July 2026 Monthly Challenge with Guest Designer Debbie Hedges

Hello everyone and happy July!!
Welcome to our Monthly Challenge with Debbie Hedges. 

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. Two lucky winners will also receive a freebie from me.  (Renee) After viewing Debbie's beautiful card, scroll down to see the winners from last month.

Now let's see what Debbie created to inspire you.

Happy July everyone! July 4^th is just around the corner and this will be a
special celebration in the USA for our 250^th anniversary!

For my July project, I created a red, white and blue-theme watering can for 4^th of July. I stamped the watering can (#5012) with Pumice Stone Distress Ink, stamping off once on scrap WC paper and then onto my project. I then added the shading using a variety of grey tones. I then painted the center band in cherry (#65) and added the blue (#3) dots below it with the fine tip of my marker. I added my sky next with sky blue (#75), making sure that the areas where I planned to add flowers were very light.

Using Post-It Tape, I masked off the top of the watering can and added some ivy (#5418) on the left side. I used my stamp positioner for placement and stamped three times in olive green (#15). I then used my small vine (#5126) and added more foliage to fill the top of the watering can. I then removed the tape and stamped the vine a couple times so it was hanging over the front of the watering can.

I re-applied the Post-It Tape and added the red flowers (#6055 and #5475) next using my stamp positioner. The flowers in these sets are very similar, but one curves (L&R) and one is straight. So, I wanted the flowers to curve to the right over the handle and then I wanted taller flowers in the middle. Next, I added the blue flowers using the dot flower (#5009). I stamped in repeat so I had light and dark and made sure I filled empty areas around the foliage. I then touched my paint brush to the foliage, then the blue flowers, then the red flowers to soften the color – cleaning my brush between each color (especially the red). With the fine tip of my blue marker, I added a few more random blue dots where I wanted more contrast for my blue dot flowers.

I added grass next by applying the Post-It Tape to one side of the watering can and stamping the grass (#5826) in repeat to the edge of the project in olive green (#15), creating a slight incline. I then moved the tape to the other side and stamped the grass in repeat to the opposite edge of my project. I then used the teeny tiny grass (#4015) to fill in any areas that I felt needed it by inking and stamping off once before adding it to my project. I then added a green wash
for the foreground making sure there were light and dark areas.

The wildflowers are a mixture of small daisies using Dr PH Martin’s Bleed Proof White and blue flowers by adding dots with the fine tip on my blue marker. Once the white paint dries, I add a yellow dot (#43) in the center of each daisy. I then added more white dots with Dr PH Martin’s Bleed Proof white for the foliage in the watering can and a few extra dots in the grass at the base. To finish up, I added a few accents to the watering can with the fine tip of my
grey marker (#40) for anything that needed some extra definition.

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! I would love it if you’d give this project a try. Also, don’t forget to
enter the Monthly Challenge for a chance to win a free stamp set! Wishing you and
your family a fun and safe holiday celebration if you have one planned!

Accessories:

Pumice Stone Distress Ink

Marvy Markers

Now let's see who our lucky winners were from June.

Okay folks!

This has never happened...lol.

Our winner was #5, but there is no 5 entered, so by default, #6 Pat S. becomes the winner
of the free stamp set from Art Impressions.

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!!

#4 Mary S. wins a freebie stamp from me,

 and because I'm giving away two freebies, I drew again.

#15 Barb E. also wins a freebie.

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.

Now for our new monthly challenge, 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.

One random winner will receive a free stamp set from Art Impressions and one random winner will receive a freebie stamp from me.

 ✻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

Watercolor Lighthouse by Dawn Wagner

 Lighthouse Hello! 

I am honored to be a substitute guest designer. You know when you were in school and had a substitute teacher, some were good, some not so good. Hopefully I tempt your creativity and give you a reason to try something new. I created a lighthouse scene for a Father’s Day card.

