AECP-Level2-With A Twist

 I have completed another fantastic class in the Altenew classroom!  These classes are wonderful and each one is filled with techniques and tips to take your cardmaking and crafting up a notch.  This class is named With A Twist and was such a delight.  Therese Calvird is the instructor and so easy to follow. 

My first example is using a stamp in a slightly different way than it's designed use.  I started by stamping the Ranunculus outline stamp with Versa Mark ink and heat embossing it onto a blue cardstock.  For the second layer, I used only one of the shadow stamps and stamped it in Sapphire Ink. For the background, I ran two pieces of cardstock (one silver and one white) through my die cutting machine using the Dotted Scales Debossing Die.  I adhered these to my card front and attached a matching cardstock strip for added detail.  I then popped my flower and added a sentiment from the same set heat embossed in silver as well.

Here is a close up of the Ranuculus bloom.  I really like how this turned out and have another one in my stash for another card.

The above card used a different cut from the normal A2 design.  I have had this Ornamental Bliss stamp set for awhile and only used the sentiments.  That is really the reason I purchased it, but decided to use it for this design.  I think it worked well.  It is very easy to line up the layers.  The most difficult part is deciding which colors to use!  My color choices were Vineyard Berry, Amethyst, Caramel Toffee, Maple Yellow, Sweet Leaf and Galactic Stream. A few of my colors were not bright enough for my liking, so I brightened them up with Prisma Color Pencils.  After die cutting my stamped pieces, I adhered them to my circle card front.  The card front is ink blended in Sweet Leaf and the sentiment is stamped in Galactic Stream. I also added a few gems.

My final card used the twist of "inside out".  The front of the card depicts an indoor scene and the inside of the card is an outdoor scene.  I used five different stamp sets for this card and some of them are discontinued.  I mix and match my sets and I encourage you to try it as well. I did place a piece of acetate in the window for my glass.

I used Kraft cardstock for my window and lightly ink blended a darker brown for added detail.

After stamping the inside, I colored my images and used a Versa Mark Pen to the trees. I then heat embossed some white for snow.  The sentiment is from the Holiday Flower set and the Altenew ink colors used were Hunter Green, Just Green and Heart Beat.  If you would like the details of this card, please email me and I will give them to you.

Happy Stamping!

AECP-Level 2-Impressive Heat Embossing

 Hello! Another wonderful Altenew class is the inspiration for today's cards.  Impressive Heat Embossing is another must take class.  After finishing the lessons, I pulled out ALL of the embossing powders in my stash.  And of course, there were quite a few.  But what fun it was to play with them all.  The card below is the first of my Christmas cards for this year.  I embossed the Amaryllis outline in Gold.  The second layer was stamped using a dark red ink.  The third layer was embossed using an Iridescent Embossing Powder and the fourth layer was embossed using Gold Embossing Powder. I opted to not use the stamen for this flower.  The greenery die cuts were embossed using a Green and Gold Embossing Powder.  I die cut all the pieces along with a Gold foil frame.  For added interest, I die cut the Garden Trellis Cover Die out of white cardstock and used this as my background. All pieces were adhered to an A2 card front.

Below is a close up spotlighting all that glitter and sparkle!

The card below uses several colors of embossing powders-Gold, Silver, Copper, Clear, and Holographic. I heat embossed each color separately.  It wasn't hard, just a slow process.  I think it was worth the effort.  

I used several stamp sets as well.  The sentiment is Copper embossed on Vellum and from the Ornamental Bliss set.  The leaves are from the Darling Rose set and the small branches and dots are from the Watercolor Blooms set.  I enjoy mixing stamp sets to get more out of them.

Here is a close up of all the different colors on this card.  I added a few matching gems, adhered the piece to a copper foil cardstock and then to an A2 cardfront.

This technique turned out to be a 2 for 1 card.  Using my stamp positioner was a great help.  Using 2 pieces of cardstock (one white and the other colored) cut to the same size, I stamped the white cardstock in an ink that matched my colored cardstock.  I then stamped in VersaMark Ink and heat embossed in Clear Embossing Ink. I then stamped my colored cardstock in VersaMark Ink and heat embossed using Silver Pearl Embossing Powder.  I die cut the center out of the colored cardstock and die cut a sentiment to match. A few clear gems were added to the front as well.

The close up shows how the stamping is continuous on the colored cardstock.  I also added some liquid glitter into the flower centers.  I really like how this card and the next one turned out.

This card uses the leftover frame from my previous card and is a very simple card. I stamped my flower in matching ink and Clear Embossing Powder as before. The flower images are from the Starry Flowers set and the sentiment is from the Always There set.

I added color to the flower centers and blooms.  The tiny butterflies were in my stash and just matched my flower centers.  I hope you enjoyed today's post.

Happy Stamping!

AECP-Let It Shine

 

The AECP classes are super fantastic!  I really enjoyed my latest one-Let It Shine.  By the time I finished, I had so many ideas running through my head I was dizzy!  Some of my ideas looked better in my head than they do on paper. Now my desk top is full of die cuts & embossed pieces. Some of them will find their way to other cards in the future. However, I do have several samples to share with you today & can't decide on a favorite. Let me know in the comments which is your favorite.

The Altenew Build A Flower-Gardenia stamp set was used for this card.  I stamped the flower layers using Pale Mauve, Amethyst, Grape Agate & Plum inks & the leaves using Sweet Leaf, Just Green & Hunter Green.  I then stamped the last layer of the flower again in VersaMark ink & applied an iridescent embossing powder for a little sparkle. These were cut out with the matching dies.  I cut a square frame from some silver mirror card stock as well & then set all these pieces aside.  I used the Dotted Scales Debossing Cover Plate from Altenew on a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" piece of white card stock, adhered it to an A2 card & then arranged my stamped & die cut images.  The sentiment is from the Altenew Delicate Bouquet, stamped with VersaMark ink & heat embossed in silver. This was adhered to a piece of silver mirror cardstock.  A few sequins add the final touch.  Below is a close up of the sparkle on the flower.

Next up is a VERY shiny card.  I had some copper mirror cardstock in my stash & decided to try it.  I used the Altenew Floral In 'N' Out die & loved the way it turned out.  This was the first time I used this die, but sure won't be the last.  I used a kraft colored card stock as I thought white was just too stark. To mimic a basket, I ran a small piece of the kraft card stock through an embossing folder & then inked a few spots with Altenew Mocha for dimension. The leaves were cut using Altenew Watercolor Garden Layering Die Set. The sentiment was stamped with Mocha ink & then VersaMark.  I then heat embossed it using a clear embossing powder & cut it out with a small die. The "basket" piece was adhered with fun foam & the sentiment was backed with 2 more layers of cardstock. I also rounded the corners of the right side-I thought this helped to visualize the illusion of a basket.

Below is a close up of the sentiment.

Of course, we all hear "Christmas in July", so my next card is a Christmas one.  I actually used one stamp set for the whole card-Altenew Holiday Flower.  I cut a piece of vellum 4 1/2" x 5 1/4" & scored it at 1/2" from the top on the 4 1/2" side.  This allows you to adhere it to your card stock from behind.  I stamped the vellum piece with VersaMark ink & heat embossed in gold.  The flowers & leaves were colored on the BACK SIDE using Copic markers. I then attached the top of my vellum to a white piece of card stock using double sided tape. This was adhered to a matching green card stock measuring 1/8" larger than my white card stock. I did adhere my vellum using small glue dots behind my poinsettias in some strategic places. This was adhered to an A2 card base & finished off with a few gems.

Again, here is a close up.

My next 2 cards are similar & are very quick & easy.  I have had the Altenew Daisy Bed embossing folder for awhile & had not used it until today.  I LOVE the way this folder embosses.  This is a great folder for quick & beautiful cards.  Just spritz your paper lightly with water & run it through your machine.

After running it through my machine, I let it dry & swiped my VersaMark ink pad across it lightly.  I then applied gold embossing powder & heat embossed it.  The sentiment is gold heat embossed & from the Altenew Sentiment Strips set.

If you look closely, you will see a faint white shine to the flowers.  I have some white sparkle paint from years ago & applied it to the petals with a finger dauber. I attached the front panel to 2 more layers of card stock & then adhered it to my card front.

This card was made in a similar manner. I used a finger dauber to apply VersaMark ink to the flower centers only & then heat embossed using gold embossing powder. Use a dry paint brush to remove any stray embossing powder before heat embossing.

Happy Stamping!