Elizabeth Craft Designs: Getting Started With Planners Part One

Elizabeth Craft Designs Planners

This will be a two-part post because there is a lot of information to cover! This first post will mainly focus on the A5 standard slim planner.  In addition to discussing Elizabeth Craft Designs and getting started with planners, the posts will cover what is needed, what are compatible companies, and so much more! But first, why invest time and money into crafting a planner for yourself?

Click on the image to enlarge the Suggested Uses infographic

What do you do with a paper planner?

Many people keep a planner for the calendar. It is a great way to keep your day, week, month, and year organized. Some people use it to keep track of appointments, school holidays, trips, practice schedules, work commitments, and general obligations. Other people use planners for aspirational purposes, such as goal setting, meal planning, weight, and exercise tracking, budgeting/spending tracking, self-care, or hobby scheduling, etc. And then there are people like me. We keep track of many of the above items and also lots of other fun things, such as art journaling, memory keeping, mini-travelogues, favorite quotes, gratitude journals, etc. Yes, there are apps for many of these things - but some of us like the feel of a pen in hand, the texture of the paper, and the ability to create something specifically for our own needs.

Getting Started - Materials

It may be worthwhile to evaluate your intended purpose. But, sometimes, as I create something I think of new ideas for using an item. Having a plan is not necessary when making a planner. That being said, some decisions will need to be made at the start. Are you making inserts for an existing planner? Are you creating a mini-book, cover-to-cover? How much do you want to create from scratch versus using ready-made materials? Do you want it to be clean and simple or filled with lots of bits and bobs?

We will delve into more details in the next post. But for purposes of getting started, let us assume you are all-in on the idea of crafting something from start to finish. Take the pieces that pertain to your needs from this information to make something that works specifically for you!

Choose the planner size. As previously mentioned, this post is geared toward an A5 planner. The TN (travelers notebook) sizes will be addressed in a future post. The photos and text that follow show the components and sizes of the die cuts from good beginner die sets with which to get started. The measurements are rounded to the nearest sixteenth of an inch for each individual cut item.

All of the cuts made from Elizabeth Craft Designs Planner Essentials 1

Planner Essentials - 1 

11 DIES

PAGE DIE SIZE: 5” X 8.25” (12.7CM X 20.9CM) 

Large Rounded Frame 3" also cuts interior mat 2 5/8"

Small Rounded Frame 2 1/4" also cuts interior mat 1 15/16"

Rectangle 1 1/4" x 5/8"

Tag Label (like on drawer fronts) 2" x 3/4"

Folding Round Tab - open 1 3/4" x 1", closed 7/8" x 1"

Stitched Circle - 1 1/2"

Scalloped TODAY - Scallop Frame Circle 1 9/16" also cuts circle with TODAY 1 5/16"

LOVE THIS Circle - 1 5/16"

YES Circle - 1 5/16", also cuts thin round frame 1 3/8"

Page Reinforcers - cuts 6 circles, approximately 1/2" each

All of the cuts made from Elizabeth Craft Designs Planner Essentials 2

Planner Essentials - 2

9 Dies - package says 8 dies

PAGE DIE SIZE: 5” X 8.25” (12.7CM X 20.9CM) 

Large Tag 2 1/2" x 4"

Small Tag  2 3/8" x 2 15/16"

Pocket with 3 Slots 2 13/16" x 2 1/4" Pocket width - 2 1/2", 3/16" between pockets, offcuts 2 1/2" x 3/16"

Thin round frame 1 7/16"

NOTED Circle - 1 5/16"

Arrow - 2 3/8" x 3/8"

date tab - 2 5/8" x 1/2"

details tab - 3 7/8" x 1/2"

All of the cuts made from Elizabeth Craft Designs Planner Essentials 10

Planner Essentials - 10

11 Dies - Package says 7

PAGE DIE SIZE: 4.7” x 8.25” (11.9 cm x 20.9 cm

Perforated Postage Stamps - four attached 1 3/8" x 5 3/8"

Smile Square Frame - 1 13/16"

Staff/Stave - 3" x 3/4", offcuts 2 13/16" x 1/8"

