His mercies are new every morning by Sharon Caudle

Hello AI Fans!

Happy 2nd day of summer! I have a bookmark to show you today that features #6216 Mercy Set which is brand new from Art Impressions. This set is so gorgeous and I can see myself using it a lot! I think blue and yellow are such a pretty color combination, so decided to use it for this one. These are really quick and easy to put together and I think they make such a beautiful gift! For the bookmark die, I grabbed #6043 Bible Bookmark Dies and cut the inner piece out of a Copic friendly cardstock and the main piece using #6206 Floral Shop Cover PP. I first stamped the bottom bird, then the top one. After that, I centered the sentiment between the two. After coloring them with Copic markers, I added a few tiny blue hearts and then added the ribbon. I hope you get a little inspiration from this and post your creations for us to see!

 Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit today and until next time - stay crafty!

Bucket of Blooms & Birthday Smiles by Simone Carr

 

Hello crafty friends! Wishing a very happy Father's Day to all the amazing dads and father figures out there. 

For today’s card, I created a sweet garden scene featuring the Mini Mice and Squirrel Set.

I started by inking the large stones with Tombow 565 + 969, leaving the top area uninked. I stamped the image off two to three times before stamping onto Canson Watercolor Paper for a softer impression.

Next, I stamped the bucket using my stamp positioner. I used the same 565 + 969 combination, applying the color to an acrylic plate and stamping off twice. I positioned the acrylic plate where I wanted the bucket, and once I was happy with the placement, I removed the acrylic plate and stamped the bucket.

For the smaller stones, I followed the same process, inking only half of the stamp with 565 + 969 and stamping off before placing them around the scene.

I then stamped the squirrel using Tombow 969. Using a damp #4 brush, I pulled color from the stamped lines and added additional shading to both the squirrel and the rocks. I also added more color to the bucket for extra depth.

Once the main elements were complete, I began building the scene by stamping in the grass and flowers. I used Post-it Tape to mask the rocks and squirrel before stamping the flowers. I added a light wash of 526 to the background before stamping the flowers and foliage inside the bucket. Using my damp #4 brush, I softened the stamped images for a watercolor look.

After everything was dry, I used Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White to add extra flowers throughout the bucket arrangement and the grassy areas.

The finished panel was cut using the 4th largest Nested Rectangle Die. I then layered it onto patterned paper from the Encouragement PP collection using the 1st and 2nd largest Double Stitched Rectangle Dies to create a dimensional frame.

Materials Used

Stamps & Dies

• 5599 – Mini Mice and Squirrel Set
• 5415 – Rock Set
• 5416 – Vintage Car Set (Bucket)
• 5073 – Bible Foliage Set
• 5007 – Foliage Set 3
• 4052 – Flower Set 1
• 4868 – Flower Set 2
• 5008 – Flower Set 3
• 5826 – Large Tree Set 2 (Grass)
• 5724 – Nested Rectangle Die (4th Largest)
• 5063 – Double Stitched Rectangle Die (1st & 2nd Largest)

Paper

• 5955 – Encouragement Patterned Paper
• Canson Watercolor Paper

Inks & Mediums

• Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White
• Post-it Tape
• TwinTone Marker – Brown

Tombow Markers

• 565 + 969 – Stamped Stones & Bucket
• 947 – Squirrel
• 856, 636, 985 – Flowers in Bucket
• 452 – Bucket
• 685 – Flowers Outside the Bucket
• 177 – Grass & Flower Stems
• 526 – Sky
• N49 – Bucket

For my second project, I created a set of birthday tags using the Baby Critters Set.

I started by using a die from the Portfolio Template Die Set (5952) to cut the tags from Canson Watercolor Paper. Next, I used a Crop-a-Dile to punch the oval opening so I could determine how much space I had for stamping the images.

I placed each tag into my stamping platform, which made it easy to restamp the images if needed. I stamped the critters using Tombow N95, then added the "Happy Birthday" sentiment with Versafine Clair Nocturne.

