AECP Level 1 Final Challenge

Hello, crafty friends!  As you know, I am participating in the Altenew Educator Certification Program.  I completed all of the Level One courses, and had one final project to finish out this level.  I have to say that it was a real doozie!  I am so excited to share with you my journey through this final challenge.  I have to admit, when I first read the requirements, it was daunting, but I started by doing what I do best - making a plan.   (⚠️: Long post ahead!)

The basic requirements;

• Create his/hers sets of cards
• Sets must be 4 - 6 cards
• Choose any three components from the Level 1 courses
• The sets should be similar/cohesive
• Must use a recycled element on either the project or for the packaging
• Must include packaging

There are also requirements for the blog post, but I won’t bore you with the details.  As I said, this was daunting for me.  Masculine cards are a huge struggle, and a recycled element?  Figuring out how to incorporate that was freaking me out!  While I didn’t follow my initial plan and sketches exactly (creativity took over), mapping my project out proved to be extremely helpful for me.

  

I decided that my cohesive element would be all about my color palette.  For the masculine cards, I chose to stick with gray/silver, shades of blue and green.  For the most part, I stuck with the Icy Lake and Green Fields  color families.  For the feminine cards, I decided on gray/silver, and shades of pink and green.  Again, I mainly stuck with the Cherry Blossom and Green Fields color families.  Additionally, I created a masculine and feminine version of each card, which was a really fun exercise.  Really, the only variation between the two versions of the cards is the color scheme.   I had a very difficult time choosing the classes to focus on, as I learned so much in each one and the reality is that each card truly incorporates concepts from multiple courses.

Let’s take a look at the cards!  

Card 1:

For this card, I focused on the skills and techniques I learned in All About Layering 1 and 2.  These courses were so helpful for me, as I feel that they really helped me to become much more proficient at identifying the best points to line the images up.  Altenew’s Build A Flower stamps and dies are some of my absolute favorite because of their versatility, and I had just received this month’s release - the coneflower - and was dying to use it.  This seemed like the perfect opportunity. 

• I started with a card base cut to 4 1/4” x 11”, scored and folded at 5 1/2”.  I cut a panel of gray card stock to 5 1/2” x 4 1/4” and set it aside.  I cut another white panel to 5 1/4” x 4”.
• On the white panel, I stamped the outline images from the BAF: Coneflower stamp set in a mostly random fashion in gray ink to create a background and set it aside.
• For both the masculine and feminine versions, I stamped both outline images in gray on another sheet of white card stock.  (For the feminine version, I stamped two of the smaller images.)  
• For the larger image, I stamped the solid image in the lightest colors of my color families (Iceberg and Pink Diamond).  
• Next, I stamped the first detail image in Persian Blue and Pinkalicious, followed by the second detail image in Sapphire and Razzleberry.
• For the smaller flower, I stamped the solid image in Persian Blue and Pinkalicious, rather than using the lightest shade to give a little variation. 
• I stamped the detail image in Sapphire and Razzleberry.
• For both the masculine and feminine versions, I stamped the center images in Snapdragon and Marigold.
• Lastly, I stamped the leaves in Frayed Leaf, Forest Glade and Evergreen.
• I die-cut all of the images using the coordinating dies and set aside.
• I cut a strip of gray card stock to 3/4” x 4 1/4”.
• I heat embossed my sentiment in white and trimmed one side at an angle. 
• I adhered my two card panels to the card base so that I could arrange my flowers on the card front.  Once I was happy with the placement, I laid a sheet of Press ‘n Seal over the flowers, turned it over, added liquid glue, and adhered them to the card front.  Press ‘n Seal has to be the greatest invention ever! 
• I added foam squares to the back of my sentiment strip and attached it to my card.
• I placed a few clear dew drops down, arranging them in triangles, as we learned in one of the courses.

Products Used:

• Recollections 110# Cardstock: White
• Stampin' Up Card Stock: Gray Granite
• Altenew Build A Flower: Coneflower Stamps and Dies
• Stampin’' Up Ink: Gray Granite
• Versamark Watermark Ink Pad
• WOW! Embossing Powder:  Opaque Bright White
• Honey Bee Stamps Mini Dew Drops:  Clear
• Foam Tape

Masculine - 

• Altenew Crisp Dye Ink:  Iceberg, Persian Blue, Ultramarine, Sapphire, Frayed Leaf, Forest Glade, Evergreen, Snapdragon, Marigold

Feminine- 

• Altenew Crisp Dye Ink:  Pink Diamond, Pinkalicious, Rubelite, Razzleberry, Frayed Leaf, Forest Glade, Evergreen, Snapdragon, Marigold

Card 2:

Because I enjoyed the Seasonal Scene Builder course so much, I wanted to be sure to include another project using some of the lessons from it.  I really loved the galaxy background from For the Guys, and wanted to to have another go at creating a card using the Seattle Skyline.  I decided that I would incorporate lessons from both courses to create a shaker card. 

Using the same primary color palette as I did in the first card, but substituting yellow for the green, and adding Navy Blue to the masculine version, I created my galaxy backgrounds.  To make my shaker card, I didn’t want to mess with cutting down acetate sheets, so I cheated and I used a Stampin’ Up Clear Envelope.  I placed my background panel in the envelope, added some sequins, sealed it up, and Voila!  Instant shaker card.  I love how the masculine card looks like a night sky, and the feminine card looks much like some of the sunsets that we have been seeing lately.  Truth is, the photos don’t do these cards justice.  They are really magical! 

Products Used:

• Recollections 110# Card Stock: White
• Recollections Shimmer Card Stock:  Silver
• Altenew Sketchy Cities America 2 Stamp Set
• Hero Arts Infinity Oval Dies
• Stampin' Up Clear Window Envelope
• Versamark Watermark Ink Pad
• Stampin' Up Embossing Powder: Silver
• Mini Ink Blending Tool
• Stampin' Up Shimmer Paint: White
• Sequins
• Foam Tape

Masculine - 

• Altenew Crisp Dye Ink: Iceberg, Persian Blue, Ultramarine, Sapphire, Fresh Lemon
• Stampin' Up Ink: Night of Navy
• Stampin' Up Card Stock:  Night of Navy

Feminine- 

• Altenew Crisp Dye Ink:  Pink Diamond, Pinkalicious, Rubelite, Razzleberry, Fresh Lemon
• Park Lane Printed Card Stock: Pink

Card 3

For this card, I focused on some of the lessons from Celebration Stencil Techniques.  I wanted to use a twist on an old technique that I hadn’t used in years -  shaving cream and ink.  I have always used this technique to create my own background papers, using the direct to paper method; however I had not tried using it with a stencil.  Additionally, I had not tried it with alcohol inks, and I wasn’t sure how it would work, but I sure had fun getting messy! 

I started by putting shaving cream (it’s very important to use the old school foam shaving cream, not the gel) in a glsss baking dish,  (Shh...don’t tell my mom, but I couldn’t find a paper plate, so used what was handy.  It cleaned up beautifully, though!)

I added drops of alcohol inks randomly across the surface of the shaving cream.  I was a little concerned, as it fizzled and bubbled a bit when the ink came into contact with the shaving cream, but it wasn’t an issue.

I dragged a skewer through the foam to move the ink around, but not a lot, as I didn’t want to muddy it up.

I carefully scooped out a small amount of the inky foam and dragged it over the stencil that I had laid down over my card stock panel.  Once the mixture touches the card stock, the ink bonds with the paper.  It is so much fun to watch. 

I peeled off the stencil and set the panel aside to air dry (it doesn’t take long).  Once it had dried, I used a clean paper towel and rubbed off any remaining shaving cream.  Most of it had evaporated, but I wanted to get rid of as much of the residue as I could. 

The best part of this was that I had a ton of leftover shaving cream and ink left in the pan, so I took several panels of card stock and pressed them directly into the shaving cream, gently smooshing them in.  After removing them, I scraped the excess mixture off and set aside to dry,  I now have several beautiful marbled panels that I can use later.  

Products Used:

• Recollections 110# Card Stock: White
• Recollections Shimmer Card Stock:  Silver
• Shaving Cream (Foam not gel)
• Altenew Deco Wallpaper Stencil
• Altenew Waterbrush Hello Die
• Altenew Fine Frames Circle Die
• Metallic Mixative:  Silver
• Clear Sequins

Masculine- 

• Stampin' Up Card Stock: Night of Navy
• Altenew Alcohol Ink:  Arctic, Sapphire
• Alcohol Ink: Limestone Green

Feminine - 

• Park Lane Printed Card Stock:  Pink
• Altenew Alcohol Ink:  Rose, Puffy Heart, Cosmic Berry

Card 4:

I almost didn’t include cards 3 and 4, as they are similar to the cards that I made for their respective course projects due to using the same stamp set and stencil (My supply of items that are suitable for masculine cards is pretty limited), but the techniques I used were very different, so I decided to include them. For this card, I again focused on the Geometrics lesson from For the Guys, as I really had a lot of fun, and wanted to showcase how great the basic shapes look in feminine colors, also. 

