AECP Level 2 Final Challenge Part Two

Hello everyone and welcome to the very final part of AECP Level 2!

In my previous post I described what the challenge is, so if you are not familiar with what I am doing today, I suggest you read the previous blog post first for more insights.

Here are the items I used in this project, something old and something ready to be thrown away… actually both of these items were in a giveaway/throwaway pile, collecting dust in the garage: an old worn out book and a dusty old frame from two decades ago.

To help me complete this challenge, I used fabulous Metallic Watercolors from Altenew and the Leaf Mix Die Set also from Altenew.

In my previous post I used the same die set in all my designs and I also used the pages form the same old book. I wanted these two challenges to be cohesive, and also show you how you can change things around and use them creatively in many different ways.

This is going to be a quick one, so let’s begin!

I started off by creating my own metallic paper. There are many ways to do this and depends what kind of look you’re going for. I wanted to create something with shine but also to have more sophisticated and subtle colors. I did not like the idea of super shiny gold or silver color so I took Altenew Metallic Watercolor set and simply applied color on black card stock. You can definitely use a watercolor paper for this, but since I was not putting a lot of water down and my card stock was quite heavy, I realized that this is going to work just fine. Since my frame has four openings, I decided to use four different shades that were similar to each other. I applied three layers of the paint on my paper, and I did have to wait for it dry in between each layer. That is one more reason you don’t want to use a lot of water if you are using this technique. I just could not be more pleased with the way my metallic paper turned out! I just love it and this is an amazing way to use your paper scraps. I then arranged the dies and die cut everything at once using a Gemini die cutting machine. This is an electric die cutting machine and it is absolutely perfect when it comes to intricate dies, it is fast and just absolutely perfect. I then used some rubbing alcohol to clean the old frame and measure the openings on the matting; I then cut the book pages to size and used some washi tape to secure it on the back of the mat. I then just simply glued my die cut pieces onto the paper, put the frame back together and the project was done!

I am so happy how this turned out, truly! Thanks to Altenew I was able to repurpose an old frame and recycle an old book that would otherwise be thrown away. I love challenges like this, it truly push you further and make you use the creative side of the brain a bit more.

I hope you like this and I hope you feel inspired to create something new from something old.