Gear Up Steampunk Birthday

Hi Guys, TGIF! Just minutes before Sketch Saturday's deadline and here I am posting again at the last minute!

  

I put the sketch in PSE and flipped it vertically and horizontally to accommodate my cupcake and my gearhead corner piece. Also resized it to 5x7.

Ok, for this card the bottom gear paper layer is Graphic 45 with some ink distressing and Deco scissor cutting on the edges. The next paper layer is a snippet of BG Out of Print text collage, mostly white, that I ended up inking and stenciling and stamping on, completely changing the look:

From this... I chose this text collage paper specifically for Gecko Galz Facebook Text challenge, which is "use some form of text on your project".

To this....  I've almost now covered up the text getting so carried away with ink distressing and stenciling, because the paper was too white and needed some coordinating color.

To this! I had to go back and add text stamping, because as I said my original intention was to stencil and ink to highlight the text, but I ended up completely covering the text collage up. So I had to stamp on some more text. I do love the end result though! I'm a bit addicted to those blending brushes. I never have felt that the Tim blending tools or the finger sponge daubers were letting me do my best work, but with these brushes I am not in control yet I feel like they help me do what I want more. Distress inks are really bold and strong, not really a subtle color in the bunch.

This close-up is the money shot for me right here. That adorable fussy-cut steampunk cupcake collage sheet image just makes me happy to look at! The sequins, the stenciling, the gold gearhead die - lovelovelove!!! This is the card I'd love someone to have sent me, lol.

The gold gearhead die corner was actually made a few weeks ago for another project I ended up not using. Kinda had to use it for this card...like it was just sitting there waiting! I die cut it from the same card stock as the base of this card coincidentally, then I coated it first with gold Wink of Stella, then with yellow Wink of Stella. Sitting there and curing over several days only made it prettier and more sturdy. I used my spray adhesive to attach to my card and that worked like a dream.

SUPPLIES:
Paper: SU card stock, Neenah index stock, Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante pp, Basic Grey Ambrosia and Out of Print pp
Stamps: Lawn Fawn, Artistic Outpost, Wild Rose Studio, My Favorite Things, Fiskars, Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fallen Leaves and Pinecone VersaFine Clair
Dies:Spellbinders A7 Heirloom Legacy oval, Sizzix Gearhead Thinlit
Other: Gecko Galz Cupcake image from GG Steam Powered collage sheet, Tim Holtz Gears and Grid Dot Layering Stencils
Stash: Sequins, Deco Scissors

This inside has stamped sentiments by Fiskars and Papertrey Ink.

And the back of my card has leftover snippets from my stash, a strip from the front and my MFT siggie stamp.

One last look! Just makes me smile! :-)

CHALLENGES:
1.  Sketch Saturday #583 - sketch shown above
2.  Paper Babe Stamps Challenge #103: Photo Inspiration - I was inspired by the colors.  

3.  Gecko Galz Facebook Oct. Challenge: Text - see above discussion and close-up photos

4.  Mix It Up Challenge #30: AG + Opt. Open Technique - I've played the option. My technique is Stenciling.
5.  Stamplorations October Stencil Challenge: AG with a Stencil -- I have used 2 stencils - see above Supplies list, photo and text.  

6.  TTCRD Oct. 1-7: AG
7.  Paper Girls Challenge #184: AG
8.  The House That Stamps Built DCC 0219: Circles - I have gear circles and sequin circles galore on this card.
9.  Crafts Galore Encore October Challenge #68: AG
10. Crafty Creations Challenge #399: AG
11. LTCCB #39:AG
12. ABMTTC #101: AG
13. Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper October Challenge: AG with PP
14. The Creative Crafters Challenge #20: AG
15. Outlawz Festive Fridays Challenge Oct. 4-17 --  Birthday theme
16. SanDee & amelie's Steampunk Challenge: October AG

Thanks for visiting and Good Weekend! xoxo