Bats in the Belfry by Reneé Matarese

 

Hello Ai fans!

Today I'm sharing a haunted house card that I made for the Bats in the Belfry challenge.

I grew up sketching, took every art class my high school offered and one in college.

Graphite drawings are my favorite. I took one of Bonnie's houses and turned it into

a haunted house.

For something a little different, I love this effect once in a while instead of markers or

colored pencils.

There's just something about bats and spiders for a Halloween card.

I think maybe it's because I'm so afraid of them in real life, it's fun to 

use them on a card.

I hope you had a chance to join in on the challenge. If not, you still have a few hours

to get something made. Anything Halloween will do. You might win a free stamp set.

Full of Surprises Halloween Card by Dori Mendiola

 Happy Thursday AI Friends!

I had soooo much fun creating this card today!  Cute little interactive surprises using the stamp sets #6111 - Spooktacular and #6112 - Pumpkin Parade sets. 

Before I get started, I want to thank design team member, Sharon Caudle, for her great sidewalk idea.    She used this on one of her cards, of late, and I loved it.  What a cute and easy ground panel!  Simple, but effective!  Thanks, Sharon! 

Okay, back to my card.  I created a corner fun fold card.  You can find this fold design on Pinterest but it's pretty simple.  Start with a 5 3/4" x 7" piece of pattern paper.  Front of card design face up, score at 2" along the left edge of the 7" side.  Turn paper to the left and score along the 5 3/4" side at 2".  This will create a square in the bottom left corner.  Turn the paper over, fold and burnish the score lines towards you so that the front side is coming forward.  Make a small mark at 2" from each of the folds of the square.  Score diagonally from mark to mark.  Fold and burnish this score line in opposite direction of the others.  Unfold all and with inside paper face up, bring in the diagonal folds and let the square come up over the top creating a square in the top left corner.  See Pic 3 showing the fold opening.

Pic 1:

Top Panel - create how you choose (mine is 3" x 3 3/4").  Adhere to top square only.  Do not place glue on the full panel as this is how it opens.  See video below.

Pic 2

The peek a boo ghost is from the #6111 - Spooktacular set.  The die cut will score and cut the ghost so it folds as intended.  The arms fold in similar to the card.  Stamp your sentiment onto the moon.  Adhere the bottom of the ghost to the fold of the moon.  Place glue on the top half of the ghost and shut the moon down to adhere.  Do NOT glue the arms of the ghost.  When you lift the moon, the arms will fold outward.  I placed a magnet under the "lift" cloud and the other one under the inside cloud.  

Pic 3

The inside panel has a sentiment and another cute surprise image with treats.

Thanks for joining me today!  I hope you enjoyed my card!

Have a wonderful day and keep creating!

Copics used:  T0, T2, T4, R20

Y13, Y15, Y17

YR12, YR14, YR16, YR18

V12, V15, V17

BG32, BG45

Tasha's Top 5 of 2024!

 Happy Friday everyone! Today I'm sharing my Top 5 favorite cards from 2024. I cannot believe how fast this year went but loved looking back at all the projects I made!

The Number 5 Spot goes to my "Time to Celebrate!" card. I had fun mixing stamp sets to make this birthday card and enjoyed coloring these little animals!

The Number 4 Spot goes to the pand-tastic "I like you Beary much!" Card. This card features the KH5821-Panda Set and I love how the background colors pop with the black & white pandas!

The Number 3 Spot is for the "Mousey Christmas!" card featuring the 5564-Mousey Christmas Set. This little mouse stamp is too cute and is just perfect for a holiday card!

The Number 2 Spot is for my "Happy Halloween" card featuring the cute owl from the Spooky Crew Set. I enjoy making Halloween cards and always love Art Impressions not-so-spooky stamps!

The Number 1 Spot is my "Warm Winter Wishes" MB Card from the Teeny Tiny Challenge. I loved how this one turned out and it was fun mixing my MB sets to create this little scene, I also LOVE this kitty stamp! 

