Crafty Bo (Kimberly R)

A card for a guy is always a challenge.  Whether looking in the store for one or making my own, finding the right design and wording is not always an easy task. The next class for Altenew's Educator Certification Program was for making a card for a guy/boy.  There were great ideas in the class but since my supplies are limited, I needed to think outside the box on what I have. One idea in the class was using geometric shapes.  The teacher used stamps for her card but I looked and didn't have any geometric shapes to use.  Buuuuuttt....I did have a stencil that had squares and triangles in different sizes.  The stencils are intended to be used to make a quilt design.  I guess a quilt design could be just as good for a guy too but I decided to only use the small rectangles.   My first step was taking some low tack tape and laid it onto white cardstock ensuring that it is straight.  I then picked out three colors of blue from light to dark. ...

Hello there! My next class for Altenew's Educator Certification Program was  'Celebration Stencil Techniques'.  I am halfway through my Level 1 classes and they have been eye-opening for sure!  I am enjoying learning different techniques with products to make beautiful, creative cards in ways that I haven't learned before. I love using stencils on my cards but have never used different media other than inks and using blending brushes to ink up the stenciled images. As soon as I saw a video from Altenew using their product called Embossing Paste to use in stencils, I knew I had to try it.  Here is the finished card: Since the embossing paste is white, you can add color to it by mixing a little of the paste and a little ink together.  I first used the lightest color of purple, mixed it into a little paste, and applied that onto the stencil that I had temporarily taped down onto white cardstock.  I then repeated this step three more times using darker shades o...

Hello again crafty friends! Today's project for my next installment for the Altenew's Educator Certification Program is for the class 'Let It Shine' which guided me on adding glittery, sparkly, shiny techniques to cards to add that additional WOW factor.   This class was right up my alley because if you know me personally, you know I love the bling! But finding that comfy spot between what is too much or too little can be a struggle because adding too much can be distracting or disliked by the recipient. This card definitely has shine but using different techniques didn't make the card too overwhelming but provided a nice warm feeling. The first technique I used was heat embossing with gold embossing powder.  I stamped the Dainty Swiss Dots stamp on white card stock with VersaMark ink, applied gold embossing powder onto the inked image and then heat set with the heat gun.  I then cut down the dainty swiss dots panel to a smaller size and added two thin strips of gol...

  Hello again crafty friend! Today, I am sharing a pretty in pink birthday card.  I used some techniques I learned from the next class 'All About Layering 4' in the Altenew Educator Certification Program that I am participating in.  I was inspired to make my own patterned background and a new way to use washi tape. Using the Stunning Cosmos stamp set, I stamped each first layer with a light pink ink followed by a darker pink for the second layer.  I then used a yellow ink for inside the flower and a brown color for the final layer which added more detail to the inside of the flower.  I also stamped several stems with a medium tone green and added a little darker green using an alcohol marker just under where the flower is to add shading.   For the white panel behind the flowers, I stamped 'happy birthday' from Altenew's Birthday Builder stamp set repeatedly in a zigzag pattern.  At first I used a black ink, then a gray ink, but I wasn't happy with...

  Hello, thank you for stopping by! For my second class of Altenew's Educator Certification Program, I chose Easy Ink Blending Techniques.  After reviewing the lessons and going through my supplies, I decided to try the faux water coloring and emboss resist techniques which gave this card an artsy and rustic feel. I started out using white water color paper and then white heat embossed the plumeria stamp using white embossing powder. As I was letting that set and cool off, I picked out different shades of inks for the flowers and the leaves. Starting with the flowers, I used a light yellow for the outer petals and a light pink for the inside petals.  Once they were dry, I followed up with a darker yellow and a darker pink for added depth.  I made sure not to work it too much so the colors wouldn't get muddy looking.  I followed the same steps for the leaves using different greens. I did these steps a couple times until I liked the results. After looking at the p...

  A Thinking of You Card Have you wanted to send a card to someone to let them know you are thinking of them. Maybe someone is going through a difficult time or maybe even an exciting time like a new job or new home. This card may be just what you need. The basics of the card can stay the same, but changing the flowers into roses, daisies, lilies, or leave it cheerful like these plumerias, can set the tone of the card. This card was designed as part of my card making journey and I am excited to announce my participation in Altenew's Educator Certification Program (AECP)! Over the years, I've learned techniques, have lots of products, and watched a lot of YouTube videos, but I decided to further learn each technique, one by one, to advance my creativity. The AECP program consists of three levels and each level has classes that I will need to submit projects based on what I've learned. I began the program in Level 1 and my first lesson was the class "All About Laye...