Keep Calm and Just Have Another Cup!

Hello Again! Hope everyone is well and safe from all the current storms in life! Honey and I are still in relax mode. Narrowly being missed causes a lotta stress! Especially for me, so I am doing what I usually do after something stressful: nothing! Or I've tried to... There I sat yesterday, lazily minding my own beeswax not a care thinking I had no deadlines...when I suddenly bolted up remembering I needed to make a card using Outlawz' Progressive Freebie Challenge image by 8/31. Ack! No rest for the Lazy, I'm tellin' ya! heehee :-)

PAPERS: SU and Springhill card stocks; Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante 8x8 collection; Bo Bunny Gabrielle 6x6 collection
IMAGES/STAMPS: The Paper Shelter; Clear Dollar; Stamplorations; My Favorite Things; Cornish Heritage Farms; Inkadinkado
INKS: inkjet and laser printer; ProMarkers; VersaMark, VersaMagic, Memento
DIES: Avery Elle, Lawn Fawn, Clear Dollar
OTHER: Polychromos colored pencils; enamel dots and ribbon from stash; EKS circle punch; Hero Arts white embossing powder

  Here's the image we were graciously given to use for this challenge: It's Tea Time! It has a really nice Steampunk/British vibe but as I needed a birthday card for a gorgeous 62-yr-old friend who still loves to party and have adventures, I needed something a little stronger in that cup so my card has no Tea vibe. I'm not sure she knows about Steampunk but she'll ask if she doesn't.

So, I forced myself to begin planning the card since I hadn't gotten to that yet, what with Laura and all. That's when I said to my lazy self, use the pre-colored digi for goshsake - go for it! Sure would save me stress as that's one detailed image to color and I'm not in my usual love-to-color mood, nor are my arthritic fingers. Ok, got my images and colors. Then it hits me to go check the colors on G45's Steampunk Debutante 8x8 paper collection. Plus, inside sheets from Bo Bunny's 6x6 Gabrielle collection. Lo and Behold, DECENT color matches, if my image prints out like it looks (which it didn't, but hey, close enough!)! Especially since I had it in mind to add some colored pencil shading here and there to the pre-colored printed image.

 

Next: find a sketch. The current Feeling Sketchy sketch looked to be perfect for my purposes as I was needing a circle element for a stamped cake and candles as well as open space for my gal, so I turned it 90 degrees to the left and resized it to 5x7" in PSE.

Confession: I've had several TPS digital stamps for awhile but haven't created with one until now because they are drawn so well. I just dunno if I can color that well to do them justice, you know? So I began this with trepidation but ended up getting really into it, adding my little touches where I felt comfortable. And I enjoyed it very much!

So, after printing Steampunk Sal (that's what I call her) out on Springhill digital card stock with my inkjet printer, I noticed the really different color shades, so I tweeked the print settings and tried again. Hey, I'll use the first one in the future, now that I realize I can color on a pre-colored! Duh me! lol Anyway, it still wasn't optimal, but it was useable. I fussy cut her out, gathered my papers, cut/distressed/adhered my layers, chose my white glitter washi tape and sheer 2-tone ribbon on top; stamped and colored my cakes, stamped, heat-embossed and die cut my Clear Dollar and Stamplorations sentiments. Aaaaand, 3 glittery enamel dots at bottom left to play off the glitter of the ribbon/washi and the Wink of Stella on the fobs watches.

Because I used 2 paper collections both of which are very much shabby/vintage, the first inclination for me was to go with all tans and beiges and no white. But Steampunk Sal has a more modern or contemporary vibe to me, so I purposefully chose a white card base, white embossing powder and enamel dots, a white outline to Sal, and white glittery washi ribbon. A gamble, I agree. But I do like it!

I chose some of the whiter Bo Bunny papers for the inside mats and inked the edges with chalk ink before adhering. I'll add sentiments before mailing, maybe a corny poem. I'm into those now, haha.

I just had to use the G45 roses somewhere on this card, so it 's on the back, along with another punched out circle cake and siggie diecut with a Clear Dollar die.

Some close-ups:

On front: Cupcake stamp is Inkadinkado, number candles My Favorite Things. I colored with Promarkers, colored pencils, Sakura gold shadow red metallic gel pen and yellow Wink of Stella. I distressed the circle frame with my Tim Tool and inked the edge around with VersaMagic chalk ink.

And this fabulous TPS image. I gave her some cheek blush, lavender hair streaks to match her bodice and cakes, and I added as much teal as I could along with the green.

Close-up of the back siggie area. I made two different cakes in a circle to see which one looked better on front. The cupcake won due to its serendipitous mimicry of Steampunk Sal's bodice blouse (LOVE when that happens!), so this went to the back. Cake is a Cornish Heritage Farms stamp and the number candles are My Favorite Things. Siggie by Gelatins.

Well, back to the fun. I have multiple projects that can be finished if I just remain focused and this card put me in the groove to do them...for as long as the groove lasts! Have a wonderful week and thanks so much for checking out what I've been up to! XXO

MY CHALLENGE PLAYLIST:
1.  Outlawz Progressive Freebie Challenge August -- The Paper Shelter's It's Tea Time

2.  The Paper Shelter Challenge #438: Use/Add a Number -- Cake candles say 62  

3.  Feeling Sketchy #245 -- sketch shown above
4.  Sparkles Monthly #131: Use At Least Patterned Papers -- I used 3: one on the front, one inside and one on the back
5.  TicTacToe Challenge #tttc079 Featured Designer: Annie -- I chose left column down (Cupcake/Candles/Heat Embossing-my post has details)

6.  Use Your Stuff #404: Mood Board -- I was inspired by the blues, greens, lavender, glass, chrome...and of course, the cupcakes! ;-)

7.  613 Avenue Create August #236: Use Washi Tape -- I've used Heidi Swapp Marquee Love white glitter washi tape under my sheer ribbon.
8.  Colour Crazy Craft Challenge Week 33: AG w/Colouring -- I've used Promarkers and colored pencils to color my hand-stamped images and also to color and shade my pre-coloured image.
9.  Paperbabe Stamps Challenge #126: AG