Thank you so much for checking out my Top 5 cards of 2024. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Witchy Spinner Card by Dori Mendiola

Happy Thursday AI Friends!

Halloween is almost here so I wanted to get one more card in before the witching hour.  😃

This one was created using the #5506 - Peek a Boo set.  This set has the cutest little characters plus an interactive window along with dies for each.  Such a cute fun set!  Several other sets were used to create the final card so make sure to check out the links below.

I started by stamping the images onto copic friendly paper and coloring with my copic markers listed below.  After coloring, I die cut each of the images out with their corresponding dies. 

To make the interactive spinner card:  I first cut a black A2 size card base.  I layered a piece of patterned paper (web pattern from the #5849 Halloween S2 PP) onto the front of the card base.  Then I cut a circle out of the front of the A2 card base (I used the #5064 Double Stitched Circle dies).  Keep this inner circle for later.  For the inside, cut a 5 3/8 x 8 3/8" piece of black card stock.  Score and fold at 2 7/8, 5, 6 1/4 (valley, mtn, mtn).  Flip this piece over and adhere the 2 7/8 to the inside right of the A2 card base leaving a slight border.  Fold it down onto itself and place glue on the left fold side.  Hold it in place and bring the front over to close onto the fold.  It should fit right into the score of the A2 card base.  For the last step - take the inner circle from before, and with the card shut, place glue onto the right half of the inside folded piece.  Fit the inner circle back into place over the glue on the right side.  Your spinner action is now working when you open the card.

 

  The witch is popped up on top of a rosette.  This can be created by taking a 12" x 1" strip of patterned paper.  Score and fold at every 1/4 inch.  Glue the ends together.  Cut two circles (1/2" and a 1" approx.) out of scrap paper.  Gather your rosette into a circle and glue the small one to the top of the rosette.   Place glue onto the larger circle and carefully slide the rosette onto that circle to glue to the bottom.  Hold until both are adhered nicely.  Glue the witch to the top side of your rosette. 

As for the spider webs, I die cut two from the #5769 Halloween FB Fence set and cut one in half and half again to create the corner edges.  I took the other web die cut and used the circle die to cut a portion to place on the outside circle edge.  

Hope you have a wonderful day.

Keep creating!

Copics used: C00, C1, C3, C5, C7 

E00, E01, E11, E21, E23, E25, E53, E55, E57

R20, Y17, Y19

YR12, YR14, YR16, YR18

Girl Scout Halloween Fun! by Reneé Matarese

Hello Ai fans!

Last night I helped some little girls earn their Craft and Tinker badge for Girl Scouts.

We made some Halloween bookmarks and they seemed to really enjoy themselves.

I created individual baggies with lots of stamped and die cut choices.

The girls ranged from 2nd - 5th grade with a few younger siblings and they all did an amazing job!

It was so fun to see their individual personalities come out in their choices.

I had so much fun doing this and I hope they need help again in the future.

Happy Halloween! by Tasha!

 Happy Friday!

Tasha here sharing a Halloween card featuring the cute owl from the new 5934-Spooky Crew Set. The Spooky Crew Set has quickly become my go to for Halloween projects this year and I love that the set includes little hats to customize your image; I love the witch hat!

To create the background, I stamped the light post from the 5602-Spooky House & Post Set and used masking paper to cover it before ink blending. After covering the image, I masked off the moon area and used several shades of Distress Oxide Ink and water droplets to create the sky.

After the background was done, I removed all the masking paper and attached the Owl and two ghosts. I also added layers of black card stock, gold glitter paper, and Art Impressions star pattern paper to complete the card. 

I hope you enjoyed today's project and are inspired to create a fun Halloween card!

Have a wonderful day!

Have a Fa-Boo-lous Halloween! Card by Tasha

Happy Friday Friends!

Tasha here sharing a Halloween card created with the new 5934 - Spooky Crew Set. I love making Halloween cards and this set has several super cute images to use on your project. I selected this adorable Cat stamp and created a not-so-spooky Halloween night scene.

