Happy December, friends!
Thanks
for stopping by Paper Play to see what's new. It's hard to believe that Christmas is less than three weeks away. I've been busy crafting design team monthly projects,
gifts for friends and family, and Christmas cards. Speaking of which . .
. today I'm sharing one of my creations for the Gecko Galz design team.
Hi, friends!
Christmas crafting is in full blown mode. Just about everything that I’m working on lately has to do with the holiday season. The sketch for this week also worked very well for a Christmas card. I used paper and ephemera from Simple Stories to create this it. It has a bit of a retro feel to it. It’s such a fun design!
Thanks for stopping by Paper Play. Until next time . . . be well!
The fun part about this time of the year is that we celebrate so many holidays. This month we've moved on from all things dark and beautiful to the magic of Christmas! November's Gecko Galz
Challenge theme was Magical Christmas designs. This was a fun twist on the typical Christmas crafts since the word magical may be interpreted so many different ways. I decided to focus on the magical beings of the season - elves, beings of nature, and angels.
I created four projects for the challenge - a tag and three greeting cards. For the cards, I went with a theme of using a line from a Christmas song as the greeting. I think that I found the perfect images to accommodate them!
For
the tag, I used a chipboard tag as the base so that it would be very sturdy. I painted the tag, glued down the elf image, and then stenciled holly and ivy with colored grit paste. I made the burlap wreath by cutting a chipboard circle with the center cut out and wrapping the burlap around it. The burlap is glued down to the circle. I added some vintage grunge to the wreath using Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stains, and then glued it down to the tag so that the elf image was in the center. I glued down the sentiment strip and some additional floral elements and the tag was finished.
Happy Tuesday, friends!
Today’s share for Tuesday Morning Sketches is a beautiful encouragement card that is is full of Autumnal colors. It’s a beautiful way to remind someone that each experience brings us forward to a new one. The floral paper and sentiment are both from Brutus Monroe.
Here is my card and the sketch it’s based on:
Thanks for spending some time here with me today. Until next time . . . be well!
Hello, friends!
Today’s card for Tuesday Morning Sketches was inspired by the colors of some leaves that I saw on a walk the other day. They were the most vibrant leaves that I have seen this season. With this in mind, I decided to use the beautiful new Autumn Tweed paper from Brutus Monroe as part of the design. The three upside down arches seemed like the logical use for it. Add in some word patterned paper and a sentiment and the card was complete. Here’s my card and the sketch it’s based on:
Thanks for spending some time with me here today! U til next time . . . be well!
Hey there, friends!
Thanks for stopping by Paper Play. Today's post is about the card that I created for this week's Tuesday Morning Sketches share. This was an interesting sketch and, I have to admit, I struggled with it a little bit. It's not a typical card layout that I would create.
I started my design by finding a patterned paper in my stash that I wanted to work with for the two columns in the front of the card. I think the floral design on this paper is gorgeous and settled on using it. I wanted to incorporate some texture into the card and thought that some burlap would pair well with the paper.
I didn't want a background that was too plain; and yet, I didn't want to use a patterned paper that would look too busy with the floral print. I looked through my stash and found this white polka dot paper and thought it would work well. It's actually a bag that I received from a shop! I thought it was cute and figured that I would use it some day. I'm glad that I did!
I used the deckle edge blade on my paper trimmer to add a little something extra to the overall look. I also added some slight grunge around the edges using Distress Tea Dye ink, and added 5 pearl gems.
Here's my card and the sketch that it's based on.
I hope that you enjoy this design. Thanks for reading and, until next time, be well!
Hello, friends!
Welcome back to Paper Play. Today's card is my creation for this week's Tuesday Morning Sketches card sketch. This week I decided to use some products from the 49 and Market Always Together collection. I have lots of ephemera from the collection and I thought it would be a good time to start using it. Seeing as though I was using a sentiment that includes the word together, I thought it would be fun to use puzzle pieces in place of the hexagons in the sketch. The puzzle die that I used is from Sizzix.
I hope that you enjoy this week's card! Thanks for spending some time here with me today. Until next time . . . be well!
Welcome back to Paper Play, crafting friends!
I started this blog approximately 18 months ago to document my journey in AECP (Altenew Educator Certification Program). Over this time, I have taken 25 courses, created between 1-3 cards per course, and written 25 blog posts about what I've learned along the way. On Saturday, August 24, 2024, I hosted a live 2-hour workshop that I created based on what I learned through the program. I selected a topic, created two card designs to teach, wrote a lesson plan to submit for approval, marketed the workshop, and then hosted it. This final AECP blog post will take you through that process, including the workshop and lessons that I learned through it all.
Planning, Planning, Planning!
Once my work for 5 level three courses was reviewed and approved, Erum issued me my final assignment for the program - select a topic, create a lesson, and teach it in a live two-hour virtual workshop. I took some time to review all of the courses and started a list of possible topics. That list started out with eight topics and I started to whittle it down until it was down to two: one topic that was pretty safe and one that, while not directly a topic that was covered in the program, would take pieces of various courses and bring them together into a topic that truly interested me. I knew that the latter could be risky - but also knew that it could be very rewarding. I wanted to do something different than the workshops that I had attended and read about. I had made up my mind and decided on the second topic as my heart had to be in it for me to do well.
