NEW Watercolor Release! FIVE Sets Available Now! Challenge 251 Floral Cards!

Hello, Ai Fans!

Hooray! Welcome to our first Watercolor Releases of 2019! These fabulous sets are sure to be favorites in your collection! Our WC Decorative Jars Set includes four gorgeous containers, such as pitchers and even a teapot! The set also includes three decorative designs for accents. Create a playful scene with our WC Bicycle Set, including four bikes with baskets, ready to be filled with flowers. Enjoy our whimsical WC Elves Set, featuring mushrooms and little characters for scenes with a touch of magic. Add the new WC Foliage Set 4 to your collection, because Bonnie is sure to use the small bunches of wild grass, tiny left- and right-facing vines, and other leaves in her upcoming videos! Last but not least, our WC Sentiments Set 2 features several sweet verses to pair with your projects.

Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don't miss our Watercolor Wednesday video tutorials on these fabulous sets! These sets, along with our NEW 2019 Watercolor Catalog, are now available at artimpressions.com!

We have a plethora of inspiration from you today, from our Watercolor Guest Design team members, as well as our own Bonnie Krebs! Let's take a look at what these lovely ladies have in store for us today!

Bonnie Krebs - Instagram

Hear what Bonnie has to say about these new sets in her video below!

Dot Freel - Instagram - Blog - Pinterest

Hello Watercolor Friends,

There are some amazing brand new stamp sets available now from Art Impressions! I used the new 5125 - WC Elves Set to create this card for the latest challenge, "Floral Cards." I stamped the mushroom using both the brown and blue. I pulled the color out of the lines. I took Sepia from the palette

to paint in the circles on the mushroom top. I used the red 885 on the palette to color in the mushroom top. I stamped the door from the 5056 WC Fairy Doors Set (which fits perfectly) using the sepia and added lines with the fine tip of the sepia pen. I colored the door pine green, using the palette. I used the sepia fine tip to darken in the door shadows and door knob leaving that white high light in the center. I used the stamp positioner to stamp the elf on top of the mushroom house using 40 brownish grey. Then I colored him using the pine green on his pants and hat and half sleeves and I used 77 pastel peach to color in his face and hands. I colored his hair and shoes in with the sepia. I stamped a single flower in his hand from the 4868 WC Flower Set 2 using blue 565 and pine green and then stamped in the group of those same flowers above the mushroom and added water. I used pine green and stamped the leaves from the 5009 - WC Mini Flower set then used the flowers from 4052 - Flower Set 1 and stamped the flowers in using the red 885. I added water to them. I used the grass from the 4051 - WC Foliage Set 1 and stamped it in using the olive green. I used the tall stalks from the brand new 5126 - WC Foliage Set 4 and the 72 pine green and stamped them in the background. I put some olive green on the palette and dabbed it in around those leaves. I used blue 526 on the palette to color in my sky. I took actual watercolor paint - silver and white to make my sky look more cloudy. I cut out my image using the 5065 - Oval Double Stitched Dies and cut out the red background piece from the next larger oval die. I used two of the 5063 - Rectangle Double Stitched dies for the next background pieces. I glued those little green jewel flowers in the corners. Lastly, I used a Copic Multi Liner 0.03 pen to add the black centers to the flowers, draw in the elf's eyelash, draw the string on his shirt, and sign and date it.

Tricia Kennedy - Instagram

Begin by stamping the bicycle from the WC Bicycle Set in 565 Deep Blue, stamp it off onto a scrap piece of paper then add 969 Chocolate and stamp onto your watercolor paper. The combination of both colors will result in a gray tone. Watercolor the Art Impressions way with water and a paint brush. Next stamp in the foliage from the WC Foliage Set 4 in the basket and around the tires using 158 Dark Olive on some leaves and 177 Dark Jade on others. Mask off the bottom of the basket with masking paper or a post it note, then stamp the flowers from WC Flower Set 2 in 725 Rhodamine Red. Scribble a little 528 Navy Blue on your palette and brush onto the bike. Darken up the basket, seat, etc. with a bit of 969 Chocolate. Also add in tire spokes with the small tip of 969 Chocolate. Brush in the sky using 526 True Blue. Add dot detail around the flowers with 725 Rhodamine Red. Finally, stamp the sentiment from Sentiment Set 2 in your favorite black ink. I cut out the design and mounted it to the card with foam tape for added dimension.

Tricia O'Bin - Blog - Instagram - YouTube - Pinterest - Facebook

Step 1: Container

First, I inked up the container from the New Decorative Jar Set using 969-Chocolate and 569-Jet Blue. Pull the color out of the lines from the edges working your way in. In order to create the texture, add additional color in an up and down brush stroke, this creates the look of smooth metal. Make sure to leave your highlight in the middle of the container as well as along the top of the spout.

Step 2: Foliage

I inked up the leaves in the New Foliage 4 set with 177-Dark Jade. I stamped the leaves (5 times at least) along the top of the container. Make sure you leave enough space for the flowers. I added water to the foliage. 

Step 3: Flowers

I inked the flower blooms from the Bible Flower set using 905-Red and stamped three blooms. I then inked up the small flower bunch from the Mini Flowers set with 606-Violet. I added 4 additional flower bunches. I added water to the blooms starting from the lightest area. I inked the stems from the Bible Flower set using 847-Crimson and 177-Dark Jade. I added water to the blooms. To fill in the middle of the bouquet, I added some additional foliage from the New Foliage 4 set.

Step 4: Cobblestones

I used a piece of post-it tape to mask the bottom half of the container. I inked up the cobblestones from the Cobblestones set with Chocolate and Jet Blue. I stamped it off and then stamped it under the container. When pulling the color out of the lines, make sure to pull it from below the stones to make them pop. I added some 476-cyan to sides of the container to show sky.

Step 5: The Card

Make sure you sign your work. I placed the watercolor piece in my MISTI stamping tool and inked up the “Blessed & Grateful” with Gina K Designs amalgam ink and stamped it along the bottom of the container. 

Next, I cut the watercolor piece out with the new Hexagon double stitched die. I also cut a mat from peach cardstock using one size larger Hexagon die. I popped up the watercolor piece using foam tape. I adhered this to a piece of white cardstock cut to 3.75 x 5 that I ran through my big shot using a hexagon embossing folder.

I adhered this onto a Edible Eggplant card stock mat. I adhered this to a side folded card base.

Just LOVE these cards! They are the perfect inspiration for our new Floral Cards challenge! It may still be wintery in many parts of the country (even at Ai headquarters in Oregon!), but that doesn't stop us from dreaming about spring! Join us by making a flower-inspired creation for our challenge for a chance to win Ai stamps!

 Here are the Challenge Rules:

✻ Please make a new card or creation. You can make any crafty 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!

✻ 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 by clicking and commenting your fellow crafters.

✻ Make sure to get your link up by Wednesday, March 13 at 5:00 p.m. PST to enter your creations.

✻ Good luck and happy stamping!

Inlinkz Link Party

Before we go, let's take a look at the winners of last week's House or Cottage Challenge!

Top spot goes to...

Helen F!

Congrats, Helen! We adore how you used two of our Windows to the World stamps (Cottage Window and Greatest Gift Window) and transformed them into polaroid snapshots! Email annelise@artimpressions.com with your address to claim your prize pack!

Honorable mentions go to...

Janet K!

Heidi!

 Congrats, you two! Janet, we love your Cottage Circlet card with the gate that actually hinges open! Super clever! And Heidi, your watercolor cottage card with whimsical large florals is so pretty with those bright colors! Email annelise@artimpressions.com with your address, and select a stamp set of your choice for a prize!

Thanks to everyone who joined the challenge, we had awesome entries! Be sure to join us again for our Floral Cards challenge!

Happy Stamping!

There's no Topping You! By Crystal Schneider

Hi AI fans!
This week I played with this Hamster Mouthful set-4948. Have you ever tried to do mirror stamping? I have a few times and I love the look and it adds more uses to your stamp sets.

To start this card I die cut a rectangle with the largest die from the Rectangle A2 double stitched die set. I used a stamp platform for all of my stamping. I started with the mirror image first. Their are a few ways to do mirror stamping the way I do it is to grab a piece of scrap acetate and stamp on to it and then I take my paper and place it over the image and gently rub it onto the paper. Some times when stamping this way spots don't transfer completely to solve this all I do is take a fine black pen and draw in the rest of the image. 

This is the original image so I die cut his little arms so he could hold a couple gifts. 

Here is my mirror image. 

I heat embossed the sentiment with gold embossing powder.

Spectrum Noir Markers:

FS2, IG1, IG2, JG1, JG4, LV1, LV3, AP1, AP2, OR1, OR3, MB1, MB2, BGR1, LV1, EB2, EB4, VN2, VN3

Happy stamping! 

NEW VIDEO! Bicycle Set Watercolor

Hello Ai Fans!

It's an exciting week, as we're debuting new 2019 product on this Watercolor Wednesday! Five of our new sets will be released this Thursday, February 28, but we couldn't wait another day to share one of our favorites! Bonnie kicks off this release with a personal request from Ai staff - Bicycles! She uses this new WC Bicycle Set and WC Foliage Set 4 in this stunning image with daisies, dotted stems, and tall grasses. You are sure to love our latest designs!

Make sure to subscribe and click the bell on our YouTube channel for all the new release videos, we have so much to show you! And sign up for our newsletter to be the first to receive links to our new sets!

Hope you have a wonderful Watercolor Wednesday!

View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SITg4MKibqw

Birdhouse Singing by Niccole Kulig

Hello Ai Fans!

I am sharing another card made with the new HM Garden set from Art Impressions. I decided to do a peek-a-boo card.  I am not sure that is the correct name, but that is what I am calling it HAHA.

It really was an easy card to make.  I had fun with it.  I started with my images first.  I dies cut them, added them to my template, stamped them, and colored them.  Here are the pictures of the order I did it in.

After I finished all of that.  I cut the middle section of my craft card stock out to make the "window". I added a black strip of paper to each edge to give the card a little definition.  Want to my secret to even skinny strips????? I buy quilling paper.  It is super cheap and comes in a ton of colors. Saves me a ton of time trying to cut my paper into skinny strips.

From here I glues my birdhouses on the bottom piece, and ONLY the bottom piece. I then stamped my sentiment between the last two birdhouses.  Once the bottom of the bird houses are fully glued down place your bottom of the craft paper along the bottom of the card so your front piece and back piece line up. This will show you how much of the tops of the birdhouse needs to be glued to the top piece of craft paper. Glue them to the top piece. 

To finish off glue your birds to the front of the card.  I saved one of the birds to add to the inside of the card to tie them together.  I also cut four extra birdhouses and colored the back sided to glue to the exposed back sides of the birdhouses.  It finishes off nicely.  

I hope you give my peek-a-boo card a try.  Art Impressions has a lot of cute images that would work well with this design. Happy stamps friends!

Copics used:
B41, B45
E44, E47
R22, R24
Y11, Y13, Y15


Until next time ... Hugs & inky fingers!

Front Porch Circlet MTF by Jil Lebel

Hello Ai fans!

This cute kitty on the Front Porch Circlet MTF really spoke to me.  As soon as I saw this stamp set, I knew that I wanted to color him to look like my husband's cat Brute.  I made this into a shadow box card. You can always follow the directions on the package to make a MTF.

The images were stamped onto Spetrum Noir Ultra Smooth paper with My Favorite Things Extreme Black Ink and colored with Copic markers.  The colors used are listed at the end of this post. Details were added with Prismacolor colored pencils in the following colors, dark brown, light umber, pink and mulberry. All three images were cut out using the Double Stitched Circle Dies. The interior portions of the images were cut using the two matching dies.

To make the card you will need one 8 1/2" x 11" piece of 65 lb. piece of cardstock. You don't want to use heavy cardstock for this project.  Cut it in half vertically. Cut one piece to 8" and score it at 4 1/4 ". Cut another piece at 8 1/2" and score it at 1/2", 4 1/4" and 4 3/4".
The first piece you cut is your card base. The shorter side is the back of the card.  Cut your pink patterned paper to 4"x4" and the flower paper to 3 3/4" x 3 3/4".  Fussy cut the flower border and attach it to the card front.  Attach the colored MTF circle where you want it and place the matching die cut inside it.  Use washi tape to hold the die in place and run everything through your die cut machine.
 Next, you need to place your second image directly behind the first image.  You will need the second piece of cardstock.  cut a small sliver off of the 1/2" side.  Attach your patterned paper to the piece next to it.  Fold the 3 3/4" score line behind the cardstock and put it into the card.   Attach the second colored MTF circle behind the first one and place the matching die cut inside it.  Use washi tape to hold the die in place and run everything through your die cut machine.
You can now attach the shadowbox piece to the card by adding adhesive to the 1/2" piece and closing the card front over it. You'' want to do the same thing to the back piece.  Be sure not to attach adhesive to the 1/2" that will be exposed.  The last thing that you will want to do is attach your third image to the inside of your card so that it shows through when the card is closed.

Copic Markers used:
Stairs - C00, C1, C3
Wood - E30, E31, E33
Bushes - YG61, YG63, YG67
Flowers - RV00, R20
Kitten - Woo, W1, W3, W5
House - YR30, Y32
Blues - B0000, B00, B02

Thanks for stopping by and Have a Great Day!