Altered Steampunk Wood Frame

One of the things I decide to do this year is use things in my stash, upcycle and alter. I have too many things cluttering up my little studio and finding new ways to use things that I have is not only challenging my creative mind, which is a good thing, but also declutters my room.

For this steampunk frame I used an old wood frame that I started about 6 years ago, yes...I had it for 6 years! Altering a wooden frame is easy - all you need to do is prime it and then embellish! I gave it a steampunk look with all kinds of embellishments that I have in my stash.

The idea behind steampunk is a combination of industrial and victorian. That means you need to combine industrial looking things like cogwheels, pipe parts and hinges with more soft romantic things like flowers, buttons and keys. Some of the things I used are: cogwheels, clock parts, washers, pipe parts, hinges, bottle caps, zippers, spring, metal flowers and buttons, key and all kind of metal embellishments and trinkets.

Use a strong adhesive to attach everything to the frame and then decide if you want to cover it or leave it untouched. I covered it with acrylic paint and spray inks. You can also cover it with gesso and just spray.

  

Watch the step by step video tutorial to find out how the entire process works and get some tips on where to get all those findings and embellishments.

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Have fun creating!
Einat

Steampunk Desk Organizer

Don't throw away empty food packages or tp rolls...use them to create something new and useful! I used mine to create a steampunk desk organizer for some new brushes, aquarelle pencils and other supplies.

I started with covering all the boxes and tp rolls with paper. I used several patterns that have a steampunk vintage look. The best way to cover something with paper is to use Mod Podge. Just use a brush to apply it. after everything was completely dry I painted the inside with black acrylic and added a nice washi tape border.

I assembled all the parts gluing them together to create the desk organizer. Then it was time to embellish! I added steampunk theme metal embellishments like gears, screws, cogwheels and more. I also added other embellishments that looked good with the general theme. I inked the exposed areas with brown and black inks for that industrial feel.

Now all I need to do is buy all that supply I need and put it in its new home!
Check out the video for a step by step tutorial and tips.
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Have fun creating!
Einat

Faux Leather TP mini Album - THE PAGES!

WOW!! I got so many amazing responses. Thank you! I'm so happy you liked this mini album as much as I did. Wasn't it really fun and easy to make? Well...after much anticipation here comes the second part...THE PAGES! We'll venture into these beautiful pages and learn how to create them one by one!

Let's get started!

This album is full of interactive surprises. Pockets, flaps and more... as well as handmade embellishments that will take your breath away. Some of the work is delicate and requires patience but believe me, it's worth it!

 

Since TP rolls are already pockets, that part is rather easy. All you need for this part is to add tags. I used scraps of paper from Tim Holtz papers to create the tags. To embellish the tags I add a cogwheel or sticker to each one.

The most challenging pages were the corset opening page and the butterfly embellishment page. They took a long time to plan, but you're lucky I've done all that for you already. They do need patience to create but I think you'll agree it's worth the time.

In general the entire mini album took longer to make then I originally thought partly because I tend to try almost every possibility when I design until I'm happy. So I need to work on that... I've managed to edit the video so it will be much shorter but still simple and easy to understand.
Make sure to watch the video tutorial for all those important steps to create all the pages!

I will be happy to see how your mini albums turn out. If you make one please share!

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Have fun Creating!
Einat

Metal Charm - add shine to your creations

In today's crafting we use different materials and textures to create interesting striking projects. I think the more diversity in our projects the better they look and we have more fun creating them. One of my favorite ways to add magical shine, interesting texture and industrial look to my creations is using metal.

Metal can be found all around us and it's easy to come by. It comes in so many shapes and sizes and fits any project you want to create. By using different metal embellishments and incorporating them in different mediums you can create different looks to your projects.

Industrial/Steampunk

3D metal man created from metal gears and clock parts

Industrial canvas with lots of metal parts and embellishments

Using metal parts with an industrial look such as gears, clock parts, cogwheels etc. can produce a steampunk look to a project. Keep the metal parts in their original color or add industrial colors such as rust, copper, black and bronze. You can get parts like this in DIY stores, garages, industrial sites or buildings as well as online stores who specialize in metal embellishments and vintage parts.

