Joyful Holiday Cheer by Janet

 

Happy Saturday Ai Fans! I'm so happy to share with you a cute little card that was so easy to make using just a few Ai products. Most of this card was formed using the 5809 - Decorative Journal Page 2 template. I cut the red frame using the stitched rectangle die and the decorative frame from this set at the same time. I cut it again on silver cardstock so that I could piece it inside the red frame to make a base for the cute snowman. I also cut the banner in this set and stamped it with a sentiment from the 5566 - Christmas Sentiments Set. Before stamping, I curved the ends of the sentiment up to match the curve of the banner on my glass block. 

Speaking of snowmen, this adorable image is from the 5802- Joyful Snowman Set. There are three chubby snowman doing various holiday activities. The one I chose for my card shows a snowman who has gotten a little carried away with his lighting work and is wearing more lights than he hung! 

To finish this card, I adhered the red frame on a green 4 Bar card base. I glued the silver inset to the opening of the red frame. I adhered the sentiment with a single layer of foam tape and used two layers of foam tape on the snowman image. I really love the overall look of this sweet card. I hope you do too!

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you'll stop by the store to see all the things you need for your card, journal, and tag making projects. 

Janet - YouTube - Blog - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest  

Happy Birthday Old Man! Card by Tasha!

 Happy Friday!

Sharing a new card inspired by the Clean & Simple Challenge. The 5278 - Dance It Out Laugh Lines set is perfect for a masculine birthday cards and I love these greetings!

The main image was colored with Copic Markers and I used Distress Oxide Ink to add more color around the edges. I love how the yellow creates a spotlight around the happy guy! 

I also attached several yellow enamel dots to go with the colors used throughout the card.

Lastly, I added layers of green and navy blue card stock to complete this simple design. 

I hope you enjoyed today's clean & simple project and will participate in the challenge!

Clean and Simple Challenge #365 Week #2

 It's week #2 of our Clean and Simple challenge.

We hope you'll play along and that this simple challenge will still give you time to get all of the holiday things you need to do done.

Last week, Sharon was our Featured Designer.
She used 5802 – Joyful Snowman Set, 5718 – Mini Journal Template, and 5812 – Christmas S2 Paper Pack.

Now we have the rest of the Design Team cards to share with you.

I made two cards using 5353 – Large Snowflake Dies, 5061 – Square Double Stitched Dies, 5797 – Little Things Sentiment Set, 5543 – Journal Template Die Set, 5725 – Nested Square Dies.

Janet used 5327 - Christmas Mini Dies, 5351 - Chubby Snowmen Set, 5712 - Christmas Journal PP, 5812 - Christmas S2 PP

Lynn used Snowman Puppet Set (5803), Lg Snowflake Dies Set (5353), Tag Stitched Dies Set (5132) and Gnome Paper Pack (5832)

Nina used 5063 – Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies

5064 – Circle Double Stitched Dies

5791 – WC Snow Globe Set (for a circle)

4927 – HM Accessory Set

Tasha used 5278 – Dance It Out Laugh Lines

We can't wait to see your simple designs.  Take that extra time and put it towards time with family or just relaxing.  See you next Wednesday when we announce our final two winners for 2023!  Good luck!

✻ Please make a new card or handmade crafty creation. You can make any item you wish; this is not limited to cards!

✻ Limit two submissions per person. You will receive extra votes if you use Art Impressions stamps!

 ✻Please include your first name and last initial on your submission.

✻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

Clean and Simple Snowflake cards by Reneé Matarese

Are you as busy as I am this time of year?
I still love to create though so a quick card is sometimes called for.

I created two simple cards for the Clean and Simple challenge going on right now,
here on the Art Impressions blog.

 

Including the planning, I had these two cards done in just over 30 minutes.  That's

probably a record for me.

I love rustic Christmas cards and in some cases I feel like Kraft paper looks a little like leather.

When you add the twine it gives a nice look.

After die cutting the snowflakes I simply left them in place and glued them
to the designer paper.

Metal also says rustic Christmas to me so I added a metal dot
on a smaller snowflake in the center.

All Ai products used are linked below.  Enjoy this holiday season!

Snowman Puppet Tag Cards by Lynn Dionne

 Happy Wednesday Ai Fans!!!

Watch video tutorial here!!!

Today we will be using a wonderful brand-new stamp and die set called the Ai Snowman Puppet Set (5803) which includes all of the pieces needed to create a boy or girl snowman! It is just so simple and adorable. I think it is one of my favorite stamp sets from this year's holiday collection!

