Polychromatic

 Hello All,

Today, I am sharing my last project for the Altenew Academy Educator Certification Program.  This project is for the Polychromatic class.  This time I wanted to change things up a bit, so I decided to do a post card instead of traditional card.   I was inspired by the water coloured Daisy card from one of the class lessons.  I used Altenew’s Spring Daisy Stamp & Die Bundle as my main image for the post card.  This is a 6 x 8 stamp set that comes with 15 stamps total, two of which are cheerful sentiment and a cute font.  One of the pros of this stamp set is that you can also use it to create beautiful Sunflowers (my favorite flower by-the-way).  You will definitely get your money’s worth out of this stamp set.

Since the plan was to use water colouring on this project, I started with a piece of Bristol Smooth 270gms card stock/multimedia (red cover).  The card stock is smooth, bright white, and though it is not a “water colour” card, it does well with a limited amount of moisture.  It really worked out well for the water colour effect I was trying to achieve.  

I used the smallest Daisy (floweret) from the stamp set for my main image.  To colour the image instead of my Zig Clean Color Markers, I used Tim Holtz Distress Markers.  I used the Distress Markers because the tips are a little more durable than the Zig tips.   For the floweret I used the colours: Ripe Persimmon, Spiced Marmalade, and Wild Honey.   I love the Distress Markers because they are water reactive, so they give rich vibrant colour.   I cut a mask using the matching die and covered the Daisy image before stamping the leaves.  To colour the leaves I used Peeled Paint and Forest Moss.   I used Ground Espresso, Brushed Corduroy, and Wild Honey for the floweret.   I used a Post Card stamp I had on hand and stamped that with Momento Rich Cocoa.  I did not add any other embellishments because it is a post card and it needs to be able to go through the meter machine at the post office.  I absolutely love how it turned out. 

Wow! The majority of my journey is over for the Altenew Educator Certification Program, next up the Level II challenge.  If you are interested in the Program or Altenew products click here.

 Altenew Products:

Spring Daisy Stamp & Die Bundle  

                

                                                                Joyce

Altenew Magical Markers Class

Hello my crafty friends,

I think this is my last card for the Altenew Educator Certification Program (woo-hoo).  If not, I have only one to go.  Today's card features Markers.  I love my markers! The class title was Magical Marker Techniques.  In this class we learned about using markers in different ways other than shading.  I pretty much use my markers for shading...lol.  The instructor coloured on different types of substrate/mediums such as vellum and aluminum (tape).   My card was inspired by one of the demonstrations card in the class.  

For this card, I did a tent fold slender card.  The measurements for the finished card are 6" x 3 3/4".  I used some off brand alcohol markers instead of my Copic Markers (way too expensive to just play with).  Altenew has alcohol markers in a variety of colour families like their dye inks, so if you intend to shade the guess work is done for you.  They also come in sets of 12.  Another tip is that the price point for the Altenew Alcohol Marker is a little more reasonable as compared to Copics.  

I decided to try something new for me, which was just to use the markers to do colouring.  I really liked the technique the instructor used for the card.  I also love the look of  the shape and the geometry of the image.  In order to achieve this look, I had to first create a stencil since I did not have the stencil used in the video.  I used the information about creating stencils from an earlier class in the program.  The sentiment was created with a die I had on hand.  I cut the sentiment out twice once on white cardstock and then on black card stock.  I offset the black just slightly to create a hint of a shadow.  I used some foam tap to give the "thanks" some dimension.   It looked kind of plain initially, so I add some black dots with of course a marker and that really tied it up nicely.  It is true for my eyes at least, that odd numbers draw in the vision.  Randomly placing the 3 black dots was such a good idea.  I think this would make a nice masculine card.  

See you later...

Altenew Products:

Alcohol Markers 

Cube Builder Stencil 

Halftone Everything Stamp and Die Bundle

Here is picture of the card with artificial lighting

Joyce

Masking Unleashed

Hello,

And welcome back.  I am nearly finished with my Level 2 Altenew Educator Certification Program courses.  This card is for the Masking Unleashed class.  While I have done a lot of masking over my 9 years of crafting, I have to say, this class renewed the joy and magic of the masking technique.  The demonstration card is so very inspiring and beautiful.  I will say this card or rather the technique was a bit challenging, but if you take your time the results are amazing. 

