Time for Halloween. Spooky Hollows Pocket Watch

Hello, I love the Autumn or the Fall if you live on the other side of the pond, and so I decided to try a Spooky Hollows Pocket Watch for Halloween, and while its not celebrated in the UK with quiet so much enthusiasm as it is in USA or Canada I still think its fun to get involved even in a small way.

So first some pictures and then how it was created.

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Tools and Materials used.

 

Grunge board.

Pearl purple card.

Black mount board with black core.

Large and small eyelets.

Vegetable tanned leather, purple leather and black soft leather.

Distressed paint, Picket fence.

Pro markers black, orange, red and tulip yellow various blues and skin tones.

Hole punch and eyelet setter.

Thin paint brush.

Metal edge ruler.

True cutter.

Fine scissors.

Felt blender for alcohol inks.

Alcohol blending solution and inks.

Metal foil.

Water colour paper.

Clarity card.

Memento black ink pad.

Waltzing Mouse stamps, Vintage Witch, and All Hallows Eve.

Art institute glitter, and their both dries white and dries clear glue.

Spellbinders dies, Witches brew, and bats.

Sizzix dies, Bigz pocket watch, circle dies, cat and raven, and labels movers and shapers.

Sizzix thinlit dies, Trick or Treat, Cross, Dove and Banner dies.

Lifestyle craft dies circles.

Gems various sizes, Emerald, AB, Black jet, and red.

Orange jewelry cord.

Black leather cord.

Collall glue.

Tweezers. 

Leather needle.

Tim Holtz buckle.

Die cutting machine for thick and thin dies.

Gilding wax, red and verdigris.

Cotton thread, orange, purple and black.

 

 

I will not go into great detail of how to make up the Pocket watch as this is covered in both Pocket Watch number three and Steam Punk floral compass my last two posts. {look in July link http://jacquioa.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/pocket-watch-number-three.html and September http://jacquioa.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/steam-punk-floral-compass.html}. However I will just say that the difference in depth is created not just by the number of layers but by the thickness of the materials used. In Pocket watch number three I used Grunge paper while in Steam Punk floral compass I used Grunge board which gives greater depth. In the Spooky Hollows Pocket watch I used Grunge board.

 

So here are a few pictures of the making up of the pocket watch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here you can see I started with the hinges, by cutting out several Sizzix labels in vegetable tanned leather and then choosing different sizzix and Memory Box dies to emboss them with. I choose sizzix Trick or Treat thinlits die in the end. All I needed to do was place the thin die where I wanted on the label and stick it in place and then run it though my die cutter. This embosses and cuts just the surface of the leather which can then be coloured in using Pro markers and distressed paint. For the strap I used the cross from the Sizzix Cross, Dove and banner dies. I used pro marker black and Distressed paint Picket fence, which I painted on with a fine brush. The paint is very inky and goes onto the leather well, and even  when the strap has been opened many times does not rub off when dry.

Next I stuck four of the layers together before adding holes for the hinge and strap. Then build up the rest of the layers to form the pocket watch, then begin to decorate.

The first thing I did was to make a witches hat to sit on top of the watch, I made a pattern in paper first using the largest circle in the Spellbinders Grand circles for the top of the hat and for the brim I used Lifestyle crafts circles.This is cut out of black leather glued in place and then stitched as I wanted the hat to be robust so it could be pulled off and put on the top of the watch many times without coming apart.

 

 

 





 

 

 

Then I decorated with bats which were made out of purple leather, the leather already had a texture so I gently rubbed with gilding wax this gives a slightly iridescent sheen before stitching them on and adding a few AB gems. I wrapped round the orange jewelry cord, and stitched in place so the hat could be repeatedly put on the neck of the watch.

 

 

 



 

Next came the inside, I stuck some Ranger sticky foil on to some water colour paper before cutting out two circles slightly larger than the centre of the pocket watch, then I used alcohol inks to create a deep sunset scene just before dark. Once this had dried I cut two straight lines to the centre of each circle. This was done so I could get the most depth out of the pocket watch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I stamped both the witch and the raven from Waltzing mouse stamps All Hallows Eve and Vintage Witch sets four times. One for practise and colour try outs the other three to cut into sections to be coloured glittered and layered for depth. Once all the decoration had dried including the glitter I used a moulding mat and ball tool to shape each piece before glueing them in place.

 

Next was the decoration of the outside. For the front of the watch I wanted spiders so I used Lifestyle crafts spider die which I then glittered and Jewelled these then shaped them using the moulding mat. I then glued on the memory box delicate web cut out, placed the spiders and added some jewels.

 

 

Next I cutout the Sizzix cat and the Spellbinders bat and boots, decorated with gems and glitter, then shaped them as before and glued them on.

Just a note look at what I found when I'd finished  crafting!! The great penguin massacre!, the penguin in question Skys favourite toy up to date!! He must have looked at her funny! Sky is my 11 month old Bishon who really  lives up to Naughty but cute tag, I think my other dog Jazz must have been cheering her on.

 

 



 Any way I will enter this pocket watch in to the following competitions.

Country View Crafts October competition Something Spooky here's the link http://countryviewchallenges.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/its-october-and-its.html

Waltzingmouse stamps, Victorian Ghost Stories.
http://waltzingmouse.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/wms-october-pajama-party.html

 



Steam Punk floral compass

 

Hello, today I thought to show my Steam Punk floral compass, Its taken awhile as I do it in small steps. Any way here's some pictures I hope you like what you see.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tools and Materials used.

 

 

Die cutting machine. Jus-Cutz.

Life style craft circle dies.

All occasion dies-cogs set, and various other cog dies.

Spellbinders crosses die set.

Sizzix pocket watch die, circles dies, Movers and Shapers Labels die, Bigz Daisy die.

Truecut roller cutter and ruler.

Crocodile hole punch.

Tim Holtz, long fasteners, buckles, distressed paint, Seedless Preserves, Black Soot. Distressed inks. Stampers Anonymous Time Traveller's stamp set.

Gunge board.

Pearlised card, various colours.

Clarity satin card.

Various gems.

Pro marker pens.

Glue.

Vegetable tanned leather.

Compass stamp {one of my own}.size diameter 4 inches.

Eyelets  large and small.

Small piece of clear plastic.

 

 

Basic method of building the pocket watch is covered in Pocket watch number three. Look in July. The main difference in this Steam Punk compass was to create greater depth this was done by the use of grunge board instead of grunge paper, which is roughly twice as thick. You can see the difference this makes in the photo above as both are shown side by side.

 

 

The hinge and buckle tie are cut out of vegetable tanned leather using the Sizzix dies movers and shapers labels with their magnetic base tray and the Truecut wheel cutter with ruler. Both the hinge and the tie were both run through through my die cutting machine using the Spellbinders largest cross die. As the leather is so thick the die will just cut and emboss the smooth surface which can then be coloured with pro markers or other alcohol ink pens. 

 

 



Next I glued together five completed circle layers and punched holes to add both hinge and buckle (I use a Crocodile hole punch).As you see below.

 

 

I cut out a small piece of the fourth circle to accommodate the hinge.

 

 

 



 

 

Once the hinge, buckle and strap were fixed in place with long fasteners, the rest of the layers were stuck together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next to decorate the inside, here I used Tim Holtz Time Traveller's stamps with various cogs and gems.

 

Here I made a small tube of card which I then glued and painted so that I could add a spinner for my compass. Using the tiny centre circle of the compass stamp I added a small eyelet then a larger eyelet so one sat inside the other I then attached the spinner first to a fastener and then through the eyelets. It was done this way so the spinner could move when glued to the top.

 



 



 

  

Next I cut the four layers of my compass stamp and coloured them with pro markers and distressed inks. The layers were then glued in place and the spinner attached.

 

 







Here are two pictures of the finished compass inside and out.



 

 

I hope you like what you see I will be entering into the following:-

Country View crafts Challenge 7 for September :- LAYERS Heres the link.

 http://countryviewchallenges.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/challenge-7-for-september.html

Pocket watch number three.

Today I will be showing you another pocket watch , this was started as an idea and a test run, building the structure of the watch as a platform for decoration once the construction is complete its ready for decoration in any way you want!

Here are some pictures of the finished piece, so that all who enter here are not lost!!

 

 

Pocket watch structure. Items needed.

Tim Holtz Sizzix Bigz pocket watch die.
Tim Holtz Sizzix Movers and Shapers circles dies.
Taylored expressions quatrefoil cutting plate die.
Lifestyle crafts circle dies.
Grunge board.
Grunge paper.
Card (this was an electric blue metallic) and gold.
Ranger distressed paints, salty ocean, chipped sapphire.
Crop a dile hole punch.
Tim Holtz Alteration hinges.
Glues, Collall universal, Art glitter glue, and Zyron machine with permanent adhesive refill.
Die cutting machine (which cuts both thick and thin dies).

1. Cut eight grunge board pocket watch frames.Using the pocket watch die with the largest of the Sizzix circle dies in the centre to create watch frames.

2. Using the same dies cut four watch frames in blue card.

3. Then cut eight circles of grunge paper using the life style craft dies. gradually increasing in size from the sixth smallest die to the fourteenth. You need to do this twice.
Repeat step three, using the blue card.

 

4. Next cut holes in each of five largest circles, again using the life style craft circle dies. If you cut the largest circles centre use die number nine. (counting from the centre of the 21 circles in the die set.) This will leave a frame with an edge of around 12mm. Do this to the four remaining circles and then repeat for the other half of the pocket watch.





 

5. Glue the blue card circles and the grunge paper together. After they are dry I used chipped sapphire distressed paint to colour all the edges, and sealed the grunge sides of the circles with salty ocean as at this point I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the insides yet.

 

 

6. Mark where you want the hinges to go. I glued the metal brads once threaded through the hinge for the back of the watch between two of the grunge board watch frames, as this part of the hinge will lie flat against the side of the closed pocket watch.

 

 

 

7. Once the glue has dried glue one of the the remaining grunge board pocket watch frames to the inside face of the grunge board with the attached hinge. When this is dry, glue the inner blue card pocket watch frame to the grunge board. This leaves one blue watch frame and one grunge board frame stick these together but do not attach to the piece with the hinge yet.

 

8. Now on to the front half of the watch.This time glue the blue pocket watch frame to one of the grunge board frames and allow to dry. Then line up the piece with the hinge already in place, mark and punch the holes for the front of the hinge.

 

9. Then glue together the reducing eight circles making sure each layer is dry so that they don't slip and then glue to the last front. You should still be able to see the holes punched for the hinge.

Do this again for the back of the watch.

 

 

10. Before attaching the hinge to the front I started to decorate as the hinge would fit over the top.

Here I used gold card, and the taylored expressions die quatrefoil. It cuts great!

 

This was stuck on with a dry adhesive using a Zyron. I put the whole die cut through then placed the sticky side over each pocket watch back and front and then trimmed the edges.

 

 

 

11. Once all is dry glue the above to the front and the back part of the watch with the attached hinge.

 

 12 Attach the front hinge and your ready to decorate. Thank goodness I hear you saying!

 

How to decorate. Any way you want too! Here's what I did.

 

Items used other than already mentioned :-

 

Watercolour paper.

Tim Holtz mirrored foil.

Ink blending tool.

Alcohol inks, meadow, eggplant, pool, stream and blending solution.

Dies, Memory box delicate web, small spiders, mini clouds, weathered fence, Cheery Lynn tiny things with wings, Mini fanciful flourish. Spellbinders, basic lattice and fancy lattice.

Pro markers. Pale blue, red, three shades of green and dark brown.

Memento brown dye ink.

Leaf stamps from Impression Obsession.

Black cotton thread.

Moulding mat and ball tool.

Gold distressed paint.

Navy Ribbon, 5mm

Black ultra fine glitter. (for spiders legs).

 

 

 

 

 The picture above is what you should now have, well I decided at this point that I wanted a smooth lining, so I stuck some of Tim Holtz mirrored sticky backed foil to water colour card and then created a rough land scape using alcohol inks.

  

Then cut out two circles slightly larger than each opening on the above pocket watch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next  put a small amount of glue inside the watch faces and gently centre and push each circle into their respective places, don't worry about any creases as you can flatten them later and those that are left will form part of the land scape.

 

All that's left to do is cut out all your die cuts, the only one I used anything other than pro markers was the weathered fence which I coloured using distressed gold paint, once dry I used a brown pro marker to highlight the wood texture of the die. I added various gems to the the web, leaves and insects.

 

Also after the glue had dried on the lady bird, I twisted some black cotton thread together and glued six strips on the underside and once dry trimmed to length. I then rolled both the spider and the lady bird on their backs and placed them on a moulding mat (a bit of firm flat sponge like mouse mat may do), and rubbed in circular movements with a 5mm ball stylus this makes both insects 3D and because of the depth of the watch you can still close the watch. This was also done to the leaves after they had been decorated.

 

All elemants were then glued into place.

 

I found the magnetic clasp a bit strong so I put some gems around each and although this keeps the clasp apart its still strong.

 

 

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Next comes the decoration on the outside. I decided to use the small bits that many throw away when they are die cutting. The waste bits are from Spellbinders dies basic lattice and fancy lattice. 

 

 

 

 

As you can see I added a few gems to both the hinges and the bale on the front of the pocket watch, although I was tempted to go mad! maybe on another!

 

 Lastly I glued the navy ribbon round the edge of each side of the pocket watch.

 

I hope this made some sort of sense and was not too long, any way please leave any comments at the bottom even if you need to scroll down. Many thanks for reading the above I hope you like what I have done.