Challenge #431 Christmas in July

 Hello everyone and welcome to our Christmas in July challenge!

ALL things Christmas!

Show us your cards, tags, gift boxes and bags,
gift card holders, ornaments and more!

I'm the Featured Artist this time, and I created fun multi-domed shaker card.

I began by coloring and cutting out all of my little figures and sentiments.
The images needed to be fussy cut because they're watercolor stamps which
don't come with coordinating dies.

I then lined all the little circles up under the dome,
removed the dome and glued them down.

Once they were glued down I add little snowflakes using an embossing tool
and Dr. Ph Martin's white paint.

Once the snowflakes were dry I placed a variety of snowflakes and beads onto
each circle. I didn't use too many because I didn't want to cover up my cute images.

After placing my shaker bits I adhered the dome over them using teeny tiny glue dots.
I added a bow and a frame around it to add some interest.

The dome was an upcycled piece of packaging that I had lying around.
I had purchased some gems at the Dollar Tree and they came in little plastic

containers, each separated into one of the domes. I thought it would be fun to

use this leftover plastic as a shaker dome on a card.

On the inside I added a sentiment and a little bunny.
He's SO CUTE!!

With the heat wave we've been having here, near 100 degrees for around a week straight,

it's hard to imagine snow right now. Luckily, I have an air conditioner in my craft room.

I hope you like my card and that you'll enter a project into our Christmas in July challenge!

Now, let's see who won our Artful Architecture challenge.

For our Top Spot we selected #13 Patty S.

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim your free stamp set.

Our Lucky Random Winner was #6 Shine your light

Please e-mail Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com
to claim your free set.

Congratulations to our winners.

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

Snow Globe Shaker Mini Journal Box by Janet

Hello Ai Fans. Today I have a mini-journal box with a small twist. As I was looking at the 5805 - Mini Journal Template Box Set, inspiration hit me. I wondered if I could fit a 5808 - Snow Blob Shaker Dome on it and yes, it does fit if you carefully center the circle that the done fits into! I had to trim a tiny bit off of the flat part of the dome on the edges to make it fit but it does work and I am pretty pleased with that! It makes this little box extra special.

The church scene was created with the 5791 - WC Snow Globe Set. I cut the circle out with the die in this set and then stamped the church a bit above the bottom edge knowing I needed room for some snow. I masked off the church with masking paper and then I used the tree stamps in the set to create the stand of trees behind and to the side of the church. I used Copic gray markers to put in a little shading and a very light blue green marker in the windows. In hindsight, I think it would have been more cool to color the windows with yellow as if the lights were on inside but I thought of it too late.

After stamping, I used Delta Decorating Snow to create snow texture on the ground and on the roof. Then I added some fine white glitter to the globe. The result is a very snowy scene. It reminds me a lot of the many rural churches where I grew up in North Dakota. It also looks a lot like my home church in the town where I went to school. We made our way many snowy and cold Christmas Eves for midnight candlelight services. I have some really lovely memories of snow that glittered like diamonds in the headlights as we drove from the farm into town for those special services. 

Once the scene was ready, I cut the box out of a sheet of striped paper from the 5964 - Winter Woodland Cover Paper Pack. I carefully centered the circle die in the middle of the cover and then installed the completed dome. I also added several small snowflakes to the front which were made from the dies in the snow globe set.

Inside, I glued in a glitter cardstock piece to cover up the back of the shaker dome to make it look a bit more finished.

Here is a picture of the side of the box which I decorated with dies from the box set. The elongated ovals in this die are supposed to be removed but I left them in place because I liked the look it created. 

So of course, I MUST create a mini-album to put into this box. I think that's a pretty big hint about what my next blog posts are going to be! Stay tuned. Now that we have the Dwellings sets, there are several really fun little images that can go into the mini-journals.

Thanks for joining me here today. As always, don't forget to find your favorite stamps, dies, papers, and accessories at the Ai Store! You'll always find something that calls to you. 

Happy Crafting!

Janet - YouTube - Blog - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest  

Deer Shaker Card for Under the Dome Challenge by Reneé Matarese

Hello Ai fans!

Welcome to the Under the Dome Challenge at Art Impressions. 

I had so much fun making this shaker dome card. It's got a masculine feel, but I as a woman, would also LOVE to receive a card like this.

I used a bunch of Art Impressions products and you can find them all linked below.

I live in the country and seeing deer is a daily occurrence for us. I love watching them stroll through our yard. It's hunting season and we always breath a sigh of relief when we see our regulars show up the next day.

