Creative Cutting Challenge #2 - Steampunk Pumpkin

Have you checked out Creative Cutting Challenge yet?  If you love using SVG files with your electronic cutter, this challenge blog is for you!  Not sure what an SVG file is and don't want to miss out on the fun?  Check out this post and then this post from Cindy at The Creative Pointe.  She does a great job explaining what SVG files are and how they can accentuate your creativity.  Even if you're not ready to participate, there is plenty of creative inspiration from our very talented Design Team, so please check it out!

The latest theme at Creative Cutting Challenge is "Halloween - Not a Card".  Oh boy, did I have fun with this one!  Meet Mr. Steampunk'in and his friend Sir Crow!

The Details:

• I started with a peat pot, a popsicle stick, and The Creative Pointe's "Fall Set" SVG file collection and the pieces just kept miraculously falling into place until Mr. Steampunk'in was complete!
• The pumpkin SVG was cut from two shades of orange cardstock and layered onto a cardboard base for stability.  I embossed the background cardstock with Darice's "Steampunk" embossing folder, then shaded and highlighted with Distress Inks.  Distress Markers give the stem some detail.
• His eyes are Tim Holtz gears layered with golden rhinestones.  His mouth is a Stampin' Up! label holder.  His teeth were created by embossing saffron cardstock with TH's "Gridlock" embossing folder and creatively cutting and inking so that the raised areas look like tiny  teeth cut from pumpkin flesh.  And of course, he wasn't complete until I added his handlebar mustache!

• Sir Crow is from the marvelous Graphics Fairy.  He was printed onto cardstock and fussy cut.  His top hat was cut from Grunge Paper, colored with Distress Stain, and accented with baker's twine.

• The peat pot was colored with Rusty Hinge and Crushed Olive Distress Ink.  I dried it thoroughly with a heat tool between layers (this prevents blending).  The rim was accented with a black pennant diecut.  For that extra Halloweeny-ness, I added buttons to the points and lots of Black Diamond Stickles accents.  The pot has some pebbles at the bottom of the inside for weight balance and is then filled with floral foam to keep everything in place.  Fluffy reindeer moss hides the foam.

• The saying is printed on cardstock, fussy-cut, accented with Walnut Stain DI and Black Diamond Stickles.  A TH memo pin holds it in place.  
• I used The Creative Pointe's "Halloween Set Two" SVG collection to cut simplified tombstones from a couple shades of grey cardstock.

• Tip:  To secure the tombstones into the floral foam, I punched small holes at the bottom corners and threaded short lengths of wire through.  Instead of trying to glue them in, or using a wooden spike that you can see from the back, these are hidden and hold the stones at just the right angle.

I hope you'll join us for "Halloween - Not a Card" at Creative Cutting Challenge!  I had a blast making my little pumpkin friend and can't wait to see your creation!

Other Challenges:
The Graphics Fairy - Brag Monday #155
Simon Says Stamp: Simon Says...Emboss It!
Simon Says Stamp & Show: For the Love of Sparkle
Anything But a Card: Challenge 2 - Texture
Ginger Loft: GL48 - Embossing
Hiding in My Craft Room: HIMCR #64 - Halloween
Anything But a Card - Challenge #2

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Stampin’ Up! ‘Going Grey’, ‘Pumpkin Pie’, ‘Really Rust’, ‘ Sahara Sand’, ‘So Saffron’, ‘Basic Black’; Tim Holtz Grunge Paper
SVG:	The Creative Pointe ‘Fall Set', ‘Halloween Set Two’
Image:	The Graphics Fairy ‘Old Crow’; ArtiCrafts by Rebecca ‘To Trick or To Treat’; Free Vintage Digital Stamps ‘Vintage Mustache’
Stamps:	Basic Grey ‘Spooky’, ‘Halloween’
Inks:	Distress Ink ‘Black Soot’, ‘Walnut Stain’, ‘Spiced Marmalade’, ‘ Wild Honey’; Distress Markers; Distress Stain ‘Rusty Hinge’, ‘Crushed Olive’, ‘Brushed Corduroy’; SU! craft ‘White’; Archival ‘Jet Black’
Embellishments:	Darice baker’s twine ‘Black / White’; TH memo pin, gears; SU! label plate; Bazzill Basics Just the Edge ‘Beetle Black’; reindeer moss; Stickles ‘Black Diamond’; buttons
Tools:	Darice embossing folder ‘Steampunk’; TH embossing folder ‘Gridlock’; Sizzix Texture Boutique; hole punch; SCAL, Cricut Expression; foam tape; wire; wire cutter; foam ink blender; mister; Glue Dots ‘Craft’, ‘Pop Up’; floral foam
Misc:	Peat pot; popsicle stick; cardboard