Focus on Faith Gift Set by Sara Furr

Greetings my dear friends, I am back today with another Faith filled project. This time I'm featuring a gift set including a card and coordinating necklace to go with it for a friend. 

I started out by making the necklace. I cut two 1 1/2" squares of watercolor cardstock and on one square I inked up one of the roses from the "His Love" stamp set with a purple, for the petals and a jade green marker for the leaves, and then stamped it inside my Misti stamping tool. Leaving the square in the corner of my Misti, I pulled color from each outline and added in more color where the shadows or darker areas would be. Then I reinked my Stamp with the 2 markers and re-stamped the image over top of the watercoloring to add the outlines back into the image. I then added a wash of blue around my floral image, then let that dry. In the right hand corner I added some watered down coral to add some warmth to the sky. In the left hand bottom corner I added a tiny bit of the Jade green to act as grounding. I then set that aside to dry and worked on the back of the necklace.

On the second square of watercolor cardstock I stamped the cross, and again while leaving the cardstock in my Misty stamping tool, I pulled color from the outline with a damp brush, and then re-inked the cross and stamped the image again over the top to add the outlines back in. I then stamped the sentiment over top of the cross with Black Versafine ink. Once my first panel was dry I stamped the sentiment over top of the right hand corner of the Rose in Black Versafine Ink. Once both panels were dry I encased them, back to back, in the two pieces of glass and put them inside of the metal necklace casing. I added a jump ring and chain. To the chain, I tied a piece of seam binding ribbon that I had hand dyed with re-inkers, and a little water, and scrunched and left to dry.

With my necklace gift complete, I moved on to creating the coordinating card. 

For that, I began by cutting a 6x12 piece of 2 tone jade colored cardstock for my card base, and folded it in half. I then created two layers on top of my card base. The first layer is out of the back side(which is a shade lighter)of the jade colored cardstock a cut at 5 1/2 x 5 1/2, and the second layer is a purple polka dot designer paper cut at 5 1/4 x 5 1/4, and that is out of the Mother's Day paper pack. I distressed the edges of both layers with the edge of a scissors. I then created another layer using a square lace doily die cut out of Jade colored glimmer paper and the top layer out of watercolor cardstock. On that watercolor square I did the same process as I did for the necklace. I started out by stamping the image as I individually colored the roses in purple and the leaves in green. I moistened the ink with my breath and then stamped on to the watercolor paper. I pulled color from the lines with a damp brush, and then re-inked the entire stamp again with the individual markers, and re-stamped the outlines back in. Once dry, I stamped the sentiment in the center of the heart-shaped wreath with black Versafine ink. I added fun foam behind my stamped image, and more fun foam behind the doily layer. Before adding my focal piece down, I added a strip of white lace and some purple organza ribbon and a bow off to the right side. I then added my focal piece on top finishing the front of the card. 

I then moved on to the inside of the card, in which I placed a strip of designer paper from the Bible Journaling series 1 paper pack that had a foliage print with the coordinating colors that I had used for the front in purples and greens. I cut a mat of jade cardstock, 4 1/2 x 4 1/2, and then cut another doily die cut out of white cardstock. I stamped "He will sustain you" at the bottom in black Versafine. I cut a cross from the "Crosses die set" out of the Jade colored glimmer paper and added that to the top of my inside focal piece. Both Sentiments on the card are from the "Frameworks Sentiments" stamp set.

And that finishes my faith inspired gift set, ready to give to a dear friend.

Do you like to make little gifts like this for your friends? I do!😊

This is the list of all the supplies I used to create my little gift set.

