Snow Days by Gennette Houghton

 

Happy New Year and welcome back to Watercolor Weekend! Where I live the weather usually isn’t very conductive for building snowmen (too cold), but it is usually a good bet that there are snow days. My kids may be grown but I remember the excitement they had when school was cancelled for the day. I might dream of spring but I absolutely love snowmen! So? Do you want to build a snowman? LOL!

My first card I used 6107 Snowman Hugs Set, I used Distress Ink Pumice Stone and stamped off once, and then stamped it on my watercolor paper. I have been using this ink for a while with the clear sets and I actually prefer it over the Archival, and used a black micron for the facial features. I can’t help but smile looking at this happy trio. Starting from the left, I painted the jacket with Marvy 17 Steel Blue and added more color in the shadowed areas. I painted the pockets light and added stripes with the same color. For a deeper shadow I added some 565, and used 969 on the buttons.  For the hat I started with 565 to get the shadows in before adding any more color to it, and used 992, and Marvy 17 in stripes on the hat and scarf. I also darkened the shadows on the scarf with 565.  For the bells I used 025, and 026. For the snowman I used N52 to start, to create a bit more depth since I didn’t have color to pull out and then added some 565 in the darker areas. 772 was used on the cheeks and 993, and 933 for the nose, all 3 snowmen were painted the same way.  For the middle snowman I used 969 and 177 on the hat adding more color to the sides and a highlight in the middle. 177 was also used on the scarf, painted light, adding a bit more in the shadowed areas and then painted in the lines following the curves of the scarf. With a touch of watery 969 I darkened some of the shadowed areas.  For the jacket I used N15, going in layers until I was happy with it and then darkened the areas that needed it. I used 947 on the buttons. For the snowman on the right I used 947 on the jacket with a touch of 565 for the shadows, the lines on the pocket were also done with 947.  The scarf was painted with Marvy 17 adding more color in the shadowed areas. The main part of the hat was also done with 947, the brim and pom-pom I started with 990 and then used 879 for the shading. Since this one has its eyes opened I added a touch of 565 along the right edges, which I feel give the eyes a little more dimension.  I then used the included die to cut out my image, using dies from my stash to create a frame and snow drift I assembled my card using paper from 5892 Easter S2 Paper Pack. This just goes to show that paper from other seasons or occasions can be used on all kinds of cards.  I decided at this point to stamp one of the included sentiments and hand cut the flag banner, popping it up with foam tape.

Since I used a newer set for my first card I decided to give one of the older sets some love and it’s perfect for this time of year, and fits the “Snow Day” theme I decided to go with. 5197 WC Winter Kids Set is rubber so I used 565 all over the stamp and added 969 to the “non” snow areas, aka, hat, scarves, etc. Huffing on the stamp first I then stamped off twice before stamping on my watercolor project paper.  I used a black micron on the eyes and mouth of the snowman, and the eyelash of the little boy. I began pulling color out of the lines, making sure my brush was clean when doing the blue only areas. Starting with the snowman I used N15 and 856 on the hat, darkening the edges and leaving a highlight in the middle.  856 was also used on the scarf.  For the body of the snowman I added in 565 in the shadowed areas to help give dimension, being very careful around the areas I already colored. I should have done this step first, but I was able to do it without getting any bleed out from the stronger colors. I then used 993 and 933 on the nose, N15 for the coal buttons, 969 on the stick arm.  Starting with the face of the little boy, I used 850 for the base and 910 to contour, with a touch of 772 on the cheek. For his hat I used 177 adding ribs onto the brim of the hat with the same color. For the pom-poms I added just a touch more 565.  For the scarf, I started with 565 to get the shadow in first and then added stripes with 177 in two different widths. 177 was also used on the mitten.  For the pants I used 565 and the boots N15.  I had been undecided on the jacket and the more I looked at it the more I wanted to leave it white, so I darkened the shadowed areas with a mix of 565/969 and a touch more 565 in the darkest areas.  I then used 526 on the background, darkening around the image a bit so that when I splattered with Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White it would show up better.  I used some 565 to ground the snowman and the little boy.  I then masked my image so that I could add trees from 5826 WC Large Tree Set 2. I first figured out what circle die I was going to use to cut my image out and penciled in some guidelines.  Using the stamp positioner to help me place the trees where I wanted them, I used 249 and 969 and stamped in the tree in 3 areas.  Using water to soften and blend the colors, once dry, I used the bleed proof white to add snow to the trees and at the base of the two on each side.  I used 565 to shade the snow to give more texture and dimension.  After erasing the pencil lines I then splattered a watery mix of the bleed proof white to give the effect of snow. When it was dry I used the same die I used for my guidelines and cut my image out and then used the largest die from 6045 Scalloped Circles Die Set and finished my card with paper from my stash.    Thank you for joining me today and I hope you enjoyed my cards. Until next time, Create….Share….Inspire!