 

I used the following sets: 5465-Cliffs, 5466-Lighthouse, 5473- Seagull and a small grass from the foliage set, 4051. I used Canson watercolor paper, #4 and #0 brushes, Tombow colors 969, 565, 757, 990, N35, 177, 403 and 555, TwinTone colors chocolate, gray, Prussian blue, light blue, navy and turquoise blue, KingArt 132 - Blue, and a Zig Millennium Pure Black M5-005 micron-like pen for fine details. I inked the left facing cliff with 969 first, then 565. I did not stamp off as I wanted a bolder appearance. For the right facing cliff, I only inked the part I needed to make the cliff look complete using a stamp positioner. I then inked the lighthouse the same way and placed on the cliff. I wet my brush and started pulling the color out of the lines to begin the shading process. Using 757, I started adding color to the lighthouse very lightly, working from the outside toward the middle. I continued to add layers of the same color to get the effect I was looking for. I pulled the color out of the bottom only of the rocks and used a #0 brush to add 969 to the bottom and dragged upward to make the rocks look three dimensional and rounded. I used 757 to paint the bricks leaving some white space. I used 990 for the door and to fill in between the rocks. I used 990 on the small building and N35 lightly for the roof. I used the chocolate TwinTone to draw vertical lines on the door and used the gray TwinTone to draw roof lines. I used the Zig micron pen to draw in the windows and added minor shading for the bricks. I used 177 for the grassy areas. I added small grass from 4051. The cliffs used almost all colors except 757. I made sure the darkest parts of the cliffs were the parts where the rocks appeared to be stacked. I tried to leave some light parts with no color to create the highlights of the cliff side. For the water, I used a very light layer of 565 as the base of the water. I then added different TwinTone blues to different areas at the base of the rocks. I used just a wet brush and dragged the color out to create the depth of the water. I continued this process until I achieved the water I was looking for. I used 969 very lightly to create the reflection and the appearance of rocks in the water. I added the seagulls using 565, stamping off to make one set lighter than the other. I used KingArt 132 Blue for the rolling sky surrounding the lighthouse. I used 555 as the super light base for the rest of the sky. I went back through with TwinTones to make the shadows darker where needed. I used a Renke die cut for the best fit for the lighthouse, and color coordinated backgrounds for the card.

Thank you kindly for tuning in and get happy creating!

Tony's Tiny Joke Book (post #2) by Reneé Matarese

 Hello Ai fans!

I had a request for a birthday card for a 9 year old boy.

One of the things I was told he likes was "9 year old boy humor."

I very much like lame dad jokes and instantly thought of making him his own little
journal full of jokes he can tell people.

I shared the cover and the first few pages a couple of weeks ago.

Here is the next installment of pages.

I found all of the jokes online and printed them from my computer.

The adorable fish are from the retired Submarine Cubbies set
and the alligator is a retired freebie stamp.

For a special friend by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans!

Today I have a card to show you that works perfectly for our current challenge #430 Artful Architecture. I wanted to create a window scene, but I also wanted to be able to sign the inside of the card without seeing it through the window. The solution? #5806 Slim Journal Template Die Set! I just used one inside page and it was exactly what I was looking for! I cut the window out of the front panel of the card using the window die from #5543 Journal Template Die Set. The window curtain was cut using a die from my stash that I got from Amazon, and it was a little too short for the window size. It was a perfect spot to put my sentiment banner! I just love that banner die from #5809 Decorative Journal Page 2. I use it ALL the time! TIP! If you have a curved die you want to use for your sentiment set and you have a Misti or similar stamp platform, here's a tip for you. Tape the actual die to the outside top of your stamp platform, then open up the platform. Take your stamp and stick it to the inside of your stamp platform, curving it to match your die. Voila! You can then stamp and die cut your sentiment and it will match the curve of your die exactly!  Forgot to mention the papers I used are from #6205 Floral Shop PP. They're so gorgeous! I just realized I didn't put a single bow on this card! What is wrong with me??!!  LOL!!! 