Round Swirly Design - 3 3/8" x 2 1/8"

Large Treble Clef - 11/16" x 1 13/16"

Small Treble Clef - 1/2" x 1 5/16"

Large Eighth Note - 5/8" x 1"

Small Eighth Note - 7/16" x 3/4"

Large Beamed Sixteenth Note- 13/16" x 7/8"

Small Beamed Sixteenth Note- 5/8" x 11/16"

All of the cuts made from Elizabeth Craft Designs Planner Essentials 41

Planner Essentials - 41 Rounded Corners Page

8 Dies

PAGE DIE SIZE: 4.7" x 8.27" (11.9 cm x 21 cm)

Stitched panel -3 13/16" x 7 3/4" 

Double Frame - 2 3/4" x 7 5/16", also cuts one stitched tag and one stitched mat each measuring - 2 5/16" x 3 1/8"

Vertical Numbers - 7/16" x 6 1/4"

Arrow Clip - 1 7/16" x 1 3/8"

Short Tab - 1 13/16" x 3/4"

Two longer Tabs each measuring - 2 1/16 x 11/16"

Planner Binder - Blank Canvas

This is a canvas color planner on both the inside and outside. It isn't made from canvas but can still be altered with paint, ink, or ephemera.  This A5 size planner binder comes with 6 binder rings, interior pockets, a tab for a pen or pencil, and a band closure. It measures 9" x 6.25". 

In a future post, we will talk about ways to alter planners and some of the coordinating products that are available for them.

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. BY CLICKING ON THEM AND PURCHASING PRODUCTS THROUGH MY LINKS, I RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION FOR THE REFERRAL. THE ITEM WILL NOT COST YOU ANY MORE BY GOING THROUGH THIS LINK.

Products Mentioned:

Elizabeth Craft Designs Planner Essentials

Elizabeth Craft Designs - Planner Essentials Collection - Dies - Essential Set 1
Scrapbook.com

Elizabeth Craft Designs - Planner Essentials Collection - Dies - Essential Set 2
Scrapbook.com

Elizabeth Craft Designs - Planner Essentials Collection - Dies - Essential Set 10
Scrapbook.com

Elizabeth Craft Designs - Planner Essentials Collection - Dies - Essential Set 41 - Rounded Corners Page
Scrapbook.com

Elizabeth Craft Designs - Planner Essentials Collection - A5 Planner Binder - Blank Canvas
Scrapbook.com

Three Scoops Card

 

Today the temperature outdoors was in the 70s. This is the first day of the year which felt like Spring finally arrived. Spring is all about flowers, sunny days, and in my house, eventually - ice cream. What does ice cream have to do with card making? More about that in a bit.

As I am working through the courses for the Altenew Educator Certification program, my card choice was informed by this class: In The Mood For Color. Each lesson covers a different color and the symbolism or feelings related to that color. The last lesson in the series combined colors. I took my cue from that and also the name of the Altenew inks that sing "Sunny Days Ahead" to me - Four Scoops. I did not use the Dark Chocolate ink pad, hence this is called the Three Scoops Card. The other three delicious ink colors used on this card are all stamped with the Build-A-Flower: Primrose layering stamp set.

The names of the inks are Mango Smoothie, Cotton Candy, and Peach Perfect. The stamp set has four stamps for each of the three primrose flowers. Every layer was stamped using the same ink color. I also stamped the smallest stamp using these same inks to fill in a bit of the background. Some of the larger flowers looked a little flat so a few of them have centers stamped with one of the other ink colors. To embellish the card, I used what would normally have been trash - the offcuts from another card.

The offcuts from this cover die were used as embellishments on the 3 Scoops card

My intention in saving the little circles from cutting the silver paper with the Halftone Cover Die was to use them for a shaker card. They seemed to add a nice little sprinkle of fun to the Three Scoops Card. And there is still plenty left over for a shaker card! This card is 6" x 6" and needed a big sentiment. One of my favorite dies is the Mega Hello die. It is about five inches wide. I cut it in white to use as an offset behind the second cut, which is in a lovely Spring sky blue. The sentiment is raised with foam tape. The top card panel measures 5 3/4" square. This is popped up with foam tape onto a black square measuring 5 7/8". The card base is a 6" x 12" piece of white cardstock, folded in half to form a 6" square top-folding card.

Welcome to sunny days, flowers, and ice cream. Are you a three-scoop kind of person? Or maybe four?

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. BY CLICKING ON THEM AND PURCHASING PRODUCTS THROUGH MY LINKS, I RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION FOR THE REFERRAL. THE ITEM WILL NOT COST YOU ANY MORE BY GOING THROUGH THIS LINK.

Products Used:

Build-A-Flower: Primrose Layering Stamp & Die Set

Four Scoops Crisp Dye Ink Set

Mega Hello Die

Halftone Cover Die  - offcuts

Black and White Embossed Card

This black and white embossed card looks impressive, though it is very simple to make. The inspiration came from the Altenew Academy course, Impressive Heat Embossing Techniques. It is a variation of one of the beautiful cards made with heat-embossed details.

Steps for making this card

Using two pieces of cardstock, each cut to 5.5" by 4.25", stamp images with the same placement on each piece. I chose to use a piece of white cardstock stamped with black ink as the base. Then I stamped the same images with Versamark ink on black cardstock and used white embossing powder to heat emboss the floral images and sentiment. These images are all from the Build-A-Flower: Primrose stamp set from Altenew. A Misti stamp positioner made this very easy because the images were stamped in the same location for both pieces.

Die cut the center of the cardstock for the top layer

Gina K. Designs has a variety of dies to use for cardmaking. I chose the Large Rectangle 1, measuring 3.75" x 5" from the Master Layouts 1 set to cut the stamped and embossed black cardstock. This center section could also be cut with a craft knife or a paper trimmer that allows for starting a cut inside the paper to make a frame.

The black piece is popped up with foam tape and placed equidistance from the edges of the white base which makes the stamped images align. A few white sequins add a little sparkle and this lovely black and white embossed card is complete.

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. BY CLICKING ON THEM AND PURCHASING PRODUCTS THROUGH MY LINKS, I RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION FOR THE REFERRAL. THE ITEM WILL NOT COST YOU ANY MORE BY GOING THROUGH THIS LINK.

Products Used:

Build-A-Flower: Primrose Layering Stamp & Die Set

Versamark Ink

White Embossing Powder

Master Layouts 1 Set

MISTI Stamping Tool - The Most Incredible Stamp Tool Invented
Scrapbook.com

Creative Watercolor Media Card Made with Re-inkers

Creating a Watercolor Card with Re-inkers

The latest AECP class that I completed is the Creative Watercolor Media course in Level 2. There are many different ways to achieve a watercolor effect. Watercolors come in many forms: liquid, pan, pencil, crayon, dots, tubes, and sticks. However, this class is all about using ink with water to create a watercolor look without actually using watercolors. Just as pigment intensity varies with true watercolors, the pigment load exhibited in inks varies, too. The card pictured here is made with water-based dye inks from re-inker bottles. The more diluted the ink, the more transparent the painted image. But first, let us talk about the necessary supplies to work with re-inkers in this manner.

Paper Matters

There are many watercolor papers available. The kind that I used for this card is from Fabriano. It is 300 gsm, 140 lb, and comes in a 9 x 12 pad of 60 sheets. I mainly use it because it is more economical than many of the other papers I've used in the past. It does have the typical watercolor slightly-bumpy paper texture. This makes it challenging to achieve a crisp stamped image. Because these images were to be heat embossed with gold embossing powder, I wasn't very concerned about the texture of the paper. Using a stamping platform and double stamping with Versamark helps to ensure a good enough base for the powder to stick. I also made a background with re-inkers on the same paper as the stamped and die-cut images.

Creating a Background

The background was made by dropping dots of Burnt Red, Marigold, and Citrus Burst dye ink re-inkers onto wet watercolor paper, and then using a straw to blow air across the page. I also used a pipette to see if the same effect would be achieved. The pipette didn't work well because there was not enough air to move the water and ink. It came in handy to add more water, though. As it turned out, it is good that the background was never going to be the primary focus because the results were different from what I had hoped. The ink dots were too saturated and created blobs. Next time, I will mix the re-inker dots with water before applying the ink to the paper. 

After the background dried, I splattered some opaque white watercolor (Dr. Ph Martin's) and some gold metallic watercolor (Altenew's) over the paper. 

Painting the Stamped Images

Because of all of the little wells, using a mixed media mat made it easier to mix the ink with water. This also allowed for lots of surface area to dilute the ink even further. The picture above shows the four blue inks: Sea Breeze, Turquoise, Tide Blue, and Starlight, along with the green Firefly ink prior to mixing with water. I used a wet-on-wet technique which moves the ink and water on the images really easily. This is something that takes practice. Some of the flowers and leaves look better than others! The painterly effect of ink with water is always fun to behold. I like the contrast of the warm-colored background with the cool-colored flowers and leaves. To give depth to the card the blossoms are popped up with foam tape. The sentiment strip was laying on my desk leftover from another project. It fit perfectly.

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. BY CLICKING ON THEM AND PURCHASING PRODUCTS THROUGH MY LINKS, I RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION FOR THE REFERRAL. THE ITEM WILL NOT COST YOU ANY MORE BY GOING THROUGH THIS LINK.

Products Used:

Build-A-Flower: Primrose Layering Stamp & Die Set

Versamark Stamp Pad

Deep Blue Sea Set of Re-inker 

Burnt Red Re-inker

Marigold Re-inker

Citrus Burst Re-inker

Firefly Dye Ink Re-inker

Metallic Watercolor Pan Set

Fabriano 140 lb Watercolor Paper

Dr. Ph Martin's Bleedproof White

Silicone Mixed Media Mat

AECP Level 2 Course

Color Your Day

There are ten courses to complete for the Altenew Educator Certification Program (AECP) in Level 2. I just finished the course, Color Your Day, taught by Therese Clavird. One of her suggested guidelines when choosing colors for a card project is to use a 70-20-10 ratio. What that means is that 70% of the project is one color (or color family,) 20% of the card is another color, and then about 10% is for the 'pop' of color or accent color. This isn't a hard and fast rule, just one that she employs in some of her work. It seems like an easy formula to remember and one that I was interested in trying out.

Using a Stamp Set with Many Techniques

If you saw the first two posts related to the Level 2 courses here and here, you will notice that I am using the same stamp set on all three posts. It is the Build-A-Flower: Primrose Layering Stamp and coordinating die set from Altenew.  The reason for this is that I thought it would be fun to see how many ways I can use the same set. If you are new to stamping, you may wonder about the versatility of using stamps for different looks. We all want to get the most out of our supplies and I am exploring several ways to use this set through the AECP Level 2 Course. With multi-layered stamping the outline stamps are usually stamped in black. Instead, I opted to stamp the outline with a dark color of the color family used on either the floral or leaf images. The primrose outline is stamped with Cosmic Berry ink and the leaf's outline is stamped using Forest Glades ink. The other layers are stamped from lightest to darkest depending on the number of stamps for each image. The flower has three layers plus the outline and the leaf has two plus the outline. The images were die-cut and arranged on the card front along with a stamped sentiment from the set.

To continue with a softer look, the sentiment was stamped once again using the darkest color of the Rose Petal family, Cosmic Berry. I then traced over the letters with a Stardust Gelly Roll pen to give them a bit of sparkle. In this card, approximately 70% is the Rose Petal family, 20% is white, and the last 10% is green with a touch of light blue for the layered base card. Let me know if you try this formula or if you have a different one that you like when it comes to choosing colors.

Have a great day!

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. BY CLICKING ON THEM AND PURCHASING PRODUCTS THROUGH MY LINKS, I RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION FOR THE REFERRAL. THE ITEM WILL NOT COST YOU ANY MORE BY GOING THROUGH THIS LINK.

Products Used:

Build-A-Flower: Primrose Layering Stamp & Die Set

Rose Petal Crisp Dye Ink Set

Frayed Leaf Crisp Ink

Forest Glades Crisp Ink

Ombre Card Front Background With Fancy Die Cutting

 

Beyond Basic Backgrounds is another Altenew Educator Certification Program course for the second level of the certification. Lydia Evans shared six different techniques for making fun and interesting card backgrounds. This ombre card front background with fancy die cutting is easy to do and very pretty. The 4.25" x 5.5" bottom layer cardstock is ink blended with different shades of the same color family. I used three pinks and a purple, all of which are part of the Rose Petal ink set family from Altenew.

Using three different floral dies from the Build-A-Flower: Primrose Layering Stamp and Die Set, I randomly die cut them from a piece of white cardstock measuring 4" x 5.25". It is important to cut some of the dies off the edge of the card front to create more interest. Laying the white front on top of the ombre ink-blended piece, I lined up the coordinating stamps and stamped them using Versamark ink. Setting the white die-cut piece aside, I then heat embossed the images with white embossing powder. The die-cut front was then popped up with foam tape and adhered to the ombre/stamped piece. I use a lot of foam tape because it would be saggy without it. The picture posted above shows the back side with the foam tape.

This picture shows the shadow around the blooms by having the top layer raised over the ombre piece. The sentiment is from the same Primrose set and it was stamped with black ink.

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. BY CLICKING ON THEM AND PURCHASING PRODUCTS THROUGH MY LINKS, I RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION FOR THE REFERRAL. THE ITEM WILL NOT COST YOU ANY MORE BY GOING THROUGH THIS LINK.

Products Used:

Build-A-Flower: Primrose Layering Stamp & Die Set

Permanent Crisp Black Ink

Rose Petal Crisp Dye Ink Set

Versamark Ink

White Embossing Powder

Stepping Up Stamped Images Through Shading

 

Beautiful Details is the first class I've completed in the AECP Level 2 series. Wowza! It is filled with beautiful details showing how to step up stamped images through shading and coloring. This class is available through Altenew Academy and one does not need to be going through the certification process to take it. Marika Rahtu is the instructor. She showcases her clean aesthetic while sharing her coloring techniques. As a long-time stamper/paper crafter, I found many valuable ideas in the class and highly recommend this one for all levels of stamping enthusiasts. Here is one idea of Marika's that I adapted to make this clean and simple card.

Stamp as Usual

All of the stamped images are from the Build-A-Flower: Primrose Layering set. The sentiments in the set are a mix-and-match series of words or partial statements. I masked a couple of the primrose images to make it look as though they are behind the other flowers. The photo above shows the images stamped following the instructions which are included in the stamp packaging. It is easy to follow the color order if you have an ink pad family of colors, such as the Martian Terrain set. This set includes four ink colors, I used these three for the orange/peach flowers on the left-hand side: 

Pastel Sunrise
Canyon Clay
Burnt Red

It is easy to use inks from different families, also. The yellow primrose center was stamped with the Pastel Sunrise color from the Martian Terrain set. The first two yellow layered images used Fresh Lemon and Honey Drizzle. These are in the Pocketful of Sunshine ink set.

Add Shading to the Stamped Images

The images are very pretty as they are. However, it is fun to step up the images by coloring and adding shading. To add this extra level of depth and detail to the multi-layered stamped images, I colored the images with alcohol ink markers. To add some sparkle, I used the Clear Star Gelly Roll pen in the centers of the flowers, along the leaf vein, and over the word, "amazing".

Additional sparkle comes from Pink & Main's Silver Glossy Dots. These are self-adhesive and are easy to place. So easy, in fact, that I got a bit carried away with them!

The card front stands out with a black piece of cardstock mounted behind it and then adhered to the card base. Each layer was glued; they are not popped up.

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. BY CLICKING ON THEM AND PURCHASING PRODUCTS THROUGH MY LINKS, I RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION FOR THE REFERRAL. THE ITEM WILL NOT COST YOU ANY MORE BY GOING THROUGH THIS LINK.

