Butterfly Bush Sympathy Card

This card is my final homework for the Altenew Educator Certification Program! Hooray! I've taken 25 classes, completed 25 cards as homework for the classes, and created projects at the end of level 1 and level 2. What remains is the daunting AECP workshop in which I will teach online participants how to create 2 cards in 2 hours. But that's for another day! Today, I'm celebrating the accomplishment of finishing all the classes and homework for all 3 levels. I submitted my first homework project back on December 14, 2024, and my goal was to finish the program in one year. I don't think I'll be able to fit in my workshop before the one-year mark, but I'm excited to be finished with all the homework now. If you're not familiar with the AECP, here's a link to more information: Join the Altenew Educator Certification Program. I've grown so much in my cardmaking skills since starting the program and highly recommend it! 

To create this card, I followed the instructions from Lesson 2 of Altenew's All About Layering 5 class. Instead of layered stamps, I used layered die cuts for my flowers. The Craft-A-Flower set I used is Butterfly Bush. I die cut the layers out of papers from Your Paper Insider's Box 12: Aubergine Purple Lessebo, Violet Thai Unryu, Royal Purple Curious Skin and Box 13: Black with Color Florals: Yuzenshi and Pumpkin Colormates Cardstock. The branch from the set was die cut using Copper Curious Alchemy metallic paper from Box 12. The bee is from Altenew's Bubble Bumble Bee die set, and I used Royal Purple Curious Skin and Deep Black Cadillac from Box 12 and Bright Gold Gloss Glitter and White Fine Lines Vellum from Box 13 to die cut the layers of the bee. 

To create this fun fold card, I started by trimming a piece of 110-pound Recollections black cardstock to 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 inches. This is a nice, heavyweight cardstock. I embossed the piece using Altenew's Craft-Your-Life: Whispers in the Canopy embossing folder (this will be released in December, but I'm a subscriber, so I receive the kits early). Then I trimmed a piece of Violet Thai Unryu that I had adhered to a heavier weight light purple cardstock to 3 inches by 5 1/4 inches. I scored it at 1/4 inch, 1/2 inch, 4 3/4 inches, and 5 inches.  I burnished the score lines and adhered the final two 1/4 inch panels to the back of the black 4 A2 card panel using red tape to create the middle panel of the card. The final layer is another piece of the heavyweight black cardstock trimmed to 2 1/2 by 5 3/4 inches and scored at 1/4 inch, 3/4 inch, 5 inches and 5 1/2 inches. I burnished the score lines and embossed the panel with the same Whispers in the Canopy 3D embossing folder I used for the back of the card. I then adhered the 1/4-inch tabs on each side of the 2 1/2-inch black panel to the back of the card to create the last panel. This tiered effect gives a lot of dimension to the card. 

Once I had my base made, I added my flowers and bee using Altenew's Instant Dimension Foam Tape. Then I stamped "with sympathy" (this card is for a friend from my church whose grandfather just passed away) onto a piece of Pumpkin Colormates cardstock and adhered it to the card front. I took photos of the card and then decided I wanted to add some gold splatter using Altenew's Antique Gold Metallic Ink Spray, so I masked off the sentiment and used a small paintbrush to dip into the spray bottle and then tap gently onto another brush to create small splatters. 

If you'd like to subscribe to Your Paper Insider's quarterly box of mystery papers or shop for any of their specialty paper collections, I'd be so grateful if you shopped with my affiliate link. I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you: Your Paper Insider.  And if you're interested in shopping at Altenew, I'd love it if you used my affiliate link here: Carrie's Altenew Link. Altenew carries many gorgeous layering floral die sets like I the one I used for this card. 

Challenges I'm entering:

Creative Creases #109 - November 7 till December 4th: I'm on the DT and sharing my card just for fun

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge: ATG with flowers as the focus (2/6; ends 12/12/25)

The Diva's that cut ....paper!: November and Lawn Fawn: Critters (please delete if bees don't count. I'm not sure if you want only animals or if insects/birds/butterflies, etc. are okay) (1/6; ends at the end of the month)

Crafty Animals: ATG with animals, birds, and insects (ends at the end of the month)

As You Like It Challenge: Favorite Embellishment and why: I love adding splatters as an embellishment! It has the advantage of hiding any mistakes, adding interest to a card, and being less expensive than enamel dots, pearls, gems, etc. (3/3; ends 11/26/25)

We Love to Create mixed media Challenge Blog...sponsored by Polkadoodles: ATG (4/4; ends 12/25/25)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (5/5 for the week; 7/10 for the challenge; ends 11/19/25)

A Perfect Time To Craft Open Challenge: ATG (unlimited entries; ends at the end of the month)

Classic Design Challenge Blog: ATG (unlimited entries; ends 12/12/25)

A Place To Start: ATG + option of using something new (the Whispers in the Canopy set is new: this is the first time I used it) (7/8; ends at the end of the month)

DL.ART: ATG with option of anniversary/love (3 entries per week; ends at the end of the month)

Creative Fingers Challenge Blog: ATG (3/3; ends 11/28/25)

Can You Handle The Pressure?: ATG with an embossing folder with an optional twist of food or drink (1/3; ends 11/19/25)

Crafter's Cafe: ATG with the option to use the color yellow (3/8; ends 12/12/25)

Love To Craft Challenge Blog: ATG (3/5; ends 12/15/25)

Mix It Up Challenge Blog: ATG with option of CAS (3/8; ends 12/15/25)

The Creative Crafters: ATG (3/3; ends 12/8/25)

Heart's Quest for Shaped Cards and Tags: ATG with fun fold cards and tags (4/5; ends at the end of the month)

AECP Homework for All About Layering 5: Lesson 2 fun fold card design Submission #1186

I'd like to leave a blessing for all the lovely visitors to my blog: 

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;

The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

--Numbers 6: 22-26

AECP Homework for All About Layering 5: Lesson 2 fun fold card design