Flower Power by Gennette Houghton

 

Hello and Welcome to Watercolor Weekend!  Bonnie has been outdoing herself with the newest releases, because these are so beautiful!  You can go simple and create little notecards to have on hand or you can add them to full scenes.  They also come with sentiments that you can use, or mix and match.

I used 6188 FG Daisy Border for this card and added the frog from 6106 Spring Keepsake Set.  The frog is absolutely a favorite!!  I started off with stamping the daisies onto my watercolor paper with Distress Ink Pumice Stone, after stamping off once.  My original plan was to do white daisies, but I really love black eyed susans, so that is what I went with.  I started with the stems and leaves with 126 as the base, and then 177 to add shading and dimension. I really like this combo and use it often.  For the petals, 055 for the base and then adding in some 025 for the contours, with some 026 for shading.  026 can be a strong color so I use it sparingly. The centers I started with 947 and shaded those with 969.  I decided at this point to choose what die I was going to use, and I went with 5724 Nested Rectangle Die Set and used the 6^th from the largest.  Using a pencil to trace a guide, I then added 403, heavily watered down for the sky, adding a few extra layers in areas and allowing it to dry in between.  I then cut my scene out with the same die I used as my guide.  I had room on the left over watercolor paper to stamp the frog with Pumice Stone, also stamping this off once.  126 was used as the base layer, and darkening the sides and shadowed areas with 177.  I then went over the center of the face, belly and the very top over the eyes with 055 to brighten these areas just a bit more.  I then took some 346 in small amounts into the darkest areas.  For the eyes I used N15 on the pupils and a light touch of 565 on the outer sections of the eyes to give them a bit more dimension.  I also went over the nose and mouth with pencil.  I picked a piece of paper from 6082 Bible Journaling S1 Paper Pack and matted my card base.  I matted my main scene with the daisies using the 5063 Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies, 3^rd from the largest.  After adhering these together, I then matted this with 6048 Scalloped Rectangle Dies, 2^nd from the largest.  Once these were glued together I then centered them onto my card base, and used the included die to cut out the frog and attached him in the bottom corner with foam tape.  I chose the banner die from the 5543 Journal Template Die for the sentiment and attached that up in the corner, with glue on the ends and foam tape under the raised center, completing my card.  I really love how this turned out, that little frog is just so cute!!

 

For my 2^nd card I used 6186 FG Tulip Border and 5785 Gnomes Set.  Both were stamped in Distress Ink Pumice Stone and stamped off once, on watercolor paper.  I created a mask for the tulips with post-it tape before using a positioner to place the gnome.  I started with the stems and leaves using 126 as the base color and then 177 to contour and shade, darkening areas that overlap and below the flower heads.  Before working on the flowers I decided to work on the gnome first. You can just see a hint of his boot and pants so I colored the boot in 969 and the pants in 565.  I added a bit of cross hatching in the pants for a little extra texture using the same color.  For his shirt I used 026, adding extra layers to any area that would be shadowed.  For the skin tone, I start with a base layer of 850, and then I contour with 910.  912 was used for the more shadowed areas.  Instead of 565, I decided to use N52 to contour and shadow his beard and to darken under his cap and around his nose.  I used a combo of 403, and 407 on his hat.  For the petals I started with 725, adding extra layers in the darker zones, and then added a bit of 676 to deepen the darker areas.  I then added a wash of 526 for the sky.  I cut out my image with 5724 Nested Rectangle Dies, 6^th from the largest and matted it with dark purple cardstock using the 5063 Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies, 3^rd from the largest.  I then matted this with some silver cardstock.  5892 Easter S2 Paper Pack was used to mat the card base.  Before placing my image, I put the card base in my stamp platform and stamped in the sentiment with Versafine Clair Nocturne.  I then assemble the card together.  I am really loving these sets, I need to try one with a circle die!  Thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed my cards!  Until next time!  Create….Share….Inspire!

