Thursday 31 January 2013

Steam Punk Upcycled Box


This is a box I've recently finished that will house my creative journey projects for 2013. It's quite big so I can get plenty of tags and cards in there! It started life containing some yummy bath products that my brother bought me for Christmas. I was as excited about the box as I was for it's contents!
Here is the inside of the box, it is actually a rather nice plum colour, so I've only covered the inside of the lid where there was some writing.

Here is the original box before I covered it with embossed metal foil tape. It was very easy to cover with sticky backed strips of tape, which I ran through my Cuttlebug first, using Tim Holtz's Riveted Metal Texture Fades embossing folder. I placed a thin piece of card under each piece of tape before putting it through the machine. This stopped it from being too deeply embossed and prevented the foil from ripping when the backing paper was removed.
Once I'd completely covered the box, I applied alcohol inks in black, ginger and gold.
I then 'sanded' the surface with wire wool to remove some of the ink and reveal a kind of aged metal surface. This is fast becoming  one of my favourite techniques. The little handle was bought from a company called Sky Blue and Pink. I love it.
I cut out the cogs from thin copper using the Tim Holtz cogs die. I heated the copper with a cooks blow torch to age the surface. I then stuck these onto chip board cogs cut from the same die. The wings were from a set of 'Art Parts' I bought from the Artful Splodger when they were having a sale. They've been embossed with Stampendous frantage, sanded and distressed with Black Soot DI.
The corner pieces are grunge paper circles that have been given a rust treatment with Vintage photo distress embossing powder mixed with a little gold frantage. The studs around the edges are actually the tops off paper fasteners. I cut the butterfly bits off and stuck the heads on using a glue gun. I've really loved 'upcycling' this box and I'm sure I am going to enjoy using it. I am going to enter this into the Happy Daze ' Recycle it' challenge and also the Eclectic Paperie challenge which is 'Altered Boxes'. Just got word of another challenge I can enter my box into, it's the Frillie and Funkie 'Spruce it Up', I think that just about sums up what I've done with this. x

26 comments:

  1. Wow Toni, you have done a fabulous job on this box, love the metal tape, those cogs are amazing - great technique with the cooks blowtorch, would never have thought of that! Absolutely brilliant. Hugs, Anne x

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  2. I am super in love with your box! Well done! Thanks for sharing your techniques.

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  3. WOW, WOW, WOW...Fabulous project Toni! I thought it was a metal box from the first pic... Brilliant work so many fabby techniques... Thank you so much for sharing... Hugs May x x x

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  4. What an awesome box. What you did with it is so clever. April #101

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  5. What a wonderful storage box you've made. Isn't it funny that as crafters we can get as excited about the packaging on products as we can about the contents?

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  6. Toni ... FABULOUS ... I am loving your box...can you tell,lol!
    Great techniques and I need to go buy a torch ...now!!
    So glad you joined us over at eclectic Paperie and good luck.
    Hugs
    Tracy Xox

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  7. Wow, wow, wow! This is just amazing! I love that embossing folder and I love the metal foil tape...what a stunning creation! Thanks so much for playing along with the eclectic Paperie eTeam Picks challenge!

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  8. Oh, Toni.... this is just fantastic! Love all the metal work. What a beautiful transformation! Thanks so much for joining us at eclectic Paperie!

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  9. Wow Toni this is fabulous. I love the embossing, and the little frantaged corner pieces are wonderful xx

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  10. Wow Toni great box. I love the metal tape and that emboss folder you have used is just perfect. Mo x

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  11. What an amazing transformation Toni!! Love the use of that metal technique over it and even the inside is gorgeous! Have you considered entering it into the Frilly and Funkie challenge this time? Have a great weekend, hugs Jenny x

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  12. Fantastic!!! Love the gears, pulley, and studs...fab details! What a treasure!

    (It's crazy that I am working on my own metal box at the moment to be seen a few weeks...bahahaha! It's a small Art world sometimes! I love it so.)

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  13. Wowzers... what a fantastic altered box, Toni! Simply fabulous steampunk look... Great to have you play along with us at eclectic Paperie!
    Alison x

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  14. This is fabulous...all that wonderful metal foil tape...all those great steampunk embellies! Awesome!

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  15. lovely, thank you for playing along with happy daze.x

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  16. Big, no HUGE smiles! Thanks for joining us at Frilly and Funkie with this gem of a box. Hugs, Jenny x

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  17. Toni, this project is fabulous! It's a total transformation! I can see why you were so excited about the box when you received it! Thanks so much for giving us the step x step! I have one of those torches and never thought to use it the way you did! I have to go find it now! Thanks so much for playing along with us at Frilly and Funkie!

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  18. Fantastic box Toni ! Love the metal work, really stunning ! Thanks for joining us at Frilly and Funkie. Sue C x

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  19. I love cogs and the metal work here is fab , so I love your spruced up box! Thanks for joining us at Frilly and Funkie ! Trace x

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  20. Wow! Gorgeous box! Lots of detail and hard work. Congrats.
    Mary-Ann M.

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  21. Toni your box is wonderful - maybe one day I will have the time to give one a go too - I sure do like yours!
    Sandy

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  22. Congratulations on winning the altered box challenge at EP. This is a beautiful metallic box you've created Toni, I love the textures and all the details.

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  23. Fab steam-punk box Toni! Love the metallic textures and details~so well done!!

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  24. This is an awesome altered box. I just love it :)

    Tanya
    phenis2031 at yahoo dot com
    http://scrappylandusa.blogspot.com

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  25. WOW!! Saw your win over at F&F, and you TOTALLY deserve it! This box is fantastic! Loved the step-by-step pictures and details - thanks so much for sharing them! GREAT job!!

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  26. Wow! I followed your link from Frilly and Funkie and WOW! I love it. I wondered how to get that texture and now I know, so I can alter the box that was sitting on my desk waiting for help ;)

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