You're never too old by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans!

I have a card to show you today that I made for Challenge #425 I See Right Through You. What a fun challenge!!! I want to apologize for the glare on the pictures from the acetate I used. I tried everything and just couldn't remove them. I am NOT very proficient with the tech side of things. LOL! But the card looks pretty cool in person. To make the front, I actually just used one of my cover plates that has a thin frame around it. I cut two of them and sandwiched a piece of acetate between the two pieces. I mean...could it get any easier than that?? I then cut the back of the card making it just 1/4" wider and scoring it at 1/4" to glue to the inside of the front. For the fun Rockin' Granny from #5422 Rock On Laugh Lines, I started by stamping her in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and coloring her with Copic markers which are listed below. I then fussy cut around her so I could place her onto a mini wobble. I mean...a Rockin' Granny needs to be on a wobble, don't ya think? LOL! In order to place her onto the card, I needed a base panel, so I used #5726 Nested Circle Dies and #6045 Scalloped Circle Dies. I cut a set in the same size for the front as well as the inside. 

After adhering the mat to the front of the card, I die cut another white scalloped circle mat and glued it to the inside to hide the adhesive you could see through the acetate. This just gives a cleaner look. I then took the purple scalloped circle and lined it up with the inside white scalloped circle. I added adhesive to the back of it, then just closed the back of the card on top of the purple mat. That assured it would be aligned perfectly with the front and not show through when the card is closed. 

After adding a cute bow to the front and stamping the sentiment on the inside panel, this one was done. So that is it for me today! Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit, and until next time - stay crafty!! 

Copic markers used:

RV91, 93, and 95

Y32

BV000, 01, and 02

B00

W2, 4, and 6

E000, 00, 11, 13, 15, and 18

R11 and 12

Spring Foundation Cards by Jami Steiger

Good morning, Watercolor friends! Spring has finally arrived here in Ohio! The new Spring Foundations stamp sets are perfect for creating spring-themed cards. Six new foundation sets are available, and they are fantastic because they provide a complete scene for you. Just add a few flower and foliage sets to craft a beautiful scene. For my first card, I used 6197-Flower Delivery, and for the second, 6195-Love Blooms. I used the same flowers and foliage on both cards, which are listed in the Linkdeli listing below. I began by coloring the stamps for the cards with Tombow 969 and 565, stamping off once. 

Now, for the fun part! I painted both images with the following Tombow markers: 228, 679, 757, 177, 817, 925, 312, 947, 192, 993, 969, N65, N75, 528, 977, 606, 837, 565, 228, and 772.

After completing the painting, I used Dr. Ph. Martin's to add white details to both images. The picture of the flower cart is deceiving because the color is actually purple, and the papers used came from the 5955-Encouragement Paper Pack.

____________________

The teal paper for the background came from the 6011-Basic Teal Paper Pack.

I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful weekend and finding some time for creativity! Looking forward to seeing you all soon. 

Spring Front Porch & Easel Card with Guest Designer Kristen Brown

 Hello Ai fans!

Today we have a special treat for you...

Guest Designer Kristen Brown.
She's filling in for Diane Mason who needed the day off.

She created two GORGEOUS Spring cards to inspire you.

Please enjoy...

I love using the front porch sets, they are so easy to use. I just stamp, color, die cut, arrange and then attach with any adhesive handy.  The stamp sets I used are 5486 and 5512 and the sentiment is from 6062. The Tombow pen colors I used are 177, 977, 969, 526, 703, 025 and 933. The brick paper is from the 6072 Father’s Day paper pack.

Very quick project using the mini scalloped frame die set #5902 and the hydrangea floral set #6062 for the daisies and sentiment. I used only three Tombow pen colors #177, #565 and #933 and the paper is from the Yellow paper pack #6012. Butterfly is from #6008.

Petals & Blooms with Pencils and Watercolor by Janet

There's something so therapeutic about sitting down with a fresh stamp and a palette of colors. Today’s project features a charming garden scene using stamps from Art Impressions, brought to life with a mix of watercolors and colored pencils for a rich, textured look.

I started by stamping the image from 6193-Petals and Blooms. It's a lovely cabinet that I stamped onto watercolor paper. I started by coloring the cabinet itself with colored pencils. I love the depth and deep color achieved with them. The oranges and blues work nicely together and they are a great backdrop to the flowers and fauna I added into the pots. I stamped those in with Tombo Duel Brush Pens and softened and blended the Art Impression way! I used three flower sets: 5009-WC Mini Flower Set, 5476-Foliage Set 5, and 5825-Geranium Set. 

After coloring the image, I added a watercolor blue and lavender halo around the entire cabinet. Adding a background wash is a personal decision by each crafter. To me it elevates the image and makes it look finished.

To finish the look, I added white gel pen to add highlights on the pots and to draw in the drawer pulls. It's a small detail but can make a big difference in the final result.

To frame the floral scene, I used a multi-layered approach. I used 5062-Rounded Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies to cut a soft rectangle shape with a charming stitched border all around. Behind that, I cut a piece of pink vellum with lavender metallic polka dots. The dots add just the right of shine to the card. The two stacked pieces were then centered on a preprinted A2 card base with a fun, geometric hexagon pattern. All the patterns and colors add a modern touch to a classic floral theme.

What are your favorite colors to use for spring cards? I’m currently leaning heavily into these purples and pinks! Happy spring!

