AECP-Irresistible Inking Techniques

 These AECP classes are so, so much fun & the techniques can be used with so many stamp sets & styles!  This card utilizes 3 of the techniques taught in this class-direct ink to paper (on the edge of my focal piece, block stamping (using your acrylic block as a stamp) & painting with your inks (the flower petals on my focal piece).  

The close up shows the painting technique better.  I first inked my acrylic block with Sea Forest, then spritzed with water & stamped it onto thick white cardstock. Be sure your inked area is dry before continuing.  I used my heat tool. I then embossed my flower from the Dotted Blooms stamp set with gold embossing powder.  To color my petals, I placed my ink cube on a non-porous surface, spritzed with a little water & used a paint brush to color the petals. The edges were inked by applying the ink cube directly to the edges. Dimension was added to this piece with 2 more pieces of cardstock adhered to the back.  The sentiment is from the Paint A Flower Daffodil set. I only used one color of ink for this card but did add some extra bling with the gold glitter washi tape from my stash.

This card is so simple but fun. It utilizes the same technique as the one above. I stamped my focal point several times on my card front in  Iceberg Ink for added interest. The inks I used were Iceberg, Azurite, Maple Yellow & Sweet Leaf. My focal point is from Starry Flowers & heat embossed in black.  The sentiment is from Paint A Flower-Anemone. Below is a close up.

My flower for this card & the next is from the Kind Reminders set.  I really love all the images in this set. I heat embossed the image using copper embossing powder and painted the image using the same technique as before. The leaves were painted using Just Green & Hunter Green.  The flower was painted using Plum & Amethyst. The sentiment is from the same set & heat embossed in copper. 

I added splatters by mixing my Plum & Amethyst inks. When everything was dry, I adhered the white thick cardstock to a piece of copper foil cardstock & then adhered that to an A2 card.

This card is very similar to the one before, using the same stamp from Kind Reminders. The focal image is heat embossed using black embossing powder.  This time I used Dew Drops for the leaves & Plum & Gray Denim for the flower.  I also added darker shades by using the Kind Reminders Stencil.  This added a bit more dimension without any added layers. The sentiment is stamped in black ink & popped up using foam squares.  It is from the Starry Flowers set. I added a few black gems, mounted the piece onto black cardstock & adhered it to an A2 card.

I hope you found some inspiration today.  Happy Stamping!

AECP-For The Guys

 Another great AECP class is completed!  This was a very fun class & Jennifer is so encouraging!  The above card utilizes ink blending to form the galaxy effect.  I started with a piece of  white cardstock & ink blended Maple Yellow, Coral Bliss, Aqualicious, & Grape Agate into the center.  I then used Galactic Stream to blend those colors.  After this, black was ink blended over the whole piece with a more concentrated color on the edges.  When this was dry, I thinned down some white acrylic paint & splattered on the piece for the stars.  Be careful to cover your workspace as this can get a little messy(ask me how I know).  I cut 2 of  the Layered Cityscape Cover Die B out of black cardstock.  Behind this piece, I placed a shimmer piece of cardstock to simulate light in a dark building. After adhering all the pieces together, I attached it to a top folding A2 card.  Below is a close up of the card.

My next card is my take on Jennifer's geometric design.  I don't have any geometric type stamps so this is what I came up with. It is very simple in design but uses a "female" stamp set to form a "male" card.  The stripes were made using the stem from Stunning Cosmos.  I stamped it in alternating blues to form the stripes.  The colors used were Azurite, Persian Blue & Arctic. I cut varying size circles & inked the edges. After adhering them to a 3 1/4" x 5 3/4" white cardstock, I rounded each corner. The edges of the slimline card were inked in Persian Blue to match the striped circles. Using the negative from my striped piece as a stencil, I then stamped the envelope to match. The sentiment is from the Ornamental Bliss stamp set. This size card fits nicely into a regular envelope.

  

This class also mentioned boys & not just guys.  Since my boys are all 4 and under, primary colors seemed appropriate.  This card is very simple & quick. 

The above card was made with my dad in mind.  His birthday is in July & he is a veteran.  This card is definitely going in the mail to him soon.

My last card was fun to create.  Using the Shutter Cover Die, I cut one out of black cardstock & one out of white cardstock. I then adhered the white piece onto an A2 cardfront. The "negative" pieces from the  black die cut were then inlaid & adhered into the negative places of the white shutter die. The Tropical Toucan was stamped in black ink & colored with Copic markers. The only black alcohol marker I have is a sparkly one, so my toucan is sparkly.  The greeting is black heat embossed & I backed my toucan with a matching yellow cardstock for added color & dimension.  I think a very appropriate greeting for this card on the inside is - Toucan Do It!

Now on to my next class!

AECP-Easy Die Cutting Techniques

 Hello! I am continuing to enjoy my Altenew classes.  I have just completed Easy Die Cutting Techniques.  The instructors make everything look so easy and provide great instructions. The above card uses a die to make an impression.  

I used 110 lb cardstock cut to 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 & placed it over the Leaf Frame Die from Altenew. I ran it through my die cut machine following the directions for embossing.  My paper cracked in a few spots and I liked the effect.  If you prefer a smoother look, slightly spritz your cardstock before embossing.

After embossing, I ink blended Bundled Sage & Mowed Lawn Distress Oxide Inks onto the frame, covering the center as I went. I then stamped & cut several blooms & leaves from Altenew's Watercolor Blooms set. I used Pink Pearl & Coral Bliss for my blooms  & a green ink in my stash for the leaves.  After arranging them on my card front, I stamped some tiny dots using another of the stamps in that set in Antique Gold Pigment Ink.  Since this is a pigment ink, it dries slower than dye ink.  Use your heat tool to dry it or just wait on it.  The sentiment is stamped in black using a stamp from Altenew's Wispy Begonia. Of course, I had to add some Wink of Stella to the blooms.  This was adhered to a top folding A2 card base.

I really like the effect of the cracked cardstock on the leaves.  I think it adds a more realistic effect.

Another fantastic technique is to use Vellum for your die cut.  I stamped the outline image from Prettiest Pomander several times onto Vellum & white heat embossed. I colored the back of my stamped pieces using Copic Markers. I did several because I enjoyed this technique & I love to color. My first card uses B95, B97, YG67, YR04 & YR07. I cut the completed image using the matching die. I then used a slightly larger circle die to partially cut the side out of my card front.  I found a matching piece of blue cardstock, cut it slightly smaller than my card front & also partially cut it with the same circle die. This blue piece was then embossed to add a small amount of texture. The sentiment was white heat embossed & is from the Ranunculus stamp set.  I also added a few jewels.  I placed glue dots behind the more embossed areas of my Vellum so that they wouldn't show.

Below is another sample using the same technique, only in more muted tones. I added several layers to my die cut piece for dimension. The pink cardstock was partially embossed.  The sentiment is from the Paint A Flower-Hydrangea.

My last sample for this class is totally different & again, I really enjoyed the process.  It is called the Inlaid Technique.  I used a light grey cardstock & stamped a background using matching ink.  I then stamped the sentiment from the Big World set. All the other pieces for this card are from the same set. I die cut the globe & globe holder from the background piece & adhered it to an A2 card front. I then cut a globe holder from black cardstock & adhered it into my cut out. After stamping & die cutting the globe, I cut 4 more out of white cardstock, glued them all together & then into the cut out globe section of my background cardstock.  To complete the card, I inked around the edges & a little on the background.

This was a great class & I really enjoyed these techniques.
 

AECP-Easy Ink Blending

 Hello! I hope you are having a great weekend & staying cool.  It is hot and dry here.  That is a good reason to stay in & craft!  I am SO enjoying the Altenew classes & have just completed Easy Ink Blending with Amy Lee.  I am learning so much & think I will start keeping a notebook with all the tips & tricks from each class to refer to.

The above card uses the Emboss Resist Technique. Start with white cardstock, apply antistatic powder, and stamp your image with VersaMark Embossing Ink.  Sprinkle with embossing powder & heat set. I used the image & sentiments from Altenew Paint A Flower Daffodil and copper embossing powder.  Ink blend until you are happy with your results.  I chose to go lighter in the center & then used a small brush to darken a few spots. I mounted this piece onto copper foil cardstock & then mounted onto an A2 card.  Here is a close up.

Next is a way to add dimension to your inked backgrounds.  Start by ink blending your background in your choice of colors & then use a stencil to add more color.  I used Distress Oxide Inks for my background-Kitsch Flamingo, Twisted Citron, & Wilted Violet.  After this was done, I placed the Altenew Deco Wallpaper Stencil in random spots on my blended piece & applied more ink through the stencil. I stamped the butterfly from Altenew Dream Big in black ink with the layers in colors to match my blended background. The sentiment was embossed on black cardstock using white embossing powder.  I layered this piece on black cardstock & placed on my notecard. I also added a few silver gems.  This card measures 3 1/2 x 7 so I made an envelope from some printed paper in my stash.

My last card features a technique called Faux Watercoloring.  Using watercolor paper, heat emboss your image using white embossing powder.  Ink blend colors of your choice onto your image & surrounding area.  When you are happy with your results, spritz your piece with water, apply ink to a nonporous surface & using a little water & a wet paintbrush, add more color to areas as you prefer. For my card, I used the Altenew Paint A Flower Anemone for the image & a sentiment from Altenew Majestic Bloom.

I added a few ink splatters & Wink of Stella for a little sparkle.  I mounted this onto a grey cardstock & adhered this to an A2 card. I got carried away with my ink blending & painting, but really enjoyed the process.  My picture has a shadow across the bottom-the actual card doesn't have a line across it.

AECP-Clean and Simple Boutique Cards

                                    This is a long post-grab a cup of coffee!

This class was so, so much fun!  Each technique was one I wanted to try & I did!  I made so many more samples than the ones here, but wanted to share these with you.  For the above cards, the stamped background was the technique. I used a color wheel to choose complimentary colors & really like this color combo. It is one that will be used again & again. Both cards use the same colors, just different stamps.  The diamond shaped stamped background is not as random in appearance as the other background. Below are closer looks at each card.

Another technique was foiling.  I must admit that I have had several sheets of foil in my stash for quite some time.  This class encouraged me to get them out to experiment & I did alot of it!  Not all attempts were successful, but I had fun with the process.

The dragonfly wings were stamped in a coral color along with the sentiment & partial flowers in the top right corner.  The dragonfly was stamped using VersaMark Ink & then heat embossed using clear embossing powder.  When that was done, I cut a piece of foil to cover the embossed piece, laid it on top (shiny side up), placed my cardstock in a parchment sleeve & ran it through a laminator set on 5ml.  It helps to run your cardstock through a second time for good coverage.  Let your piece cool & then peel off the foil.  Here is a close up of all that shine & sparkle!

There was a lot of foiling happening in my craft room as you can tell by these next examples.  Below is a card made using the Majestic Bloom stamp set. I used the 3rd layer of the bloom to stamp in a coral color, then stamped the outline using VersaMark Ink & embossed with clear embossing powder.  Two of the small leaves were stamped around the bloom with VersaMark Ink & then embossed as well.  Using the same process as the dragonfly, I applied the foil. The sentiment is from the Paint-A-Flower Anemone set.  For added interest splatters were added along with embossed lines at the top.  The card front was adhered to an A2 card front.

Here is a close up of all that sparkle.

One more example using foil! This one is the easiest-apply double sided tape to your card front, cover tape with foil (shiny side up), rub lightly with your finger & then remove the foil piece-instant shine! The flower is one in the Stunning Cosmos set, the leaves are from Watercolor Blooms & the sentiment is from

Japanese Mum.  All were stamped in black ink and a little pink was ink blended into the center of the bloom. The foil used was a very shiny pink. The cardstock color is light gray.  This was adhered onto an A2 card front.

And here is another one!  Our homework was to use a speciality paper.  The paper for this card was a metallic silver, backed with a purple cardstock & adhered to a white card front.  The flower is from the Dotted Blooms set, stamped in black ink & then colored with matching purple ink.  I cut 2 more blooms & adhered them to the stamped one for added dimension. Black gems were placed in the flower centers. The sentiment was embossed with black embossing powder onto white cardstock, fussy cut & then adhered with foam dots. 

I hope you received some inspiration to try these techniques.

AECP-All About Layering 2

 

The All About Layering Class was helpful & inspired me to try layering stamps in new ways.  I usually  stamp my outline stamps in black but chose a different route this time.

It was so exciting to get some new ink colors from Altenew!  Yellow is not one of my favorite colors BUT I really love these colors in the Sunflower Field set.  The ink covers the stamps smoothly which creats beautiful layers for florals. I am so happy with the way this turned out. The layering stamp set used in today's card is Japanese Mum.

I usually stamp my outline stamp in black ink, but decided to use Caramel Toffee for today’s sample. The other layers were Citrus Burst, Maple Yellow, & Honey Drizzle.  I also decided to change up the colors for the leaves a little.  The outline was stamped using Hunter Green & the layers were stamped using Dew Drops, Sweet Leaf, & Teal Cove. This gave the leaves a hint of blue.

I then die cut the stamped images using a die cut machine.  I added 2 layers of cardstock to one of the flowers for dimension.  For the corner piece, I started with a circle die cut from Kraft card stock, embossed it with a basket weave embossing folder & then inked a few areas with Caramel Toffee for a slightly weathered look.

After adhering it to the corner of a top folding A2 card, I cut off the excess, arranged my florals & leaves & then cut off the excess of the Japanese Mum.  A few gold sequins were added for a finishing touch.

Wink of Stella adds a little sparkle to these flowers.  I hope you can see that in this close up. 

Thanks for stopping by!

AECP-All About Layering 1

 

The Altenew Classes are so helpful and informative.  The instructors give easy to follow instructions & the examples are so inspiring.  Layering stamps can be intimidating & this set of classes certainly gives you the confidence to give it a whirl.  I used the Ranunculus set  for today's card.  I think this is the first stamp set I purchased from Altenew.

I stamped the outline image using Black Memento Ink, then used Pink Pearl, Coral Bliss & Vineyard Berry for my other layers.  The leaves were stamped using Black Memento Ink, Sweet Leaf & Just Green.

I then cut out my stamped images with the coordinating dies. I cut 2 more flower images from white card stock & adhered them to the back of my stamped image for dimension.

For the background, I ink blended Dew Drops from the lower right corner into the center, going lighter as I came to the center. For more interest, I spattered the background by using back ink mixed with alittle water & tapped off the end of a small paint brush.

I adhered my stamped image & then stamped the sentiment using Black Memento Ink.

Thank you for visiting today.  I hope this has inspired you to give layering stamps a try.