Steampunk Computer Case Revisited

This is a post from June of 2012. It's one of my favorites. Hope everyone has a great holiday.

As an artist I get so bored with the same old stuff you see in the stores. Computer cases are made of leather, or faux leather. They are black or brown and show absolutely no sense of whimsy or fun.

So, what would you do about that? Well, I decided to get krazy.  Yep, I made my own, with a Steampunk theme, of course.

I started with a wood artist’s box that I have had for a very long time. It has gone through a variety of paint finishes and for a while I had an ink drawing of a dragon on the lid.

The box was covered in black acrylic paint first. Then I cut out pieces of mat board and began gluing them on with Golden Matte Medium. Since I had painted the wood with acrylic paint, the matte medium created a nice bond between the paper of the mat board 

and the paint. White glue or ModPodge would work as well. The problem with white glue is that there is no additive that makes it water resistant. White glue will become tacky the minute water, or any liquid, meets it. Acrylic mediums and ModPodge become hard, waterproof surfaces that will not be affected by liquids. Unless they are left to soak in it.

Black acrylic paint was used on the mat board and some of the gears to give it a more industrial look, then metallic copper was sponged on to give a mottled look. I used some metallic blue and metallic violet in a few places for variety.  The copper paint over the black gives a very cohesive feel to the piece.

Lots of gears, washers, and metal pieces were added. And the ‘rivets’, those are large sequins that were glued on, painted black and then painted with gold. The gold paint over the black made them look like brass. I also used polymer clay to make a variety of large and small gears.

The whole thing was given a coat of glossy ModPodge once all the gluing and painting was done. The ModPodge sealed the work and gave it a wonderful shine. It brings out the variations in color that was created with all the sponge painting. It also reflects light off of the edges of the pieces to create darks and lights, drawing your eye to different areas.

The handle is a dog collar. I was going to use jewelry chain, but at a yard sale found the collar instead. It is perfect.  Heavy copper wire holds it to the box.

On the inside I cut out a portion of the dividers, covered them with polyester quilt batting and then with canvas. Once done the canvas decorated with Steampunk designs using Sharpie permanent markers. I didn’t want the inside to be boring. The exposed wood inside was painted black and copper, then decoupaged with fun scrapbook paper that has a map theme.

Straps to secure the laptop were made with canvas and Velcro. They are held in with small pieces of wood and screws that come in from the outside. The screws look like they are part of the piece and don’t look out of place.

Several things must be considered in a project like this:

 

The box will sit upright on the hinged edge when stored and on the bottom when being opened. Those two edges must be designed so that there is no wobble and that the gears and embellishments cannot be knocked off.

The lid, or top, can have more pieces and can have some sticking out. But everything must be put on so it will not get knocked off in every day use.

For me, the paint scheme had to flow from one side to another. Continuity was important. The blue and violet spots on the sides flowed over onto the top and bottom, or to the other sides. The edges of the mat board were cut so they matched up with the ones on the sides they were next to.

The handle had to be put on so that it would hold the weight and not fail when carrying the case.  Securing the wire inside was one of my biggest challenges.

I also made a security strap out of canvas and buckles to keep the case from opening when traveling. The strap was painted with the copper and black paints to match the rest of the box. Textile medium was added to the paints to keep them soft.

I hope you enjoyed this project as much as I did.

Til next time, make a mess and have fun doing it. Terri

Product Note: Acrylic medium and ModPodge are available in both matte and glossy formulas. They are available at Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, Joann’s, and your local craft store. 

Happy to be back

It has been a while and I apologize for the absence. But I am happy to be back

Today I will start with a recipe. My husband and I are trying to lose some weight and this is one we love for breakfast. Though this recipe could be used for lunch or dinner. It would be great for a Sunday brunch with friends.

9” or 10” cast iron pan (it must be a pan that can go from stovetop to oven)

 

2 Tbsp olive oil, or veg oil

1 medium potato, washed and cut into ½” cubes

½ cup mushrooms, cut into ½” pieces

¼ cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup cooked ham, cut into ½” cubes

2 Tbsp butter or margarine

7 eggs, beaten

¼ cup parmesan cheese, or any cheese you want, grated

Salt and pepper

In the pan, on medium to medium high heat, fry the potato in the 2 Tbsp of oil until they are browned and mostly cooked through. This gives them a wonderful flavor.

Reduce heat to /medium/medium low and add the onion, mushrooms, and bell peppers, Saute this until the onions and mushrooms are softened. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper in and stir.

Add the ham and cook until it is warmed through.

Add the 2 Tbsp of butter and mix through to melt it.

Turn on your oven to broil (high) to warm

Pour the beaten eggs over the ham mixture and just wiggle the pan a little to get the egg mixed into and around the ham and potato mixture.

Keep the heat at medium low and let the mixture cook for a few minutes, until it has cooked up through, but not done on top. Eggs on top should still be liquid.

Sprinkle the cheese all over the egg mixture and then put the pan into the oven. Keep the oven door open while broiling. Cook just until the egg is fully cooked and the cheese has melted. I used parmesan cheese and it turned a beautiful brown and crunchy.

Let it cool for a couple minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

Optional additions: cooked broccoli, chopped tomatoes, jalapenos, any leftover veggies, garlic, leftover steak or roast, cooked bacon, cooked sausage pieces, etc.

You can also add seasonings to give it regional flavors. Add a little chili powder and ground cumin with some jalapenos and ground beef to get a Mexican flair. Add Italian seasonings and sausage with mozzarella cheese for Italian.

This is a very versatile food that can be changed depending on what you want.  The basic ingredient is the beaten eggs. Everything else is optional. It’s kind of like an omelet.

 It takes about 45 minutes or so to make. But it is sooo tasty. 

This morning I did a variation by using a cooked Italian Sausage, mushrooms, onions, and a tomato. I added Italian seasonings and then topped it with mozzarella cheese once the egg had set in the oven. 

We cut the frittata into eight wedges and then we each have one for breakfast over four mornings. The key is the veggies. The more veggies the better for you. Each wedge has less than a whole egg and a bit of each ingredient. By cutting it into eight and only eating one wedge each morning we reduce our calorie intake but are happily satisfied until lunch. The egg is protein and dairy, the veggies are good and if you add meat you get more protein. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe. :) 

Til next time.

Terri