Time for some Challenges!

Now that skating season is over, I finally have time to make some serious art.  This is a project that I have been wanting to make since I first got my Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge.  The tab on page 48 looks like a mantle clock to me, so here it is.  I have been collecting these pieces for this project for some time.  Some of them are now unavailable.

To start assembling the clock, I stamped the clock from the Key Moments on a 2" circle on colonial white cardstock with archival black ink.  To have the face show nicely I cut the Tab 1 and the Tab 1 Layer at 2.25" from desert sand cardstock.  I then stamped a wood grain on both pieces from the Universal Backgrounds stamp set in desert sand ink.  I then sponged the edges of both pieces with desert sand ink. 

A mantle clock needs to sit on a mantle.  The lace is from the Sweet Moments stamp set, stamped with black ink on desert sand cardstock.  I fussy cut bottom edge, and sponged the top edge with desert sand and cocoa inks.  The bottom of the mantle is made from black tulle ribbon that I pleated.  The silver tulle flower is from the Bliss Assortment, but it was a bit too big, so I pulled off the bottom two layers.

The card base is covered with paper from the La Belle Vie paper packet.  I think it looks like wallpaper.  I sponged the edges of the card with black and cocoa inks.

I used 3D foam tape to create illusion of depth between the clock front and back.  To finish it off, I added some Durables Studs.  I think an epoxy dome on the clock face would be spectacular.  I'll have to look for them next time I'm in the city.   If I can't find any in the right size, a black bitty brad at the center of the hands will do.

To have the clock match up with the mantle, I put the lace border on 3D foam tape as well.  I used glue dots to attach the black tulle to the card.

The idea for the frame is scraplifted from the Fall/Winter 2012 Idea Book.  I stamped two frames from the Jardin stamp set in cocoa ink on bamboo cardstock, and fussy-cut them out. I sponged the edges with bamboo and desert sand inks.  The sentiment is from the Sweet Moments stamp set, in archival black ink.  To fill in the frame I used images from the Limited Edition stamp set, in bamboo ink.  I tried desert sand ink as well, but I thought it would make the frame too busy, and detract from the sentiment.  I cut out the center out of the other frame using a small craft knife and micro-tip scissors.  Then I turned it over, and used my embossing stylus and a foam mat to give the top frame some shape.  I show the technique here, which I learned from Kitty Caracciolo.  I bit of gold ink on the top frame would really set it off, but I don't have any.  To attach the top frame to the bottom, I used rolled-up glue dots (again a technique I learned from Kitty).

I am entering this project into three challenges:

The Shabby Tea Room: pink, tulle/ribbon/lace, a flower

Heart 2 Heart: time/clocks/sun/spring

SanDee & amelie's Steam Punk: cuckoo clocks go steam punk (although my clock is rather ordinary).