Jewelry

Triple window with jewelry parts

Jewelry pieces have unique textures and shapes and are perfect for craft projects especially 3Dcanvases or altered art. They can be added in their original color and shape or they can be altered first by coloring them or priming them. I have a box full of jewelry parts that I got at flea markets, garage sales and even some old jewelry from my grandmother.

Textured embellishments

Frame with metal buttons

Layout with metal embellishments

Sometimes you don't want metal to be the focal point or the center of your project, but the shiny look of the metal can brighten up and add a different look to your creation. It can be small metal beads or a few metal rings to add a little bling or metallic feel to a project. You can also use metal buttons for extra shine and romantic feel in a project.

Have you tried using metal in your projects?

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Have fun creating!
Einat

Ice Resin Pendants

I'm not a jewelry maker but every now and then I like to play with a little bit of jewelry making. It's actually kind of easy if you try it. My favorite material to play with is Ice Resin, which is  a 2-part epoxy resin. Part A is the Resin. It has a slightly blue tint and Part B is the hardener. It has a very slight yellow tint. It comes in a plunger that dispenses equal parts of both parts and is really to use.

It's really fun to play with and the only problem, at least for someone like me who likes immediate satisfaction, is that you have to wait a few hours before it's dry. I made three pendants and tried a few things and techniques.

First I tried different mediums to color the resin. Both Perfect Pearls powder and acrylic paint worked very well and blended completely with the resin. You can create different degrees of transparency depending on how much paint or powder you mix.

Then I had lots of fun working with Ice Enamels which is sort of an embossing powder that works great with the resin. The great thing was to create layers with  the enamel and adding embellishments.

Finally I did some Ice Resin Molding. I used Martha Stewart and Mod Podge acrylic molds and also came up with a great idea of how to turn the molds into beads or pendants. When the resin is cured it slides out of the mold and it's ready for use.

I assembled all the parts to beautiful shiny pendants and I'm really happy with how they turned out. Check out the video for all the details.
Do you create any jewelry? If not this was a fun way of starting!

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Have fun creating!
Einat

Steampunk Metal Man Box

You already know I love creating crafts with a steampunk look. This time I thought why not take it a little bit further and create a 3D craft which will have a steampunk style. Since I've been creating Father's Day videos all week as part of a DT assignment I got that theme stuck in my head and decided to create a masculine project.

I first covered a chipboard box with torn pieces of patterned paper. Then I started working on the steampunk metal man. I used an old car light bulb for the body and some flat head screws for the legs. I attached it all together making sure it's balanced so the metal man could stand.

I created the head from a bottle cap and the face from clock parts. I attached the head to the body and let it dry. Then I added the hands from the same screws as the legs and embellished the body with more clock parts and gears.

After the metal man was ready and dry I attached it to the cover of the box and added more embellishments to complete my look.

Check out the step by step video tutorial with the complete supplies list to see the entire process.

Have fun creating!
Einat

Relax mixed media layout

Sometimes you get to take the coolest photo. I don't have that chance often because my kids are big and don't cooperate much with taking pictures. But this time it was just perfect. I had the coolest photo! I knew I would create a mixed media layout with it so it will shine!

I started with the background. I created a patterned with a stencil and sprays. Then added more pattern with distress ink and a second stencil.

I added torn pieces of patterned papers and tissue paper to add more color and texture. I also added cheese cloth which always reminds me of a fish net and goes well with the theme of the layout.

I decided not to use flowers for this layout so I added different kinds of embellishments; pieces of old jewelry, sea shells, a string and words I cut from a patterned paper. I also added metal rings which I colored with alcohol ink.

Check out the step by step video tutorial for all the details.

Have fun creating!
Einat

Interactive pockets mini album

You all know how much I love creating interactive mini albums, well...this case is no different. This time it's a Basically Bare DT project with the Krafty Keepsakes vintage mini album, which is a really fun envelope mini album that is just waiting to be played with!

First I had to remove the rings binding so it'll be easier to work with the envelopes and later cover them with paper. Then I started to create my pockets. The idea was to add more pockets to the original pocket which is the envelope itself.

I folded each envelope in a different way creating 4 interactive pages full of pockets. Then I started covering them with Bo Bunny The Avenues patterned paper.

Finally I added embellishments from the collection as well as metal clocks, tabs and Prima flowers. I also created tags for journaling to go into the tags.

Make sure to watch the step by step video tutorial to see how I created the different pockets.

Have fun  creating!
Einat