Art Impressions Supplies used:

[ ] 6150- His Love

[ ] 5417- Frameworks Sentiments 

[ ] 5909- Crosses die set

[ ] 6051- Mother's Day PP

[ ] 6082- Bible Journaling S1 PP

Other supplies

[ ] Misti stamping tool

[ ] Paper cutter

[ ] die cutting machine

[ ] Watercolor brush

[ ] Watercolor cardstock

[ ] Glimmer paper

[ ] Two-tone cardstock

[ ] Lace doily die cut ( From Divinity Designs)

[ ] Necklace frame and glass and chain

[ ] Seam binding ribbon, lace, and organza ribbon

[ ] Assortment of markers

[ ] Scissors, glue, tape, and fun foam

Thank you all for joining me for another Faith filled project I hope you will join me again February 17th.

Blessings to you all,

Sara Furr-The Crafty Farm Chick 

Frank just wants to be loved...by Reneé Matarese

Love, Love Me Do!

I just love the new challenge from Art Impressions.
Anything love related. Pink or red, Valentines, whatever.
I fell in love with the 6120 – Frankenstein Puppet Set when Art Impressions released him for Halloween. But, why should poor Frank be confined to just one holiday? He needs a little love too.

I feel like he could be compared to Elvis, a "greaser" from Grease or maybe a Beatle.
Anyway, I love him! Hind sight is 20/20. As I'm posting this, I'm wishing I put a little bouquet of flowers in his hand. Oh well, maybe next year.

 

A Valentine for my granddaughter by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans!

If you've been affected by the widespread freezing temps, I sure hope you're starting to thaw out a little! And if not, what is better than crafting Valentines for your loved ones in your warm home? That's what I've got to show you today. Our new challenge is Love, Love Me Do (you know I love you...I'll always be true...so plee ee ee eese) Sorry...I got a little carried away with lyrics from my youth! LOL! So anyway, I decided to create a little Valentine for one of my granddaughters. I just love how it turned out, so I hope it inspires you a little. 

I just used a white gel pen to create the patterns on her hat and dress. 

I started by pulling out #5717 Little Girl F&B stamp set and stamping her onto some Copic friendly paper. I don't know about you, but I love using pinks and reds together for Valentine's Day projects. When I cut her out, I cut a slit in her basket so I could add some pink and red hearts I cut using the heart die from #5223 Bookmark Dies. After cutting my A2 card base and adding some pattern paper from #5741, I took #5721 Nested Heart Dies and cut out a window to the inside of the card. After doing that, I glued the inked cloud paper to the inside of the card so the sky would be continuous on the front. I then took a coordinating piece of pattern paper and cut a frame for the heart window using the window size heart along with the largest scalloped heart in the set. I love framing my windows as I believe it adds a nice touch of detail. That adorable fence is from #5807 Journal Fence Dies. I just cut it twice and overlapped the edge piece to make it seamless. Of course it's popped up with dimensional tape. Daisies are my favorite flower ( I have a huge bunch of Shasta daisies in my back yard), so I just can't resist using these cute stamps from #5925 Honey Bee Set.  I'm sure you notice I use them ALL the time. LOL! That set also contains those cute bees and the dies to cut them all out so they can be used exactly like this if wanted! 

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

Copic markers used:

E000, 00, 11, 33, 35, 40, 42, 44, and 51

Y32 and 35

R11, 22, 24, 27, 81, 83, and 85

G43 and 46

B00

February 2026 Monthly Challenge with Simone

 Hello Ai fans!

Welcome to our February Monthly Challenge.
We have a gorgeous LOVE themed card from Guest Designer Simone to inspire you.

As always, this challenge has no theme so anything you want to create is fine as long as you use something from Art Impressions on it. You might be the next winner of a free stamp set from Art Impressions. Winner is chosen randomly so all skill levels have a fair chance of winning. One lucky winner will also receive a freebie from me.

After admiring Simone's beautiful work, be sure to scroll down to see the winners of our last challenge.

Then, be sure to read our very special announcement.

Hello Friends,

February is the perfect time to celebrate love, warmth, and a little creative joy, and I’m excited to share today’s card with you. I began on Canson Watercolor Paper by tracing the 4th largest heart-shaped die, then lightly penciling in the bow and stem to guide my layout.