The little kitty and witch hat were stamped with black ink and colored with Copic Markers. I used the included die set to cut the images out and attached the cat to the card with foam tape. This cat looks so happy; I love her smile!

This set also includes several sentiments, but I thought it would be fun to use the 5814 - Crooked Lamp & Sign Post Set and make a greeting. I stamped the sign post and used scissors to cut the image out. After coloring, I used a white gel pen to write "Happy Halloween" and "Boo!" on the signs. 

To create the background, I added layers of multi-colored leaves and little orange embellishments for the ground. For the sky, I added a bright white moon and two fun bats cut with the 5328 - Halloween Mini Dies Set. I love the pink color on the bats!

Lastly, I attached layers of black and deep pink card stock and a layer of Art Impressions Halloween pattern paper. This colorful pattern paper is great for Fall projects and I love the colors!

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

 

Spooky Crew and Halloween Boo-quet cards by Diane Mason

Hello, and welcome back for Watercolor Weekend!

Hello, Ai Watercolor Friends! I hope you're having a fabulous weekend! Today, I’m excited to share two Halloween cards with you. The first card features stamped images from the newly released 5934 - Spooky Crew Set. For my second card, I’ve created a Halloween floral "Boo-quet" scene using images from the recently released watercolor sets: 5918 - Floral Long Stem Bouquet, 5920 - Long Stem Foliage Set, and 5921 - Glass Containers Set. Let’s get started!

Spooky Crew Card:

To start, I stamped the spooky house image from the 5934 – Spooky Crew Set using Versafine Onyx Black ink onto Canson XL watercolor paper with my MISTI stamp positioner. I then placed a square die from the 5061 – Square Double Stitched Dies over the scene and traced the interior with a pencil to outline the painting's boundaries. Next, I stamped the tree in the foreground, slightly below and to the right of the house. For the moon, I traced the bottom of my Dr. Ph. Martin’s jar. I brushed in a watery sky using 526, carefully avoiding the moon area, which I painted with 933. I added fences from the 5371 – WC Barn Set, inking them with 969, and used my Art Impressions 4774 – Stamp Positioner to place them into the scene. I masked off areas with Post-it tape where needed. A small tree from the 5372 – WC Mini Foliage Set, inked in 969, was added to the background on the left. For the house, I used 977 and 969 for the boards, porch, and spooky tree. The window trim, shutters, front, and tree doors were painted with 636. The jack-o'-lantern was painted with 933 and 925, and highlighted with 993. Its stem was painted with 177 and 249. The window interiors were done with 993 and 933. The stones on the chimney and at the base of the house were painted with 969 and 565. To represent the moon's glow, I added touches of 993 to the chimney and the stones at the base of the house. For the roof tiles, I used N25 and 993, and shadows on the house were created with 565.

I sketched a path leading from the porch and the tree. Shadows on the path were added with 565, while 993 was used for the moon’s glow. I brushed a light mix of 098 for the grass. For added detail, I used the tiny grass stamp from 5372, inked in 098, to create small clumps of grass. I inked the small leaf bunch from the 4867 – WC Foliage Set 2 with 969 and added leaves to the trees. For the larger tree, I also inked the leaves with 177. Using the same stamp, I added bushy vines to the grassy areas, using 177 for the greenery and 969 for a more earthy tone. Finally, I used a silver Signo gel pen for the door hinges and knobs.

To create a spooky sky, I added streaks of color using 526 and 565. I darkened some areas of the moon with 993. I then used brown and black TwinTone markers to restore any lost details. For the jack-o'-lantern details, I used a fine black Micron pen and Dr. Ph. Martin’s for the teeth. I also erased any remaining pencil lines and die-cut the painting with a square stitched die.

The Spooky Crew set includes dies, so I inked the owl and witch hat with Versafine Onyx Black ink and die-cut them using the coordinating dies. I used the following colors for the owl: 910, 942, 856, 977, 969, 565, 933, 993, and 925. For the witch hat, I used N25 and 636. I applied Sakura Clear Glaze pen to the owl’s eyes to give them a shiny finish.

