Feel the Love - 1

I admit it, I'm a big softy when it comes to Valentine's Day. Yes, even after years of marriage.   The second time around, too.  In my head I'm still 18 and as romatic as ever.  So I like to make a bit of an effort with The Love Of My Life's Valentine and as there are a number of Valentine/romance/hearts and flowers related challenges going on right now, well...

Having said I'm a big softy, I don't like giving TLOML something that is too sweety-sweety.  In the past I've done mini-albums, minimalist white-on-white, a CD slideshow - all sorts of things.  This year I've gone Steampunk (we both love the style - just as well really!)

I began with a papier-mache box (one of a nested set of three.  This is the middle-sized one) and covered it with aluminium insulating tape (I got some 50 mm wide from the DIY store, and I also got some 100 mm wide from Ebay).  I followed the technique demonstrated by Tim Holtz here. 

I die cut some gears (from the Chronology range by Docrafts) and the letters (Sizzix Bigz XL - Word Play) rubbed on Gilder's Paste in shades of gold, silver and bronze and antiqued them all with a very dilute wash of black acrylic paint.  When they were dry, I stuck them all to the lid of the box.

That's part one done and dusted - now I just have to make the card to go inside.  But before I go on to make the card, I'm going to enter this in the Anything But A Card blog challenge nd the Hostshot Craft Blog Challenge.

 

See you in Part 2!

Clean and Simple

 

 Hi folks! If you've visited my blog before, you've probably realised that I am a fan of the grungy, steampunky, distressed and altered so the white-on-white look is a real departure from the norm. However, in my ramblings around the Blogiverse, I stumbled upon Hotshot Crafts Blog Challenge, which at the moment is to create something "Clean and Simple", and I thought this might fit the specification.

I was given a Grand Calibur for Christmas (I know, I know- I've already got a Big Shot and a Vagabond, so why do I need ANOTHER die cutting machine?) so I decided I'd put it through its paces.  I embossed the front of the shaped card (by only putting the front part of the card into the folder before putting it through the machine) with a Tied Together embossing folder from Couture Creations, and cut and embossed the Marvelous Squares Spellbinders dies from white card.  The central element is a digital stamp from Pink Petticoat.  Hope you like it. 

Thanks for visiting - I do hope you enjoyed!