April 2026 Monthly Challenge: Springtime Bunny by Debbie Hedges

 Hello Ai fans and welcome to our April Monthly Guest Designer Challenge!
This time Debbie has the sweetest little bunny for you.
After you read through her post and admire her card, be sure to
scroll down to see who our March winners were.

Happy April everyone! It’s almost Easter and I am enjoying spring flowers in bloom!

or my April project, I wanted a simple scene with a bunny in a meadow with some rocks and flowers surrounding him. I used the left facing bunny #5870 Peeking Bunny and stamped him on the right side in Pumice Stone Distress Ink. Then I inked a few of the rocks from #5378 WC Stone Creek Scene in Pumice Stone Distress Ink and stamped them to the left of the bunny.

Using #75 sky blue, I added sky, adding color so there were light and dark areas and also some white space to show clouds. I usually add sky first so I don’t have to work around the flowers later. I then painted the bunny in #84 taupe. I used #67 bubblegum pink for his ears and once he was dry, used my black Micron to darken his eyes. I colored the rocks next, leaving a highlight on the top and using a variety of grey and brown tones (#40 brownish grey, #21 dark grey, #45 sepia, #15 olive green, and #84 taupe).

Next, I made a mask of the bunny and stamped grass on both sides of him in #15 olive green, using the teeny tiny grass (#4051) and the grass from #5826 WC Large Tree Set 2. I also added some grass along the bottom right of my project. I pulled the color out of the lines and then used a single flower from #6055 Water of Life Set to stamp the flowers on the right in #79 grape.

For the flowers on the left, I started by inking the small vine stamp from #5126 Foliage Set 4 and stamped it several times for light and dark to create the base of the plant (I made a mask of the rocks to protect them for this step). I used #15 olive green for the foliage. The long stem is also from set #6055 and I inked it in #93 aubergine and used my stamp positioner to stamp it 3 times and then touched each bloom with my brush to soften the color. The tall grass is from #4875 Garden Wagon Mini set. I inked it in #15 olive green and inked the ends in #8 violet. Using my positioner, I stamped it twice. I then used the fine tip and added a few more flower bud dots in violet. I added the hint of a tree by inking leaves from #5126 and stamping them twice in the left corner of my project.

To finish up, I used #15 olive green to anchor the rocks and bunny by adding some “ground” as grass along the base of the rocks, bunny and grass. With Dr Ph Martin’s Bleed Proof White, I added dots to the bunny tail so it would look fluffy – but left the shading at the base. I also added a few dots along the ground and in the grass I added at the bottom right. I also used the fine point of my taupe marker to darken areas on the bunny and rocks for shading.

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/)

I hope you’ll give this project a try and please be sure to post your version so we can all enjoy it! Also, don’t forget to enter the Monthly Challenge for a chance to win a free stamp set! Happy stamping!

Now let's see who won our March Challenge!

Our Lucky Random Winner was: #3

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!!

The winner of a freebie from me is #18

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

Easter Place Cards by Lynn Dionne

 Happy Wednesday Ai Fans!

Today I thought that I would share a few of these easy "last minute" Easter place cards that I am currently working on by using the Ai Bunny Hugs Set (6008). Also, to create the place card itself we will be using the Ai Scalloped Rectangle Dies (6048).

We will begin by die cutting the scalloped rectangle onto some white cardstock. Now we will stamp the little bunny in the center and color it in using the Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens in the following colors: Blender, Sugared Almond Pink, Pink, Yellow, Orange, Ice Blue, Sea Green, Lt Gray.

Now that the coloring is complete, we can use the bunny die to partially die cut the bunny. For that, we will only die cut the top of the bunny (about from the neck upwards). When you are doing a partial die cut you will want to put the top plate on your die cutting machine only over the area that you want to cut!

Now we will score at the center of the scalloped rectangle from the cut line to the edge of the card. You will need to do this on both sides of the bunny. At this point, you can fold the place card in half right on that score line. This will make the bunny pop-up over the top of the place card!

Let's add a strip of plaid paper to the bottom of each of the place cards using the same rectangle die, but we will only need about a 1/2" strip.

After we attach the plaid strip, we will then add a solid strip of 1/4" coordinating cardstock. We can also add a bit of interest to each of the eggs using our gel pens in a variety of colors.

Next, you may want to add the names of your guests to each place card, or you can just simply stamp a cute easter sentiment on each of your place cards. For the lettering, I used the Ai Journal Letter Dies (5562) and some black 100lb cardstock. However, you could also stamp the names using the Ai Letter Stamps (5284).

Finally, let's add some sparkle using a few pretty gems in those same coordinating colors!

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

Ai Bunny Hugs Set (6008)

Ai Scalloped Rectangle Dies (6048)

Ai Journal Letter Dies (5562)

Ai Easter Bunny PP (6036)

Round & Round Easter Cards by Reneé Matarese

Hello Ai fans and welcome to my Round & Round

challenge post.

I created 2 circular cards with a circular mat behind my animals and
there are circle cut outs on my doily die.

I love the pastel colors against the white background.

Did you create any Easter cards or projects this year?

