Mixed Media Masculine

It is time for the second monthly challenge at Anything But Cute challenges and I am the hostess for this one.  I decided to call the challenge Make It Masculine and I would like you to make a mixed media card or other project for a fellow in your life. It could be for Father's Day, a birthday, an anniversary or just because you want him to know how special he is.

I decided to make this Steampunk inspired card for my husband for Father's Day and while the cards are easy enough to make, it sure is difficult finding an appropriate verse for inside the card when he is not your father and your child is grown up and married with kids of her own.  In hindsight, I think I should have made it as a surprise card for no special occasion.  I can see another card on my agenda in the not too distant future.

I started with some Recollections kraft card stock for the blank.  Then I took another piece of the same card stock to make the background panel.  I used Golden Molding Paste through a TCW stencil called Mini Time Travel to create all the clocks and numbers and once dry I sprayed it with Lindy's Stamp Gang Burnished Brass Moonshadow Mist.

The next layer is just another piece of card stock to which I added some plaster casting material (Gauze mixed with Plaster of Paris) that I found at the local art supply store.  I didn't try to smooth it out so it would have some bumps and lumps when it dried.  Once it was dry, it too got a spray of Burnished Brass.

The top layer is some paper from a Prima paper pad called Printery and I added some stenciling with a TCW stencil called Mini Harlequin and Vintage Photo DI.

To make the hot air balloon, I started by grabbing a freebie image from The Graphics Fairy, erased the basket in Photoshop and then printed the remaining image.  I cut it out and then traced the outer edge on a piece of card stock and a piece of copy paper.  I cut both of those out and then cut pieces out of the copy paper version to replicate a balloon.  This became a pattern that I placed over some Tim Holtz Grunge Paper so I could draw and then cut around all the edges.

I covered the grunge paper balloon with a layer of Gesso and then I painted it with black acrylic paint and once dry spritzed it lightly with the Burnished Brass.  To put the balloon together, I inked the card stock version with Vintage Photo DI, added some pop dots, then added the original printed balloon, which was also inked, added more pop dots and finally the grunge paper balloon.

The basket was made by weaving some twine leftover from my macrame days and wrapping it around a piece of card stock.  I attached the balloon and the basket with some pieces of wire from Artistic Wire.  A gear and some clock hands from Bead Landing were added to finish it off.

To finish off the card, I added a few more gears, a clock from Jolee's Boutique and an arrow from The Paper Studio.  The clock edge and arrow were rubbed with Renaissance wax paste from Treasure Gold to change their colour to match the gears.  The final step was some text that I made on the computer using a font called Impact Label.

Once the card was finished I stood it up to admire my handiwork and it fell flat on its face.  It turns out the plaster panel with all the other added bits and pieces made it way too front heavy so I added a verse panel inside with some of the same stenciling to stabilize it.  I would not recommend the plaster for a card but it would be great on a canvas or other altered item.

I hope you will create a mixed media project and share it with us at Anything But Cute.  All of us on the Design Team will be choosing our favourites and mine will have the opportunity to be a Guest Designer.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp  - Make It Masculine
Card Mania - Metal Embellishment
The Kraft Journal - Father's Day