The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge #2; Repeat Performance... The Do Nothing Box

   By now, most of you have figured out that I am a bit crazy... about Tim Holtz's Gears and Gears 2 Alterations Dies. (And, simply a bit crazy as well, but hey; I'll be the first to admit it! lol!) I've also got this thing for interactive paper projects. There's nothing sweeter than being able to open a popout card, or box that actually does something besides hold a gift inside. For years, I have wanted to make a box that used gears to move inside- it's from a very early memory of a toy car (or train??) that was clear plastic and showed gears grinding as it moved. There are similar newer toys to this, but for whatever reason; they just aren't the same to ME. I've decided that the time had come to make such a box- especially since I had both a matching plan/idea for the "story" in this make, and... a simply too-awesome inspiration coming from a new Tim Holtz fellow Addict: Megumi Hiraoka (We're in the same THA group on Facebook, but you can see her superb movable makes on both Facebook and YouTube.) 
         The current TFJBCB challenge this time around is called "Repeat Performance" and it's calling for reuse of a previously used item(s). It will be very interesting to see what everyone comes up with! So let's get this going, before time runs out for the 11:55pm deadline 2/4/20202 TODAY!

Here's a few of my "RePeaters":

1) the bottom heavy-duty bottom box liner from an off-load of toilets to

our Carpenters For Christ building site (3 years ago)

2) a recent box from Amazon that held batteries

3) a couple of clear plastics saved from whatever came inside it from store purchases...

...and some leftover cage wiring from some long-ago outside project. (gutters??)

Paper materials: 1) a leftover stack of cardstock used for Christmas Nativity Sets from 2018

2) doubled-up plain white cardstock with heavy-duty foil adhered on top.

(This really keeps shape after embossing- for those "I wanna see it with my HANDS" looks.

3) white matboard for stacking up die cuts w Glossy Accents.

Tim Tools used...there's an X through the two die sets I ended up not using.

I may use them for another project soon, though.

The thick "toilet board" is easier to slice through than it looks!

It actually never touches the new porcelain toilets that it's strong enough to help hold the heavy

porcelain within the huge boxes they are shipped in.

So, they also make great boards to cover with foil for travel with heavy food items- like cakes!

I penciled in the plastic and then used the Tim Scissors to easily cut the window space.

(HINT: Since the window is the top part of a plastic box- it was easy to use the box bottom

as the pattern because the lid will always fit larger. You can always cut more as needed,

but without cutting the hole too big on the first cut!)

Before securing the window inside, I noticed that the "seal" popped upward.

So I used some TH Alcohol Silver Mixative - to the INSIDE of that seal.

It won't rub off as you work with the window!

Cutting enough for each Gear to have 4 layers of Matboard;

I cut enough to make one each of all Gears shown on both packages.

This way, I could make sure of having at least THREE Gears that would "work" together.

The TH Gears (Original #1) don't exactly ALL work well with the Gears #2.

Here's where I planned to use the doubled-cardstock/heavy-duty-foil combination. 

After carefully fitting it up against each wall as well as the top-that-is-really-the-bottom,

I used TH Distress Paint in Black Soot all over the foil, and made sure to get the corners

and crevices coated well. Then I wiped it all with a dry Kleenex tissue.

Repeat till satisfied. And, I did. So, I was. ;)

Playing around with some TH IdeaOlogy to see what would look right. work well,

and also 'tell the story'.

I also played around with several real pieces of bolts and screws;

the 'posts' needed to also work with the Gears.

I finally settled on 3 real black bolts shown here....

...and one smaller sized dowel rod which I could coat with TH Alcohol Ink or Distress Paint,

and cut to fit flush on the backside, while fitting flush with the tops of each Gear, like the bolts fit. 

Here is one of the Gears I didn't use, so I played around with colors to see what 

made the Gears pop best on the foil background.

The 'top' of the die cuts were all facing the same way when glued together with Glossy Accents.

So the 'smooth top' (faces down on the die as you cut) was smoother to be able to glide

over all the bumps on the cardstock/foil layer.

I used the GA also onto the 'raised edge' side of the Gears- let it dry a few seconds,

and then quickly dabbed my finger over the entire surface.

(Think: 'peaks' on your meringue pie top.)

