Final Altenew Educator Certification Program (AECP) Assignment

Hello All! 

I hope this post finds you healthy, happy, safe, and of course crafting!  In today's post I am sharing my level three final project for my Altenew Educator Certification Program (AECP).  This took me  taken a lot longer that I expected, but you know life…   For my final project, I decided to make a card box.  The challenge to myself was to incorporate an Altenew stamp set with my card box.   I recently purchased Altenew’s Wild and Free stamp set, love, love, love it.   In my level three classes one of the inspiration projects used this stamp set.   It is such a fun and whimsical stamp set.   I love the open lines for colouring or just leaving as outlined image.   This stamp set was simply perfect for my project.   I hope you enjoy it as much I do. 

Making the Box: Instead of make the traditional cardstock box or buying a box from the craft store.  I made my box from scratch using my Laser Printer.   Last year I purchased a Glowforge Pro (GF) but never really did anything with it.  Just recently I started devoting more time to learning how to use it.    For this project I used some 1/8" Maple Wood (12” x 20” sheet), Adobe Illustrator (AI) and a box creating application.  I was able to create my box and engrave some of the images from the Wild and Free stamp set on my box.   

For the AI part: I designed my box template in the Box Design application to be 5” x 7” with a 2” depth and saved the design as a PDF file.    For the stamped images, I stamped the images with Altenew’s Obsidian Black Pigment Ink on to some white cardstock.  I left the images uncoloured.   Once the images were completely dried (pigment takes a little longer than dye ink to dry), I scanned the image into my computer and saved the image as an SVG file.  

 

I opened both the box template and the stamped image in AI.  I sized and positioned the image on the box sides panels.   The size of your image will depend on how large your box will be.    After I sized my image on the box, I added the “Just A Note” using a font in my computer font library.   To be able to print (engrave) text in the Glowforge (because I did not purchase their premium program at $50/month-NOT!) I had to change my text to a path outline.   I changed my text to an outline, grouped the text, the image, the box panels, and saved it in AI and as an SVG file.   I saved the project in AI just in case I need to make some changes or adjustments.      

Now we are ready to print (engrave and cut): I opened the SVG file up in the Glowforge application.  I used Glowforge proof grade materials, so I did not have to put in any unknown material settings.  If you use materials that they (Glowforge) have tested, the setting for that material is preset and guaranteed to perform as expected.  If I did not use proof grade material, I would have to tell the Glowforge what type of material I'm using, how fast to cut, how much power to use, how many lines per inch to print, and how many times to perform the task.  The wood is covered with masking paper to avoid or sometimes it just decreases the scorch marks from the Laser.  Below you can see the Glowforge engraving the one of the box panels, the template engraved and cut (or so I thought...lol).  You can see the scorch marks on the finish engraving and cutting.  Unfortunately, there was some "OPERATOR ERROR" on this one.  You can see the GF looked like it was cutting out the box template; however, it did not.  I for some reason had changed the settings (still scratching my head on that one...lol).  So, yep, I had to do the whole thing all over (bummer).  After the box is engraved and cut, I removed the masking paper. As you can see, the masking paper was scotched not the finished wood.  This one came out okay, I'm pretty pleased with it.  I put the box together with some strong wood glue, clamped some places to hold the pressure, and and let it sit overnight until the glue dried.  

                                       

The pieces should just fall out but they did not, so I had to re-engrave and re-cut the project (sad face).

Note: You may notice the images look like they are white.  The colour is actually the masking tape.  It looked so nice and made the flowers and butterfly standout so well, I decided not to weed those pieces out.  I was going to attempt to colour them the same colours as the butterfly on the cards, but I didn’t want to mess the box up and have to start over again.

The cards:  I really loved the butterfly in the Wild andFree stamp set.  I used the butterfly with some of the sentiments from the stamp set to make a couple of note cards.   My note cards are standard A2 or 4 ¼”x 5 ½”.  I coloured the butterflies using Faber Castell Pencils, Gamsol, and a blending stump.  On the purple butterfly I just added some dots with a black pen.   For the Bluish-Green Butterfly I used some Altenew Sea Sure enamel dots in various sizes.   I added some Wink-of-Stella on both the butterflies to give a little bit of shimmer.   Note: I used small embellishments that I know would go through the U.S. Post Office Pitney Bowles machine for metering.

