Steampunk clock

For Day 90 of the 100 day challenge, I decorated a clock dial with gilding flakes, noting that it would at some point become an actual clock.  And here it is!
The mdf base was made by my youngest son at school in Year 8, sixteen years ago .... now I have finally got around to using it :-)
The background paper is from the Stamperia collection 'Cosmos'.  I cut panels for the front and sides, having painted around the edges of the mdf in bronze.  These were sealed with Mod Podge and allowed to dry before adhering to the clock with wet glue, so that they wouldn't bubble up under the subsequent varnish.
I then die-cut the gear corners for the front and decorative panels for the sides, dies by Memory Box and Marianne respectively.  The metal cogs/gears in both antique copper and gunmetal finishes were from stash and adhered with Cosmic Shimmer glue, which I have found to be excellent for sticking down metal.
The clock mechanism was inserted (and tested!) so that the dial could be placed accurately.  The dial is a little too big for the base, so I attached tiny feet (originally sold as dolls house furniture knobs) to increase the height just a bit.  Then the dial and hands were attached.
I felt it needed a little more and stuck a row of pearls to the top edge and some more around the cogs/gears at the front and sides.
It will now have pride of place on my mantelpiece :-)
I am sharing this with Sandee & Amelie's Steampunk challenges Summer Special and with the CraftWorld Steampunk Inspired challenge

Day 94: Birthday card, new distress oxide colour

I am sharing this with A Bit More Time to Craft, their theme is 'Anything goes'.
There is a new Distress colour ... Speckled Egg, which is a vintage-y duck egg blue and is gorgeous.  I bought the Oxide inkpad and the Oxide spray.
I have used a new stencil, from Darkroom Door, shmooshed DiOx inks through, in speckled egg, shaded lilac and cracked pistachio.  I then found an old script stamp and stamped that over the stencil in weathered wood, but using the second impression not the first.  The stencil was removed and a few stamped splats were added.
The sentiment is from Phill Martin, as is the script, the feathers are Hot off the Press and Elusive Images, who have since become Chocolate Baroque.
This card qualifies for both Out of the Drawer for the old stamps, all but the largest feather were unused, and also Buy it Try it, as the stencil and inkpad were used on the day they arrived!
See you tomorrow!

Day 93: Double Gatefold card - blog challenge

I am sharing this card with Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper challenge, NBUS challenge 16, and Little Red Wagon  - who require patterned paper, never before used stuff, and embossing respectively.
This is a double gatefold card, the papers are from Kaisercraft, the sentiment from Woodware and the previously unused butterfly from Deep Red.
I heat embossed in Periwinkle from Stampendous, used a scalloped circle punch for the butterfly and cut the sentiment pennant by hand.
See you tomorrow!

Day 82: Mono-metallic Christmas card

Another day, another blog challenge!  This time I am sharing with Sparkles Christmas Challenge, who would like a card featuring bells.
I bought some paper pads from The Works recently, and this is one of them, called Metallic Mono.  Shades of black, white, silvery grey and gold, several papers are gold foiled, it is beautiful and will make many many cards, not only Christmas but I think it will do for masculine ones year round too.
I found this bell stamp, it's from 2005!! The sentiment is SU, as is the punch used to cut it out.  Both were heat embossed in gold.  The paper panel is die cut with a deckle edge die from Crealies, the plain black mat and the image are done with square dies from Tonic.  I inked round the sentiment tag rather than mat it.
See you tomorrow!

Day 75: Anniversary card

DH suddenly (and casually!) announced that our friends' wedding anniversary is coming up.  Those of you who have seen my previous blog will know that this is a recurring situation...... :-)

I had no anniversary cards in my box!!!  So I rummaged in the 'partially made' collection and found this base - an overlay die on a shmooshed ink background.  I punched out the scalloped circle and went through some stamps, found this swirly heart from Deep Red, which I had never used.  It fit the circle perfectly, so I added the sentiment from Stamping all Day and heat embossed in two shades of blue.  The darker blue hasn't come out so well, but it can pass as being a bit grungy, so that's ok!  I plan to make up several of these in different colours, now that I have found such a useful stamp, I really don't know why it has never seen ink!!  I actually have half a dozen or so stamps from this brand and had only used one previously, so will be having a play with the others too.

I am sharing this with NBUS challenge blog  

See you tomorrow!