We can start by stamping the images needed to create the boy and girl and color them using the Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens in the following colors: Blender, Sugared Almond Pink, Lt Pink, Pink, Geranium Red, Turquoise Green, Lt Blue, Cobalt Blue, Bright Yellow, Scarlet Red, Haze Blue, Beige, Mid Brown, Lt Gray, Cool Gray 6. We can also die cut them using the coordinating dies that come with this set. Once these are colored, we can add a few details using some gel pens in coordinating colors!

Next, let's die cut these pretty tags using the Ai Tag Stitched Dies (5132). We will die cut two from some white 100lb cardstock and two from some kraft 100lb cardstock. We can score one of the tags so that we can create a tag card design. I will show you how to do this in today's video!

We will also be using that same tag die to die cut two more tags from the Ai Gnome Paper Pack (5832). Which will give us a blue w/ white polka dots tag and a cream w/ blue polka dots tag.  These will serve as our snowy backgrounds.

Next, we can die cut a few snowy borders for each of the tags using the Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Borders Dies.

Let's also die cut a pretty snowflake for each of the tags using the Ai Lg Snowflake Dies (5353).

Now for the fun part.... assembling our cute little puppet snow people and our tags!

For a finishing touch, we will add a small heart in the center of each snowflake and some pretty velvet ribbon in pinks and blues!

These tags were created for the current "Clean and Simple" Blog Challenge! Although these tags have a lot of detail to them, I felt that the simplicity of the designs really fit this challenge so well. As always, we invite you to join in the blog challenge.... we would love to see what you create!

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

Snowman Puppet Set (5803)

Lg Snowflake Dies (5353)

Tag Stitched Dies (5132)

Gnome Paper Pack (5832)

Wink of Stella Glitter Pen - Clear

Post-it Labeling and Cover-up Tape

Steel Die Cutter

Missing You Tag By Nina

 Hello Ai fans, Nina here with a new cute tag project. I am using Birdhouse Village set and the Stitched Tag die Set.

I started by stamping my birdhouse image using my Mini Misti and Memento Tuxedo Black ink on a Bristol Smooth White Paper and colored it with Copic Markers.

Copic Shades:

Blues: B05 B04 B02

Blue Green: BG15 BG13

Yellows: Y17 Y08

Browns: YR27 E09

Reds: R30 R32 R27 R29

Purples V09 V06 V04

Oranges: YR07 YR04

I then cute my image with the scissors and backed it with foam tape. 

For the tag background I Die cut the biggest tag from the stitched Tag Die Set from white paper and ink blended Salvaged Patina Distress ink on the background with ink blending tool.

I also grounded the scene with couple grass hillsides that I attached to the bottom of the tag and tucked my Birdhouses image between them both.

Cards featuring Snowman Puppet Set from Art Impressions by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans!! 

Have you gotten 5803 Snowman Puppet Set yet? Oh my gosh, this set is so much fun! I had two of my granddaughters over this weekend and had an ornament making day with them and this fun set! I simply die cut a bunch of different pieces from various Christmas paper from my stash, and let them go to town. I couldn't believe the creativity they had! The were using scarves as pony tails, they were adding bows to everything! On one, they even used a scarf on the head that made it look like a durag tied on the side! It was awesome! And hopefully, they have some wonderful memories with Grandma!  I've got a few cards I put together using the same set. Oh my gosh, these are so fun to make and they are so dang cute!!! They are PERFECT for using up all those scraps of paper you have hanging around!  I made two round cards and two square ones. The word JOY is from 5802 Joyful Snowman Set and the snowflakes are from 5353 Large Snowflake Die Set stamped into a circle cut with #5726 Nested Circle Die Set. 

I used 5812 Christmas S2 Paper Pack for this one.

The sentiment comes from 5802 Joyful Snowman Set

I used the sentiment ribbon from 5543 Journal Template Die Set for the sentiment, and just cut off the sides of it. I didn't want to pop it up and the curve fit the round card really well. 

So that's it for me today! I hope you've enjoyed your visit and until next time - I hope you have some time to be crafty!!

\

Watercolor Weekend - Karen & Tricia Edition

 Hello everyone!

  With the Ai blog taking a break later this month, we are doubling up your Watercolor Weekend inspiration this week, with posts from both Karen & Tricia.   

