Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Grungy Monday No. 3: Imagine

For this installment of Grungy Monday, I made another 6x6 page for my very own chunky book. I started with a piece of an old Sears and Roebuck Catalog, which has been an amazing source of ephemera.  I used Espresso wash combined with Tim's masks to create some contrast in the background.  The color wash was quite simple to use and I appreciate the dark, flat color.  Don't get me wrong I like a shimmer, but there are times when a nice dense color is best for the project.   I also further distressed the background with a few spritz of water creating a nice subtle dappled effect.



At this point I thought ahead to my embellishment, as I wanted to be able to connect it to the paper before gluing the base of my page to chipboard.  I found an old washer and a piece of a clock that I attached to the altered emphemera with a game spinner and a brad.  After gluing, I sealed the edges of the page with tissue tape.  This is a great way to hide any misaligned edges! 

A sheet of Graphic 45's Steampunk Debutant paper provided me with lots of different imagery to add to the page.  A bit of delicate cutting and I had several options to audition for my layout.  Once I was happy with the look of the page, I went back to my embellishing.  I attached a charm with these really cool tiny pins I scored at a garage sale.  They look like the tiniest bobby pin and they are really strong.  I suspect they were used to hold buttons on cards back in the day, as they were in a found along with some old vintage buttons in a coffee can full of "junk" I paid two dollars for. They have been a lovely addition to my embellsiment options. I finished off the page by adding one more watch movement, a little off the edge of the page.   

I am starting to think that I am going to need to start calling these challenges Steampunk Mondays, as I am so hooked on this theme right now.  I can't wait until next week's inspiration so that I can craft another page for my book!  Thanks to Linda Ledbetter and Tim Holtz for being such amazing inspirations! Stay tuned for more installements in this lovely little series of my steampunk dreams.

10 comments:

  1. This is just fabulous steampunk! I love it!

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  2. Fabulous stuff, Love your art!
    Lynn

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  3. I only learned about masking a few days ago, and I love your background - the entire piece is beautifully done!
    (PS: We chose the same blog design! Check it out: bes53seesaw.blogspot.com)

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  4. I can't get enough of your steampunk art :)

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  5. I busted into a huge smile the second I saw this, Rhea. It's spectacular! Not only did you use the Color Wash brilliantly, you created the PERFECT steampunk masterpiece. I love how you incorporated the Graphic 45 images and the watch partk, and... okay, actually, I love the entire piece. This is one to cherish, my dear!

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All the comments and feedback you leave affirms my creative spirit on a very deep level. I am grateful for your time and readership!