Another card for the Round & Round Challenge by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans! 

I've got another card today that works for the current Round & Round Challenge that is going on right now. Here's a link so you can enter your project if you haven't already. Just click HERE.  I started out by using the adorable bear from #6103 Baby Keepsake Set. I stamped it onto a Copic friendly paper with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and then colored it with the markers listed below. Then I just grabbed some circle die sets. So I used #5064 Double Stitched Circle Dies, #5726 Nested Circle Dies, and also #6045 Scalloped Circle Dies. That pretty patterned paper is from #6057 Baby Girl PP. To embellish the card a bit, I used some hearts from #5721 Nested Heart Dies, stamping the sentiment onto the larger white one. I also added a set of those adorable booties from the set as well. 

So that is it for me today! I sure hope you're joining in on the challenge for a chance to win a free stamp set! Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit today and until next time - stay crafty! 

Copic markers used:

E51, 53, and 55

R81 and 83

V12 and 15

RV91, 93, and 95

Round & Round Easter Cards by Reneé Matarese

Hello Ai fans and welcome to my Round & Round

challenge post.

I created 2 circular cards with a circular mat behind my animals and
there are circle cut outs on my doily die.

I love the pastel colors against the white background.

Did you create any Easter cards or projects this year?

If not, there's still time.

Copics used:

Bunny and Lamb:

RV0000, RV91, YG11

Baskets and Eggs:

Y11, RV000, V00, V12, V91, YG11, E81, B000

Bo Bunny Mandala Die (Retired)

Round and Round Challenge card by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans! 

I don't know what it is about cute baby animals, but I usually love coloring them different colors. Call it artistic freedom, or being just plain silly...but you can call it me. LOL! I usually have to color them at least once in a non conventional color. For this one, I chose to go the route of blue and green (I just love that color combination). I started by stamping this adorable giraffe from #6103 Baby Keepsake Set onto a Copic friendly paper and coloring him. After that, I die cut him out using #5064 Double Stitched Circle Dies and matted them with #6045 Scalloped Circle Dies. That cute little onsie and diaper pin (do people even know what diaper pins are these days???) were die cut using #5338 Baby Mini Dies. Those Mini Die Sets are perfect for card accessories!! This card fits in perfectly with out current Round and Round Challenge, all the way down to the little round button I added to the center of the bow! Don't you just love that adorable paper? It's from #6058 Baby Boy PP and I LOVE it! Wouldn't it be so perfect to make a journal with it? It comes in a cover pack so you can use it for the journal cover too! 

So that's it for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit and until next time - stay crafty!!

Stadium Wave Pop up card by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans!

We have a new challenge that started last Thursday and it's to make a 3D card or project. I love anything popped up or 3D, so I definitely had fun with this one! I had seen a fancy fold card called a stadium wave pop up card and knew I was going to use it for this challenge. If you do a search on You Tube, you will find several free videos on how to create this, and I also added a link in my post below. I did my own size as I didn't want a huge card, so I will give you the measurements of what I did. They really are not difficult to make at all, but boy what a presentation it gives! So real quick, let me show you a video of the card, then I'll explain how I made it. 

So to begin with, I cut my card base to create a 5 1/2" square card and added my layered mats to it including the front and inside. The pattern paper used is from #6052 Mother's Day Cover PP and #6057 Baby Girl PP. I then created the strips for the inside. You need a total of eight of these strips. so I needed two pieces of the paper from the cover pack. I cut one full piece to measure 6" x 8", then took another piece and cut it to  measure 2" x 8". With the 8" side along the top of your score board,

score at 3", 6", 6 3/4", and 7 1/2". 

