NEW Watercolor Sets NOW Available! PLUS, Challenge 265 Watercolor Stamping!

Watercolor enthusiasts rejoice! We have FIVE new Watercolor sets available today at artimpressions.com! Bonnie's newest favorite is our WC Shoe Set, featuring footwear from baby to antique boots, which you can fill with your flowers and foliage. As we draw closer to the holiday season, Bonnie created a WC Winter Kids Set, with the littles dressed in their snow gear and one even giving a hug to a snowman. Use your critters or kids sets with our new WC Swing Set for nostalgic outdoor scenes. For our southwest friends, we included a WC Desert Set featuring cacti, an adobe house, tall grasses, rocks, and twigs. You can also use the WC Mountain Set plateaus with our Desert Set, or add a snowy mountain in the background of your watercolors! The possibilities are endless! Watch the video below, as Bonnie introduces the summer release and all her favorite details. You can add all five sets to your collection at artimpressions.com!

Let's take a look at what the designers have created today! Remember, you can visit the designer's blog or social media by clicking the pink links by their name - and give them a follow while you're there for more inspiration in your feeds!

Dot Freel - Instagram - Blog - Pinterest

 
Hello Friends,

Have you seen Art Impression's brand new stamps 5194 - WC Shoe Set? There are 6 different shoes! I actually had these little white leather shoes for all three of my sons, long ago, when they were babies. Some people even had them bronzed and mounted on a plaque. I stamped the shoes in two colors, first the 969 then the 565. I stamped them off on scratch paper first and then pulled the color out of the lines. I added the foliage from the 5126 - WC Foliage Set 4 in 177 and 249. I stamped the longest ones in 105 lt. teal for the girl card and in 993 for the boy card. I stamped the heart flowers from the 4868 - WC Flower Set 2 in 725 for the girl card and in 526 for the boy card. I used 565 to paint the shadows under and on the shoes. I stamped the shoe again in random orientations all over the background using Memento grey ink. I stamped the long stem flower all over both cards as well. I used the 5072 - Block Letters Die Set to cut out the words "girl" and "boy" and ran the letters through a Xyron Create-a-Sticker. I used the 5063 - Rectangle Double Stitched Dies to cut out the background pieces and the watercolored pieces to complete my cards.

Karen Day - Blog - Facebook - Pinterest

I had the idea to combine these two sets on my projects, so decided to use the tire swing from 5195 WC Swing Set, the mountains from 5198 WC Mountain Set, and created a scene around them. I first sketched out my idea on scrap paper to determine exactly where I wanted things to be - nothing worse than being half way through a scene like this, and stamping your mountains too high! It also helped me determine that my tree swing would be up on a hill overlooking a lake and the mountains beyond. I started by diecutting my Canson XL watercolour paper with the 3 3/4" x 5" Rectangle Double Stitched Die, and I sketched in my tree with a pencil. Using #N45 Cool Grey 10, I coloured and stamped the tire, and then masked it. With my stamp positioner, I placed the little girl from 5053 WC Little Girls Set, coloured in #992 Sand. With my #1 paintbrush, I added #850 Flesh to her skin, and #899 Redwood to her hair. With the fine point of the #992 marker, I added short sleeves to her t-shirt. #565 Deep Blue was painted as her jeans, and after adding more water to it, I used it to add shadows. I added several layers of the N45 to the tire to build up the colour, creating it darker on the underside of it. Next I stamped the mountains, after colouring them with 2nd generation #565, and a layer of #533 Peacock Blue over top. I used my damp #4 paintbrush to soften the lines and pull out the colour to add shading to the mountains. I painted in the hills in front of them, and the lake - pulling the colour from my palette, and used a light wash for the sky. I used my Twintone marker in #41 Chocolate to outline my tree, and added a few texture lines to the trunk. I painted shades of #969 Chocolate over the entire tree, keeping it darker on the undersides of the branches, and added #565 as shadows. With the large leafy image from Foliage Set - 4051 coloured in #158 Dark Olive, I added greenery on either side of the swing, and softened it by dabbing with a damp brush. I also used the Jumbo Grass stamp with #158 stamping it multiple times, then using the colour from them to paint a suggestion of a grassy bank. I picked up #992 from my palette and painted in the shore line around the lake. And finally, to add leaves to the trees, I used the larger leafy image from 4867 - WC Foliage Set 2 New. Oh - and the last step was to use a fine point grey marker to draw in the chain of the tire swing. I matted my image with a light kraft cardstock, and used pop dots to mount it on some textured dark grey cardstock.