Next, I stamped the stars and balloons using N95 as well. Once all the images were in place, I began coloring. All of the colors used are listed below.

After coloring, I added Wink of Stella to the stars for a little sparkle. On the giraffe tag, I used Nuvo Crystal Drops for added dimension and interest. One thing I discovered is that the glaze softened the lines I had drawn on the balloon, causing some of the details to fade. It's a good reminder that dimensional products can sometimes alter watercolor details, so keep that in mind when adding finishing touches.

Once everything was completely dry, I added the eyelets and finished the tags with ribbon.

I hope you enjoyed this weekend’s projects and found a little inspiration along the way. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you next time!

Materials Used

Stamps & Dies

• 5400 – Baby Critters Set
• 5952 – Portfolio Template Die Set

Tools & Embellishments

• Crop-a-Dile Oval Punch
• Wink of Stella
• Nuvo Crystal Drops

Paper

• Canson Watercolor Paper

Inks & Mediums

• Versafine Clair Nocturne
• TwinTone Marker – Brown
• TwinTone Marker – Grey

Tombow Markers

• N95 – Stamped Images
• 565 – Shadows

Giraffe: 991, 947, 969, 195, 493, 942, 703, 912

Hippo: N60, 947, 910, 703, 296, 985, 856, 969, 912

Furry Friends by Gennette Houghton

Hello, and Welcome to Watercolor Weekend!  I always love painting the animals that are in the Art Impressions line.  There are definitely some cute ones, yes mice are cute! LOL! (Well they are!) I also love all things rustic, which is where I went with my first card.  

I started out with a piece of watercolor paper and stamped in the pitcher from 5123 WC Decorative Jar Set, with Distress Ink in Pumice Stone, I also used this on the pot and mouse.  Being that this set is rubber, I stamped off twice first.  I then masked the pitcher before stamping in the 4869 WC Small Container Set, I also stamped this one off twice before using my stamp positioner to put on my project. I then added the mouse from 5599 Mini Mice & Squirrel Set, this one I only stamped off once and also used the positioner.  For the pitcher I used a mix of 565 and 969 to put in the base color leaving a highlight in the middle, then a put a light wash of 249 in for a bit of patina.  947 is my go to for rust, and I put this in various places, darkening some spots.  If you want a more deteriorated look add a bit of 969 to make it look like the rust is eating through the metal.   I also used 947 on the little pot and shaded with 969, this was also used to create the crack in the rim.  For the little mouse I started with N79 as the base and shaded with N57, I then added a light wash of 969 to get the variation in his coat.  I used a black micron on his eye and added a bit on his nose.  I then put in some 177 on the ground, darkening it around the pitcher and pot and I used 403 for the sky.  

I masked off the pitcher again to put in the foliage and flowers.  I started with 5919 Long Stem Floral Set and my stamp positioner.  I also stamped these in Pumice Stone and stamped off twice.  I then used masking fluid on the flowers because I wanted them to stand out when I was done.  6055 Water of Life Set has some long grasses that I used in 192, using my brush I added curls to the ends of some of the blades.  I then put in the long purple flowers from 4052 Flower Set 1 in 676.  I added a small leaf sprig from 5007 WC Foliage Set 3 darker towards the base and stamped the lighter ones towards the top. I also added them on either side of the pot and pitcher in 177.  I blended some of the foliage and flowers a bit to fill in the white spaces, adding extra color as needed so the Bleed Proof White would show.  I then rubbed off the liquid mask and put 055 and 025 in the centers of the 3 flowers and added 407 to the petals and 126 to the leaves.  I then added the BPW in various sizes.  I matted my card base with 5939 Fairy Garden Paper Pack and cut out a purple frame with a die from my stash.  I traced this die over my image, on both the inside and outside so I knew where I needed to cut this down to fit behind the frame and glued these 2 pieces together before mounting on my card.    