Do this to both the 6" piece and the 2". You will then turn the paper and cut it in one inch strips which will give you a total of eight 1" x 8" strips that are scored at the measurements above. Fold and burnish your strips, then add glue to the 1/2" edge of the strip and attach it to the other end so that the strip ends up looking similar to a long heart. Here is a link to an instructional video. Just remember that mine is a different size. 

https://youtu.be/Lj7C2RltYB0

I really wanted to make a baby card with it, so I used #6106 Spring Keepsake Set and #6103 Baby Keepsake Set for the adorable little animals they both have. To spell out the word BABY, I then used #5910 Large Letter Die Set and cut them each out with pattern paper and then the lavender cardstock so I could offset the letters a smidge to help them stand out better. I stamped, colored, and cut a LOT of beautiful daisies from Baby Keepsake Set. And now that I am typing this post, I don't know why I didn't think of adding some adorable pieces using #5338 Baby Mini Dies!  DOH!!!  Maybe if you make one of these, you will use them to help decorate! For the card front, I added a large heart from #5721 Nested Heart Dies along with that adorable frog, then scattered some open hearts from the same die set. After adding a sweet bow, the front was finished. 

Making my strips shorter than what is stated on the instructional video gave me more room to add a sentiment panel for your message and signature. But it did not take away from the "wow" factor when the card is opened. 

So that's it for me today! I sure hope I was able to inspire you a little with creating a 3D project for our new challenge. You never know when you might win a free set of your choice! Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit and until next time - stay crafty!!

Copic markers used:

E00, 30, 31, 33, 35, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 51, 53, 95, 97, and 99

C00, 0, 1, 2, and 3

YG01, 03, and 05

B00 and 01

R11, 12, 20, 22, 81, and 83

YR20 and 21

Y00, 11, 21, 23, 32, 35, and 38

It's in the Mail Challenge #421 Week #1

Hello Ai fans!

Welcome to our It's in the Mail Challenge!

This time, we're all about envelopes, postage stamps (or postage stamp dies) and mailboxes.

Stamps, dies, embossing folders, embellishments.

As long as your handmade project contains a mailbox or envelope of some sort, along with stamps, dies or paper from Art Impressions, then you might be the next winner of a free stamp set from Ai.

As we announced before our last challenge...

Please take note,
we have a new requirement.

We're not a large corporation like Simon Says Stamp that sells MANY brands.

Art Impressions is a family run company that designs ALL of their own stamps, dies and designer paper.

Therefore, moving forward, we're going to ask that you use some sort of Art Impressions product on your challenge entries. Everything else remains the same. Please see the full list of rules below.

After checking out the absolutely adorable baby bear card from our Featured Designer Janet, scroll down to see who won our last challenge.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello and welcome to the feature post for the, "It's in the Mail Challenge." It's a Slider Double Pop-Up Easel card. Although I own a die set for this style of card, I wanted to show you how to make one without anything special. The twist on the card is that it has two stand up panels instead of just one. I want to credit Connie Stewart of Simply Simple Stamping for the measurements and inspiration for the project I'm sharing with you today.

Follow along with my instructions below. If you have questions or get stuck on anything, leave your question as a comment and I'll respond.

To start this one, I stamped, colored and cut out the baby images from 6103 - Baby Keepsake Set. Then I worked on the scalloped background by cutting it out with 6048 - Scalloped Rectangle Dies. This is the only die I used for the card base and it's for decoration. You can cut it without a die if desired but it looks awesome with it. The size is approximately 2 1/8" x 3 1/4." I stamped the mailbox with 5575 - Mailbox and Birdhouse Set and colored it and the grassy scene with Copic markers.

Once all of the elements were ready, I tucked the baby items into the basket and glued them to the basket to hold them in place. A nice feature of the 6102 - Baby Keepsake set is that the die slices open the top of the basket so you can load it up with accessories. It can also be used on it's own if desired too so it's very versatile.

Once the elements above are ready, I set them aside to work on the pieces of the card. Cardstock cut and scored as shown forms the base of the card that will support the pop-up mechanisms and mats. To make this card have more interest, I incorporated patterned papers from 6057 - Baby Girl Paper Pack. The patterns are so soft and sweet. They also have some heft to them so you can use them for interactive cards and not worry that they won't withstand the workout these cards have to sustain. 

Next cut and score this set of mats and strips. 