I was watching a Jennifer McGuire video and she was making a lovely floral card.  As I watched her technique, something clicked for me, and I knew it would work brilliantly for this card.  

By lining up the card stock panel in a stamp positioning tool, I was able to stamp one image, turn my card stock 180 degrees and stamp the same image again.  By repeating this each time, my images were perfectly aligned each time.  This made for such fun, clean and simple cards that I had to share them.

Products Used;

• Recollections 110# Cardstock: White
• Stampin' Up Card Stock: Gray Granite
• Altenew Sohcahtoa Stamp Set
• Stampin' Up Ink: Gray Granite, Smoky Slate

Masculine - 

• Altenew Crisp Dye Ink: Iceberg, Persian Blue, Ultramarine, Sapphire

Feminine- 

• Altenew Crisp Dye Ink:  Pink Diamond, Pinkalicious, Rubelite, Razzleberry

Card 5:

For these cards, my primary focus was Seasonal Scene Builders, along with Clean and Simple Boutique Cards.  I am head over heels in love with the Tall Tale stamp set, and this presented the perfect opportunity to play with it again.  I had recently made a card for a friend using this set, and as I was coloring in the images, I noticed that I liked the look when it was only partially colored, so I recreated that effect. 

As with the previous cards, the only real difference between the masculine and feminine cards is the dominant color, and I love how it changes the mood of the card.

My intent with this card was to create the feeling of looking at a wall of bookshelves.  It works for me!  I can almost smell the books, and this stamp set really brings me back to my high school and college years, spending time in the library, sitting on the floor in the stacks of books for hours on end.  

Products Used:

• Recollections 110# Cardstock: White
• Recollections Shimmer Card Stock:  Silver
• Spectrum Noir Premium Ultra Smooth Card Stock: White
• Stampin' Up Card Stock: Gray Granite, Night if Navy
• Park Lane Printed Card Stock: Pink
• Versamark Watermark Ink Pad
• Memento Black Ink
• WOW! Embossing Powder: Opaque Bright White
• Altenew Artist Markers: BG3, B002, B016, R926, G709, G715, G554, C004, Y106, Y207, Y307, R502, R504, C003, R616

Card 6:

Last, but certainly not least, this card really focuses on some of the elements from the Let It Shine course. One of the techniques taught was to paint with sparkle pens, and I was really wanting to try it.  This card gave me that opportunity. This card also used my recycled element - bubble wrap.  I had saved the cellophane wrappers from my ink pads, thinking that I would use them in my packaging, but decided I didn’t want to do that.  Instead, I messaged my mom to see if she had some bubble wrap lying around from all of the Amazon packages we seem to receive on a daily basis,  Thank you, mom and Amazon for saving the day!  I had never used this technique, but decided I would give it a shot, and I am so thrilled with the results. 

I started with a sleeve of bubble wrap.  Because it had been through the mail, some of the bubbles had been popped (OK, I may have popped some of them... I never can resist!), but I didn’t worry too much about that, as I hoped it would give some variation to the background. 

I trimmed a few pieces down to approximately 6’ x 6’ and using temporary adhesive, I adhered it to my stamp positioning platform.  I laid down a 6” x 6” panel of card stock and using the darkest shade in my color families, applied ink directly to the bubble wrap and pressed it down onto my card stock carefully so that I didn’t pop any more bubbles.

I was not satisfied with the ink coverage (mostly in the areas where the bubbles had been popped) so I rotated my card stock, inked up the bubble wrap and repeated the process several times.  I was still not totally happy, so I repeated the process a few times using the mid tone shades for some variation. 

I decided to use my ink blending tool to add a bit of the lightest shade of ink to the background to eliminate the white space, and that did the trick for me,  I found that this also softened up some of the darkest areas. 

I die-cut several pieces of the greenery from Stampin’ Up’s Forever Flourishing dies from white card stock.  I felt that the white die-cuts were too much contrast for the background.  It was shocking actually, so using my ink blending tool, I added some Frayed Leaf and Forest Glade ink to the die-cuts, and then used my Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen to add some sparkle.  Once it was dry, the greenery still looked a bit flat, so using one of the techniques we learned in Let It Shine, I smooshed some Evergreen ink onto my pallet, and using the Sparkle Pen, I picked up the ink and painted it on to the greenery.  What a fun trick that was.  I was not particularly careful in this process, just added the dark shade somewhat randomly.  

I added a vellum oval to the panel, cut my sentiment from silver card stock and laid everything out and then adhered the,.  To finish up, I added a loopy bow of Altenew Metallic Thread (have I mentioned just how much I love this glorious product?!?!) and added some clear sequins.

Here is a close-up that shows the pretty sparkle.

I really had fun with the bubble wrap technique.  It was relatively quick and easy to create some fun and unusual backgrounds.  I think that the ink bubbles almost look like little roses. 

Products Used:

• Recollections 110# Cardstock: White
• Stampin' Up Card Stock: Gray Granite
• Recollections Shimmer Card Stock:  Silver
• Vellum
• Bubble Wrap (Recycled Item)
• Altenew Signature Words Dies
• Stampin' Up Forever Flourishing Dies
• Altenew Metallic Thread
• Clear Sequins
• Tombow Removable Adhesive
• Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen: Transparent

Masculine - 

• Altenew Crisp Dye Ink: Iceberg, Persian Blue, Ultramarine, Sapphire, Frayed Leaf, Forest Glade, Evergreen

Feminine - 

• Altenew Crisp Dye Ink: Pink Diamond, Pinkalicious, Rubelite, Frayed Leaf, Forest Glade, Evergreen

I saved the packaging for last.  I had way too much fine designing these boxes to coordinate with the sets of cards and I am beyond proud of them.  I made several attempts at designing the box until I got it to just the right dimensions to fit (6) size A2 cards and envelopes. 

Once I had my dimensions, score lines, and cutting lines figured out, I cut the base out of 110# white card stock and assembled.  For each of the lids, I had a conundrum, as I didn’t feel that my patterned paper was sturdy enough, so I cut my panels to size, glued them to a panel of 80# white card stock of the same size, and then cut and scored appropriately. 

Here is a really rough diagram that I drew up, if you are interested in recreating this box. 

The process to make the base and lid is exactly the same.  The only difference is the size of the card stock piece, and the placement of the score lines. I found that cutting the small notches out of the tabs was extremely helpful in getting a clean edge. 

To decorate my boxes, I created a belly band to go around the box.  I cut two strips of card stock to 1 1/2” x 8 1/2”.  I added adhesive and overlapped the two strips at 1 3/4”.  The final measurement of the belly band strip will be 12 3/4” x 1 1/2”.  I scored the strip (from the left side) at 3 3/8", 5", 9 7/8", 11.5".  I put it in place around my box and determined where I should add adhesive (for me, it was at 2 1/2” from the end of the left side ) and connected the two ends of the strip.

I layered up several ovals of decreasing sizes cut from card stock and vellum.  I embossed my sentiment in white on a strip of gray card stock, trimmed the end at an angle, and layered a few strips of coordinating card stocks.  Using the same technique as in the previous card, I painted the greenery die-cuts  and arranged them on the top of the box.  Once everything was adhered to the belly band, I added a loopy bow of metallic thread and some clear sequins. 
Products Used:

• Recollections 110# Cardstock: White
• Recollections Shimmer Card Stock:  Silver
• Vellum
• Stampin' Up Card Stock: Gray Granite, Night of Navy
• Stampin' Up In Good Taste DSP
• Park Lane Printed Card Stock: Pink
• Versamark Watermark Ink Pad
• WOW! Embossing Powder: Opaque Bright White
• Hero Arts Infinity Oval Dies
• Stampin' Up Forever Flourishing Dies
• Altenew Metallic Thread
• Clear Sequins
• Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen: Transparent
• Altenew Crisp Dye Ink:  Frayed Leaf, Forest Glade, Evergreen

I can’t even describe to you the incredible sense of accomplishment that I feel having completed this challenge, not to mention the courses for level 1.  I have learned some amazing new techniques, felt like my creativity was being stretched to its limits, only to find it had further to go, and had to think outside the box - looking for new ways to use the supplies that I have on hand, incorporating everyday household items, including recycled items, into my crafting - and I have made some new friends in the process.   I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of this amazing program!  

Thank you for sticking with me through this incredibly long post!  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment, or click the email button and I will get back to you as soon as possible.  Happy stamping!