ELEMENTS OF TIME

First of all, I just have to say that Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas are absolutely AMAZING this year!  Well...they are EVERY YEAR.  But, I am so excited about all of the techniques and ideas he's sharing with us.  If you're not a part of Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas, you should be!  Here is the link to TIM's BLOG.  It's an early Christmas present to all of us!

This week's SIMON SAYS STAMP AND SHOW CHALLENGE is all about the "Elements of Time".  But exactly what are the "elements of time"?  For me, I wanted to think beyond the obvious...just watches or clocks.  We also measure time by calendars and photographs.  So I incorporated those items into my piece as well as clocks and watch parts.  I call it my "Dimensional Cuckoo Clock".

  

I started with some extra pieces of Configuration Boxes I had left over from previous projects: 4 small squares and 1 large square.  I covered the interior sides and bottom compartments with various scraps from Tim Holtz' Lost and Found Paper Stash.  Next I covered the exterior of all the boxes with the clock faces paper from the Lost and Found Paper Stash.  Then I put all of the boxes together using Tim Holtz' calendar image from his Traveler Tissue Tape set.

I glued the two side compartments (stacked smaller squares) onto the center compartment (one large square) and let it try.  Next I distressed the exterior of my Dimensional Cuckoo Clock using Broken China, Gathered Twig and Vintage Photo Distress Inks.  Finally, I added Metal Corners to the top two corners of my Dimensional Cuckoo Clock. 

The front of my Cuckoo Clock features doors that open and close.  This "window" is from Scrap FX.  I love how it can be interactive.  I distressed the window with Gathered Twigs and then inked over it with Distress Embossing Ink.  Next, using my fingers, I randomly sprinkled some Queens Gold and then some Copper Embossing Powders and heat embossed the window.  I added the "panes" in the large movable doors on the window by stamping a crosshatch pattern with Queens Gold onto tracing paper and cut it to fit the opening.  The little knobs on the exterior of the doors are two copper brads (minus most of their metal prongs) and hot glued in place. 

When the doors are open, a Tim Holtz Time Piece, Game Spinners for hands on the clock and Fanciful Button for the center of the clock is revealed.  To further embellish this portion of my Cuckoo Clock, I added two copper Chain Tassles to the bottom and some Sprockets and Gears to the very tip of the clock window.  Underneath the top part of the window, I have added a little "screen" made from Grungeboard that was die cut using Tim Holtz' Ornate On The Edge die cut.  It is distressed using the Broken China and Vintage Photo Distress Inks and then heat embossed using the text design from Tim Holtz' Letter to Santa stamp set.

Each of the side compartments features an element of time.  The first compartment contains a medium sized Tim Holtz Vial that is filled with little watch parts suspended in time.  I did this by heating some Clear UTEE in a Melting Pot and then gently pouring it into the Vial in stages; alternating UTEE then watch parts, then UTEE, etc.  I then distressed Tim's "Time" Word Stick using a Juniper Paint Dabber and my finger to get the paint down into the crevasses of the "Time".  I attached the Word Stick to the Vial with a piece of gold wire.  I also included a smaller Vial with some sand; representing "the sands of time".

The next compartment features the number "8" from Tim's Metal Numerals.  Eight rerpresents "infinity" because there is no beginning or ending.  I first painted the 8 with "Sky" followed by "Haystack" Fresco Paints.  Then I attempted to crackle it.  I was not very pleased with my results so I heat embossed the 8 with Clear UTEE to give it that enamel effect.  I wrote "infinity" on the 8 using a black permanent pen.

All good fairy tales start out with "Once Upon A Time...".  I created my text on my computer and sized it to fit inside a 7 Gypsies Optical Lense.  I distressed  the paper using Vintage Photo and Broken China and glued it into place.  I added a charm hanging from the Optical Lense for more interest.

Calendars also measure time.  So, I created my own little mini calendar to stick in the last compartment using Tim's calendar images from the 6x6 portion of one of the pages in the Lost and Found Paper Stash.  I joined all of the calendar pages together using black masking tape as a binder.  Then I rubbed Rock Candy Stickles over the top of the calendar for a more vintage feel.

The sides of my Cuckoo Clock are also embellished.  I used Tim's Ornate Plates with watch parts trapped inside of them using Clear UTEE and gently pouring into the Ornate Plate cavity.  Both Ornate Plates are topped with Tim's Foliage flower.  The left side features Tim's Philosophy Tag.

The right side features Tim's Muse Token.

The back of the Dimensional Cuckoo Clock is full of die cuts.  The sides feature Tim's Mini Gears die cut in combination with Spockets and Gears Ideaology.  The die cut gears have been heat embossed with Copper and Gold Embossing Powders.  The center portion features a Weathered Clock cut out of Grungeboard, distressed with Gathered Twig and then heat embossed with sprinkled Gold and Copper Embossing Powders.  Finally, I heat embossed all of that with a coating of Clear UTEE.  I love how it looks and feels.  The center box features words to a song that I dearly love.  I thought the words were perfect for an "Elements of Time" piece.  It reads:

"Every day is a bank account.  

And time is our currency.  

No one's rich and no one's poor.  

We all have 24 hours each.

So how are you gonna spend?

Will you invest or squander"

Try to get ahead or help someone who's under?"

Makes you think, doesn't it?

The top of my Cuckoo Clock features more clocks, my "Cuckoo" bird and a film strip with pictures of my life...from birth to my first meeting with Tim...milestones for sure and measurements of time.

The clocks are taken from Tim's clock paper in the Lost and Found Paper Stash.  I cut them out and rubbed Rock Candy Stickles over them.  When dry, I added the Game Spinners for hands and the Hitch Fastener for the centers.  Then I glued them in place and lightly went around the edge with Platinum Stickles.

The Cuckoo is actually a little feathered bird I found at a craft store and I covered him with Tim's Tissue Tape.  I distressed it with Gathered Twig Distress Ink.  I added the Ideaology Foliage pieces to create a top knot on his head and also a fancy tail.

(You can see the top of the Cuckoo Clock and the tail section of the Cuckoo better in this picture.)

Then I distressed a pair of the smaller wings from Tim's Regal Adornments set using the Juniper Paint Dabber and hot glued them in place.  The cuckoo is sitting on a multi layered flower I created using what looks more like a mum from Tim's Tatterred Flowers die cut.  I cut several layers out of Glassine Paper, crumpled them up, distressed them with a Juniper Paint Dabber and stacked them one on top of the other.  The cuckoo sits in the middle of the flower on top of the Dimensional Cuckoo Clock.

Now it's YOUR turn to create something using "The Elements of Time" and then link it to our blog.  If you're having trouble coming up with an idea, stop by SIMON SAYS STAMP AND SHOW and check out the fabulous ideas our Design Team has waiting for you!  Then ... get busy!!!  You could be randomly chosen to receive our generous sponsor's prize of ....

And if your work is chosen as one of our top three entries, you will receive special recognition on Simon Say Stamp and Show's blog as well as a TOP THREE BLINKIE for you to post to your blog.