Clever Cogs

A new challenge has just gone live at Time Out Challenges and we would like to see how you are inspired by Your Favourite Card Making Technique!

Challenge #305 is generously being sponsored by Top Flight Stamps and they are offering our Top Pick as chosen by the design teams a $25 credit to their store!  

The Top Pick will also be invited to join Time Out as a guest designer in a future challenge!  Speaking of guest designers, our guest designer this fortnight is the very talented Gundi of Papierelle our winner from Challenge #300!   You can check out how Gundi and my talented team mates were inspired by their favourite card making techniques over on the Time Out Blog!

If you've ever scrolled to the very bottom of my blog you may have come across my (verbose) About Me entry squirrelled away at the bottom of the left hand column describing my crafting journey and how I love to "move it" - that is to make interactive cards not to exercise!  So when I had to make a card inspired by my favourite card-making technique, it was really just a matter of how not what!  

As is usually the case, I first examined my ever increasing pile of NBUS stash and these gears (included in the Gummuiapan 2024 Christmas Advent Calendar) seemed like a great idea for a masculine card and I desperately needed ideas for my son's fast approaching 30th birthday!   Then I found this witty sentiment on the Gummiapan FB page and it went from being a great idea to being the perfect idea for my son  (he really is a "clever cogs" or at least a "clever clogs" as the expression goes) and I could imagine the cogs turning and this clever sentiment popping out the side!  

In the end I also used some other gears (Sizzix Mini Gears Movers and Shapers) which weren't as elegant but meshed better and these were the only two that actually moved - the other gears are just there for show!

Since my son was turning 30, I thought it only fitting that I place "30" (Gummiapan Numbers Set) on one of the gears that actually turned and placed the "30" so that it was straight when the sentiment was revealed and therefore at a 90° angle when the sentiment was hidden (if that makes sense) - I hoped that as the 30 wasn't straight, it would be obvious that it needed to be turned.  He was staying here on the morning of his birthday so I was able to straighten the crooked cog and watch his surprise as the little "clever cogs" sentiment popped out the side.  It wasn't perfect but it worked well enough.  

To give the gears an aged patina I cut them from black cardstock (stacked 3 high) and went over them gilding wax using a finger dauber and I did the same with the sentiment (Poppy Stamps Happy Birthday Script)!

To add interest to the background panel I second-generation stamped a blueprint for a bicyclette hirondelle (Stampers Anonymous Steampunk CMS107) - an NBUS set still in its original packaging that I had completely forgotten I owned and came across accidentally while looking for a different rubber stamp.  

The  computer generated sentiment (Freaking Awesome Font) was printed and cut with a fishtail tag (Love2Craft Multi Frame Die Set)!  

I punched a hole in the front panel using a 1cm punch (my circle dies were all too large) and stacked a few circles which acted as a spindle connecting the gear on the lower right corner of the panel to the fishtail banner underneath.  It was important to make sure the stacked circles moved comfortably within the punched hole so I shaved them a little with a file.  It was also important to make sure the gear was only attached to the spindle of stacked circles so it moved freely on the panel.  Then I needed to work out where to punch a tiny hole to attach the other moving gear to the panel with a brad ... the hole in the gear was too big so I so I had to add a false bottom and punched a hole in that for the brad!  

You can see why I only ended up making just two of the gears movable!  Note to self ... next time don't overcomplicate the design and just make one of the gears moveable!  

Finally I added the panel to the card base with foam tape so there was room for the swing out sentiment to move underneath being careful not to impede the movement.

We'd love to see how your favourite card making technique inspires you and hope you can take some Time Out and come play cards with us this fortnight.

I am grateful for and would like to enter the following challenges

NBUS Challenge #82 - NBUS Gears, Happy Birthday sentiment and background stamp set;

Neglected Stuff Challenge January - this background stamp set has been neglected since it was bought at a craft fair in 2011 I think;

Shopping Our Stash SOS#305- Something old (background stamp set, Sizzix Gears) and new (Gummiapan Gears, Birthday Sentiment);

The Male Room Challenge #206 - Add a tag (the swing out sentiment is on a fishtail tag);

Allsorts Challenge #841 - For the Boys (or Men);

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you go away a little inspired!  Your visits and comments are always a joy and always appreciated!  And if you leave a comment, I’ll know you were here and how to find you!

Kate