Tropical Watercolor House Two Ways by Jil Lebel

Hello Ai fans!

My father's birthday was last week and I wanted to make him a personal card so I turned to the watercolor series of stamps.  I make a card depicting a house he built here in Florida.  It's not exact, but he knew exactly what it was when I gave it to him.  While I was at it, I made a second card with a few different colors with a similar layout.  The watercolor series of stamps are so versatile!

Use the Square Double Stitched dies to cut out a frame from the watercolor paper.  Color the house from the Mini Cottages set with Chocolate and Deep Blue markers and stamp it off to the right side of the inner square of watercolor paper.  Stamp the house onto Post-It Tape and cut it out before applying the mask over the image.  Apply Dark Jade and Chocolate markers to the palm tree and stamp the it over the house. I used my stamp positioner for both of those images.  Remove the mask and use the #1 brush to pull the color from the stamped lines.  Add extra color to the house with the Deep Blue, Avocado and Chocolate markers. Add Grass and Palm leaves with Dark Jade and Avocado and pull the color out with your #4 brush.  Add some tiny flowers with the Rhodamine Red marker.  Add in the sky with True Blue.

The background uses the Palm Fronds from the Palm Tree set and the tiny flowers from the Mini Flowers set.  Randomly apply the palm fronds using the Dark Jade and Avocado markers.  Fill in the blank areas with clusters of the flowers using the Rhodamine Red and Chartreuse markers.  Use the #4 brush to pull out the color.  Add the scene flat to the upper portion of the background and add the white frame around it with foam tape.  Add a sentiment from the WC Sentiment Set 2 that is cut from the Flag Double Stitch Dies below the framed image.

Thanks for stopping by and Have a Great Day!

Tropical Island Window | By Jessica Shier

Hello Ai Fans!

Today, I'm sharing a fun tropical card, using the Island Window set. I've enjoyed using these Window stamps over the last month! I know I've said it before, but one of things I most like about these style of stamps is that they are great for quick cards! This time of year can be so crazy busy yet these style of stamps also give me enough area to experiment with coloring, so they are also fun! For this one I used Copic markers. I also added some texture behind the scene with some simple layers, using cardstock, cork and a stencil. 

I first stamped the image and colored with Copic Markers. Since I used bright and bold colors the last time I colored one of the window stamps (Desert Window with Tombow markers), I decided that I would try a lighter palette of colors. I have the markers I used listed below. 

The reflection on the water was tricky, since orange and yellow like to make green. I used the Copic Colorless Blender to push back most of the blue which helped. Another small coloring detail I did is adding a gradient of dots in the sand. I used the E34 for this. Small things like that can add simple but fun textures.  

I used one of the Square Rectangle Double stitch dies to die cut my colored Island Window, this time leaving the fun sentiment intact and added a slight black cardstock layer underneath. This card was feeling a little flat so I used an EK Success border die to create a decorative edge on the cork paper. then topped that with a layer of Lovely Lavender cardstock, before adhering the other pieces over top. 

The card base is 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 inches. I stenciled over the top of it using the Radiating Rays stencil and Sweet Corn ink. I also used liquid glue to attach any cardstock to the textured cork paper.

Copic Markers Used:

Thank you so much for stopping by today! Happy Stamping! 

May Simple Joys Fill Your Day By Crystal

Hi Ai Fans! 

This week I have a card to share using the Cabin Circlet stamp/die set. Circlet cards are so fun to make and are done in no time at all!  

I started used water color cardstock for the base of the card and stamped directly onto the card base because I was going to water color. If I was coloring with alcohol markers I would adhere the panels to my card base. I stamped the images in Versfine black ink.

 I used the Square double stitched die to cut pattern paper out and the Circle double stitched dies for the opening in the center. 

The images on the stamps are very detailed but when water coloring them it is done very fast. I love the look of water color when it is a little messy. 

The inside is where the sentiment is. The look of the sentiment wrapped around the image is so unexpected you do see it till you open the card.

A little peak through of all three layers. 

Happy Stamping!

Home Grown Eagle Window By Jessica Shier

Hello Ai fans!

This month I'm using some of the Windows to the World stamps. This Eagle window caught my eye, and with it getting warmer in the Northwest, Americana decor is popping up everywhere! Today is also Flag Day (June 14th, 1777) in America. Perfect time to combine the eagle with these red white and blue pattern papers.

I first stamped the Eagle Window image with Gina K. Amalgam ink and colored it in with Copic markers, colors listed below. I used a Gelly Roll white pen to add a few highlights through out the image.  This went really quick and I also used minimal markers. Images like these window stamps, are great for the summertime, when we might be a bit more busy. All of them  are so picturesque,  they can simply and easily be the focal point to any card front.

This image has a beautiful sentiment that surrounds the square image but I trimmed that off and added a sentiment "Home Grown" from the Succulent set. I thought that sentiment fit so well and I really enjoy mixing stamp sets together. I knew I wanted to add a gold border with embossing powder around it. This is easily done by swiping your clear embossing ink pad across all the edges. 

