hope for this project was that you'd see something new each time you looked at the panel; let me know what you think! 

Before you start I wanted to let you know you can click on the photos to make them bigger; I made collages out of what I feel are the important details so you wouldn't have 10 or so pictures to look through.  If there is any problem with getting the pictures bigger, please let me know!

 

I have been making this panel for the last few months as it has paper clay pieces and I needed to get molds and the actual clay to get the forms I wanted.  I used DAS Paper Clay which is available at any local craft store or online and made the moon and the stars.  I used a panel that is 9" x 12" from Artists Loft, but any panel or canvas would do. I also accumulated a bunch of molds from Amazon because they
have such a selection, and you know that Prime shipping is addicting!  Some of the molds I got were too small, some just didn't fit the look I wanted, and I ended up using a simple Moon and Stars mold to make the paper clay pieces.  I also got some keys, gears and clock metal bits and now I have enough to make a gazillion projects. Other supplies I used included Stickles in Crystal, Tim Holtz Foundry Wax {all the colors, I even layered them}, Picket Fence Gem Mixes, no name gems from my sash,

 Cosmic Shimmer Glitter Jewels in Midnight Snow, Krylon Leafing Pen in Silver, Golden Gel Medium in soft gloss, Lumiere Paint in Silver as well as beads and the like.  I think the most important part is the background and I first painted my panel with Golden Black Acrylic Paint and once that was dry I used some Distress Oxide Ink Pads {I just smooshed them onto the panel} and Sprays in various blue and purple hues, sprayed water here and there, dried with my heat gun, added more ink, more water and so on.  The shimmer was created by using Distress Mica Spray in Crooked Broomstick {it was a Halloween release from Ranger, but you can still find it online} and any Mica Spray would work. 

I fiddled with the background until I liked it and then set it to dry for actually a few days.  Once it was dry, I had painted, inked and waxed the items I wanted to and set about the placement as well as the swoosh of clear glass beads {the tiny kind with no holes} glitter and gem placement.  I wasn't concerned with placing too many gems as I really wanted this to sparkle being the night sky.  I could probably have added many more gems, but I was struggling with glue sticking to the paint and ink on the background.  I initially used hot glue, but after Sylvester knocked it off my desk and most of the gears and metal came off, I switched to E6000.  I'm not a huge fan of either glue but the E6000 worked much better than the hot glue.  Now I know and you know, too, so pry the top off your E6000 if you are gluing onto paints and/or inks.  I've linked to most of the items that were easily found online, and it there is something you want the specifics on please use the email option on the right side; I'll happily supply you with the actual links to the items.  

 

Another Look at the Entire Panel

 I am happy with my Nighttime art, and I had SO much fun making it.  It's been a long time since I have made such a piece, running with abandon with colors and paints and inks and goodies.  But that is what the River of Creativity challenges are all about! We would love for you to join us, either using Anything Goes or the theme of Time, for our June challenge; the only thing we won't accept is cards. So, get your inks, paints, clay and molds out and have some fun! Hope to see you soon! Christi

 I am entering my piece into the following challenges:
We Love to Create - Anything Goes
Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
Creative Artiste, #83 - Anything Mixed Media Goes
Mixed Media Lovers, #14 - Anything Mixed Media Goes
Country View Challenge, June Challenge - Seeing Stars

Thanks!!

Mixed Media with The Robin's Nest Creative

 Hello everyone! For my Design Team project at The Robin's Nest Creatives I decided to go all out and get really messy.  I used to make mixed media items all the time, but have since gotten busier and really haven't had time to play; I made up for lost time!  Let's get to it, here is the project; it's made on a Frederix 4" x 6" panel - this is a long post, I apologize, but I used a lot of different products (some not so successfully) while making this piece.

