AECP Level 1 - Final Challenge (His Set)

This blog post is dedicated to the cards I designed for the "His" category as part of the final challenge for AECP Level 1.

To maintain cohesion between the "Hers" and "His" cards, I decided to keep a consistent design approach. For the "His" cards, I opted for a muted and masculine color palette, paired with a similar sentiment style across the set. The color palette was inspired by my own creative vision and features Faded Jeans, Hickory Smoke, and Brushed Corduroy Distress Oxide inks. These inks, with their chalky and matte finish, complement the masculine theme beautifully.

The challenge criteria remain the same as described in Part 1 ("Hers" cards), so I won’t go over them again here. However, I will reference techniques discussed in Part 1 where applicable to avoid redundancy and keep this post concise and engaging.

Let’s dive into the details of these "His" cards!

Overall Components Used:

• For The Guys - Geometry shapes.
• Let It Shine - Heat embossing
• Easy Die Cutting Techniques - Inlaid die cut and die cut stencil
• Irresistible Inking Techniques - Splatter
• Celebration: Stencil Techniques - Vellum Overlay
• All About Layering 3 - Fussy Cutting

Overall Products Used:

• Faded Jeans, Hickory Smoke, and Brushed Corduroy Distress Oxide inks
• Tropical Vibes stamp and die set
• Seasonal Blooms stamp and die set
• Tulip & Friend Stamp set
• Layered Plaid Cover Die B
• Dainty Blooms Cover die 
• silver embossing powder

Card 1: Tropical Encouragement

Inspired by vibrant colors and the playful charm of a tropical toucan, this card came to life through a mix of artistic techniques and a love for crafting. Let me walk you through the steps of how this unique piece came together.

• Crafting the Background: I started with creating the background using the brayering technique from the Brayered Background from the Irresistable Inking Technique class. On my work surface, I applied Faded Jeans, Hickory Smoke, and Brushed Corduroy Distress Oxide inks. By spritzing the inks lightly with water, I created a beautifully fluid effect that I could pick up with my brayer. Beginning with Hickory Smoke, I rolled the brayer over the ink and then transferred it onto my card panel. I repeated this process with each color, layering them randomly until I achieved a textured, abstract look that felt just right.
  
  
    


• Adding the Focal Elements: While waiting for the background to dry, I turned my attention to stamping and die-cutting the focal elements. Using the Tropical Vibes stamp set, I stamped a cheerful toucan and a delicate branch with Black Soot Distress Oxide and Sun-Kissed Delights Fresh Dye Ink. The sentiment, “Toucan Do It,” was stamped with Jet Black Archival Ink for a crisp, bold impression.
  
  
• Designing the Layout: Once the background was ready, I began arranging the elements on my trimmed A2-sized panel. Initially, I experimented with placing the toucan, branch, and sentiment directly onto the background. However, it felt like something was missing. To add more dimension and interest, I decided to die-cut a circle in the bottom-left corner of the panel. This design choice allowed the toucan and branch to be positioned within the circle, while the sentiment remained above it, creating a cohesive and balanced layout.
  
  
    

    
• Assembling the Card: To bring everything together, I foam-mounted the brayered panel onto an A2-sized white card base. The white card base served as the background for the die-cut circle, adding a subtle contrast to the colorful panel. I adhered the branch and toucan inside the circle and secured the sentiment on top of the panel, completing the design.

Creating this card was such a joyful experience. From the layered brayered background to the charming toucan and uplifting sentiment, this card radiates positivity and warmth. The combination of textures, colors, and playful elements came together perfectly to create a piece that’s both fun and inspiring.

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Card 2: Geometric Elegance

When it comes to crafting for boys, geometry is always a winning theme. For this card, I decided to create an entire background inspired by geometric designs inspired from the For The Guys Class.

• Custom Cardstock Creation: I began by creating my own custom-colored cardstock. Using the mini ink blending tool, I inked 3 piece of papers using these three distress oxide ink shades: Faded Jeans, Hickory Smoke, and Brushed Corduroy. 
  
  
  
  
  
• Geometric Shapes and Placement: I used the smallest diamond die from the Spellbinders Diamond Floral Frame Glimmer Hot foil set to cut out geometric shapes from my custom-colored cardstock. Once the shapes were ready, I arranged them on an A2 panel to experiment with the layout. After finding a design I loved, I glued the shapes directly onto the panel, ensuring a balanced composition and cut off the overhanging images.
  
  
   

  
  
  
  
• Adding a Touch of Shine: To enhance the design further, I decided to heat emboss a sunflower from the Seasonal Blooms Stamp Set. This technique, inspired by the Let It Shine class (as described in the heat embossing section from Part 1), involved using silver embossing powder—a subtle yet striking choice for a boy’s card. The embossed sunflower added elegance without overpowering the geometric design.
  
  
    

   
• Final Touches: To finish the card, I adhered a "Thanks" sentiment and sentiment strips to the bottom left corner. The placement tied the whole design together, creating a cohesive and polished look.
  

  

This card is a celebration of geometry, creativity, and craftsmanship. Perfect for any occasion where you want to express your gratitude in a unique, handcrafted way.

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Card 3: Floral Fusion

Who says boys don't love flowers? This card challenges that stereotype with a beautiful floral design that's perfect for anyone who appreciates nature's beauty.

• Creating the Background: For this creation, I started by using a the Dainty Blooms Cover die cut as a stencil, inspired from the Easy Die Cutting Techniques class. First, I die-cut the cover die on white paper and then placed the die cut onto an A2-sized panel. Using a mini ink blending tool, I stenciled over the die cut with a mix of Hickory Smoke and Brushed Corduroy Distress Oxide Inks. The key was to blend both colors smoothly to create a soft, elegant look.
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Adding Texture and Detail: Once the stenciling was done, I carefully removed the die cut and added some splatters of Faded Jeans Distress Oxide Ink (technique from the Irresistible Inking Techniques class). I achieved this effect by ink smushing and applying water for that perfect distressed look. Since the background is the main focus here, I decided to keep the rest of the card clean and simple.
  
  

• Focusing on the Sentiment: For the sentiment, I chose to stamp it on a circle die cut, layering it onto a larger circle die cut for extra dimension by using foam tape. The sentiment was then glued to the top center of the card panel to complete the design.

• Final Touches: To finish, I adhered the panel directly to an A2 card base, and just like that, the card was ready to share with someone special!

  

This card blends soft, elegant colors with a playful twist on the idea that boys don’t love flowers. The background is created by stenciling a floral pattern using distress oxide inks, with splatters adding texture. The sentiment is kept simple, layered in a circular die cut for balance. The final design is clean and modern, proving that floral designs can be appreciated by anyone.

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Card 4: Plaid Petals

I combined several techniques I've learned from my recent classes to create a unique design. This project features the inlaid die-cut technique paired with the stencil overlay method for a stunning, layered look.

• Creating the Inlaid Die-Cut Background: I started by using the Layered Plaid Cover Die B on white paper to create an intricate die-cut. After gluing the die-cut directly onto the A2 card base, I ink blended a piece of white paper using Faded Jean, Hickory Smoke, and Brushed Corduroy Distress Oxide Inks. I then die-cut the same design from the ink-blended piece, carefully saving all the pieces for later use. I inlaid (from the Easy Die Cutting Techniques class) these pieces randomly into the glued plaid die cut, creating a fun and dynamic background.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Adding the Stenciled and Embossed Flowers: Next, I used the stencil overlay technique from the Celebration: Stencil Techniques class to stamp and heat emboss the Tulip & Friends flowers on vellum with silver embossing powder (techniques explained in Part 1). Once embossed, I flipped the vellum over and added color to the flowers using the same Faded Jean, Hickory Smoke, and Brushed Corduroy Distress Oxide Inks. After the ink dried, I fussy cut the flowers, a method I picked up in the All About Layering 3 class, to give the flowers clean, crisp edges.
  
  
   

• Assembling the Card: Once the flowers were cut out, I carefully positioned them on the inlaid background to check the layout. To ensure the liquid glue wouldn’t show through, I added it to the areas where the embossing was. For the edges of the flowers, I turned the vellum over and used masking tape to hold them in place. Finally, I glued the entire panel onto the A2 card base.
  
  

• Finishing Touches with Sentiment: To complete the card, I created a strip sentiment using Archival Jet Black Ink on white paper and glued it to the bottom left corner of the card.

 

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Bonus Card: 

For the bonus card, I made use of leftover elements from my earlier projects. I had a strip of the brayered panel and the positive ink-blended plaid die cut. I adhered the brayered strip vertically on the right side of an A2 card base and placed the plaid die cut on the left. To finish, I stamped and die-cut a sentiment from the Billowing Peonies set, stacked it for added dimension, and adhered it to the left center of the card.

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Packaging:

It’s time for the packaging! This other post is entirely dedicated to describing how the packaging was created and implemented. Since I designed packaging for both the "His" and "Hers" card sets, I wanted to focus on the process here to avoid repetition and keep the details concise in the earlier posts.

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