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

First I inked up the entire cactus from the NEW Desert Set with 126. I then added some 249 to just the areas I wanted to be a little darker. I stamped it towards the bottom right hand side. Next, I masked it off, re-inked it with the same colors and stamped it to the left of the first one but down a little. I pulled the color out of the lines. 

I inked up the southwest house with 969 and stamped it to the left of the cacti close to the middle of the paper. I masked it off and stamped the Large mountain from the NEW Mountain Set inked with 969. I also used the same smaller mountain inked in 969 and stamped it a little up and to the right. I wanted it to appear to be further back. I pulled the color out of the lines, making sure to leave white highlights. I pulled some additional color underneath the mountains to give them some depth.

I added some 565 to my palette and added it between the mountains for a small river flowing between the mountains. I added 969 to my palette and added some additional ground around the river and darkened beneath the mountains. I added some 969 and 847 to the small grass and stamped it on either side of the house. I pulled the color up and out of the lines. I added water to the house making sure to make the left really dark. I pulled color out of the lines around the house. I continued to add 969 from my palette to create more ground.

I added some 969 to the small rocks and placed them to the left in the white space. I pulled the color out of the lines making sure to leave a highlight. I added some pink to the cactus and added water. I replaced the mask on the cactus, inked up the other cactus in the set with 177 and using my positioner stamped it to the right of the cactus. I pulled the color out of the lines and added some additional 126. I added the small cactus near the rocks and pulled the color from the lines. Using my fine tip, I added some dark shadows beneath the house and softened them with water. I continued to add 969 and 847 to the ground.

Finally I used some 565 watered down to create clouds in the sky. Lastly, I signed it.

Thanks, team! Your projects are so inspiring and fun to see in your unique styles!

For our new challenge, we want to see you try watercoloring stamping! You can watercolor the art impressions way or another watercolor stamping technique, we can't wait to see!

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 the deadline to enter your creations.

✻ Good luck and happy stamping!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Before we go, let's recognize the winners of last week's Gotta Gingham challenge!

Top Spot goes to...

Reeta!

Congrats, Reeta! We love your Perfect Duet singing on this easel card with pretty pink and red gingham paper! Such a sweet anniversary card! Email annelise@artimpressions.com with your address to claim your prize pack!

Honorable Mentions go to...

Mary Ann!

Helen F!

 Congrast, you two! Mary Ann, we love how you created a nostalgic card with your class WC Truck image! Thanks for joining us in class at Scrapbook Expo! And Helen, we love your blue-toned gingham with this snowy scene with our retired Whoots set! Too cute. Email annelise@artimpressions.com with your address and a stamp set of your choice!

We hope to see your entires and more in our new challenge! Have an awesome weekend!

Happy Stamping!

See the Chocolate...

Hi Ai fans! 

This week I played with My favorite things stamp set which is perfect for me. I love chocolate so I love the sentiment with this stamp set. 

"See the Chocolate

Seize the Chocolate 

Be the Chocolate" 

This is my 100% I love all things chocolate. 

I used this stamp set to make two cards this week. I stamped the image twice with Memento black ink and colored them in with alcohol markers.  The first card I shared I stamped the sentiment onto the front of the card.

I adhered the ladies faces looking through the window on the inside of the card.

The second card I adhered the sentiment die cut out inside of the card.

Spectrum Noir Markers:

GT1,GT2,GT3, TB2, TB3, TB4, EB1, EB2, EB3, HB1,HB2, HB3, CT2, CT3, CT4, BG2, BG3, BG4, FS6, FS7, FS8, CR1, CR3, CR6, BT3, BT4, BT6, IB1, IB2, IB3, DG1, DG2, DG3, IG2, IG4, IG5, GB1, GB3, GB5, DR1, DR3, DR4

 Happy Stamping!

Halloween Pumpkins by Niccole Kulig

Hello Ai fans!!

