Steampunk Mix Media tags By Maansi

Good morning everyone, 

Lately, I have become a hoarder of just about every piece of junk possible. Everything that I see can be altered or used in a different manner.  And my favorite things to collect are tags.  Every time, we buy clothes we get a host of tags and some of them are sturdy and beautifully made.  

These can be added to mix media panels to create the background.  Better still they can be used to create gift tags or even experiment on.  

So here is what I have created 

So let's get into the procedure for creating these

I have taken two identical black tags.  These are sturdy and will be able to take the weight of all the embellishments that I plan to put. Both the tags are created using the same embellishments.  Placement has been done differently to create a unique look to both the tags

I started by adding texture to the background.  I have added two levels of texture to create more depth in the texture.  After my texture was dry I painted it completely black with gesso.  

Then,  I have added bits of corrugated cardboard in places to add another dimension to the project.  

Once my background was ready, then it was time to add all my embellishments to the base.. I have used MDF gears,  metal chain,  some metal charms,  buttons,  screws and even some nails.  Once it was all dry and stuck properly, I have painted it again with black gesso... 

At this point, I was not completely happy with it...  Living in the coastal area and in defense, we deal with corrosion and rust on a daily basis. And this was not looking corroded or rusted even one bit. 

This I took my modeling paste and added some sand to it to make it coarse and applied it in places...  And it suddenly all came together.  

Once it was all dry I again covered it in with black gesso.  

Now came the part of coloring it to give a rusted effect.  Not having the Prima rust set I decided to try a hack.  I took acrylic colors in burnt umber,  burnt sienna and very little amount of deep yellow. To the burnt umber and burnt sienna, I added a bit of cinnamon powder to make it coarse.  

I could have used sand but that would have been too coarse. And then I started painting my surface...  And I kept adding layers till I was satisfied with the outcome.  

Once everything was dry I added a bit of antique gold mixed with brown to highlight certain areas to give an effect of metal. 

And these turned out beautiful. Here are some close-ups of both the tags.  

Supplies used

Black gesso
Modeling Paste
Sand
Mdf embellishments 
Metal chain
Metal charms
Scraps from stash
Acrylic paints

Hope you have a wonderful day 

Maansi

Hexagon Box using leather paper By Maansi Vaswani

Good morning everyone, 

I am back again with another project using the wonderful leather paper.  Before I go into the details of this project I would like to say that these sheets are beautiful to work with.  They give an absolute look of leather in terms of look as well as texture.  They can be used in place of scrapbook paper and even decoupaged.

I especially love to decoupage this as this is super easy to do so.  And there are no wrinkles or creases while doing so.

So let's get to the project.

I have made a simple hexagon box using the classical leather sheets.  The only difference in my construction has been the fact that I have taken the leather sheets and decoupaged it to the cardstock and used that as a foundation to cover the entire box.  This is because I wanted it to look like a leather box.

Also, I have kept a difference of almost 2/8" between the hexagon at the base and hexagon on the lid.  This is because as my paper is thick and with multiple layers  I did not want the lid to be too tight.

The box has been decorated with pattern paper from Eno greetings both at the base and the lid.  I have again used a brown vintage looking pattern paper to give it an absolutely earthy look.

I have finished off the box with a beautiful loop metal charm which is not only decorative but also helps in opening the box.

Here are some pics of the finished box.

Supplies used
Chipboard
Cardstock
Leather sheets
Tacky tape
Eno greetings paper
Metal charm

Wishing you a wonderful day

Maansi