Prayers for You by Janet

 The flu and cold season has been pretty brutal so far. Sometimes prayers and special card is just the thing to let someone know you are thinking of them during a hospital stay for any reason.

This card is from the Matchbook line and it's called 5499 - MB Get Well. It features a hospital room with cheerful touches of flowers, card, and blankets. I colored the images with Copic markers after stamping them. I cut the pieces out with the included dies and then placed them inside the card base 5317 - MB Template Die. I also cut a coordinating envelope made just for these tiny treasures from 5318 - MB Envelope Dies. 

The papers for the card base and envelope are from 5955 - Encouragement Paper Pack. I chose the friendship pattern for the envelope, and I love that it's an option to use as a reminder of friendship to the recipient. All folded up and in the envelope, this card is an incredibly small 2" x 2 1/2" packet. All cards from the matchbook line are incredibly charming.

Thanks for joining me on the blog today. As always, find your favorite stamps, dies, papers, and accessories at the Ai Store!

Happy Crafting!

Janet - YouTube - Blog - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest 

Bright and Happy Birthday Card by Tasha

Happy Friday Art Impressions friends!

Tasha here sharing a birthday card inspired by the current Button Up Challenge.

For this card I used two cute animal stamps from the 5400 Baby Critters Set. I love coloring little animal characters and this card totally looks like they are ready for a birthday celebration. 

To go with the button challenge theme, I added a flower with a button in the middle. The orange color and shape reminded me of the sun and I love that pop of color. 

Lastly, I added layers of pink and white card stock along with a polka dot pattern paper to complete the design.

I hope you enjoyed today’s card and are having a great day.

Button Up Challenge #418 week #2

Hello Ai fans and welcome to week #2 of our Button Up challenge!

We're so excited to be back into the swing of things and to see what you create for the upcoming challenges. You might be the next lucky winner of a free stamp set!

This week we want to see your projects using buttons.

These can be real buttons, button embossing folders or dies or even characters with buttons on their clothing. If it's a button, it counts.

Last week our Featured Designer was Lynn. 

Watch video tutorial here!

Next up, we have the rest of the Design Team.

There are so many cute projects here. We just know that one of them will inspire you to give this challenge a try.

Janet used a heart shaped button die on her cute GC holder.

5343 - Java GCH Set
5344 - Envelope GCH Set
6052 - Mother's Day Cover Paper Pack

Dori created this darling little panda card with the cutest button wheels!
(I think the bow might be a button too...)

I created a little Valentine house with a button for a doorknob.
6114 – Box Village Template Dies
5952 – Portfolio Template Die Set

Sharon created a darling little shaker box ornament with a bunny that has a button on his jacket.

Sharon also created this sweet little snowman card.
6104 Christmas Keepsake Set
5721 Nested Heart Dies
6051 Mother's Day PP

Tasha has a sweet little animal card.

5400 – Baby Critters Set

5838 – Fall Journal Paper Pack

Thank you to all of our wonderful designers for their great ideas and hard work.

Let's see YOUR button creations.