I am stopping by today to share a Halloween card I made using the 5038 - Ghoul Friend set  and some Wink of Stella. I was a fun card to make that's for sure.

It is a pretty straight forward card layout this week.  I stamped my Happy Halloween bottom center. I layered my orange paper, and black paper. The white paper is on top of the black paper. I only use what I have to of my stripe paper so I cit 1/4" strips and added them to the top and bottom of my white paper stamped with my strand of pumpkin lanterns. I colored my pumpkins last with my Copic markers. 

As you can see above I used a super fine Sharpie marker to join the two stamps together.  I thought the loop in the string would add to the card, like a loop in the stand of pumpkin lanterns. I didn't let the imperfections of my marker skills bother me because when you look at the whole card the strand is not perfectly straight to begin with. 

I thought the cute pumpkins needed a little something so I finished them off with some Wink of Stella. Why ... because everything looks better with Wink of Stella in my opinion LOL.

Here is one more look at the card.  You will probably see more Halloween cards from me ... it is my favorite holiday after all. Pumpkin everything for this girl 😊  Thank you for spending a little time with me and please check back again real soon for more Ai inspiration.

Copics used:

YR02

YR04
YR07
YR09

Until next time ... Hugs & inky fingers!

Hamster Wheel Cubbies Waterfall Card by Jil Lebel

Hello Ai fans!

Some interactive cards look like they're complicated to make but they can be rather simple if you just know how they're assembled. I made this waterfall card with a long strip of paper and a few folds.  Of course I used the cute hamsters from the Hamster Wheel Cubbies and a greeting from the Christmas Wreath Set.  Maybe you'll try this on one of your cards.

The images were stamped onto Spectrum Noir Ultra Smooth paper with Gina K Designs Black Amalgam Ink and colored with Copic markers.  The colors used are listed at the end of this post.

I created the waterfall feature with one strip of paper.  It measured 2" by 7 1/2".  I also had a thin strip of paper to wrap around the entire piece as a band to hold it to my card.  I then scored the card at 2", 2 1/2", 3" and 3 1/2".  I made sure that all of the score lines bent back and forth well and then I folded the paper behind itself at the last score line. I then attached the belly band to the top flap and wrapped it around both pieces leaving it.

I started by attaching the last scene to the bottom piece over the belly band.  I then added the next scene to the 1/2" spine with double sided adhesive.  I added the next two scenes to the other two spines until all four scenes were attached in the correct order. 

I cut a piece of decorative paper to 5" x 1 3/4" and cut the end of it with the banner die.  I attached it to the bottom piece of the waterfall feature so it could be pulled out. I then attached the entire waterfall feature to the card with the belly band.  Don't add adhesive to anything else or everything will stick together.  I learned how to make this card on you tube.  You may find it easier to look there for full directions on how to make it.

Copic Colors Used:
Main Hamster - W1, E30, E31, R00
Second Hamster - W1, W3
Floor - W00, W1
Wall - R00, R01
Tree- YG05, YG17, YG67, G29
Present Red- R05, YG17, R37
Present Green - YG61, YG63, YG67
Sky Panel Three- B0000, B00, V000, 0
Ground Panel Three and Four - B0000, B00
Moon - C1, C3, C5, 0
Sky Panel Four - B99
Shadows - C5, C7

Thanks for stopping by and Have a Great Day!

Let's Talk Soon! by Carol Hintermeier

Hello Ai Fans!

Today I have a card using the adorable Texting BFFs set.  This is just perfect to send to a friend to let them know you're thinking about them!

I stamped the image and the sentiments in Copic safe ink.  I colored the ladies with the Copics listed below.  I then used a Rectangle Double Stitched die to cut it out.  

I layered the die cut image onto some gray cardstock, a piece of patterned paper and then onto the A2 top-folding card base.

I fussy cut the sentiments out and popped them up with foam squares.

This card was so fun and quick to make and I hope it's given you some inspiration to give this cute set a try!  Happy crafting!

Copic markers:
B93, B95, B97, C1, C2, C3, E11, E21, E30, E34, E53, E55, E57,
N0, N2, N5, N7, N9, R14, R20, R21, R22, W0, W1,
YR21, YR23, YR32, YG63, YG67