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  

Egg-tremely Cute! Card by Tasha

 Happy Friday Art Impressions Friends!

Tasha here sharing an egg-stra cute card created with the 5737-Bunny & Chicks Set, 6198-Flower Signage Set, and 6008-Bunny Hugs Set.

To create this project, I started by stamping the center card with the Flower Signage stamp and added the "Egg-tremely Cute," greeting from the 6008-Bunny Hugs Set to the center of the sign. It fit perfectly! 

After, I drew in flowers and colored everything with Copic Markers. I used a black liner pen and white gel pen to add more details to the flowers.

I love little chicks, and this trio is just too adorable. To coordinate with the sentiment, I also added three eggs using the egg stamp from the Bunny Hugs Set. They work great to bring the whole scene together!

Lastly, I added layers of blue, yellow, and white cardstock, gold glitter paper for sparkle, and a piece of plaid pattern paper that I thought went well with the design. 

I hope you enjoyed today's card and are having a wonderful day!

I See Right Through You Challenge #425 Week #1

 Hello Ai fans and welcome to our

"I See Right Through You" challenge.

We want to see your cards that you can "see through."

Cards with cut outs, cards with acetate, snow globes and shakers...
Window cards
(Windows you can't actually see through are fine...Windows to the World)

Anything you can see through.

I'm the Featured Designer this week and I created a snow
globe card that you can see all the way through.

I've been wanting to try this for a while and I have a picture tutorial 

for how I created it. Have a look and then,

check out who won our last challenge.

I tried my best with the photos.

It's difficult to photograph the snow globe domes without a glare.

I started by cutting the rings that will go outside of the dome on the front of the card.

Next, I lined up the inside and outside Designer Paper with the card front and ran it

through my Cuttlebug so that all three openings would line up perfectly.

Next, I glued the inside piece with the cut out, the paper for the right side and I 

stamped the flowers and cut their mats out. Next I distressed the two pieces for

the front. You can see how I cut the purple piece in a later

photo so that I didn't have to worry about lining up one more circle.

 

My next step was to color the flowers and mount them on the circle mats. (not photographed)

Then, I lined up the flowers with the window and glued it onto the inside panel. After that,

I glued the acetate over the window opening.

 

After gluing the acetate on I added the purple panel. You can see that I cut a rectangle out of it.

This gave me a panel to use on a future card, cut down on the weight of this card and allowed

me not to have to worry about lining up another circle. After that, I dropped a few fun bits on

the acetate and adhered the snow globe dome. Be sure to peel of the protective plastic on it first.

 

Now we're ready to put the front paper on and then add the circles around the dome.

 

You can see what it looks like from the inside.

 

I love the tiny little leaves inside the dome. They remind me a bit of hydrangea leaves.

All of my printed papers are from the same paper pack which makes them super easy to coordinate.

Copics used:

YG23, YG45, V0000, V01, BV11, B0000, B000, B91

I hope you've enjoyed my card and that you'll give our challenge a try.
I can't wait to see what you make.

Now, let's see who won our Round & Round challenge.

 For our Top Spot we selected: Cynthia O.

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: #17 Dawn W.

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!
We love how funny Cynthia's card is and how beautiful Dawn's glass vases are!

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

Flower Box Foundations by Dori Mendiola

Happy Thursday AI Friends!

Today I have a fun fold card with two images from the newest Art Impressions release.  If you haven't seen the release yet, make sure to pop on over to the Art Impressions website to see the six floral stamp sets, Flower Shop book template and two paper packs.  What a fun and adorable bundle!

I used two of the stamp sets for my card.  #6193 - Petals and Blooms and #6197 - Flower Delivery along with some flower images from the #5511 - Floral Truck.  I also used the #6114 - Holiday Lane Village Template for the image panels.

I stamped the images onto copic friendly paper with Memento black ink and colored with my copic markers listed below.  I die cut the florals with the corresponding dies.  I cut slits into the pots and trimmed off part of each floral base so that it tucks into the pots with the flowers peeking out the tops. 

I also added some foam tape behind the flowers for dimension.

The fun fold is an A2 Z-fold card.  I cut a piece of heavy cardstock at 8 1/2" by 5 1/2".  Fold and score at 2 1/8" (mountain) and 4 1/4" (valley) along the 8 1/2" side.  For the inside, you will need one piece of cardstock measuring 3 1/2" x 2 1/4".  Score along the 2 1/4" side and mountain fold at 1/2, 1, 1 1/2 and 2".  This inside piece will create a square tube.  Adhere the 1/4" tab to the opposite side creating the tube (see below).  After adhering your matted panels on the inside of the card, adhere this tube to the inside back and left side of fold.

For the inside image panel I colored and fussy cut the wagon part of the #6197 - Flower Delivery stamp set.  I tucked the flowers into the pots like above.  I used the #5776 - FB Sitting Girl as the delivery girl taking a break with her wagon full of flowers.  😀 She fits so perfectly with the wagon.

I adhered this panel to the top level of the tube.  When the card is shut, the card will lay flat for mailing but yet stand up on display when opened.

That's it for me today.  Thanks for joining me!

I hope you have a wonderful day and keep creating!

Copics used:  E51, E53, E55,     B21, B25

G20, G21, G24     Y13, Y15, Y17

YR61, YR65, YR68      R81, R83, R85

T0, T2, T4