Category: Masculine Cards

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AECP – Easy Die Cutting Techniques

This course is Easy Die Cutting Techniques.  I very much enjoyed this set of classes and gave me new perspective on die cutting.  I chose two new dies I had recently purchased and thought they would work well together.

The die sets are Itty Bitty Flowers and Bird of the Mountain from Altenew.  I looked up pictures of Moussier and tried to match the colors as closely as possible,  I ink blended a small amount of red onto the front of the bird .  I cut the flowers out of white card stock and ink blended them using a number 10 detail blending brush from Altenew and their Mauve Fresh Dye Ink.  I started light and then inked heavier for the different layers.  I ink blended the background with Caribbean Sky Fresh Dye Ink from Altenew, a large bending brush and a cloud stencil.

 

I used 1mm dots behind the flowers to add dimension and then used 2mm dimensional foam tape behind the bird for it to stand a little higher off of the card.

 

The sentiment is from Altenew’s Elegant Sayings stamp and die set.  I added a little Wink of Stella on the wings and on the flower centers.  I finished it off with a few clear sequins.

I hope you enjoyed this card as much as I enjoyed making it.  See you soon.

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AECP – Seasonal Scene Building

The next course in the AECP Level One Certification is Seasonal Scene Building.  This set of classes was a lot of fun and really got the creative juices flowing.  I have a die set I have been so excited to try and a concept that has been in my head I was hoping I could bring to life.  The die set was Altenew’s Calming Koi.

My concept was to add an acetate panel to create a portion of the front of the card.  One Koi fish is attached to the acetate and the other is on the inside card base.  The acetate is sandwiched between a cutaway front panel and a cutaway card base.

I created the water effect with the Altenew Water Builder Stencil and Caribbean Sky, Blue Horizon, Aqualicious and Teal Tempest Fresh Dye Inks.  The Koi fish were cut from white card stock and velum and colored with Fresh Lemon, Honey Drizzle, Maple Yellow, Caramel Toffee and Jet Black Inks from Altenew.

I cut and colored an addition body piece of the Koi in order to hide the adhesive holding it to the acetate panel so you can see the fish from the top and the bottom.  I handcuff the opening and then used that piece as a guide for the cutting of the card base as well as the inside water piece. 

I used the cut out as a mask when I ink blended onto the card front so I did not get any ink on the acetate.  The sentiment is from Altenew’s Billowing Peonies stamp set.

This card was so much fun to create and I was excited that I was able to make something that has been swimming around in my brain for a while (pun intended).

I finished the card off with a couple Stickle dots.

I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did.  See you soon at the next course.  Have an amazing day!!

 

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AECP – Celebration: Stencil Techniques

Today’s course is Altenew’s Celebration: Stencil Techniques.  So many fun ways to use stencils.  I wanted to try out a new stencil I have from Altenew called Modern Circles.

I used an Altenew color family of inks – Sweet Dreams.  I applied  Aqualicious, Teal Cave and Galactic Stream with Altenew mini blending brushes.  The Ultra Sticky Mat is great for holding down the stencils and cardstock.  No need for tape.

I added a thank you sentiment from the Altenew Timeless Sentiments Die Set cut from Altenew Brushed Gold Metallic Cardstock and backed it in white.  I popped the sentiment with foam tape and finished it off with a couple of gems.

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AECP – Easy Ink Blending

This course from Altenew is Easy Ink Blending.  I looked forward to this one as I tend to struggle with the smooth blend of ink and which ink colors to use.  I learned a lot!

 

For this card I chose the Altenew Spoon Daisy 3D Embossing Folder.  The embossed dimension of this folder is just stunning.  I pulled out my color cubes to get the inspiration for which colors to pick.  I decided on Altenew’s Soft Lilac, Lavender Fields and Teal Cave, and added MFT’s Boysenberry.  These colors were blended onto white cardstock using the Altenew medium blending brushes and the Ultra Sticky Mat.

I then embossed the blended panel, as well as, one cut out of white cardstock. I cut down the blended panel and placed it on top of the white embossed panel.  The images “locked” into one another and then I glued them down.

I went over the raised areas with a white ink pad to enhance the embossed image.  I popped up the embossed panel with foam tape and then added a simple hello sentiment to finish it off.

 

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AECP – For The Guys

This project was for the Altenew course – For The Guys.  Masculine cards can be tough as I always want to add bling or shine.  There were so many great ideas and techniques in this course, I learned so much.

I decided to use the Altenew Step Builder Stencil.  The design on this really intimidated me.  I first tried ink blending and had so much fun I then decided to try it with paste.  I used Lunar Paste in the colors of Midnight Snack and Clear Skies.  I had never used these before and was very happy with the results.

I added a simple hello on the front as well as a couple black enamel dots.

There is still s good bit of shine on this card, but the dimension from the stencil and the paste were so cool.  This will be a technique I will be using again and again.