Life's A Machine By Sid Haselden

Steampunk and machinery seem to be very on trend at the moment so I have designed this piece with that in mind. The grungey look has been attained by using Distress Inks and fab stamps from The Artistic Stamper as well as a bit of hardware and I have tried to produce a 3D piece with depth too !

All links are clickable to take you direct to The Artistic Stamper store.

Ingredients:

Distress Inks (Shabby shutters, Spiced marmalade)

Printed background paper (Basic Grey)

Sizzix Die (Tim Holtz Bigz Gadget Gears)

Versafine Ink (Onyx black)

Glossy Accents

Wood dowel

Sticky back gems (green & brown)

Metallic printed wordplates (copper)

Metallic paint dabbers (Gold, silver & copper)

Metal hardware (brass frame, hinges & brads)

White foamcore board

Gold Drops

Glue Stick

Stamps:

Cogs background

Small Cogs

Avant Gard 1&2 (A stamp in the Hand)

I started with a a sturdy box lid as the base and covered this with the printed paper adhered with glue stick. Once dry the base was coloured with the Distress inks applied with an applicator to add shading. All edges were worked with a heavy dose of shabby shutters to define. The Small Cogs stamp was inked with onyx black Versafine ink and stamped at the corners of the base as shown.

The base was then embellished with some brass hardware held in place with brass brads, copper wordplates, gold drops (applied with Glossy Accents) and a brass frame stamped with the words 'Machine Of Life'. The white card had been first coloured with the Distress inks.

The back of the piece was made from white foamcore board which was cut to size to match the base. The background cogs stamp was used with onyx black versafine and stamped in a repeat over the printed paper which was then adhered with glue stick to the back. A couple of other stamps of people and parts vere stamped, cut out and adhered on the back. More of the copper wordplates were added and some green adhesive gems added at places on the background. One brass hinge was added with a brad at the top left. All edges were coloured with lots of the shabby shutters Distress ink also.

This shot of the piece is taken to show the dimensional aspects as the gears are suspended at different levels for the effect. This was achieved by first die cutting the TH gadget gears out of heavy card and using paint dabbers applied roughly in the three metallic colours allowing them to dry thoroughly.

Next five pieces of dowel were cut at various lengths and painted with the silver dabber. These were then held in place on the background with a drawing pin through the foamcore from the back and Glossy Accents. The painted diecuts were then adhered to the tops of the dowels and a brown adhesive gem applied in the centre of each.

The back was then glued to the base with lots of Glossy Accents to complete.

I am very happy with the effect achieved and will certainly have some more attempts at 3D pieces. Hope you like it and that it might have inspired you try something 3D in your own design.

Sid xx