Wednesday 18 September 2013

Like Clockwork!



I had so much fun working with the new Tim Holtz Halloween dies that I thought I would go a little crazy this week and have fun with dies old and new for no better reason than I wanted to have a bit more fun! Now if that's a crime then you can lock me up and throw away the key.



The card is an over the top celebration of die cutting and inking techniques in perfect harmony (I hope!) It's hard to believe that everything that you see started off as smooth white card!

Below is a list of the dies and folders I used all of which are designed by Tim Holtz from collections old and new, just click on the dies and follow the link for more information.



You will also need a selection of Ranger Distress Inks and Perfect Pearls powders and some smooth heavy weight card.

Take a piece of smooth white card measuring 200 x 135mm and trim both ends using the On the Edge die so that the centre section measures no more that 100mm so that the embossing folder fits over the top. Die cut all the parts to create the clock including two of the main body before trimming the centre from one of them using the crease lines to guide you.

Choose a range of Distress inks which will, when combined give a rusty patina to the die cuts I used Broken China, Crushed Olive, Wild Honey, Mustard Seed and Dusty Concord and I used Vintage Photo and Soot Black towards the end of the process. Press some of the ink pads face down onto and ink blending mat in a random fashion and add a fine mist with a spritzer before placing the die cuts face down into the ink, when you are happy with the results use a heat tool to speed up the drying process.

Deboss the main background and main clock using the gears folder and use your ink applicators to bring out the detail by gently applying the ink a little at a time until you attain the desired effect. Repeat with all of the other die cuts finishing with the darker colours. While still wet brush with metallic perfect pearls in places to add a sheen. Next, mount all the elements together onto the background using a glue gun and adhesive 3D foam pads to add depth.



Create a base card from the smooth white card stock measuring 210 x 135mm and emboss the top and bottom of the front cover using the diamond plate folder. Gently apply ink to bring out the embossed texture, for this I used Weathered Wood to give the grey finish and Wild Honey and Mustard Seed to mimic the effects of rust. Next, I diluted some ink in water and used a paint brush to drip it down the front of the card to give a more realistic weathered metal feel. Finally, I brushed over the diamond plate pattern with a fine dusting of Pearl powder to give a pleasing metallic sheen.



4 comments:

  1. Pete, i have found the Sizzix blog and you and i am going to follow you and get inspiration. Thanks a lot for the inspirations i got from you at Bikuben. Thanks also for the three embossed tags you gave me - i will keep them as a memory. I love you creative ideas and thanks for your creative help:)

    Heidi

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    1. Thanks Heidi, I had a lot of fun at Bikuben and everyone was very friendly. What a great store, I wish we had one close to where I work.

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  2. Love this steampunk card. Thank you for combining the older dies with the new wall clock die, I have most of the older dies and embossing folders you used and they are in my top favourites category. I am still purchasing the older dies and love them as much as the new ones that are on my wishlist. Steampunk is a huge for me, I just love the alternative style of it. I prefer it to Halloween.
    Thank you for sharing this amazing and inspiring project.
    Jacquelene L
    Canada

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    1. Thanks for your comments Jacquelene, I work in a few different styles but this is one of my favourites. I love to go crazy with inks and powders, and it's nice to have the time to play around with some of the old and new dies too.

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