Carrie's Custom Cards: AECP Level 2 Final Project Post

This will be a long post as it includes details about 4 cards and an upcycled box that I created for my AECP Level 2 Final Project.

Parameters of the Final Project: Create 4 masculine cards in the following categories: Birthday, Love/Thinking of You, Anniversary, and Encouragement. Use at least 3 techniques from the classes in Level 1 and 2. Create an upcycled project.

All of my cards have a fall color palette, use specialty papers, and incorporate a fun fold, but there's a variety of other techniques used on the cards, so I've made a note at the end of each card description about which techniques I used from which classes. Here's a look at all 4 cards:

Card Number 1: Theme: Birthday Fun fold inspiration from Sam Calcott

To make my Pop-Up Platform Box card, I started by creating the box. I used heavyweight white cardstock and created 2 pieces that were 7 by 7 1/2 inches and scored at 1/2 inch and 2 1/2 inches on the long side. These pieces were then folded and burnished along the score lines and adhered along the 1/2-inch score line to attach both pieces together to form a collapsible box.

Next, I trimmed a piece of acetate to 7 by 7 inches and scored it at 2 inches. The acetate created the lid for my box. I adhered the 2 inch section to the back of the box and then covered the acetate with white cardstock trimmed to 2 inches by 7 inches. To decorate the lid, I die cut 2 pieces of 5 by 7-inch Mars Stardream cardstock (a shimmery metallic cardstock in a deep burgundy) using a scalloped rectangle die in the center. I adhered one rectangle to the top of the acetate and the other rectangle to the bottom of the acetate so the lid looks neat and tidy when lifted.

Inside the box, I trimmed a piece of specialty yellow paper that looks like it could be the lining in a bakery box to 4 3/4 by 6 3/4 inches and adhered it to the top white panel. Then I set to work die cutting and assembling cookies from Altenew's Sweet Treats layering die set. I used fall colors to match the colors in all 4 of my cards for this final project. Once my cookies were assembled, I arranged them on the yellow specialty paper and used liquid glue for some of the cookies and Altenew's Instant Dimension Foam Tape for the others so the cookies appear to have some dimension in the box.

To finish the card, I stamped "happy birthday" using a stamp from Altenew's Mini Delight: Time to Celebrate set. I trimmed it and then die cut a hole in it using Altenew's Labels and Tags 1 set. I tied it to the top of the box using twine and adhered it with a couple micro glue dots.

The box folds flat for mailing as seen in the photo before the pictures of the die cut assembly and the back of the box where the acetate needed to be covered by white cardstock.

Techniques: Class: Scene Building: Lesson 5: Create a window scene card (I hope this counts as the acetate on the lid creates a window to see all the cookies inside) Class: Color Your Day: Lesson 1: create a card inspired by color (I used a fall color palette for all 4 of my cards and used the same cardstock colors and specialty papers for all 4 cards) Class: With A Twist: Lesson 3: Acetate with a twist

This is the back of the box where the acetate is adhered to the white cardstock. Then I adhered another piece of white cardstock over the acetate to cover it.

Card Number 2: Theme: Love Fun fold inspiration from Evette Jacobson

I started by creating a 5 by 7-inch card base and then scoring at 2 1/2 inches on the front panel. Then I added the metallic Copper Curious Alchemy cardstock to the two panels on each side of the center score line. My copper panels measure 2 3/8 by 6 7/8.

For the strip at the bottom of the front panel, I watercolored with Altenew's Espresso watercolor brush marker onto a panel and then added some of the watercolor to embossing paste and spread that through Altenew's Vintage Motifs stencil. After it dried, I trimmed a piece of it to 2 1/8 inches by 5 inches for the bottom of the front panel. I only adhered it to the panel on the right half of the card so that it swings open on the left side of the card. I trimmed another piece of the stenciled watercolor paper to 2 1/8 by 2 1/2 inches and adhered that to the back of the bottom panel so that side looks finished when it swings open.

For the apple focal point, I stamped the image from Altenew's Craft-Your-Life: Sweet Harvest set onto watercolor paper using the Stampwheel 2.0. Then I die cut the image using the coordinating die from that set. I then ink blended the following colors onto the stamped image using the coordinating stencils: Ruby Red, Burnt Red, Mahogony Bark, Autumn Blaze, Firebrick, Cocoa Cream, and Choco Hazelnut. I added the focal point onto the card with Altenew's Instant Dimension Foam Tape being careful to adhere it strategically so that the card front can swing open. To finish the front of the card, I stamped "love you" from the same Sweet Harvest set using Burnt Red ink and watercolor paper and then added the sentiment using Altenew's Instant Dimension Foam Tape.

For the inside of the card, I ink smooshed Cocoa Cream and Choco Hazelnut inks onto watercolor cardstock and then used one of the stencils from the Sweet Harvest project kit to add some texture to the background. I also stamped "love you" randomly onto the panel (the stamp is from Altenew's Mini Delight: Afternoon Delights set) using Burnt Red ink. To finish the inside of the card, I stamped "you are apple-solutely the best!" from the Sweet Harvest set and adhered it to the inside panel using more Instant Dimension Foam Tape.

Techniques:

Class: Celebration Stencil Techniques: Lesson 2: use embossing paste through a stencil

Class: Let It Shine: Lesson 5: use metallic cardstock

Easy Die Cutting Techniques: Lesson 1: create a project using Altenew stamps and coordinating dies

Here's a look at the ink smooshing for the inside panel of the card:

Card Number 3: Theme: Anniversary

Fun fold inspiration from Connie Stewart

I started by creating a side-folding A2 card base out of heavyweight white cardstock. Then I created a 5 1/4 by 4-inch panel out of Gold Gmund Treasury cardstock that I embossed with Altenew's Zero Waste: Autumn Leaves die. Using Altenew's Sweet Pumpkins embossing folder and coordinating die, I embossed and die cut pumpkins and leaves to decorate the card with. I colored the stems of the pumpkins with a brown alcohol ink marker.

For the front of the card, I chose 2 pumpkins and added die cuts from Altenew's Zero Waste: Berries & Branches die as well as the Zero Waste: Autumn Leaves die and made a grouping to adhered to the card. I felt like the pumpkins were "floating, " so I die cut the largest of the Woven Basket dies and trimmed off the top so that it looked like my pumpkins and leaves were sitting on the ground. I adhered all the die cuts to the front of the card and then I die cut the word "celebrate" and its shadow from Altenew's Timeless Sentiments 2 die set. I adhered the sentiment to the front of the card using Altenew's Instant Dimension Foam Tape.

For the inside of the card, I trimmed a panel of orange cardstock to 10 3/4 by 4 inches. I scored at 5 3/8-inches. To create the scored triangles, I cut a 2 by 2-inch square and then trimmed it on the diagonal. I used that to score the triangles on the orange cardstock and then folded them so that they fold down and into the card when it's closed. Then I trimmed two panels of Gold Gmund Treasury paper (it has gold flecks in it that are hard to capture in photos) to 3 3/4 by 5 1/8 inches and embossed them using the Sweet Pumpkins embossing folder. I trimmed a triangle off the side of each of them and then cut an 1/8 inch off the sides of the triangles and kept them to cover my acetate for the pop ups.

For the pop-up pumpkins, I used the smallest 2 pumpkins from the Sweet Pumpkins set and adhered them to the tops of 2 strips of acetate cut 1/4 inch by 2 inches. I adhered the bottom of the acetate strips to the orange triangles and then covered the acetate with the Gold Gmund Treasury paper triangles. To finish the inside of the card, I stamped "wishing you a happy anniversary" using Altenew's Build-A-Garden: Rosa Gallica stamp set and coordinating die for the word "happy." I used another pumpkin from the Sweet Pumpkins set along with more leaves and berries from the Zero Waste: Autumn Leaves and Zero Waste: Berries & Branches dies to finish decorating the inside of the card.

Techniques:
Class: Easy Die Cutting Techniques: Lesson 4: embossing with dies

Class: With a Twist: Lesson 3: acetate with a twist

Class: For the Guys: Lesson 4: interactive cards

Card Number 4: Theme: Encouragement

Fun fold inspiration from Susan Campfield

For my 4-square pop-out card, I started by creating a side-fold A2 card base using heavyweight white cardstock. Then I cut a 1 3/4 inch by 11-inch strip of specialty paper and scored it at 2 3/4, 5 1/2, and 8 1/4 inches. Once I had the card base and fun fold strip made, I got to work die cutting and ink blending pieces using the dies in Altenew's Craft-Your-Life: Sweet Harvest set. I die cut all the pieces for the pies, apples, cinnamon sticks, and slices of pie. I adhered all the pieces together following the guide included in the kit.

For the background on the front and inside panels of the card, I used the 3D embossing folder that comes in the Sweet Harvest kit. I trimmed 3 panels of specialty black cardstock (Touche Black Smooth--it has a velvety texture) to 4 by 5 1/4 inches and embossed them all. Then I ran a white pigment ink pad over them. I adhered them to the front and inside panels of the card.

Next, I set about adding the pies, cooling rack, an apple, and a couple cinnamon sticks to the front of the card using liquid glue for some layers and Altenew's Instant Dimension Foam Tape for others. Then I stamped "sending you warm hugs" from the Sweet Harvest stamp set and trimmed the sentiment into 2 pieces to add to the card front.

For the inside of the card, I trimmed 4 panels of Mars Stardream metallic shimmer cardstock so they measured 1 1/2 by 2 1/2 each. I added slices of pie, some pieces of apple, and the "wishing you a harvest of happiness" sentiment to the panels. I decided to add a bit of black cardstock behind the apple pieces so they showed up better against the Mars Stardream cardstock.

Techniques:

Class: Clean & Simply Boutique Cards: Lesson 5: Use luxury paper (I used specialty papers from Your Paper Insider for this card)

Class: For the Guys: Lesson 4: interactive cards

Class: Irresistible Inking Techniques: Lesson 1: direct to paper inking

Upcycled Project: Travel Keepsake Box

I save all the pretty Altenew boxes and bubble mailers, so I decided to put one of the boxes and four of the bubble mailers to good use storing my travel mementos from my recent cruise which stopped at Reykjavik, Liverpool, Dublin, A Coruna, Porto, Lisbon, Malaga, Valencia, and Barcelona. I have a large bubble mailer for all my paperwork from Viking (daily brochures about the ports we were stopping in and details about excursions, etc.), and then I put all my postcards and other keepsakes into 3 bubble mailers, one for every 3 ports we stopped at. I decorated the box with the Orange Blossoms Die Set because several of our stops were in Spain where there are many orange trees. Here's a look at the finished box: