Mid-Challenge Inspiration for "Once Upon a Time"

We're still reading Fairy Tales on the Aurora Wings Challenge Blog with our lovely theme of 

I really went to town this time after deciding that I'd try and combine several of Mitzi's images to make a project inspired by "The Elves and the Shoemaker" by the Brothers Grimm.  Sorry that this will be one LOOOONG post but this project grew and grew, so grab a cuppa and relax (or just skip to the end and say nice things, please.)  LOL

Here's a closeup of the combined images.  The boot is from Puppy in a Boot, a Freebie offered exclusively in the Stamps by Aurora Wings FB Group.  Not a member?  Well, why the heck not?  There's more where this came from so come join us!  I've cropped out the puppy in my Printmaster Platinum Program and went on the lookout for some elves.

Little Tomte was easy, she's an exclusive on AuroraWings.com and converted her to a png file in LunaPic and cropped off the fuzzy part of the dandelion seed she carries to make it look like a needle for sewing the boot.

The other elf is from the Lost in the Woods Stamp set, another Aurora Wings.com exclusive.  This fabulous set comes with a full background with all the elements, two separate floral corners and the little elf and snail alone, without the background as well.  I closely hand cropped and flipped just the head and arms of the elf so I could pop her in the boot to look like she's a he (she's got a dress on in the original version) and was pointing out where to stitch.

I've colored it all with Copics, with a silver gel pen on the "needle" and I've cut the whole shebang out with my new Antique Frame set by Penny Black and pierced the eye of the needle so I could thread some of the twine I'd wound on the wooden spool through the holes. 

So yeah, what about the dimensional boot?  No, I didn't saw my shoe in half, it all started out with the dealie they stick in the toes of boots so they don't get crushed in the box and some scrap leather I'd purchased at Britex in SF eons ago.  Obviously I used the unprinted side.  Yikes!

I really had no plan as to how this was gonna go.  Here's the stuff I began to assemble.  I began cutting pieces of leather with stitched dies so it would give the appearance of actual sewn pieces.  I stretched and taped the pieces to the form with Sookwang tear tape.  That stuff is strong but still allowed me to re position my pieces if needed.  I punched holes and added eyelets for the shoe laces.  I had a pack of corrugated paper that I taped to two thicknesses of black foam for the sole and used seam binding stapled over fairly heavy wire to go between the sole and boot itself.  As you can see above, that form has quite a curve to it, the sole had to be somewhat flexible.

Here's a side view.  I'd cut a slit in the card board toe base so I could add the images and matting.  Since it's only the toe of the boot, the eyelet pieces were longer and allowed me to tape the end to the end of the base of my project.  I trimmed the corrugated pieces Starkist tuna in a pouch display packs use for reinforcement and added another mat underneath the boot.  I used another stitched tag die and strung it on the shoe lace which is actually a jewelry bag drawstring I pulled out and dyed with Copic re-inkers to look like those I'd colored the image. 

I thought the whole project had a masculine air about it and might be cute for a birthday or anniversary 'prise for my man which is why I turned that elf in the boot into a boy.  Since the back of the boot is actually open, you can stick a little gifty back there, and I got a kick out the the punny sentiment I used.  (It was late when I finished.  What can I say?)

Okay, then.  This post took me almost as long to write as it did to finish the project.  (JK!)  Hopefully you're not bored to tears. It's been awhile since I did anything this involved and it felt good.  Hope you like.

Be sure to check out the lovely projects by my Stella Sisters and please come play along. This challenge runs through Saturday July 14th.

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I'm entering this in the DL.Art July Linky Challenge, Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #85 AG, Simon Says Wednesday AG (5/5), the Outlawz Twisted Thursday AG, the Outlawz Festive Fridays AG, Jo's Scrap Shack FFC #240 AG (3/3), the July Classic Design Team Challenge #27 AG, Simply Papercraft #59 AG, 613 Avenue Create July #211 AG, the World Wide Open DT Challenge #6 (June 15-July 12) AG, A Perfect Time to Craft July #7 AG, TTRCD Week of June 26 AG, More Mixed Media June AG/optional purple, Altered Eclectics July AG, Crafts Galore Encore July AG, Creative Craft Cottage #108 Eileen's Challenge AG, Die Cut Divas July  Anything but a Card, Your Scrapbook Place July AG, Crafty Gals Corner #168 AG, Morgan's Art World Open Challenge, Love 2 Create #10 AG creative/mixed media,...

"Bean" Thinking of You

Gotta say I'm kinda proud of this one.  One of the things I love about the Spring/Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop is that it gets me trying to use my actual physical stamps.  Here's one with ALL real stamping.  YAY, me! (And thank god for the Misti)

I had this in my mind because of my new bold alphabet die set from Super Sponsor Altenew and the fact that it's getting close to Father's Day.  Although my Daddy's been gone 13 years now, rarely a day goes by without me thinking of him and he sure loved his coffee.  So I kept this masculine, stamping in brown Memento and using kraft grid paper from a Tim Holtz stack that referenced my daddy's mechanical engineering profession.  No computers when he was working.  Drafting was done by hand on.  