 For the center page, I stamped and colored a house from #6185 Swiss Villa Set and the Daisy border came from #6188 FG Daisy Border. I die cut a piece of grass and stamped the sentiment from #5734 Friends Sentiments Set. 

And for the back page, I just matted it with more paper from #6205 Floral Shop PP and added another sentiment. to finish it off. 

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

Stairs to Heaven by Neema

Hello Ai Friends,

I am thrilled to share my first Art Impressions blog post as the newest member of the design team. Transitioning from short Instagram posts to this blog has been an exciting challenge, and I have put a lot of thought into bringing my ideas together for this piece.

While many of you know me as Neema, my real name is Norma. My husband and I moved to South Florida just before the pandemic. Although I have painted since high school, I stepped away from it while raising my daughters. Since moving to Florida, I have returned to painting daily. Discovering the Art Impressions watercolor method a few years ago truly transformed my technique, both when using stamps and in my traditional paintings. By day, I work as a software trainer, and I spend my evenings practicing the Ai method or painting other watercolor pieces.

For my first project, I was inspired by a picture on Instagram. I created a 5x7 card using the Stone Path stamp (5131) from the Bible Journaling series. I stamped the path and the rocks using Tombow markers 969 and 565, the trees and the signpost were stamped using brown marker 696. I hand-drew a door at the top and sketched a brick wall effect around it. To the left, I added a tree using the WC branches set (4964), and to the right of the path, I used the WC Small Rocks set (5414) to create a river effect. 

 I wanted to take more pictures, but I got so into painting that I totally forgot. 

For the finishing details, I used the foliage set (4051), the WC Mini Foliage (5372) and the grass from the WC Large Tree set (5826). I also added the text "Stairs to Heaven" on the signpost.

I thought it was finished, but it felt like it was missing something, so I used the WC mini flower set (5009)- to add purple flowers. I also added some dots of Bleed Proof White. I used a dark blue mat to create a 1/16 inch border.

I kept the inside of the card very simple. I stamped the Stone Path using Archival ink, shadow gray, and I used one of the sentiments from the same set: "Upload my Step in your PATHS that my feet may not slip, Ps 17 v5".

For my second card, I decided to use one of the churches for the set 5058-WC Church set and the same foliage and flower sets as in my first card. The picture frame is 6 x 6 inches, and the painting is about 4.5 x 4.5 inches. I used a similar color palette. 

Thank you for reading my first post and thanks for all your support.

America’s 250th Birthday Card and Gift Tag by Diane Mason

 Hello, and welcome back for Watercolor Weekend!

Hello, my Ai Watercolor friends and fans! On July 4, 2026, the United States will celebrate its Semiquincentennial—the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. I’m old enough to remember the Bicentennial, so it feels extra special to experience a second milestone celebration in my lifetime. I’ve always loved the classic red, white, and blue color combination, and today’s projects are filled with plenty of those festive hues.

America’s 250th Birthday Card:

For this festive celebration card, I used the 5511 – Floral Truck Set and mixed in a few elements from the 5494 – Front Porch Patriotic Set. To set the perfect patriotic tone, I chose bold patterned papers from 6090 – Patriotic Paper Pack, which adds just the right splash of red, white, and blue.

Colors and Supplies Used

Paper: Canson XL Watercolor Paper

Patterned Paper: 6090 – Patriotic Paper Pack

Cardstock: red, white

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

Ink: Versafine Smokey Gray Ink

Stamps and Dies:

• 5722 – Birthday Journal Set (dog and cake)
• 5491 – Front Porch Party Set (birthday banner)
• 5562 – Journal Letter Die Set
•  LF3799 – Lawn Fawn Build-A-Cake Dies

Tombow Dual Brush Pens:

• Dog: 977, 969, 856 (cheeks and collar)
• Party hat, banner, and numbers: 856, 555, 565
• Cake: 856, 555, 565, 942, 992
• Cake Stand: 451, 565
• Truck body: 856, 565
• Windows: 451 
• Tires: N25
•  Hub caps and lights: Winsor Newton 14ml Silver Paint
• Flower pots and bunting: 856, 555, 56
•  Florals: 856, 555, 993 (red flower center)
• All greenery: 177
• Fireworks bucket: 856, 555, 451, 565, 977
• Flag: 856, 555, 565, 977, Winsor Newton Silver Paint
• Candle flames: 025, 933, 993, and 856

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

 

Once I had all the elements painted, I assembled the pieces and popped some elements up with foam squares (truck bed, fireworks bucket, blue flowers pot, red flowers pot, and flag).