✻ Please make a new card or handmade crafty creation. You can make any item you wish; this is not limited to cards! (unless specified)

✻ Limit two submissions per person.

 ✻Please include your first name and last initial on your submission. You may include your entire last name, but it's not necessary.

✻We love to comment on your entries, but keep in mind if you use a private group or a platform that you need to sign up for, we probably won't be able to.

✻ The Ai Challenge is open to everyone, international submissions are welcome!

✻ Include a link back to the Ai Blog or grab our button on the top right of our sidebar!

✻ Share the Ai love if you can, by clicking and commenting on your fellow crafters.

✻ Make sure to get your link up by the deadline to enter your creations.

✻ Good luck and happy stamping! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Button Baby Panda card by Dori Mendiola

 Happy Thursday AI Friends!

Today I have a cute little baby card for the "Button Up" challenge.  Check out the "Bi-weekly Challenge" tab above for the simple requirements to qualify for a chance to win a free stamp set of your choice.  

I created this fun shaped card using the 6017 - Baby Panda set with the 6057 - Baby Girl PP.

I stamped the image onto copic friendly paper with Memento black ink and colored with my copic markers listed below.  I die cut the image using the coordinating die that is included with the stamp set.  As per my usual, I die cut a second image out of basic white cardstock and adhered it to the back of the colored image to give it more strength.  I like to do this because it adds a little extra "pop up" as well.

To create the card front, I die cut a scalloped circle using the largest die from the 6045 - Scalloped Circle die set.  I then die cut two circles (one pink cardstock and one patterned paper) that fit nicely over the other giving it a slight border.   I then die cut the heart scallop from the 5721 - Nested Heart dies and a 1" piece of white cardstock with a slightly smaller strip of patterned paper to fit over the white cardstock.  I layered these all onto the white scalloped circle as shown above.

For the card base, I folded a piece of cardstock in half (approx. 4 x 4 inches) and die cut the second largest circle from the 5726 - Nested Circle die set placing the die over the fold so that approx. 1/2" of the top does not cut.  This will create the fold for the opening of the card.  Glue one side to the back of the scalloped circle card front.  Pop up the image with foam tape.  Add two small black buttons for the wheels (I threaded white string through the button holes for added detail).  Tie a three loop string and adhere to the button bow with glue dots or liquid glue and then adhere just below the sentiment.

After I put this together and took my pictures, I realized that I didn't add shading to the buggy base or canopy.  Oops!  LOL!  Simple coloring works just as well, yet we always think we need to add more.  Maybe we don't!  😀 

Thanks for joining me today!  Make sure to check out the current challenge and play along.  We love to see what you create!  

Have a great day and keep creating!

Copics used:  N0, N1, N3

R20, R81, R83, R85

Easy Paper Piecing & Partial Die-Cutting Card by Lynn Dionne

 Happy Wednesday Ai Fans!

Watch video tutorial here!

Today we will be creating a pretty flap card using a few simple techniques, including some easy paper piecing and some simple partial die-cutting. This will be a fun card especially for those of you who don't love coloring!

We will begin by creating the card base, which will be a top folding A2 size card. Next, we will partially die cut the bottom of a scalloped heart. The heart die is from the Ai Nested Heart Dies (5721) Set. I will show you exactly how to do this in today's video! Once we have die-cut the bottom of the scalloped heart we will need to use our paper trimmer to cut away the excess cardstock from both sides of the card. This will create the look of a flap!

Now we can die cut another scalloped heart in Raspberry cardstock. Let's also grab the next largest heart die from this set and die cut this from some Ballet Slipper and white cardstock.

We can layer the raspberry and ballet slipper hearts together and now we will stamp the teacup from the Ai Tea Time Set (6024). Let's stamp this 3X so that we can do some simple paper piecing. For all of the pattern papers on this card, we will be using the Ai Valentine's Paper Pack (5741). Again, I will show you how to do this simple technique in the video!

Now that the teacup is done, we can pop it up onto the two hearts that have been glued together. We can now tie some Dusty Rose Twine around the bottom of the heart and tie a bow. Let's also add some pretty dots around the two hearts using a white gel pen.