I will not give the details on how to the make card for a couple of reasons.  One, I think your results will come out better if you hear the instructions and watch the person who taught the class and two, because it is a class.  You can take the class individually or you can apply for the Altenew Educator Certification Program.  The class is not expensive and the information you will receive will stick with you throughout your crafting years.  Click here for more information on this class other Altenew products.

This is my second attempt at this card.  My first attempt was okay, but I was not so happy with it and felt I could do a lot better.  I let it go for a couple of days, then gave it another try.  This one turned out beautiful!  Love, love, love it!  The card looks complicated, but it is not.  It is time-consuming; it took me about an hour and half to complete the card, but the result was worth it.  The finished card size 5 ½” x 4 ¼” (A2).   I think I am going to keep this one for myself…lol

I did not have the die that was used in the demonstration, so I used something similar.  Of course, you know I have ordered the die, it was just too pretty to pass up.   Many of the other products used to make this care you should have on hand if you have been crafting for a while or if you are just getting started the products such as vellum, acrylic paint, masking tape, and blending tool can be found at most major craft stores and many privately own craft stores.   I use Altenew’s Sand Dune and Rocky Shore Crisp Dye Ink Mini Cube to ink the card stock.   See the list Altenew products below

 

Coffee Break Crisp Dye Ink Mini Cube Set 

Leafy Wreath Die 

Leafy Garland Die 

Script Words Die Set 

Thanks for stopping by, see you next time. 

Joyce

 

With A Twist

 Hello everyone,

It has been a while since my last post for my Altenew Educator Certification Program.  Besides COVID in the world, there has been a lot going on with me personally.  Thankfully, things are slowly getting better and I can return to crafting.  Not quite crafting full time as before, but soon.   Today’s card is for the “With A Twist” class.  This card was inspired by one of the class demonstrations.  I really like the stamp set and the technique.  The technique was a kind of faux embossing.   

The images and the sentiment are from Altenew’s Bamboo Rose stamp set.  The instructor used the stamp set and matching dies.  I do not have the matching dies (yet…lol).  I used my cutting machine to cut out my images.  This stamp set has nice thick lines, so if you cannot get the dies and you do not have a cutting machine that will outline, fussy cutting is a breeze!  The card base is a standard A2 size (4 ½” x 5 ¼”).  I used Alcohol markers and pencils to colour the images.  Tip: to make sure my sentiment would fit in the space I wanted, after I cut the images out, I used some temporary adhesive on the back of my images to arrange and tack them down to the card base.  Then I lightly drew the outline of the inner edges (the part that would be closest to the sentiment) of the roses.   After I drew the outline, I took a picture of the arrangement so I could place them back once I stamped my sentiment.  I am usually not a wet glue person, but for this card I had to use glue to make sure all the edges of the images were fastened securely to the base card.  This way when I cut off any excess the image would not lift from the card; especially, the outer edge or borders of the card.    

I really enjoyed making this card because I got to practice combining markers with pencils.  The colouring was the most time-consuming part of the card; although, it did not take long at all to colour the roses.  If you plan to make this card, which I highly recommend you give it a try, I would definitely make more roses than you think you will need.  You could use any extras roses in the inside of the card or save them for another project.   

If you are interested in the Altenew Educator Certification Program or any of the Altenew products used to make this card, you can find information here. 

 Altenew Products:

Bamboo Rose Stamp Set 

Bamboo Rose Die Set

Obsidian Pigment Ink 

I did not use Altenew for my colouring; however, for your one stop shopping convenience Altenew has many options for colouring here 

 Until next time, stay safe

Joyce

Color Your Day!

***Having problems with Blogger, for this post I am unable to add links*** 

Hello my crafty people,

I am posting a card for the Altenew Academy Educator Certification Program’s “Color Your Day” class.

My style of card making is very simple, less is better and faster…lol.   For this card I used Altenew 2 x 3” Mini Delight: Bold Bloom Stamp and Die Bundle.  This stamp set contains 1 floral image of a set of joined posies with foliage and 2 sentiments.  This stamp and die bundle would be great for your stamping arsenal!  A simple elegant floral image with a bold statement depending on how you use it.  I know, I say that about a lot of the stamps…lol, but it is so true.  There are just some stamp sets that can do so many things, this will be one of those. 

This card is a little unique in that I was just practicing using my Polychromos pencils and Copic Markers.  I liked the outcome so much, I decided to use the image on a card.  Since this class was about colour, a yellow/gold card certainly fits the bill. 

The base for this card is a non-traditional size of 3 5/8” (w) x 5 1/8” (l).  I came up with size based on the size of the pierced scalloped frame die.  I used Momento Tuxedo Black ink to stamp the floral image.  The image was coloured first with Copic Markers:  Y19, 17, 15, and 13 and for the shadow I used W3, W1, W00.  To add a little detail, I used the pencils.  This was my first attempt with the Faber Castell Polychromos Pencils…love, love, love.  I chose the following colours: Yellows 105, 106, 107, 108, Grey 273, 274, and Green 168, 174.   I used Fun Foam to lift the yellow mat up from the base.  I also popped the floral image up with foam tape.  The sentiment is from another 2 x 3” Altenew mini stamp set called Mini Branch.  For the inside I used Obsidian Pigment ink to stamp the image again in the bottom corner and left it un-coloured. 

Joyce

Beautiful Details

Hello All,

Just popping in with a post for the Altenew Educator Certification Program (AECP) Beautiful Details class, taught by the fabulous Marika Ratu.  She is my colouring hero.  Love, love, love her work!  For my card I did a (very modified) version of one of the inspiration projects from the class.  

In this class we coloured and embossed on vellum.  I thought this was going to be a disaster, but it turned out okay.  Or at least I’m good with it…lol.   The main image is from Altenew’s Spring Daisy stamp and die set. Click here for details.

I am not one for mixing pencils and my Copics.  However, if Marika’s says it is good, it must be good.  This was my first try and though it wasn’t horrible, I will certainly have to practice, practice, practice.  I think starting with black and white or Sepia type colours helps you get a feel of shadows.  Once I master the black, white, and sepia I will feel comfortable doing imaging using other colours.  Another helpful tip is not to be in a rush to complete the colouring.  It can take a couple of hours depending on the image and the level of detail you want to achieve.  

For the Copics I used E44 down to E40 for the brown (sepia). I used YG97 down to YG93 on the leaves.  For the pencil details-Marika used her Faber Castell Polychromos Pencils (oil-based pencils).  I used Prisma Color pencils (wax-based pencils).  [But, now of course you know mama has already ordered the the Polys…lol].   I do believe there will be a noticeable difference in using the oil-based pencil vs the wax pencils with the Copics-looking forward to trying them out.  One thing about the Prisma Color is the wax build up-can’t stand it!!!  You almost have to use a Gamsol type product to achieve the smoothness (I did not for this card), it would have added more time to the project.  So, I say again, give yourself plenty of deadline time.  

Card sketch and assembly-The card base is #110 card stock.  I chose to do an A2 side fold.  I did not elevate any of the layers or the images.  I wanted the card to have a quiet, solemn feel.  I really like using gray from Sympathy cards whether they are for a male or female. The front mat looks like a greenish colour in the photos, but it is actually a light gray and goes very well with the charcoal gray mat underneath.  I also liked the look of transparency through the main image, for some reason it reminded me of Wild Flowers.  I used Versa Mark and clear embossing powder for the sentiment.   For the inside of the card, I don’t have a message just yet (still thinking) but, I wanted the stillness to tie the inside to the front, so I used the Versa Mark and clear embossing powder and stamped one of the smaller flowers from the Spring Daisy stamp set in the inside bottom corner.   Thanks for stopping by and until next time…

Joyce

In the Mood for Color

Hello and welcome back to my blog.  Today, I am sharing my In the Mood for Color card for my Altenew Educator Certification class.  In this class we went over different colours and the moods that are commonly associated with them.  My favorite colour is Red.  For me, the colour red represents life, love, faith, hope, and strength.  Most often we associate the colour red with love, like on Valentine’s Day or a relationship Anniversaries (marriage, dating).  Either way you cannot go wrong with red. 

