Getting Steampunky

Steampunk is a style I can't seem to get to grips with. I think it's because it isn't just a crafting genre, to some people it is a whole lifestyle choice, and there are traditions and conventions that I don't  know and probably wouldn't understand. So when a challenge asks us for a steampunk creation, I always flounder! However a challenge isn't a challenge if it isn't a challenge IYKWIM so I've dived in (probably with a Victorian style underwater helmet on) and had a play.

I'm not really sure whether it is really steampunk, and it's a long way out of my comfort zone, but OMG I had a lot of inky, messy fun making it!

The base card is plain dark brown. I accidentally got a bit of adhesive down the folded side, so rather then try to remove it I sprinkled copper glitter over it and incorporated it into the design. I gave the card a very rough edging by running a Tonertex pen in random places around the edge and foiling it with a gold/black distress effect foil from Foilplay.

The next layer is made with something I'm testing for Foilplay - thin aluminium foil, like kitchen foil, only with a paper backing. This gives it the strength not to break and tear when embossed or distressed. I embossed it with a manuscript folder, then splodged random drops of alcohol ink in Ginger, and finally distressed the edges with an edging tool. Here is a piece of the remaining foil so you can see what a crisp impression the embossing gives.

For the next few layers, I used snippets of  patterned and textured paper and distressed the edges with an edging tool and Walnut Stain DI. On the two newsprint layers I stamped - the astrolabe is from the docrafts Chronology set and the cog border from the Viva Décor Old Fashioned Design set.

The dragonfly tucked between the layers is a snippet of brown card stamped with a Personal Expressions stamp (I don't know the exact name, my daughter bought it for me when she was studying in the States)  and embossed with  Verdigris embossing powder.

The main image is also from the Viva Décor Old Fashioned design set, with the rivets and border foiled with the gold/black distress foil I used on the edges of the base card. The Penny Farthing bicycle is a Marianne die used with a snippet of brown pearlescent card, and the metal dragonfly and key are from my stash, I think they came from The Bead Shop.

The embellishment up the side of the card - not sure what to call it - swirly thing? is a white self adhesive one made from very thick card. I covered it in embossing ink and embossed with Verdigris EP, then while the embossing was still hot, sprinkled on pinched of black, copper and Wild Tiger EP and heated it again. All the heat dried up the adhesive, and I had to glue it down.

Finally, because I didn't have enough junk on there already, I added a couple of words from a very old sheet of peel offs.

So there you have it. It's steampunk, Jim, but not as we know it. Or something. But it was a helluva lot of fun to make!

I'm sharing this with

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - P is for Punk.... Steampunk


Fantasy Stampers - Steampunk
Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Use a non white base
A Bit More Time To Craft - Anything Goes   
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 196
That Craft Place - Mixed Media/Anything Goes