Now we will cut the layers for the inside and outside of the card. I selected a nice gingham plaid for the inside and a pretty coordinating floral for the outside. Let's also quickly stamp a sentiment onto the card front. I am creating a thank you card ... but this design would be perfect for Valentine's Day, Anniversary, or even a friendship card!

Now we can finish assembling the card, making sure to line the scalloped heart up with the partially die cut scalloped heart on the card front.

I added the extra white heart to the inside of the card. I left mine blank, but you could certainly add another sentiment here or write a sweet note!

For a finishing touch, we can add some pretty pink sequins for a bit of sparkle!

Thank you so much for joining me today!

Ai Tea Time Set (6024)

Ai Little Things Sentiment Set (5797)

Ai Friend Sentiments Set (5734)

Ai Nested Heart Dies (5721)

Ai Valentine's Paper Pack (5741)

Focus on Faith with Sara Furr Hymnal Art

 Happy New Year, and welcome, my dear  friends!  I am so very happy to be back again for another year of Guest Designing for the fabulous Art Impressions! I'm so excited to be sharing my love, not only of crafting, but also of my faith in God.

For my very first project I decided to do something that I have never done before, and so I pulled out the brand new 6150 – His Love Set Bible journaling stamp set that was just released, and I decided to do some Bible Art in my Church Hymnal. I found a song with the exact same name as the stamp set, "God is Love"!

(***please note that my hymnal has nice thick pages, so I didn't have to apply any "Ground" as I am not watercoloring)

To start, I first applied a thin plastic sheet behind my page to protect the pages underneath and to give some support for my stamping. I then stamped the cross in Black Versafine ink in the center of my page, because God should always be at our center, and then I stamped the same cross on a piece of Post-it Tape and cut it out. I then applied the cross mask to my stamped page, and then stamped the heart shaped wreath of roses over top of the cross, lining it up in the center. I then removed the mask and colored both the cross and the wreath with my Prismacolor colored pencils (*note- make sure that your black ink is completely dry before coloring images). 

When my coloring was done I stamped the "God is Love" in black Versafine Ink in the center of the cross. Once that ink was completely dry, I took my blending brushes and starting with Fossilized Amber Distress Ink, I applied a very light halo of yellow around my heart shaped wreath making sure not to touch the stamped image. I then added Saltwater Taffy Distress Ink around the edges of page making sure to blend a bit into the yellow. I then took a light yellowish orange colored pencil and drew light rays coming from the "glowing" heart.

To add some decorative border around my image I first took out some florals from the 5981 – My Joy Set Bible Journaling stamp set and I placed a piece of window sheet over my stamped and ink blended page and I mapped out a design I wanted to do around my focal image. Once I was happy with my placement,  I removed the window sheet and did the actual stamping on my page, but this time I used Sepia Versafine Ink.
This was a fun first time project and I think the music page makes a unique background.

These are all the supplies I used:
♡ Church Music Hymnal with thick pages
♡ #6150 "His Love" Bible Journaling Stamp Set
♡ #5981 "My Joy" Bible Journaling Stamp Set
♡ Black Versafine and Sepia Versafine Inks
♡ Prismacolor Colored Pencils
♡ stamping blocks
♡ Blending Brushes
♡ Distress inks in Fossilized Amber and Saltwater Taffy
♡ Thin plastic sheet or use the PP 5078 Ai Bible  Protector Sheet if you have it
♡ Pencil Sharpener and a good white eraser

Thank you so much for joining me today! Please let me know in the comments if you would like me to try to do a step by step picture tutorial in the future,  or if you are good with just my photos and written explanation!

I will be back here on January 20th to share another Faith Inspired creation!

God's blessings to all of you, my dear crafty friends! I pray you have good health and lots of time to craft this year!

Blessings,
Sara Furr
The Crafty "Faith Filled" Farm Chick 

Mailbox Window Set by Reneé Matarese

 Hello Ai fans and welcome to my first post of 2026!

