Saturday, August 30, 2014

COMPENDIUM OF CURIOSITIES III CHALLENGE ~ A VISIT FROM OLD ST. NICK

Hello everyone and welcome to a new challenge over at the lovely Linda Ledbetter's Studio L3 website where you will find the latest and greatest Compendium of Curiosities III Challenge!

Thank everyone so much for joining in on the challenges.  The Curiosity Crew absolutely LOVES creating art for you each challenge using Tim Holtz' products and techniques. You are going to be blown away this week!  

We also thank you so much for your always wonderful support and comments on our work. We try so hard to educate, encourage and inspire you.

This week, our challenge takes us into Tim's world of Assemblage Clocks. I absolutely ADORE these little guys.  They are like a shadow box but with so much personality even before you begin! 

I plan on making some vintage holiday clocks for Christmas and Halloween.  I wish I had all of Tim's new Christmas Ideaology but it's not been released yet.  So I dug into my stash of vintage Christmas goodies, cranked up the Christmas music in my studio to get me into the Christmas Spirit and let my imagination take me where it wanted to go.


HO! HO! HO!  This is my finished vintage Assemblage Clock.  I love it! It's so dimensional; looks like a snow globe without the water and the snow flurries!

Since this is NOT a technique challenge, I can share with you the steps and little tips I used in creating this clock.  It has a shiny metallic finish. It measures approximately 5 1/2" across by 7" tall.  So, this is a nice size home decor piece or could lay in the branches of a Christmas tree as a vintage ornament. It has a removable metal back so that you can create your scenes on the interior and then replace the back. It also has a glass front; encapsulating your masterpiece.  The glass can be removed if you prefer your interior to spill out of the circular capsule.



I began by painting a base coat of white Gesso over the entire clock. Some people choose to take the clock all apart but I don't. I covered it with Gesso because the shiny metal surface is sort of slick and the Gesso gives the clock some "tooth" so that paint or stain or whatever medium you are working with will grab to the surface easier.  (Be sure to let whatever you are using dry between each layer.)



I wanted my clock to have a sort of "old world" distressed vintage exterior so I first covered the Gesso with Antiqued Bronze Distress Paint (using a paint brush). 



For my next layer, I brushed on a thin layer of clear Crackle Glaze. When that was dry, I brushed over it with some Martha Stewart Satin Red Paint. The crackle is not real obvious but exactly what I wanted. When the red paint dried, I added highlights of Treasure Gold Renaissance Guilding Wax. It adds such a subtle shimmer and really defines edges and raised areas. I love the antiqued finish that it adds.



Next I decorated the exterior of the clock. If I had had Tim's new Garland Trim, I would have used it around the circle of my clock. But since it has not been released yet, I used some little holly garland I had in my stash.  I gently sprayed Tim's Silver Tinsel Twine with a light mist of Design Master Honey Spray and transformed the shiny silver finish into more of an old world goldish/silver tinsel. I wrapped the garland with Tim's Tinsel Twine and glued it into place around the clock face. Then I hot glued the little vintage Christmas beads I had cut from a vintage beaded garland I had.

The top between the bells features some vintage looking holly leaves and berries, an old Christmas corsage bell that I found at a flea market, a few little berries from a old Christmas pick and some gathered gold tulle.


With my exterior pretty much finished, it was time to start on my Christmas scene.  I had a little vintage Santa that I was going to use in my clock interior and decided to make a snowy scene around him. So, I gathered up some objects and got started!

I began with the smaller of the two trees from Tim's original Woodland Trees release.  These bottle brush trees start off as a cream color.  So, you can transform them into any color you want! I began by spraying the tree with some Peeled Paint Distress Stain that I have put into a Mister Bottle rather than leaving it in the original packaging. Next I added some Pine Needles Distress Stain onto my Non Stick Craft Sheet and twirled the Christmas tree around in the stain, allowing some the edges of the "branches" to be darker. It gives a more natural, blended color for the tree. 


When the stain was dry, I added some White Gesso with a wooden stick and sprinkled it with sparkly glitter while it was still wet to create a freshly fallen snow look.

