Adventure - tag, die cuts, embossing, coloured pencil

Adventure calls! Genevieve is on a mission with her kitty to unlock a distant magical place. She has a map and will travel by airship. My steampunk-inspired tag features several die cuts, embossing, and a stamp from Kraftin' Kimmie stamps coloured with Prismacolour pencils.

Putting It Together 

As part of my personal effort to use the items I buy/acquire, I have a special tag in Evernote to mark items new to my stash and clear it when I finally use them at least once. I got to remove 14 for this project. Even though I will often look for my 'haven't been used yet' marker when fishing for an idea or looking for things to add in a project, that's the most I have ever used pulling one project together. 

I started with an idea and started pulling things from my stash. My idea was a steampunk-ish adventure-ess with her cat looking for a key to fit a keyhole that would take her to a fabulous place.

I knew I had a long-retired Kraftin' Kimmie stamp set by Annie Roderique with a steampunk vibe including goggles and map. I wanted a dirigible or hot air balloon but the only hot air balloon I have in a die wasn't right. But, I did recently get a paper pack with a Jules Verne theme complete with a hot air balloon and dirigible sheet. I got the cat recently in a Dies R Us special sale for European dies. I got the keyhole quite a long time ago but never had anything just right for it. I recently got the scrolly die and just thought it would be a lovely element. The tag Movers and Shapers die I got from a garage sale hosted by a local scrapbooking store when I haven't really been thrilled with the cardstock of premade tags. Even though I don't often make tags, I thought it would be nice to make my own base. Whew.

I trimmed the grey rubber Genevieve, cut the tag, and trimmed a panel of the patterned paper before doing a dry fit with the other dies to work out a layout and see if it would all fit. I decided to overlap the sides of the tag 'cause who needs to be constrained when they're on an adventure.

I stamped Genevieve with Totally Taupe on Bee watercolour paper and set up to do the colouring. I like the texture of watercolour paper, even when I am using non-watercolour pencils. To help make the colouring less stressful on my neck and back, I will often use a raised lightbox with a sloped top. I took the light off it 'cause I almost never use it as a lightbox.

While colouring, I list the pencils I use both for this picture and for my own information later. I love colouring red hair. I'm not sure why Genevieve wanted to be dressed in blue but, she did and I listened. l later added clear Crystal Glaze to her goggles.

I die-cut the kitty from heavy black cardstock then did a light blending of Hickory Smoke Oxide. I also darkened in the die embossed lines and coloured the eyes with Prismacolour pencils. I have a black kitty and like to add him to projects. I think he would love to go on a steampunk adventure.

I used the distressing tool to rough up the edges of the patterned paper.

I used the keyhole die to cut a trio of the same kraft as I cut the tag.

I stacked the layers using the Glue Sponge. I don't really like this adhesive and won't buy it again. The batches are inconsistent. Mine is sticky but a bit too thick to get a consistent amount of glue on the piece and the glue sinks too quickly requiring it to be capped and placed upside down between each layer. My friend's, bought at the same store a couple weeks before I got mine, is so watery it can't be put upside down to get the glue to the top of the sponge and has almost no stickiness even when you get 'liquid' from it on to the item. However, I do want to use it up so I bring it out sometimes for layering where there are large areas. I have to use tweezers to press the item into the sponge which gets glue on the tweezers and can get glue on the front, so I don't use it for anything but internal layers and/or if I plan to emboss over everything. Nice idea, but it doesn't really work in execution.

For the embossing, instead of using tweezers and changing the hold location between layers, I decided to use a bit of scrap paper (from trimming my large art pads to a size my printer likes) with removable adhesive.

I used a bit of plastic packaging under the item and squished the Versamark pad all over liberally.

I use coffee filters while embossing to catch the excess of the dump/sprinkle so I can contain the mess and easily pour the unused powder back into the bottle. I then used the Tim Holtz Heat It tool to melt the powder. The chunky Baked Texture embossing powder has different types of bits that don't all stick to the Versamark. The Heat It tool doesn't push as much air as the normal heat tool but does get as hot. You have to hold it over the embossing powder a bit longer, but it doesn't blow it around.

After embossing, I went over it again with Versamark to do another coat. I did three coats with Versamark and a final coat just pouring the powder over the still hot surface. It stays hotter the more embossing there is.

With four coats, the edges do get a lot more rounded and the item gets even stiffer. Patina Oxide has lovely verdigris with coppery bits.

For the side scroll, I used coppery Nuvo mousse on the kraft before die cutting it.

It looks pretty and metallic, but not as substantial as the keyhole.

So, I decided to use another Emerald Creek chunky embossing powder. My crafty friend had given me some of the bottles she had bought and I gave her some of the ones I bought since neither of us use so much that a partial bottle isn't enough. Having a crafty friend to share with is a great way to stretch both of your crafty budgets.

My crafty friend also loaned me an old glass craft mat she had after she got the Tim Holtz one so I could see if I like working on the glass. I found embossing on the tempered glass for these scrolly bits is great. I still have the scrap of cardstock with removable adhesive but now it's more like a spatula to move it from place to place. The glass does heat up with the blast of hot air and is quite hot to touch for a bit so best not to do this too long.

I did a dry fit with the fussy cut image, cat, and embossed die cuts. I had also matted the patterned paper with a dark coppery mirror board cardstock.

In my stash of scraps, I found a scene to fit my keyhole. I trimmed it and added it to the back.

To add the items to the tag hanging off the edge, I put it in place then flip the tag over while holding it so I can draw a line at the edge. I can then add adhesive just to the area that will be on the tag.

For the key, I pulled another 'hasn't been used yet' die set out of my stash and die-cut two of heavy black cardstock and two of thin metal.

Because I wanted the "brass" key to dangle and move freely, I wanted to have the front and back in gold. I sandwiched the back between the gold to give the key more weight and rigidity. The back gold piece is debossed but that doesn't detract from the look.

I used Tombow glue pen to add the keyhole and scroll, tape runner for the background papers, and foam mounting tape for the kitty and girl. I added the key and topped the tag with fibers I had gotten from a garage sale sponsored by a local scrapbooking store. I forgot I wanted to add gems or dots but I think they would have been overkill anyway.

The hadn't been used before items: Genevieve, the kitty die, the scroll die set, the keyhole die, the tag die, the keyhole die set, the background paper, the thin metal, the copper mousse, the copper embossing powder, the crystal glaze, and two sets of fibers. Whew!

Supplies

Challenges

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Skrappy: Anything But a Card
Dies R Us: Tag, You're It
Simon Says Stamp Monday: Tag It
Incy Wincy: Hand-coloured Image
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper: Anything Goes

Outlawz Festive Friday: Theme - Anything Goes
Crafter's Cafe: Anything Goes