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!

Friendship Mini Journal and Box Featuring Bear Freebies by Diane Mason

  Hello, and welcome back for Watercolor Weekend!

Hello, my Ai Watercolor friends and fans! I’m excited to share a sweet Mini Journal & Box project featuring all six of the new Bear Freebies. If your Art Impressions order totals $30 or more, you get to pick one of these exclusive little bears — and each one is absolutely adorable.

Colors and Supplies Used

Paper: Canson XL Watercolor Paper, Canson XL Mix Media Paper

Cardstock: Blue

Patterned Paper: 6205 – Floral Shop Paper Pack

Brushes: No. 4 round brush, No. 0 round brush

Stamps & Dies:

• Exclusive Bear Freebies – Part 2
• 5718 – Mini Journal Template
• 5805 – Mini Journal Box Dies
• 6220 – Sing to the Lord Set
• 5797 – Little Things Sentiment Set (Hi Friend!)
• 5734 – Friend Sentiment Set (You brighten my day!)
• 5904 – So Sweet Armful Set (You’re so sweet)
• 5817 – Potting Garden Shed Set (A true friend…)
• 5949 – Encouragement Sentiments Set (You’re stronger than…)
• 6107 – Snowman Hugs Set (You warm my heart)

 Ink for stamped images: Versafine Onyx Black Ink, Versafine Vintage Sepia & N52

Tombow Dual Brush Pens: 723, 772, 856, 912, 993, 177, 555, 656, 606, 947, 969

Other: White, Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White, Brown and Gray TwinTone Markers, Micron 005 Black Pen

Assembly

I die‑cut the base for the mini journal from blue cardstock using the 5718 – Mini Journal Template die. I attached small Neodymium Flat Disc magnets with mini glue dots to the interior front and back cover to keep the completed journal closed. Patterned paper is glued to the interior and will hide the magnets.

The following photos show the papers I chose from 6205 – Floral Shop Paper Pack for the interior of the journal.

Decorating the Mini Journal

I had so much fun decorating the mini journal. For the cover image, I only used part of the Birdie Bear so I could add a sentiment above the image. The following photos walk you through the journal. Sentiments are from the sets listed above.

All the bear images were inked with Versafine Vintage Sepia and painted with 947. The sky is a watery mix of 555.

And here’s a view of the completed journal.

Creating the Patterned Paper for the Box

I traced the interiors of the box template (5805) with a pencil to mark the pieces I would need to cover the box top, flap and sides. Using a stamp platform, I stamped the floral vine image from 6220 in N52 multiple times to build the patterned paper.

The leaves and vines were painted in 177. For the flowers, I used 723, 993 and 555. I used the bullet tip of each coordinating color to add dots to the flower centers.

Building and Decorating the Box

I die-cut a piece of blue cardstock with the box template die. Before assembling the box, I cut out all the patterned paper pieces and glued them to the box making sure all the pieces were in the right spots and correct orientation. Next, I die cut the opening on the box top using a decorative label die from 5718 – Mini Journal Template.

Again, I attached small Neodymium Flat Disc magnets with mini glue dots to the back of the flap and the inside of the box to keep the box closed.

Now place the Friendship Mini Journal into the box and gift to a special friend!

Thank you so much for joining me for Watercolor Weekend. I hope today’s project will inspire you to make your own mini journal! Until next time, Happy Painting!

All Things Beautiful by Janet

Hello Ai fans and welcome to the weekend and the Ai blog! Today's project features several new sets now available at the store. It shows off images from several sets and how they can be combined to create pretty collages and scenes.

My card starts with an aqua A2 card base. I cut a slightly smaller rectangle out of the 6205 Floral Shop PP. Then I used a die from the 5727- Nested Oval Set to cut out a frame which nests all my card elements nicely. I used a punch to the shaped corners on the soft striped paper which I mounted with foam tape on the blue card base.

Next I stamped and colored the flower image from the 6220-Sing to the Lord set. I colored the flowers to resemble one of my garden favorites, blue hydrangeas. I stamped the bible verse from the 6218-BJ Long Stems set in a frame found in the 6222-Frameworks Set 4. Then I colored a bird from the 6216-Mercy Set. I fussy cut all the images and arranged them in the oval window. As filler, I added a few silk leaves and a matching bright blue and white polka dot bow. Finally a few blue glitter enamel dots were added as accents.   