 
When that dried, I hot glued the little star (from a miniature gold Christmas garland) and gold ball chain as garland to the tree. (I also painted the base white with Gesso so that it would blend into my snowy base that would be inside of the clock). 



Santa needs reindeer, right?  I found these darling little miniature reindeer at a local craft store.  There were four in a package, two smaller and two larger.  They were plain like the one on the left.  I added the little sparkly red and green ribbon and the tiny jingle bell to the ones I used in my snowy scene.  You will see them better in the closeup picture of the finished scene later. (The background paper here is "The Night Before Christmas" from Tim's new Red Merriment Paper Stash. It's all Christmas papers and images.  Love it!!


And speaking of Tim's new Merriment Paper Stash, I used this piece from the 6x6 section of papers to create the background for my scene. Don't you just LOVE the vintage bells?  I distressed the edges with Fired Brick and Vintage Photo Distress Inks.  It is glued onto the back of the metal clock back.  



Here is a close up look at the snowy Christmas scene I created.  Everything is hot glued into place, starting with the "snowy" base created from quilt batting. Then I hot glued my Santa. Next came the smallest reindeer in front of Santa followed by the larger reindeer to the front left. Behind him, I placed my Christmas tree. Finally, I added the larger reindeer behind Santa and to the right on another little puff of snow. I added the dangling snowflakes using a thin piece of silver wire that is hot glued to the top of the clock. They are cute when the freely swing as you move the clock.  Be sure to look through the glass as you are placing your objects in your scene before (and sometimes during ) gluing them in place. It really helps to get the proper placement of each piece. When you are finished with your scene, you simply press the back of the clock into place.

THIS IS IMPORTANT AND WILL HELP YOU WHEN ASSEMBLING YOUR CLOCK!!!

Sometimes the placement of your interior objects can be a bit tricky. Here's why ...

The interior size of the cavity can be deceiving.  The clock face measures 4" across at the widest point.  BUT ... the area across the lower part of the clock, where you will be creating your scene is only about 3" across. The clock cavity is pretty deep so it seems like there would be tons of room to put all sorts of "stuff". But it fills up pretty quickly and you have to remember that you have a back that slides in, taking up about 1/4" from the back space and there is a glass piece across the front of the clock (unless you choose to remove it).

Clean your clock glass before you start putting things into your clock! If you happen to get hot glue on the glass as you are gluing in your objects, it will come off...but try not to get it on the glass in the first place!  I speak from experience!  (smile)

You also need to be careful about the size of the things you use to create your scene.  If they are really big, you won't be able to put very many elements in that 3" width at the base to make for a cute little scene. The curvature of the base of the clock can also come into play.  Just some things to consider as you are creating your interior.


As a finishing touch, I added the "Merry Christmas" tag to my clock.  This was created using the script stamp from Tim's last year's Christmas stamp release, and one of my favorites, Mini Holidays 5. It is gold embossed on a brick red cardstock. I glued it onto a piece of cardstock. The back side of the tag is a red and white strip that was the back side of the vintage bells paper I used on my clock background. I cut out the size of the tag I wanted, rounded the two outter edges using a Crop A Dile Chomper 1/4" corner rounder and then punched a hole in the top to add the gold ribbon. I hot glued the two edges together and hot glued it in place at the top of my clock.


So there it is ... my finished vintage Christmas clock. I decorate A LOT for Christmas and I always like to create something new every year. This will definitely be a fun addition! 

I will probably make another one of these and instead of a Christmas scene, I think I will only have little a snow with a Christmas tree and maybe a little reindeer to the left of the foreground and picture of all of my grandchildren together as the background. Add "2014" to the back side of the "Merry Christmas" tag and use it as a large ornament on my Grand Childrens' Vintage Christmas tree.  I make an ornament every year for a vintage themed tree that is in my entry hall dedicated to my Grandchildren. This would be too large to hang at the edge of a branch, but it would be really cute nestled in some branches!

