AECP Level 3: All About Layering Dies

🖌️ Hello Crafty Friends!

I’m so excited to share a multi-media project with you that I created for my first AECP Level 3 class: All About Layering 6 Dies Edition.

Journal pages illustrating a bird visit in the garden in early autumn

I created a spread in my journal to celebrate the magic of bird visits in my garden. I started out putting white gesso on book pages making sure that the print would still show through here and there. The pages were coloured with different shades of green acrylic paint, then I added countless leaves using the Leaves & Berries Stencil, free-hand drawing and several Altenew stamp sets: Leaf Canopy and Leaf Canopy Add-on, Mini Branch, Eclectic Bouquet and Rustic Charm.

The left page features the bird from the Rustic Charm Stamp Set

I also added die-cut leaves cut from my favorite Altenew leaf die sets — they are too numerous to list, among them the Just Leaves Die Set and several of the Zero-Waste Dies. The leaves were colored with watercolors, inks and ink sprays in gold, green, lilac and orange.

For some sparkle, I added a few leaves with Shimmer Relief Paste in Enchanted Gold through the Leaves & Berries Stencil and colored some of the die-cut leaves with the same Shimmer Relief Paste.

Each page features one special stand-out element: a darling bird stamped on the left page with the Rustic Charm stamp set; a layered die-cut floral on the right page showcasing the beauty of the Larkspur Layering Die Set cut from watercolor paper and watercolored in shades of purple and lilac.

The right page celebrates the floral elements highlighting a layered larkspur

The journal pages were finished with a bit of script stamping in black and gold as well as splatters of white ink, green gold acrylic paint and diluted Shimmer Relief Paste.

With this post, I am also joining Altenew's September 2025 Inspiration Challenge inspired by the lovely Therese Calvird. You can read all about it here: https://altenew.com/blogs/paper-crafting-inspiration-and-tips/september-2025-inspiration-challenge

I love how this turned out and hope you like it too. I would love to know if you keep an art journal. Let me know in the comments or tag me on Instagram @caracaro33

Thanks so much for visiting — and until next time, I wish you a crafty good time! 🌸