That topic was creating vintage tile greeting cards. I'm an old soul and have always been drawn towards vintage items. My favorite kind of creating is to take stamps, dies, and stencils and use them in a way that creates something that has a vintage flair. I knew that I could take several techniques learned through the program and apply them to the topic - water coloring with inks and ink sprays, adding small details that will create a big effect, using various shapes to build a card, and bringing what inspires me into my creative process. With this in mind, I created the cards that I would teach. I started by making one that was a general vintage style and then making one in an Art Deco style. These two cards had enough steps to take up a 2 hour time period. Here are the cards:
I next wrote up my lesson plan to send to Erum for approval. That lesson plan included the goal for the workshop, a list of products used, and the detailed steps to make each card. I checked, and rechecked, each step to ensure that someone could pick up the document and make each card by just following these directions. Once satisfied, I submitted it to Erum. I was so relieved when I heard back from her that it was approved.
Once I chose the date for the workshop, I worked on creating an advertisement for it to post in the Altenew Facebook groups, on my Facebook page, and on my Instagram page. Here is that advertisement:
I created it using Canva and was pretty happy with it since it was my first time using the program. I then posted it onto Facebook and Instagram hoping to have some interest in it. The goal was to have between 6 and 10 people sign up for the workshop and I was really happy to have 11 people sign up. I ended up having three cancellations as it got closer to the workshop date - two prior and one the day of due to losing her internet connection. That still left me with 8 crafting participants and my sister & niece also joined to watch me.
I also signed up for a Zoom subscription to allow me to host the workshop without interruption. I cannot stress enough how worthwhile it is to do this since it isn't very expensive for one month and provides a much better experience for your participants. I sent the zoom link to Erum and invited participants two days before the workshop to ensure that all received it.
In retrospect, all of this planning truly paid off. The workshop itself went smoothly due to it. I knew what order to teach the steps in and could refer to a printout as needed (and participants had it available as well), they knew what items to have available from the supply list, and there weren't any technology hiccups since the Zoom could go as long as I needed it to.
I'm including the supply list at the end of the post in an appendix to it.
The Workshop!
It was the day of the workshop before I knew it. I'd be lying to say that I wasn't nervous about it at all; however, I wasn't as anxious as I thought I'd be at the time. I knew that I was as prepared as I possibly could be and that made me feel better. I logged in to setup and was happy to see a couple of early birds logged in. Erum joined shortly thereafter, we made sure that everything was working properly and waited for the rest to join.
The first thing that amazed me was to hear how excited everyone was for the workshop. "I've been looking forward to this", "this is so different!", and "I've never done anything like this before" are a few of the comments that I heard. I started off by giving them some background on my interest in vintage and crafting, my inspiration for the tiles (old tin tile ceilings), and an overview of what we would accomplish.
Creating the tiles was such a fun experience. I went over the embossing folder that I was using to create my tiles (Dreamy Tiles 3D Geometric Embossing Folder), how to make tiles using a different embossing folder, and some examples of various coloring techniques. Here's a pic of the full tile set with various coloring mediums (ink sprays, pigment ink pads, acrylic paint, and gilding wax):
The attendees watched as I colored my tiles and started on their way to coloring their own. They asked lots of great questions about coloring mediums and techniques. We then went over adding either a turquoise/blue-green or rust patina to them. One by one they started to share their tiles and I was absolutely blown away! Their creativity was let loose, and they were all creating something different. There were multicolored panels of tiles in different shapes, wooden tiles, and tiles colored different than mine. At that moment, my heart got light, and I could not have felt more excited. I was so happy to see them taking what I was explaining and adapting it into their own unique ways. Creating the tiles takes up most of the time, which is why I started with that first.
We then moved on to discussing my cards designs and what I did to create the general vintage card. Everyone was focused on their creation and yet we talked, shared, and laughed with each other along the way. Once done with the first card, we moved on to the Art Deco style card. I again spoke about my inspiration (The Great Gastby by F. Scott Fitzgerald) and off to work we went. We ended up going over by about 15-20 minutes, but we did so with Erum's permission.
We ended with a quick wrap up of everyone sharing their cards. If I was blown away by seeing their tiles, I was left almost speechless by their amazing cards. They were absolutely gorgeous, and I couldn't have been more proud. I'm not someone who "toots their own horn." I seldom speak of successes and find receiving compliments to be somewhat awkward. However, the words shared with me as we wrapped up the workshop brought me so much joy: "This was amazing", "you showed me that it's okay to go outside the box", "you gave me permission to be free with my crafting and not constrained by traditional techniques." I was filled with so much joy as we said goodbye to each other.
Attendee Gallery:
Here are the amazing cards that were made in the workshop:
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I reflected on the workshop for a couple of days before I started to write some thoughts down. I needed that time because I was honestly so elated by the experience. Here are some of the lessons that I learned throughout the AECP program and from the workshop.
