First Steps-All About Layering 3

Learning to using layering stamps precisely using an acrylic block

Why am I starting with layering stamps? And why do I need a whole class that involves watching an instructor line up stamps that are no longer available? Layering stamps are enticing to collect but can be frustrating, tedious, and a little intimidating to use. However the results are beautiful! I have several sets of flowers that I bought because they looked so gorgeous in all the samples, but I keep waiting for the perfect moment to play with them.

Well, every journey has to start somewhere, and All About Layering 3, taught by Lydia Evans, is the first class I chose to tackle as part of the Altenew Educators Certification Program (AECP). (Levels 1 and 2 of the program each have 10 classes, each with several lessons.) It turns out that there are lots of useful tips for layering stamps precisely using acrylic blocks, and they are accompanied by useful suggestions for card layouts. Investing the time to become more comfortable with layering stamps was definitely worth it.

Where do I start? With lots of practice

In reviewing my projects, I realized that I worked on a lot of foundational skills for making aesthetically pleasing cards. Because the sets used in class are no longer available, it forced me to put my own spin on the projects I created. I got a little overzealous in my enthusiasm to get started and made far more cards than suggested. (2-3 per course, not per lesson- there were six lessons)

Layering stamps are sets of stamps that are designed to create beautiful images with a lot of detail. The first layer is a base or outline. Each consecutive layer usually uses a darker ink, adding more depth and detail. The results are stunning, but the execution can be tricky, which is why practice is essential for learning to line up layering stamps precisely with confidence, especially using an acrylic block. A stamping platform allows for restamping without anything moving, but an acrylic block is all in the user’s control.

Wandering off the path a bit

I have many projects to choose from as a focus for my post because I made so many cards. Along with finished cards, I also have dozens of extra flowers to use in future projects. I normally use a stamp positioning tool such as the Misti or Altenew’s Stampwheel when precision is required for lining up stamps. Since the instructor used acrylic blocks, I decided to do so as well. All of the practice was worth it because I now feel much more confident using them. Pictured below is some of my “craftermath.”

Three cards that demonstrate what I learned

The very first card made for this class was the “Hugs” one. I made it while I was on vacation and after I watched the first lesson in the class. I forgot to watch part two of the lesson before staring my project. This second video for each lesson has so many tips on using layering in the card to add dimensional interest. I played with several of Altenew’s gorgeous build a flower layering sets. I will be revisiting some of them as I do my projects for All About Layering 4. The hugs card uses the Majestic Bouquet Stamp & Die Bundle – Stamp & Die Set | Altenew. I practiced with this one several times because I wanted to see how it looked in different colors.

Majestic Bouquet “Hugs” card

For this card I stamped the smaller of the two floral images using the Altenew Cherry Blossom Fresh Dye Ink Bundle. The extra buds and leaves were stamped and die cut using the Altenew Majestic Bloom Add-On Die Set . Additional colors used are yellows from the Altenew Pocketful of Sunshine Fresh Dye Ink Bundle, and for the leaves Altenew Jade Dreams Fresh Dye Ink Bundle. Coordinating dies were used to die cut the images. If the dies are not available, the images can be fussy cut.

All About Layering 3 covered so many design elements and I managed to use several of them in this card. The rule of threes also comes into play when arranging your flowers and leaves. After watching the second part of the video I realized two buds instead of three may have looked better. With the flower as the fourth element, it looks a little unbalanced to me. I did arrange the leaves in sets of three, thinking of a triangle as I did it.

A few tips for lining up your layered stamps precisely

Here are a few tips:

1. Line up the layers of the stamp by finding three distinct points (preferably in a triangular shape) such as the divots between the petals or the tips of the petals. If the set has a black outline stamp, that can be so helpful in finding the points. Using three points forces the stamp to go perfectly over the previous layer. The center is also a good reference point to make sure everything looks right. Sometimes the smaller layers don’t match up to the outer points of the flower.
   • Lining up the stamp and making notes of these points before inking it is also helpful. When you line up the stamp, make sure you are looking straight down over the image so nothing gets skewed.
   • The Altenew layering stamp sets have layering guides that are very good references for seeing how to layer the flowers.
2. When arranging your layout, the eye will find it more pleasing if there are odd numbers of elements. I tried a second (and third) card with the Majestic Bouquet set to test this.
3. Using a layer of vellum with a background die can help soften the card and add extra visual interest.

