Unexplained

Welcome steampunk friends to our October Steampunk/Industrial challenge at SASPC. Of course with it being "this" month, I had to head over to the darker, spookier side with my project. Our challenge runs all month, which gives you plenty of time to create and join us!

I haven't played with my alcohol inks for awhile, so I pulled those out to work with. Without thinking about it, I realized that the colors I chose blended together in a similar way to the colors of nature I am seeing outside right now. 

I was ready to stop here...

...but once that was dry, I went in with some more color and pounced a bit more with the felt until I got this. I'm liking the darker feel to this.

I cut my sheet of Yupo paper into ATC size and made four to work with. Next, I went in with stamps and the Alcohol Lift-Ink to create subtle background images. Then I stamped other images in black. 

 I was thinking of the Celtic goddess of war, the Morrigu (Morrigan), often depicted as a crow. I think the images of the skeletons and crow and falling man play into this idea. Then there is the whole idea of the machinations of war, which I depicted with the gears. Dark enough for you? I think the coming  Halloween/All Hallows Eve/Samhain brings this out in us as the veils between the worlds thin.

Stamps I used

At first, I was going to have each ATC stand on its own, then I thought of linking them together. I attached them with jump rings, and added gears and hardware and some cool brads from Emerald Creek. I also added in a few touches of gold to connect them all - maybe the crow (Morrigu) is sending her crows out to control the skeletons?

Isn't it interesting how our muse takes over our brain and leads us off in a direction that was not planned? I hope you've enjoyed my make and it's inspired you to join our challenge!

Maura