A "Stand Alone Tray Canvas" Invention

Servus, dear crafting visitors, readers and followers old and anew!

As you may already know the theme for July's challenge over at SanDee&amelie's Steampunk Challenges is

Inventions&Inventors.

I still am not fully back on track and struggling with trembling hands and ideas only seldomly hitting my mind (and then most of the time not working out)...but after several weeks of procrastinating I finally managed to come up with a project I dare share with you and call an "inspirational piece".

As I simply couldn't manage to focus on a project long enough to make it feel like "the right one" (still being very nervous and hectic most of the time) I decided to get out my stash and browse my collection of designer papers - hoping that this might spark an idea for a project I would find worth creating. It was some sheets from various Tim Holtz paper stashes and a copy of a students booklet about electrical engineering I found at a flea market that finally did the job for me.

I found an old shoe box and used its lid as a "canvas" (as it turned out to fit my copy perfectly). I covered it with that copy (using Mod Podge as a glue) and then gave it a heavy treatment with Distress stains of all sorts.

I held the lid upright during the process so the Distress stains would create traces from running droplets. I also added some DecoArt Carbon black Traditions acrylic paint through a Red Lead numbers stencil  and stamped some stitching onto it.

Box feet and handles (from Agnieszka's fabulous Retro Kraft Shop) were mounted to the lid using tiny brads. Washi tape was added here and there for more detail. I also sprinkled diluted white and burnt umber acrylic paint onto my "canvas" using a soft brush.

Some idea-ology, the lovely Prima light bulb (which I got as a surprise goodie from Agnieszka) and the alpha tiles were glued in place using DecoArt matte Decou-Page - followed by some more clockfaces (also from Retro Kraft Shop) and a brad. A chipboard gear was cut into pieces and given a coat of "Iced Espresso" DecoArt Metallic Lustre before being added to the project.

I applied some of the brand new and fantastic DecoArt media "Crackle Glaze" through a dots stencil from Red Lead with a soft brush and let dry naturally. Then I rubbed in a mix of "Patina Green" and "Carbon Black" DecoArt media Antiquing Creme and took off the excess with a damp cloth to highlight the creases.

I absolutely adore this stuff! It was partially added with some more spots here and there...

The gorgeous wind up tin toy birdie was a fleamarket find and finally found its perfect new home next to one of the fab halogen bulbs from Angieszka's Retro Kraft Shop!

The lovely box feet are from her store too!

Some Prima embellishments and distressed paper edges were added to create a lot of texture and depth.

So "who invented Steampunk" then? Science fiction writer Jeter only invented the name - but it is the works of Jules Verne, Mary Shelley and others who show that huge fascination there is for us all to the relationship of mankind and machines ever since machines were invented and started taking over what was once a human's job.

So Steampunk is kind of an expression for this ongoing search and dialogue between us humans and the machines we invent. I am not surprised that this obiquitous matter has found its way into a whole new art genre! Art is about asking questions, exploring, creating possibilities and imaginative answers. Where does fiction end and reality start? Where is our place in a world full of machines?

Steampunk is so much more than just a fun thing or simply putting gears and cogs onto stuff and canvases! But I definitely had a lot of (pure and simple) fun creating my "Steampunk Stand Alone Tray Canvas" ;)

I highly recommend you hop over to our challenge blog to find out what my teamies have in store for you (a lot of goodness this is) and visit their blogs too for the full injection of mojo! 
I hope you enjoyed your visit and leave my spot inspired (so I can see your fabulous projects entered to our July challenge soon! Yay!)

Hugs and happy crafting,
Claudia xx