Tuesday, September 1, 2026

September 2026 Monthly Challenge

 Happy September, everyone! Summer is drawing to a close and it is almost fall! It feels like summer was just starting.


For my September project, I am using my favorite puppy that I haven’t used in quite a while. He’s sitting in a flower garden enjoying the beautiful end-of-summer day.


To begin my project, I inked the puppy in Pumice Stone Distress Ink, stamped off once onto watercolor paper, and then stamped in the middle of my watercolor paper. I then inked the rocks in Pumice stone, stamped off on watercolor paper, and stamped the rocks to the left. Next, I added a grass line using #15 olive green to set up my scene. I painted the puppy first, using mainly #54 burnt umber and shading with #45 sepia. I left areas of his face lighter and once he was dry, I used my Micron to color his eyes and nose – leaving a highlight on each. I then painted the rocks, starting with #40 brownish grey to add shadows toward the lower portion of the rocks. I then added shading with #21 dark grey, #45 sepia and #15 olive green. Rocks are multiple shades of color, so a variety of colors helps. Using the fine tip on my #40 brownish grey, I added some accents where the rocks meet to add darker shading.

I put the sky in next using #75 sky blue, keeping it lighter where I had flowers planned. I find it easier than trying to work around the flowers once they are stamped. Once the sky was in place, I stamped grass in repeat along my grass line next to the puppy and rocks, mainly using the teeny tiny grass from Foliage Set 1 and also stamped the grass stamp from WC Tree Set 2 a couple times to the right of the puppy. I masked off the rocks and used a positioner to place the tall flowers from Foliage Set 7 to the left of the rocks. I inked the foliage with #15 olive green and the flower buds with #79 grape and then added a little #8 violet at the base for shading. Once the flower was stamped, I carefully dabbed at the flower buds with my paintbrush. I also carefully touched my brush to the leaves of the foliage, but avoided the stems.

I stamped the tall blue flowers from Foliage Set 7 on the right side of my project – also using a stamp positioner for placement. I inked the foliage in #15 olive green and the flowers in #29 Prussian Blue. I then carefully touched my brush to each flower bud and leaf. I then stamped the flower bunch from Foliage Set 7, inking the foliage with #15 olive green and the flowers with #96 auburgine. I used the stamp positioner for placement and again, touched my brush to each flower and a few of the leaves.

I then used the small dot flower from the WC Mini Flower Set and inked it in #43 brilliant yellow. I stamped it in repeat above the grass line on the left and right edge of my project. There was a small gap between the grass line and the puppy, so I used the fine tip on my #15 olive green and added a few blades of grass. I then used my fine tip on my #8 violet and added a few dots to the top of the grass stems for random wildflowers.

I then added a wash of #15 olive green for the foreground, making sure to have light and dark areas, especially under the dog to create a shadow. It needed a little more, so then I used #45 sepia to also add a wash of brown, leaving light and dark areas. I felt that something was needed above the rocks, so I added a small butterfly from My Joy Set. I stamped it in Pumice Stone and used #8 violet, #79 grape and #3 blue to paint the wings. Once it was dry, I used my Micron to add the body and very small antennae. I also used Dr PH Martin’s Bleed Proof White to add some dots to the grass and the yellow dot flowers. I cut a simple frame from black cardstock to mount my project and then used single sheet of background paper to cover my card front.

I still use Marvy Le Plume markers for my projects.  Most of these can be converted to Tombow colors, but choose colors that work for you. These just happen to be some of my go-to colors for any project I work on. (Here is the link for the Tombow conversion chart: https://www.artimpressions.com/shop/art-impressions-most-loved-color-conversion-chart/)



Happy Stamping! As always, I hope you will give this project a try! Don’t forget to
enter the Monthly Challenge for a chance to win a free stamp set of your choice!

Accessories:

Pumice Stone Distress Ink

#1 Connoisseur Brush

#4 Connoisseur Brush

Marvy Markers

           

      


What a sweet and beautiful card from Debbie.
Now let's see who our August winners were.

#10 came up first so Kathy R. wins a free stamp set from Art Impressions.
Please contact Leah at
Feedback@artimpressions.com

    

#1 Bev Sizemore and #8 Patty S. have won a freebie from me.
Please email me with your full name and address at Renee@artimpressions.com
and I'll send you photos of the freebies I currently have available.