 

For my second card I tried channeling my inner Michelle, IYKYK.  If you don’t know, Michelle H. is an extremely talented artist and has a knack for whimsy.  I came up with this idea from a picture I had seen on Pinterest, if you ever struggle for ideas, the internet can be a good source of inspiration.  With the exception of the foliage, I used Distress Ink in Pumice stone, stamping each one off first before stamping onto my watercolor paper.  5465 WC Cliffs Set was used first, leaving the top back line off.  I then used a stamp positioner to put in the cat from 4873 WC Cats Set, and the left wings of the butterfly from 5200 Butterfly Set.  The 4^th from largest in the 5063 Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies was used as a guide around my project.  I started with the rocks using a mix of 565 and 969.  I then added in touches of 969, 565, 526, 676, and 725.  For the side of the cliff I used 969, darkening areas for dimension.  For the ground and top of the cliff I used 177, darkening the areas that would be in shadow.  

For the cat I shaded her with 565, and used a black micron on the eyes and nose.  Adding a bit of 772 in the ear with some Bleed Proof White for a little bit of hair coming up in front of the ear.  I played around quite a bit with colors for the wings, I ended up using 850 for the base, contouring with 703, and shading with 725.  I also used 725 to create a bit of scrollwork in the wing that I went over with a bit of Wink of Stella, I also added this to the 2 purple areas in the rocks.  I added in 403 for the sky, and then used 5007 WC Foliage Set 3 for both the vine and the grasses, both in 177.  

I touched the leaves with a damp brush to soften and pulled some of the color up out of the grass.  I erased my guidelines and used the same die to cut out my project.  I matted this with a dark burgundy cardstock that I also used to mat the piece I ran through an embossing folder.  I matted my card base with paper from 6082 Bible Journaling S1 Paper Pack.  I popped up the image with foam tape over the embossed panel, to finish off my card.  I hope you enjoyed my projects today, thank you for joining me.  Until next time.  Create….Share….Inspire!

Walk Humbly by Janet

Something happened to me this week that really brought home that humility is something that's hard to live at times but should always be remembered. The bookmark I made serves as a reminder of that for me. It's residing in my work journal to remind me to be less judgmental and to be humble.

The bookmark base is made using 5223-Bookmark Dies. The feathers and cross are just two of several embellishment dies in this set. They add really nice touches as decorative bookmark elements. The bird and sentiment are from the new set released this week, 6216-Mercy Set. If you love birds and nature, you will enjoy this stamp set. It's perfect to color with water color, markers, or pencils.

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!

 

Happy Father's Day! Card by Tasha

Happy Friday, Art Impressions Friends!

Tasha here sharing a Father's Day card featuring the 5406 -Mr. Set. This sharp-dressed gentleman is ready for summer and has his hammer in hand to tackle any project!

I stamped the man, hammer, and tool belt, then used the coordinating dies to cut them out. The hand die includes an opening to hold the hammer, and I customized the tool belt by removing the tape measure for a unique look.

For the background, I added an embossed floor with silver metallic wax on black cardstock and a brick pattern to complement the handyman theme. To finish the card, I layered tan, cream, and brown cardstock with a piece of Art Impressions plaid paper. I love how these colors and patterns come together for a fun masculine design.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Artful Architecture Challenge #430 Week #1

Hello Ai fans!

Welcome to our new challenge.
Artful Architecture

We want to see your cards using any sort of a building.

This can be houses, barns, castles, churches, lighthouses, schools, cabins, cottages

and more!

After seeing how creative you got with our Enjoy the Ride challenge, I'm sure

you'll come up with lots of things that I didn't think of.

Our featured designer this week is Lynn and you're going to LOVE her sweet card.

Once you finish checking it out, scroll down to see who won our last challenge.

Take it away Lynn!

 Scalloped Tri-fold "Princess" Card by Lynn Dionne

Watch video tutorial here!

I’m excited to be the featured artist for the brand-new Ai “Architecture” Blog Challenge which is to include anything architectural in your card or project. This can include houses, barns, cottages, or even a castle like we will be using today!

To make this trifold card design really easy we will be using the Ai Tryfolds Cards and Envelopes Pack and add a pretty border to each flap on the card using a pretty scalloped edge die. 

