Remembrance by Gennette Houghton

 

Hello, and Welcome to Watercolor Weekend!  My two cards today are in honor of Memorial Day, a time of remembrance.  Red Poppies, in particular, are a symbol of sacrifice and remembrance for those who lost their lives in conflict, they are also my husband’s favorite flower.  

The 6163 Poppy Margin Set comes with two stamps that mirror each other and are part of the Bible Journaling line.  There is also a beautiful Peony Set – 6164.  I started out by cutting down my watercolor paper to 3 inch by 7 inch and used my stamping platform.  I inked the stamp in Distress Ink Lost Shadow, this is a light enough ink that I did not stamp it off.  For the outer frame I used 026, going over the whole frame.  I then went in with another layer, darkening the more shaded areas to create dimension.  For the petals of the flowers, I started with a base layer of 885, and then went in with 856 to deepen and shade the darker areas.  969 was used on the centers, and shaded with N15. The stamens were done with a black micron pen.  For the stems and leaves I used 177.  The background was colored with 192, and I also added in a bit of 526.  I found that this blended in a bit to well with the floral image so I used 565 to shade around the frame and florals.  This broke up the green enough to set the image off.  I also went around the outside of the frame to help set if off and give it more dimension on the paper.  I used a solid muted green cardstock to mat the 5x7 card base, and used a border die from my stash.  My original intention was to add a sentiment, but I ended up liking the card just the way it is.    

For my 2^nd card I used the newly released 6187 FG Poppy Border with 6179 Cottage Charm.  I love how the birdbath looks with this set.  It is always good when sets can interchange together.  I started off by stamping in the poppies on my watercolor paper with Distress Ink Pumice Stone, after stamping off once.  For the stems and leaves I used 126 first and then contoured with 177, making sure to darken the shaded areas.  I then started with 905 as the base for the petals and then used 885 for contour and shading, being mindful of areas that overlap and darkening these areas a little bit more.  I then stamped in the birdbath, also with Pumice Stone, and stamping off once.  I used a stamp positioner for this and after I figured out where I wanted it, I made sure to mask off the flowers so as not to stamp over the top of them.  I painted the birdbath with a mix of 565 and 969 adding in a touch of 249 and shading with 565.  For the water I used a mix of 565 and 249 and then added a light layer of 526.  For the bird, I first went over the eye, beak, and legs with a black micron. I used 055 as a base layer and then added in layers of 025, 947, and 969.  I then add some of the 025 into the water as a reflection of the bird.  For the background I added 133 and 177 at the base, and 526 for the sky.  5724 Nested Rectangle Dies, 6^th from the largest, was used to cut the image out and I matted this with a dark green cardstock using 5063 Rectangle A2 Double Stitched dies, 3^rd from the largest.  I then matted this on to some gold cardstock.  The card base was matted with paper from 6033 Inspirational Easter Paper Pack.  Before mounting my image, I stamped in the sentiment in Versafine Clair Nocturne, in the bottom corner.  Thank you for joining me today, and I hope you liked my creations!  Until next time! Create….Share….Inspire!

Thinking of You Shaker Card by Janet

 

Gemini said

Spring is around the corner, and there is no better way to welcome the season of renewal than with a card that literally dances when you move it! Today, I’m sharing a festive, multi-window shaker card that combines delicate florals with some of the newest treasures from Art Impressions.

This project features the fun 6158 – Story Tile Template Die, which creates a beautiful "window pane" effect—perfect for showing off the new stamp images and for housing the spring-themed sequins.

To recreate this look, here are the key supplies:

Dies: 6158 – Story Tile Template Die

Stamps: 6179 – Cottage Charm Stamp Set

Paper: 6140 – White Cardstock Paper Pack, 6082 – Bible Journaling S1 Paper Pack (Floral), and silver metallic cardstock.

Essentials: Heat resistant acetate, 1/4" foam tape, Silver embossing powder, Watermark Ink, and pink sequins/glass drops.

I started by die-cutting the Story Tile Template from crisp white cardstock. This die is fantastic because it adds a delicate stitched detail to all six frames simultaneously. For the "glass," I trimmed a piece of heat-resistant acetate to fit perfectly behind the entire frame. Before sealing the windows, I took the "Thinking of You" sentiment and heat-embossed it in silver powder directly onto the acetate in the top-right window. This gives the sentiment a floating effect.

To give the shaker bits room to move, I layered two strips of 1/4" foam tape around the perimeter and the interior dividers. Tip: I added extra foam tape around the sentiment window specifically. This keeps that area clear of shaker bits so the message remains easy to read!

I made the card base using silver metallic paper for a hint of shimmer. For the background of the windows, I chose a stunning blue floral pattern from the Bible Journaling S1 Paper Pack. I piled my spring shaker bits onto the floral paper, peeled the backing from my foam tape, and pressed the frame down to seal those sparkly pieces inside.

The Cottage Charm set is full of whimsical imagery. I stamped, colored, and fussy-cut the fence, the vintage bicycle, and the birdbath. I layered four fence pieces across the bottom to create a grounded scene, then tucked the bicycle and the thirsty little bird into place. To tie everything together, I adhered pink flower sequins and pink glass drops directly onto the white frame for an extra pop of dimension.

The combination of the silver metallic base and the interactive shaker windows makes this card feel like a little celebration in an envelope. It's a perfect way to remind someone that they matter.

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  

Thinking of You by Reneé Matarese

 Hello Ai fans!

There is a wonderful new die available from Art Impressions!
It can be used vertically or horizontally depending on what
stamps you decide to put inside of each panel.

Remember, the current challenge on the Art Impressions Challenge Blog 

is called It's in the Mail. You can click on the banner to be

taken to the challenge to enter your postal themed card. 

(Stamps, mailboxes, envelopes etc.)

There are 4 brand new sets made to coordinate with the die, 

but the great thing is that you can use any stamp, die cut 

or sentiment that will fit inside each rectangle.

 The possibilities are endless.
I chose to use the cottage scene because I love the bike.

One cool thing I discovered was that the window die from the MB Template fits perfectly inside the space for the window on the cottage. The intent is that you will paint or draw in the panes but I love the look of die-cutting the window panels out. So cool!

Copics used:

YG11, Y11, Y18, B01, B34, N2, E33, E40, E55