and I used a piece of screen to create a screen door that you can see through to the
Hello AI Fans!
Our current challenge right now is "Bats in the Belfry" and we are looking for anything related to Halloween! This is such a great time of year...the weather is usually cooling down and the kids are all so excited about picking out their costumes and going house to house for candy! I LOVE when the kids come all dressed up. And this may be controversial but I don't care how old you are. If you dressed up and walk up to my door, you're going to get candy for it! I believe we should let them be kids for as long as they want, and if they're just a kid at heart - well that's good enough for me. That's just the way I feel about it. No judgement from me if you feel differently. You do you, BOO. LOL! I snuck that one in there! HAHA So my card today is to celebrate Halloween. I started by taking little Frankenstein from 5506 Peek a Boo set and coloring him with Copic markers which are listed below. That fun sentiment came from #5352 Halloween Critters Set. I created a background for him and then die cut it using #5727 Nested Oval Dies and then matted that with some cardstock die cut using #6046 Scalloped Oval Dies. That fun little spider and the web are from #5462 Web Dies Set and I just added a couple tiny googly eyes to him.
Hello, my Art Impressions friends!
Halloween is the perfect time to let our imagination fly,
and today I’m excited to share a fun, interactive Halloween card featuring the
**Art Impressions stamp set 5190**. This card is full of Halloween mischief,
with a broom flying toward the moon, carrying some unexpected passengers!
## Step 1: Create the Watercolor Background
I started by creating a paper mask for the moon and adding masking fluid for the stars. Then, I painted the background using watercolor paint. I
wanted to give the card a spooky Halloween atmosphere, with a colorful night
sky that would complement the moon and the flying broom, so I added black and purple clouds using a wet-on-wet technique. Finally, I painted a bright yellow moon with orange and gray shadows.
Once the watercolor background was completely dry, I removed the masking fluid and painted the stars with shimmer. I stamped pine trees on the background and dormant trees over the moon for extra spookiness. I printed a copy of the finished background to use behind the original panel. This little trick is important for an interactive card because I needed to cut a slit in the background for the slider mechanism. By placing the printed copy underneath, the design continues seamlessly behind the opening, keeping the background looking neat and continuous as the broom moves.
## Step 3: Make the Broom Fly!
I carefully created the slit in the watercolor background (the original) for the slider to move through. Then, I inserted the back of the slider mechanism on the slide from the back of the front panel; the other piece snaps on top. I added foam tape around the back of the card to allow the piece to slide freely. The extra printed background underneath helps conceal the opening and maintain the look of the watercolor scene.
Hello, and welcome back for Watercolor Weekend!

Hello, my Ai Watercolor friends and fans! I have two fall projects to share with you today featuring some awesome newly released sets. The first card showcases the new Story Tiles 2 set 6257 – ST Happy Fall, and the second highlights the adorable 6263 – Farm Fresh set from the Country Holiday Lane release.

It has been unusually hot for this time of year where I live, but I’m still very excited for Fall. And luckily, the newest releases are celebrating the season right along with us!

Happy Fall Story Tiles Card:
The new Story Tiles 2 set (6257 – ST Happy Fall) is just so adorable. In real life, I find squirrels to be a bit of a nuisance—but the little squirrels in this set have completely stolen my heart. You might also notice the super‑cute barn in the photo above. That’s the newly released 6244 – Country Barn Die Set, an add‑on for the original 6114 – Box Village Template Dies. I love how Bonnie keeps growing the village with new themes and clever add‑ons. It makes creating seasonal scenes even more fun.
Colors and Supplies Used:
Paper: Canson XL Watercolor Paper
White A2 Cardbase
Patterned Paper: 5973 – Fall Series 2 Paper Pack
Brushes: No. 4 round brush, No. 0 round brush
Stamps & Dies:
Ink for stamped images: Versafine Vintage Sepia
Tombow Dual Brush Pens: 177, 228, 555, 565, 772, 856, 925, 933, 946, 947, 969, 977, 992, 993, N57, N79
Other: Brown TwinTone marker, thin foam tape strips, and Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White
Stamping:
To begin, I traced the interior sections of the 6158 – Story Tile Template Die with a pencil onto a piece of Canson XL watercolor paper. Using this as a guide, I stamped each of the images from (6257) in Versafine Vintage Sepia using a stamp platform.

