Saturday 25 October 2014

Steampunk Dressform

I have been busy with this perfume bottle for a while now.  She was started as my entry into Sandee & Amelie's Challenge where the theme is Steampunk Couture and is due at the end of the month.

This morning, Linda loaded challenge 14 for the Compendium of Curiosities 3 series and so I decided to combine them both!

This is how she came out of her box...a cheap China Town find a few months ago...purchased with altering in mind!
 This is how far she had gotten by last week-end, cos then I got distracted by my worn cover and so the poor thing has been sitting in her undergarments all week!
 When I went to a hobby xpo recently, I purchased some leather off cuts in various colours to try and die cut.
 I discovered the leather cut beautifully with the steel rule dies and then I decided to push things a little further and ran the dragonfly through its embossing folder!

 Here you can see her after I have applied the technique from page 53 of Tim's book, Compendium of Curiosities 3 to her bodice.  I can't tell you how I did this bit as those are the rules over at Linda's place where the whole point of the challenge is to work from your own copy of the book.
I used alcohol ink on the base of the stand as it was just too solid gold.
 I dressed her in a leather cog collar, leather dragonfly wings, seam binding tied with an idea-ology cog and pin as her waist (more like her hips...) band and couture lace for her skirt.
 I softened the harsh look of the alcohol ink on the base with some distress paint to give it  more of a marble look.
 Then just to push the Steampunk boundaries a little further, I took her perfume lid off and added a light bulb!
 I love how the leather embossed so well, It is such a pleasure to work with and smells so good!
So this is my entry to SanDee and Amelie's Couture challenge whose prize sponsor is Tando as well as Linda's challenge where the Curiosity Crew's Choice gets a prize sponsored by Tim and Mario and there is a lucky draw sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique as they sponsor the even numbered challenges!

25 comments:

  1. Belinda, your altered perfume bottle is beautiful. I love how you used the technique on the bodice and the leather embossed dragonfly wings look so rich. Absolutely beautiful!

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  2. oh WOW!!! brilliant piece of art!!! =)

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  3. She was beautiful before, but now she excels! LOVE the crackled bodice, and the lacy bottom! The gears and wings are over the top! Thanks so much for playing in our Colored Crackle challenge at CC3Challenge!!!

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    1. Thank you! It was your shoes which inspired me to use the technique on her!

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  4. Gosh! This is awesome, Belinda!

    The die cut leather looks so stunning! And the alteration is amazing! LOVE LOVE LOVE this!

    Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful Steampunk make with us at SanDee&amelie's Steampunk Challenges!

    Hugs,
    Claudia x

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    1. Thank you, I am so glad I found your site! I am loving the challenges!

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  5. WOW... she's amazing... she caught my eye ... I had to come see !

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  6. I really love how you transformed that perfume bottle, the dragonfly looks amazing and your technique on the bodice is superb. Another stunner from you! Anne xx

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    1. I was so excited when I found that the folders worked. I know the pro leather workers emboss it with hand tools, wasn't sure it would work when I tried it through a folder!

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  7. I love this lady and what you have done to her. Can I have a make over now? Not sure you would have enough time or leather!!
    Great piece Bella.
    Hugs
    xx

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    1. Leather can be organised! Time and continent distance are the bigger challenge!

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  8. Oh my...she is gorgeous! Fabulous the way you incorporated this technique...I am in love with this dress form...I couldn't stop enlarging each picture to see all the fun details...beautifully done...thanks you for sharing with us at CC3Challenge!

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  9. Now you have me wanting to try leather with the dies, too! I have some scraps I bought from a "destash" seller on Etsy and have been using them to make mini book covers. Imagine them embossed! Can't wait to try this. Your altered gal is so amazing; I do love her wings. Nice work!

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    1. The leather really embosses beautifully, I tried a few other embossing folders too and they worked like a dream. Now you can emboss your covers add die cut embellies too!

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  10. Belinda...I love your altered dress form. The crackling on it is superb and really adds to the "vintage" appearance of this. I love your color scheme of the creams and browns and then that pop of black color on the lacy skirt. Very effective! I love the light bulb at the top and the dragonfly wings on her back. So cool! <3 Candy

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  11. I am enthralled with this funky vintage form. divine details spark the imagination...well done.

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  12. What fun!! I love how it is so wonderfully weird - great job. This is my first visit to your blog but I will be back.

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  13. Hey there, brilliant Belinda. What a great kick off to this challenge! Your lady is lovely and the leather embellishments, especially embossed leather is fabulous! Very imaginative, very very nicely executed.

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  14. Really love your amazing and very beautiful dress form.

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  15. She looks beautiful Bella. Quite different from how she started. I love your steampunk stuff. You are rocking it. THe leather is such a fab idea and I am going to look for some now too... love it through the embossing folders

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  16. Wow, this dressform is perfect, leeather give a new look to die cut.
    Thank you for your participation at Sandee & Amelie steampunk challenges
    Coutureuse

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  17. Oh good lord Belinda!!!!! This takes steampunk beauty to an utterly new level. I quite simply ADORE everything about the way you've altered her. Pure genius. Jenny x

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  18. Altered art at its absolute best! Awesome work!
    Thank you for playing along at SASPC!

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  19. Wow! As much fun as the crackle technique, I really love that you embossed some leather on this project. I'm going to have to try this out immediately!

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  20. This is such a fabulous transformation of the dress form. Love the leather and all the other different textures. Thanks so much for sharing it with us at CC3C!

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