You're lookin' sharp birthday card by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans!

I've got another card for you today featuring the adorable 5112 Hedgehogs Set from the Art Impressions Funny Farm Line! I just think this set is so cute and can just see them popping all their balloons at their birthday party!! I love how all the confetti is sticking to him too! LOL!  I stamped the image onto cryogen white paper and colored it with Copic markers (colors are listed below). That fun birthday sentiment is from 5218 Twist Frame Die set which is on sale right now! I also used 5061 Square Double Stitched Dies and 5723 Journal Cover & Bookmark Dies. I just extended the die to the length I needed. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and until next time - stay crafty!!

Copics used:

E21, 23, 30, 31, 33, 35, and 37

V12, 15, and 17

RV32 and 35

Y35

YG05

R12

B00

Clean and Simple Snowflake cards by Reneé Matarese

Are you as busy as I am this time of year?
I still love to create though so a quick card is sometimes called for.

I created two simple cards for the Clean and Simple challenge going on right now,
here on the Art Impressions blog.

 

Including the planning, I had these two cards done in just over 30 minutes.  That's

probably a record for me.

I love rustic Christmas cards and in some cases I feel like Kraft paper looks a little like leather.

When you add the twine it gives a nice look.

After die cutting the snowflakes I simply left them in place and glued them
to the designer paper.

Metal also says rustic Christmas to me so I added a metal dot
on a smaller snowflake in the center.

All Ai products used are linked below.  Enjoy this holiday season!

Warmest Wishes & a Merry Christmas by Janet

Hello Ai Fans. I am a big fan of the Windows to the World Series. There's so much you can do with these little window scenes. They may seem small but they pack a punch! You can use them with or without the sentiment that Bonnie writes around them. They can be used by themselves on something small like a tag. When you mat them, they become much bigger and have a larger presence. That's what I did with the stamp set I used today, 5454 - Sledding Window Set. It includes the separate snowman on a sled that adds more dimension. These little extra additions to the newer Windows to the World sets add an extra dimension to your design.

After coloring both the main image and the snowman with Copic markers, I used the 5061 - Square Double Stitched Die Set to cut out the main image, a blue frame and the largest red square. Then I layered them together and mounted it on a 4" x 5 1/4" piece from the 5812 - Christmas S2 Paper Pack. This was added to a top fold dark blue A2 card base. I used the back side of a leftover piece of the striped paper which has a check pattern and cut it to use as a border. I wrapped red, white, and green twine around it lengthwise. On top I mounted a sentiment from the 5566 - Christmas Sentiments Set.

I think this is the perfect Christmas card to send out to friends and family this holiday season. I hope you are inspired to check out the Windows to the World Series and try the winter and holiday scenes that are available at the store to make something special that includes your special touch.

 Have a wonderful weekend!

Janet - YouTube - Blog - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest  

 

Gone Fishing Card by Nina

 Hello Ai fans, Nina here with a bright fun card using the cutest Ai Sport Shelf throwback set and Stitched Rectangle and Stitched Squares Die Sets.

I chose the fishing image from the Sport Shelf set and stamped it using my Mini Misti and Tuxedo Black ink and then colored it using my Copic Markers.

I then cut all around my images and backed them with foam tape.

I also cut a strip of paper and colored it with Copic brown shades to be a shelf under my image.

I used Stitched rectangle dies to cut the background from a striped bright pattern paper and used stitched square dies to cut a small square to place under my image to define it against the colorful background.

I attached the square to the striped background and then attached my large image on top and the image of baits hanging from the square.

I then used alphabet stickers to write my sentiment "Let's Go Fishing"

I placed the whole panel on a slightly larger white paper.

Penguin Cheer! by Reneé Matarese

 Hello and Happy Thursday!

Today I'm sharing the card that I made for the You're Such a Square challenge going on right now, here on the Art Impressions blog.  You should join too for a chance to win a free stamp set.

I used the absolutely adorable 5192 – Penguin Cheer Set.

The snowflakes are from the new 5782 – Snowflake Frame Die and the snow splatters were made with Dr. Ph Martin's Bleed Proof White paint.  The lime green paper was cut with 5061 – Square Double Stitched Dies.

This is just so cheerful with the bright colors and happy penguin.  It's sure to make someone's spirits bright.

Here's a card I made with the same set from just about a year ago.  You can see more of it and find product info HERE.

Copics used:

100, R83, N1, Y26, G44, G15, BG02, B01

Twintone Markers used:

Black, Green, Yellow, Carrot Orange

A Bunch of Bees (and bugs) by Reneé Matarese

 Hello Ai fans!

Today I'm sharing 3 cards.

One is my card for the Stencils and Masks challenge and the other 2
were made for friends.

I used the 5561 – Birds and Bugs Set on all 3 of my cards.  I also used the 5562 – Journal Letter Die Set on all of them.  I have a tip for the little letters below.

For this card, I mounted the letters onto the banner from 5463 – Slimline Dies Set.

I don't really own any stencils so I decided to get creative and make my own.