Design decisions and constructing the “Hugs” card

I loved the idea of incorporating some vellum, but I was on vacation and had limited supplies with me. The Altenew Moroccan Lattice Cover Die is one of my favorite background dies, so I was happy for the opportunity to use it. As a quilter, the added layer of white on white and extra texture is something I love.

For the background, I cut out the cover die twice from 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ cardstock and once from vellum. I flipped the vellum 180 degrees and placed it between the two layers of cardstock. This offset it a tiny bit so it showed as a soft shadow. The vellum layer was too subtle, so I used an oval die and made a frame from the cardstock die cuts. A little satin tape helped hold the die in place. I sandwiched the vellum between the frames to get the shadow and frame effect.

Not sure this looks quite right…

The white on white background looked didn’t look quite right to me at this point. I used the lightest colors in the ink sets to ink blend a card base. I used the pink toward the top of the flower and green at the base, around the leaves. The yellow bud has a bit of a yellow spotlight around it. Then I auditioned the assembled card panel on top of the ink blended base and a white base. The colored base was more visually appealing to me because it softened the vellum. The frame and leaves are assembled using glue. I popped up the flowers using a few heights of dimensional foam tape. In hindsight, putting double sided adhesive on the vellum and frame pieces before die cutting probably would have made it a little easier to adhere them to the card.

I finished off the card with a stamped hugs sentiment. Two extra shadow die cuts pop it up a bit for more dimension. A few weeks after I completed this card, I realized there was too much white space above the focal flower. In the detail picture you can see that I added another light green leaf stem which balanced out the two at the bottom of the flower.

Majestic Bouquet 2

For my second card using the Majestic Bouquet die set, I used both blooms from the set as well as the add on buds. The background uses the matching Majestic Bloom 3D Embossing Folder | Altenew . As you can see, I only added two buds this time and went lighter on the foliage.

The All About Layering 3 tips I used in this card are:

1. The whole stamped image does not need to be used- It’s OK to arrange the flowers off the card and trim them once they are adhered. The extra pieces are good to tuck in elsewhere, though I didn’t do that with this particular arrangement. Trimming the excess from the back works well.
2. The eye likes things in threes, so I only used two buds with the bottom flower, and three leaf sets. I also applied the rule of thirds when placing the sentiment. The sentiment is centered along the horizontal line that divides the card in thirds.

Card construction

First, I stamped the Majestic Bouquet images using the Altenew Fresh Dye ink colors: Pink Pearl, Coral Bliss, Heartbeat, Golden Honeycomb, Misty Sage and Mossy Meadow, as well as Obsidian for the outline. (The wrong pinks are pictured-they went with the hugs card.) I used Golden Honeycomb under Coral Bliss and love the way they blended.

After die cutting the flowers and leaves, I worked on arranging them on my base. The top flower is placed off the edge. After embossing the background and adhering the flower, I just trimmed off the excess.

Time for a little innovation

The embossing was where things got interesting. I believe this folder was designed so you can stamp your images, then emboss them for more depth. I tried embossing, then stamping, and it didn’t quite work. (Since making this card I have seen the technique done properly and look forward to trying again.) Because I wanted to use the folder for subtle background texture, I had to figure out how to fill in some empty areas that stood out too much.

Partial embossing seemed like a good solution, so I carefully positioned a few leaves where I needed to fill in some space and ran it through my die cut machine. After doing this, there was still a spot at the top of the card base that was noticeably empty. Again, I found a leaf that would fit nicely, but the folder was at an angle that could not go through the machine. At this point I went into the kitchen and got out a rolling pin and went over the part of the folder I need to emboss. The image did not come out quite as crisp as running through the die cut machine, but it worked!