I hope that this tutorial has given you some ideas and some good tips as you go forward to create you own Assemblage Clock.  Don't be afraid to try one. They are absolutely DARLING and so much fun to make!  Just be mindful of how deceiving the space in the interior can be as you are designing your scene.

After you've created your clock, be sure to share it will all of us at the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge. It is such a fun community of Tim Holtz' lovers who share a passion for his techniques and products. It is so much fun to see everyone's amazing art that they post each challenge. Beautiful work!

Our sponsor for this challenge is the lovely Linda Coughlin of The Funkie Junkie Boutique.  She is generously donating a $25.00 gift certificate!! Thank you Linda!!!

http://www.thefunkiejunkie.com/

And... we also have a bountiful prize package from a mountain of "goodies" that Tim and Mario have so graciously donated to the Compendium of Curiosities III Challenge to distribute each challenge. Thanks so them for their always continuing support and generosity!

I can't wait to see your clocks!!!

 










71 comments:

  1. Candy let me just say this is To Die For!!! Beyond cute!!! I really, really love your piece and the figures you used to create this wonderful Christmas scene. I love your technique, and all the details that make this piece up....Wow, so well done. Love it!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Adorable! Thanks for the great tips.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Candy, this is fantastic! As soon as I saw it I started signing "Friends call me Snow Miser, Whatever I touch, turns to snow in my clutch, I'm too much!" This is so absolutely vintage Christmas, I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! If you make more of these incredibly awesome clocks you have to post them! Thank you for sharing, so cool!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love love love your beautiful clock, the vibrant colours and the details make it a magic creation!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gorgeous, stunning Christmas clock Candy, love how you put it together, so many cool ideas, like how you did the snow for instance! Not really my Christmas deco style if I am really honest, but I love it, it looks so cheerful!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love your clock, Candy! So much to look at. Love your trees!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. As ever Candy, your tutorial is excellent - that is a great tip about the space inside (I know from personal experience!). The outside of the clock is fabulous with the tiny crackles and the red is just gorgeous. I love the little 'jackets' you created for the cute little reindeer and the tree looks beautiful adorned with the snow. It reminds me of a Santa's Grotto - very clever and very beautiful! Anne xx

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is beautiful, love the scene inside and the color is amazing. Nicely done!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Candy...your clock makes me think of a vintage snow globe. It is beautiful and I love it. Fabulous little bits here and there. You rock and the tutorials girl and I'm so glad you put the tip in yours about the depth and glass. I love love love this piece..I bet your grandsons will love seeing this for the holidays!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Candy, you've made this into a collectable piece, that everyone will want for their village! WOW OH WOW!!! The retro vintage chic of Christmas ago is evident here! Love every Christmasy bit!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Candy, you NEVER disappoint! Your step by step instructions are so helpful and your advice about the structure of the clock is right on. Great advice for CC3Cers who are about to go forth and create. This is fabulous!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a magical Christmas scene you created inside and out Candy! LOVE the little reindeer and how you dressed them up! Thanks for all of your space size tips too!

    ReplyDelete
  13. The Christmas clock is so great and the scene inside so sweet - hugs Dagmar

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is so festive, Candy! I love the scene you've created inside... you sure worked well with the space available. Your treatment of the trees is fabulous, love that you added snow to the branches after coloring. Great tips too for those who are contemplating getting started.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Fun way to use this clock...festive and cheery! Thx for the tips, too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Candy--You just took me back to my childhood and seeing vintage Christmas diorama's at my grandparent's house! I love the holiday nostalgia it brings me and it's just so darn wonderful! I totally smile at everything you've layered in your Christmas clock--those little deers are darling!! Thanks for your tips!! This will be my first Assemblage Clock and I can use all the help I can get :) XOXO-Shari T.

