Claritystamp Challenge - Clocks

The inspiration for my Claritystamp card this month came to me as I was going through all the nursery rhymes I could remember trying to comfort a poorly grandson. My daughter seemed to know far more verses to Hickory Dickory Dock than me, although I have a suspicion a few of them might have been made up.  

Stamps:  Claritystamps NDC Celtic Square, Calligraphy Corner, Fob watch, Mice on a Crescent, Letterbox set
Inks: Archival Black and Coffee, Adirondack various colours
Stencils:   Claritystamp Stripes stencil
Other: Theuva card, Claritystamp stencil brushes, pens black and sepia, Spectrum Noir Pencils, Clear embossing powder, black Sharpie pen

You will need to make a mask for the clock case.  Stamp the Celtic Square and Calligraphy Corner on a piece of copier paper. Draw the case which is mainly rectangles around the stamped images.  Notice the central line which helped me keep the design symmetrical. Cut out carefully with a craft knife.  You will need both the inney and outey. Also make a mask for the Fob Watch, clock face only, the Celtic Square and a small circle for the pendulum bob.

You don't want the top of the Fob watch or the hour hand to stamp so cover them with masking tape before inking with Archival black, remove the masking tape and then stamp onto Theuva card.  Mask the clockface  and stamp NDC Celtic Square on top.

Cover with masks. (Pendulum bob mask added after the photo was taken, nearly forgot it!)

Brush on inks to colour the clock case. I started with Butterscotch, then Peach Bellini and finally Cranberry. Use some copier paper to mask the horizontal edges and make them stand out more.  Barbara Gray used this technique to create a table in one of her demos on the TV.  When you are happy with your wood colour, cover with the inney mask with the inner rectangle removed and add more colour to darken the inside rectangle. I used a couple of strips of paper to create some highlights. Remove all the masks and stamp the Calligraphy Corner with Archival Coffee, second generation ink at the top.

Draw round the edges with a sepia pen and ruler. Add the hour hand with a black pen. Stamp on the mice. I have to admit here that I have cut up my Mice on a Crescent stamp to make four separate mice stamps no longer on a crescent. Don't tell Barbara.

For the wallpaper effect, mask the clock then brush colour through the Stripes stencil. Butterscotch at the bottom and Denim at the top.

Mask the wallpaper and brush on ink for the flooring. I used what was left on my brushes from the wallpaper to make a green. Enhance the shading on the clock case and colour in the clock face with Spectrum Noir pencils.

Trim, edge with Verdigris Promaker and mount on white card. The text was stamped onto white card using the Letterbox set, heat embossed then cut out, edged with a Sharpie pen and fixed to the card.

Hope this is some inspiration for you.  I will be sending the card to my grandson who is better now.

Lesley x