Fifty Shades of...Autumn! - FSC #32

Re-edited: I am so excited! My project is one of the top picks at the Stamp Man Challenge! Thank you!!!

Hold on tight as this is going to be quite a ride! And a bumpy one, too :). It's time for another Fashionable Stamping Challenge! This time we are playing with fifty shades of...Autumn ;P. I hear you gasp... What did you think I was going to say??? :)

I am very much into altering papier mache letters lately. Today I am tackling... 'L' for Letter for one very special Lady :). This project was inspired by a little hat she recently made to wear at an event. And I decided that my fifty shades of Autumn will have a Steampunky flavour.

What you will need:
US crafters: Cling Steampunk Owl, Cling Clock Works, Cling Jumbo Holly Season Set, Red Tinsel Embossing Powder, Aged Gold Embossing Enamel, Scrollwork Border Class 'A' Peel Stickers

UK crafters: Cling Steampunk Owl, Cling Clock Works, Cling Jumbo Holly Season Set, Red Tinsel Embossing Powder, Aged Gold Embossing Enamel, Scrollwork Border Class 'A' Peel Stickers

Other materials:
Papier mache letter, DecoPatch glue, Glossy Accents, Grunge Paper, acrylic paints (gold, bronze, sand/neutral), alcohol inks (cranberry, pesto), Gold Cosmic Shimmer mist, copper metal, black card, embossing tool and paper stump, foam pad, embossing ink, Black StazOn ink, distress inks, ribbons, old book pages, eyelets, sequins and watch parts, tissue paper.

To decorate the Letter

1. Paint the letter with the gold and bronze paint. Then stamp randomly the Clock Works background with embossing ink onto white thin tissue paper. Heat emboss with Red Tinsel powder. When the paint dries, glue the tissue onto the letter. Apply a thin layer of glue on top of the tissue to blend it in. When dry swipe the embossed images with Vintage Photo distress ink for a grungy look.

2. Spray the letter with gold shimmer mist and tilt to allow the drips to tun. When dry, swipe the embossing ink in places and sprinkle with Aged Gold enamel and Red Tinsel powder. Repeat until you achieve the desired coverage and thickness. Using the heat gun remelt the powders and quickly add sequins and watch parts for Fran-tage effect. If the elements don't stay fixed, add more of the embossing enamel/powder.

Steampunk Owl

1. Prepare a piece of metal card (or metal sheet backed with black card) big enough for the owl image. Randomly colour with alcohol inks. Stamp the owl with Black StazOn ink onto the metal. Place the image onto the foam pad (a mouse pad will also do the job!) and using a thin embossing tool trace all lines of the the image. Flip the image over and using the paper stump gently rub the backing card within the embossed lines. This will add dimension to the front of the image. You can also redo the tracing of the stamped lines to highlight the 'bumps and dents' :).

2. To colour the owl use a fine paint brush and start with the lightest colour of your acrylic paint. Add some highlights with gold and copper paint. The paint will start blending with alcohol inks giving lots of different shades :). Use coper paint for the hat and the bow - the metallic nature of the paint will highlight the Steampunky and metallic finish of your owl.

Handmade books

1. To make the books cut two 4" x 3" rectangles from Grunge Paper and colour with distress inks. To make the spine, make two score lines in the middle about 1/4 " apart. Cut old book pages to size (make sure to put the pages evenly together). Add Glossy Accents to the inside of the spine and add the book pages. Use a big paper clip or a rubber band to hold the cover tightly whilst the glue is setting.

2. Add gold bands to the spine using acrylic paint and a fine brush. Embellish the books with the Scrollwork Border stickers and ribbons as bookmarks.

Top Hat

1. To make the top hat follow the tutorial from Splitcoaststampers.
2. Colour the hat with distress inks. Stamp the background image from the Jumbo Holly Season set and emboss with Red Tinsel powder.

Et voilà - you're done! Easy! :)

I hope this project will get your creative juices flowing and make sure to check what my DT Sisters have created for this challenge - I promise you, lots of eye candy there! And don't forget, the winner will get a treat from our sponsor Marina from Cottage Crafts (who by the way also has a lovely selection of Stampendous goodies).

Big hugs



Challenges for this project:
The Stamp Man Oct - Butterflies, Birds and Bees
DYSU #92 - Warm Colours
Paper Play #40 - Shine On
Divas by Design #55 - Texture
7 Kids College Fund #57 - Fall is in the air
Whimsy Stamps #51 - Anything goes
The Artistic Stamper Oct - Natural World