The first step is secure the baby girl patterned paper to the 9 1/2" pink strip. The pencil mark is just to help you see that this strip is centered to the patterned paper. Note that in the second picture I used a narrow oval punch to cut the notch shape that makes the tab opening.

The next part of the instructions makes the slider part of the card. The pink 3 3/4" x 3 1/4" piece is the sentiment area. Just to jazz it up a little, I stamped a message, blocks and booties on it. This will appear at the bottom of the card when the tab is pulled so as a little surprise to the recipient.

Once set, go ahead and pull the tab. It should reveal the message and make the Oh Baby card panel pop up.

Now comes the twist. Grab the 5 1/2" x 1 1/2" pink strip with the four score lines. Fold where scored to form a box at the bottom. Glue the last fold to secure the box shape. This is the second pop-up mechanism for the card.

Once the glue is set, activate the slider mechanism by pulling the tab. The tab forces the middle panel to stand up and the pop-up mechanism connected to the middle and front panels helps it stand. This action also creates a space between the 1st and middle panel. It's a cool 3D effect with two stand-up panels instead of the typical single panel. 

Below is the completed card in its closed position. It doesn't fold completely flat, but it's close and it will fit in a mailing envelope without a problem. I added another of the Oh Baby papers to the pink strip as both a mat and a sentiment. I used my scissor to trim the patterned paper to match the tab opening and glue it in place. This is an optional step. If you want to do this, you should do it before adding the box mechanism and top mat in case the box ends up being glued on it. This same area will fit a sentiment banner if you would prefer that.

And there you have it! I think this design is very nice and I plan to make more of this style in different themes. I hope you'll give it a try. 

Now it's your turn! Submit a card that has any reference to mail using Ai Stamps and get a chance to win free stamps. Wishing everyone who participates good luck.

Thanks for joining me on the blog today. As always, find your favorite stamps, dies, papers, and accessories at the Ai Store!

Happy Crafting!

Janet - YouTube - Blog - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest  

Thank you Janet for the sweet card and the wonderful tutorial.

Now, let's see who won our Love, Love Me Do challenge.

For our Top Spot we selected:
Consuelo G.

5820 KH – My Favorite Birds Set

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!!

Be sure to grab your winner's badge to display on your social media.

Our Lucky Random Winner was:

#8 Bonnie W.

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!!

Be sure to grab your winner's badge to display on your social media.

Congratulations to both of 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.

 ✻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

Love You Beary Much Card by Tasha

 Happy Friday, Art Impressions friends! 

Tasha here, and today I’m sharing a Valentine’s Day card featuring the new 6103-Baby Keepsake Set. This sweet little bear was the inspiration for the whole design and I couldn’t resist adding tiny hearts to the bear’s top, they are just too cute and perfect for Valentine’s Day.

To keep with the holiday theme, I added a heart patterned paper frame and stenciled soft pink puffy clouds onto pastel pink cardstock. When I think of Valentine’s Day, I always picture hearts, pink and red tones, and a little sparkle, so I tucked in some silver glitter paper for shine.

For extra dimension, I used foam tape to pop up the bear, the flowers, and the “I Love You” sentiment. It adds so much depth and really makes the card come to life.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope this card brings a little Valentine’s inspiration your way!

Bundle of Joy by Reneé Matarese

 Hello Ai fans!

There are some adorable new stamp sets on the Art Impressions Website right now!

This new 6103 – Baby Keepsake Set came at the perfect time.
A family friend and her husband are expecting their first child.

I took inspiration from her shower invitation. Blue and white stripes with a teddy bear on it.

My bear is colored a little differently for me. I've used the same white cardstock for probably 15 years. I decided to try coloring on the new Ai 6140 – White Cardstock Paper Pack. Pros and cons I found were this. It doesn't allow for blending like I'm used to when I use my Copic markers. I did love how vibrant the colors came out and I'm assuming it's using much less ink because it's a more glossy paper. My take away is that I love this paper for layering and die cutting mats and all sorts of things and definitely sometimes coloring. It's a different look and for this card I was very happy with it.

I won't be attending the out of town shower so I'll send this card along with a gift.

I'm sure they'll love it.