    ReplyDelete
  17. What an adorable Christmas Scene! So much work! Yikes! But a really nice finished clock!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love the Christmas clock you created. Very astonish. Thank you for sharing it.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Shhhh...this is my favorite! I'm so appreciative of all the stepped-out photos and tips; they'll be so helpful when I get my own clock started. This is just as cute as can be and took me right back to my childhood and Christmases past! Thank you so much for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh I sure love this altered clock ,it's adorable . Thanks once again for your easy to follow tutorial on how you created it. Love your blog Candy

    ReplyDelete
  21. I just love this piece! Every detail is perfect! Believe it or not I think my favorite piece is the Merry Christmas tag. I will definitely create a few of mine own. Your tutorial is excellent. I will be using many of your techniques and ideas. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  22. This looks terrific Candy. LOVE all those Christmas decorations and elements. Thanks for sharing those tips too - good to know. Nicola x

    ReplyDelete
  23. I am so in love with your Christmas in a Clock. It's perfect and breathtaking. I think you may have inspired me to go with a Christmas theme myself, if I can get it done in time. I have not read through your tutorial or even looked at the photos recording it's progress. am saving that for my morning coffee when all is quiet. LOVE this! You are a genius!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Your clock is beautiful! And thank you for the tips....I'll keep those in mind as I decide on my motif-and what I can use inside.

    ReplyDelete
  25. So bright and cheery! Almost enough to put me in a Christmas mood!

    Hope you don't mind but I swiped your tag idea!

    ReplyDelete
  26. The techqniqe for the snow on the tree and the frosty window is great. Thanks for your inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Your style is just awesome. I love every inch of this clock!

    ReplyDelete
  28. This piece gives that classic vintage Christmas feel ... I adore it

    ReplyDelete
  29. Unbelievably amazing! I love your clock, Candy. What a fabulous scene you created inside.Thanks for all the tips. You rock!

    ReplyDelete
  30. So festive! Love the snowy scene. Especially like the elements on the top. Thanks for the inspiration and the tips.

    ReplyDelete
  31. All the little vintage pieces come together so well. I'm inspired to dig into my little box of Christmas goodies that I've been saving.

    ReplyDelete
  32. This is truly amazing! Love everything about this gorgeous work. Hugs, Kerstin

    ReplyDelete
  33. I absolutely love the vintage finish you achieved on this lovely clock. It's the perfect shade of red with just the right touch of gold and crackle. The tag is gorgeous with that gold embossing....it really finishes the piece. Love the little interior scene you built...the "snow" looks great! Thanks for all the great tips you shared. I have one of these in the Closet of Shame, and I'll refer to this again when I get ready to finish it up.

    ReplyDelete
  34. My second comment: Ah! Finally some peace, as my kiddos and my husband are all safely in their classrooms and I'm OFF today! This is where I choose to be with my hot cup of coffee. Thank you, Candy, for your fabulous step by step on how you created this fabulous Christmas wonderland. Now I'm motivated! Let's get started! My clock and gesso await me!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Wow! I want to come to your house at Christmas, because I can only imagine how you decorate it! What a festive WOA! I love all the little details you have put into your clock and the coloring is gorgeous! I love how you finished the top! Beautiful and I love it! Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Thank you for your warning of watching the placement of everything because the bottom is smaller. I've had one of these since they came out and I've been terrified to tackle it :) I love the vintage feel of Christmas with yours .. and gesso on the tree as snow .. super cool !

    ReplyDelete
  37. Awesome, beautiful creation Candy. I love the little scene and all your wonderful tips along the way. I especially appreciated your specifics on working on this assemblage clock at the end of your post. Very helpful advice. Thanks for taking the time to share it. You're amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Fabulous "Old World Christmas" ... amazing paint layers ! The scene bought back memories of decorating with my grandmother; the little tree and reindeer, so precious; love the garland around the outside and the Merriment background !

    ReplyDelete
  39. I love, love, love it! Great job once again, I just love your style.
    Ivette

    ReplyDelete
  40. This clock is so classic. It reminds me of my mothers old decorations that she used to have. I love the Santa and especially the hanging snowflakes.

    ReplyDelete
  41. This is such a cool Christmas keepsake, Candy! I love it! You put so much amazing detail into it as always! I always learn a lot from you!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Hi Candy

    Just love your clock and the tutorial was simply wonderful. Even though we may have used some of these techniques - it always nice to have such a handy reminder. TFS.