Day 58: White on white Christmas card

A white on white Christmas card ... a bit challenging, especially when it comes to the sentiment.  The layers, from the base up, are as follows: card blank, panel with a 7 x 5 bordered embossing folder (Card Making Magic), central panel with dotted embossing, oval lattice die cut (Presscut), bauble base, bauble top, and debossed sentiment panel cut twice for depth. I think that makes eight layers! The whole bauble set is by Sue Wilson, not previously used. Phew!  I am definitely going to make the baubles again now I have rediscovered them.

See you tomorrow!

Day 52: Embossed/inked birthday card

I just rediscovered this stamp, it's either SU or Stampendous. Heat embossed and matted onto an inked dry embossed background. You're going to be seeing this stamp again!

See you tomorrow!

Day 48: Die cut small favour box

Trying out an unused box die, bought a few years ago. Pictured with tape measure for scale.  The die is from Tonic, I used purple and white pearlescent card.

See you tomorrow!

Day 33: Starting on decorated wood block

Several years ago, the Craft Stamper magazine featured a project using a wooden block, measuring 6 x 4 x 2 inches.  basically a 4 x 2 plank of wood, cut to 6 inch pieces.  DH cut the wood for me and I did process one piece into a Christmas ornament.  The rest of the pieces .... remained in the drawer!

So here is the start of the next one!  It does look flat in the photo, I assure you it is dimensional IRL!  I have primed it on all sides and it awaits the next step :-)

See you tomorrow!

Day 4: embossed background flower card

This is another card using the previously made backgrounds as described yesterday.  The colours are a bit stronger in this one, not so pastel.

The frame and insert die is an old one from Presscut.  I bought four different ones at the time and this is the first time I have used any of them!  Flowers from a Sue Wilson stamp/die set, with a pearl added to the centres.The sentiment tag is an SU punch, the sentiment is a stamp from Stamping all Day.  Really pleased with how these are turning out, there are a few more to go yet :-)
See you tomorrow!

Day 3: Pastel butterfly card

I love making backgrounds, a while ago I made several by using embossing folders to create a panel, then shmooshing over with Distress inks. Trouble is, once I have made a background I then can't decide which bits of it to cover up, so these have been hanging round for quite some time.  In fact it's so long ago I can't remember whether I used original DI's or the oxides..... LOL.  So they are a perfect candidate for #100dayproject2020
Here is the first.

The panel is inked with shades of pink, green and purple. I am also trying to use dies and stamps which I haven't previously used, so this frame with trellis insert die is (I think) a Marianne die.  Quite hard to cut, I had to resort to two shims.  The flowers are an old Sue Wilson stamp/die set, Perfect Peony.  Both are several years old, in fact I think the Marianne one was one of my early purchases, so 8 or 9 years old?  The flowers must be around 5.
The butterfly is from an old Stampin' Up stamp/punch bundle, the sentiment tag is also an SU punch.  The pearl border is from Tattered Lace which I am definitely going to use more often now I have rediscovered it!
I have also decided to try participating in blog challenges during the 100 days (and beyond!) so I am sharing this with the NBUS challenge 13 as it has items not used before, the framed trellis die and the flower/stamps dies.
See you tomorrow!

I haven't blogged for a while.  But then I found the 100 day project challenge on Instagram and decided to join in, starting today April 7th.  So to celebrate a new start, a new blog!



Today's project is a decorated small wooden box, originally bought from The Works before last Christmas.  It's been on the go for a few weeks, but I intend to use the 100 days to finish stuff off!

I removed the hinges and clasp, primed the box with white acrylic primer, then over-painted with bronze shimmer as I wanted this colour to be the 'cracks' under the top coat.  I use Paperartsy crackle glaze, which goes over the base coat but under the top coat, different brands vary as to when they are applied.  Then I applied a top coat of Decoart buttermilk and the crackles appeared as if by magic! A satin varnish went over the the whole box and then I added the metal trim - cut using a Tattered Lace pearl border die - and a brass ornament from stash.
Putting the hinges back on was a bit of fun and games, the screws are so tiny and very fiddly!
I am very guilty of buying stuff and putting away without using it ... then rediscovering it months later!  So this 100 day challenge will give me an opportunity to rectify that with Out of the Drawer projects and to stash bust at the same time :-)
See you tomorrow!