Congratulations to all of our winners and thank you Debbie for you hard work and inspiration!

What will you guys create for September?
We can't wait to see.

Here are the rules...

✻ 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.
✻Lucky Random Winner will 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

Focus on Faith with Sara Furr: Lacy Pink Church

 Blessings my dear friends, and welcome to my first edition of Focus on Faith for the month of September.



If you have been following me, you know that I like to use several different kinds of medium to color and create my projects.

 This week, I have a lovely little country church scene I created using colored pencils and dye ink markers. 




I just stamped the front flowers and the church with Versafine Onyx black ink and colored them up with colored pencils. I stamped the foliage (tree, leaves, shrubs, and grass) with dye ink markers.




 To create the sky and the grassy foreground, I just turned my pencils sideways to swipe them across my cardstock and blend them into each other. I added some tiny white accents to the flowers and grass with Dr. Ph Martin's Bleedproof white paint.



If you have any questions on how I created this, please feel free to leave me your questions in the comments section. 
I pray you all have a very blessed month and I will see you soon.

Blessings to you all, 
Sara E. Furr- The Crafty Farm Chick 

Supplies used:

Canson XL Bristol Smooth cardstock 
Colored Pencils
Dye ink markers
Versafine Onyx black ink pad
Stamp platform
Paper cutter
Scissors
Lace
Sewing machine
Foam adhesive 

Monday, August 31, 2026

Thinking of Home by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans!

I don't have a card for you today. Instead I created a little box that would be so cute to tuck into a small corner of a shelf in your home. All you have to do is change up the colors that would complement your decor! I used the new #6116 Thinking of Home Storybook stamp and die set just released by Art Impressions! It's perfect for a decoration around your home, or imagine how cute it would be to gift it to someone that is moving into a new house or apartment? For the base, I used #6121 Storybook Box Template. These pieces are so easy to put together once you stamp, color, and die cut the pieces! I stamped the images onto a Copic friendly cardstock and then colored and die cut them out. I added a fence die cut with #5807 Journal Fence Dies and then I cut out an easel stand for the back out of heavy cardstock using #5901 Mini Rectangle Frame die set. The grass and clouds were cut from dies in my stash. That cute cloud paper came from #6058 Baby Boy PP.  That cute sleeping kitty helps this fit our current challenge #435 Furry Friends too! 




So that's it for me today! I hope this inspires you to join in on our Furry Friends challenge! Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit and until next time - stay crafty. 





Saturday, August 29, 2026

Whimsical Storybook Ornament

Hello Ai friends! Art Impressions has many products that can be made and given as gifts. The Storybook series is a perfect example as a box with a diorama scene inside that really is magical. My box was made with the 6223 - Whimsical Storybook set. It's a sweet fantasy scene of a gnome, his home, and his fairy friend. You can use additional dies in the 6121-Storybook template to add a hanger tab or add a tag. It's great to have options!

Making this ornament box is simpler than it may look. I started by cutting out the box pattern from the 6121 - Storybook Template. I used a sheet from the 6052 - Mother's Day Cover Paper Pack. The larger page size fits the larger sized box die. The fold lines that form the box are imprinted into the paper making it really easy to fold and prepare it for sealing. For the interior of the box, I cut three more oval frames. I made them by cutting just the bottom part of the box die with the oval opening three times. Then I trimmed the excess paper away so they would easily fit inside the box. 

Next I stamped and colored the images in the Whimsical Set with markers. I used the set's dies to easily cut out all the images. The cart of strawberries, stump, and the mailbox have rounded tabs that allow each to be glued along the opening of the oval frames. I positioned one on each of the three frames I had cut. Next I layered each one on top of each other with foam tape. This created a set of three frames stacked on top of each other. 

There are three images that do not have any tabs to glue on the frame. I positioned the house on the back layer of the box with the frames sitting on top so I could decide where to position the house before gluing it in place. I glued the fairy as if she was sitting on the cart. Now I could adhere the stacked set of frames into the box with foam tape. Once positioned, I was able to fold and adhere the tabs that form the box shape. This creates a multi-level 3D scene that is enchanting and whimsical.

The last of the images is the cute little gnome. I positioned him on the front of the box. I added an enamel heart and a heart pearl to the opposite corner of the opening. Then I cut the hanger tab out with the dies and glued it to the box. I glued a cream ribbon on it and then a wood button on top. 