My card was totally cased from class project video.  I absolutely loved this card when I saw it!  I know the card was meant for me to do because I had everything the instructor used to make her card…lol.  

I started with a A2 sized (4 ¼ x 5 ½ “) white card front, 80# cardstock.  I used Altenew’s Vintage Roses stamp set.  This is one of my first stamp sets and one of my favorites.  This is a 6 x 8” layering stamp set with loads of images and a couple sentiments.  This stamp set creates beautifully detailed roses with foliage in a couple different sizes.  Altenew has several different colour mini cube sets in the red family.  I used the Tea Party Mini Ink Cubes (my favorite) for the roses and Green Fields for the foliage.  I don’t want to give away too much detail in how I created the card.  I think It is so worth it to take the course and I do not want to spoil your fun and excitement.   I will say that I stamped the layered images, then I masked all the stamped roses before I started on my branches.  I created a border that tied in with the main image, added a little detailing to connect the border strip with the main image.   The sentiment is from the ever popular “Label Love” stamp set, this is another definite must have stamp set! The black background with the outlined sentiment can dress up or dress down any card.  I stamped the “love you” with Obsidian Pigment Ink.

Once all the stamping was completed, I adhered the card front and the border strip to a gray A2 card base and added some clear cup sequins in a couple areas.  I left in the inside blank for now.  What a beautiful card!

For more information on card making, scrapbooking, or if you are interested in the Altenew Educator Certification Program, visit Altenew here.  

Altenew Products used in this card:

Vintage Roses Stamp Set 

Tea Party Mini Cube Set 

Green Fields Mini Cube Set 

Label Love Stamp Set 

Obsidian Pigment Ink 

Joyce

Beyond Basic Backgrounds

Hello, I hope you are all staying safe and feeling well during these most challenging times.  Thank goodness we have crafting!  Today, I am posting my card for the Altenew-AECP Level II course Beyond Basic Backgrounds.  This is a quick and simple card.  To create my background, I started by inking some white card stock (CS) with Altenew’s Glacier Caves Mini Cube Set.  I used blending brushes to lay down my colour.  I used all four colours in the set to create an ombre effect.  I took my time with the blending to make sure the colour gradient transition was smooth (no harsh demarcation lines).  Once the CS was inked, I used Altenew’s Shutter Cover Die to cut out my piece.  The die cut is a little smaller than a A2 size (4 ½ x 5 ¼ “) card.   I used a glue pen to apply adhesive to some areas on the back of the inked die cut and then adhered it to the card base.  Since I started taking Violin lessons just recently, I thought this would be a perfect time to use Altenew’s Treble Love Die.  This die set comes with three metal dies, a Treble Clef, the sentiment “love you”, and a staff.  I cut out the Treble Clef and the “love you” twice in black CS.  I doubled-up each piece to make them a little more durable.  I added some tiny (and I do mean tiny) pieces of foam tape to the back in a few places and adhered them to the front of the card. I let the Cover Die parallelogram bars represent the staff.   Here are a couple photos of the finished card, for now the inside is blank.

Altenew products used to create this card:

Shutter Cover Die 

Glacier Caves Mini Cube Set 

Treble Love Die Set 

Impressive Heat Embossing

Hello Everyone, welcome back to my blog.  Today, I am sharing two little Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) that I created for my Altenew Educator Certification Program (AECP) class Impressive Heat Embossing.  For more information on the program click here Altenew.

I knew I was going to water colour, so I started by cutting two pieces of Strathmore Cold Press 

