Blue Hydrangea Margin Card and Pink Hydrangea Frameworks Gift Enclosure Card by Diane Mason

 Hello, and welcome back for Watercolor Weekend!

Hello, my Ai Watercolor friends and fans! I’m excited to share some beautiful hydrangea cards with you today. These projects feature images from two of the newest releases: 6219 – Hydrangea Margin Set and 6222 – Frameworks Set 4. I had so much fun exploring different color palettes and layouts, and I can’t wait to show you how these came together.

Blue Hydrangea Margin Card:

Hydrangeas are some of my favorite flowers — we actually have four hydrangea bushes in our backyard, and the whole yard looks so pretty when they’re in bloom.

Colors and Supplies Used

Paper: Canson XL Watercolor Paper

Patterned Paper: 5955 – Encouragement Paper Pack

Cardstock: gold metallic, white

Brushes: No. 4 round brush, No. 0 round brush

Stamps and Dies: 6219 – Hydrangea Margin Set, 5952 – Portfolio Template Set

Ink for stamped images: 526, 606, 177

Tombow Dual Brush Pens: 177, 526, 606

Other: Foam squares, Post-It Tape, Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White, Winsor Newton Gold Paint

I inked the flower petals in 526 and the leaves and stems in 177. After stamping the blue hydrangeas, I added 606 to the lower portions of the blooms and stamped again to create a soft blue‑purple blend.

Once all the elements were stamped onto Canson XL watercolor paper, I pulled the color from the lines with a damp brush and added additional color from my palette. The blue and purple tones blend beautifully to create depth and dimension. Using the bullet tip of 526, I dotted in the floral centers.

For the background, I pulled color from the edges of the image with a damp brush. When the panel was dry, I added tiny gold paint dots to the background and selectively to the stems and leaves.

Next, I masked off the edges of the painting with Post‑It tape, pressing firmly to prevent any bleeding. I painted the border with 526, and once dry, blended in 606 for added richness. Finally, I trimmed the finished panel to 1 7/8 x 5 1/2 inches.

To create the gold borders, I used one edge of the scalloped rectangle die from the 5952 – Portfolio Template Die Set to die cut gold metallic cardstock. Since the die wasn’t long enough, I extended the length by selectively die‑cutting and repositioning — there are lots of helpful YouTube tutorials on this technique. I adhered the gold strips behind each side of the painted panel.

For the card front, I trimmed patterned paper from the Encouragement Paper Pack to 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches and adhered it to a white A2 card base. The watercolored panel was then attached directly to the card front.

To add a little interest inside the card, I adhered a strip of coordinating patterned paper along the right edge. This design makes a lovely all‑purpose card, perfect for many occasions.

Pink Hydrangea Frameworks Gift Enclosure Card:

Sometimes it’s nice to have a small card for leaving a sweet note or attaching to a present or gift bag. This little enclosure card measures 3 1/2 x 2 6/8 inches (full card base: 5 1/4 x 2 6/8 inches).

Colors and Supplies Used

Paper: Canson XL Mix Media Paper

Patterned Paper: 6010 – Basic Pink Paper Pack

Cardstock: White

Brush: No. 4 round brush, No. 0 round brush

Ink for stamped images: 743, 606, 177

Stamps and Dies: 6219 – Hydrangea Margin Set, 6222 – Frameworks Set 4, 6062 – Hydrangea Floral Set, 5062 – Rounded Rectangle A2 Double, Stitched Dies, and 5726 – Nested Circle Dies

Tombow Dual Brush Pens: 743, 606, 177, N52, 403f

Other: Foam squares, Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White, sheer white ribbon, detail scissors, and envelope punch board.

I inked the frame and flower petals in 743, and the leaves and stems in 177. After stamping the pink hydrangeas, I added 606 to the lower portions of the flowers and stamped again to create a pink‑purple blend.

Once I pulled the color from the frame, I added touches of 606 for shading and used N52 to create shadows under the frame edge. For the background, I washed in a watery mix of 403 and added white dots with Bleed Proof White. Using the bullet tip of 743, I dotted in some floral centers.

I lightly sketched a cutting border with pencil and trimmed the image using detail scissors. Mix Media paper is thinner than watercolor paper, making it easy to cut cleanly. After attaching the sheer ribbon to the card front, I popped up the image with foam squares.