If not, there's still time.

Copics used:

Bunny and Lamb:

RV0000, RV91, YG11

Baskets and Eggs:

Y11, RV000, V00, V12, V91, YG11, E81, B000

Bo Bunny Mandala Die (Retired)

Round and Round Challenge card by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans! 

I don't know what it is about cute baby animals, but I usually love coloring them different colors. Call it artistic freedom, or being just plain silly...but you can call it me. LOL! I usually have to color them at least once in a non conventional color. For this one, I chose to go the route of blue and green (I just love that color combination). I started by stamping this adorable giraffe from #6103 Baby Keepsake Set onto a Copic friendly paper and coloring him. After that, I die cut him out using #5064 Double Stitched Circle Dies and matted them with #6045 Scalloped Circle Dies. That cute little onsie and diaper pin (do people even know what diaper pins are these days???) were die cut using #5338 Baby Mini Dies. Those Mini Die Sets are perfect for card accessories!! This card fits in perfectly with out current Round and Round Challenge, all the way down to the little round button I added to the center of the bow! Don't you just love that adorable paper? It's from #6058 Baby Boy PP and I LOVE it! Wouldn't it be so perfect to make a journal with it? It comes in a cover pack so you can use it for the journal cover too! 

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

Easter Bunnies Storybook Frame and Easter Story Tile Card by Diane Mason

Hello, and welcome back for Watercolor Weekend! 

Hello, my Ai watercolor friends and fans. Easter is on its way, and I have two Easter projects to share with you! First up is a custom Easter Bunnies Storybook Frame. My second, is a square Easter card using the new Story Tile in a slightly different way.

Easter Bunnies Storybook Frame:

I love the concept of the Storybook Frame. Peering in at the tiny 3D scene fascinates me and the completed project makes a nice little gift to display! I’ve noticed that many of the images included in the Art Impressions Matchbook sets also work well with this frame.

 

To create this adorable Easter scene, I used the images from 6014 – Matchbook Easter Bunnies set. I stamped each image with Versafine Onyx Black ink onto Canson XL Mix Media paper.

 

I used the 6121 – Storybook Template die to die-cut the box, inserts and front and back mats. The patterned papers used are from 5742 – Easter Journal Paper Pack. For the purple background, I cut a piece of patterned paper to fit the interior of the box.

Once I had each image painted, I placed each die-cut behind the oval insert piece to determine it’s placement and trimmed away any parts I didn’t want to show through the opening. For the background, I trimmed away the side pieces of the image and popped up the image with foam squares. The shelf image was glued directly to the background. For the layer that goes just above the background piece, I doubled up on the corner foam squares to raise it above the background piece. For the rest of the inserts, I only used one layer of foam squares.

Colors and supplies used to paint the images:

• Tombow Dual Brush Pens: 177, 195, 817, 725, 606, 443, 947, 977, 969, N52, 912, 565, 555, and 055.
• Tombow TwinTone Pens used for details: Aqua (74), Fuchsia (80), Orange (28), Chrome Yellow (04), and Lime Green (50)
• Winsor & Newton Ink, Silver - for the paint cans
• Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White

  

To decorate the back of the frame, I die-cut a piece of Canson XL Mix Media paper using the insert die and stamped onto the oval. The sentiment is from 5733 – Easter Sentiments Set. The cluster of eggs from 5738 – Easter Egg House Set was inked in N52. Colors used to decorate the eggs include 817, 443, and 606. Details were added using Dr. Ph. Martin’s, and Aqua, Fuchsia, and Lime Green TwinTone markers. For the grass, I used the small grass from 4051 – WC Foliage Set inked in 195, and 555 for the sky.

For a final decorative touch, I attached a purple bow to the front of the frame.

 

Easter Story Tile Card:

I think we can all agree, the newly released 6158 – Story Tile Template Die is just fabulous! There are four new stamp sets specifically designed to go with this die, but many other Art Impressions stamps work well too!

        

For this card, I changed things up a bit and only used a portion of the Story Tile Template to create a square card. To further “think outside the box”, I attached one of the images on top of the frame rather than inside the box!

 Colors and supplies used for this card:

• 6158 – Story Tile Template Die, removed two sections with scissors
• 6008 – Bunny Hugs Set, inked in Versafine Vintage Sepia Ink
• 6036 – Easter Bunny Paper Pack
• 5733 – Easter Sentiments Set, sentiment stamped onto vellum, inked with Versafine Onyx Black ink, and heat embossed with Ranger Super Fine Detail Clear Embossing Powder
• Tombow Dual Brush Pens: 173, 177, 403, 703, 993, 977, 565
• Micron Pen (005)-Black to define eyes
• Tombow TwinTone Pen: Orange (28) for flower centers
• Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White
• Foam squares to pop up the template square onto the card front

 

Thank you for joining me today for Watercolor Weekend! I hope you have enjoyed learning more about how these darling Easter projects were created. For those of you celebrating Easter - may this season of renewal bring you an abundance of peace and overwhelming love. Until next time, Happy Painting!

