AECP Level 2 Challenge Part 2

Hey hey! Welcome back! Thanks so much for stopping by! In my previous post, I broke down my Altenew Educator Certification Program Level 2 Challenge into two different parts. Today, I will be focusing on part 2 of this challenge. From part 1, I had to create four masculine cards to be a set. For part 2 of this challenge, I had to take an item on hand, and upcycle it into a new project.

I kept looking around my home thinking about what I could take to create something totally different and new. My eyes fell to some spare Nashville Soccer Club car magnets. As a reader, my eyes envisioned bookmarks. Not just any bookmarks, though…magnetic bookmarks! While there are tons of magnetic bookmarks, many of these are small and use only the small round magnets and go at the top of the page. I wanted to create a bookmark that would use a thinner magnet, but be much longer while upcycling these car magnets.

Let’s look into these easy steps on how I turned three car magnets into three magnetic bookmarks.

1. Cut three 2 1/2″ by 11″ strips from 130lb. heavyweight cardstock.
2. Score each strip in the middle at 5 1/2″.
3. Take three large car magnets and vertically cut each in half.
4. Decorate outside of bookmarks.
5. On the inside of the bookmark, using double-sided strong tape, adhere half of magnet to the top and the other half to the bottom. An easy way is to adhere the top magnet first, then, place the other magnet directly on top of it, add double-sided strong tape, then close the bottom of the bookmark to catch the tape.
6. Press firmly to ensure magnet adheres to each side.
7. Use a small hole punch to create a hole for the ribbon.
8. Tie in ribbon of choice and cut to desired length.

Now, let’s look at the products I used to create each of these individual bookmarks! This bookmark I made specifically for my sister. To decorate it, I followed these steps.

1. Use Altenew Trellis Stencil. Tape down right at score mark.
2. Take blending brush and blend Altenew Wisteria ink, Altenew Hydrangea ink, and Altenew Grape Agate ink over the trellis stencil.
3. Cut small strip of bronze cardstock and glue to the bottom of the trellis.
4. Use Altenew Permanent Black ink and stamp the next to the smallest Altenew Apothecary Labels stamp. Stamp twice if needed for darker image.
5. Use Altenew Book Club stamp set and stamp “This book” and “Belongs to” onto the stamped label using Versamark ink.
6. Pour champagne embossing powder over it and heat set.
7. Die cut label using coordinating Altenew Apothecary Labels die set.
8. Take four shades of purple cardstock and three shades of green cardstock and die cut rose and leaves using the Altenew Craft-A-Flower: Antique Rose Layering Die set. I created one rose and four leaves.
9. Layer the rose pieces starting with the darkest color, largest die cut image.
10. Layer the leaves starting with the lightest color.
11. Take bronze cardstock scrap piece and crafting foam, then use Spellbinders Amazing Paper Grace Die of the Month June 2020 Calendar Creator dies to die cut the small letters to spell out the name. It is easiest if you add double-sided tape to each side of the crafting foam before die cutting it. This will help the bronze letters to stick to the foam for dimension and will allow for easier placing on the bookmark.
12. Use foam dimensional tape on the back of the label and adhere to the top of the bookmark, giving space under the punched hole.
13. Use a T-ruler and line up the die cut letters in a straight line under the label.
14. Glue leaves at the bottom of the bookmark, slightly overlapping the bronze strip.
15. Use foam dimensional tape on the back of the assembled die cut rose and pop up on top of leaves below name.
16. To decorate the back of the bookmark, I used Altenew Vintage Flowers layering stamps for the flowers and the leaves.
17. Pour champagne embossing powder on the top layer and heat set it.
18. Create a flower mask by stamping the solid image onto masking paper. Cut out and place on top of flower before stamping leaves.

The following bookmark I made for my mom. I followed all the above steps, but used the Altenew Liquid Marble stencil for the background and Altenew Coral Bliss Ink. For the rose, I chose an assortment of vibrant coral and pink cardstocks and used one layer of bronze cardstock.

For the final bookmark, I made for myself. I used the Altenew Wild Leopard stencil for my background along with Altenew Rhodolite ink. For the rose, I used an assortment of pinks, along with a layer of bronze glitter cardstock.

These bookmarks turned out to be so beautiful! Who would’ve ever guessed that the main piece was an upcycled car magnet?! I adored how sturdy they are and I am excited to be able to use it in my books while reading.

Let me know in the comments what you think about these bookmarks! Take the poll below to let me know which was your favorite one!