This little set makes such a sweet box and a wonderful gift. It can be hung from the ribbon but it also sits nicely on a shelf without any support. It's so cute, it's going to be hard to give it away! 

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, including all the supplies I used in this card. 

Happy Crafting!

Friday, August 28, 2026

Time to Dance! Card by Tasha

 Happy Friday Art Impressions friends. 

Tasha here sharing a birthday card featuring the 6176-Exclusive Ballet Bear stamp. I have been loving all the little Ai bear stamps lately and this ballet bear is perfect for a birthday card. To make my project more unique, I stamped the bear three times and created a stage; I love their colorful tutus!

For the coloring I used Copic Markers and drew the background with a black liner pen. I wanted a spotlight on each dancer, so I used a variety of yellow markers to look like lights were shining down on the them; I also used the same shades on the tiny stars so everything blends together nicely.

Lastly, I attached gold glitter paper for sparkle, layers of purple and pink card stock, and a piece of Art Impression pattern paper. I thought the star print coordinated with the stars around the bears. I also stamped "To the Birthday Girl" with purple ink on a banner to complete the card.

I hope you enjoyed this card and are having a wonderful day!







Thursday, August 27, 2026

Furry Friends Challenge #435 Week #1

Hello and welcome to our new challenge,


Furry Friends

We want to see your handmade creations using animals.

Pretty much anything goes as long as you have an animal and something from Art Impressions on your project. (Stamps, paper or dies)

Our Featured Artist for this challenge is Dori and she created the most darling
Triple Tunnel card.

After looking through her photos and reading her tutorial, be sure to scroll down
to see who won our Boy oh Boy! challenge.

Take it away Dori!

-----------------------------------------------------------

 Hello AI Friends!

Welcome to our new challenge #435 called "Furry Friends".  I chose the #5400 - Baby Critters set to feature for this challenge.  I used every one of the images since they are all SO cute.  I couldn't pick so why not use them all!  I also decided to make it a triple tunnel card so the animals could sit on display in each panel.


First, I stamped all of the images onto copic friendly paper with Memento black ink and colored with my copic markers listed below.  Using the corresponding dies, I die cut each of the colored images out. 
With plain cardstock, I also die cut a second one of each image.  I like to layer the plain die cut behind the colored one for stability and extra dimension.


Now that the images are colored, it's time to create the tunnel card.

Using heavy cardstock, I cut one panel at 5" x 10" and scored in half along long side (5" mark).  I also cut another panel at 5" x 5 1/2" and scored at the 5" mark along the longer side leaving a 1/2" tab.  I layered a piece of pattern paper (cut at 4 7/8" square) over the top of the smaller panel leaving the 1/2" blank (see Pic 1).  I cut the same size of a second piece of pattern paper and adhered to the right of the fold on the double panel (see Pic 2).
Any shape die will work but I took a partial circle die (from my stash) and placed it in the center of the smaller panel (Pic 1) and ran it through my die cut machine.  I then lined this page up with the second panel and die cut the partial circle out of that panel. 

             Pic 1

               Pic 2

Now we can adhere the two panels together by gluing the 1/2" tab inside the double panel to create the triple panel card.


To finish up this card, I placed another piece of pattern paper to the inside of the back panel and also created frames around the partial circle openings.  I then adhered the animals on the panels making sure that they don't overlap each other when looking thru the windows.


And here is the final card again.


I hope you enjoy my card and it gives you inspiration to join in on the challenge.  Any animal will work for the challenge so grab a stamp set and play along for a chance to win a free stamp set.  Look forward to seeing your creations!  
Have a Happy Day!

Copics used:  N0, N1, N3, N5
E21, E23, E50, E51, E53, E55, E57
Y13, Y15, Y17, Y21
G40, G43, G46
R20, R22, R24, R27
B0000, B00, B12, B14


--------------------------------------------------------------
Don't you just LOVE that sweet card?
She packed so many fun animals on there using the tunnel technique.

Now, let's see who won our previous challenge.

To our winners, Leah is on vacation until August 31st so there may be a delay in her
answering your email and filling your order. Please be patient with her when she returns
to the office.

For our Top Spot we selected #4
Marcia H.
She did a fabulous job painting the Cozy Bear making this the 
perfect thank you card for a boy or man.



Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com
to claim your free stamp set.

Our Lucky Random Winner was #17
Heather M.




Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com
to claim your free stamp set.



Congratulations to our winners!
Enjoy your new stamps.

Now, onto the details of our new challenge.


Please make a new project featuring animals using
stamps, dies or paper from Art Impressions.
We can't wait to see your creations.

Here are the rules...

✻ 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

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Gone Fishin' Slider card by Dori Mendiola

 Happy Wednesday AI Friends!

Today is the last day of the "Boy, Oh Boy" challenge so I made another masculine card for the occasion.  You can never have too many 'man' cards.  LOL!

For this one, I used the #5926 - Fishing Boat RIDES set.  I love these sets that have all the fun accessories plus the dies to cut all of the images out.  The other great thing about these, is that the accessories can be used with other sets and vice versa.  Back in June, Sharon used the fishing net on her Pickleball Patty card to have her catching butterflies instead of playing pickleball.  Ingenious!!  

I stamped all of the images onto copic friendly paper with Memento black ink and colored with my copic markers listed below.  I then die cut each with the corresponding dies.

For the wave layers, I cut panels with a cloud die turned upside down.  I then used a stencil brush and stamped white paint (Dr PH Martin's Bleed Proof) across the top to mimic waves.

I cut a slider track out of the darkest wave piece and placed foam tape along the back side bottom, top and left side.  


I also placed a small piece of foam tape on the back of the boat to fit in the slider track. 


 I then created a slider pull tab long enough to fit behind the boat to the right side of the panel.   Place the boat foam through the slider track and attach the pull tab to the foam tape.  Adhere to the card base.


Place foam tape (double stacked) onto the back side bottom and sides of the second wave panel.  Make sure that this foam tape does not hinder the movement of the boat.  Adhere this piece over the darkest wave panel on the card base.  Lastly, add the lightest wave panel over the top.  I did not pop up this layer.

Here is a video of how the boat rides the waves:

That's it for my card today.  Hope this gets you in the mood to enter the challenge for a chance to win a free stamp set.  

Have a great day and keep creating!

Copics used:  C00, C0, C1, C2
E00, E01, E11, E21, E25
Y13, Y15, Y17
YR12, YR14, YR16
YG91, YG93   R22, R24
B000, B12, B14

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Little Pink (Storybook) Houses by Reneé Matarese

 Hello Ai fans!!

If you haven't had time to check out the two new Storybook series releases,
now is the time to head over to the website and see them.

I've used the 6116 – Thinking of Home
on my card.


My card is for the Furry Friends challenge.
Enter your handmade creation by clicking on the challenge banner.

Although I used the template die set that coordinates with the stamp sets,
I chose to place it on the card like a frame.


I finished it off with a pretty little bow.
These sets are so cute!


Monday, August 24, 2026

Whimsical Storybook by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans!

Art Impressions just released two brand new sets for the Storybook Line and I'm in love with both of them! They are soooo cute and perfect for little pieces of decor to place around the house. My post today shows you the project I created using #Whimsical Storybook. I wanted this one to actually be like a little book where you could flip the pages, so instead of using #6121 Storybook Template, I grabbed #5806 Slim Journal Template. The slim journal is perfect for doing so many different types of projects!! I stamped all the images from #6223 Whimsical Storybook Set onto a Copic friendly paper using Memento ink. The colors I used are listed below this post. After coloring and die cutting them all out, I set out to create a home for them. 





I die cut the slim journal out of cardstock and then added paper from #6205 Floral Shop PP. To make the frame around the center cutouts, I taped together two dies from #5065 Oval Double Stitched Dies and cut enough for all the pages of the journal. I thought the size of the fence from #4967 WC Fence Dies was perfect for this project!  Here's a look at the inside layers of my project. 


I added a few layers of clouds for fun. 


There's plenty of room to sign this I want to give it away as a card to someone! 


And one last look at the finished piece. 




So that's it for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit and I hope I was able to inspire you to get and use the brand new Whimsical Storybook Set #6223. Until next time - stay crafty!!


Copic markers used:

E000, 00, 11, 17, 31, 33, 35, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 51, 53, 55, and 57
YR20, 21, 23, 24, and 27
YG01, 03, and 05
V25 and 28
Y13, 15, and 19
G000, 82, and 85
B000 and 01
W0 and 2
C0, 1, 2, 3, 4 5, 6, and 7
R00, 20, 22, 24, and 27