Challenge 172: Be Merry PLUS, New 2015 Christmas Release!

Hello, Ai Fans! It's Thursday, so it's time for some big news! Here's a sneak peak at Karen's gorgeous card with one of our new Christmas sets!  Karen with Twinkle in a Tangle Before we dive into a Christmas wonderland, let's wrap up our previous challenge for playing with water based inks!  Top Spot is awarded to... Nathalie! Congrats, Nathalie! The gentle way you colored the With Love Window really completes your wintery card! Be sure to email annelise@artimpressions.com with your address to claim your prize pack! Honorable Mentions are... Jenny! Marie! Jenny, your shoppers look so fashionable in their watercolored garb! Cute colors! And Marie, you've created such a lovely watercolor scene with the Flower Cart! And you gotta love the little furry friend, too! Don't forget to email annelise@artimpressions.com with your address and a set of your choice! And thanks to everyone who played along with our challenge! Just in case you missed our post yesterday, we're starting up Watercolor Wednesdays! Check out our new watercolor tutorial and find out more here!  Can you believe the holidays are right around the corner? We are so excited to reveal our new Christmas 2015 stamp sets! This year, we wanted to add some short and round characters along with a bit of humor for the holidays. We hope you enjoy these sets as you spread holiday cheer in your cardmaking! Check out the video below for a peek at the new sets!    It's a new release, which means a new challenge! Karen is here to show us what's she's been up to! Take it away, Karen!  Hello Ai fans!  I'm pretty excited, because with the launch of the Ai Christmas stamps - it is officially Holiday Card Season here on the Ai blog!! Today I'm sharing what I'm calling an "Opening Easel Card" - using Ai's brand new Square Easel Die (Sku #4699), and Twinkle in Tangle (Sku #4665).  Here is a photo of it, tied shut:  I started by cutting two easel die pieces in blue cardstock with my Cuttlebug.  Then using washi tape to hold together two circle dies, I cut out a circular blue frame: I added some patterned paper to the front of one easel piece, die cut a hole through all the layers and added my frame:   Now for the part that's hard to photograph... when I glued my easel card together, I did not glue down the front easel piece that has the circle opening, so that it will open and close just like a regular card:  I glued my matted image to the inside of the card, centering it under the circle opening:  Here's a closeup of the snuggly couple:  And finally a back view, which possibly shows it the best.  You can see how I tucked in some organdy ribbon on both the front and back of the easel, so that after the recipient has opened and read my card, they can tie it back up and put it on display. Happy Stamping! Copics used: E11, E00, E000, C7, C5, C3, C1, R59, R27, R24, R22, R20, Y35, Y32, G28, G24, G21, YG05, YG03, YG01, B26, B24, B23, B21 Thanks, Karen! This opening easel card is oh-so cute! Such a cute way to show Santa and Mrs. Claus! Okay, everyone, lets see what your Christmas looks like in 2015! Join in our challenge and share a Christmas creation! Here are the challenge rules … ✻ Please make a new card or creation. You can make any crafty item you wish; this is not limited to cards! ✻ Limit two submissions per person. You will receive extra votes if you use Art Impressions stamps! ✻ 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 by clicking and commenting your fellow crafters. ✻ Make sure to get your link up by Wednesday, November 18 at 5:00 p.m. PST to enter your creations. ✻ Good luck and happy stamping!

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