 

I cut a 2 inch by 5.5-inch piece of blue patterned paper and a 2.5 inch by 5.5-inch piece of red and blue striped patterned paper and adhered to an A2 red card base. The floral truck and the remaining elements were glued to the card front. I die cut the scripty Celebrate die (5722 – Birthday Journal Set) from shimmery white card stock and adhered it to the card front.

Inside the card, I added die cut numbers using dies from 5911 – Large Number Die Set and chose predominately red, white and blue patterned papers to die cut 250. I added flames to each number to resemble candles (flames were die cut using Lawn Fawn Build-A-Cake Dies #LF3799).

  

For the white mat and pop-up mechanism, I cut a piece of white cardstock measuring 8 1/8 x 5 1/8 inches and folded it in half. I then positioned my numbers along the fold where I liked them and marked the center of their placement with a pencil. Then I used a ruler to draw two cut lines for each letter about a 1/2 inch long. I used my Fiskars paper trimmer to cut along the pencil lines from the fold (you could also use a pair of scissors). I then opened up the folded cardstock and pushed the cuts forward to create the pop-ups and refolded the card.

I stamped the Happy Birthday sentiment from my stash using Versafine Onyx Black ink. Before adhering the mat to the card base, I added ¼‑inch strips of patterned paper to the top and bottom edges for a little extra color and balance. Finally, I glued the numbers onto their pop‑out openings. It turned into such a fun, dimensional, interactive card—perfect for celebrating this historic occasion!

America’s 250^th Birthday Gift Tag:

To go along with the card, I created this adorable gift tag featuring my favorite little puppy stamp paired with the layered birthday cake from the 5722 – Birthday Journal Set. It’s a sweet, patriotic accent that ties the whole celebration ensemble together.

Colors and Supplies Used

Paper: Canson XL Mix Media Paper

Patterned Paper: 6090 – Patriotic Paper Pack

Cardstock: White

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

Ink for stamped images: N52 (cake), 969 (dog), N52 (party hat)

Stamps and Dies:

•  5722 – Birthday Journal Set (dog and cake)
• 5491 – Front Porch Party Set (birthday banner)
• 5562 – Journal Letter Die Set

Tombow Dual Brush Pens:

• Dog: 977, 969, 856 (cheeks and collar)
• Party hat, banner, and numbers: 856, 555, 565
•  Cake: 856, 555, 565, 942, 992
•  Cake Stand: 451 and 565

Other: Foam squares, Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White, glue, red baker’s twine, Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle brush pen, tag die and detail scissors.

    

I painted and die cut numbers for the cake candles using the numbers dies from 5562 – Journal Letter Die Set. The dog and cake images were fussy cut with detail scissors. The birthday banner is from 5491 – Front Porch Party Set and is popped-up on the tag with foam tape as well as the dog. The cake and numbers are glued directly to the tag. Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White was used to paint the candle wicks. For extra sparkle, I added Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle brush pen to the banners, the numbers and the white frosting.

I adhered a plain white tag to the back and stamped the to/from image from my stash using Versafine Onyx Black ink. To finish the tag, I added red baker’s twine, looping it through the hole for a simple, festive touch.

As we look ahead to America’s 250th birthday, it feels wonderful to celebrate with handmade projects that capture the spirit of red, white, and blue. I hope these ideas inspire you to create something patriotic for your own celebration. Until next time, Happy Painting!