Altenew Educator Level III - One Layer Wonders

Hello!  Now that I have been certified for my Altenew Level I and II Classes, it is time to move on to Level III Classes, which means I am nearly finished.  Just a few more classes and then I will complete my final challenge and be fully certified as an Altenew Educator.

Today's project is all about One Layer Wonders which was taught by Kelly Latevola.  For my project, I chose a technique from Day 5 of class, which was to create a "quick" background using multiple stamps and minimal masking.  As you probably know by now, I'm not a lover of masks because fussing cutting is difficult for me due to having Rheumatoid Arthritis, but I liked the look and style of Kelly's project for today and I wanted to try to come as close as possible to the feel of her project.

© Kelly Latevola

It also required a lot of Copic coloring to get the feel I wanted for my card.  I love the large floral bouquets that she creates, so I took my own spin on her technique to create my card which is pretty but doesn't look the same as hers.  This is really okay.  For me, the classes I've been taking for my certification have all taught me new and different ways to look at my stamps.

Last week one day, as I was reading the Altenew Blog, I saw that there was a big sale on a few stamp sets and one of them has been on my wishlist for quite a while. Frosted Garden Bundle is a set I love, but at $72.00 regular retail price, it's not one that I would normally purchase.  When I saw it for 40% off, I knew it was now or never, so I snatched it right up.  Happily, it arrived on Saturday and when I finished watching the last two videos for this class on Sunday, I knew this would be my choice for my class project.  Even though I didn't use the dies for my card,  I will be quite happy to have them in the future.  My cards are typically pretty clean but lightly layered in style, so making a single layered panel is definitely a challenge for me.   Copic Coloring is also not one of the things that I am great at, so this was an additional challenge.  Again, because of the Rheumatoid Arthritis, I have to do my coloring in multiple sessions.  This was also my very first time using Copic Markers to completely fill in a background.  This is some scary stuff for me, due to inexperience with Copic Markers.  Kelly's card is bold and dramatic!  While mine is nice, I don't think you could call it dramatic.  I guess Dramatic is not really in my wheelhouse, but as Kelly pointed out, that's okay.  We each have our own style and that's one of the best things about this industry.

When I started working on the layout of my card, I stamped on some Neenah Solar White because I have precut panels lying on my desk.  I wish I would have used X-Press It Blending Cardstock because it takes a whole lot less ink than Neenah but once I started, I wasn't turning back.

Stamped with Fine Linen Distress Ink

Using my MISTI Creative Corners, I arranged my stamps onto my panel and then stamped them down.  At first, I thought I wanted to use Distress Inks for a no-line look, but when I stamped the first panel, I felt the ink was too dark.  So I stamped another panel using Simon Says Stamp's Barely Beige Ink.  I was planning to color in everything, so I just needed a light colored ink to act as my outline for the coloring.

Please keep in mind, that I am just a novice with Copics, but I am happy with my resulting card.  Since I give cards to my Sisters-In-Law each year during the Annual Finger Christmas Gathering, my stash is basically gone, so now it's time to replenish my supply of the cards I use most which are Thinking of You, Birthday and those that I send to let someone know I am thinking about them.  I sent a lot of heavily embellished cards for Christmas, so I wanted something that would be fairly flat for my card.  I used Ranger Liquid Pearls to add centers to my blooms.

The sentiment I used is from Altenew Build A Flower: Sakura Blossom Stamp and Die Set.  There are several very nice sentiments in that set. I double heat embossed this particular card as I didn't get a very good impression the first time around.  That's the beauty of the MISTI - saved again!  I could never match it by hand.

Thank you so much for coming by to see my project today.  I enjoy sharing my thought processes with you and hopefully, that helps you to learn that different is okay.  We each have our own sense of style and it's okay not to exactly duplicate someone else's style.  Our style is what makes the same stamp look so vastly different; that special touch that you want to use will be different from what I want to use, which is why there are so many versions of cards from the same set.  Each of us has our own thoughts and inspiration that we take away from seeing what others do.  I love how light and airy this card turned out and I hope you do too!