My #Cre8time Soars to New Heights with STEAMPUNKtember at Anything But a Card Challenges

Good Morning Everyone! Welcome to week three of Anything But a Card Challenges No. 39... STEAMPUNKtember! Yes it's time for to get your Steampunk fix for today. CLICK HERE to jump over to ABAC and see what the rest of our design team has created.

The current Challenge... is one that is near and dear to most of our creative heARTs so we have brought this one back again. For Anything But a Card Challenges No. 39 - welcome to "STEAMPUNKtember"!!! YES... Steampunk!!! Anything Goes within this ever popular genre!

Popular Collage Stamp from Darkroom Door

Victorian, Airships, Industrial and Mechanical – need we say more!!! The theme is full of so many possibilities. Just remember create anything except a card... get GEARED up for all things Steampunk!!!

Please share any current project you have created and JUST REMEMBER... create anything EXCEPT a card for this challenge. ALSO - Please new projects only {no-backlinking}. Please do us the favor to mention Anything But a Card Challenges, Challenge Name and Number, and LINK BACK to this challenge using this PERMALINK: http://anythingbutacard.blogspot.com/2014/09/welcome-to-steampunktember-anything-but.html :)

**A REMINDER** This Challenge will go through midnight September 27th giving you 1 more week to play along and ENJOY the creative process! We will share more of our Design Team's creations each Sunday to keep you inspired.

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For this challenge I have created an new art journal page with the newest addition to my rubber stash - the Steampunk set of Darkroom Door Stamps which has a variety of words and images which go together nicely with the collection of steampunk stamps that never seem to leave my work table.

I love combining stamps together into interesting scenes... for any kind on all kinds of projects - from tags and A.T.C.'s to cards and altered projects. Many times the image itself strikes the idea and sends me off and running... for all the tools in the craft room ESPECIALLY a fistful of stamps and some ink! This set has my gears spinning instantly.

I always have scrap paper handy to doodle on when I get an idea, and for this project I had the visual before the end result. I've created a scene stamped upon a background of gessoed scrapbook patterned paper and go from there - featuring the words, gears, lightbulb, top hat and the hot air balloon that I've combined with a whimsical scene accented with pops of color using Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pens and a waterbrush.

My background paper is a 12 x 12 patterned scrapbook paper. It has the feel of book paper, with some whimsical doodle flowers and a bit of color. I painted a drybrushed layer of watered down gesso to mute the detail, while still being a bit translucent.

Using some 3M Spray Adhesive, I adhered some torn sections of rectangluar paper doilies and the torn section of my gesso'd paper. Using double-sided adhesive tape, I began taping torn scraps of faux leathered brown paper to the base of my journal page.

I layered several torn strips to create a faux wall effect. This paper has a muted metallic finish which will go wonderful with the vintage "Steampunk" scene I will be stamping.

On a slightly larger acrylic block, I assembled all the word stamps from the Steampunk set in a staggered brickwork fashion. I inked up with StazOn Timber Brown Ink and stamped repeatedly over the brown paper border.

I let the stamping overlap onto the black base page which gives a nice contrast. I also went back and added some gears and the compass images for some added interest.

I began stamping my scene using the gears, airship, steam car, hat and lightbulb image. I toned down the intensity of the ink by swiping over with Ranger Picket Fence Distress Stain and make it seem like there are light whispy clouds.

Using a stencil I misted some subtle yellow rays to add color – and a base for my words to be bursting from the top hat. For this journal page I've stamped in layers. Some items are stamped fully inked and then repeated using the second and third image before re-inking to create depth.

My art journal page before I add the final stamped images, words and a bit of hand coloring. I smudged a little more Picket Fence Distress Stain in areas to create some fluffy clouds. I really love the little doodle flowers that peek through the background that add a little whimsy to these vintage steampunk images that tend to be a bit masculine.

On some scrap painted and patterned paper I inked the words that will be bursting from my idea hat. Instead of trimming letters from words – I only inked the part of the words I wanted. "Invent" from inventor; "Explore" from explorer... etc. For the word "DREAM" I will handwrite using a letter stencil.

For the final stamped elements I stamped onto deli paper, {this is a trick I learned from Julie Fei-Fan Balzer}, tore around images and adhered to my collage using a matte gel medium. The deli paper justs melts away into the background – while keeping the clarity in the stamped image. It's total stamping MAGIC... and looks like I stamped them in place. After the gel medium dried, I adhered my words and then some pops of color by scribbling with Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pens on my craft mat and applying with a waterbrush to get a watercolor effect. I added a little doodling for finishing touches.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you are inspired to get your Steampunk on and will play along with the challenge. Have a fantastic Sunday! :) Sb