The envelopes:  I used my We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board to make four envelopes.  I love white cards, so I created coordinating white envelopes for each card.  I tied them together by stamping the butterfly again and the large graphic text from the stamp set on the bottom left corners.   I used the bottom left corner so there is plenty of room for the standard "to" and "from" information, as well as the postage area.   For a different option I created plain colour matching envelopes.  

Here are some photos of the complete project:

 

Well party people this is my stop with the Altenew Educator Certification Program, but certainly not with using their amazing products.   I highly recommend the AECP if you can.  It is a good experience, and you will take away some valuable information to help you through out your craft journey.   Even if you don’t intend to teach, the classes are really good quality and highly informative.  

Til’ next time, Joyce

Cards in Motion

 

Hello and welcome back to my blog.  Today, I am going to share all five of my Altenew Educator Certification Program (AECP) level III cards and project.  I believe this is the last part before the certification (but I’m not for certain).   I am going to share them in five (5) different post, so if you are not busy get comfy and let’s get-it-in!  Level III is more relaxed in that you get to pick the classes you want to try as long as they are not classes that you have taken in the previous two (2) levels.  Altenew has a vast library of classes to choose from so you won’t have a problem finding something that piques your interest with great price points too.    I chose the following classes: Cards in Motion, Mixed Media for Memory Keeping, Stunningly Styled Stencils, Muse, and Monoprinting.   They were all a lot of fun and yes, I do recommend all of them.  For now, I left all the cards blank inside. 

My approach to the projects in this level was to go through all the classes first.  I took notes on things that I had forgotten about and tips I found helpful during the class.   After I went through each classes I started on the cards and had the classes up on the computer for reference.    My inspiration for the cards and page was a wide range from the class itself to my K-Pop world.     

The first card I did was for the Cards in Motion class.   There were several examples of cards with motion to choose from which was great.  I really like the shaker with the large window.   I used the Dearest Friend stamp set for my main image.   I like the open lines and the playful feeling of the stamp.  For the sentiment I used the Crafty Greetings stamps set.  The sentiment is stamp with Altenew’s ObsidianBlack Pigment ink.  I love the elegant font mixed with the printed words; the combination of the two fonts really animates your message.  The image is coloured with alcohol markers. 

Please enjoy a few photos of my completed card for the Cards in Motion class from Altenew.  If you are interested in learning more about Altenew products or any of the classes click HERE. 

Thank you for stopping, stay safe

Joyce

Stunningly Styled Stencils

 

Alrighty, let’s keep this train rolling! We are checking out card number two (2) from my Altenew Educator Certification Program (AECP) level III class assignments.  This card is for the Stunningly Styled Stencils class.  Don’t you just love the name of the class?!  And these ladies did not disappoint.  I really like stenciling, but I always felt like they were so much work to achieve the beautiful results you often see in project and cards.  I think the problem was I was always rushing to complete the card or whatever I was working on.  Making this card was so enjoyable, which certainly encourages me to use my stencil more often.

I created the background for this card in no time!  A simple design with a bold statement.  My tip is to prepare everything you will need before you begin.  Everything from something to cover your fingers while you ink (to avoid aberrant smudges) to the damp cloth you’ll use to clean the stencil when you’re done.  If you are using a spray adhesive, include that prep as well.  Pre spray (prior to starting the project and while you are gathering the other items) your stencil in a well-ventilated area, so it can have time to be nice and tacky (sticky) when you are ready to use it.  I did this background in 10 minutes max with one attempt.  I am so please with the even distribution of ink across the card, this is thanks in part to Altenew’s Jet Black Crisp Dye Ink pad and their Chevrons Stencil.  I laid down a fairly good amount of ink and even when it dried back the colour did not fade out and lock splotchy.  To help keep my stencil secure, I used a TEMPORARY spray adhesive.  My inspiration for this card was the colours of my own crafting business which are Black, Pink, and White.  I also love the chevron pattern and wanted to make a card using that design.  I wanted a note card feel, so I added the Monogram trimmed in the gold and added a few sequins for the finishing touch.   The colour on the actual card is much darker than what is showing in the photos.  

