With a Twist - AECP Level 2

 Good morning!  I am so happy we made it to Friday.  For a moment or two, I wasn't sure it would happen!  It has been a doozie of a week, and I have never been more thankful for a creative outlet that allows me to relax. 

Today, I am sharing my third project for Level 2 of the Altenew Educator Certification Program.   This course was With a Twist and it focused on adding an interesting spin on tried and true techniques.  I had a very difficult time choosing which lesson to focus on, as they were all so much fun, but in the end, the final lesson was my favorite.

In this lesson, Therese focused on Faux Embossing using die-cuts and I absolutely loved this technique.  You will see in the close up photos that the card appears to be embossed; however it is not. 

To start, I stamped my image multiple times (8 to be precise) and then colored them in using alcohol markers.   While I used the same colors for each flower, I tried to vary the amount of shading and highlights in them to add some interest.  Once I had them all colored in, I die-cut the images and set them aside.  

Using a panel of the same card stock - something Therese stressed multiple times, as the whites need to be the same shade - I determined where I wanted my sentiment to be and I stamped it twice.  I then began laying my images out on my card panel to determine where I wanted them to go.  

I wanted it to appear random, so I made sure that the images hung off the edge of the panel.  I only used seven of the eight images that I had stamped and die-cut, so I have one left over for another project.  Once I was satisfied with the placement, I began adhering them down.  For this, I used a Tombow Adhesive Runner, as I wanted to be sure that they laid nice and flat.  Once they were all attached, I trimmed off any of the overhang using my scissors, but I didn't scrap those pieces. I used them to fill in areas where I felt there was too much white space, again trimming off any overhanging pieces.

Once I was happy with my panel, I adhered it to my card base.  I decided not to add any embellishments as the background is quite busy, and I didn't feel that it needed anymore.  While this card was definitely a labor of love, it was relatively simple to achieve this beautiful look.  I really love this card and I know that I will use this technique over and over! 

Products Used:

• Recollections 110# Card Stock:  White
• Spectrum Noir Premium Ultra Smooth Card Stock:  White
• Altenew Whimsical Flowers Arrangement Stamps and Die
• Altenew Artist Markers:  R217, R206, R301, R400, G935, G915, G825, G804, Y207, Y106, C004
• Memento Ink:  Tuxedo Black
• Tombow Adhesive Runner

Thanks so much for popping in!  I hope that you saw something that inspires you to create!  Have a fantastic weekend and happy stamping!