This card is full of dimension, pretty colors, nature images and a reminder of God's role in making all things in the world including the earth's bountiful and beautiful natural birds and fauna.

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!

Friends Gnome Matter What by Dori Mendiola

 Happy Wednesday AI Friends!

My card today fits the new blog challenge - Floral Frenzy and features two new stamp sets - #6220 - Sing to the Lord and #6221 - Frameworks Set 3 along with the cute little gnomes from the #5785 - Gnomes set.  I personally think you can put gnomes on anything and it just creates cuteness overload!  Wouldn't you agree?

I stamped the images onto copic friendly paper with Memento black ink and colored with copic markers listed below.  I used the corresponding dies to cut the gnomes.  The florals are one stamp from the stamp set.  I colored the full stamp image and then cut it into thirds using a small circle die.  I stamped the frameworks image onto a 4" square piece of white cardstock.  I adhered a colored floral image into each of the frameworks.

To make the "Book Cradle" card style:  There are several tutorials showing how to make this fun fold but I watched the one from Dawn's Stamping Thoughts and made a slight change to it.

Start with a base white cardstock measuring 4 x 8.  Score on the long side at 1/2, 4 and 7 1/2.  Fold and burnish each score as a mountain fold.

For the cradle base: Cut a 4 x 5 inch white cardstock piece.  Score at 1/2, 1 1/2, 2 1/2, 3 1/2, 4 1/2 on the long side.  Burnish at 2 1/2" as valley fold.  Glue the second fold (as mountain) up to the 2 1/2" leaving the first 1/2" as a tab.  Do the same on the other side.  You should be left with 1/2" single width of cardstock, then 1" double width on next two folds and then lastly, a 1/2" single width tab.  

Make the support stand that fits at the bottom of the base:  Cut a 4 x 2 1/2" piece of cardstock.  Score along short side at 1/2, 1 1/4 and 2.  Shape into a W.  Glue the 1/2" tabs of this stand to the inside bottom of the base piece.  See below (bottom of card).  

Adhere the card base 1/2" tabs to the cradle base 1/2" tabs.   The card should fold flat and pop up when standing.  Finish decorating with mat layers and pop up the gnomes with foam tape.  Add the sentiment to the bottom using the banner from the #5588 - Journal Oval Frames.

Once you make one of these cards, you will find out how fun and easy it is to make plus so cute when on display.  I'm hooked so you may see more of these in my future posts.  😁

Make sure to join our blog challenge for a chance to win a free stamp set of your choice.  It's easy, just check out the tab above.  

Have a wonderful day and keep creating!

Copics used:  W0, W1, W3

E00, E02, E21, E23, E25

B0000, B000, B01

G40, G43, G46

Y13, Y15, Y17

RV10, RV32, RV34

Focus on Faith with Sara Furr: Bird and Tulip Wall Hanging

 

Blessings, dear friends, and welcome to my first edition of "Focus on Faith" for the month of August.  Today, I have a fun project for you that is not so much card as it is a quaint little wall hanging.

I started by die cutting an oval panel of Canson XL Bristol Smooth cardstock, on which I stamped the tulip image from the "Sing to the Lord" set, in Versafine Black Ink using my stamp positioner. I then inked up just the bird from the "Songbirds and Feeders"set. It is the bird perched on the side of the bird bath.  I stamped it so that it was just at the top of the back tulip. I then proceeded to color my images using Polychromos colored pencils. 

 When  was done,  I ink blended some yellow ink up in the right hand corner for a bit of sunlight ,and then I placed the oval back into my stamping tool, and stamped the sentiment from the "Sing to the Lord" set, with Versafine black ink. 

I die cut the black frame and applied it to the top of my oval and then I applied foam tape to the back of it. I die cut a larger oval of white cardstock and embossed it with a tulip embossing folder, and I applied ink to the raised embossing with mini ink blending brushes. 

 I then adhered that panel down to my scalloped green oval base with foam tape, and added the black hanger with adhesive. 

 That finishes my project for today. I hope that you got inspired to look at your stamp sets in a new way, and that you will try coloring your images using colored pencils. I love the amount of texture and shading that I can achieve using colored pencils.

 I wish you all a very blessed and crafty week!

 Your friend in Faith, 

Sara Furr- The Crafty Farm Chick

 

Other supplies used:

Canson XL Bristol Smooth cardstock 

Paper cutter

Die cutting machine

Oval dies and hangers 

Embossing folder

Foam tape

Versafine black ink 

Polychromos colored pencils 

Yellow ink

Green ink

Coral ink

Blue ink

Red ink

Mini blending brushes

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.

Single Flower to Story Tile by Simone Carr

Hello Fellow Crafters!

For today’s card, I wanted to create something soft and elegant with a touch of vintage charm. I love how a simple floral image can be transformed with a little watercolor, texture, and a few special details.

Using Canson Watercolor Paper, I stamped the image using N95. I colored the stems and leaves first with 177. Then I colored the flower, starting with 985. I used 055 to add highlights to the bloom and 933 in the center of the flower. I used 526 around the flower to add a soft touch of color to the background.

Once the coloring was dry, I splattered some Winsor & Newton Gold paint over the flower for a little extra shimmer. I then used the Antique Frame Die (from a different company) to cut out my panel.

Using Memento Toffee Crunch, I distressed the edges of the panel to enhance the vintage look. Next, I stamped my sentiment using Versafine Clair Nocturne.

I then selected a frame that would fit around the sentiment from the Frameworks Set 4 and stamped it using Memento Toffee Crunch. Using a small brush, I painted over the stamped frame with Winsor & Newton Gold paint to add a subtle metallic accent.

I felt the card still needed a little something extra, so I used a textured stamp with Distress Ink Antique Linen and stamped it randomly over the card panel. This added just the right amount of texture and finished off the vintage feel of the card.

Materials Used

Stamps & Dies
• 6218 – BJ Long Stem Set
• 6222 – Frameworks Set 4
• 5063 – Double Stitched Rectangle Die (Largest)

Paper
• Canson Watercolor Paper

Inks & Mediums
• Distress Ink – Antique Linen
• Memento Toffee Crunch
• Versafine Clair Nocturne
• Winsor & Newton Gold Paint

Tombow Markers
• N95 – Stamped Image
• 985 – Flower
• 055 – Flower Highlights
• 933 – Flower Center
• 177 – Stems & Leaves
• 526 – Background

For my second card, I used the Story Tile Die to cut a piece of Canson Watercolor Paper. I then arranged my flowers onto each section and stamped the images using Distress Ink Antique Linen.

Once the images were stamped, I colored each section using the Tombow markers listed below. I then cut another frame from patterned paper and adhered it to the watercolor frame. After attaching the layered frame to my card base, I glued each watercolor tile back into place to complete the card.

Materials Used

Stamps & Dies
• 6158 – Story Tile Die
• 6220 – Sing to the Lord
• 6218 – BJ Long Stem
• 5735 – Birthday Sentiments Set

Paper
• 6012 – Basic Yellow Patterned Paper
• Canson Watercolor Paper

Inks & Mediums
• TwinTone Marker – Purple
• Pitt Artist Pen – Black
• Versafine Clair Nocturne
• Distress Ink – Antique Linen

Tombow Markers
• 177, 985, 025, 925, 526 – Tulips
• 606, 177, 526 – Petunia
• 856, 177, N15, 526 – Poppy Flower
• 312, 685, 837, 985, 856, 555, 565, 177, 526 – Wildflowers

Thanks for stopping by, and happy crafting!

Birds of a Feather! Card by Tasha

 Happy Friday Art Impressions friends! 

Tasha here sharing a card inspired by the current Floral Frenzy Challenge. Art Impressions has so many beautiful floral sets, and I had fun combining two new sets to create this colorful design.

I started with one of my favorite dies, the 6158-Story Tile Template Die, and selected flowers that would fit perfectly into each tile. The floral images I used are from the 6218-BJ Long Stem Set and the 6220-Sing to the Lord Set. Both sets include so many pretty flower stamps, and they work beautifully together!

Instead of filling every tile with flowers, I added two little birds from the 6216-Mercy Set. These sweet birds were the perfect addition and helped bring the design together. To finish the card, I stamped a bird-themed greeting from the 5980-Song Birds and Feeders Set to coordinate with the stamped images.

I love how the mix of flowers and little birds created a cheerful card full of color and springtime inspiration. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you are inspired to create something beautiful for the Floral Frenzy Challenge!

Spotlight Daffodils Card and Floral Corner Bird Bookmarks by Diane Mason

  Hello, and welcome back for Watercolor Weekend!

Hello, my Ai Watercolor friends and fans! Today I’m sharing two projects featuring stamps and dies from three of the newest releases: 6218 – BJ Long Stem, 6220 – Sing to the Lord Set, and 6209 – Corner Bird Bookmark. I used the first set to create the Spotlight Daffodil Card, and combined the second and third sets to make the Floral Corner Bird Bookmarks.

Spotlight Daffodils Card:

I just love daffodils—their structure is so elegant, and they come in so many beautiful colors. My favorites are the bright yellow ones. Using the spotlight technique allowed me to highlight those beautiful yellow blooms and really draw the eye to the focal image.

Colors and Supplies Used

Paper: Canson XL Watercolor Paper

Cardstock: Black

Brushes: No. 4 round brush, No. 0 round brush

Stamps & Dies:

• 6218 – BJ Long Stem
• 5588 – Journal Oval Frames Die Set
• 5724 – Nested Rectangle Dies

Ink for stamped images: Versafine Onyx Black Ink, Versamark

Tombow Dual Brush Pens: 025, 026, 177, 403

Other: Foam squares, Ranger Super Embossing Powder – White, Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White, Heat Embossing Tool

Creating the Background

Using a stamp platform, I stamped each long‑stem image in Versafine Onyx Black to build the background. I made sure to position the daffodil exactly where the spotlighted oval would later be placed.

For the spotlight image, I inked the petals with 026 and the leaves/stems with 177, stamped onto Canson XL watercolor paper, then pulled the color from the lines with a damp brush. I brightened the petals with 025 and deepened the shadows with more 026. The stems were shaded with a mix of 177 + 565.

For the background wash, I brushed a watery mix of 403 around the flowers using a No. 4 round brush. A few highlights were added with Bleed Proof White.

Assembly

I die‑cut the stamped background using the Nested Rectangle Dies (5724) and adhered it to an A2 black cardstock base. Next, I die‑cut the painted daffodil image with the oval from Journal Oval Frames (5588) and die-cut the scalloped oval from black cardstock. After layering them, I added foam squares and aligned the spotlight image over the background.

For the sentiment, I stamped the greeting from 6218 in Versamark clear embossing ink on black cardstock and heat‑embossed it with Ranger Super Fine White Embossing Powder. To complete the card, the sentiment was attached with foam squares.

I really enjoyed making this project. The simple black‑and‑white stamped background creates the perfect foundation for the spotlight technique. I can’t wait to try this approach with more Art Impressions images.

Floral Corner Bird Bookmarks:

The new 6209 – Corner Bird Bookmark die is such a delight to use—and these bookmarks come together quickly. You can absolutely make them with cardstock and patterned papers, but I decided to create my own patterned papers using images from 6220 – Sing to the Lord and 6150 – His Love.

Colors and Supplies Used

Paper: Canson XL Mix Media Paper

Cardstock: Purple

Brush: No. 0 round brush

Ink for stamped images: Versafine Vintage Sepia

Tombow Dual Brush Pens: 177, 606, 026, 969, N25

Stamps & Dies:

• 6209 – Corner Bird Bookmark
• 6220 – Sing to the Lord Set
• 6150 – His Love Set

Stamping & Painting

I began by die‑cutting the tail, wings, and chest pieces from Canson Mix Media Paper.

Using Versafine Vintage Sepia, I stamped the floral vine from 6220 repeatedly across the tail and wings. For the chest, I stamped the mini hearts from 6150 to fill the shape.

The images were painted with 177 and 606, deepening the flower centers and leaves with additional layers. The eye was painted with 969, with a dot of N25 for the pupil. The beak was colored with 026.

Two Ways to Build the Bookmark

The standard construction (shown in the bottom-left finished sample) slides onto the bottom corner of a page.

To create a version that sits at the top of a page, follow these steps:

1.     Glue the folded cardstock body piece together.

2.     Attach the tail feathers to the outside, facing downward, gluing only at the top so the feathers remain open to slide over the page.

3.     Die‑cut two extra chest pieces from purple cardstock to extend the body and glue them over the tail feathers.

4.     Add the wing, chest, beak, and eye pieces as usual.

Now you have a second way to enjoy these adorable bookmarks!

Here are a few more bookmarks I’ve made for extra inspiration.

Thank you so much for spending a little creative time with me today. I can’t wait to see what you create with these new sets—be sure to tag us on social media. Until next time, Happy Painting!