water colour cardstock to ATC size 3 1/2 x 2 ½”.  I applied some anti-static powder to the surface of both the little card fronts.  I used some Versa Mark ink to imprint the images on the card fronts.   On both the cards I used white embossing powder.  Then I heat set the images using my (standard) heating tool.  For the “hugs” card I used the Altenew Dearest Friend stamp set. The Dearest Friend stamp set is a 6" x 8", high quality photo-polymer, clear stamp set containing 17 stamps total.  This stamp set contains floral, greenery, greetings and sentiments. Oh yeah and don’t forget the Dearest Friend matching die for the two floral images.   I created the colouring using a moderate amount of water and Gansi Tambi water colours (yellows and oranges).  After I finished the water colouring, I helped the drying process using my Tim Holtz heating tool (this has less concentrated heat than a standard heating tool).  If you don’t have the Tim Holtz heat tool, you can leave to images to dry in room air or use your standard heating tool but, I would make sure you have quite a bit of distance between the heating tool and the image to avoid warping.  To further minimize warping, once the images where dry, I placed them both between the pages of a very heavy book and put another heavy book on top of that and left them overnight.   I cut the “hugs” twice using a small Momenta die, one in white and the other in light blue.  I wanted the hugs to really stand out from the background, so I off-set the two “hugs” and then popped them up on some foam tape. It also brings the eye directly to the embossed image.

For the Sending Love & Hugs ATC, I followed the same process as I did for the “hugs”.  This time I used Altenew’s Breezy Bouquet stamp set and the sentiment is an Altenew exclusive gift stamp set called "Best Sentiments".   The Breezy Bouquet stamp set contains 12 stamps.  You get images to create a stand-a-lone floral image, a bouquet in a vase, or a wrapped bouquet.  You also get words and phrases in a beautiful soft font. And just in case you really want to impress the recipient, you can cut out some of the images with the Breezy Bouquet matching die!  I used my Gansi Tambi water colours, in greens, browns, reds.  I stamped the greeting with Gina K’s Amalgam ink.

 

See you next, Joyce

Creative Watercolor Media Cards

Good Evening Folks,
Today I am sharing my assignments for the Altenew  Creative Watercolor Media Class.  I used my Altenew Crisp Dye Ink cubes to color both cards.  I love, love, love water colouring.  I did an A2 size birthday card and a 4 x 4" any occasion note card.   After I finished the birthday card, I sealed the water coloring with some Tim Holtz Micro Glaze.  If something is spilled on the card the colors will not run.  For information on

For the Birthday card, I started with Arches Cold Pressed Water Colour (WC)  card #140, cut to A2 size.  I dusted the WC card stock with my anti-static pouch first.  I used my Altenew Peony Bouquet stamp set and Versa Mark ink pad to stamp the outlined images in random places on the card front.   The Peony Bouquet Stamp is a 6x8* layering set.  There are nine images and each has it own layer or set of layers.  Including the layers you get 24 total images.  This is a excellent stamp if you want to practice layering.   I used Gold embossing powder and my heating tool to set the images on the card front.   The Gold embossing not only adds to the dimension of the image when water colouring but, it also acts as a barrier to keep the water colours from mixing and causing an uncontrolled muddy appearance.   I coloured the images and background with the following Altenew Crisp Dye ink cubes: Citrus Burst, Maple Yellow, Honey Drizzle, Pink Pearl, Coral Bliss, Heart Beat, Frayed Leaf, Forest Glades, Eastern Sky, and Ultramarine.  After I finished with the images,  I did the background in small sections at a time by adding a little water to the WC and washing the background in colour.   This card took a little while as I was trying to get some detail in the flowers in the leaves. 

For Altenew classes and educator program click HERE.

Altenew Products used in this card:
Peony Bouquet Stamp Set
Summer After Mini Cube Set
Tea Party Mini Cube Set
Lapis Lazuli Mini Cube Set
Green Fields Mini Cube Set

The Blessings card is a 4x4" not card (blank inside).  I followed the same process as above for the colouring with WC.  I used Ruby Red, Coral Bliss, Heart Beat, Paper Bag, Espresso, and Sweet Leaf. I got the majority of the color choices from Yoonsun Hur from Rejoicing Crafts.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts DC212 Blessing Stamp & Cup.  I cut the image twice with white card stock, once with Gold card stock and glued all 3 pieces together to give the sentiment some depth.

Altenew products:
Peony Bouquet Stamp Set
Tea Party Mini Cube Set
Coffee Break Mini Cube Set
Green Meadows Mini Cube Set

Well, that is it for now, until next time...