Under the Dome Challenge #391 Week #1

Hello Ai fans!

Welcome to our latest challenge.

Under the Dome!

Over the next two weeks we want to see your snow globes, domes and shaker cards. 

They don't need to be holiday themed unless you want them to be. We'll also accept snow globe stamps without a dome over them. It's the holiday season and we want to include as many people as possible!

Before we see our Featured Designer Janet's beautiful card, let's see who won our All the Fall challenge.

For our Top Spot we chose Debby Vanguilder.

We selected her Halloween card but we also love her other entry.

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!!

Also, be sure to grab our badge to display on your blog, Facebook or Instagram!

Our Lucky Random Winner was #19 Ginger M.

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!!

Also, be sure to grab our badge to display on your blog, Facebook or Instagram!

I love a "country" Christmas and Janet's woodgrain and snowflake paper bring so much charm to her card. I can just imagine the smile on someone's face when they receive this card and give it a shake!

I love it when it's my turn to feature a card for you and today I'm here with you as my alter ego, Jingle the snow girl. Hi everyone! You'll see me peaking in on all the photos in this tutorial. I'm tickled pink with excitement for the holiday season. So let's get started with my project!

The card is simple enough for anyone to try. Although it's not complicated, it packs a special punch by the use of a 5808 - Snow Globe Shaker dome which is available at the Ai store. If you are not into the work of creating a traditional shaker but if you like the look, this is for you! Each dome attaches to your project easily because it's stick and go with adhesive already included on the outer edge. There's no fuss to use the domes for any season or theme and it couldn't be easier! And to make it even better, Ai has a special set, 5791 - WC Snow Globe Set, which includes just the right circle die for the dome opening, stamps of items to go inside the shaker, and even a shaker base to really give the impression of a snow globe. I used the basics of this set for a clean look. Here's a close-up to show how it looks on the final project including the snowman inside and shaker snow. Hi Jingle!

To prep for this card, I cut a white panel at 3.75" x 5." I used the circle die included in the set to cut a horizontally centered circle in the panel with the top edge of the circle about 3/4" from the edge. I used the same die to cut a circle from a piece of snowflake paper from the 5963 - Winter Woodland Paper Pack. It will be the background for the shaker. Next I cut a piece of snowbank for the snowman to be mounted to. I cut a little dip in this piece but it isn't necessary to do that. I stamped, colored and cut out the snowman image from the set and attached it to the snow bank. I chose another pretty piece of red word cardstock from the same paper pack and cut the word JOY out using dies from 5072 - Block Letters Die Set. Finally at the top, you'll see the Snow Globe Shaker Dome that I used on the project. The bottom of the dome is flat and the white circle you see is the adhesive backing which when peeled reveals adhesive that makes it possible to adhere the dome to paper.

To make sure the dome is in the right place on the card base, I put the snowflake circle with the dome on top on the card base (do not glue yet) and placed the white panel on top (also unglued) and then pushed the panel around until it was centered on my wood patterned card base. I carefully removed the panel and the dome and then glued the snowflake circle in place, lifting part of it up at a time so that I didn't have to move the paper out of place. Then I glued the snowbank with the cute snowman which I had stamped, colored and cut out on the snowflake circle. In the center of the snowflake circle, I added about a 1/2 teaspoon of FloraCraft Diamond Dust. This is a finely crushed glass product which looks very much like snow. You can use all kinds of things for the shaker bits including sequins, beads, clay polymer pieces and even paper snowflakes which you can cut with included dies in the set. Once the shaker bits were piled in the center of the circle, I peeled the adhesive backing from the snow globe and seated it around the snowflake patterned circle. Just for extra security, I chose to apply a thin bead of liquid glue on top of the included adhesive before I put it down. It's probably not necessary but it makes me feel better to know there's no way the dome will come loose. Sorry for the terrible glare in this photo!

The last bit of work was to glue the Joy letters on the white panel. I stamped the sentiment from the set below that. As an added decoration, I pulled out my Journal Template Set and cut a flourish for the top of the card in gold cardstock. I also cut three red glitter stars which I glued to the card. To finish up, I only had to apply glue to the back of the finished white panel and apply it to the card base, allowing the snow globe dome to slip through the cut circle of the white panel. Here's the finished card again. 

Thanks so much for joining Jingle and I to see what I created for the Under the Dome challenge. Join the challenge by uploading any card with any shaker element. You'll get to show off your work and you might even win a free stamp set! 

Please visit the Ai store for the sets I used and all the things you need for your card, journal, and tag making projects. Happy creating!

Janet - YouTube - Blog - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest  

Thank you Janet for this wonderful tutorial. No one has an excuse not to try a shaker dome now. 

✻ Please make a new card or handmade crafty creation. You can make any item you wish; this is not limited to cards! (unless specified)

✻ Limit two submissions per person. You will receive extra votes if you use Art Impressions stamps!

 ✻Please include your first name and last initial on your submission.

✻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

Christmas Cars and a Wintery Snowglobe by Karen Day

 Hello Ai Watercolour fans!  It's time for the Watercolour Weekend post.

It's Karen here with you this week, and I've been having a great time painting with many of the new Ai Christmas stamp sets.  I may have squealed when I first saw 5823 - Christmas Cars Set... it's possibly my favourite set ever created by Bonnie - so I couldn't wait to ink it up.

I'm using Bristol Smooth Cardstock today, as it is a lovely bright white colour, and it works well for snowy scenes.  I first cut out the decorative oval die shape, so I'd have my painting area defined for me.  I inked up first the car, then the presents using Tombows #969/565 - purposely stamping the presents just a little askew, as though they were precariously stacked on the roof, with the help of my stamp positioner.  I picked the larger wreath from 5830 - WC Mini Wreath Set, coloured it with #249, and stamped it on the front of the car.

I picked my colour palette according to my background paper, so started painting the car with #526, using a watered down layer on the hood of the car, which would be lighter, and a more saturated shade for the front and undersides of the vehicle.  #N45 was used to paint in the tires, and all the chrome bits around the headlights and grill.  I used #126/703/847/249 to paint in the presents, adding some diagonal stripes on some of the wrapping paper.  I painted in a wash of #565 as the sky, trying to indicate some snowbanks at the side of the road, and used it to shade under the tires, and on the windshield.  I lightly touched the wreath with a damp paintbrush, and added dots of #847 as berries.  To create my snow, I used Bleedproof White Paint to add snow on the parcels, car and wreath, along with a few snowflakes in the sky.

This was fairly quick and easy to paint - so I plan to make a bunch more to send this season.  To assemble my card, I cut out a slightly larger oval in the same warm pink shade as my present, and mounted it behind my scene.  I adhered it to my striped paper from the 5853 - Christmas Magic Paperpack

My second card to share is a Snowglobe Shaker card!  These are so little and fun to make - and there are so many possibilities to use with the shaker shape. 

I chose the snowmen duo from 5846 - Mini Christmas Set, using Tombows #969/565, and stamping them on Bristol Smooth Cardstock.  I then traced around them using the dome as a guide.  I cut out a mask, and covered up the snowmen, then used the smallest pine tree from 5826 WC Large Tree Set 2, and stamped it three times in #249 to appear behind them.  I painted in #526/847 on their scarves and clothes, and used #N45 for his top hat, adding layers to darken it at the sides to appear rounded.  I used my #933 marker directly on the paper for their noses, and then painted a wash of #565 as the sky, and as shadows around my snowmen - shadows are the key to making the snowmen stand out against a snowy background!  After touching the trees with a damp paintbrush, I used Bleedproof White paint to add snow to the branches, around the base of the snowmen, and as a few falling snowflakes.  I used my Twintone Navy marker to add in a few of the lines that needed to be darker - especially their faces.

I decided on a 5" square card, and chose several papers from the 5853 - Christmas Magic Paper pack, using the circle die that comes with the 5791 - WC Snowglobe Set to cut the opening in the striped paper.  I glued the scene to my card base, added some glitter and snowflakes on top of it, then adhered the 5808 - Snowglobe Shaker Dome onto it, sealing in all the shaker bits.  I added the striped paper over top, then added the base of the snowglobe, which I had stamped, painted and fussy cut out to complete my globe!  *Don't forget to remove the plastic coating that covers the dome, before you put the paper over top (ask me how I know!!)  The sentiment is included in the Snowglobe set.  I used a few of the snowflakes from the 5782 - Snowflake Frame Set to glue around my globe.

The air has turned cooler where I live in Canada, so I'm starting to feel festive, and am in the mood to create for the holidays.  I hope I've inspired you to pull out your supplies and get busy!  Have a wonderful Watercolour Weekend.

Christmas Cars:

Snowglobe Card: