AECP Level 2 Beyond Basic Backgrounds

A good background (or a bad one) can make (or break) a card. It adds a finished look. I imagine there are hundreds (if not more) of ways to do backgrounds. We learned several different kinds in this course. I was so taken with each one that I chose to complete a card (or a dozen) from each Lesson. In the interest of brevity I’m not going into specific products and not including, for the most part, production photos. It is my hope you will understand how much work I put into this important course. I did, however, go into more detail in Lesson 5, as this Lesson is what I chose as my “assignment.”

Lesson 1

In this lesson I learned to create my own stencils using a die. I chose to make my four stencils out of acetate so I can use them many times. Then I took one of these stencils and put it over card stock and did an ombre-effect ink blending. Next I stamped with the coordinating stamp and heat embossed with white over the ink-blended areas. On some cards I also used the second detail stamp.

What is a card without a sentiment? This I white heat embossed and used the same inks to ink blend. Then I cut this out, popped it onto vellum and onto the card panel.

Finally, I edged the panel and inner quarter inch of the card base with matching ink before adhering them together.

Lesson 2

In lesson 2 we learned how to set up the card stock panel to repeatedly stamp an image in an organizes fashion. I measured my stamp, marked the center of the panel with an “X” and laid lines along the expanded “X,” according to the size of the stamp. I repeated the lines and stamped the background.

Next I die cut a blue mirror card stock Half Tone Happy sentiment and silver heat embossed “birthday” on blue card stock and adhered these onto vellum and then to the card. I also used one of the blue inks to edge the card and adhered this to the card base.

For the other two cards I again die cut the happy sentiment, gold heat embossed it several times for dimension, and adhered this to the panel. I also gold heat embossed “birthday” and some of the rings and the left of the card base. I then adhered this panel a little to the right of the card base.

Lesson 3

This was by far the most difficult technique. In the lesson we were taught how to apply gold foil without the assist of a laminator or Glimmer machine. We were to repeatedly stamp with Versa Mark, and apply a sticky embossing powder and heat set this. Then we were to heat all the images and immediately apply the gold foil and apply heat. If the foil fails to adhere properly, just keep reheating and applying pressure. This was a big FAIL.

I later chose to repeatedly stamp an image, photocopy it with a laser printer, cover the toner copy with foil and run it thru my laminator. Sounds simple? It took all day and still wasn’t exactly as I wanted but I’ll “settle” for this. For now.

Lesson 4

OMG! I loved this technique!! So much so that I made a dozen cards, using ALL my cover dies!!

In this lesson I learned to die cut a piece of freezer paper, folded in half, so it would yield two cuts. I then ironed this onto water color paper, and used Altenew’s twenty-four pan set to watercolor (sometimes adding shimmer to the paint) over it. Once dry, I removed the freezer paper to reveal the still-white watercolor paper beneath!

Lesson 5

In this lesson we learned to ink bleach with water. I experimented with ink-blending three different kinds of inks, as shown below. Once the 140# Canson Cold Press water color paper was ink blended, I placed it in my Misti and stamped several times with my stamps misted with water. This eventually removed most of the ink where the stamps made contact.

Card 1

With the exception of the glue (Nearly Art Precision Craft Glue), the gold matte card stock for the shadow sentiment (unknown origin), and card stock base (Gina K Dandelion), I only used Altenew products.

I ink blended with Volcano Lake, Lagoon, and Citrus Burst Crisp Dye inks. Then I used water-misted stamps from the Incredible Stamp Set to remove the ink. I placed a strip of Emerald Gold Washi Tape near the edge of the card base, and adhered the water-colored panel to the card base then trimmed off the excess.

I prepared many different sentiments, and chose to use the Handwritten Hello dies, with Lagoon Dye Ink applied to the sentiment. Usually I clear heat emboss sentiments, but didn’t want to fancy up a simple card too much. I adhered this to the previously mentioned gold matte shadow, then adhered it to the card, aiming for a mostly yellow area so the Lagoon-colored sentiment would have better contrast.

Card 2

For my second card I used Distress Inks, as in Altenew’s video. I used saltwater taffy, mustard seed, abandoned coral, and kitsch flamingo. I water-stamped with the same set as above.

The happy birthday sentiment is from the Happy Birthday Builder stamp set. I stamped with Obsidian Pigment Ink, then immediately sprinkled clear embossing powder and heat set. I only did the one layer.

Not wanting the bold black sentiment to feel lonely, I used my paper trimmer to cut away two windows in the panel, flanking where the sentiment will be.

To the top folding Moonrock card stock base I applied a strip of Scotch black glitter washi tape, then strategically adhered the now-trimmed water color to the card stock base, setting it off center, leaving a strip on the right that matches the thickness of the bleached stamps, and a thicker strip of Moonrock showing to the left. I think these strips visually balance out the boldness of the black sentiment and strip(s), and tone it down a bit.

Card 3

I’ve heard many say that ink blending with Distress Oxides is easiest because the pigment property makes the ink dry slowly, allowing it to easily be blended. For me, the verdict is still out. Yes, it is somewhat easier, but messier and yields a chalky, muted image. I definitely need more practice to be able to love these inks as much as I do the Altenew Crisp Dye inks.

For the ink blending, I used the same colors as for the second card. Again I used a top-folding Moonrock card base, but added Washi tape to both sides with a complimentary color, Volcano Lake, from the Sea Shore Washi Tape Set. Using the same sentiment as in card 2, I stamped the sentiment with Volcano Lake, then clear heat embossed over it.

I wanted to try Lydia Evans’ thread and enamel dots idea, but somehow couldn’t find my teal-colored thread, so I went with pink. I tried to match enamel dots the way Lydia did, by using an alcohol marker (I used a Copic) on dots from my only set, Red Cosmos. Like Lydia, I colored over the lightest color, pink, but I got mud. Streaky mud. So I stuck with the pink enamel dots. Pink dots over pink thread and the sentiment, on sticky foam, over the thread. I clearly need teal enamel dots and thread!

Lesson 6

In this final lesson of this course, Lydia used alcohol markers to draw concentric circles, of a few different colors, and because she was not using the negative space of what she would later die cut, she didn’t take care to blend. I found this to be true with my first card, but I also chose to use the negative spaces, because, you know…waste not, want not. That said, I did discard the negatives from the two smaller die cuts from that card. I wanted to mix it up a little bit so I kept the negative bits for the larger image and placed them in a white “frame”.

For the second card I used the larger, positive die cut from the first card, but for the other two images I ink blended and cut anew.

Since I love getting two cards out of one process, I chose to again ink blend, die cut. I did this for the third card and also tried to accentuate the points of such a geometrical image by mounting this panel askew on second piece of card stock. Finally, I added this, even more askew, to the card base.

On the last card, I experimented, yet again, and ink blended around the images with the darker ink from that particular image. It reminds me a little of the Lone Star quilts my grandmother made, in that the center is dark, then the colors fade, then again go dark.

I have ordered a couple sets of sentiments and quotes and will soon add a sentiment to each.

While I like them all, I prefer the third, and now clearly see that’s why Lydia chose to use only the ink-blended die cuts.