I used a honeycomb die that I have and I cut it on some heavyweight cardstock.

I then used washi tape to hold my stencil down.  I inked over it with some yellow ink by using a sponge.

Viola! A homemade stencil that I really liked!

For my next card I stamped the bees on a piece a die cut using 5061 – Square Double Stitched Dies.
This card was made for a friend who let my 24 year old son dig through her record collection before she got rid of it. He was so excited and came home with about a dozen albums.  We wanted to thank her for thinking of him.

Here's my tip to make your life easier.

You know those sticker sheets (invoices) you get from Ai?  What do you do with them?  Probably just throw them away.  I glued some cardstock to mine and then die cut my letters out of it.  I didn't need it all for these cards so the leftover scrap has been filed away for another day.  Now you have letters that are like stickers.  No need for fussing with trying to neatly get glue on the back of these small letters.

I'm ALL about recycling what you can. A while back a friend gave me the prettiest bee blanket.

This heart on my card was the tag on it.  It was way too cute to just throw out so I saved it knowing I'd find a use for it one day.



The day arrived when I found out a former co-worker was ill.  I sent this to him hoping it would brighten his day.  I used a micron pen to draw the flight lines of the bees.  In order to make sure my letters are even I use a ruler to place them.

I hope you will BEE inspired by my cards and will join in on the challenge.
See you next Sunday!

Oh...were you gonna eat this? by Reneé Matarese

 Hello Ai fans!

Today I'm sharing the card that I made for the 2022 Cat Lovers Hop.
I combined several sets to create this humorous birthday card.
There are actually two men in the boat but I only wanted this guy on my card.  I tried to just ink up the one guy but didn't do a great job of it.  Dr. Ph Martin's Bleed Proof White to the rescue!

I used a bit to dab over the part of the other guy that was showing. I think it just looks like a cloud in the background now.

My main image and the fish are from 4900 – Reel Great Guys Set.

The fisherman is mounted on 5061 – Square Double Stitched Dies.
The sentiment on the banner is from 5369 – Feline Set and the naughty cat (lol!) is from 5110 – Housework Set. I cut the Roomba off from under him and used my x-acto knife to cut a slit for a mouth to put the fish in.  The banner die is from 5543 – Journal Template Die Set.

This card would be so perfect for the fisherman in your life but it doesn't even have to be for someone who fishes.  Who doesn't love a funny card?  Maybe you know someone who has a pet that steals things.  When we first got our dog he used to steal bread, muffins, rolls etc. off our counter and hide them around the house.  Our bread basket has been on top of the fridge ever since we figured it out.
🐕🍞😂

Copics used:

W00, C0, N1, T4, E00, E02, E35,
E50, B000, B00, B3, G12, G2

Baby Boy Journal pages 9 and 10 by Reneé Matarese

 Hello Ai fans!

Today I'm sharing pages 9 and 10 of my Baby Boy Journal.

This time it's all about his favorite toys!

If this were an actual/factual journal I think I'd write on the back of the tags who gave him his favorite toys so he'd always have that memory.



I used the little pocket die to hold the tags featuring the favorite toys.

The new Journal Letter Dies were used to create the words and I used the M3190 – Baby Window for the image.

The waves were created with one of the border dies in the Journal Template set (It's the piece that was cut off when I made the thin border on the opposite page...cool way to use every piece!)  and the stars are from the 5317 – MB Template Dies.  I really don't like to waste anything.  If you look, you'll see one little star is on the edge of the paper.  My gold paper slipped when I was cutting it and one star had a point missing.  I just trimmed it and put it on the edge like it was done on purpose.  I think it adds character and I didn't have to throw that star away.

The adorable sailboat and plane are from the 5184 – Baby Boy Set. The truck is a new release called 5576 – Little Trucks Set.

Stay tuned next week for pages 11 and 12.

It's holiday time!

Happy crafting!

Copics used:

G20, G43, Y17, Y28, Y32, B21, B5, RV10, N1, N4, N6, 

W1, W2, W3, E00, E23, E41, E97

Happy Valentine's Day by Bri Firth

Hello Ai Fans - Bri Firth here! Happy Valentine's Day! Today I am sharing another Valentine's day card featuring the In The Air Set. The background design and the shape of their tails make this project perfect for Ai's current challenge, "We "Heart" Hearts"!

To create the background I used a Hearts stencil with Worn Lipstick, Picked Raspberry, and Candied Apple Distress Oxide inks. I die cut the front panel with the second largest die from the Square Double Stitched Die set. 

To decorate the square panel I stamped and colored the lovable skunks from the In The Air Set with my Copic markers. The colors I used are listed at the end of this blog post. Next, I stamped the sentiment in pigment black ink onto the square panel. The sentiment is part of the In The Air Set too!

Finally, I added three white glitter enamel dots for embellishment in the bottom right hand corner.

Check back next week for more Ai inspiration made by me!

Ai Products Used

4753 - In The Air Set
5064 - Square Double Stitched Dies

Copic Markers Used

W9, W7, W5, W3, W1

R27, R24, R22, R20

RV11, RV10