The first thing I did was use one of the really cool kits they have at The Robin's Nest called Creative Dew Drop Canvas and there are some amazing pictures to choose from, I used the Matchstick Creative Dew Drop Canvas for today's project.  These kits come with everything you need (except glue) to make a masterpiece worthy of framing - AND they come in different sizes! I used Dew Drops that I though would represent the flame best, orange, gold, red and yellow and filled it in completely with both Regular and Mini Sized Dew Drops. Black Diamond Dews were used on the wooden part of the match. I also colored around the flame to sort of give it that halo glow you sometimes get around fire using Copics right on the canvas.  I smothered it with Diamond Glaze and let it sit overnight to dry.  I wanted

Another Look

to use a panel as my substrate so I cut the match out.  I actually did this back in the beginning of being on the Design Team but I put the match somewhere and couldn't find it - shocking, I know - it popped out of where ever those items go when "they were right here" and then they are gone (another dimension with lost socks?? I don't know) but I found it.  Setting the match aside, on my desk so it couldn't escape again, I painted the 4" x 6" panel gold using Lumiere True Gold Paint. I have to swoon for a second because I love Lumiere Paints - if you like rich color, some of the coolest pearlescent colors (some of them are blended with 2 colors and the effects are amazing!) you need to check this paint out.  It is sold for use on fabric, but I have used it on everything and I have never been disappointed with it.  It's a quality product and it may seem pricey (if you shop around you can get a jar for around $6, a 2.25 fl. oz, jar, but they also come in sets with little squeeze bottles, called Exciter packs), but a little goes a long way. Sorry for that little detour! 

So once my panel was dry this is basically where I went crazy.  I used a flame stencil and some sprays to try and make a fire background, well the gold paint did not like the sprays (they are water based and just beaded up and dripped away) but some of the color did take.  At this point I just started to throw products at the panel; and I used so many different colors I couldn't begin to list them all. I used a few different embossing powders from Wow Embossing Powders, some diluted red paint from Golden, and some more embossing powers -which again were an issue because the embossing ink just beaded up on the paint.  No worries I just made the background really, really abstract.  I glued the Matchstick Creative Dew Drop Canvas that I had cut out onto the panel and attached the alphabet letters I had cut out of  6" x 6" DCWV glitter stacks and I then added more Dew Drops using the same colors I used to fill in the flame, but I used the Tear Drop style of Dew Drops instead.  I added a few Mini Dew Drops as well.  I wanted them to sort of look like sparks from the flame.  I glued the sentiment onto the panel and the letters just blended right in with everything else so I used a permanent black marker and traced them all so they'd be easier to read and pop a little.  The final step was to smother the match stick once again with Diamond Glaze and once that dried I was done.

I am actually happy how this panel ended up.  It is very interesting with all the colors, glitter, glaze and, of course, Dew Drops.  I hope you enjoyed my long story- I have been trying to make my posts shorter and I think I am succeeding, but sometimes I just have to tell the whole story!  Thanks for your support ~ Lots of love, Christi

I am entering my Mixed Media Panel in the following challenges:
Crafting Happiness, #123 - Anything Goes
Love to Craft Challenge Blog, #68 - Anything Goes
Mix it Up Challenge, #59 - Anything 3D Goes
Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge, #82 - Anything Mixed Media Goes
A Perfect Time to Craft, #5 - Anything Goes
Mixed Media Lovers, #13 - Anything Goes

The Spell Book

I can't get through the Halloween season without making at least one project other than cards; this year was a little frustrating because I still have so many things in storage and I am not used to having to go hunt for an item I want {and hopefully I can find it!}   Personally, I think this is one of my favorite creations and I hope you like it, too! 

The Book

I have used mostly Tim Holtz Idea-Ology products in making this; some are discontinued, but you can find most of the items online if you must have them.  If there is no link, I couldn't find the product.  I am in no way endorsing the stores to which I have linked.  They are merely the first link that came up with the item in stock when searching with Google.

What I Used in my Project:

Tim Holtz/Idea-Ology Configurations Book

Tim Holtz Paper {I think I used Materialize but I can't find it anywhere}

Tim Holtz/Idea-Ology Type Charms, #TH92819 

Tim Holtz/Idea-Ology Paper Dolls, Halloween, #TH94057 

Tim Holtz/Idea-Ology Industrious Stickers, Gothic, #TH93236

Tim Holtz/Idea-Ology Pumpkin Pieces, #TH93312 

Tim Holtz/Idea-Ology Quote Chips, Halloween, #TH93728 

Tim Holtz/Idea-Ology Spider Adornments, #TH3717 

Tim Holtz/Idea-Ology Zombie Hands, #TH93737 

Tim Holtz/Idea-Ology Hitch Fasteners, #TH92731 

Tim Holtz/Idea-Ology Quote Tokens, Halloween, #TH93733 

Tim Holtz/Idea-Ology Decorative Domes, #TH93265 

Tim Holtz/Idea-Ology Broomsticks, #TH93598 

Tim Holtz/Idea-Ology Skulls, #TH93606 

Tim Holtz/Idea-Ology Boneyard, #TH93596 

Tim Holtz/Idea-Ology Creepy Eyes, #TH94061 

Metal Letters and Numbers 

Various Other Odds and Ends 

Folk Art Black Paint in Licorice

 

The whole book, opened

I am not positive about the paper I used as I only found a few pages in my Halloween stash and couldn't locate the full pad, but I am pretty certain I used “Materialize” which I cannot find anywhere online.  That's sad as the papers are beautiful black & white patterns.  Anyway, I started the project by painting the book and the boxes with black paint.  Since I never know what I am going to do with the items I chose until I know {heeheehee}, I figured starting out with everything black was a good beginning.  I wrapped some of the boxes with really old washi tape that I have had for so long; I know some of it is Tim's, but can't recall the name. Other washi tape as well was used but again, I'm blank on the name.  I papered some of the boxes, as well as the background of the book.

Added some witches, a black cat, pumpkins, and other spooky items.  The skeleton is from the Dollar Tree and his red eyes are gems from my stash.

I used various Quote Chips and Quote Tokens to fill in some spaces as well as some very, very old metal letters and numbers and I can't even remember getting them.  If you look close you can see the spider climbing up the wall near the Quote Chips. I actually used some of the metal letters when I made the hanging word “SPOOKY.”   I glued them on top of the Type Charms and then put the acrylic bubble on top of that.  I placed my witches and surrounded them with all the boxes and bits since they are really the focal point of my book.  After I finished, I realized I didn't really have a way to tie in the fact that this was a book so I decided to make it a magical Spell Book.  I made a table of contents in fancy font and solved that issue. I hope you can read the table of contents, I had a LOT of fun thinking it up!  I also had to size the pictures down to small so if you'd like to see them bigger, just give them a click.

I am such a craft supply hoarder!  I really must work on that.  I just hate to use something that I love so much!  I am very sure you can relate to that.  I hope you enjoyed my Spell Book and if you have any questions about it, please feel free to let me know in the comments or by email.  Happy Halloween!!  Christi {and can I just say this new version of Blogger is a NIGHTMARE - I can't add admin, people I invite aren't getting the invite emails, the spacing is all wonky. . . UGH!!}

 

I am happily entering my Spell Book in the following challenges:
The Corrosive Challenge {OCT} - Anything Goes 

Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge {OCT} - Anything Goes Halloween

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Not a Card

Use Your Stuff - Halloween/Fall

Mix it Up Challenge, #42 - Anything Goes

Shopping Our Stash, #431 - Happy Fall Y'all!

 

Steampunk Sweetheart for Anything But A Card #39

** This post is full of photos so it may take a bit to load - you should be able to click a photo to see it larger if you'd like, please let me know if you have trouble with this ~ thank you :) 

The whole set

I have had the stamp set I used as a base for this project for years and it turned into one of those sets that you adore, but can't bring yourself to actually use, until that one project comes along and BAM! This entire project was literally built around one stamp from a set called French Laundry #11.  I remember seeing an ad for the sets in a stamping publication and I immediately went to the web site called Character Constructions, made by the talented Catherine Moore, and drooled at them all (and now she even has custom dies to coordinate with some of the sets!).  I don’t remember why I chose this particular set but I have been wanting to use her for the longest time and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get her inked. I introduce my Steampunk Sweetheart for challenge #39 at Anything But A Card:

My Steampunk Sweetheart

What I Used in My Project:

9 x 12 piece of frame board

Character Constructions Set French Laundry #11

Tea Dyed Coffee Filters (I dyed about 8, I think I used 5 or 6)

Tim Holtz Idea-ology File Tabs w/ gear sticker (on her hat)

Tim Holtz Grungeboard Wings (mine are embossed with the Harlequin design)

Tim Holtz Grungeboard Letters Mixed Minis

Darice Gears Embossing Folder

Brown “velvet” Paper

Brown Cardstock Scrap

Corset Card Cutfile

Silhouette Cameo

White Cardstock

Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black

Distress Ink in Brushed Corduroy

Distress Paint in Gathered Twigs

Krylon Leafing Pen in Red Shimmer

Butterfly Sticker (stash)

Gesso

Stampin’ Up! Paper for Background (discontinued)

Star Punches (various sizes)

Scraps of Metallic Papers

Stickles in Star Dust

Miscellaneous Embellishments

Crafters’ Pick The Ultimate Glue

First thing I did was dye the coffee filters (the round ones) in tea for 2 full days and dried them.  I have wanted to make a frilly something out of coffee filters ever since I saw some demos online about coffee filter flowers and I felt they’d make a wonderful skirt.  I stamped the woman from the French Laundry #11 set using the Jet Black ink and fussy cut her out, leaving her arms separate.

  I set her and the skirt aside and gessoed the wings.  I was hoping to obscure some of the Harlequin pattern that was embossed in them already; it worked a bit and set the stage for using the gears embossing folder.  A tip: I have a Sizzix Big Shot and I found that the wings (and I figure all Grungeboard) is too thick to run through the machine the way you are supposed to when using an embossing folder, but I found that when I used the 2 clear cutting plates with the thick platform (I think it is called the Universal Platform?), but without the shim, it worked fine.  Took a bit of muscle, but nothing broke. So I ran the wings through and then lightly swept the Distress Ink Pad in Brushed Corduroy on the top and sides just to pop out the gear embossing a bit more.  I covered my board with the decorative paper from Stampin’ Up! like I was wrapping a gift so I wouldn’t have to fuss with trying to cut the paper and then glue it perfectly. 

I knew I wanted my Steampunk Sweetheart to have a corset.  I have a few corset stamps, but none of them fit her the way I wanted, so I went to my Silhouette Cameo and found a corset card.  I choose what pieces of the card I wanted to use and I cut the outer layer using some old brown “velvet” paper I had as well as some brown fiber as the lace up. I also cut out one under layer using white cardstock and that just peeks out the very top of her corset.  The corset it a bit big for her but I think it flows nicely with the skirt.  Her boots are just hand cut. 

I tackled the lettering next.  I used Grungeboard Mixed Mini letters and I painted them all using Distress Paint in Gathered Twigs, I painted all the letters twice to ensure really good coverage.  I liked the matte color of the paint, but I also wanted to jazz the letters up just a bit so I took my seldom used Krylon Leaf Pen in Red Simmer and outlined the letters with that.  Now previous experience has taught me that Grungeboard is flexible, so I knew I’d make some “mistakes” while outlining the letters but that is precisely what I wanted.  I wanted some of the shimmer to show on the top of the letters but I didn’t want it to be overwhelming.  It was nice not having to be careful when doing the outline, especially since I had to make the pen really juicy so the ink would flow into parts of the letters the nib couldn’t reach.

Finally she was ready to be put together.  I wasn’t exactly positive how I was going to pose her, so I attached her arms with 2 small black brads I had.  The arm holding the clock is stationary, but her right arm does move. I hand cut her top hat and attached the Idea-ology File Tab with the gear in it onto her hat.  I colored the cat eye glasses silver with another Krylon Leafing Pen, took some loose gears and attached them to her wings.  I crumpled up the tea dyed coffee filters and arranged them to appear like a layered skirt. 

I attached the body to the skirt, the corset over the skirt and body, glued the wings to the back of that and finished up with all the embellishments, which included stars punched out of various metallic papers and coated with Stickles placed randomly about (oh and I glued her boots to her skirt).  I held her in place with temporary tape and glued all the letters in place, attaching her last. 

Head Shot

And there you have it – my Steampunk Sweetheart wall hanging.  I worked on her for quite a while, once
my initial idea started to become a reality, in between other projects and it was SO much fun! I have admired Steampunk at since it burst on the scene and it was a pleasure to create something I feel is worthy of being called Steampunk.  I hope you enjoyed my long tutorial and perhaps gained a bit of inspiration to get your own Steampunk creation and enter at Anything But A Card ~ Christi

Another View

I would like to enter my Steampunk Sweetheart in the following challenges:
Divas By Design - Anything But a Card
Stamping Sensations - September Challenge, Things with Wings
Inky Chicks - #38, Anything Goes
Ruby's Rainbow - #88, Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly  - Punch it Out (used star punches)