I stamped both the sitting gnome and the standing gnome using Archival Ink Shadow Grey. The sitting gnome was first stamped onto masking paper and fussy cut, then placed over the stamped image. Using a stamp positioner, I inked the flower pot with Tombow 565 + 969 directly onto the acrylic plate, then stamping it off twice for a softer look. Once I had the placement just right, I removed the acrylic plate and stamped the pot onto the paper.

After removing the mask from the sitting gnome, I began coloring. I colored the bow first, then covered it with masking tape before stamping foliage inside the heart. With a #4 brush and a touch of water, I gently dabbed the foliage to soften the look. Once the mask was removed from the bow, I stamped a few additional foliage pieces so they slightly overlapped the bow for added depth.

After painting the pot and gnomes, I placed the mask back over the sitting gnome to stamp flowers and grass inside the pot. I also stamped grass around the pot and near the standing gnome to ground the scene. To finish, I used Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White to paint delicate white flowers within the heart and grass, and added tiny white hearts to the bow for a sweet final touch.

I hope you give this project a try and have fun creating your own cozy, love-filled scene.

Materials Used

Stamps

Gnomes Set (5785)

Flower Set 2 (4868)

Foliage Set 1 (4051)

Foliage Set 3 (5007)

Bible Foliage Set – Small Grass (5073)

Ornate Container (4870)

Dies

Nested Heart Die – 4th Largest (5721)

Paper

Canson Watercolor Paper

Valentine’s Patterned Paper (5741)

Inks & Coloring Mediums

Archival Ink – Shadow Grey (for stamping gnomes)

Tombow Markers:

933 – Gnome shirt, flowers

856 – Bow, pot, flower centers

245 – Gnome hat

555 – Gnome pants

942, 912 – Gnome nose and hands

027 – Pot

947 – Gnome shoes, shirt

N55 – Gnome beard

177 – Grass, heart

526 – Sky

969 + 565 – Stamped pot

Other

Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White

Lovely Simone. Thank you so much for your inspiration.

Now, let's see who won our January 2026 challenge.

The winner of a free stamp set from Art Impressions is:
#10 Ellen M and the winner of the free stamp set from me is #8 Julie W.

Ellen, 

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!!

Julie,

Please email me at Renee@artimpressions.com with your full name and address and I'll send you a photo of the freebies I have available for you to choose from.

Congratulations to both of our January winners. We LOVED all of the entries and we hope you'll continue to enter. We can't wait to see your beautiful art each month.

Now for our special announcement.

Though we've loved having Simone as a special Guest Designer, it's time for her to move on.

Don't be too sad though...

She's moving on to become a full time Watercolor Design Team member!!

You'll now get to see her on a more regular basis!
She'll have her own Watercolor Weekend posts as well as participating in one of our Bi-Weekly challenges each month. Are you as excited as we are??

We're very excited for all of the new changes coming soon and of course, all of the new releases!

See the rules below and then be sure to come back and enter your crafty creation. You might just win a free stamp set!

 ✻ 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.

 ✻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

Spring Keepsake and a New Home card by Karen Day

 Hello Ai Watercolour fans!

I have started all of my posts of the past (almost) 13 years with that phrase.  It is a bittersweet day for me that this will be my last post as part of the Art Impressions design team.  I started on the main team in 2013 after falling in love with Bonnie's amazing Girlfriends, and Old People stamps - still my favourites to this day!  I took a short break 4 1/2 years later, then returned on the Watercolour team where I've remained until today.  Life changes, and it's time for me to allow someone else to be part of this amazing team, using Bonnie's wonderful creations.  Thanks for being along for the ride with me!

My first card is using the newly released 6106 - Spring Keepsake set.

I positioned the frog and watering can on the same block, and stamped them both using Tombow #N45 onto my Canson XL Watercolour paper.  After masking, I stamped the pot behind them, and then added the flower bouquet.

I was painting this in the middle of a snowstorm!  So I was reaching for bright, spring colours (helped brighten my mood, but the snow kept coming!).  I wanted a lot of contrast on the frog, so used #126/055/245/373, using the same on the greenery, but with some darker #177 added in.  #515 was painted in layers on the pot, and N45 watered down on the watering can.  #991/933 were used for the daffodils, and shades of #847 for the tulips.  A wash of #565 was painted as the sky, and used to add shadows around the images, and amongst the flowers.  When I'm painting something metallic or shiny, I like to add hints of the other colours in my painting, so you'll see touches of pink, blue and green on the watering can - as though it's catching their reflection.

The Spring die is from the 5719 - FB Fence & Window Set, cut twice and glued together to be a little sturdier.  The scene and blue mat are die cut using the 5724 - Nested Rectangle dies.  I mounted my scene onto some bold paper from the 5741 - Valentines paper pack.

My second card was a bit of a departure for me... and the jury's still out on this one!  I was inspired by a card from Alli Frazier, whose card was very CAS using diecuts.  I thought a watercolour version would be fun to try:

I really love the Ai alphabet dies... so I pulled out the 5910 - Large Letter Die set, then went searching for a house that was the right scale, facing forward.  But first, I had to make a template to plan out my card.  I traced a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" rectangle on my Canson XL Watercolour paper, and drew a line across it diagonally in pencil.  I placed the letter dies along the line, and this allowed me to figure out my placement for the house from 4961 - WC Mini Cottages Set, which I inked in Tombow #N45, and stamped.  I picked the three trees from 5826 -WC Large Tree Set 2, and after masking the bottom portion along my line and the house, I inked them all in #312 and stamped them across the page at varying heights, stamping some a second time without reinking.

There was still a lot of sky on my card, so I decided to add the larger mountains from 5198 - WC Mountain Set, inked in #533.  I pulled out the colour of both the mountains and trees with a damp brush.  The house was painted with #N45 on the roof, #703 on the house, and #847 on the chimney.  I used #565 as a wash in the sky, and to add shadows to the house & windows. I used my Gray Twintone marker to darken the lines of the house and to outline the smoke.

This is the point where a lot of debate ensued!  The mountains and trees were way darker than I'd envisioned - I had wanted them to be more of a hazy background.  I used some of the white paint to soften the lines/colour of the mountains, and painted in the smoke from the chimney.  I added a strip of green cardstock under the line - and had planned to use the same green for the letters, but they were too similar of a colour to the trees.  The pink letters were much bolder than I intended, but gave a better contrast with the background.  My daughter described this as a girly card!!  Which I'm okay with.  So the pink won.

I found this pale green striped paper in the 5892 - Easter S2 paper pack, and cut it to contrast with the angle on the card.  I thought the word 'home' was a little lonely on it's own, so pulled the sentiments out of my craft stash to finish the card off.  The sparkles are just clear silver, and look great in person, but appear black in the photos.  It was a lot of fun doing something out of my normal style.

On a parting note - a huge thank you to Bonnie, Phil, Joel, Kim & Kendra for everything.  It's been such a joy to work with you & your amazing products.  

'Cause We Need A Little Sunshine Right Now by Janet

Hi Art Impression fans! It's cold almost everywhere right now, so I hope you are all staying safe and warm out there. Spring is coming though it's hard to believe it by looking at the thermometer lately!

If you have the winter blues, Art Impressions has a way to kick it to the curb with the many spring sets they have in their collection. One of the newest just landed this week. I used it on my side-step rocker card and it's called 6106 - Spring Keepsake Set.

To make this card, I used a template to create the card base. Then I cut mats out in dark purple and a patterned page included in the 5939 - Fairy Garden PP.