Products Used:

Build-A-Flower: Primrose Layering Stamp & Die Set

Permanent Crisp Black Ink

Martian Terrain Crisp Dye Ink Set

Fresh Lemon Crisp Dye Ink

Honey Drizzle Crisp Dye Ink

Firefly Crisp Dye Ink

Grass Field Crisp Dye Ink

Rose Petal Crisp Dye Ink Set

Altenew Artist Marker Set D R601

Copic Markers: YG11, Y11, R11

Silver Glossy Dots

Altenew Educator Certification Program Level 1 Challenge - Part Two

 

Ink-Blended Sentiment Strip

Hello! Welcome to the final leg of the AECP Level One Challenge. This is Part Two. Part One can be found here. The Altenew Educator Certification Program (AECP) has a culminating challenge of making two card sets along with gift packaging. The cards or packaging need to include a recycled element.  Here is a quick video showing how I crafted a wrapper for the eight feminine-leaning cards out of a piece of paper that was packaged around part of a box. 

Video Tutorial for Gift Packaging

Each of the eight different cards was made with the Beautiful Day stamp set. I love this set because, in addition to having a stunning floral outline stamp, it is easy to create gorgeous multi-layered images. Multi-layered stamping is quick, yet very impressive looking. Some of the cards use different shades of the same color family of inks. Others use the same ink pad with one or two of the filler stamps. Each time a new layer is stamped, it darkens the ink underneath and creates a wonderful level of dimension. 

Beautiful Day Stamps and PinkFresh Foiled Sentiments

In addition to the multi-layered stamp images, there are some smaller, airy filler images that I colored with a variety of media. The card pictured above has the smaller images colored with Altenew's alcohol markers. The large flowers are stamped with two of the four multi-layer stamps. The outline images on the card posted below are colored with a few Gelly Roll pens. That gives a bit of fun gloss to the card front.

It is easy to bring a bit of bling to cards through the use of sequins or other sparkly embellishments. For the card shown below, a thin piece of gold washi anchors the sentiment. My die-cutting machine recently broke after serving me well for many years. I found a package of gold and silver foiled die cuts in my stash and they were perfect to add an additional blingy component. 

The floral images are stamped with three of the four multi-layer stamps

Some sentiments are substantial enough that they can float on a card with great effect. However, I think many sentiments need to have something to anchor them to the page or the layout of the card. The Sending You Sunshine card pictured below has a narrow piece of organza ribbon running across the card front. The ribbon is sheer so it adds interest to the card without obscuring the pretty floral images.

Sunshine Card using all four of the multi-layer stamp images

The image pictured below shows the cards in progress while being colored. Even though the colored images are very pretty, sometimes it is nice to have another layer on the card.

Alcohol Markers and Gel Pens Used on Stamped Images

The card front layered with a piece of vellum on top

The gatefold card offers another way to make a card a little more interesting. The picture showing the opening of the card (below) lets you peek inside to see a wider piece of gold washi tape.

 

Lastly, this card makes a simple yet lovely backdrop for the sentiment that truly says it all, love. The sentiment works well because it ties in some of the gold from the other cards and has a glittery outline. This was one of the last dies to make it through the die-cutting machine before it had to be retired. 😄

Some of the techniques used on these cards:

• Random Stamping
• Layered Stamping
• Ink Blending
• Bling through embellishments, cardstock, and washi
• Dimensional layering
• Die-Cutting
• Fancy Fold - Gatefold Card
• Matted Card Front
• Coloring with Alcohol Markers and Gel Pens
• Doodling as an outline for the card front

  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. BY CLICKING ON THEM AND PURCHASING PRODUCTS THROUGH MY LINKS, I RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION FOR THE REFERRAL. THE ITEM WILL NOT COST YOU ANY MORE BY GOING THROUGH THIS LINK.

Products Used:

Beautiful Day Stamp Set

Permanent Black Crisp Dye Ink

Deep Blue Seas Crisp Dye Ink Set

Cherry Blossom Crisp Dye Ink Set

Pocketful of Sunshine Crisp Dye Ink Set

Artist Marker Set D

Glitter Card Stock - Gilded

Gold Foil 1" Washi

Sequins Antique Gold