Cindy Brown: Level 1 challenge project for AECP

Level 1 Challenge Project for AECP

While creating the cards and tag, I used the lessons from "Let It Shine" as I used gold glitter washi tape, gold embossing powder and gold mirror cardstock. I learned in the Let It Shine course that glitter and gold can add shine and dimension but doesn't have to be "over the top", which is a perfect use of gold in these masculine cards.
My challenge was to create 6 masculine cards and a tag. The cards were to be a gift set with birthday, congratulations and encouragement cards. While creating the set, I used the lessons from "For the Guys" and used masculine themes, colors, phrases and fonts as presented in the course.

GIFT TAG

I cut 2 tags from cardstock and one tag from acetate and tab for hanging from cardstock

I stamped the top layer of tag with To and From in Altenew Lagoon and die-cut a window with the 3rd from the largest star from Altenew Nested Stars  

I lined the 2nd from the largest star stamp from the Altenew Halftone Stars onto the bottom layer of the tag so the star stamp will show through the top layer window

I stamped the star with Altenew Lagoon dye ink

I cut the bottom inch off of the acetate tag (just below the star window area that I want to cover

I taped the acetate to the back of the top layer of tag to create an acetate covered star-shaped window

Two layers ready to start putting together as a shaker

I added foam tape evenly across the back of the top layer, leaving the window open. I assembled shaker ingredients. I used stars that were die cut from Altenew Mirror Gold and Lagoon cardstocks, teal jewels, tiny stars and sead beeds. 

I began adding the shaker ingredients into the well created around the star window

Once filled, I brought the back of the tag to the foam tape adhesive, revealing a shaker tag. I cut out some additional stars to embellish

I punched a hole in the gold and lagoon stars that I had cut out from the nested dies and pulled gold twine through and tied a bow. I used the star dies to cut out a gold star outline to frame the window. 

Shaker ingredients inside and a few glued outside of the shaker

Back of tag. I tied a knot to the twine and pulled the twine through to the front

I finished with a bow tied with the twine 

LESSON USED: The tag was created using the lessons from Seasonal Scene Building, Lesson 6, on creating a shaker card. A shaker is a fun and interactive feature and is thought to notch the card up a level or two. A shaker also brings an interactive quality to the project which is fun for everyone but especially appealing for a masculine card (per "For the Guys" course). I thought this was a fun way to introduce the card set to the recipient.

Tip: If you want more room inside of your shaker, then double the layer of foam adhesive. Also, to reduce static, you can try an anti-static powder sprinkled lightly along the edges of the negative star space. The space here is so small, I am not as worried about the static as much as I would if the shaker space was larger. 

BIRTHDAY CARDS

I stamped the sentiment from Altenew Birthday Bash stamp set with Versafine Claire Nocturne pigment ink. I cut a strip of Altenew Gold Glitter Washi Tape to create a grounding element for the bottom of the card. Altenew Mirror Gold and Lagoon cardstock was die-cut with small stars for embellishments.

I used the lesson from Irresistible Inking Techniques, Lesson Two, which was using dye ink as watercolor paints. I painted with the Altenew dye inks in Coral Bliss, Morning Frost, Lagoon, Lemon and Sea Glass. Because the Altenew Dye Inks are activated by water, they make wonderful watercolors! This gives many more options for bringing color to my cards as I have all the options that my dye inks provide. To use this technique, I pressed the color from the ink pad onto a pallet and I sprayed water on a separate area of the pallet. I then mixed the water with the color to the color consistency that I wanted.
I used lesson one from Seasonal Scene Building, a lesson on story telling, to arrange the elements of the stamp set to tell a festive story.

Tip: Because the design in this card is so tiny, I used a 0/20 round paint brush for the smallest areas and a number 2 round brush for the larger areas (and in-between brushes as appropriate). This helped me have control and be able to stay within the design lines as I preferred this more precise look for this card. If this isn't your preference, then a larger brush is fine. 

The sentiment was stamped with Altenew Birthday Bash in Versafine Claire Nocturne pigment ink. The triangles were stamped with the Altenew Trigonometry stamp set in Altenew dye inks in Lemon, Lagoon and Versafine Claire Tulip Red pigment ink. The Altenew Gold cardstock and stamped triangles were die-cut with the Trigonometry die. I stamped and die cut more triangles than I needed and I arranged the triangles and glued or adhered with foam tape. I then mounted the trimmed card onto Altenew Lagoon cardstock. 

CONGRATULATIONS CARDS

"Smile" was stamped with Altenew Halftone Smile stamp with Altenew Coral Bliss and then restamped in the Misti with Versamark embossing ink and then Ranger detail clear embossing powder. Smile was then die-cut with the Altenew Halftone Smile die. The sentiment "YOU DID IT" was stamped from the Altenew Congrats! Stamp Set in Versafine Claire Nocturne Pigment Ink and was adhered to the card with foam tape. The Camera was stamped and die cut from Altenew Say Cheese stamp set with Altenew dye inks in Sea Glass, Morning Frost, and Versafine Claire Nocturne pigment ink. The yellow star was stamped in Lemon with Altenew Halftone Stars and then die-cut with the Altenew Halftone Stars die set. A larger star was die cut with this set in Altenew Lagoon cardstock. All of the die-cut pieces were then glued or adhered with foam tape to the base of the card. A piece of Altenew Gold Glitter Washi Tape was cut in half and adhered to the bottom of the card.