Karen will start us off with a twister card:

I adore making these!  I've wanted to try this idea for a while...  I started by picking my patterned papers from the new 5812 - Christmas S2 Paper Pack, and used that as my colour palette to paint the front and back images of the snowman from 5815 Mini Christmas Twister Set:

I stamped him using Tombow #N55 (using a grey for a less muddy outline) on some Bristol Smooth cardstock, then painted him in with #312/249/847/N55, and I used my 933 marker directly for his nose.  The dies that are included in the set cut him out so easily!  And they add on the little notch at the top and bottom that fit into the opening for the twister.  I used the 5724 Nested Rectangle Dies to cut out all my background papers, and mounted them onto my card base.

With the smaller (lemon-shaped!) die, I cut the opening for the twister, through all layers of paper (I did trim away a few to make it less bulky).  I cut a frame for the opening out of the same red cardstock for both the inside and outside of my card - I always like to make the inside of the card neat and tidy looking, and glued them in place.  I love the 5072 Block Letters Die Set, and cut the J and Y in red, and a second set in the striped paper from the pack - layering them both for a bit of a shadow effect.  After gluing the back-to-back snowman pieces together, I bent him slightly to fit him into the frame.  I added a sentiment from 5566 Christmas Sentiment Set with some 3D foam adhesive.

I really do love the snow... from the window of my Craft Room, LOL!  And I'm actually intimidated to paint it - but this year, Bonnie has done some fabulous snowy tutorials, and it's really made a difference for me.  My second project uses the new 5822 Rustic Christmas Set:

I positioned both the cabin and birdhouse from the set on the same block so that I could ensure that I got the perspective right, and that they were both straight - then stamped them on some smooth watercolour paper after colouring them in Tombows #969/565.  I then coloured the larger wreath from 5830 WC Mini Wreath Set in #249, and stamped it on the birdhouse.  After masking off the cabin, I added three trees using 5826 WC Large Tree Set 2 coloured in #249.

I painted a mix of #249/565 on the birdhouse, adding darker areas under the eaves, and then painted the cabin in a mix of #947/969, making the beams darker, and then used my brown Twintone marker to draw in the wood siding.  I didn't want a bright red, so I mixed a little 969 in with my 856 for both the chimney and door, and used N55 for the cement porch.  I hand drew the mountains and walkway, painting both in shades of #565.  I always pick one side of the mountains to be darker, and concentrate my shadows there.  I added in a few shadows on all my snowy areas using #565, and painted it as a wash in the sky.  I used Dr. PH Martin's Bleed Proof White to add snowy touches and to create snowflakes and icicles on the roofs.  I hand drew in the red bow on the wreath with my red Twintone marker, and used a sentiment from 5566 Christmas Sentiments.

I die cut my scene with a 5063 Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Die, matted on some rusty red cardstock to complement the cabin, and then adhered it to my 5853 Christmas Magic paper with some 3D foam adhesive.

Tricia has an exciting venture that she is organizing to bring Christmas Cheer to senior homes.  Here's all the information on how you can get involved (and maybe win a prize!): 

Join in the fun and win some amazing prizes while sending kindness and joy to someone in need. We have an incredible gift of making cards, sharing our love, and putting positivity into the universe. 

I would love to give you a chance to win daily prizes as well as be eligible to win the grand prize! Head over to my blog for all the details.

You don't want to miss out!  Get your cards in the mail today. Thank you so much for all of your love and support in this endeavor.  You are all amazing artists and most of all humans.  You make the difference every day when you lift others up and make them not only feel loved and accepted but truly seen.  I am grateful for each and every one of you and I hope you all have a most blessed holiday season.  

Peace and Love, Tricia xoxo

For the Shaker card:

For the Snowy Cabin card:

It's a Winter Wonderland by Janet

 

Happy Saturday Ai fans! I know you all have been busy making cards. I really enjoy interactive cards. Today I have a fun little shutter card featuring 5802 - Joyful Snowman Set. The front of the card shows off the cute snowman and rabbit. I think the two of these little stamps work so beautifully together! For this card I used the 5853 - Christmas Magic Paper Pack for the front and interior mats. I colored the two stamps with Copic markers and then cut them out using the included dies. I created mats out of this paper plus some white glitter paper. I so love this set. The images are just so adorable.

 

As cute as the outside of the card it, I think the inside is very cute as well. This is a shutter card so as the card is opened, the image of the little snowman is revealed. He's from the 5846 - Mini Christmas Set. He fits so perfectly in the shutter. 

Here's a close up of the shutter when it's opened. It's so fun to open the card and see the image revealed in the window.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you'll stop by the store to see all the things you need for your card, journal, and tag making projects. 

Janet - YouTube - Blog - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest