Life is like a new hat

The weekly chalenge at The Craft Barn is hat(s).
My initial thought was the mad hatter, after some research on the net I ended up  with steampunk and found a digital image that I colored using my Derwent pencils.
The color scheme fitted with a background I already had in my journal

1: the page had a green clean up from a stencil; I colored the page with neo II crayons and used a babywipe to blend them.
2: brayered a lightly coat of white acrylic paint
3: added some stamping (which totally failed, but it gives texture)
4: another coat of white acrylic paint brayered on top
Lastly I stamped a background stamp from kaisercraft with a net structure.

The other elements on the page are:
metal foil embossed with a clock embossing folder,
the steampunk angel which was stamped and embossed,
the quote 
Life is like a new hat
You don't know if it suits you
if you keep trying it on in front of your own mirror.
typed on my typewriter and colored with DI.
and some metal embellishments.

steampunk angel

Yesterday I got cracking with some of my new supplies.

I wanted to use the technique whereby you wipe away ink with a damp babywipe through a stencil, therefore I needed to gesso my page first.

Unfortunately the gesso dulls the otherwise so vibrant Dylusions. (but in this case was just perfect for that autumn feel)

Here you can see the difference between Dylusions on a gessoed surface (on the left) or not

Creating some interest in the background by removing some ink through a leaf stencil and by adding some walnut DI through the same stencil (so 2 different ways to use a stencil)

The page begged for some script stamping, so out came the stamp with one of my new stamp pads, dew drop brilliance red gold.

I also went around the edges of the page with the stamp pad.

I like the size of the pads, they are easy to hold in your hand.

As a focal point I used the steampunk angel from Viva décor and heat embossed it with Halloween  embossingglitter from WOW!

After a search through my drawer filled with embellishment I found the perfect match

I would like to enter this page for following challenges:

The Craft Barn weekly challenge: stencils/masks

The Craft Barn calendar challenge for September: brown andleaves.

Craft Stamper Take It Make It Challenge September: take a stamp/anything goes