Joyce

Altenew Gift Stamp

Hello All,
Welcome back to my blog.  Today I want to share a card using a personalized gift stamp set from Altenew.  This is a 3 x 4 inch, high quality photo polymer stamp set that comes with 2 stamps.  You have the main image, which is a single layer, outlined, double flower with leaves, and the personalized stamp with my name.  It is a beautiful stamp set. I don't know what I did to receive it, but I appreciate it so very much.  Thank You Team Altenew!  I couldn't wait to play with it.  I went right to work and made a little 3 3/4 x 4 3/4 inch Thank You card with a matching envelope.

To make the card, I used #80 Neenah CS cut at 3 1/4 x 4 1/4.   I stamped the image with Momento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured the pedals of the flower with Copic Markers R89, 59, 46, 29, 27, and 24.  I left the leaves, center, and stamen white for more dramatic affect.  I used Copic Markers C3, 2, 1, 00, and the Colourless Blender to lift the flowers off the CS and add a little shadow.  I used Altenew's Many Thanks Stamp Set and Obsidian Pigment Ink to stamp the sentiment inside and outside.  I also stamped a portion of the flower image in the inside of the card but left it uncoloured.  I did the same for the matching envelope.   I created a custom envelope (for the non-standard base card size) with the help of my Punch Board Envelope Maker app (for I-phones) and the We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board.  I mounted the card front on to some Dark Heritage Gray 65# CS (from JoAnns) and then mounted that on to my card base.   This was a quick and simple but elegant Thank You, easily reproduced and even faster if you scan the card front into your computer (Of course I didn't think of that until just now...duh me).  

Some more great news...I passed my Level 1 Altenew Educator Certification Program (AECP) challenge on the first attempt (God is good)!  It's on to Level 2.  Well, that's it for now, I hope you enjoy the photos of my Altenew Thank You card.  Until next time... 

Joyce

Divine Diva's Flowers Challenge

Howdy everyone,
This is a quick post for this weeks Divine Diva's challenge.  The Divine Divas are a special group of ladies I craft with. We host a challenge each week among ourselves to help get us through this rough time, as we cannot craft together in person for now.   This weeks challenge theme was flowers.  It could be anything from a live flower arrangement to cards.  Lately, I've been into Altenew and Rubber Stamp Tapestry (aka as Peg Stamps) and both companies specialize in flower images (love, love)!  Altenew does high quality photo polymer stamps, most with matching dies.  Rubber Stamp Tapestry (RTS) does the awesome and faithful red rubber.   Both companies manufacture right here in the good ole' US of A!  To find out more and to order from these amazing companies, click their name links above.

My card was inspired by several things, (1) the challenge, (2) Mother's Day, and (3) the video on how to make this card (which can be found here).  I started with a card front of 4 ins. x 5 1/4" ins. cut from 80# Neenah Classic Crest Solar White cardstock.  I used RST's  Delicate Rose and Secret Garden Peg Stamp Sets to create the clusters and green stems.  The ink is from Altenew's Tea Party Mini Cube Set and Green Fields Mini Cube Set.  I also used, some painter's tape,  1/8 in. Score Tape, a Versa Mark Ink Pad, and gold embossing powder.  The sentiment is from Altenew's Wild Hibiscus Stamp Set.  The matting is some very old gold specialty card stock from Paper Pizazz (2002)-Metallic Gold.  The gold mat is cut to 4 1/4 ins. x 5 1/2 ins. and adhere to a 4 1/2 ins. x 5 3/4 ins. card base.  It is a little larger than a standard A2 card.  I will make the envelope on my WRMK envelope punch board.  HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all!

JOYCE

Level I AECP Challenge

OK! let me start this post by saying wow! I finally finished my level 1 Altenew Educator Certification Program (AECP) challenge assignment.  My assignment was to create a male and female set of cards for various occasions to give away as a gift and to create the packaging from some recycled item(s). Both sets had to tie-in with a similar theme. The similarities are they both use geometric images and they are sets of note cards.  I decided to create a set of masculine and feminine notes cards with matching gift bags for each set made from scraps of Muslin I had from a quilting project.   My inspiration for the masculine set of gift cards came from a card I saw in the AECP gallery.  The inspiration for the feminine note cards came from the stamp set insert that I used to make the cards.  The techniques I used from the level I courses where dye ink stamping, stamp layering, and die cutting.   Tip: As I went through the program, I would often go into the previous galleries and I also visited the previous examples of Level I challenge examples to get ideas (think ahead).  I started building my stamp inventory in this way.