I taped the letters together to get an idea of where I wanted to stamp and used the Coffee Beans from the Tim Holtz Fresh Brewed stamps from Stampers Anonymous.  The additional beans are from Super Sponsor Verve's Coffee set (OOOH!  I even MASKED some!) and the sentiment is from Verve's Rise Above set.  After stamping, I cut the letters and popped them up and there ya go.

I'm also entering this in the DL.Art May Linky Challenge, Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #82 AG, Simon Says Monday Masculine Challenge, Simon Says Wednesday Use More than One Stamp, the Outlawz Monday Greetings AG, and Dream Valley Challenges #180 for a Man or Boy.

Playing with New Goodies

Went to the Scrapbook Expo yesterday and did a little shopping.  When I unpacked, it was actually less than I thought.  WOW!  Such restraint!  You should have seen last year (much of which I've still not even opened.  LOL)

But anyway, today's crap weather kept me in and playing with some of my new goodies.  Look at all that hail!

I made this male birthday card for the Outlawz Sunday CAS and also to fit in 2 of the other Outlawz Challenges, as well.  This is my second for Twisted Thursday Metallics and I finally tried some of the Nuvo Gilding Flakes I'd not opened from last year.  The third Outlawz challenge is for the Festive Fridays Lots of Glitter theme because all of that black in between the clockworks is Basic Black Silk Microfine Glitter from Elizabeth Craft, applied through a Tim Holtz Stencil.  (Sorry I couldn't get a glittery shot with my camera.)  I applied some Perfect medium to the back of the stencil so I'd be able to remove it from the tape on the card stock and then burnished silver and gold Gilding Flakes to the pattern that was left.  Then finished it off with a sticker sentiment and black border.  Definitely different than my usual style, but I can't wait to do a bit more experimenting with this technique.

I'm also entering this is the DL.Art March Linky Challenge, the DL.Art Thankful Thursday Challenge #223 AG,  Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #77 AG, TTRCD Week of Feb 27 AG (using Sponsor Sparkle and Sprinkle products) and Simon Says Wednesday AG. 

Rough Birthday?

There's still time to enter the 4 Eyes Challenge in the Sandra Caldwell Stamp Fans FB Group and this guy, #1610 See How to Tee Me Off, is one of the fun images on sale for just $1.50 thorough July 22.  You can check them all out HERE.  He's colored with Copics and I made it a shaped card using my Spellbinders circles both regular and Grand to enter in the Outlawz Twisted Thursday challenge and Simon Says Monday Get in Shape challenge and made it a birthday card for the Outlawz Festive Fridays Male Birthday card theme. It's embossed with the Cuttlebug Polka Dots folder (to look like a golf ball) and although there's no sentiment on the front, inside it will say (for a certain male golfer friend who is facing a milestone birthday)  "Rough Birthday?  (see the long grass?  a little golf humor there)  Don't get tee'd off.  Let's par-tee at the 19th hole."  The pennant was hand cut with numbers die cut from an ancient Cuttlebug Alphabet set.

I'm also adding this to the DL.Art July Linky Challenge, Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #62 AG and Craft Rocket #39 AG.

Sorry You're Dragon

Well, the June Fantasy Progressive challenge is over in the Bloobel Stamps FB group but I'm far from being done with the fab images.  Thought a little get well card would be cute (especially for a male) using Roaring Dragon.   He's colored with Copics and I've stretched out some copyright free clip art flames for his sneeze.  I tore and inked the corner of the page instead of actually trying to burn it and ruining all my hard work (been there, done that) and added a simple sentiment and a few pearls to balance the design.  The DP is from the old DCWV Safari stack.

I'm adding this to the DL.Art July Linky Challenge, the Outlawz Monday Greetings AG, Crafty Friends #61 Man/Boy, The Fairy and the Unicorn #5 AG w/Mythical Creatures, Creative Fingers 133 AG, Jo's Scrap Shack FFC 195 AG, CCC Creations Monochrome, Not Just Cards #45 AG and Simon Says Wednesday AG.

A Quickie for a Couple of Challenges

I have been crafting but they're for later in the week.  Here's a quickie I did just now for the Tuesday Color challenge and the Festive Friday theme of A Card with String on the Outlawz Forum.  Digital Papers are from the Burlap Beach collection from We Are 3.  the Crab pic is from Gecko Galz and I've used some of my new nautical/beach/sea dies from Spellbinders and Kat Scrappiness that I've inked with Distress.  (And of course there's the string from my stash.  Here's the inspiration pic from the Color challenge with the Twist At the Seaside.

I'm also adding this to the DL.Art June AG Linky challenge, the DL.Art Thankful Thursday Boys/and or Men Challenge, Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #59 AG, Simon Says Wednesday AG  and Dies R Us #74 Masculine.