The pattern paper I used for today's card is from the Pebbles America paper pack. Unfortunately it is another bundle of pattern paper that I've stashed away for years, I've linked to a similar one below. I love that I am using my pattern paper more instead of hoarding it! To add a bit more stars I used a die set from Papertrey Ink and die cut the three sketch stars from vellum. I adhered those to the card in a cluster with liquid glue and added the heat embossed sentiment "Home Grown" from the Art Impressions Succulent set. I left the inside blank. This card could be used for anything, from celebrating someone in the military, to July Fourth greetings to a friend.

Copic Markers Used:

W9, W6, W3, W1, W0

E77, E74, Y18

B99, B95, B93, B91

YG67, YG45, YG03

Thank you so much for joining me today!

Happy Stamping!

Road Trip | Father's Day Card By Jessica Shier

Hello Ai Fans!

Today I'm sharing a fun card using the Road Trip set. I thought this would be fun to make a comic book style card where you fill in die cut shapes with stamps. 

I started with die cutting a panel of white cardstock using Art Impressions Square Double Stitch dies and a few rectangle dies. I made sure to check to see if the stamps would fit in the die cut pieces before cutting. I did use some of the dies twice to get the desired look.

On another Neenah 80lb cardstock panel I took the die cut piece and placed it over it, then traced the die cuts with a pencil. Now that I had a layout of where to stamp I began doing so with some black ink. A few of the stamps are a bit larger then the die cut areas I had mapped out for them. I used a post it note to mask off those overhangs so that the images would only be in their designated areas.

I started coloring all my images with Copic Markers, listed below. I stamped the car and the lunch box so that I could fussy cut those out. I wanted to layers those over the top to add some dimension. I also took one of the sentiments from the Road Trip set and heat embossed it 3 times on black cardstock using white embossing powder. Then trimmed off the excess paper so that there was a bubble effect around the sentiments.

I used my ATG to adhere the die cut panel over top of the copic colored images and attached the sentiments. For the inside I used a sentiment from the Art Impressions Hop Hop set, which says "Admit it life would be boring with out us"! I can easily add a die cut sentiment that says Happy Father's Day, to make this a fun and slightly out of the box Dad card. I know, when I was little, I often asked my dad, "Are we there yet?!" on family road trips! 

Copic Markers Used:

W6, W3, W1, W0

YG67, YG41, YG03, G14

E43, E35, E31

BG13, BG000, Y13

Happy Stamping!

Succulents Window To the World Cards by Jil Lebel

Hello Ai fans!

I always enjoy coloring the Window To the World images.  They are always fun to color without taking too much time.  The Succulents Window was no exception.  I got the newest colors of the Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers in the mail today and I got them in from my mailbox and stamped out this image and colored.  The blender marker was a real game changer!

 The image was stamped onto Strathmore Bristol Smooth paper with Versamark Clair Nocturne Ink and colored with Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers.  The colors used are listed at the end of this post. I used two colors and the blender in each section except for the clouds.  I found that the colors were very easy to move around and control with the blender marker. I colored the background with the Haze Blue marker so it cloudy.

I cut the image with the image with the Square Double Stitched Dies before I added them to my decorated card base.
I did a second version of the card with heavier colors.  I preferred the first card, but I still wanted to show it so you could see the difference.

Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers Used:
044 Deep Green, 46 Mid Green
041 Light Green, 400 Marine Green
200 Pale Rose, 024 Wine Red
302 Haze Blue, 050 Yellow
999 Blender

Thanks for stopping by and Have a Great Day!

Saving All My Love For You -By Crystal Schneider

Hi AI fans! 

How is your week going so far? I'm so ready for the weekend. This week I had fun playing with this cute little squirrel from the Nuts About You stamp set. I'm actually a little scared of squirrels in real life but this set is way too cute. 

I started by stamping this adorable little guy onto the middle of a square die cut which I cut with one of the Square Double Stitched dies using Memento black ink. I then masked the squirrel so I could use the heart stencil for the background.   

After I pulled the mask off I colored the adorable squirrel in. I stamped the little acorns onto some brown paper and fussy cut them out. I stamped the sentiment onto a little rectangle die cut with one of the smaller Rectangle Double Stitched dies using white pigment ink and heat embossed with white embossing powder. 

I die cut some solid red and black cardstock with the Rectangle Double Stitched dies and layered them under my image. As a last little detail I used a little clear Nuvo drops on the hearts to give them a little shine. 

Spectrum Noir Markers:

MB2, MB4, TN2, TN5, TN8, DR6

Happy Stamping!

Office Party by Sharon Caudle

Hello AI Fans!!

Happy Saturday!! I do love my weekends cause I usually get time to play with my Art Impressions images and my Copic markers!  My card today features the fun Office Party Set from the Work and Play Line of stamps. Just love this set as it's perfect for my profession.  I used the AI Double Stitched Square Dies to cut out the image then simply cut a mat for the back of it with my coordinating paper. Added a simple die cut and a twine bow with a button and called her done! 

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

Copics used:
E000, E00, E07, E09, E11, E21, E23, E33, E35, E37, E39, E41, E70, E71, E74, E77
Y35, Y38
R20
B000
BG01, BG05
W2, W4, W5, W6, W7