Steampunk Thanks

I made the front piece at the same time as I made the background for my Steampunk shaker card.

The accordion card was based on a tutorial from Me & My Big Ideas. I put a message section on the back panel:

building the accordion base

I started with a piece of Tim Holtz's Grunge paper: I stamped it with a stamp & heat-embossed it in gold (ZING); I inked an embossing folder, lightly embossed it in my BigShot, and heat-embossed it in rose gold (Lawn Fawn); I inked it with gold metallic ink and Cosmic Copper pigment ink; I used Tim Holtz dies to cut 3 gears from an aluminum can, added some embossing powders, glued them to the piece, and ran it through my BigShot again with the same embossing folder; I used the same technique with a large paper gear die-cut, and then again with a die-cut sentiment (Spellbinders); I added 3 metal gears that were also heat-embossed. All together, I used gold, silver, copper, rose gold, and aged copper enamel embossing powders. I ended up mixing powders, and that gave it a nice effect.  For the accordion card, I used a coated copperish paper (CTMH, I think) and decorated it with more stamps & embossing powders. I finished the card with a few paper die-cut gears.

Inspiration/Challenges:
SanDee & Amelie's Steampunk Challenges: Steampunk/Industrial
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Grunge It Up
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Make Your Own Background
Stick it Down: Card Sketch

Update: This was chosen as the Top Pick for the Card Sketch at Stick It Down! Wow, can't wait to guest design with them.

Thank you for visiting,

Steampunk Shaker

I got inky this week! I started with a piece of Tim Holtz's Grunge paper: I stamped it with a stamp & heat-embossed it in rose gold (Lawn Fawn); I inked an embossing folder, lightly embossed it in my BigShot, and heat-embossed it in gold; I inked it with gold metallic ink and Cosmic Copper pigment ink; I stamped the corner & embossed it in silver.  For the bottom portion, I cut the border from an aluminum can, added some embossing powders, then ran just the bottom of the card through my BigShot with the same embossing folder. Such a fun effect! The shaker portion is from a Shake It kit; I used StazOn ink to stamp directly onto it. I filled it with die-cut gears & actual metal gear embellishments. I made the frame with two stitched circle dies, and added lots more embossing powder; all together, I used gold, silver, copper, rose gold, and aged copper enamel powders.

Inspiration:
Dream Factory #53: Grease
Make My Monday: #65 Messy Backgrounds
SanDee & Amelie's Challenges: Steampunk/Industrial
Try Stamping On Tuesdays #357: Sketch + optional theme: Shaker Cards

Update: This was chosen as a Top 3 for TSOT #357!

Thank you for visiting,

Our Design Team challenge to YOU: decorate a Frypod!

Therese Travis and the rest of our design team are conducting a contest through July 11: create a unique "frypod" with images from PaperFacesDesign. This sounds like a project for the whole family...plus, one lucky winner will get FREE STUFF. Here's the official rule page.

You'll need to purchase a design from Therese, but they're super-cheap and super-great quality. Remember the mosaic turtle card I made last week? That was all done with Therese's files. The Frypod .svg file is free from Therese. You can find a printable version of a "fry box" here, but since we're copying the King and not the Clown, you'll want to omit the side folds. Oh, you could go old-school and use an actual Frypod.

When Therese first announced the challenge, I immediately had to try it for myself. Long story short, I used Therese's awesome Steampunk Fairies design and the sudden creative burst of my brilliant husband to create what I assume is the world's first Steampunk Frypod.

I made this Saturday afternoon. As of Saturday morning, I didn't know what steampunk was, but that's one of the many benefits of being married to J: he knows. Oh, he knows. And he can direct you to three hard-core fan sites on the subject (whatever it is). At first, I was worried that I didn't understand the underlying philosophy, but I finally understood that steampunk is mostly just a celebration of technology and craft: What would modern technology look like with the pre-plastic aesthetic of the Victorian Era?

J helped with the overall design concept; the gold wire was his suggestion. I think it came out pretty rockin', and I think I'll make a larger one to hold my metallic gel pens. What would a steampunk eat from her frypod? I get the feeling that the Victorian version of French Fries would be Fuzzy Potato Sticks. Anyway, the "frypod" is a tried-and-true street food technology: Historically speaking, chances are that the first "potato holder" was invented by an enterprising Peruvian grandmother when Queen Victoria was just a gleam in a Saxon's eye.

So, where will Therese's Frypod take you? Enter now! NOW!