Another tip: To get started with the project, I created a Level I Challenge Work plan.  This helped me to focus and group the necessary items needed to complete each card.  You might end up deviating from or adjusting your plan a bit, but it will at least keep you on target.  By creating a work plan, even with interruptions to my workflow or limited time to work on the project, I was able to map out what I could get done, when I could do parts of the project, and at times come back and pickup where I left off.   You are probably thinking this is supposed to be fun and a “work plan” does not sound like fun at all.  It makes the project fun because (1) you can envision the end results and (2) the plan cuts down on confusion, frustration, and anxiety.  You know exactly what technique, colours, stamp set(s), etc.  you are going to use.  Once I had my plan, I was able to work quickly through the cards.  In following the work plan, I could look at it and estimate what I could complete each day that I worked on the project.  

For both the card sets I used various Altenew stamp sets and ink families.  One of my goals was to use only Altenew products if possible (goal met).  Tip: when you are doing a large project like this one, minimizing manufacturers certainly helps.  Familiarity with a manufacturer and their product characteristics means more consistent outcomes with your project.  You know what you can do, on what type of medium, with whatever product, and the most likely results.

Creating the female cards

Techniques:  Dye Ink stamping and Stamp Layering

The female cards are a little smaller than the male cards.  The finished size was 4x4 inches.  I started with a card front that was 3 ¾ x 3 ¾ inches.  I used 65# (pound) white card stock for the front panel and card base.  Tip: Even with high quality photo polymer stamps you are going to get beading from dye inks.  The best way to minimize (not resolve) this and to do less repeated stamping is to use a heavier weighted card stock like #80-#110.  I used Altenew’s Crystal Frames to stamp the geometric shape on the card fronts.   Crystal Frames is an awesome stamp set.  Altenew has a few good geometric stamp sets all of which can be used for both male and female cards and projects.  This stamp set comes with 14 total stamps, 9 sentiments and 5 multi-jointed geometric shapes.  I used Altenew Crisp Dye Inks to stamp the shapes in the lightest colour in the colour families.  For two of the cards I did not use an ink from the same colour family (the purple and the blue cards), instead I used inks in the gray families.  I just liked the grays better for those two.  I stamped the branches on the card fronts using the Delicate Cluster stamp set and the Tropical Forest mini cube set.   The Delicate Clusters stamp set comes with 17 total stamps.  You get 2 long stemmed flower cluster sets composed of 14 stamps, 2 sentiments and 1 connecting word.  This is an alpha-numeric guided layering stamp set which makes it so easy to use.   The colour families I used for the cards were: Pocket Full of Sunshine, Warm and Cozy, Tranquility, Cherry Blossom, Enchanted Garden, and Delectable Delights.  Once the card fronts were completed, I matched up some scrap cardstock from my stash to the ink and cut the mats 1/8^th larger than the card fronts.  I adhered the coloured cardstock to the card fronts and attached them to the card bases.  For the inside of the card, I stamped a cluster of flowers to match the card front colour in a different position on each card.  And no card is complete without the matching envelope, so I stamped another cluster on the outside front of the envelopes.  See the links below for all the supplies used to make this set of cards.  

 

Supplies used for the feminine note cards: 
CrystalFrames Stamp Set

DelicateClusters Stamp Set
PocketFull of Sunshine Mini Cube Set
Warm and Cozy Mini Cube Set
Tranquility Mini Cube Set
CherryBlossom Mini Cube Set
EnchantedGarden Mini Cube Set
DelectableDelights Mini Cube Set
RockCollection Mini Cube Set
WarmGray Mini Cube Set

Sentiments for feminine cards:
ObsidianPigment Ink
Friend-Crystal Frames Stamp Set
Birthday-Dotted Blooms Stamp Set
Thanks-Mod Vases Stamp Set
Encouragement-Floral Sprig Stamp Set
Congratulations-Precious Peony Stamp Set
Prayers-Dotted Blooms Stamp Set

