For the Guys - AECP Level 1

 Hello, crafty friends!  We've made it through half of the week.  Phew!  Today, I am sharing my projects from For the Guys, my second to the last course for Level One of AECP. 

I don't know about you, but I really struggle with masculine cards, so I was really looking forward to this course.  I wasn't disappointed!  I wasn't going to include my second card, as I am not in love with it, but the technique was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot, so I decided to share it anyhow. 

For my projects, I focused on two lessons - Lesson 1: Geometrics and Lesson 2 - Artistic Techniques.  Lesson 1 was a lot of fun, as I forget that basic shapes make amazing cards, and with the right color choices, they are perfect for the guys.  

I actually did a trial run of this card, as I wanted to play around with the placement of my shapes before I messed up a card panel.  I drew faint lines with a ruler and pencil to mark both the horizontal and vertical center lines and then built up my images around that using shades of blue and brown. 

Once I was happy with the image, I stamped my sentiment and adhered it to a tan panel and attached that to my card base.  

For my second card, I focused on Lesson 2: Artistic Techniques, creating a galaxy background and using it to cut out the Seattle skyline.  I think the Seattle skyline is one of the most beautiful, but I might be a bit partial, as it is local to me. 

As I said, I am not in love with this card, and I really struggled to pull the elements together.  I think that because our skyline has the glorious, huge ferris wheel, I may have been better off embossing the image on the galaxy panel, but I didn't want to ruin all my hard work.  I do have another panel ready to try that next, though.

I enjoyed this technique, as it allowed me to work on ink blending, and I used a few different mediums that I had not pulled out of my stash yet!  

After fussy cutting the skyline, I laid it on a panel of silver shimmer card stock and it was just too plain.  I decided to add the moon behind some of the buildings and the Space Needle for some additional interest.  

When I was happy with the placement. I glued the moon down and them adhered the skyline using foam tape.  I hate fussy cutting, so I avoid it wherever possible. I clearly need to practice.  😊

Key Learnings:

Geometric shapes make fantastic cards, and a quick change of the color pallette sets the tone for the card. 

A few intentional guidelines drawn with pencil really simplify arranging the shapes on your panel. 

Mixing and matching stamp sets in a project is fun, and can change the whole look of the card. 

Products Used:

• Recollections 110# Card Stock:  White and Black
• Recollections Shimmer Card Stock:  Silver
• Tan Card Stock
• Altenew Sohcahtoa Stamp Set
• Altenew Sketchy Cities America 2 Stamp Set
• Altenew To the Moon Stamp Set
• Altenew Crisp Dye Ink:  Sapphire, Azureite, Persian Blue, Arctic, Iceberg, Sand Dunes, Rocky Shores, Mocha, Espresso, Fresh Lemon, Parrot, Aqualicious, Midnight Violet, Pinkalicious
• Altenew Permanent Black Ink
• Versamark
• Wow Ultra Fine Embossing Powder: Opaque White
• Foam Tape
• Mini Ink-Blending Tool
• Stampin’ Up Shimmer Paint:  White

As always, thanks for popping by!  Happy stamping!