Dori Shelton
- May 18
- 2 min read

AECP Level 1 For the Guys

Hello everyone!

Thank you for visiting me today, I hope you are all doing well. Today I have two more cards for my Altenew Educator Certification Program. This class focused on creating cards "For the Guys" This class showcased a variety of fun techniques including using simple geometric shapes for backgrounds as well as different color combinations that are more geared towards those masculine tones.

When I first decided to do this program, I knew that two of the best sets for this course were going to be Altenew's Simple Shapes stamp set and their "Seas the Day" set. I have been patiently waiting to use this "Seas the Day" set ever since I ordered it until I got to this course! It is just such an easy set to make a guys card with.

For my first card, I did an ink blended background using Lost Shadow, Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean and Unchartered Mariner Distress Oxide Inks. I felt like these colors made a great almost after a storm out on the ocean vibe. I stamped the clouds and the birds with Hickory Smoke and Black inks. For the sail boat, I don't have the coordinating dies that go with this set, so I just stamped it and fussy cut it...easy peasy. I added a bit of Copic markers in brown for the hull of the boat and a little grey on the sails and attached it to the background with some foam adhesive to pop it up a bit.

For the sentiment, I didn't want the water to be hidden, so I also did a little DIY fussy cutting around it before adding it. For a little final touch, I added some glossy accents to a few of the waves in the water just to add a bit of final interest .

For my second card, I created a repeating pattern using Altenew's "Simple Shapes" stamp set. This set has such great versatility and can be used in such fun ways to make geometric backgrounds or even fun geometric shapes. I chose three ink colors from my Secret Garden Retreat box Navy, Pool and Olove. I wanted to keep the focus on the background, so I just stacked a simple die cut Birthday greeting in the center. I decided to shadow it with some gold foil cardstock because I thought that would be a nice way to make it a little more snazzy while still keeping it masculine. Keeping cards simple is another great way to create a more masculine feel.