Steampunk Tissue Boxes

My studio met with a certain demise over a year ago, and since that time I have been focusing on my digital designs, until I could acquire a new building that won't fall prey to every little water disaster that comes my way. My husband and I went down to a cedar shed dealer where we ordered a custom building that will be delivered in a couple of weeks. It is 14x40 with 16ft of loft space, and I will have room to stretch out and be all kinds of messy, and still have enough space for workshops.  

In the meantime, this is a favorite project that I left in my drafts folder, and thought it would be a great time to add something new (And knock that Christmas Tree off the front page!). 

I used almost all Tim Holtz die cuts, and painted them with iron paint and then rusted them. My favorite detail is the picture wheel. I scanned a black cut and made a digital template, then printed pictures on acetate. It is a time consuming project, but it is full of wonder and inspiration. 

Steampunk Tissue Box

One thing I can not get enough of is embellished home decor. The simple side of me suggests that the tissue box is decorated all nice and pretty from the manufacturer, and when you're done, you recycle the box. 

But I need these sturdy pieces scattered around my house so I can remember to do the things I love to do. And that would be cut paper, paint, and distress! I have spent a good chunk of my life trying to make something really cheap look really authentic. 

This is a wood tissue box from Craft Warehouse in Vancouver, WA. This is my favorite wood tissue box from all the stores I shop at. It has the open bottom and it's heavy and loose around the tissue box.

The majority of the die cuts I used are reclaimed chipboard sheets from a manufacturing department, but I found a way to make them look like real weathered metal items. 

I will eventually get to a place where I can show you step by step how I create all the layers, but for now, please enjoy the finished projects while I make sense of some "behind the scenes" photo's I have taken for that purpose. 

Supplies: I bought pretty much all of my dies and embellies from Joann's. They have amazing sales on scrapbooking supplies and tools, you get the best deals. But you have to get it on sale, because sometimes, and especially with the dies, they mark them up so the discount seems bigger. The 40% sale is my rule.

joann.com

Tim Holtz - Weathered Clock

Tim Holtz - Gadget Gears

Tim Holtz - Clock Face

Tim Holtz - Metal Box Corners

Tim Holtz Idea-Ology - Sprocket Gears

modernmasters.com

Modern Masters - Reactive Metallic Paints

Vintage Trunk

 I was especially proud of this project. It is a rather large trunk that I bought at the Craft Warehouse in Vancouver, WA. It was on sale, but still a pretty penny. I thought this wooden box would take a lot longer to complete, but I actually finished it in a day.

I painted the box frame with Modern Masters, to create this great rust effect. I used paper from a steampunk theme cardstock pack from the Hobby Lobby, and used the Cricut to cut out his monogram for the top, which I wanted to fit into the white space. 

The front is a stencil that I made with my Cricut (Indie Art, I believe) and stencil sheets from the Hobby Lobby. I rubber stamped his birthday in the crest just to make it personal. 

The inside is from the same paper stack, and really not that hard to cut it to size. This is another one of those stack-able projects. Some things need to be simple, so they are not just clutter and dust collectors. Keep it simple and it will last forever.

Thrift Store Upcycle

I found this really cheap, fake wood table at a thrift store for $14. It took a lot of work, but I prepped the surface by lightly sanding it, then gave it a primer coat. I applied a lot of layers of iron paint to it and left it in the rain for a while to give it a really old look. It still needs handles, but I can't decide to actually order the specialty size online. Hobby Lobby doesn't have the right size handles. It was easier to get a tetanus shot than to take the time to seal it nice and proper. The sealing process takes some of the depth of color away. I'll get to it.

Create your Desire

I am a huge fan of subliminal persuasion, and having simple phrases on my wall helps me get through the day. Build the life you dreamed of. I don't know about you, but I need daily reminding that it is ok to pursue my dreams.

Get in your studio and CREATE!

Sizzix aplhabets Serif Essentials and Block Talk. Embossing powder and random stamps from Michael's   Flower dies by Impression Obsession and Sizzix. Frame has a 12x12 opening that fits scrapbook paper perfectly; from the Craft Warehouse. Martha Stewart craft paint- champagne and penny. Rust effect is Modern Masters paint.

Rusty Laugh

These chipboard wall hangings are so amazing to work with. They are tedious in their process because you have to get in the grooves, and don't forget to do the back too! They are made of layered chipboard, which I found at Hobby Lobby on sale for about $3. They make really great gifts because they don't take up space, and who doesn't love a positive subliminal message to plant in their mind every day? My house is filled with handmade subliminal persuasion. That's how I stay positive in the midst of all my personal hardships.

This is a quick view of part of the rusting process. You seal your substrate with the primer, then paint on one coat of the black iron paint and let dry. Then you paint on another coat, and while that is still wet, you strategically dampen it with the activator solution. I get my results from a pooling effect. Some kits come with spray bottles, but I find that doesn't give me what I want. I want it to look a thousand years old! After that dries, I cheat and wet it with water, and add a spotty layer of black iron paint again, then soak that with more solution. I usually do multiple pieces at once so I can stack them on top of each other. That is how I get the added texture. The process takes a few days if you want it to have this level of erosion. Once the rust is taken hold, I start to add the bronze and gold paint for the patina to show through. If you don't have the patina, the piece looks really orange and pure rust. Personal choice!

Tommy

This is my best friend when he was probably two years old. His grandfather worked on cars and was the Sedro Woolley fire chief for ages. I love the photo on top, because I always imagine what he was saying to his grandson at his kitchen table in Sedro Woolley, WA.

Grandpa Tommy, and his grandson Tommy.

We have a variety of Tim Holtz Alterations dies. The gear set, Word Play alphabet, mini old jalopy.

There is a large piece of acetate cut with a Spellbinders, grand size circle die. I rubber stamped gears and cogs on it to give it a very dimensional look. The idea is that it is digital media brought to life. It is very subtle. but it mats the entire circled section. The bottom of the acetatate is stamped with StayzOn ink, and the top is sprayed with black webbing spray.

Spellbinders circles and sprightly sprockets by Donna Salazar.

Tim Holtz Ornamental Sizzix die, and Stampers Anonymous. 

The center is an expensive laser cut chipboard piece. I can not recommend using them because they are incredibly fragile to paint on. 

This is the Tim Holtz Alterations picture wheel die. I scanned a black cut out and extracted it from the background into a PNG file. Then I took a series of photo's to the time, and placed it in a template to insert behind the picture wheel, which is cut out with chipboard, and coated with a rust and patina process.

I uploaded a small gift for you, if you would like to make a picture wheel yourself. Please see my free downloads page and look for the black template that is the scanned image of an actual die cut. There is also a block mask that you can clip your photo to in photoshop.

Thank you for stopping by!