AECP ~ Celebrate Stencil Techniques!

 Hi friends!

Today I'm sharing a cheerful stenciled card 

bursting with color and technique!

 I'm excited to have completed my card for the next course 

in the AECP Altenew Academy Level 1 journey

that I began in late 2024 and am half way through!

This exciting course was taught by the talented

Laurel Beard and it's all about ways to use your stencils.

I started out with the Build-A-Garden Morning Asters kit

which has a stamp, die, stencils and mini blending brush.

Laurel encourages us to use stencils in creative ways

and wow, she is an entertaining instructor!

I used the stencils in the kit to create a bold flower birthday card,

starting with stamping with black ink and die cutting the images.

Once I had the images ready, I used the matching stencils

and mini blending brush and yellow hues of ink

 from Deco Garden and Pocketful of Sunshine sets.

Once the flowers were blended from the stencils, 

I moved on to the leaves and stems using distress oxide inks.

I also added a background panel using the 

Dotted Starburst Debossing Die.

Here's one final look:

I loved Laurel's energy and how she encourages us to make things

 our own, which is a belief I've always stood by.

For example, make your own embossing paste colors for stencils -

mix in ANY color ink.

If you don't like it, remix it until you get a desired result.

And her techniques of lighter to darker make SO MUCH sense!

I look forward to my next class!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Kelly

entered to:  Stencil Crazy Fun ~ Hello

AECP - Let It Shine!

Hi friends!

Wishing you a wonderful start to your weekend!

Today, I'm excited to share my completed card for the next course 

in the AECP Altenew Academy Level 1 journey!

This exciting and glittery course was taught by the talented

Carissa Wiley and it's called Let It Shine!

She is truly Queen of Sparkle!

My card was so incredible fun to create and the good kind of messy.

I started with the set Bountiful Bouquet from Altenew 

and stamped/die cut directly onto a mixed media panel.

The panel was created by using the super fun Lindy's Magicals

including the Halloween set.

I loved the organic look to the panel and it has so much shimmer

and shine when it moves around in the light.

"Don't overlook embossing when adding shine!"

I love this tip from Carissa!

I had just received an order which included the 

Gold glitter cardstock - gilded set and it was perfect for the sentiment!

I die cut the Thank You using the Timeless Sentiments die set

and the gold shimmer helps to pick up the shimmer in the paint.

"Images have a beautiful shimmer with a dark background"

I chose a dark green cardstock from Stampin' Up 

 to compliment the rose/gold tones in the floral image.

 For the final glitz, I added some flecks of metallic paint

to the background of the cardstock to highlight the gold

and a few enamel golden dots sprinkled around.

One finally look, my supervisor has given her PAW-proval!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Kelly

AECP ~ Easy Die Cutting Technique

 Hi friends!

I'm back with another card creation from the Altenew Academy

AECP ~ Easy Die Cutting Techniques!

For my card today, I'll share how and which Altenew products I used,

and what stood out for me the most with this class technique.

This card is so vibrant and zesty and cheerful!

The class is taught by the amazing Yana Smakula

and she highlights several techniques using die cuts.

The Moroccan Lattice Cover Die is stunning as a background to a card

but on this card, I used the die cut as a stencil - two ways!

 I started this card with the Zesty Life complete bundle 

stamp/die/stencil set from Altenew.

The layering stencils make this such a fun and effortless process!

The images are stamped with Altenew Permanent Black Ink

and die cut with the Zesty Life outline dies

and I did all my ink blending for the stencils with the Stamp Wheel.

The kraft cardstock was run through the die cut machine 

to give a base layer piece.  

Using the Stamp Wheel, I lined it up on top of white cardstock

and blended ink directly through the paper 'die cut' stencil.

I used a heavy hand to get a bolder look

but with the leftover ink only in the brush, 

I made a second background with another cardstock base.

Once it was stenciled, I splattered the bolder one with white paint

for a little extra drama!

One thing that stood out for me in the class is arrangement.

Sometimes foe me, it's an instant feel 

and other times it's trial and error, much like this card. 

 I second guessed where and how to put the 

lemons several times - and then it was the sentiment!

Finally, it mostly made sense and I love that Yana reminds us

to keep the 'stencils' ~ you can use them over and over!

Here's a final look at my encouragement card!

Interestingly enough, that's an actual Key Lime tree behind the card,

growing in our yard with fruit abundant!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy crafting,

Kelly