We will also add some beautiful, patterned papers to the two front flaps and the inside panel of the card. To do this we will be using the Ai Floral Shop PP 6205). I’ll show you in today’s video how to easily line these up to create the double scalloped edge on your card. The double-sided paper packs are perfect for mixing and matching the layers on your cards.

Next, we can stamp the cute little castle using the Ai Woodland Castle Set (5916) and quickly color it in using the Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens in the following colors: Blender, Lt Pink, Pink, Sage Green, Aquamarine Blue, Gray Tint, Lt Beige, Beige. Now, using our detail scissors, we can fussy cut the castle.

Let’s also stamp our sweet “Princess” sentiments on the second flap and the inside panel of the card.

Now we can add our patterned papers, but before we add the focal image, we will add some Dusty Rose twine around the card for a pretty closure. To do this we will cut another panel from some white cardstock and sandwich the twine between these two layers. This will also thicken up the card a bit more and keep the twine from falling off when the card is opened by the recipient.

For the castle we will die cut two scalloped circles from the Ai Scalloped Circles Die Set (6045). This will coordinate nicely with the scallops on the flaps. Add your castle image and pop it up with some 3D Foam Squares.

Finally, let’s add some pretty sequins and tie a bow!

Thank you so much for joining me today! Have a fun and crafty day!

Ai Woodland Castle Set (5916)

Ai Scalloped Circle Dies (6045)

Ai Floral Shop PP (6205)

Ai Tryfolds Cards and Envelopes (4437)

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

Fabulous Lynn! Thank you for the inspiration and wonderful tutorial.

Now let's see who won our Enjoy the Ride challenge.

For our Top Spot we selected #9 Trish G.

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim your free stamp set.

Our Lucky Random Winner was #5 Patty S.

Please e-mail Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com
to claim your free set.

Congratulations to our winners.

Now for our new 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.

✻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

OUCH - Doggy Cone by Dori Mendiola

 Happy Thursday AI Friends!

Today I have a fun fold wellness card with this cute little injured dog from the #AiCS38 - Doggy Kisses set.  This set has the most adorable little pups with the funnest little "get well" sentiments.  Definitely a cute, fun set!  Who wouldn't find this little guy to be uplifting and a fast "cure" for any illness?

I started by stamping the images onto copic friendly paper with Memento black ink and colored with my copic markers listed below.  I die cut the letters out with the #5910 - Large Alphabet set and colored around the edges with my copic marker (E53) to add that extra pop from the pattern paper.  I also popped up the letters with foam tape.

I cut the image panel with a circle die.  I adhered pattern paper to the card base and then die cut a circle into the top panel, using a larger circle die than the image panel.  I cut a narrow circle frame to give a nice finish to the opening.  For the pop through panel, I cut a strip 4 3/4" x 2" in white cardstock and scored along the long side at 1/2".  I adhered the 1/2" tab to the inside back of the card base, making sure that the strip will be centered when shutting the card.  I adhered a piece of pattern paper to the inside back underneath the strip piece and covered up the tab.  I then die cut a decorative edge to one side of a piece of pattern paper and cut to fit on top of the strip.  Placing the strip panel through the front circle, adhere the image panel onto the strip so that it fits nicely.  

I used a magnetic closure to keep the card closed, but this is optional.  I placed one under the bandaid on the front cover and the other under the paw heart inside.  

Video below shows how the card opens and closes.

Hope you enjoyed my card today.  Thanks for joining me!

Have a wonderful day and keep creating!

Copics used:  N0, N1

R20,    B000

E50, E51, E53, E55

Fourth of July Patriotic Pop-up Box Card by Lynn Dionne

Happy Wednesday Ai Fans!

Watch video tutorial here!

Today we will be creating a super fun and patriotic card to celebrate America's 250th! We will be creating a fun Pop-up card design with lots and lots of red, white and blue!

