Keys to My Heart

Hello friends and visitors! I hope you've been finding time to be creative!  I've turned my back on my paper and card stock and made my project mainly out of metal. Here are the keys to my heart (rust, metal, grunge).

It's hard to tell which is the front and which is the back, so I'll show both and let you decide. I really should stop making 3D projects, because they are so hard to photograph, and I must bore you with so many photos. As you might be able to tell, it was raining (finally) when I took these. I had to take the shots outside, because the light in my studio reflects off all the metal.

                                             

I'm sorry I've got no process shots, but I'll make up for it in close ups. I started with aluminum foil and masking tape to form my heart. I cut up pieces of  air conditioner's/plumber's tape and embossed them with a Lifestyle Crafts embossing folder. I used these pieces to cover the heart and colored the heart with a variety of alcohol inks. I gave it a coat of Black Soot Distress paint and before it was fully dried, I wiped most off to leave it in the recesses. I heat embossed with my beloved Burnt Copper Leaves embossing powder randomly (sold at Emerald Creek Craft Supplies--I can't locate a link). See all those nice metallic bubbles? That's the powder heated slightly; when you heat it longer it forms a nice smooth enamel--not the look I was going for on this project.

This entire project was inspired by a box of keys I picked up at my neighbor Hilda's house when it was being cleaned out following her unfortunate passing earlier this year. Many of the keys have unique shapes, but  are not especially old, so I aged them and a metal keyhole embellishment from my stash with black gesso, DecoArt Sand Texture paste and media paints in Raw Umber, Quinacridone Gold and Cobalt Teal.  I embossed with just a touch of Distress Tea Dye Embossing Powder. I also made a few keys and another  keyhole using air dry clay and a Mod Podge mold. I colored them with Prima Alchemy paint in  Steampunk Copper, Deco Art Raw Umber, Quinacridone Gold, and  just a touch of Cobalt Teal. I was able to bend the metal keyhole and mold the still pliable keys and hole to the heart, but there was no budging those real keys!

See the "nails" on the keyhole and periodically on the upholstery tacks? Those are black half pearls colored with black gesso and watered down Steampunk Copper. I think this just might be my favorite detail.

I bet you wish these close ups weren't so blurry; I know I do! Mr. I wanted to focus on all that foil!

I'm very fortunate to have purchased a very large roll of brass upholstery tacks (well that's what they look like to me) from Hilda's estate sale last year, and these work as a perfect embellishment. I aged them in a similar manner as the keys and adhered them to the heart's edges which was tricky to say the least. Golden glass bead gel adds some rusty grunge to my heart.

And a few more random shots. I assure you, no paper was harmed in the making of my heart!

I am sharing my heart with the following challenges:

Emerald Creek Dares Anything But Paper

Mixed Media World MMW #15 From Scrap to Masterpiece My scraps are keys getting ready to be thrown in the dumpster.

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #25 2nd Anniversary I chose Texture - November 2015

  

Southern Ridge Trading Company Anything Masculine

Sandee and amelie's Steampunk Challenges June Anything Goes

Thank you for stopping by today, hanging in there with me,  and for all your wonderful comments. I read and appreciate each and every one of them! 

Hugs and Blessings!

Sara Emily