Hello friends!
Just in time to link up to Second on the Second! I was out this morning and wasn’t able to link before I left. Usually I like to look through old posts from the same month in previous years, BUT today I immediately thought of this one since the challenge this month on AJJ is “in gear” which to me just screams STEAMPUNK and so I give you another look at The Strange Case of the Time Travelling Cat! This post was originally published in June 2020, it was part of a blog hop and so I have truncated the post to remove all the blog hop stuff, but if you are interested in that, then click the link to see the original post.
Second on the Second
Bleubeard and Elizabeth’s Second on the Second Challenge asks that you bring back a post that you’re proud of or an old one that was shared before anyone knew of your blog. The post I chose for Second on the Second today is one from June 2020 – remember this is a second look at an OLD POST, this time from 2020, not a current post! Hope you find it amusing. Enjoy…
original post is below
Today I have this cool steampunk cat to share with you all. If you are visiting as part of the Steampunk Blog Hop today, hi and welcome and I hope you are enjoying hopping along to visit everyone’s projects. Don’t forget to leave a comment to be in with a chance of winning a prize from one of our awesome sponsors. There are 15 photos in this post showing the step by step, but if that is too much for you, feel free to hop to the end of the post by clicking here. However I’d love it if you were able to squeeze reading this post into your busy day, so let’s get started!
Inspiration
My inspiration came from two things, one being all of these teabag tags I’ve been collecting since last year because they are shiny gold and I love tea.
The second thing that inspired me was this papier mache cat that I bought a couple of years ago and the poor thing has been sitting on top of a bookcase ever since because one of the kitties seems to really like the taste of papier mache.
Yes, she has been chewing on it which is why I had to stick it on the top of the bookcase – for protection!
Overview of Process
So in order to protect my papier mache cat from the tiny teeth of marauding kitties, I covered it in black gesso. She was less impressed with the favour of that! It was then time to start the decoupage with the teabag tags.
I started at the bottom of the front of the cat since that’s the most important part to get right, and the most looked at.
It really didn’t take very long to cover the entire cat. Did I count the number of tags I used? Maybe 🙂
Putting the cat away to dry, I started work on the hat. I used an old amazon box and made quite a tall top hat for the kitty to wear.
Once I was happy with all the pieces being the right size, I glued it all together and left it to dry.
Just had to test it out on the kitty to make sure it fit on his head and didn’t fall off!
I might have to make one of these hats for myself, but I will need a much bigger amazon box lol.
I was too busy making stuff to stop and take photos of it all but here’s a catch up:
Hat – painted black, purple organza ribbon and black velvet ribbon added,
Goggles (on hat) – made from ring pulls and elastic (fully removable)
Glassicals (cross between glasses and spectacles) – metal cogs, jewellery wire, metallic cardstock (fully removable)
Neckwear – black velvet ribbon and tie pin made from cogs, jewellery wire, metal cat charm
And here he is, the Time Travelling Cat ready to jump to another place in time.
Thoughts
I read a lot of Sci-Fi, especially steampunk fiction and so I decided my cat would be a time traveller who travelled back and forth from the past and into alternate versions of history. (He is a talking cat of course) His gold armour is there to protect him from the harsh conditions associated with time travel, and he wears special glasses that allows him to see into other dimensions. His hat, goggles and neckwear are there to help him blend in with the locals in the time periods he visits.
Thanks for making it all the way to the end. Let me know what you think in the comments and enjoy the rest of the hop!
Challenges
SanDee & Amelie’s Steampunk Challenge – Anything Steampunk/Industrial – steampunk
Creative Artiste – Challenge #61
More Mixed Media Challenge – AG with Optional Purple – purple ribbon on his hat!
Project Recipe
Papier Mache cat (or make your own)
Matt Medium
Black gesso
Fluid acrylic – Burnt Sienna, Carbon Black
Satin varnish
From stash: amazon box, black velvet ribbon, purple organza ribbon, jewellery wire, cat charm, green metallic card scraps, teabag tags, ring pulls, elastic
original post is above
I hope you enjoyed a second look or probably a first look, at this post from 2020.
Challenges
Wow! This time traveling kitty and her steampunk hat are the star of second on the second today. I love how the kitty is covered in tea tags. They look amazing. And that is very clever too. Like you, I usually try to stick to the same month, but I’m glad you went for the steampunk theme. And hope your October 2 has gone well. hugs-Erika
I didn’t meet the Travelling Cat the first time around. I must say I’m impressed. Thanks for sharing the how-to.
Your steampunk cat with the top hat puts my owl to shame. This is an absolutely incredible and amazing second look. I can honestly say this is a FIRST LOOK for Bleubeard and me. We both give it two paws/thumbs up. I’m amazed by all the tag you used to make it stand out. And I always LOVE your recycling skills, too. Thanks for this extraordinary second look on the 2nd, dear Elle.