Summerween Challenge - Franky by Janet

Are you loving the latest Ai Challenge? It's Summerween. Clever isn't it? I have had the 6120 -  Frankenstein Puppet in my stash but ordered it after the season so I was thrilled to have a reason to break this one out and give it a try. This is a die set and is easy to put together, especially since the packaging indicates what all the pieces are so there's no guesswork.

I used a couple of paper packs for this card. The background is a piece from the 6130 Halloween S3 PP. The diamond pattern also comes from this pack. Frank's pants, jacket, shoes and shirt are all cut from the 5712 - Christmas Journal PP. This just shows again how packs that are seasonally themed can be used for so many other occasions and themes. This is because the papers always have several neutrally themed patterns that can be used for anything.

I cut the diamond paper from 5062 - Rounded Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies. I matted that on top of my card base which was covered in the pumpkin patterned paper that I had inked the edges on before attaching to the card base. Then I placed an orange mat and the diamond patterned mat on top of that. 

Next I cut and pieced together Franky. This was super fast and easy to do. I used a black paint pen to draw the facial details and a little bit of Signo White Gel Pen on the eyes. I added some green blush with chalk and he was ready! I traced around him on a piece of clear vellum and cut it out. I mounted Franky on foam tape and attached him to the vellum. Then that was glued on to the front of the card. For a sentiment, I stamped the phrase from the 5506 - Peek A Boo Set and trimmed it out with a border before attaching it to Franky. Finally, I added four green glitter enamel dots to two of the corners. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing a little Halloween in the middle of summer! I invite you to join in and enter your Summerween creation in the Ai Challenge. Just link it up to the post for it. Easy peasy! 

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!

Trick or Treat Card by Tasha

 Happy Friday, Art Impressions friends! 

Tasha here sharing a Halloween card inspired by the current Art Impression Challenge. I love creating Fall and not-so-scary Halloween projects, and this challenge is the perfect excuse to pull out your cute Halloween/Fall stamp sets and make something fun!

For my card, I used the 6112-Pumpkin Parade Set to create this sweet trick-or-treating scene. The little pirate fox is adorable and I LOVE the ghost car! I also added the happy owl to bring even more Halloween fun to the design.

To create the background, I used pattern paper from the 5849-Halloween S2 Paper Pack. I love this print with all the Halloween words. It adds lots of color and interest without taking away from the stamped characters.

To finish the card, I layered black, orange, and gold colored cardstock. The circle topper with the "Trick or Treat!" greeting adds a fun focal point and adhered a little black enamel heart to give the card extra dimension. 

I hope this card inspires you to join the Art Impressions Summerween Challenge. It is a great time to dust off your favorite Halloween stamps and create something cute for the upcoming Fall season.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Summerween Challenge #432 week#1

 Hello Ai fans and welcome to our new challenge,

SUMMERWEEN!!

This was a new expression for me that Tasha brought to light.

Just like there's Christmas in July, a lot of people like to have a mini

celebration of Halloween in the summer. (It's usually in June but I couldn't

fit it in.)

So, that being said, let's celebrate a little bit of fall fun now!

I know not all of you participate in Halloween so any fall themed

project using products from Art Impressions will be accepted.

Fittingly, Tasha is our Featured Artist this time and she created

the absolute cutest Story Tile card to inspire you.

After checking out her card, be sure to scroll down to view the winners

of our Christmas in July challenge.

It's that time of year when the second set of Freebies become available.

Check out the cuteness overload on these bears!

My personal favorite is the Study Bear.

You can select one of these free stamps when you spend $30 or more on the

Art Impressions website.

Hi everyone! Tasha here sharing a card inspired by the Art Impressions Summerween Challenge.

I love both Christmas and Halloween crafting, so this challenge is right up my alley! It’s also the perfect excuse to get an early start on my fall and Halloween cards and projects.

For this card, I used the 6158-Story Tile Template Die along with stamps from several Halloween sets. One of my favorite things about the Art Impressions Halloween collections is how easy it is to mix and match the cute characters to create fun little scenes.

I started by cutting two Tile frames from orange and white cardstock. I used the orange frame for the front and colored each tile to create its own little nighttime scene.