The “Booo!” sentiment was stamped onto yellow cardstock and die-cut using a banner die from the 5902 – Mini Scalloped Frame Dies set. The purple checked patterned paper is from the 5849 – Halloween S2 Paper Pack. The owl and the witch hat banner were both mounted with foam tape for added dimension.

For the inside of the card, I added a strip of patterned paper and stamped the sentiments in orange and purple ink.

Halloween “Boo-quet” Card:

The new floral images from 5918 - Floral Long Stem Bouquet and 5920 - Long Stem Foliage sets, made it easy to create this Halloween bouquet (or should I say, “Boo-quet”).

I began by inking the container stamp from 5921 - Glass Containers Set in 565 and 969, and stamped off once before adding it to my watercolor paper. I traced an oval die from 5065 – Oval Double Stitched Dies to define the boundaries of the painting. I inked the tops of some leaves from 5920 in 249, masked the lip of the container with Post-it tape, and stamped them into the container. I inked the ghost from 5601 – Halloween Accessories Set in N52 and stamped it just above the leaves to the right. I stamped the bat in Versafine Onyx Black ink to the right. The ghost and bat are floral picks for the bouquet. I created masks for the ghost, center leaf, and bat. I inked the floral bouquet stamp from 5918 in 993 for the flowers, and 249 for the stems and leaves. I added some filler greenery from 5920, inked in 098, and masked as necessary. I added candy corn images to the container from 5601 inked in N52.

With a damp brush, I pulled color from the lines of the container to give shape and contour. I painted the lip of the container with 993 and also added a stripe above the candy corn. Next, I added a band around the neck of the container in 933 and a stripe below the candy corn. Details were added to the band with the bullet tip of 925. The bottoms of the candy corn are 993, the middle is 933 and the tops are shaded with N52.

I pulled color from the flowers, leaves, and stems with a damp brush (avoiding the area within the ghost). I didn’t add water to the filler greenery. 933 and 925, were added to the flower centers. Additional 993 was added to the flowers and 249 to the leaves and stems. Using a damp #0 round brush, I carefully added water to the flower within the ghost and dabbed it with a dry paper towel to lift the color. This helped to make the ghost look transparent. A little N52 was added to the ghost for shading. I brushed in the background with a watery mix of 526 and added a shadow below the container in 565. Next, I inked just the top of the swirly stick from the 4964 – WC Branches Set in N25 and stamped it into the bouquet, masking where necessary. I drew the bottom portions of the sticks into the container with a black TwinTone. The floral pick sticks were drawn in with a silver Signo pen. The tiny spider from 5601 was stamped onto the container using the positioner for perfect placement. I hand-drew the spider web with a gray TwinTone marker. I used the bullet tip of 098 to intensify the berries on the greenery. Finally, I added a little watery Dr. Ph. Martin's Bleed Proof White to the ghost and bat for details.

The skeleton image from 5487 – Front Porch Halloween Set was inked in N52 and die-cut with the coordinating die. The hat was painted with N25 and 933. The skeleton was shaded with N52. Facial features were darkened with a fine black Micron Pen. I used a gray TwinTone marker to enhance some of the lines of the skeleton.

The orange checked patterned paper from 5849 – Halloween S2 Paper Pack was matted onto a yellow cardstock card front and die cut with an oval die from 5065. The same oval die was used to die-cut the painting. The painting was attached to a white card base. The patterned paper piece and skeleton were both popped up with foam tape. 

For the inside of the card, I added a strip of patterned paper and stamped the sentiment from 5037 – Halloween Magic Set in orange.

Thank you for joining me for Watercolor Weekend! I hope my cards will inspire you to make some fun, spooky Halloween cards to send to family and friends. Until next time, Happy Painting!

For the Spooky Crew Card:

For the Halloween Boo-quet Card: