Level 1.1 - ALTENEW Educator Certification Program (AECP)
Hello everyone and welcome to my blog!
I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's weekend and are enjoying your day off for President's Day here in the US.
Today I'd like to tell you about the first class that I took for the AECP program last week and what I've learned in "All about Layering"!
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” - Lao-Tzu
It took me a while to get started, but once I was in it, I couldn't stop!
The class consists of 10 different lessons in which I have learned how to use Layering Stamps correctly and more importantly how to use them in new and different ways to create focal points and add depth and interest to a card.
"Hibiscus Bouquet" card
For the first card I decided to use the ALTENEW "Hibiscus Bouquet" stamp and die set in combination with the ALTENEW Crisp Dye Inks - and add the "Happy Birthday" from the "Essential Sentiment Strips" die set as a sentiment.
FYI: you can click on each picture to enlarge it.
For the card base I used white, extra heavy (110lb) Neenah card stock - and since I knew from the beginning that I wanted to stamp on a white layer, I added a friendly, light yellow layer (Michael's 80lb) in between. I made sure that this layer also coordinated with the colors I chose for the flowers.
I enjoyed learning about "1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.... Generation Shading" in lesson six and was curious to try this technique on my first card to create the background. For the shading, as well as the outlines of the bouquet flowers, I used the ALTENEW Obsidian pigment ink.
To add color, I used the following Crisp Dye Inks: "Citrus Burst" (Sunflower Field set), "Coral Bliss" (Tea Party set), "Forest Glades" (Soft Succulents set) as well as "Aqualicious" (Sweet Dreams set). I lined up the stamps as trained in class and die cut the flowers and leaves with the coordinating dies.
For the focal point, I chose to arrange the bouquet of flowers and leaves as well as the "Happy Birthday" sentiment on a strip of vellum, which wraps around both (the yellow and white) card stock layers.
To give the arrangement and sentiment more dimension, I used foam squares and dots in different heights. And to give the card a little sparkle, I added glitter to the inked parts of the flowers and leaves, using the Nuvo "Aqua Shimmer Pen".
"Sweet Flowers" card
For my second card I decided to use the ALTENEW "Sweet Flowers" stamp and die set, as well as the "Fancy Greetings" stamp set for the sentiment.
Again, I chose the ALTENEW Crisp Dye Inks and Obsidian pigment ink for the ink work.
For the card base I used white, extra heavy (110lb) Neenah card stock, as well as a layer of one of Michael's light/medium blue 80lb papers in between. I made sure again, that this layer also coordinated with the main color I chose for the flowers.
I decided on the color Blue for this card and went with the blue Crisp Dye Inks from the "Northern Shore" set ("Icy Water" and "Winter Lake") as well as the greens from the"Soft Succulents" set ("Firefly" and "Moss").
The stamp set includes - besides the layers for the main flower and various sentiments - a little cluster of flowers - it almost looks like a little branch. I decided to use this cluster in the lightest blue ("Polar Bear") for the background. I already figured out where my main flower and the sentiment would go and roughly circled these areas with a pencil, so I knew where not to stamp.
As for the main flower, I stamped the layers first on white, heavy card stock and then added the outlines with the pigment ink in the end. I then heat embossed that outline, using the Hero Arts "White Satin Pearl" embossing powder. When mixed with the black pigment ink, it gives the image a sparkling, raised impression.
To tie the whole look together, did the same for the "Fancy Greetings" sending hugs sentiment and added the die cut flower to the card, using foam squares/ strips.
I've got to tell you: I'm really happy with the results of this first class. I have the feeling that I've learned a lot already and most importantly I think practicing - as I went through the different lessons - took away my fear of using Layering Stamps!
I 'm looking forward to the follow-up class "All about Layering 2" :-)
Well... Thank you for stopping by and for reading.
Please make sure to like and comment this post and let me know if you have any questions :-)
Love,
