Stencil Celebrations

 I absolutely adore my Altenew stencils. 

It's true! I'm not being compensated. There aren't any affiliate inks. Just a heartfelt declaration of love.

I've never been very good at coloring images. I can stay within the lines, but I have never felt confident with my shading and highlights...until I met the Altenew stencils! What a game changer! Now my stencils are a highlight of my go-to relaxation time.

In my Altenew AECP journey, I took the Celebration Stencil class with instructor Laurel Beard. This is a four lesson class with a mixed media technique emphasis. The class description doesn't say there's a mixed media focus, but in my opinion, there is a strong leaning. 

I'm not really a messy crafter, so this class was outside my comfort zone. This is a good thing! But nevertheless, it was a challenge. I made numerous cards using various stencil techniques and wasn't comfortable sharing any of them. There was nothing wrong them, they just didn't feel like "me". Finally, I decided that it was time to move along, and this card was the final draft.

For this card, I used the Garden Trellis cover die to create my own background stencil. I used ink blending and splatters through the die cut piece. While the background was drying, the die cut piece flipped over to the "white" side and I liked the way it looked, so I adhered it to the front and created a "plaid" utilizing both the positive and negative areas of this die cut piece. I then created a focal element from the Arched Foliage Craft Your Life Kit stencil. That kit is amazing!

My biggest takeaway from this class is play. I think I get so caught up worrying about making things look curated that I forget the experimental aspect of the creative process. So even though it's not my favorite card, it is the card that I have learned the most from.

Thank you for coming along on my journey.

Michelle