Poppy Power by Janet

I'm loving the new Bible Journaling sets. The dies and stamps are truly beautiful but they're not just for bible journaling as this card shows. The margin sets are the perfect size for 5 x 7 cards so I started by creating a creamy card base. For this one, I wanted deep and rich colors so I chose to color the stamped image with pencils and add accents with white pen. I used Copics to add a very pale light blue background and light pink to the top and bottom of the image. Once I finished coloring, I trimmed it into a rectangle and rounded the corners. Next I cut out orange margin pieces with the swirl stitching and I cut the words hope and faith from gold metallic cardstock. I added clear jewel bling strategically to the orange margin pieces to add a touch of shine and elegance.  

To create a dramatic backdrop for these rich images, I added a panel of reddish orange glimmer cardstock. I adhered the margin pieces and added another strip of the glimmer cardstock in the middle creating a ribbon effect. The poppies were centered on the strip and I added the gold script words to the top and bottom. 

This card is rich and dramatic and I'm very happy with how it turned out. The flower images in the margin sets are so beautifully done. I enjoyed working with the poppy set and I encourage everyone to give it a try.

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   

Bee Happy! Card by Tasha

 Happy Friday Art Impressions Friends!

Tasha here sharing a fun new card featuring the Freebie-Honey Bear and 6047-Scalloped Square Dies. I love bee-themed cards and this sweet stamp is perfect for Spring! 

To create this card, I stamped the little bear on to a stitched square before ink blending the edges to bring in more color. I was inspired by the colors of the bee, so I added layers of black card stock, yellow plaid pattern paper, and used white for the largest scalloped frame. I love how the bright white shows the pretty edge and separates the darker colors.

For the greeting, I stamped "Bee Happy!" from the 5925-Honey Bee Set. This set has several greetings that can be used for year-round cards and projects. I also used two scalloped round dies to frame the greeting and coordinate with the scalloped squares.

Lastly, I attached layers of dark yellow and black card stock and another piece of pattern paper and attached three gold dots to complete the design.

Round & Round Challenge #424 Week #1

Hello Ai fans!

Welcome to our latest challenge.

This time we're thinking circles.

Round & Round

We want to see your circle cards, cards with circle dies or stamps, circular gems and embellishments,  dotted embossing folders...anything round!

Our Featured Designer this week is Lynn and she created a gorgeous floral wreath card.

Simple and Easy Watercolor Floral Wreath!

After you admire her card be sure to watch her tutorial and then,

check out who won our last challenge.

 

Watch video tutorial here!

I'm excited to be the featured artist for the new Ai "Round and Round" Blog Challenge! For today's card, we will be using the double roses stamp from the Ai His Love Stamp Set (6150). This pretty duo of roses has a natural curve to it so it will be really easy to add these roses to a circular shaped wreath.

We will stamp 8 sets of the roses using the stamp positioner because once we have colored these roses, we will be stamping them again...just to darken them up a bit more!

For the water coloring, we will be using the Tim Holtz Distress Mini Ink Pads in Spun Sugar, Picked Raspberry and Candied Apple. This watercolor technique is so easy and simple to do. We will apply of the inks directly onto the glass mat, add a spritz of water and place the stamped images directly into the ink. This will pick up a variety of the pinks and reds onto the roses. I'll show you exactly how to do this in today's video!

Now we can heat set the images and with the Candied Apple Ink we will apply a little bit onto each of the flowers using a #0 paintbrush. No need to be fussy.... just add a bit of this color onto the centers of the flowers for a bit of shadowing.

Let's heat set these again and now we can place each of the flower duos into the stamp positioner and re-stamp them. They will line up perfectly because we have left them in the stamp positioner while we were coloring the images. By stamping the images again, we will get a nice dark black and crisp image! Now let's fussy cut the roses with our detail scissors. We can also add some highlights using a white gel pen!

We will add a watercolor panel to the card by just spattering each of those same inks onto a white panel and them adding a bit of ink around the edges and add a black layer behind this panel. This will frame everything nicely!

Let's die cut the Ai Scalloped Circle (6045) onto some pink cardstock and add a black circle behind it.

We can assemble the layers on the card but first let's stamp the sentiment using the Ai Birthday Sentiments Set (5735). We will also go back to the Ai His Love Set and add the pretty heart and swirl border just below the "Birthday Blessings" sentiment.

We can pop-up the roses and add them to the scalloped circle. Let's add a cute little black and white ribbon using some baker's twine.

For a finishing touch, let's add a few clear "iridescent" gems for a bit of sparkle!

If you love this Ai His Love Stamp Set then you may enjoy this video using that same set:

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

Ai His Love Set (6150)

Ai Birthday Sentiments Set (5735)

Ai Scalloped Circle Dies (6045)

What a beautiful card Lynn!

Now, let's see who won our 3D challenge.

For our Top Spot we selected:

Cathlyn A.

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!!

Be sure to grab your winner's badge to display on your social media.

Our Lucky Random Winner was:

#11 Kathy A.

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com
to claim a free stamp set of your choice!!

Be sure to grab your winner's badge to display on your social media.

Congratulations to both of 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