Mark the transient butterfly...

I’ve gone a bit distressed and a bit grunge with today’s card featuring the elegant Steampunk Kay from Simply B Stamps’ Steampunk DT Gals collection.

I love the contrast between the distressing and the corroded background and embellies and the pretty image.  There’s a lot going on with this card but that’s partly because the sketch I followed from Cardabilities had a lot going on.  I haven’t decided if I should have enlarged the tab file elements or not, I could have as I didn’t have a die so cut them by hand.

The awesome rusty corrugated iron background paper just had to be distressed and that led me to having to rust my metal cog and wooden butterfly, which I did with some rusting powder from Twiddleybitz.  There was no way I was going to be able to distress into the corners of the tab files so I settled for designer paper that looked a bit shabby.  I backed my cog hessian trim with another hessian trim that had frayed bits on the side to add more shabbiness to the whole card.  I’m always a bit unsure about the whole shabby style but between all my elements I think I meet the distressed or shabby part of the current Paper Crafting Journey challenge and my image is a bit vintage so might have that part covered too.

The sketch had butterfly embellies so that’s what I went with too, just Steampunk ones.  I’ve also got gears galore and metal bits and pieces and a Steampunk image so I’m also entering this in the current challenge at PunkyouGirl.

And while we’re talking Steampunk, why not join in on our challenge over at Simply Steampunk Challenges, it’s wings / grunge it up.  As you can see I’ve got that theme covered with my card and my grunged up butterfly.  You can use any Steampunk image, although we’d love to see a Simply B Stamps’ one, and have until 2 February.

Ingredients:

Copics

Skin E50, E51, E53 (cheeks E02)

Eyes E37, E49, 0

Lips R29, R37, R46, R59

Hair E29, E31, E35, E37, E49

Outfit BG93, G85, G94, G99, N0, N1, N2, 0

Chalks & Powders etc

Twiddleybitz – Rusting Powder

Dies & SVG s etc

Spellbinders Nestabilities – Cogs

Embellishments

Bead Flowers from stash

Jolee’s Boutique – Steampunk Floral n Butterfly Border

Kaisercraft Flourishes – Magical Butterfly

Prima Junkyard Findings – Tiny Clock Parts

Inks & Paints etc

Tim Holtz Distress Ink – Tea Dye & Walnut Stain

Tim Holtz Distress Paint – Vintage Photo

Vintaj Patina – Aged Bronze

Papers

Kaisercraft Cardstock – Black

Kaisercraft Attitude! – Dude

Kaisercraft Base Coat – Redwood

Kaisercraft Hunt & Gather – Trek

Ribbons & Trims

Green Tara Mesh Ribbon – Dark Brown

Hessian Trim – Natural from stash

Hessian Trim – Cogs from stash

Stamps

Simply B Stamps Steampunk – Steampunk Kay

Challenges

Cardabilities Sketch #91

Paper Crafting Journey – Vintage / Distressed / Shabby Chic

PunkyouGirl #8 – Steampunk

Thanks for stopping by!

Then as an angel face and wings…

Not only is it release day for the gorgeous Steampunk Gals images at Simply B Stamps, drawn by the uber talented Betty herself, but we’ve also got a new challenge at Simply Steampunk Challenges to use wings or grunge it up.  For my project I got to play with the image of my awesome teamie, Lisa H.

I decided to use both challenge options and grunge up my “secret box” as well as adding some beautiful wings in Steampunk style with lots of metal as well as cogs and clocks and pocket watches galore.

The box is rather special, perfect for keeping some suitably Steampunk jewellery inside.

I first saw this box on a challenge blog and I had to go look at the creator’s blog, Cindy, of Cin’s Creations, is an amazingly talented crafter.  She is also generous with her crafting and kindly offered the Silhouette file for the box to readers so after becoming a follower I sent off a request and quick as a flash I had the files and a link to another crafter’s blog post, Norma of From My Craft Room, with instructions for making up the box.  Having the cut files certainly made making the box so much easier and both she and Norma made exquisite secret boxes – go check out their amazing work.

To decorate my box I distressed all my designer paper, which, helpfully for a grunge themed project, was already grungy in style.  On reflection I think I should have done the base in a Tim Holtz Distress brown cardstock but I am still pleased with how the box turned out.  I distressed up some of my embellies too, not having enough variety in aged gold.  For the wings on the top I aged my copper metal sheet with Vintaj Patinas that matched the colours of my designer paper.  The sentiment comes with Steampunk Lisa H; I just used Photoshop to give it a steamy kind of effect.

 

So hopefully you’re feeling inspired to get all Steampunky and grungy or to get out all those winged embellies in your stash and will come play along with our challenge.

As this is definitely not a card I’m entering it in the current All Crafts Challenge at Craft My Life.  I’m also entering it the current anything goes challenges at Crafting From the Heart and Scribble & Scrap.

Ingredients:

Copics

Skin E50, E51, E53 (cheeks E01, E02, R02)

Eyes B93, B95, B97, 0

Lips RV34, RV63, RV66

Hair BV20, BV23, BV25, BV29, 100

Outfit BV20, BV23, BV25, BV29, RV91, RV93, RV95, RV99

Dies & SVGs etc

Angel Wings SVG

Spellbinders Nestabilities – Stately Circles

Embellishments

Eyelet Outlet Brads – Gears & Pocket Watch

Kaisercraft Mini Paper Blooms – Iceberg

Kaisercraft Paper Blooms – Iceberg

Metal Wings from LSS

Petaloo Darjeeling – Dahlias Teastained Purples

Prima Junkyard Findings – Tiny Clock Parts

Watch Parts from stash

Inks & Paints etc

Krylon Leafing Pen – Copper

Rub’nBuff – Gold Leaf

StazOn – Black

Tim Holtz Distress Ink – Tea Dye & Walnut Stain

Vintaj Patinas – Jade, Moss & Verdigris

Papers

7 Dots Studio 9^th Wave – Deep Water, Seam Foam & Stormy Sea

American Crafts Cardstock – Black

Artools Metal Sheet – Copper

Stamps

Simply B Stamps Steampunk – Steampunk Lisa H

Challenges

Craft My Life All Crafts Challenge December / January – Anything but a card

Crafting From the Heart #3 – Anything goes

Scribble & Scrap Challenge # 8 – Always Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by!

