Altenew - AECP - Level 1 - Final Challenge

I'll Apologise before I start this is going to be a really long post, so go grab a drink and snack, come back and we'll start...

So as you all know I am doing my AECP and in order to pass level 1 I have

to do a final challenge...and boy was it just that!

My course instructors, the lovely Virginia and Erum, emailed me with my challenge....

Final Challenge of Level 1

• Select ANY 3 components from the classes in Level 1 (e.g., layering 1/2, Let it shine, stencil techniques)

• Explain the 3 components that you’ve chosen for the project

• Share design tips (if any)

• Create a His and Her Card Set birthday/graduation/encouragement cards (your choice) as a gift sets. This makes TWO sets one Masculine and one Feminine.

• Each card (with various sentiments) can vary a little bit, but it should have a similar and cohesive theme as the rest of the set.

• Each card set should consist of 4-6 cards  

• Also, use one recycle element on a set or its packaging.

• You will also design how you package the sets as a gift. Be creative!

• Challenge blog post: Detailed step-by-step photo tutorial and/or YouTube video

• Minimum of 10 photos (close-up and process)

• Submit to the gallery by 5/26

WOWZA what a challenge!  I agree....firstly don't panic...secondly...lets re-read what I had to do, and thirdly..lets have a plan of action ( after working in a school with small children.. I like plans LOL)

So I started to write down what 3 components I could use from level 1, that would be suitable for both a  Feminine and Masculine set.. and what supplies I had or what I needed to buy and where from??

I opted for the following three components :-

Let It Shine

I loved the let it shine class, as it shows you how to incorporate different mediums for that extra special look! And I like to add sequins, glitter, and bling to cards, I think in the right amount it completes a card...now this is great for my feminine set, but could I get away with it on my masculine set..???  I thought I could and you'll see later on what I did...

Easy Die Cutting

In this class, I learnt that die's aren't just used for die cutting stamped images, you can use them in other ways too and I'm going to use the Inlaid die cutting technique, this is where you cut something with a die to create a negative space and then replace it with something else.

Easy Ink Blending Techniques 

I opted for this component, as now I have the right brush I love to ink blend.  I've chosen to do ombre ink blending through a stencil, I like the effects of ink blending with a stencil and to do it in ombre colours is just another step up from just an ombre ink blend or a one colour stencil ink blend.

As I walk you through the steps and photos of the cards I have created, I'll share some tips and tricks too and some oh no moments....

Now my challenge I had to included using something that was either recycled or up-cycled on a set of cards or the packaging... So I immediately thought I would recycle something for the packaging for the card sets.... I searched in the cupboards and came up with this...

After a few disappointing efforts with both of the boxes I thought I would try the brown paper packages tied up with string these are a few of my favourite things... (are you singing yet??)... Ok well that didn't happen either...but I bet that song is still playing in your head (sorry).

But wait the gold glitter Christmas Cracker could be used on the cards... I had found my recycle element!

So on to the packaging... I did plan on giving one of these sets to a friend and the other to the local OP shop.  I like supporting them when I can as they do a lot for the little community I live in, so this packaging had to be just right after all it is an extension of the cards and a gift. I've made both these gift boxes suitable for a women's gift and maybe split the card sets up so they can have one each of each design.

I opted to make some card box envelopes, after finding my envelope punch board and after wiping the dust off it (oops) I set to work, now these envelopes were going to have to be deep enough to fit 4 cards and envelopes inside them.. I looked at the size of paper measurements for a 4.25 X 5.5 inch card and added a further 1. 1/4 inches on, so my paper measured 9. 3/4 inches.  

The first score line is the most important, and my top tip is to write it down and put it in plain sight!

I added 1/8 inch onto what it said for my first score line and my second score line was 1 inch more as I wanted the envelope box to be an inch thick. after you have these two score lines in, you just repeat the process on every side lining the score lines up.

After you have burnished the fold lines and cut the notch lines you have the envelope, all that it left to do is assemble with double sided sticky tape.

I die cut a tag, well two tags, that way if the recipient wants to re use the packaging they can remove the plain white tag and just use the back of the flowered tag. (top tip....)

Now this tag looks mighty plain.... so I die cut some flowers from foamiran (I've used and explained this in a previous post) using the build a flower - Peony Blossom set, but I die cut an extra of the very smallest flower.. (I accidentally foiled my dies they are not normally that sea green colour oops)  I've also coloured the foamiran die cuts with  a piece of blending foam just around the edges in a slightly darker colour than the pink/cream and purple/lilac foamiran and added a little bit of yellow in the middle.

I shaped the flowers but I was a little heavy handed and it tore...don't worry its fixable as you will see..., 

I assembled the flower using a low temp hot glue gun... (I'm sorry but who are they kidding that glue gun is still really hot, so be careful) and I've added some stamens to the middle of the flower an 1 inch circle to the bottom. (So I can glue it to the tag) some sisal and my flower is ready to add to the tag.

Wrapped some ribbon, a heart slider and a sentiment from the Penned Rose stamp set and by boxes were complete! 

Phew.... one part complete! now on to the cards....

So I wrote down my plan, with little images... ( it's always best to do this, when working on more than two cards...)

I found I was going to be OK with the feminine set but I would need supplies for the masculine set... I placed an order with Altenew in the USA and then thought, it's not going to get here by the deadline... so I decided to look at craft shops here in Australia... What I wanted was either out of stock, or they didn't have the set I had planned on using... back to the drawing board... lets look at what was in stock that was going to be suitable... So while I'm waiting on these supplies to land, I got a head start on the easy ink blended back grounds...

I have said before that I like to go from light to dark and then blend from dark to light.. and again top tip secure the stencil with tape on the back of the card so it doesn't tear.  I used the Elegant Swirl for the feminine set and Stone wall for the masculine set.

Colours used are, from top right to bottom left - feminine set, 

1. Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick & Picked Raspberry (Oxide ink)
2. Milled Lavender, Victorian Velvet & Dusty Concord (Oxide ink)
3. Dried marigold, Spiced marmalade & Ripe Persimmon (Oxide ink)
4. Antique Linen, Dried Marigold & Tea Dye (Oxide ink)

Colours used are, from top right to bottom left - masculine set, 

1.  Squeezed Lemonade, Twisted Citron & Cracked Pistachio (Distress ink)
2. Twisted Citron, Pine Needles & Chipped Sapphire (Distress ink)
3. Pumice stone, Weathered Wood & Faded Jeans (Oxide ink)
4. Evergreen Bough, Peacock Feathers & Mermaid Lagoon (Distress ink)

Now on to the rest of the cards...

I stamped the sentiments that I needed and when I only needed partial sentiments I masked them off and I stamped two of each just in case...

I die cut all the large sentiments in gold foil first, and then I die cut each panel with the corresponding die that I planned on using.

Top tip - when cutting the panel try to keep all of the cut pieces in the die so you don't loose any of those small bits that you'll need to add in!

I planned on using just a few sets for my focal point but keeping everything else the same on all 4 of the cards... I've used,

1. Fine Frames
2. Script Words Die
3. Script Words 2 Die
4. Layered Floral Elements Die
5. Fantasy Floral Die
6. Heartfelt Sentiments
7. Label Love

My next step was die cutting all the flowers and frame I needed for he cards, I just used up scrap pieces of coordinating paper I had.

This is my discarded pile they really didn't match...

When everything was cut and glued I moved on to placement... 

Ok Still with me??

Well after I had practised placement of my flowers, frames and glitter ( I like to so this before I glue everything down)  I ended up adding a little more gold to to the centre of the floral fantasy flowers, they looked like they needed something and a rhinestone didn't work with these, so I used the positive and the negative of the die cut...

And this is what I ended up with....

Ok so one set down....(I promise we are nearly there...) on to the masculine set...

Now my items didn't arrive that I had planned to use, they are still stuck in the USA...so on to plan B, I'd managed to source 3 sets from a craft shop here in Australia, they arrived this morning so let's get back to it!

As you've seen before I had the backgrounds all inked, so I die cut the panels using a stitched rectangle die and inlaid the gold sentiments as before.. I had also pre-cut the fine frames from gold mirror card stock, all that was left to do was to stamp, die cut & fussy cut what I planned on using for the focal point..

I had picked three sets to use -

1. Ice Cream mini set
2. Strawberry mini set
3. Big world stamp and die set..

I wanted the Strawberry and Ice cream set to be in various colours and the only way to do this was to mask off each tiny bit (ha ha that sure was fun....) like this..

After doing three sets of each, I decided to fill in the cake with some Copics,  I ended up with these...

I've also added some nuvo glitter drops to the strawberries and the Ice Cream.. ( I do like sparkles..)

Now for my next two cards, I was using the Big World set... I had a couple of pieces of scrap backgrounds in my pile that I thought would be ideal for the World on the globe... One needed to be stamped the other was Alcohol ink and stamping would just not show up on this, but I loved it so much I went with it.

I die cut the world from the scraps and the globe stand from the gold mirror card stock.

I inlaid the script World in gold as I had done on all the cards and stamped two sentiments from the same set and I ended up with these... 

I just love them, the sparkle on them, look like lights or stars... and here are the finished set...

Well I just want to say thanks for hanging in there, this was a super long post and if you made it to the end, then you deserve a piece of cake, ice cream and a great big thank you from me!

I'm entering this card below in to the AAA Birthday Challenge, as I liked it so much!

And Happy Little Stampers - Anything goes with Dies

And I'm entering this card into the Frame It challenge over at Double D  - EDITED I got a top 3 - YAY

And Southern Girls Challenge - Sparkle, Shimmer and Shine

Have a wonderful day or night depending on where in the world you are!

Hugs

Alli

XoX