Next, I added the characters. Some were stamped directly onto the tiles, while the ghost cat and pumpkin mouse were stamped separately and cut out with the coordinating dies before being popped onto the card.

To add more color and bring the scenes together, I cut grass from green cardstock and used Distress Oxide Ink to blend the top of the grass; love this look. I finished the sky with a white gel pen to add tiny stars. I really like how the purple sky makes the white stars stand out.

For a few extra details, I drew a moon behind the bat and added little spider webs to several of the tiles. Those simple touches help give the card even more Halloween charm.

To finish everything off, I layered the design onto green and black cardstock and added ghost-patterned paper to tie in the cute, not-too-spooky Halloween theme.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope this card inspires you to join the Summerween Challenge and start creating your own Halloween projects.

Tasha LOVES Halloween, and it shows how much, in her fun card!

Now, let's see who won our Christmas in July challenge.

For our Top Spot we selected #16 Ellen M.
for her adorable Gingerbread Cubbie house.
Just look at all of those smiling faces!

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim your free stamp set.

Our Lucky Random Winner was #11 April J.

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim your free stamp set.

Congratulations to our winners!

Enjoy your new stamps.

Now, onto the details of our new challenge.

Please make a new project featuring any Halloween or Fall themed
stamps, dies or paper from Art Impressions.
This is going to be a fun one! I can't wait to see what you create.

Here's 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.

✻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

Have Mercy Birds by Dori Mendiola

 Happy Thursday AI Friends!

I'm sure you have all seen the latest Bible Journaling release by Art Impressions - #6216 Mercy set.  

The set features sparrow-style birds perched on delicate floral branches perfect for cards, bookmarks, or other projects.

I stamped this image using Memento black ink onto copic friendly paper and colored with my copic markers listed below.   These birds are beautiful no matter what colors you choose and thereby each creating a unique card/project with the same image.

I love dimension on my cards, so I stamped a separate image and colored the wings again.  I then fussy cut them out and popped them up with foam tape.  I used the #6046 - Scallop Oval die to cut the image panel and the #6205 - Floral Shop PP for the pattern paper background.

I hope you enjoy my card and you find yourself coloring a variety of these birds in different colors.

Have a wonderful day!  Keep creating and coloring!

Copics used:  W0, BV000,

B000, B00, B01     BG0000

E21, E23, E25     G40, G43, G46   

Y20, Y21, Y32, Y35, Y38

Hydrangea Bookmark by Reneé Matarese

Hello Ai fans!

Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers and I love this slimline version.
The size makes it perfect for bookmarks, cards or Bible Journaling.

I decorated the front and the back of my bookmark and I love this color

combination inspired by the Art Impressions paper I chose.

I added a little butterfly that folds flat while he's in the book
and can be popped up next to you while you're reading.

I used colored pencils on this one.

 

Christmas in July tiered wiper card by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans!

Our current challenge right now is Christmas in July! It's such a great chance to get a jump start on your holiday cards. Whether it's designing it if you make the same card for everyone, or just adding to your stash if you create different cards for everyone, it's a great way to get started! I just recently saw a video by Sam Calcott on how to create a tiered wiper card, and I immediately thought of how cute it would be for a Christmas card! You don't need any specialty dies and once you get the mechanism down, it's rather easy to put it together! I would suggest making one from scrap paper first, just to get the idea of how to put it all together. I took a video of it to try and show it in action, but I'm just having a heck of a time trying to post my videos lately. I'll keep working on that, but in the meantime, I guess pictures will have to suffice. Plus you'll be able to see it in action on Sam's video. :)  I started by stamping off three of the large gnomes from #578/5 Gnomes Set. I didn't want them to be the same so I used different colors and tried to make their beards look different as well. For the front, I used the adorable Santa from #5775 FB Santa, coloring and using only the front facing stamp. After coloring him and die cutting him out, I mounted him on a mat created using #6048 Scalloped rectangle dies. This card comes to life when you pull the top section of the card to the right, so I created a pull tab by grabbing the one from #5718 Mini Journal Template. I have a little stamp set in my stash that has a variation of action words, so I used the stamp "pull" on the tab. For the sentiment, I used the banner from #5809 Decorative Journal Page 2 ( I used this banner a LOT) and grabbed an old sentiment that I've cut apart from #SC0803, an old retired Santa Pop Up set. I just used two of them to create the sentiment on the front of the card. 