Macabre Reflections

It’s the final week of Spooktober and I have a number of special projects to share (provided I get them all finished!) and two for today.  The first is my entry to Day 9 of the 13 Days of Halloween at Simply B Stamps where the theme is Splattered and who better to splatter than Corinne?

This is a little compact I made, it was very silver so I added some patina to the rim, the background is black, Corinne’s favourite colour.  I needed something to add interest to the background and the splatter theme was just perfect, I went with red for blood, as red is also Corinne’s favourite colour and she is a bit bloodthirsty!  Well, OK, not really, but she likes to pretend!  The image is a cropped version of the image Betty drew for Corinne for her birthday last year.  You can’t really see the smoke she is blowing in the photo and the Diamond Glaze I used to seal it made her lips run :-(

My second project is also an off-the-page and features the lovely Pipper, from the Burtonweenies collection at Simply B Stamps.

This choker turned out almost exactly as I imagined, there are supposed to be some red sugar skulls in the open zip part but I have turned my craft room upside down and can’t find them!  Most of the pieces I got from my local fabric and craft stores.  I’ve gone with a red and black theme again and Pipper as she is Corinne’s favourite Simply B Stamps’ image, I’ve just cropped her to fit the vintage frame.

There’s a Halloween challenge over at Craft Mojo, where I am linking up my choker.  And, as this is definitely not a card and features ribbon, I ‘m also entering it in the current challenge at Crafty Ribbons.

Oh, and Corinne, no need to call dibs on these, they are headed your way just as soon as I can make it to the post office, just my way of saying…

To someone who is truly a wonderful person, despite all the pins!

Ingredients:

Copics

Corinne

Skin E50, E51, E53, (cheeks R02)

Eyes E29, E37, 0

Lips R24, R46, R59

Hair E08, E18, E93, E95

Pipper

Skin E50, E51, E53, (cheeks R02)

Eyes E35

Lips R46, R59

Top R24, R29, R46, R59

Embellishments

Beaded Insert from local fabric store

Maya Road Vintage Findings Antique Ornate Frame

Rhinestones from stash

Inks & Paints etc

Ranger Enamel Accents – White

Smooch – Siren

StazOn – Black

Vintaj Patinas – Verdigris

Ribbons & Trims

Lace from LSS

Rhinestone Zipper from local fabric store

Velvet Ribbon from local fabric store

Stamps

Simply B Stamps Burtonweenies Pipper

Simply B Stamps Headshot Corinne

Challenges

Craft Mojo – Halloween

Crafty Ribbons Challenge # 67 – Anything BUT a card

Simply B Stamps13 Days of Halloween Day 9 – Splatter your projects with either black, red or green anything goes

Thanks for stopping by!

Creepmas in Spooktober

Yep, you read that right, it’s Creepmas in Spooktober.  That’s because for Day 6 of the 13 Days of Halloween at Simply B Stamps the theme is to Collide Two Holidays, namely Christmas and Halloween to make it Creepmas.  I’m featuring Christian Skellington from a Teen Scene Christmas collection on my creepy box.

 

The box itself is a Silhouette cut by Jamie Cripps that was super easy to put together.  It comes with the cut for the designer paper for the front, I cut two so I could have the same paper on the back.

I made the embellie tree from shrink plastic, it is the tree from Rio Trimming the Tree from the Emo Christmas collection, I just cut Rio out as I was cutting out the tree.  By placing Christian just so I could cover the missing branches of the tree.

The sentiment is computer generated and cut from a Tattered Banners die.  To distress the edges I used some Moss Vintaj, I think it is suitably slime-like for a Creepmas gift box.

Being Creepmas and a bit spooky I am entering my box in the current challenge at Craftitude.  And although a bit creepy this is definitely Christmas and a box perfect for some candy, not to mention having the candy cane charm so I am also linking it up at Christmas Stampin’ All Year Long’s current challenge.

Ingredients:

Copics

Skin E11, E21, E50, E51, (cheeks R02)

Mouth R02

Eyes E35, 0

Hair T3, T5, T7, 100

Outfit N4, N6, N8, 100

Ghost N0, N2, N4

Die Cut

Silhouette 3d Myra Mains Halloween Favour Box

Tim Holtz Alterations Tattered Banners

Embellishments

Metal Charms – Candy Cane & Spider Web

 Inks

Vintaj Patina – Moss

Papers

Echo Park Chillingsworth Manor – Timeless Cobwebs

Kaisercraft Cardstock – Black

Ribbons & Trims etc

Baker’s Twine – Black Swan

Stamps

Simply B Stamps Christian Skellington

Simply B Stamps Rio Trimming the Tree (tree)

Challenges

Craftitude Challenge #51 – Anything Goes/Spooky

Christmas Stampin’ All Year Long #38 – Christmas Candy

Simply B Stamps 13 Days of Halloween Day 6 – Collide Two Holidays with a Treat Box or Bag

Thanks for stopping by!