Inside the card, I die‑cut two panels from Mix Media paper using the Rounded Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies, plus a small circle from the Nested Circle Dies for the envelope seal. The sentiment is from the Hydrangea Floral Set, and the hydrangea images come from the top portion of the margin stamp. I created a coordinating envelope from white cardstock and patterned paper using an envelope punch board.

Thank you so much for spending a little creative time with me today. These hydrangea sets were such a joy to paint, and I hope they inspire you to pull out your favorite pinks, blues, purples, and greens this weekend. Whether you’re trying a new layout or revisiting a favorite technique, I can’t wait to see what you create. Be sure to tag us on social media. Until next time, Happy Painting!

Christmas In July Challenge - Santa Gift Card Holder by Janet

It's the second week of the Christmas in July Challenge. I love getting a jump start on holiday card making and it's also a good time to make some gifts like my Santa gift card holder. This is a fun little project you can make in so many ways. You can use any colors or kind of paper you want. For mine, I imagined him in his Christmas pajamas that have messages of peace, hope and joy. These are sentiments the world really needs right now. This cheerful paper pattern can be found in 5853 - Christmas Magic PP.

I made this using two Ai Gift Card Die Sets. The base is created using 5344 - Envelope GCH Set. The Santa face is created using the companion set 5339 - Santa GCH Set. I just love his mustache and his rosy cheeks! To make his cheeks a little more rosy, I broke out the old fashioned chalk set I've had for decades. It still comes in handy once in a while!

The gift card holder is pretty easy to assemble but once you glue the envelope together, I find that it's best to start by adding the hat pieces and next work from the bottom up. This way, I'm able to make sure his facial features are in the right places and not too crowded. I also added a tag to his hat. The die for that is included in the envelope set, along with other handy shapes you can cut and use on the gift card. I chose the sentiment from the 5566 - Christmas Sentiments set. Love how it turned out!

Thanks for stopping by and spending time with me and Art Impressions today. Please visit the Ai store to pick up your favorite stamps, dies, papers, accessories, and supplies. 

Happy Crafting!

Merry Christmas in July! Card by Tasha

 Happy Friday, Art Impressions friends! 

Tasha here sharing a card inspired by the current Art Impressions Christmas in July Challenge.

I love making holiday cards and finding ways to use my everyday stamp sets for Christmas. For this card, I used the piggy from the 5180-Barnyard Animal Cubbies stamp set and added a little Santa hat to make him holiday ready.

For the background scene, I used a stamp from the retired Sleigh Ride Circlet MTF set. I love the little wreath on the tree and the falling snow. It makes such a sweet winter scene.

I finished the card with pattern paper from the 6143-Woodland Christmas Paper Pack, layered it with red, gray, and white cardstock, and added a simple "Peace, Love & Joy" sentiment.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope this card inspires you to give your non-holiday stamps a festive twist and join the Christmas in July Challenge. 

Challenge #431 Christmas in July Week #2

  Hello everyone and welcome to week #2 of our
Christmas in July challenge!

ALL things Christmas!

Show us your cards, tags, gift boxes and bags,
gift card holders, ornaments and more!

Before we get to our challenge inspiration, let's take a look at the newest releases.
It's always such an exciting time when there're new products!

Stay tuned in the coming days and weeks for lots of DT inspiration for these new items!

Now, back to our challenge.

I was the Featured Artist last week, and I created fun multi-domed shaker card.

Now let's take a look at what the rest of the Design Team created.

Simone lives in Florida so she went with a tropical, sandy snowman.

5120 Palm Tree Set
5571 Christmas Snowmen set
5461 Christmas Slimline set (sentiment)
WC 0426 Coastal Birds exclusive (retired)
substitute with 5473 – Seagull Set, 5069 – My Fortress Set 
or 5399 – Gull-Friends Set
5853 Christmas Magic pp
5063 double stitched rectangle die

Dori's snowman is wishing for snow.

Gennette created a snowy cabin scene.

5819 SF Snowy Cabin
5010 WC Tree Set 1
5372 WC Mini Foliage
5007 WC Foliage Set 3
4960 WC Fir Trees Set
Dr. Ph Martin's Bleed Proof White Paint
5712 Christmas Journal Paper Pack

Janet created a rosy-cheeked Santa gift card holder.
5339 Santa GCH Set
5344 Envelope GCH
5566 Christmas Sentiments Set
5853 Christmas Magic PP

Neema created this gorgeous ornament.

