AECP Level 1 - His and Her Cards (Final Project) + Video Tutorial

Hello everyone!

Today I am very excited to share my projects with you that I am submitting as my Final Project for Altenew's Educator Certification Program (AECP) Level 1. When I got the email with the details of what the project needs to be, I was sweating! It was like how you are handed over question paper during school and college exams - you have studied well, but you are scared! What if I don't remember the right words, what if my examiner, feels - I didn't frame the answer well. I must have taken the longest time to think of what I will do for my projects. Here is a glimpse of all my cards and I have a video tutorial of the process too.

I have created 4 Cards each of His and Her Cards. If you look closely - I have included Similar Technique for His and Her cards and either used the same Stamp set/Die or Similar for both versions.

I am sure those of you who have done the classes can guess which Classes I have picked the Components from. I have tried to incorporate lessons across the Classes for my Cards. I thought about how I can use One product and make variation in designs, while incorporating same technique for a Masculine and Feminine card. If I show you all of them in a vertical format - You will be able to see it more clearly.

I love bright colors and with the recent Island vacation - the ever changing sky with myriad of colors, I planned to look for inspiration on the internet and found this gorgeous color palette. Also, this palette had colors that I could use for both feminine and masculine cards, which did make me feel, I can plan well now. I tried to tie my cards together with these colors.

First Set - Dragonfly Cards - Ink Blending Technique

I have used the lessons from Ink Blending Techniques by Amy Lee and Let it Shine by Carissa Wiley Classes. 

Common Product - Dragonflies Die set 

Common Technique - Ink Blending Technique and Die cuttting with Gold Mirror Cardstock

Her Dragonfly

I die cut the dragonfly with Gold Mirror Cardstock and to make it look more deicate and feminine, I add Vellum wings beneath the gold. For the background I stamp African Daisy stamp with Black Ink and mask it with masking paper. Then I Blend Altenew Dye inks and Distress Oxides for the Inkblended background. The sentiment is from Rose Tea stamp set, that is stamped with Obsidian Black ink and the heat embossed with Clear embossing powder.

 

His Dragonfly

I want to call this Ink Blending - Halo Ink blending- which was quite a discovery! First, I die cut the Dragonfly with Navy cardstock for the body and the Wings are with Gold Mirror Cardstock. For the background that gave a look of a Halo, I chose a Yellow cardstock and while keeping the Centre of the cardstock bare, I blended various intensity of Blue inks at the corners and build it lighter towards the centre. There was no green ink used, but the faint green transition  gives it a look of Halo. You can have a look at the Video tutorial to see how I achieved this Halo. The Under wings were in Navy too and I Let the Wings Shine. I added two gems for the eyes and the Congrats die cut - (I saw it after owning the die set for more than a year) is from Way to Go die set.

Second Set - Shoes Cards - Pop Art Technique Cards

I have used the lessons from Jen Raza's For the Guys  Classes 

Common Product - Shoes  -  Bold heels for Women & Travel Boots for Men - I have had fun with these shoes earlier too  you can see those projects here.

Common Technique - Pop Art Technique and Repetitive stamping

Her Bold Heels

I for one - Love heels and give them in all the colors to me!!! This lesson on Pop Art inspired by Andy Warhol by Jen Raza was  so cool.. but WHY SHOULD BOYS have all the Fun?? So I got them for you tooo ladiesss.. LOL   I did something taught in CAS Boutique class - Repetitive stamping for the Bold heels in different colored cardstocks - inspired by the colors from my inspiration picture. I chose some bold colors for them and heat embossed with Clear embossing powder. Then I fussy cut them, added some black color for the inner soles. For the background I added some pretty dots - quite like Roy Lichtenstein with the Dotty Circles 3D embossing folder.

His Travel Boots

Travel Boots  were the original design, I had for these set of cards but what could be for ladies and not a replica of this card? That's how the previous card, came into being. This card was easier, with no heat embossing for these pairs. I stamped them with Permanent Black ink and colored with two shades of Alcohol markers. 4 contrast colored papers for making a grid for the background - and done!

Third Set - Die cut Leaves Cards - Die cutting Technique

I have used the lessons from Clean and Simple Boutique cards Classes 

Common Product - Flowing Foliage die set

Common Technique - Speciality Paper (Shimmery Pastel Color Cardstock ), Dry Embossing and Die cutting 

Her Leaves Card

Leaves are quite Gender neutral, but I often use them for Masculine card - I left the leaves uncolored and decided to go a bit pastel-y for both the cards. For the Her card, I used a Pista color Shiny cardstock from my stash that I decided give some texture - by adding flowers from the Daisy Bed 3D embossing folder. I added a bit of yellow for the center of the flowers, which in retrospect - I feel was not required. I die cut the leaves and add 3 D foam tape behind them , so the bits and pieces don't fall off the leaves. Then to add some more touch of femininity - I added wee little flowers from Painted Bloom die set (one of my most used) in the colors from my inspiration photo. Some gold sequins for the center and Hi from Craft Your life - Seasonal Blooms.

His Leaves Card

I used a Turquoise shimmer cardstock - as a Specialty Paper for this card. I blended some inks, for an Ombre look on my card and then dry embossed it with Wicker texture embossing folder. I die cut another set of leaf in the dark shade of Teal to Pop the white leaves more, from the background. The sentiment is from PAF Magnolia Grandiflora stamp set, which was stamped and heat embossed with white embossing powder.

Fourth Set - Die cut Leaves Cards - Die cutting Technique

I have used the lessons from Irresistable Inking Classes 

Common Product - Inked Flora stamp set (retired)

Common Technique - Inking with Dye Inks

Her Inked Flora

For the background I created a smooshed background with an Acrylic block with Mango Smoothie and Rubellite Dye inks and as I wanted the yellow a bit darker - I added some Brusho pigment to intensify the Yellow. I used the same colors on another watercolor cardstock and then heat embossed the flower from the Inked flora stamp set and gold heat embossed it. Fussy cut the flower and added on to the smooshed background, so it looks that it is popping up from the background.

His Inked Succulent

Magenta is one color, that I am not very sure of when it comes to Masculine cards. But this Succulent stamp - called me out, to leave my inhibitions aside and Smoosh some purples with blues and teals for a colorful paper, on which I stamped my Stamp, twice and then cut the flowers in a way that  had an inner layer, along with the whole flower. I popped up the inner layer on 3D foam tape and arranged the flower on a handmade paper background.

Gift Boxes

My real fear was altering a box to make gift boxes. As one of the requirements was to use one Recycle element on a set or packaging.  I thought I could use a box I had been saving since some time because of the cool long size of it :D And when I tried to see if my cards fit.. they did.. beautifully! Then I chopped the box in two, one side for the masculine cards and other for feminine cards. I cut the upper cover and reinforced the edges and the end with stapler to make a box which slid open like a drawer.

Now with two boxes ready I added 3 coats of heavy gesso over it and the decorated my boxes with some die cuts.

Her Box

So in the past, I have used the Floral Lace die to decorate some boxes and I had not shared them any where, as they were done for personal gifts. And the gorgeous Floral Lace die is perfect to make a box elegant. I didn't want to overcomplicate the design and I wish I had the for you die, just that in the cursive font would have looked lovely. I took a thin paper n light pink and blended some inks over it in Pinks and puples, diecut the lace and glued it over the Gesso.

His Box

Coming up with a design for the box was a challenge. Because I wanted to use the floral lace die for the "her box", I had to use a die on this too, to make the boxes look coherent. So I decided to use the die, I used for my For the Guys class homework - Simple Shapes Die. I made a border with the triangles cut out and then added the full size die cut and added triangles at two places to look like Pinwheels.

                                                     

Hope you like these set of cards, if you did, please let me know in the comments below. Also you can watch the You Tube Tutorial for the same here or

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Thank you for stopping by

Lots of love ~ Ishani

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