Overall, I felt that the workshop went very well. Everyone seemed engaged and happy to be there. I heard from a few attendees that they learned some new tools and tips to use in their creations. I think the best feedback that I heard was that the workshop allowed them to feel free to "color outside the lines" and take chances they normally wouldn't take in their crafting. That truly made me happy to hear.
The AECP experience was an amazing one for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the classes, especially in level three when I was able to choose them. (As a side note on that, I consider Creative Coloring with Erum and Runway Inspired Card Making to be the best two courses available. Seriously - you should check them out!) Erum was great in running the program and always provided helpful feedback on my project submissions. She was also extremely helpful in preparing for the workshop. I can't thank her enough. I also want to thank Tamara Eastridge and Anet Van Zyl who were part of my AECP group. They offered so much support along the journey. I may have never met them if not for this program and I'm grateful to have made the journey with them. I also want to thank Linda Fields. She has been an inspiration and mentor to me through this. I am better for knowing all of them.
Appendix - Supply List
These are the supplies that I used. However, I offer suggestions on how they may create tiles from a non-floral embossing folder. I will also offer suggestions for alternatives to what I used to help keep the cost of supplies low.
Today is my day to share my design team projects for Gecko Galz. What comes to mind when you hear the phrase "Sea of Dreams"? Thoughts of beautiful fish sailing through the sea? Perhaps mermaids frolicking under the waves? July's theme for Gecko Galz Challenge was Sea of Dreams and I created some projects that were inspired by it.
My first project is this underwater motif created with a cardboard base. I stacked several layers of cardboard, each layer slightly smaller than the previous one, to form the base. Each layer was glued with craft glue to the next. I then took some embossing paste mixed with some ochre ink and painted the base. I sized the Gecko Glaz background pic from the Oceans Blue set, printed it out, glued it to a piece of cardboard, and then applied some Prima Marketing 3D Gloss Gel to it. This medium helps create dimensional texture on the print. The print was attached to the back of the base with both glue and stick pins to ensure that it stays in place. I printed out some ephemera, also applied some 3D Gloss Gel to them, glued a stick pen on back, and pushed the pin into the base. I also put a dab of glue at the base to help secure the pin. Last step was adhering a sentiment and some pearl gems.
The next project is my favorite. I'm calling it a porthole card. I created the card base by taking my largest circle die and placing onto an A2 card base. I made sure that the top lip of the die was placed just over the fold of the card base before running it through my die cut machine. The result was a circular card base that flips up to open. I then made a circular frame out of white card stock using my largest circle die and the next one down to cut it out. I applied some Ranger Tim Holtz Grit Paste around the frame. Once dry, I sprayed it with some Tim Holtz Bronze Mica Spray, and then splattered it with some Brutus Monroe Peakcock Chroma Mist and Tim Holtz DDistress Rusty Hinge Spay to add some patina ageing to it. Next, I chose my image from the Oceans Blue set, sized it, and printed it out. I applied a coat of the 3D Gloss Gel and, once dry, cut out he image with my largest circle die. I also cut a piece of acetate using the same die. A sentiment was applied and then I put it together: background image was glued to the card base, the acetate was adhered using double sided foam tape strips, and the frame was also adhered with double sided foam tape strips. I am so happy with the result - it truly looks like an old rusting porthole window. And what a view when you look outside!
My third project is a fun A2 sized card. I sized the image from the Fish Camp set, printed it, and applied a coat of 3D Gloss Gel to it. I then sized the image of the swimmer from the Sweet Summer Days set, printed it, fussy cut the swimmer, and applied 3D Gloss Gel. I glued the swimmer to the underwater scene and attached that card panel to an A2 navy blue card base. I used an A2 frame die to cut a navy blue frame and attached it to the card with double sided foam tape strips. The last step was glue down the sentiment.
My final project is a very whimsical 5x7 card. I sized the image of the swim cap gal from the Sweet Summer Days set, printed it, and fussy cut it. Embossing paste was applied to a wooden square (I turned it to use it in a diamond shape) and then painted with Rainstorm metallic acrylic paint from Perfect Paints. The bubbles around the swimmer were made with a die and a medium shade of blue card stock. I glued the bubble cut out down to the wooden diamond and filled in the bubbles with X-Small Glass Bead Gel from Perfect Paints. I let this piece dry and then attached the swim cap gal with craft glue. This was attached to a piece of white card stock that I water-colored with ochre ink. The card panel was attached to an aqua card panel, and that panel attached to white 5x7 card base. I used a darker aqua acrylic marker to outline the image on the white card stock, adhered a witty sentiment, pearl gems, and clear acrylic bubbles. Such a fun card to share with someone who marches to her own tune!
I hope that you enjoyed learning more about these projects and the process to create them. Thanks for spending some time here with me today. Until next time . . . be well!
Hello Everyone! We want to welcome everyone to the Gecko Galz 15th Annual Blog Hop This is our Tricks and Treats Blog Hop! We have 14 A...
