Rise of the Machines

Voltaire once said, "“I cannot imagine how the clockwork of the universe can exist without a clockmaker.” This month, we will all be the clockmaker in a month dedicated to machines with a focus on steampunk style, a mix of Victorian elements and futuristic components.

Artwork by Alison Manning

This month, we will be welcoming Dezinaworld as our July sponsor. Dezinaworld specializes in collage images for mixed media, decoupage, altered art, scrapbooking and jewelry art. There will be some great prizes in store.


Joining in on our challenge fun this month, the Dezinaworld Design Team will be showing you their take on our July challenges on Thursdays throughout the month!

Our July Muse is Valerie Brincheck, fabulous papercraft and mixed media artist and author. You are going to love her art. We'll be featuring her in a Muse Showcase tomorrow, but if you want to see her art now you can visit her blog, The Sum of All Crafts.

Artwork by Valerie Brincheck

We are also pleased to welcome our Visiting Artists for July who will be sharing their awesome talents and art with us in our challenges! We are delighted to have Beckie Holso, Roni, and Lynda Roddy-Ozzauto.

We're oiled all our creative gears and come up with quite a month for you!

~ our 4 regular challenges: Chestnut Theme, Spicy Supply, Random Redhead and Color

~ 5 more wrap-ups with more stunning Ginger Gem art and 4 new Home Page Artists and prize winners

~ a Muse Spotlight with Valerie Brincheck, steampunker extraordinaire

~ an Sponsor Spotlight interview with June, the owner of Dezinaworld

~ some fabulous new projects from our Gingers including new posts by Suzanne Brookfield and Penny Bennington

and

~ another fantastic column by Contributing Artist, Deb Corder

Checking in with our Gingersnappers

Things have been hopping with our Yahoo Group members, the Gingersnappers! Last month, we finished up our Travel the World Bookmark Exchange and all the art is on its way back to the players although we are waiting out a mail strike in Canada!

Artwork by Donna


Artwork by Petra

If you want to get in on the fun in our GC Yahoo Group or sign up for one of our Art Exchanges, why not become a Gingersnapper yourself and join our group? The membership process is easy and the fellowship is fantastic and we have a new art exchange coming up soon!

For further Gingersnapper social networking, you can also join other crafters in our Gingersnap Creations on FB group.

Hope you can get your creative gears turning and join us for a fabulous month of Steampunking and a celebration of the mechanical world of machines!