When you pull the top card layer to the right, a gnome pops out from behind the top panel to surprise you! I took a word bubble from my stash and die cut three H's and three O's from #5562 Journal Letter Die Set using red cardstock.  After gluing the HO letters onto the word bubble, I used a small piece of acetate to attach the word bubble to the back of each gnome. 

Keep pulling to the right and the next gnome pops out...

And finally the third. I finished the card by die cutting a variety of snowflakes out of glitter paper using #5353 Large Snowflake Dies. 

This was such a fun card to make, and I hope you're joining our challenge for a chance to win a free set of your choice from Art Impressions! Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit today, and until next time - stay crafty!!

Copic markers used:

E000, 00, 11, 33, and 35

R20, 22, 24, and 27

C0, 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6

T1

G82 and 85

Y32, 35, and 38

A Peaceful Bench by Neema

 

Hello my Art Impressions Friends

Before sharing my projects for this watercolor weekend, I want to thank you all for your support and encouragement. I can't believe July is already here! This is my second post, and I am so excited!!!

Also, I would love to invite you to check out my new series for World Watercolor Month on my YouTube channel, Crafts and Designs by Neema. Throughout July, I will be posting a new video every day featuring Art Impressions stamps. If you haven't had the chance to join me in Instagram @Neema_197 please do so, I share a picture of the watercolor painting for the day and many other projects. 

Now let's talk about Watercolor Weekend...

For my first project, I made an A6 card (4.5 x 6.25 inches) using a stamp from the Bible Journaling 5066-Light to My Path Set. I love this stamp; it always transports me to a place of peace and serenity.

I added a small pot from the 4869-WC Small Containers set. I stamped the images using Tombow markers 969 and 565, then pulled the colors from the stamp.  

I used brown t tones to paint the bench, and for the lamp post I used a mix of gray and lilac. I built up the glow in the lamp by adding layers of yellow. 

Once the base colors were set, I added foliage and the flowers, which I believe are carnations (I used pink because pink carnations were my mom's favorite). I put them on both sides of the bench. I also added small flowers from the 4052 set using the same blue as the pot. 

For the background, I used light brushstrokes of green, pink, and yellow, and finished with white flowers using Bleed Proof White.

Cutting the painting is always the hardest part for me, so I usually use the entire picture. However, I found a great multi-size frame that is perfect for layering. I cut the largest frame in light green, mounted it over a panel embossed with a leaf pattern, and wrapped a ribbon between the painting and the green layer. 

Inside, I added a sentiment using Versafine Clair pigment ink, and stamped a Bible and a few leaves from the 4051 Foliage Set to complete the card. Using the new silver (Sorry if it's hard to see it) I painted a few lines on the sides of the Bible and added some dots around, just for fun!

And finally, here is my completed card, YAY!...

For my second project, I tried something I've been thinking about for a long time. I usually paint rocks using acrylics, but this time I used a stamp and watercolors on a Santorini rock from my local nursery. Make sure you use a flat rock, it makes the stamping step easier. First, I applied Golden Absorbent Ground. Once dry, I used Versafine Clair to stamp two birds from the Mercy Set 6216 and colored them with Tombow markers. After letting it sit for 24 hours, I sealed the project twice, first with Distress Glaze from Tim Hortz, only over the painted areas, and after a few hours I sprayed a thin coat of Krylon Gallery series matte finish. My husband makes the wooden bases for my rocks so they can stand, but they can also be used as a paperweight. 

Sorry if this post if this post is a bit long, as I'm still figuring out how to bring this blog to life. 
I hope you enjoy these projects!

Have a wonderful watercolor weekend!

Neema