Joyce

And it’s on to the next…

Monoprinting

 

Thank you for hanging in there with me.  I hope you are enjoying the cards and that you will find something that may be helpful and or inspiring to you in your crafting journey.   This will be card number three (3) of my Altenew Educator Certification Program (AECP) level III projects.   Card #3 is for the Monoprinting class.  Monoprinting or another name Gel Printing uses as the name is implies Gel like shapes to transfer different media like acrylic paint, dye inks, pigment inks to different sub straits such as tissue paper, vellum, cardstock, etc.  You can use other things such as stamps to take your Monoprinting to the next level.   You can purchase Gel pads on-line (Amazon) or at places like Hobby Lobby, JoAnn’s, or Michaels if you are in the U.S. 

I purchased a set of pads from Amazon last year but never had an opportunity to use them.  I was so excited to see the Monoprinting class in the Altenew crafting class library.   This was my first time doing Monoprinting; although I had seen it done many times on YouTube videos.  I will say it was not as easy as I thought it was going to be.  I did several and I do mean several practice prints before I got to one that I thought might work.  I found that I had difficulty with colour combinations.  A tip that was very helpful was to graduate one colour or you could use the colour combinations by Kristina Werner on Pinterest.  She has put together some amazing colour combinations.  After several what I called failed attempts, I decided to monoprint with a monocolour (lol).   Graduating one colour was a little less anxiety provoking for me.   Something to remember is your print experience is greatly influence by the sub strait and media you use.   Since this was my first attempt and not going as I expected, I kept it simple with dye ink and card stock.   I like the abstractness of the prints and using stamps and other items to give the print further definition really helped. 

I used a blue ink and graduated the colour starting with the most concentration of ink at the bottom.  I kept using what was on the pad until it was nearly gone.  I added droplets of water and square stenciling in gold to give it a grunge look.  After it was dried I used Altenew’s LeafCanopy stamp set add some leaves to the print.  I wasn’t happy with the print while I was creating, but what I learn during the AECP classes was to keep going eventually something will come to you.  I’m glad I kept going.  In the end I manage to come out with something I’m at least okay with.  For me what really made me like the card was the sentiment.  I think using Altenew’s “A Note Of Thanks” stamp from the Many Thanks Stamp Set trimmed in gold brought the card together.   Here are a few phots of my finished card.

Thank you for taking the time to visit.  Card #4 coming up.

Joyce

Muse

 

Moving along to card number four (4) from my Altenew Educator Certification Program (AECP) level III projects submissions.   Now this card was inspired by the Korean artist Lee Ungno.  She was definitely my MUSE, which is also the name of the class for which this card was created.  Her “Bamboo” painting is just so peace to me.  When I look at her painting, I feel like I’m standing in the middle of a bamboo forest and I can hear the soft musical sounds of the culms and leaves moving in the wind.  I love this painting.  It’s very clean and simple like the card it inspired.  

I stamped several bamboo trees across the card front in Altenew’s Jet Black Ink.  I started off the card front and ended off the card front to give the look of an endless row of Bamboo trees.  There is no sentiment for this card externally.  My sentiment will be inside.   I think this would be a good sympathy or encouragement card.  Bamboo trees are strong, and both losing someone and being motivated in times of distress take a great deal of strength.  There is an implied message of strength in the image. 

I cut a frame four times in beige cardstock and clue them together.  I wanted the image to set back as if it was a picture in a frame like in the museum.   I really like the simplicity and the image that comes to my mind when I see it.   You can see a picture of Lee Ungno's painting below. 

Sometimes less is more...

Painting by Lee Ungno "Bamboo" 1971

Thanks for stopping by...

Mixed Media Page up next!

Joyce

Mixed Media for Memory Keeping

And last but not least…my Mixed Media for Memory Keeping class.  I really, really, really enjoyed this class.  Natalie De Souza is the best!   I love mixed to begin with, but Nat just really makes you enjoy it even more.  Her style is more of a cleaner mixed media when you compare her to people like Diane Wakely and Tim Holtz.   Natalie does get “inky” as we call it, but her style is bright and homey.   She imparts so many tips and tricks during the class.   So, let’s jump into it.  My inspiration was my K-Pop idol bias SUGA of BTS (Bangtan Sanyeondan) translation: Bullet Proof Boy Scouts.  SUGA is aka Min Yoongi, AgustD, and lil’ Meow Meow.  Can you tell I am lovin’ me some SUGA?!  Okay, I’m focused now…  I used the layout Natalie created because it was perfect for my subject.  SUGA loves and cannot live without his coffee.

I changed a few things to fit my subject for my page.  SUGA also loves and writes music.  So, for my background I embossed sheet music.  His favorite colour is white, so I wanted to keep the overall page as light as possible.  I added the coffee rings using a mini Coke can bottom and the Altenew Coffee with A Splash stamp set.  His favorite coffee is Iced Americano (sadly for him, he has had to switch to decaf recently).  To create the Iced Americano and the Decaf, I used the insert packaging from a Tim Holtz stencil.  In the class Natalie mentions some kind of transparency she uses to make some of the drips on her page.  I used that same Tim Holtz packing (the outer packing-clear bag) to create some of the drips on my page.  I do not journal on my pages, but I wanted to incorporate his name somewhere.  I had quite a bit of white space left over, so I ink blended some colours to match the blending under the stencil and cut out his name “SUGA” in Hangul.  I also loved the idea of using vellum behind some of your photos.   his was a fun project.  I planned to do a hole lot more of the clean mixed media.   

Well, that is it for my ACEP level III submissions.  I hope you enjoyed my little journey and that myself and Altenew were able to inspire you in some way.   I hope also to share some exciting news about the Altenew’s Educator Certification Program soon, so pray for me, stay safe, and stay tuned.  Until next time...

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

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

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

Irresistible Inking Techniques

Hello Everyone, 

Today I am posting my card for my last class in the level I courses for the Altenew Educator Certification Program (AECP)-Irresistible Inking Techniques.   I used ombre water colouring and direct to card stock dry inking to create my card.  My inspiration came from a photo I saw on the Altenew.com website.  It was a photo using the Altenew A Study in Watercolor cutting dies and a dotted background (I think they used a cover plate).   I love the images available for inspiration on the die description.   The A Study in Watercolor dies set comes with 8 cutting dies total consisting of silhouette floral, foliage, and floral with foliage attached images.

When I started the card, I really didn’t have an idea of where I was going, I just knew I wanted to use the stamp set and or the dies for my project.  It turned out to be a little more challenging than I thought but I was determined to make it happen and I love how the card turned out. 

 

I started with some Strathmore Watercolor cardstock (CS) 140#.   I wet the CS with a good amount of water.  I have found that in water colouring if you have a good water colour CS with a lot of tooth, giving it lots of hydration will give you a smoother colour appearance when it dries back (Heavy weight Strathmore and Arches Cold Press VS. Bristol Smooth-Joyce’s opinion only).  I wanted an Ombre affect without using many inks colours. Using less colours gives less of a chance of getting a muddy appearance or harsh demarcation lines when the CS dries.   I used Altenew’s Ruby Red ink cube to lay on some colour to the wet CS.  I concentrated the colour toward one end of my CS and added more (clean) water as I worked my way toward the opposite end.  On a second piece of the water coloured CS I followed the same technique but this time I used the Forest Glade ink cube.  Once I achieved the colour gradients I was looking for, I used my Tim Holtz Heating tool to dry the CS pieces.   When the pieces were dry, I chose two dies from the die set.  One which reminded me of an open flower, this one I used the pink water coloured CS and another that looked like a small branch of leaves I used the green water coloured CS.   After I cut the images out of the water coloured CS, I arranged the images the way I wanted.  I put the pink flower on top of the foliage die cut so that a small portion of the foliage stem was sticking out of the bottom of the pink flower die cut.  This gives the idea that the flower was snipped from a branch of foliage.  I took a picture with my phone to help me remember the arrangement.   When I placed the die cuts on the paper, they just looked too flat.  I took a white Gelly Roll Pen (something I remembered from the Seasonal Scene Building class) and added a few white dots on the foliage die cuts.  I thought the die cuts needed a bit more shading, so I used Altenew inks Coral Berry and Frayed Leaf and the Tim Holtz Distress Blending Brushes to deepen the colours of the flowers and the foliage.  That helped some but it was still too flat once I placed the images on the plain white CS background (see photo below).  I pulled out my Altenew Dainty Swiss Dot background stamp to create a 4” x 5 ¼ “dotted background.  This is a great background stamp.  It comes with 10 total images, 8 sentiments, 1 punctuation, and a 5 ½ x 5 ½ large dotted stamp.   After I re-arranged the flowers on the background it was like a totally different card!  Love, love, lovin’ the card now!  And the way the die cut images are arranged helped create its own dimension (no foam tape required). I added a small amount of the white Gelly Roll Pen on the pink flowers, to give them some animation.  Because of the bold colours, I needed a sentiment that did not overwhelm the card.  I used Altenew’s Label Love- “Happy Birthday” which I stamped with the Jet Black ink cube.  I cut the sentiment down without a border and popped it up on some 3M foam tape to finish the card.  Instead of using a standard A2 sized card based (4 ¼” x 5 ½ “), I cut the based flush with the card front to 4” x 5 ¼”.  I love this card!!! (I think I said that about the last one as well…lol).  For more card making and scrapbooking inspiration as well as information about the Altenew Educator Certification Program be sure to visit Altenew.com 

Next up…Level I challenge, can’t wait too excited

Here is a close up of the detail added to the foliage and you can see a smooth transition in colour from dark to light

Here you can see even with the detail on the foliage it was still pretty flat looking.

Altenew Products

A Study in Watercolor Die Set 

Dainty Swiss Dots Stamp Set 

Label Love Stamp Set 

Red Cosmos Mini Cube Set 

Green Fields Mini Cube Set 

 Joyce

Season Scene Building Revisited with Altenew

Hello, hello, hello!  I am so excited to share a re-do of one of my class submissions.  I got my Altenew Stamp Set GARDEN GROW in the mail and could not wait to do the card example from the class.  I got as close as I could to the demonstration.  I absolutely love how the card turned out!  I followed the class tutorial, so I won’t be able to give you step-by-step; you'll just have to take the course "Seasonal Scene Building" to see how this fabulous creation was made...lol.  I think you will really enjoy this class if you take it, it is sooooo worth it!

Altenew products:

Garden Grow Stamp Set 

Many Thanks Stamp Set

Here I am showing the dimension on the frame I created. 
I used my Cricut to create the frame and cut it out 4 times

On this photo I am showing the use of the black and white gel pens.

I used the following Copics to colour my image:

Terra Cotta Potts E13, 15, 17

Red Pot R59, 29, 27 plus Black Gel Pen

Table Pot E43, 42, 41

Ground Pot E53, 51, 50

Plant (Lg) G99, 85, 20 plus White Gel Pen

Table Plant G93

Under Table Plant G93, 95, 97

Blue Pot B91, 93, 95, 97

Sign W7, W4, W0

Ground E44, 43, 42

Table E49, 59

Seeds E49 plus White Gel Pen

Joyce

Easy Die Cutting Technique

Hello, welcome back,

I am doing two post today for my Altenew Educator Certification Program.   This is the last class for my level I courses.   The class was Easy Die Cutting Techniques.   For my submission I did a partially hidden message card with the inlay technique.   This card started out as a practice to the practice (lol), but once again I was so please with it, I decided it would become the submission.   Another love, love card.    My inspiration was the stamp set packaging.  I didn’t think I would like the orange flowers but the green really made the images pop.

   

For my card I started with a 3 ¾ x 3 ¾” white card front.  I used Altenew’s Painted Flower Stamp Set.  This is a layering stamp set that includes an outline for each flower as well as layered leaves with an outline image.   It has three different flowers in the set.  I used two of the flowers and all three of the layers to both the flowers.  I used the Warm and Cozy, Golden Sunset, and Green Field mini cube sets to colour the images.   I die cut the word “thanks” from the stamped card front.  I cut an additional three “thanks” in white card stock.  I stacked and glued the three white “thanks” together, then I glued the “thanks” cut from the stamped card front on top of the other three.  I attached the negative portion of the card front onto some green patterned paper (had in the stash for years) cut an 1/8th larger than the card front.  Then I glued the stacked “thanks” back into the negative space of the card front, so it appears to be one piece of card stock again but this time the “thanks” is raised above the card panel. Part of the thanks has the flower pattern and seems to fade into the panel.  I call it a partially hidden message card.  I stamped the sentiment at the bottom using the Jet Black ink mini cube and one of the stamps from the Many Thanks Stamp Set.  I took several pictures to show the dimensions.  This was a lot fun to make.  I think I’m going to do couple more using different layered stamps set and words.   Something I learned from making this card was that, I didn’t like the colours initially, but I kept going with the colours and when I added the green it totally changed the look. 

Stay tuned next up…the level one challenge!

Altenew products:

Warm and Cozy Mini Cube Set

Golden Sunset Mini Cube Set

Green Fields Mini Cube Set

Painted Flowers Stamp Set

Many Thanks Stamp Set

Joyce