6066 Classic Truck Foundation

5372 Mini Foliage

5811 Gift card pocket dies

Sharon created this amazing Tiered Wiper Card.
The tutorial she followed is HERE.

6144 Woodland Christmas Cover PP

5785 Gnomes Set

5562 Journal Letter Die Set

SC0803 Santa Pop Card for sentiment (retired)

5809 Decorative Journal Page 2

5775 FB Santa

6048 Scalloped Rectangle Dies

5353 Large Snowflake Dies

5718 Mini Journal Template

 

  

Tasha made a darling Christmas pig.
5180 – Barnyard Animal Cubbies
6143 – Woodland Christmas Paper
5726 – Nested Circle Dies
5171 – Sleigh Ride Circlet MTF

✻ Please make a new card or handmade crafty creation using either stamps, dies and or designer paper from Art Impressions. You can make any item you wish; this is not limited to cards! (unless specified)

✻ Limit two submissions per person.

✻Top Spot Winner and Lucky Random Winner each receive a free 

stamp set from Art Impressions

 ✻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

Let It Snow by Dori Mendiola

 Happy Thursday AI Friends!

Can you believe it's July already?  Yikes!  Each year, we ask "Where did the first half of the year go?"  So, this year, I'm going to tell myself, it's only July and I'm going to get a head start on Christmas.  Maybe, this tactic will work.  LOL!  Doubt it, but I'm going to give it a whirl.  🤞

This week's challenge "Christmas in July" is going to give me the push I need.  How about you?  Want to join me?  Below is my 2026 Christmas card, or at least, I think it's going to be my Christmas card.  However, if something new comes out, well, then, there's no guarantee.  😉

I used the stamp set #6107 - Snowman Hugs and colored this adorable snowman from the set.  I just LOVE him!!!  I stamped him onto copic friendly paper with memento black ink and colored with my copic markers listed below.  I used the blender pen to create the stripes on his jacket and rim of his cozy cap.  He is fun and easy to color, which makes it great for the number of cards that I make at Christmas.  The set also comes with the corresponding dies so I can cut a second one out with ease to layer for extra dimension.   

The pattern paper from the #5853 - Christmas Magic PP makes the perfect background for this card. 

Hope you join in this challenge and give yourself that jump start that we need to create our annual Christmas cards.  Wouldn't it be nice to have them done by October instead of beginning in October?

Good luck!  Happy creating!

Copics used:  B0000, B21, B23, B24

R20    Y12, Y16

G20, G21, G24

BG10, BG13, BG15,BG23

Adirondack Chairs by the Falls by Guest Designer Dawn Wagner

 Celebration Hi!

I return for another round of painting fun!

 


America has its 250th Anniversary this 4th of July. I decided to create a celebration scene with the June Throwback. I used the following sets: 6234-Woodland Falls Throwback, 6236-Rocky Falls, 6225- Adirondack Chairs, 5009-Mini Flowers, 5373-Lg Tree Set(leaves only), 4051-Foliage and 5476- Foliage 5. I used Canson watercolor paper, #4 and #0 brushes, Tombow colors 969, 565, 177, 158, 133, 856, 990, 992, 526 and N35. TwinTone colors chocolate, Prussian blue, emerald green, blue and navy. I also used KingArt 132-Blue, and Dr. Ph Martin’s Bleed Proof White. I inked the woodland falls stamp with 969 and 565 in the areas I was going to use for my scene. I did not use the entire scene because I wanted to add the lower falls to make the waterfall cascade longer. I used a stamp positioner to add the lower falls to the scene. I penciled in rocks on the left by the tree to complete the picture. Using the #4 brush with only water, I started pulling color from where I thought the darkest shadows of the rocks would be. I used N35 fine tip to deepen the darkest shadows and then used multiple color and many layers to the rocks to give them a more realistic look. I pulled color from the lines of the tree and went back in with the chocolate TwinTone to darken certain areas. I used the leaves from the tree set to make the background leaves and the leaves from 6234 for the darker foreground areas. I added the Adirondack chairs to the bottom of the waterfall using 969 and 565. I did stamp off once to lighten them up a bit. I added the American Flag to them for a patriotic look. I added some grasses and mini flowers under the tree and around some of the rocks. I used multiple blue colors in the waterfall to create some depth and flow appearance. I used Ph Martin’s to add some “churning” of the water at the bottom of each cascade, and some running down the waterfall. I was thinking the scene looked incomplete with the chasers just sort of floating in space there, so I added a shoreline and some sand to ground them into the scene. Sometimes I have a hard time trying to figure out just how to include and ground things into the project. That’s when I thought I needed to add some foliage and flowers by the chairs to complete the look. Okay, to be honest, I really wanted fireworks above the waterfall, that was my intent, but I was not confident enough to add them without messing up the rest of the scene. I will practice those at a later time. Thank you for following along and hope you had a great 4th of July!