I used a branch from (4964) to stamp in a few extra branches inked in 969. The top part of the small vine from (5126) was used for stamping in leaves (856, 177). The grass is from (4051) and inked with 177. For the flowers in the basket, I used a floral stamp from (6271 – Flower Set 7) inked in 856 and 177. For the white flowers in the pot next to the basket, I stamped the greenery with a foliage stamp from 6270 – Foliage Set 6 inked in 228 and added white flowers with Dr. Ph. Martin’s.
Painting:
I brushed in the sky with a watery mix of 555. For the squirrels’ bodies, I used a combination of N57, N79, 992, and 977, with 772 added to their cheeks. The fall leaves were painted with 993, 933, 925, and 836. For the roof of the feeder, the flower pot, and the acorns, I used 947 and added stripes to the pot with 856. The pumpkin stems, tree branches, and tree stump were painted with 977, while the pumpkins themselves were painted in 933, 993, 925, 946, and 228. The baskets were painted in 992 with bands of 933 and 925 or 228, and the base of the feeder was painted in 228.
White details were added with Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White, and 565 was used to add shadows throughout the painting. I finished by adding small details where needed with a brown TwinTone marker.
Card Assembly:
I die-cut a piece of patterned paper from (5973) using the 6158 – Story Tile Template Die. I adhered the die-cut frame to the painting with thin strips of foam tape and then adhered to the front of a white A2 card base.

Interior:
I die‑cut a 3.75" x 5" stitched rectangle from white cardstock and added a ¼" strip of dotted patterned paper along the bottom edge. Next, I die‑cut the sunflowers, basket, and pumpkin from the newly released 6274 – Country Barn Accessory Set and adhered the grouping to the bottom right corner.

Don’t you just love this new Story Tiles set? My favorite image is the one above with the sneaky little squirrel scampering off with his acorn treasure. He’s just too cute—and so full of personality.

Farm Fresh Card:
My bonus project uses the farm truck image from 6263 – Farm Fresh. I absolutely love the cute pup riding in the back of the pickup truck—he looks like he’s living his best life! It adds such a sweet, carefree touch to the whole scene.

I die-cut a piece of Canson XL watercolor paper using an oval die from 5065 – Oval Double Stitched Dies. I inked the image with Versafine Vintage Smokey Gray. I used floral and foliage stamps from 4868 - WC Flower Set 2, 6271 – Flower Set 7, and 6270 – Foliage Set 6 for the baskets of flowers.
Colors used: 177, 526, 555, 565, 837, 856, 933, 925, 993, 946, 947, 969, 977, N25, N75, Silver Winsor Newton Paint, Dr. Ph. Martin’s, and a black Micron pen.
The decorative papers used on the card front are from 6273 – Country Barn Paper Pack.

For the interior of the card, I die‑cut a 3.75" x 5" stitched rectangle from white cardstock and added a decorative ½” strip of patterned paper to the right edge.

Thank you so much for joining me for Watercolor Weekend! I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s projects featuring some of the newly released products. Here’s to cooler temperatures ahead and all the fun things the Fall season brings. Until next time, Happy Painting!

Hello Art Impressions fans!
Today we have our final projects from Guest Designer Patty Sprague.
She stepped in for a designer that needed a bit of time off.
Please enjoy her two gorgeous creations, both featuring adorable squirrels.
First up we have a beautiful fall Story Tiles card.
- Paper: Canson XL Watercolor Paper, Concord & 9th Seaglass Cardstock (for A2 card base)
- Patterned Paper: 6009 - Basic Green Cardstock
- Brushes: No. 4 round brush
- Stamps & Dies:
- 6158 - Story Tile Template
- 6048 - Scalloped Rectangle Dies (inside card)
- 5952 - Portfolio Template Die Set (inside card)
- 6257 - Happy Fall
- 4868 - WC Flower Set 2 (mums)
- 4051 - Foliage Set (teeny tiny grass)
- 4867 - WC Foliage Set (vine)
- 4964 - WC Branches Set
- 6271 - Flower Set 7
- Ink: Ranger Archival Ink in Coffee
- Markers & Pens: Tombow Dual Brush Pens (025, 249, 312, 565, 856, 925, 933, 942, 947, 969, 977, 985), Brown TwinTone Marker (for details)
- Tools: Post-it Tape, Dr. Ph. Martin's Bleed Proof White
Instructions
1. Stamping: Cut a template using the Story Tile Die to align the stamps in a stamp platform.
2. Painting:
- Sky: 565
- Squirrels: 942 & 977
- Acorns: 947 & 969
- Birdhouse, large pumpkin, pot, and baskets: 312
- Details: Add the flowers, foliage, and branches.
3. Assembly:
- Card Base: Cut cardstock to 5.5" x 8.5" and score at 4.25".
- Front: Cut the template for the Story Tile and glue it to the 4.25" x 5.5" painting.
- Inside: Glue the scalloped border to the rectangle. Stamp and die-cut the sentiment, then attach it to the scalloped rectangle.
For her second project, we have a watercolored bridge.
