Steampunk Box

Dear Reader

Here's another box I've made to Laura Denison's design (check out side bar for link) . Yes, loved this box so much I made it twice. I had some of the Graphic 45 Steampunk papers left from my clock and I thought my youngest Alice would like a memory box for her birthday. Birthday party was the weekend just gone so now I'm safe to post the project! I attached another of my tiny clocks. Photo's not so hot but this one is really cool and Steampunky. It's a glass ball with the clock face one side and the inside workings showing at the rear. And it has a tassle dangling from it. Alice loved it and declared it her favourite present. I used a TH plaque to frame the "Alice - Memories" label and decorated the edges with some awesome trim from Running with Scissors. The sides of the box have strips punched with MS Iron Gate. I've been loving this punch. Again, the end result is plain but I wanted to do a practical box that might last a while. Inside the box is a little mini photo album.

LOVE IN A BOX

Dear Reader

Here's my blog celebrating this year's Valentines Day. Went to town on my table (shared with family in case you're wondering!)...... and it all got a bit pink with hearts everywhere. I love a theme!

And here's my Valentine's project. Yes, it's a Laura Denison project design - promise I will post something else soon! I made the box for Maurice so kept it fairly plain and there's not a flower in sight, if you ignore the tiny red rose on the charm. And it's too tiny to count!

The papers are Parisiene Anthology by Pink Paisley. I absolutely adore them and had to give myself a good talking to along the lines of "for goodness sake it's just paper Anne" in order to bring myself to use them. I may have to get them again! All the metalware is Tim Holtz apart from the little tag which is Making Memories. The edging is Boyes. I love this kind of crafting - creating something 3D from a bit of card and paper is so satisfying !

Inside the box is a little matching mini album. The cover paper is another "saver" - this time a My Minds Eye glittered bird paper. Other papers are Pink Paislee again.

I put a few love tokens inside the box including a little altered wood heart. I bought it as a Christmas decoration from B & Q for pence in the sale after Christmas. Paper is from Running with Scissors sale and I think it's Bo Bunny - sides inked with Brilliance Ink Pad - Starlight Black. Charm is another from Making Memories.

I also made some postcards to go in the box to my own design and taste. As a starting point I found some love quotes. I always think it's easier to start projects with the words and design to them. I tried to finish all the postcards in half an hour - from thoughts to finished item (not including the fronts of the postcards which are all stamped like postcards and which I'll post another time - forgot to take pictures - ooops). Some took a little less time some a little more but I'm trying to keep focussed on projects or I can spend ages looking for some charm that I know I've got somewhere but have lost.

First one is very simple - three cuttlebugged hearts on some Valentines Bo Bunny paper - edged with a Martha Stewart punch and decorated with some Jenni Bowlin buttons.

The second uses some paper from the Running with Scissors sale, a die cut star from my stash 'vintaged' with some inks and a bit of wax supported by a fancy paper clip from Habico (RWS), a 7 Gypsies card and a little bouquet of roses made from tiny paper tea roses from Wild Orchid Crafts.

The third postcard I used a scrap of vintage writing paper from my stash, another scrap made into a doilly using a MS edging Round the Page punch, a Making Memories charm and a lock and key cut out from a Spellbinders die and then distressed with inks and wax. I also embossed a heart into the doilly using my Christmas present the Cropadile Three (thanks Moz).

No 4 was the quickest card to make. Some more of the Bo Bunny paper, a pair of wings stamped with a Tattered Angels stamp in Archival Coffee then cut out and a little cherub charm from my stash. I just loved this quote.

No 5 uses a lovely die - the Tim Holtz birdcage which is very cute and versatile. Backing paper is a scrap of Martha Stewart nature paper (love all the bird names) . I gave the bird a crown. After all Love is 'King' !! The eagle eyed will spot another of my deliberate mistakes a missing pearl. Wish I could say it was deliberate and I was echoing the 'broken' theme, but it would be a lie! It fell off!

And for those of you still awake the final card and my favourite No 6. Moz and I both love piano music and I thought this was a perfect quote to use some paper I bought from Running with Scissors and a little charm which I think came from The Works. The flower is from a scrapbooking class and never got attached to the page lol I've added a lovely big 'diamond' jewel to its middle. This is just one from the box of jewels Maurice bought me for Christmas!!! I added a velvet ribbon and bobs your uncle there were my postcards finished.

Have a good week! Anne x

TIME TO BLOG!

Here's the clock itself (yes for the eagle eyed, there is a gear missing - it had fallen on the floor and I didn't

notice when I took the picture - but it's back in place now!)

Here is the mini album cover comlete with tiny working pocket watch

Here are a couple of pages from the mini album. I loved the edginess of these papers. Quite feminine but with a hint of something a bit dark. Quirky!

Dear Reader

Well here I am again. Back in the world of blog. I have so much to record I don't know where to start but I thought I better start somewhere! Good news is I have a new camera - still learning how to use it but got the basics now and am clicking away again. I've missed my blogging but Christmas, illness, busyness and etc etc blah blah excuses excuses !!!

Anyway, here is a project I did over the Christmas period. Yes, still a great fan of Laura Denison's work. I thought this project of hers was particularly lovely and I really enjoyed putting it together. There's not a lot of 'me' in it - just embellished slightly differently from Laura's original and I know some people get sniffy at that, but I loved the challenge of making it and am still marvelling I finished it! I did make my clock a working one by adding a little tiny pocket watch that I bought on eBay for a couple of quid. It came from out East so took a while to arrive but I was so pleased with it when it did! The pocket watch is attached to the mini album that is contained inside the clock but shows through the hole. You can (if you run up to the clock and peer hard enough) read the time which is quite handy for always late me. Handy in the sense that I can't usually see the time and panic!

In the end I didn't use most of the embellishments I sent for for the clock. Typical! Instead I went to Primark's sale after Christmas and bought a few metal jewellery pieces like the butterflies and birds. I looked for quirky! I wanted to bring out the Debutante angle rather than industrial steampunk. My other steampunk bits have come in for other projects and now - sigh - my Graphic 45 steampunk debutante paper is all but gone. But it's been a blast using it!

Thanks for looking.