Focus on Faith with Sara Furr: New Mercy Set

 Blessings, my dear friends, and welcome to the first edition of my "Focus on Faith" for the month of July!



This week I have two creations to share with you using the brand new, and very lovely, "Mercy set", along with some new die sets.

My first creation is a simple, yet elegant, watercolor. 

I die cut a piece of Canson XL Bristol Smooth cardstock using a label from the new #6233 die set to create a focal piece to stamp my bird and sentiment. **professional tip- be sure to use an embossing mat to dry emboss the die cut after cutting to give a clean, crisp and embossed edge to your die cut. 

I used Black Versafine ink to do my stamping in my MISTI stamping tool. I then watercolored my image with dye ink markers, adding in light washes of color to each section and going back in with a full strength ink to add in depth and shading.

 Once my image was colored, I added a light wash of blue in the background for a tiny bit of sky and let that dry. I then went back with a damp brush and pulled some the green color from my leaves out into the background . I then added a bit more green in splotches for more background interest.

Simple, easy, and oh so lovely! Don't you think? I just love this sweet image!

 

I created 2 mats of a light and dark peach colored cardstock. I embossed the darker peach with an embossing folder to add texture and interest to the panel. I distressed the edges of both panels with the edge of a scissors and adhered them together. I wrapped, and adhered a piece of pretty white lace towards the bottom of my panel, and then popped up my focal piece with foam tape and mounted it to the right center of my embossed background panel. 

As a final touch of softness and interest, I added a pretty seam binding bow with a corduroy button off to the left of my focal piece.

And that finishes my first card.

My second card uses the mirror image of the bird branch, but this time I stamped with Black Momento ink onto a scrap of the Canson XL Bristol Smooth cardstock, and then colored it with alcohol markers, and then fussy cut out of my sweet bird so I could pop him up on top of a nest of thread. I stamped my sentiment in Sepia Versafine Ink onto a white paper doily, and then popped up my birdie to the right hand side on his little nest of peachy pink thread With tiny foam squares. I added tiny pink pearls to the centers of my open flowers.

I added 2 mats of dsp that had the peach and pink tones of my flowers that I had colored, and distressed the tap, and bottom edges with a scissors. I then added some pink zig zag stitching to the right hand side with my sewing machine. I wrapped some crinkle seam binding ribbon, that I hand dyed with Distress reinker in Tattered Rose, around my dsp panels, and tied a simple bow.

 I then added that whole panel to a mat of peachy pink cardstock, and then to my whitecard base. I die cut a decorative bookmark from the new #6230 die set with the same peachy pink cardstock and cut off the decorative edge to use behind my doily. I adhered that with my tape runner, and then added a circle of white fun foam behind my doily to pop up that layer. 

As a final touch I added a decorative cream colored button to the center of my bow with the same pink thread I used for the nest behind my bird.

And that finishes my second card. 

I can't tell you how much I love this new "Mercy set"! It is so lovely, and has the best "Mercy" sentiments. It is a "must have" if you like birds. I hope you liked my two projects, and got inspired to create something soft, beautiful, and faith inspired using this lovely new set. Have a blessed week, and I will see you again on the 21st of July.

God bless you all,

Sara Furr- The Crafty Farm Chick

 

Other products used:

Die cutting machine 

Paper cutter

Embossing folder

MISTI stamping tool

Versafine ink in Black and Sepia

Dye ink markers

Alcohol ink markers

Scissors

Watercolor brush

Glue dots

Foam tape

Seam binding ribbon

Buttons

Thread

Sewing machine

Dsp

Cardstock

Doily

Lace

Pink pearls