Hello everyone!
Today marks the beginning of our second challenge over at
Anything But Cute. Thank you to all those who entered our last challenge, and for those who visited and left lovely comments! I would call our first challenge a huge success, thanks to all of you! The wonderfully talented
Cec is our hostess for this month's challenge, and she has chosen the theme "Make It Masculine".
For my project, I went with a steam-punk-ish/John Wayne-ish cigar box tranformation. I made this as a Father's Day gift for my husband, so he can store all those little notes the kids wrote him when they were little.
For this challenge, Cec would like you to make a mixed media card or other project for a fellow in your life. It could be for Father's Day, a birthday, an anniversary or just because you want him to know how special he is.
I actually started this a couple of years ago. I was trying out a wax paper resist technique on another project, and I loved the "waste" wax paper so much, I just had to use it! A friend of mine gave me a huge tub full of cigar boxes, and so I got right to work using the wax paper on one of the boxes. But after doing two sides, I got bored and up on the shelf it went, until I heard about Cec's "Make It Masculine" challenge.
I love leather and rust, and both of these just smack of "masculine" to me. So you will see that I used a lot of both of these elements in my altered cigar box. More is MORE, I say!
My cigar box started out like this.
To get a tooled leather look, I papered four sides of the cigar box with wax paper, which was embossed using Tim Holtz' Regal Texture Fade. After using the embossed wax paper for a resist on another project, and therefore, rendered basically wax-less wax paper, I colored the "waste" wax paper with alcohol inks to get this tooled leather look. After I glued it on, I added some grunge to it, using stencils, texture paste, crackle texture paste, micro beads, Cloisonne High Gloss Granules, embossing powders, Distress embossing powders, stains, inks and paints. Note to self: Open the Closet door before going at all these chemicals!
For the lid of the box, I decided to go with a different leather look. This time I used a simple brown paper shopping bag as my substrate. I've used variations of this technique several times before; I've used Kraft Core
HERE and a water spritzed lunch bag
HERE to make backgrounds similar to this.
I used Distress inks, a Tim Holtz Pocket Watch Texture Fade, a Darice Crackle embossing folder, Glossy Perfect Paper Adhesive, Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint and a touch of metallic wax medium to make this leathery-looking lid. Fortunately, I took a photo in progress; otherwise, you would never get to see how textured it is! Ha! Ha! A little bit of a wasted effort, but at least I know it's under there!
I used a piece of a Tim Holtz Weathered Clock die cut from my leftovers pile and added texture paste, distress paints, embossing powders and Cloisonne Granules. I found the metal hinge on my work table, and I have no idea how it got there. But it was a perfect addition, so I painted it and grunged it up from it's original shiny brass finish.
The tag is stamped with a Paperbag Studio image inked in Archival. I added a watch button from my stash--aged with Crackle Accents and black texture paste-- and a Tim Holtz Remnant Rub. I aged the Spare Parts knob with alcohol inks and Distress embossing powder. The number plate is made from a Tim Holtz Ticket Texture Fade and a pink metal label frame. The brads were given a coat of Tarnished Brass Distress paint. Here's the "before" when I was working on my arrangement. The hinge had only been painted with Black Soot at that point.
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Here's how I made my rusty cogs: I used Tim Holtz' Gadget Gear die to cut the cogs from Grunge paper and blotted them randomly with silver alcohol ink Mixative and a drop or two of Blending solution on a felt blending tool, leaving some areas unpainted. After this was completely dry, I wiped on watered down Black Soot Distress paint with my finger and wiped it off with a paper towel. The Mixative acts as a resist of sorts, and most of the black paint wiped off. Caution: you're going to think you need new glasses when you look at these blurry shots. There's only so much I can do with an iphone camera!
Next I splattered on Distress paints, drying with a heat gun between each to build up the color. I used Black Soot, Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Photo, Fired Brick and Antiqued Bronze. Before drying the last color, I sprinkled on a little Tea Dye Distress embossing powder and then heated to emboss. I then added a few more paint splatters, drying between colors. You can see the cog is really starting to curl up!
I dabbed on some Vintage Photo Distress stain, and sprinkled this with more Tea Dye Distress embossing powder, then heated. A few more splatters of Distress paints, heated between layers to finish off the color. To give it just a little more texture and to flatten the cogs out, I dry embossed them with a Sizzix embossing folder 2 times. Here is what the folder looks like. I don't know the name; I purchased it used at a yard sale. It's hard to see the texture in the second photo, but it really adds a lot in real life
I followed a similar routine for the rest of the cogs, but used other products, and different sequence of paint application, and omitting the alcohol ink on some. I used clay embossing powder, Tea Dye Distress embossing powder, and Cloisonne High Gloss Granules on some of the cogs and some were cut using Tim's Steampunk On the Edge die. I had so much fun trying different combinations, and enjoy seeing the results. (Each one made me smile, Jan!) That is what I love so much about mixed media--there are no mistakes!
The smaller cogs are made with paper clay and a Mod Podge mold. I painted and heat embossed them added micro beads to some and high lighted some of them with metallic wax medium.
The corners on the front of the box and key are also made with paper clay and a Mod Podge mold and painted and heat embossed in the same manner as the smaller cogs.
I used Tim's Hardware Findings die for the keyhole and hinges using waste packaging for the keyhole and Kraft Core for the hinges. I used black texture paste, distress paint and embossing powder to make the keyhole look like old iron, and 2 brads were rusted for the nails. The phillips head screws securing the hinges are made from grunge paper-- an idea I got from our super talented and lovely
Pamellia at My Little Craft Things. I changed her technique up a bit by folding the die cuts in half, sanding and painting the ridge with Black Soot. Then I painted and embossed with Tea Dye Distress embossing powder.
In each of the four corners, I added paper clay medallions, crackle texture paste, micro beads, embossing powder and Cloisonne Granules, to give it an old mildewed look. If you've ever spent time in a barn you know that even the nicest leather ends up looking like this.
Here's a view of one of the sides. You might have noticed there's a black cord at the bottom. It's just simple black cord that I dipped in Mod Podge and left to stiffen over night. It's got a great leathery hand to it and attached around the bottom of my box like a dream. I used Tim's Measured Layering stencil, texture paste and Peeled Paint and Tea Dye Distress embossing powders and clay embossing powder to make the design. I wiped on some metallic wax medium to high light.
The opposite side; more of the same. The clock hands were done the same way the key hole was, and fastened with an altered brad. A couple more paper clay gears and cogs.
And finally, the back of the cigar box. I had removed the label before adding my wax-less wax paper, and so I added it back and distressed it in keeping with the vintage look. More cogs and gears and a steampunk clock made with the same mold but this time with Sculpy, because paper clay just wouldn't cut it for this shallow mold. I cut my "leather" (Kraft Core) using Tim's Ticket Movers and Shapers die and added some "nails" made out of grunge paper.
Here's another look at my steamy-leathery box.
That's it for today! Please let me know if you have any questions.Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving your lovely and encouraging comments! I hope you will be inspired to join in with our "Make It Masculine" challenge at Anything But Cute. I can't wait to see what you make for the man in your life! Hugs and Blessings!
Sara Emily
I would like to enter this into the following inspiring challenges:
Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #13 "A Year of Choices" I chose MMMC #2 Around the House. I used wax paper as "tooled leather" and a paper shopping bag for "leather" in another background. If a cigar box counts, well, I used that, too! It's just not commonly found around our house!
Our Creative Corner "What Makes You Smile?" Knowing I was making a special gift for my husband had me smiling the entire time I was creating this. Rust and grunge always make me smile. Altering things and making something from junk makes me smile.
