Pretty in Pink by Gennette Houghton

 

Hello, and Welcome to Watercolor Weekend!  Nothing like pretty pink florals to brighten someone’s day.  I went with full on pink for both of my cards today!

For my 1^st card I was in the mood for some florals.  I know that our growing season will soon be coming to an end, so I am going to enjoy the bright colors while I still can!  I stamped both 5921 Glass Containers Set and 5918 Floral Long Stem Bouquet Set in Distress Ink Pumice Stone after stamping off, onto my watercolor paper.  For the flowers I used 837, and on the centers 947, and 969.  The stems and leaves I used 177.  For the glass on the container I started with 526 and then added some 565.  I used 969 on the counter and made sure I also used that color in the bottom of the container.  Adding a bit of 565 for a shadow at the base.  I used a pencil and ruler to add the boards, I wasn’t careful about this, I went right over everything.  I then took a kneaded eraser to lighten the lines inside the jar, and an eraser to remove any lines going over my image.  I then shadowed the boards with a touch of 565.  I then went in with a bit of Bleed Proof White to give some highlights on the glass. With dies from my stash I cut out my image and matted it onto pink cardstock.  I added some Wink of Stella to the bow, and matted my card base with paper from 6205 Floral Shop Paper Pack and assembled my card. 

Keeping up with the floral theme my 2^nd card was created with 6222 Frameworks Set 4 and 6220 Sing to the Lord.  I used my stamp platform for both of these, inking in Distress Ink Vintage Photo, and after stamping off once stamped them on my watercolor paper that I cut down to 4 ¼ by 5 ½ .  For the frame I used 026, putting in a base layer and then adding more on the edges to give it some dimension.  I then added 817 to the flowers, starting off light and then building up layers in the shaded areas.  For the centers I used 947 first and then added dots of 969.  For the leaves and stems, I started with a base layer of 126 and then shaded with 177.  For the background I used 526.  I then used 565 to shade both sides of the frame to make it pop, and also underneath the flowers and foliage for a bit of dimension.  I had stamped my images off to the right side and I matted this onto my card base.  I then used paper from 6205 Floral Shop Paper Pack, cutting a strip that was 2 by 5 ½, and used a border die from my stash for a decorative edge.  I glued this on top of my watercolor paper to the right finishing off my card.  Thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed my cards.  Until next time, Create….Share….Inspire!

Bird Bookmark - Versatile and So Giftable! by Janet

 I completely adore the new 6209 - Corner Bird Bookmark! This die set makes a two-sided bird with a pocket between them. It allows pages of your favorite book, journal, or bible to tuck inside the two layers of the bird. It is both practical and beautiful which I think makes it brilliant. 

You can really create some different looks depending on the papers and patterns you choose to use. Today mine is colorful and summery thanks to using the 6205 - Floral Shop Paper Pack. Doing this in all crisp white and putting a small sprig, mini wreath, or mini bow in it's beak would make a wonderful holiday dove. I am looking forward to making some like that to share in a future post. They would be gorgeous sitting on your Christmas dinner plate don't you think?

This die set is cleverly designed to both cut your papers and crease the fold lines at the same time so assembly is quite easy. If you're unsure though, the full color photo of a finished bird is on the package to take away any guesswork.

I love the simplicity and practicality of this bookmark! It's so unique too. These would make super handcrafted gifts tucked into a package with a great book, a journal, or tablet. So many possible ideas exist with this set. 

Thanks for stopping by and spending time with me and Art Impressions today. Please visit the Ai store to pick up your favorite stamps, dies, papers, accessories, and supplies, including all the supplies I used in this card. 

Happy Crafting!

Happy Birthday Gnomie! Card by Tasha

 Happy Friday Art Impressions friends! 

Tasha here sharing a cheerful birthday card inspired by the current Floral Frenzy Challenge. I couldn't resist pairing colorful spring tulips with one of the adorable garden gnomes for a fun birthday design.

I started by stamping the sweet gnome from the 5000-Gotta Garden Stamp Set (Retired) and surrounded him with beautiful tulips from the 6220-Sing to the Lord Set. I colored everything with Copic markers, keeping the flowers bright with shades of purple and orange for a happy spring feel. A soft blue sky and grassy background help bring the scene to life.

To frame the image, I layered it with gold glitter cardstock and added coordinating yellow and orange mats. The pretty floral pattern paper from the 6205-Floral Shop Paper Pack ties all of the colors together while keeping the focus on the stamped scene. I finished the card with a simple Happy Birthday greeting to make it perfect for celebrating someone special.

If you're looking for inspiration, be sure to join the Art Impressions Floral Frenzy Challenge. It's a fun way to pull out your favorite floral stamps and create something beautiful. 

Have a wonderful Day!

Floral Frenzy Story Tile card by Reneé Matarese

 Hello Ai fans!
The current challenge on the Art Impressions Challenge Blog is
Floral Frenzy!

Who on this planet doesn't love flowers?
You don't have to grow them or keep fresh flowers
in your house, but doesn't everyone love flowers?

I love the 6158 – Story Tile Template Die.
You can place an image in every section, or you can fill them with
sentiments or even just pretty paper. It's a great way to have an instant layout

for a card.

To the Birthday Girl! Card by Tasha

Happy Friday, Art Impressions friends!

Tasha here, and today I’m sharing a birthday card inspired by the current Enjoy the Ride Challenge. Art Impressions has so many fun vehicle-themed stamps, but I’ve always been drawn to this vintage truck design. One of my favorite details is the open window, which makes the perfect spot to add a little character. I chose a gnome for this card because I can never resist a cute gnome!

To give the truck a birthday theme, I stamped a sweet little dog and a bunch of balloons in the truck bed. The balloon images fit perfectly and add a fun, festive touch to the scene.

For the sentiment, I used “To the Birthday Girl” from the 5735-Birthday Sentiment Set. I layered it onto gold glitter paper for a bit of sparkle, which really helps the greeting stand out.

To finish the card, I added layers of pink, cream, and yellow cardstock along with a floral patterned paper. I also used Copic markers to create a simple country road background that ties everything together and completes the design.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope this card inspires you to join the challenge!

Strong, Loving, and Amazing by Janet

 I have been so happy with the die sets that Art Impressions have been releasing. The collection continues to grow with many options including shapes, alphabets, journals and more. Many of the dies can be used for more than their announced intention. Take 5809 - Decorative Journal Page Set 2. I used this set to create a delicate lacy mat for the 6054-You Are sentiment.

This card is perfect for the newest Ai challenge, Yellow, with its yellow and gold cardstocks. You can enter your own card in this challenge. Just link it up following the directions on the challenge blog post.

To make this card, I created the card base using 6206-Floral Shop Cover PP. I die cut the Z-fold connector piece and die cut the mats out of yellow polka dot paper from the 6205-Floral Shop Paper Pack. I made a Z-fold card base out of more floral paper from the pack. Then I glued it to the card base.

   The star of the show is the scrolled frame. I die cut it out of gold cardstock and then cut it again in Brown cardstock. I pieced the small scroll cuts into the negative spaces. This is a little tedious but to me the end result is worth it. I cut the frame again out of white, using only the middle section this time. I stamped the sentiment on it, and secured it to the middle of the frame with foam tape. This gives it a great dimensional look. 

I cut the largest piece of the die set out of bronze cardstock. Then I trimmed off the piece that is meant to be folded to put into a journal. I adhered it to the Z-fold piece to create the front of the card.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you will enter into the Yellow Ai Challenge by uploading a card that includes the color. You might win a free set of stamps for your efforts!

As always, please find your favorite stamps, dies, papers, and accessories at the Ai Store!

Happy Crafting!

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Bunny Birthday card by Dori Mendiola

 Happy Thursday AI Friends!

The color yellow is the theme for the current blog challenge, and honestly, it’s hard not to smile when working with such a bright, happy shade.  I decided to turn that sunshine into a birthday greeting, by using the #4886K - Easter Blessings stamp set.  Even though it’s themed for Easter, it’s wonderfully versatile and perfect for spreading a little extra joy.

                                          

I started by stamping the image onto copic friendly paper with Memento black ink and colored with my copic markers listed below.  I used the #5061- Square Double Stitched die to frame the image and matted it onto a yellow piece of cardstock.  The pattern paper background is from the #6205 - Floral Shop PP.  This paper pack has the most beautiful colors and patterns.  I used the #5132 - Tag Stitched die and partial cut the sentiment.  To finish the card, I tied a yellow ribbon around the matted frame and adhered it to the A2 card base.

Pretty simple card for today but so bright and cheery!  

 Keep creating and make sure to enter the blog challenge for a chance to win a free stamp set of your choice.

Hope you have a nice day! 

Copics used:  N0, N1,   R20,   B000

 Y11, Y13, Y15, Y17

G40, G43, G46

Happy Bee-Day Card by Lynn Dionne

Happy Wednesday Ai Fans!

Watch video tutorial here!

Today's card was inspired by the new Ai "Yellow" Blog Challenge which is to simply use the color yellow somewhere on your card or project! Yellow is just such a happy, cheerful color and little bees were the first thing that came into my mind for this card!

We will be creating a fun grid layout with some pretty patterned papers from the brand-new Ai Floral Shop Paper Packs! The colors and patterns coordinate perfectly and will make this card super easy to create.

Let's begin by stamping, coloring and die cutting the bees and the cute little bear. The bees are from the Ai Honey Bee Set (5925) and the bear is the Ai FREEBIE Honey Bear. The FREEBIE is available with a $30 purchase. There are several bears to choose from so you can decide which one you like best!

For the coloring we will use the Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens in the following colors: Blender, Sugared Almond Pink, Yellow, Bright Yellow, Flesh Colour, Beige, Mid Brown, Olive Green, and Haze Blue. We can die cut the bees with the coordinating dies and for the bear we can do a bit of fussy cutting, leaving a little white border all the way around, and cutting away the bee for the inside of the card.

For the stitched layers on the card, we will be using the Ai Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies (5063) in a few different sizes. And for the grid layout, I will give you all of the dimensions in today's video! Don't forget to die cut and additional panel for the inside of the card and add your sentiment and little bee!

For a bit more interest, we will wrap the front of the card with some pretty yellow ribbon and layer up the card.

For a finishing touch, let's add a few sparkly gems in a topaz color!

Thank you so much for joining me today!  Have a fun and crafty day!

Ai Floral Shop PP (6205)

Ai Floral Shop Cover PP (6206)

Ai FREEBIE Honey Bear Stamp (6170)

Ai Honey Bee Set (5925)

Ai Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies (5063)

Fabulous Gardener Gail! Card by Tasha

 Happy Friday Art Impressions Friends!

Tasha here sharing a card featuring the fun 6076-Gardener Gail stamp set and the 6099-Garden Paper Pack to create a fun little gardening scene.

I started by stamping Gail and used the included dies to cut the image out before coloring. I wanted to coordinate with the pattern paper, so I colored the flower with the same shades on the flowers in the background. I love the happy yellow petals!

To complete the card, I added several layers of card stock and a frame cut from Art Impressions floral pattern paper. I also stamped "Pruned & Fabulous" and attached a white frame around the greeting. I think these colors are great and the sentiment is perfect to send to anyone, anytime of the year!

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