    ReplyDelete
  43. So many fabulous details Candy. Love the vintage look of your clock from the Santa and reindeer to the painting and highlights. Good tips you are sharing too. It does look like a decoration piece I would have seen at my Grandmothers.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Ooh ah another brillant. Christmas clock. Candy you've done an amazing job. Huge gorgeous tag too. Karen.x

    ReplyDelete
  45. Great clock. Love the tree with snow, sweet reindeer too

    ReplyDelete
  46. Wonderful retro Christmas clock! Fabulous! Ruth x

    ReplyDelete
  47. What a cute little Christmas scene. It does look like a snow globe! So many things to look at. Very fun project!

    ReplyDelete
  48. Wonderful Christmas clock - such fun with the snow and santa.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Hi Candy, I adore your clock. The Christmas design suits it perfectly and love all your detail and snow.
    Julie x

    ReplyDelete
  50. What a festive sparkly scene. Love the little reindeer.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Oh Candy...loving your Festive sparkle!! ...and what a fabulous little snowy Christmas scene...Beautiful details and how sweet are those little deers!...LOVE it!!....awesome inspiration :)

    ReplyDelete
  52. Terrific Christmas clock! And you have very useful tips and things to consider - definitely helps in planning your assembly.

    ReplyDelete
  53. I love your festive clock! And your building tips where so helpful! (and most needed! LOL!) Great inspiration! Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Love the retro feel of this - just the perfect Xmas decoration.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Delightful! Love the little scene you created with so many fabulous details. That tree - I didn't even realize it was a woodland tree until I read how you decorated it - fabulous!!

    ReplyDelete
  56. I love your vintage looking Christmas clock! Chock full of fabulousness. =)

    ReplyDelete
  57. Hi Candy, wow what a fantastic scene you have set and as always your attention to detail is wonderful. I love the tree covered with glitter, gives it a real snowy feel and the colour of the clock is just perfect for Christmas. I adore the traditional nostalgic feel to this piece Candy and the embellishments on the top are beautiful. Tracy x

    ReplyDelete
  58. Hi Candy, we must be kindred spirits because I too am a Christmas decorating fanatic. I always make new decorations every year. I love your vintage clock. It brings back childhood memories. XO

    ReplyDelete
  59. It is fab Candy, I almost went Christmassy, but steered clear just yet.
    Dx

    ReplyDelete
  60. A wonderful Christmas extravaganza! Fabulous work as always Candy xx

    ReplyDelete
  61. What a wonderful scene Candy! This definitely has that old world charm!

    ReplyDelete
  62. Adorable! Love the way you created the scene!

    ReplyDelete
  63. Candy! I love your Christmas scene, it is so HAPPY! The reindeer are adorable and the tree, amazing! Thanks so much for making such a beautiful 'clock'! Happy Day!~kim

    ReplyDelete
  64. Love the vintage nature of your Christmas theme clock Candy!

    ReplyDelete
  65. Love your Christmas clock. I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to fall yet...but you did have me humming "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas". Thanks for the tips for working with Assemblage Clock.

    ReplyDelete
  66. Love your Christmas scene clock and reading about how your altered it. Thanks for all the great tips and the inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Your christmas scene is so vintage, love it

    ReplyDelete
  68. Oh what a joy to behold Candy! I love the way you've put that adorable scene together inside your clock (bet you're another happy bunny to see the release of the Distress Stain Sprays!) and the outside is SO bling it would light up a room on it's own. Apologies for the blitz of comments - my dashboard has finally let me start adding more blogs to the automatic feed and yours was first on the list! Jenny x

    ReplyDelete
  69. Look at all the fun stuff I missed in the summer. This is one of a kind Candy! You really know how to make Christmas vintage! I cannot wait to see all you vintage goodies this holiday season.

    ReplyDelete

I am so happy that you stopped by my blog! I truly appreciate your time and thank you for leaving a comment! Have a wonderfully blessed day!