This card was inspired by the current Ai "Enjoy the Ride" Blog Challenge. This challenge is to include anything you can ride in your card or project. This includes bicycles, cars, trucks, trains, wagons, wheelbarrows, scooters, skateboards, boats, airplanes and anything else you can think of that you can ride on!

Let's begin by stamping our images. The bicycle is from the Ai Cottage Charm Set (6179) and the other items including the flags, plaques, and flowers are from the Ai Front Porch Patriotic Set (5494). All of the coloring will be done using the Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens in the following colors: Blender, Lt Pink, Wine Red, Carmine Red, Hazee Blue, Persian Blue, Blue, Oatmeal, Beige, Mid Brown, May Green, Green.

The Front Porch set includes all of the coordinating dies, so let's go ahead and die cut those. And for the bicycle we will use our detail scissors to cut this out. Let's also die cut some little picket fences using the Ai Fence Dies (4967).

Next, we will die cut the Scalloped Box Card Pop-up from some white 100lb cardstock. To decorate this box, we will use the wonderful Ai Patriotic PP (6090). I absolutely love this paper pack; it is so fun and festive!

I'll show you in today's video how to assemble this pop-up box. I'll give you a few tips and tricks for easy assembly.

Once the assembly of the box is complete, we can add all of our little patriotic pieces! Let's also add some large numbers for the 250th celebration using the Ai Lg Number Dies (5911).

Finally, we can add a little bit of interest and dimension using some clay stars in red, white and blue...of course! I am going to put this out as a cute decoration, but this will easily fold up to an A2 card size and can be easily mailed.

Please join us in this fun new blog challenge...we would love to see what you create!

Thank you so much for joining me today!  Have a fun and crafty day!

Ai Cottage Charm Set (6179)

Ai Front Porch Patriotic (5494)

Ai WC Fence Dies (4967)

Ai Lg Number Dies (5911)

Ai Patriotic PP (6090)

Focus on Faith: Seek Wisdom Wreath by Sara Furr

 Blessings my dear friends, and welcome to my second edition of "Focus on Faith" for the month of June. 

As many of you know, June is usually a time of graduation for children from high school, so I thought I would try to create a faith inspired card that could be used as a graduation card, so I dug out the two new "Wisdom" stamp sets. I didn't really have any idea of what I wanted to do, so I just pulled out the stamp set and decided to play around.

I started by creating a 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" square out of Canson XL Bristol smooth cardstock. I placed the square into my MISTI stamping tool, and took out the florals from the "Wisdom set 1". I positioned them on my card stock in the top center, and decided I would try to create a wreath.  I inked them up with black Versafine ink and stamped them down. I then turned my cardstock 1/4 turn, and inked, and stamped them again. I did this 2 more times until I had created a circle wreath. I then positioned the owl from the same set, and the "SEEK wisdom" sentiment from the "Wisdom Set 2", in the center of my wreath. I inked them in the black Versafine ink and stamped them. I wanted the owl to be holding a "diploma", so I inked up just the very top of the large scroll from the "Wisdom set 1" with a very light gray dye ink marker. I stamped it so that the owl appeared to be sitting on or holding the scroll. 

 At this point, I still had no idea what I was going to use as my coloring medium. I had originally planned to watercolor it, but thought I would try a little experiment!  So,  I waited till the Verksafine ink was completely dry, and did a test sample to see if I could actually use my alcohol inks to color them. Now, they say that you can only use Memento black ink as your base medium for alcohol markers, but I found that the Versafine ink was fine, as long as it was completely dry. I just made sure to not touch the lines too much with my alcohol markers!  So, I went about coloring the florals with three shades of purple alcohol ink markers; a light, a medium, and a dark. I colored the whole flower in the lightest color of purple, then I added in the medium purple up to about the middle of the flower. Then, I went back in and added lines of the darkest purple with a light flicking motion. Lastly, I  went back in with the lightest purple to blend out all three. I proceeded to color the green leaves with two shades of green alcohol ink markers. I colored each leaf base in the light green, and then added in a dark green just in the center base of the leaf.  

