Steampunk cuckoo clock

Recently I discovered all these wonderfull challenge blogs out there and started to participate. Mostly to challenge myself and get inspired by all those wonderfull artists around. Now I do not consider myself to be an artist, but...I do love watching what other people create and I like sharing my creations as well and what better way then by a challenge...

This time I made a wall hanging inspired by Sandee & Amelie's Steampunk Challenge blog: Cuckoo clocks go steampunk. I love steampunk, so when I saw this challenge I knew I wanted to participate. I must admit though, it's been giving me a little headache... because somehow my mind didn't want to stay on the cuckoo clocks and kept wandering off to Ada Lady Lovelace and the analytical engine. So I somehow made the two come together and I hope it still counts as a cuckoo clock. And since I used a touch of green troughout this project, I'm allso entering this wall hanging in the PanPastel UK challenge no11: a touch of green, though you have to look really close to find the green...

The wall hanging is build up with several layers. The first layer being the music sheet in the background, followed by a picture of the analytical engine, with Lady Lovelace in front. On the left is the actual clock part wich has been build on several layers as wel.

• The layers of the clock part are built upon a piece of watercolor paper, regular postcard size. 
•  I distressed this with crushed olive, brushed corduroy, rusty hinge and walnut stain. 
• I then stamped dragonflies on top and a script stamp, in Adirondack espresso and oregano. 
• I stamped the three wise men in Adirondack oregano and then cut them out. 
• The cuckoo birds are fussy cut from a image I found online, as was the (original) cuckoo clock. I added some diamond glaze to the top of them.
• The gears and the backdrop for the birds are die cuts from my new spellbinders dies, sprightly sprockets and radiant rectangles.

• I embossed the gears with gold embossing powder and then alcohol inked them with a mixture of citrus, mushroom and pitch black.
• The backdrop "mirror" for the birds was distressed using crushed olive, brushed corduroy and walnut stain, the corners were then drawn over with a gold leaf pen.
• The clock overlay I cut and tore from some book pages I had, distressed real well with walnut stain and stamped dragon flies on it. I cut it so, that the clock face from the original clock was visible.

  

• I attached the 2 chains with a brad from the Prima Engraver collection and added some beads to them.
• I put a tiny key in front of the clock, as cuckoo clocks do need winding up...

• The text came from the music sheet and I felt it was very fitting =)

I must have forgotten to mention lots of things I did to make this picture, but I can't think of them right now. Should you have any questions, just leave a comment and I will answer them.

Even though this challenge gave me a headache at first, I also had a lot of fun making it, once I went with the flow. I hope you liked it and thank you for watching.