After finishing the background, I used glue and foam tape to adhere the layers to the card base.

Morning Flowers

For my final project for All About Layering 3, I used the Altenew Morning Flowers Stamp & Die Bundle. The stamping uses Altenew Blue Mountains Fresh Dye Ink Set, Altenew Jade Dreams Fresh Dye Ink Mini Cube Set, and an acrylic block.

Because this set does not have an outline stamp, it was challenging to line up the layers. All of my practice looking for good points to reference was put to good use. The single flower was especially challenging, and I’m not sure I ever got it perfect. To add variety to the leaves, I used second generation stamping so some would be lighter. I found the acrylic block helpful for this because when I use a stamp positioner there is not much ink left on the stamp after the first press. As long as you don’t drop an inked stamp on your project, the acrylic blocks help give you control over the intensity of the image. ‘

The final lessons in the class went over some techniques for adding subtle visual interest to the background. Using delicate cover dies, light stenciling, or embossing, adds an extra dimension to the project and looks so pretty. I experimented with several backgrounds and will continue playing with all my extra pieces to assemble some more cards. The technique I chose for this Morning Flowers card was stenciling.

Morning Flower card construction

After doing my stamping I wanted to add something extra. I die cut extra leaves from vellum, then heat embossed the final detail layer stamp in silver. While really pretty, when I arrange the leaves on a card base, it didn’t work with what I was envisioning for the flower layout and sentiment I planned on using. This is a good reminder that sometimes you need to edit yourself, and that you don’t have to use every technique you know on every card.

Next, I stenciled an A2 card panel with the Leaf Bed Stencil – Leaf Stencil Design and Pattern | Altenew using a light touch and large blending brush with Pistachio Fresh Dye Ink. I trimmed the panel down to 5 1/4″ x 4″ so that there would be a bit of a border around it.

I then laid out my floral arrangement, keeping in mind that I wanted three sets of leaves and placing them in a triangular pattern. The sentiment is part of the Altenew Flutter & Bloom stamp set. My plan was to place it where the left third horizontal and vertical lines would be if the card were divided into thirds.

And here is where I started making mistakes

Reference photos are a great tool to remember the layout chosen for a card. I took one, set the floral arrangement to the side, then inked up the stamp with obsidian ink and stamped it- far higher than I intended. It just didn’t look right, so I made another stenciled base and got out my t-ruler to carefully measure everything and make sure I placed the sentiment correctly.

With all that careful planning what could go wrong? A few things- I stamped it crooked and wiggled the acrylic block so the image was blurry, ending up with a second panel with the sentiment in the wrong place. So, I made a third base and tried again, thankfully getting the sentiment where I wanted it.

At this point I felt like something was still missing. I created a tiny border around the edge of the panel by using some of the mossy meadow ink with an ink dauber. This gave just enough contrast between the stenciling and white to make it stand out. I carefully repositioned the flowers on the card, then I used foam tape to adhere the flowers and glued on the leaves. Finally, I turned the card over and trimmed the excess from the top flower. I carefully centered the panel on the A2 base, making sure the fold was at the top, and adhered it using double sided adhesive.

Final Thoughts

This is one of my favorite cards because it took some trial and error to get everything right. I also used one of my “oops” panels, extra flowers, and the vellum leaves to make another card. This bonus layout shows how careful attention to the details of placing elements in odd numbers and using the rule of thirds makes a card more appealing. I like them both, but my more carefully planned card just looks more “right” to me.

All About Layering 3 gave me plenty of opportunities to practice layering stamps. I am drawn Altenew’s beautiful florals because I love flowers and they make me think of people I love. This class has made me more confident and inspired to use layering stamps more. As with anything, it takes practice to get comfortable with lining up layering stamps, but the results are worth it! I hope that the tips and tricks shown here will encourage the reader to get out some stamps and create!