I used the Misti stamp positioner with the Misti ruler to align the triangles

The Altenew Sohcahtoa stamp was used to stamp triangles, first with Ranger heat embossed detail fine gold embossing powder and then Altenew dye inks in Lemon, Lagoon, Morning Frost, Evening Gray, Coral Bliss and Sea Glass. There are various sizes, shapes and designs of triangles to arrange with this set and creating this card was relaxing and therapeutic. The sentiment was stamped onto Altenew Lagoon cardstock with Versamark embossing ink and heat embossed with Hero Arts detail white embossing powder using the Altenew stamp set Dainty Swiss Dots "Congratulations". A piece of Altenew Gold Glitter Washi Tape was cut and used to frame the sentiment and the left border of the card.
Tip: When using geometric design elements, you can either draw intersecting lines in pencil that you will erase after stamps are placed, or you can use a stamp placement tool, like the Misti, to assure the precision alignment of the geometric stamps. I used a line to start the first couple of triangles and then used the lines on the alignment tool to finish. 

ENCOURAGEMENT CARDS

The Altenew Geometric Landscape stamp was stamped with Versafine Claire Nocturne Pigment Ink and then the stamp was repositioned downward and to the left and stamped with Altenew Lemon dye ink to create the pattern on white cardstock. Altenew Jet Black cardstock was cut at an angle to form the bottom of the card. The sentiment was from the same stamp set and was stamped onto a strip cut from Altenew Warm Sunshine cardstock using Versafine Claire Nocturne Pigment Ink which I then heat embossed with Ranger clear embossing powder. I added a veneer animal from Altenew to give the card a little bit of fun.

I stamped Altenew Birchwood cardstock with Ranger Gold detail embossing powder using the Altenew Geometric Landscape stamp. I then cut out a portion of the design by using the lines from the pattern. 
I used the lessons from Easy Ink Blending, using basic ink blending from Lesson 1 to create a background with Altenew Sea Shore Mini Cube Set Inks. This technique let me create custom colored cardstock for my card by using a foam dauber and blending of the inks. In this way, any color of cardstock can be created for a design from plain cardstock. 
I then used the lessons from Irristible Inking Techniques, Lesson 2, to splatter Altenew Pure White Ink to bring splatters of color and interest to my card. In this technique, the ink is picked up and consistency is controlled by adding water and then tapping the brush over the area where the splattering is desired. Depending on the viscosity and distance from the paper, the size of the splatters will vary. 
I then stamped a moon with the Altenew To the Moon stamp set in altenew Morning Frost and Evening Gray and then die cut the moon and glued it in place. The sentiment from the same set was stamped onto ink-blended paper and gold heat embossed. I then bordered the sentiment with Gold Glitter Washi Tape from Altenew and adhered the sentiment to the card with foam tape. 

Materials Used: 
Except where noted, all of my stamps and dies, materials and paper (other than Neenah cardstock as noted above) are from Altenew.
Altenew Halftone Stars Stamp and Nesting Dies Set
Altenew Birthday Bash Stamp Set
Altenew Say Cheese Stamp and Die Set
Altenew Sahcohtao Stamp Set
Altenew Trigonometry Stamp and Die Set
Altenew To the Moon Stamp Set
Altenew Geometric Landscape
Altenew Dainty Swiss Dots "Congratulations" sentiment
Altenew Congrats! "YOU DID IT" sentiment
Unknown manufacturer: To and From stamps
Mama Elephant Lots Of Stars die set
Mama Elephant Tag Die Set
Altenew Mirror Gold Cardstock
Altenew Gold Cardstock
Altenew Lagoon Cardstock
Altenew Birchwood Cardstock
Altenew Warm Sunshine Cardstock
Altenew Jet Black Cardstock
Altenew Sea Shore Dye Inks (Mountain Mist, Volcano Lake, Lagoon, Emerald), 
Altenew Warm Grays (Morning Frost, Evening Gray, Moon Rock, Lava Rock)
Altenew Lemon, Coral Bliss, and Sea Glass Dye Inks
Altenew Gold Glitter Washi Tape
Altenew Reflection Collection Epoxy Buttons and Wood Veneer Bundle (animal from)
Versafine Clair Nocturne and Tulip. Red Pigment Ink
VersaMark Embossing Ink
Hero Arts Acetate Sheets
Ranger Detail Gold Embossing Powder
Hero Arts Detail White Embossing Powder
Neenah Smooth Solar White 80 pound Cardstock
Neenah Smooth Solar White 110 pound Cardstock
Lawn Fawn Gold Twine
Kat Scrappiness Teal Jewels
Lucy's Itty Bitty Stars in Gold
White, gold and light blue glass seed beads (unknown manufacturer)