This one just begged for a bird and a few butterflies so I made them with the ever handy 5561 - Birds and Bugs Set. I also colored and cut the pot, flowers, watering can and bunny from the new Keepsake set. Then I placed them on the card using foam pads behind the bunny, watering can and bird. 

One fun thing about this set is that the pot die cuts a slice at the top. This allows you to slip in the flowers or even the bunny into the pot. Also included is a frog and a duck which can also be posed to be in the pot. So cute and there's lots of possibilities with this one!

The side-step rocker card is 3" x 6" so I needed to make an envelope for it. Rocker cards are fun to make and a little unusual. This one is sure to make it's recipient have a little more sunshine in their day. 

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  

A Wildly Fun Birthday Card by Tasha

 Happy Friday Art Impressions friends!

Tasha here sharing a new birthday card featuring the cute lion from the Art Impressions 5400-Birthday Critters Set.

This cheerful little guy felt perfect for a fun and colorful birthday design. I started with an orange background created using alcohol ink blending, then cut it with the 5061-Square Double Stitched Dies. I really love the stitched pattern because it adds texture without overpowering the design. To make the card feel extra festive, I added two stamped gift box images along with a playful star pattern paper that brings in even more birthday energy.

For the layers, I used the 6047-Scalloped Square Dies to cut white and olive green paper. The scalloped design on the large square adds so much detail and helps frame the center image beautifully. To finish things off, I attached a Happy Birthday stamped mini banner and added one final paper layer in a golden color to coordinate with the orange background and pull everything together. This card was so much fun to create and I hope it brings a smile to someone on their special day. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you are having a great day!

Love, Love Me Do Challenge #420 Week #1

Hello Ai fans!

Welcome to our new Love, Love Me Do challenge!

We want to see all of your lovey, dovey creations.

Pink or Red or Hearts or Love.

You name it!

Please take note,
we have a new requirement.

We're not a large corporation like Simon Says Stamp that sells MANY brands.

Art Impressions is a family run company that designs ALL of their own stamps, dies and designer paper.

Therefore, moving forward, we're going to ask that you use some sort of Art Impressions product on your challenge entries. Everything else remains the same. Please see the full list of rules below.

After checking out the beautiful snowman themed Frosty Kisses funky fold card from our Featured Designer Tasha, scroll down to see who won our last challenge.

💗💗💗  💗     

 Hi everyone, Tasha here sharing my project created for the #420 Love, Love Me Do Challenge.The adorable main image is from the 6107-Snowman Hugs Set, and honestly, who can resist a snowman hug? They add the perfect touch of warmth and charm to this love-themed project.

This card features a W-V Card Fold, which adds fun dimension and makes the design extra special when displayed. It’s such a great fold for showing off patterned paper

-Base: 5-1/2” x 11”

Score across at 1-3/4”, 3-1/2”, 5-1/4” and 7”

-Center Card Base: 3” x 6”

Score across at 3”

-Fold and score all the score lines.

To create a fun and layered panels, I mixed and matched patterned papers from two packs: the 6051-Mother’s Day Paper Pack and the 5741-Valentines Paper Pack. These patterns pair beautifully together and really help set the tone with soft colors.

I also used Distress Oxide Ink to add extra pops of pink throughout the design, giving the project more depth and a soft, blended look that really enhances the love theme.

This project was so much fun to create, and I absolutely loved combining these sets to celebrate all things love and hugs! 

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you will participate in the #420 Love, Love Me Do Challenge!

That card from Tasha is just the CUTEST!!

Thank you so much for the inspiration.

Now let's see who won our Pocket Full of Sunshine Challenge.

We had a BUNCH of entries which makes me SO happy!

For our Top Spot we chose:

Betty C.

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!!

Our Lucky Random Winner was:

#2 Julie W.

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!!

There were so many entries and you all made it so difficult to choose a winner. We can't wait to see what you create over the next two weeks for our Love, Love Me Do challenge.

 ✻ 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.

 ✻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