I'm starting off with the card that I made for my Mother-in-law's birthday at the end of this month.
(and a spare for my stash)

Her birthday is Jan. 22nd so sometimes I go with a winter theme but since she lives in Florida and it's sunny with flowers there this time of year, sometimes I go with something like this card.

The mailbox is a separate image that comes with the cottage and has it's own die. I popped it up to add some interest.

I love these little easel frames. You can cut a hole in the front to make a frame to display your image or you can glue an image to the front and put a card or tag inside like I've done.

My husband and I can send her our well wishes on the back of the tag.
An added bonus is that these fold flat and can be mailed from home with one stamp!

Shadow Box card using the Storybook Template

 Hello AI Fans and Happy New Year!!

Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous new year for 2026!! I'm super excited to see what all Art Impressions has in store for us this year! I'm ready for some fun and crafting, how about you?! So today I've got a little shaker box I made using #6121 Storybook Template along with #6084 Woodland Mailbox Scene. The Storybook Template is so perfect for all of the recently released Woodland Scenes. They fit perfectly! All you have to do is glue a piece of acetate on the back of the front and it so easily turns into a shaker!! Add a hanger and you have another beautiful ornament for the tree, too!! I simply stamped the image onto some Copic friendly paper and colored it up with Copic markers. Cut it out and glued it to the inside back of the Storybook Template die and voila! So quick and easy! The paper is from #5963 Winter Woodland PP. 

So that's it for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit and until next time, stay crafty!!

Glass container & Birthday Set by Karen Day

 Hello Ai Watercolour fans!

Welcome to a whole new year of watercolour painting!  I have two projects today featuring older products.  After all of the holiday crafting over the past few months, I'm always needing to replenish my stash of cards in the New Year, and birthday cards top the list.

I stamped the sweet pup from 5722 - Birthday Journal Set in Tombow #N45, masked him, and stamped the stack of presents beside him, and the banner across the top.  I am using the 5742 - Easter PP on both projects today, and choosing my pretty background paper was the starting point for picking my colour palette.  I painted the pup in #947, keeping the undersides a little darker, and the face area almost down to nothing.  The florals are from 5258 - WC Flower Set 4, painted in #703 & #636, surrounded by the small green from 5009 - WC Mini Flower Set in #312.  I took a damp brush to my bouquet, softening everything.  

The packages were painted with #761/703/312/N45/636 in various washes & patterns, and the banner was washed with N45.  565 was used as a wash in the sky, and to darken up a few shadowy areas.  I used my grey Twintone marker to darken up some of the lines of my scene, and to draw a bow on either end of the banner.  I used the 5061 - Square Double Stitched dies to cut out my scene, and mounted it on a larger square of dark grey textured cardstock.  I cut the hello from 5718 - Mini Journal Template in the grey cardstock, and adhered it across the top.  I added 3D foam adhesive and attached it all to my card base - the finished card is 5 1/4" square.

I have never painted a glass container before!  It was time to give it a try.  

Using Bonnie's examples as inspiration, I stamped the largest vase from 5921 - Glass Containers Set in #N45, then masking the rim only with a tiny sliver of paper, I stamped in the flowers and foliage from 5920 - Long Stem Foliage Set and 5919 - Long Stem Floral Set using #312/177/636/N45.  I picked up all of the colours from my palette, and painted in the foliage softly.

Most of the stems were stamped inside the vase, but for a few that weren't, I painted the stems using the green shades.  I used tones of #451 and 565 to paint in blue lines suggesting the inside of the vase and the waterline, adding a few streaks of green for the reflection of the stems.  #565 was used as a wash in the background, and around the base of the vase.  To add a little glimmer, I used my silver Gel Pen to paint the flowers of the baby's breath - to echo the silver cardstock.

The scene was cut out with a decorative rectangular die, and mounted on some silver cardstock.  Everything was adhered to the card base with 3D foam adhesive, and a few iridescent jewels added more sparkle.