This texture is what real Cast Iron looks and feels like.  

The next part was to work on the OUTSIDE.

This part was less work and more fun- definitely!

Embossing the cut-to-fit 2 sides was pretty easy. None of the sides were meant to meet up the middle.

I planned ahead of time to make strips that would be folded top & bottom to run across the 

box's entire circumference- looking like it was a welded band over the two 'sheets of metal'.

In order to make those sides almost meet, and also have a continuous pattern from

the TH 3D Impresslit Foundry, it meant carefully adding the FOLD into the folder,

and embossing the same sheet 4 times.

It worked out nicely!

This leftover stack turned out to be very cool indeed!

I was not able to get hold of the new Tim Holtz Paper Stash Metallic Kraft,

and was afraid I had nothing that would work.

The leftover surprised me: while coating the TH Distress Black Soot Paint

over the embossed paper... the goldish turned BLACK!

Instant distress!!!

There was RED in the stack, so I used that for the monitor's needle, later on.

After the entire thing was encased and papered over,

I still had a vision for a monitor and some kind of exhaust fan.

So there I went again: die cutting layers, gluing, and inking/painting all over again.

You'll notice that I'm using my Craft Sheet quite a bit lately.

That's because I am going back and forth from the kitchen to my Craft Studio desk.

Too many projects; never enough space!

The ALMOST finished project: PREdistressed.

Closeup of exhaust before distressing.

Finally choosing the way to distress the rest of the edges and 'bolts';

swiping TH Alcohol Ink in Ginger all over the sides, and then

applying TH Distress Black Soot Paint with a paintbrush, wiping with a dry Kleenex tissue.

Results? Check it out:

The Front Side & Details...

I'm calling this "The Do Nothing Box"

The main idea of the story:

the INSIDE is all still nice and running very smoothly: how we feel the same on the inside as we age.

But the OUTSIDE- our physical body- starts to "distress" a bit. lol!

Our outside starts to wear down a bit, and look older.

The IdeaOlogy here is perfect:

The TH Date Dial has a couple of Sprocket Gears and Spinner (held by a TH Long Fastener)

 that points to the Date Dial's "2" and "22"...

those numbers stand for the very dates my ChiefHubby will retire; February 2022.

The "57" on the TH Plaquette is the age he is now.

The TH Timepiece and Clock Hands (with a Mini Gear and Long Fastener)

show it's almost quitting time

in the financial workday world; 5:00pm. ALMOST time, anyway.

And the Compass (white washed with TH Distress Paint in Picket Fence)

 & Long-Fastener-held Spinner show the 'direction' my ChiefHubby is headed: 

to the Numeric 5 and 9 (also TH DP Picket Fenced)

 on top of more Long-Fastener-held Sprocket Gears...

59 is the age he'll be when he retires.

The IdeaOlogy Nailhead is the only real metal here.

The Gears (#1 and #2 sets) Alterations die cut Gears stand for the 

way my ChiefHubby's mind keeps grinding out ideas;

and the need he has to update me 

EVERY DAY

on new ideas or changes in the old idea plans.

Yep... EVERY. DAY.

Now, if THAT is not a "REPEAT PERFORMACE", then I have no idea WHAT IS!!

Oh, and here's the BACKSIDE:

Other than the piece of leftover cage and the TH IdeaOlogy Hex Fastener...

every bit of this is all PAPER & foil covering.

I used some TH Alcohol Ink in Gunmetal on the

fan blade- after trimming the blades down just a bit to fit INSIDE the circle.

(The fan normally goes fully onto the front/outside of the inner circle.)

VIDEO: To see the movement!

Well.....there; I've had my chance to VENT! :)

THANKS!

for stopping by and catching up once again with more fun on paper.

And THANK YOU SO MUCH, EVERYONE: for all the SWEET comments!!

Be sure to pop into The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog

to take a peek at the rest of the super-talented makes that

will be included into this current Challenge.

If you hurry, you can wrap up an afternoon simple Tag or Card out

of a tossed-out box or leftover scraps from another make,

post it up, and be entered to WIN a $25 GC

from the Sponsor, The Funkie Junkie Boutique

Until we scrap again...

Be Safe &

HAPPY BLOGGING!