At this point,  I decided that my wreath needed some filler so I added in the little berry sprigs from the "Wisdom set 1", here and there, randomly around my wreath with the black Versafine ink. I colored the berries with a very dark purple alcohol marker.  

My wreath still wasn't quite full enough, so I inked up just the very top of the leafy vine stamp from the same set with a dark green dye ink marker, and stamped it in three sets in each little section so I had a dark, medium, and light variation of color. I continued stamping this way all the way around the entire wreath inking the vine, and then stamping off three individual times to give me a nice full wreath.  I then decided to add some of those vines coming off from behind, and to the side of my owl and the scroll in the center of the wreath.  To blend things out a bit, and give a sort of watercolor look, I used two very light shades of green alcohol ink markers, and blended around the inside and outer edges of the florals.  I then took two shades of a very light greenish blue alcohol ink marker, and did the same around the very edges of the outside of the wreath where the vines are, to create a sort of watercolory sky.

I then worked on coloring my owl with alcohol markers in shades of tan, and brown, and bright green for his eyes. I felt that the owl and the flowers both needed a lot more detail, so I broke out my Polychromos colored pencils,  and I decided to add in all my details on my owl and in my florals and leaves.  For the flowers, I used a very sharp purple pencil to very gently draw in the leaf veins, and then I took a black pencil and darkened along the edges of each petal, and the very middle of the flower, leaving the centers of the flowers white. This added a lot of depth and shading to give my florals a lot more dimension.

I added gentle lines horizontally across my owl's chest and wings so that it resembled layers of feathers. While I had the pencils out,  I decided to add a couple more details in the center of my wreath where the vines are sprouting from behind the scroll, and I did more blending with the light green alcohol markers, and then added in more details with a light and darker green pencil. I then decided to take those two green pencils and add in more details on my leaves. I left the vine leaves alone.  I did not add any details to them at all. I very lightly colored the scroll with a soft tan to give it a vintage scroll look.  

When I was happy with my focal piece, I distressed the edges of it with the edge of a scissors.  I created a white mat for behind my focal piece, and distressed the edges of that as well. I then added foam tape behind that whole focal piece.

 I then created another white mat for my 6x6 card base that I embossed with a dotted circle motif embossing folder. This embossed detail helped bring my whole card together by adding more texture, and repeating the circle motif as from my wreath. I adhered that whole piece to my card base with my focal piece popped up in the center.  

To create the inside of my card, I cut two mats of a light and very dark purple for my center focal piece. I used another 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" square made from Canson XL Bristol smooth cardstock and placed it into my MISTI. I chose two sentiments, the jewels, and the two floral pieces , and positioned them in my MISTI to create a cross in the center of my focal piece. I only colored the florals. I followed the exact same coloring as previously described on the front.

 I thank you so much for joining me today! I hope that you liked my project, and got inspired to create some Faith inspiring artwork.

God bless you all my crafty friends,

Sara Furr- The Crafty Farm Chick

Art Impressions products 

6203- Wisdom set 1

6204- Wisdom set 2

Other products:

Canson XL Bristol Smooth cardstock

Versafine Black ink pad

Alcohol ink markers

Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils and a pencil sharpener

Green dye ink marker

Sand color dye ink marker

Scissors

Embossing folder

Die cutting machine

Paper cutter

MISTI stamping tool

I Love Rock & Roll! by Reneé Matarese

Hello Ai fans!

What do you make when you have a request for a birthday card for a 14 year old who loves 80's music? A rock & roll shaker card of course, complete with boom box!

I used the super fun 5808 – 5pk Snow Globe Shaker Dome.
Inside the dome, I used the radio from 4999 Perfect Duet Set (Retired)

On the inside of her card I used 5866 – Mini Birthday Sentiment Set
and 5562 – Journal Letter Die Set to spell out I LOVE ROCK AND ROLL.
Think Joan Jett!

The border die on the front and on the inside is from
5543 – Journal Template Die Set

The circles were cut using 5726 – Nested Circle Dies
and 6045 – Scalloped Circle Dies