Male Cards 

Techniques: Dye Ink stamping, Die Cutting

The male cards started with 2 card fronts cut to 3 ¾ x 3 ¾ inches.  I centered Altenew’s Geo Frames dies on one set of the card fronts to cut the various shapes creating a window.  I used a thin shim to make sure I got a good embossing on the windows (the negative piece).   I used some temporary adhesive to attach the windowed card fronts to the second set of card fronts.  Then, I used the Geo Frames stamp set in the corresponding shape to stamp the image within the window of the card front.  The Geo Frames stamp set has 4 bordered frames with a combination of sentiments and connecting words, you get 17 stamps in all. The stamps are great by themselves, but If you are looking for a good bundle, this is definitely one to purchase!  Just like the Crystal Frames, you can use this set for both male and female cards.  With the matching dies you can achieve a crisp deep etching for depth and dimension on your projects.  Since I had to make 6 cards, I decided to use 2 of the 4 geometric shapes and repeat them each 3 times but in different colours.  The colour families I used for the male cards are: Black Obsidian pigment ink, Cool Summer Night, Gentlemen’s Gray, Warm and Cozy, Deep Blue Seas, and Fall Harvest.  I followed the same plan for the masculine cards as I did for the feminine cards.  I used some scraps of cardstock in (nearly) matching colours to create a ¼ inch mat and adhered them to a 4 ¼ x 4 ¼ inches card base.   I stamped the same shape on the inside of each card in random places.  I created a matching envelope for each card by stamping the image again on the outside front of the envelope.   

Here is  a little walk through of how to make the masculine cards:

Cut the card base 8 1/2 in. x 4 1/4 in. and score on the 8 1/2 in. side at 4 1/4 in to create the card base.  Cut 2 pieces of white CS at 3 3/4 in. x 3 3/4 in., cut 1 pieces black CS at 4 in. x 4 in. 

Center the die on one (1) of the 3 3/4 in. pieces and tape down with a light tack adhesive such as Washi Tape.  Run it through your die cutting machine.  Follow the manufacturer instructions to get a deeper embossing.  You can save the  positive piece for another project or you can use it for the inside of this card.

Adhere the two (2) pieces together.

Center the matching stamp from the Geo Frames stamp set in the center of the die cut area and stamp. A stamp re-positioner is helpful but you do not have to use one.  An acrylic block will do.

After you have stamped your shape image, you can stamp your greeting/sentiment.  For this card I liked the straight lines of this stamp, so I used one of Altenew's 2 x 3 in. sets called Rosie Posy (see link below)

Center the card front on to the 4 x 4 in. black piece of CS. I used 1/8 in. score tape.  You can use the adhesive of your choice.

Center the matted card front on to a 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 in card base.  Since I made note cards, the only thing I stamped inside is the geometric image (see earlier images of  card inside).

Supplies used to make the masculine note cards: 

Geo Frames Stamp & Die Bundle

Obsidian Pigment Ink

Cool Summer Night Mini Cube Set

Gentleman's Gray Mini Cube Set
Warm and Cozy Mini Cube Set
Deep Blue Seas Mini Cube Set
Fall Harvest Mini Cube Set

Sentiments for masculine cards:
Birthday- Floral Sprig Stamp Set
Thank You- Many Thanks Stamp Set
Prayers- Dotted Blooms Stamp Set
Encouragement- Floral Sprig Stamp Set
Friend- Crystal Frames Stamp Set
Congratulations- Precious Peony Stamp Set

* Sentiment for Masculine Demo Card
HELLO- Rosie Posy Stamp Set

One last tip (I am sure I will think of more after I post this)- Keep your expectations realistic, remembering life happens!  It would be great if we could sit everything else aside and just play in the craft room, but more than likely it's not going to happen.  In the program you are going to get sooo many good ideas, you will want to do everyone on every card, you will purchase great products, and you will want to use them all.  Just keep it simple, but noteworthy, and most of all remember to have fun. 

Envelopes for both sets of cards

The Muslin bags are simple to construct--sew a sleeve of the muslin, pull it inside out, fold down the top to create a cuff and tie with Jute.  I stamped the shaped images on the bag just to see how they would look.  I did not seal the stamping onto the bag, so if the bags are washed more than likely the colour will fade.

Close up of muslin bag for the female cards.  

On to the next...

Joyce