Fairytale Steampunk - the April Challenge!!!

is the theme 

of our new Steampunk challenge 

over at SanDee&amelie's! 

(For those who haven't seen it yet: SanDee and me are hosting a new challenge blog for Steampunk lovers and those still to become. We would love to welcome you aboard! ;)
We were overwhelmed by the lots of awesome entries on our very first challenge last month!!! All of them so very artful and a big pleasure to see!!! Thank you so much for giving our "baby" this wonderful start!!!


Now to our new challenge: the fairytale theme was a real challenge for me - not because of the fairy tales (I love fairy tales and good children's books illustrations) but of the Steampunk connection. Not easy to imagine.... but challenges are meant to be met, aren't they? And everything that gets us out of our comfort zones can be a chance to evolve.

My take on the challenge has become sort of a children's book illustration and kind of a riddle as the characters are not visible at first sight... ;)

Counting helps (especially the hills...and the hats...ooops, already said too much *lol).  
In the German version of the fairytale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves the mirror says to the evil stepmother

"...aber Schneewittchen hinter den sieben Bergen bei den sieben Zwergen ist noch tausendmal schöner als Ihr!"  ("...but Snow White behind the seven hills at the place of the seven dwarves is a thousand times more beautiful than you")

whereas in the English version it says:

"But over the hills, where the seven dwarves dwell, Snow White is still alive and well" 

- so it does not mention the seven hills as it does in the German version...so my riddle may not be as easily solved for the English readers... :)

But once you have found the seven hats it should be obvious...(at least I hope that it is). Here they are:

I started creating a background using white card, Distress inks "walnut stain", "vintage photo", "spiced marmalade" and "rusty hinge" and the dip and spritz technique I love so much. 

Then I cut a stencil for the silhouette of the seven hills, put it over the upper half of the card and blended some more "vintage photo" around the edges using the blending tool, trying to let the colour fade out towards the bottom. 

Then I stamped the enchanted forest using the lovely Nature stamps from Art Journey using "walnut stain". 

The space where I wanted the rusted house to be in was blended with lots of "vintage photo" too to have better contrast.

The rusted houses from RedLead are so gorgeous! I gave this one an additional treatment with Ranger "verdigris" embossing powder. Some of the plants in the forest received the same treatment: heat embossed verdigris and rust dots and stamped on gears images.

I also stamped some gears images to the hills meant for a rough rocky mountain texture. It also adds some more depth to the image. 

I then lightly added some cogs and gears texture to the sky using a stencil and DI "pumice stone" - merely visible, but isn't that the way air is? Especially air with lots of love, danger, betrayal, adventure and bravery in it.... ;)

The clouds were the most fun to make. I first made a stencil using thick corrugated card and the TH Movers and Shapers gear dies. The cut out gear "openings" were the perfect stencils for adding some rough sand paste, which I heat dried afterwards (which makes the paste puff - which is perfect for clouds, isn't it?). Then I blended them with some "broken china" DI and added a little Fran tage "aged aqua" embossing enamel. 

The seven dwarves' hats were cut out and heat embossed (again with Ranger "verdigris" embossing powder). Then I glued them to the back of a prepared gentle hill and the whole piece got fixed to the background using sticky pads.


So you can see the seven dwarves returning to their tiny (rusted) home.
What will they find there? Is Snow White still well? 

(Gosh, I can remember watching the Walt Disney movie...one of the most thrilling Disney's ever!)

Before I show you one more close-up I want you to know that I am highly curious about your ideas and makes for this month's Steampunk challenge over at our spot! I would love to see your fairytale Steampunk creations (in 2D or 3D) and hope you enjoyed your visit with me! 

We have a special guest too!!! 

Mark Perry, the wonderful "Male Crafter", 

who created something awesomely whimsical for our April challenge and for your inspiration of course! So hop over to see his and SanDee's great makes!!! 

I also enter Simon Says Stamp and Show's "very strict" challenge with this project. 

Hugs,

die amelie