June 2026 Monthly Challenge with Guest Designer Debbie Hedges

Happy June everyone and welcome to our Monthly Challenge!

As always, this challenge has no theme, so anything you want to create is fine as long as you use something from Art Impressions on it. You might be the next winner of a free stamp set from Art Impressions. Winner is chosen randomly so all skill levels have a fair chance of winning. Two lucky winners will also receive a freebie from me.  (Renee)

Now let's see what Debbie created to inspire you.

Father’s Day is only a couple weeks away and then it will officially be summer! 

 For my June project, I created a tag with the adorable frog from the Spring Keepsake Set (#6106). I inked the little frog with Pumice Stone Distress ink, stamped off once on watercolor paper and then stamped him on Canson Mixed Media paper. I painted him mainly with lt. green (#11) and then olive green (#15) for the shading. Using the fine-tip, I added dots in olive green (#15) and then touched my brush to them to soften the color. Using a black Micron pen, I darkened his eyes, leaving a white spot for a highlight. I then cut out the frog on a scrap piece of paper and used that as a template to line up the die over my painted frog. Once I had it in position, I secured it with Post-it tape and ran it thru my Cuttlebug. My next step was to cut a stitched tag with Canson Mixed Media paper. I wanted the little frog to be sitting on a river bank, so I sketched a line for the water and then sketched another line for the bank. Using steel blue (#17) from my palette, I added water on the bottom portion of the tag, starting with a darker line where my pencil line was and then making sure I had light and dark areas. I then used sepia (#45) to do the same with my bank. I added my sky next, leaving light and dark areas with sky blue (#75). With my teeny tiny grass (#4051), I stamped grass in a repeat on the left side of the bank to almost the middle of the tag. I wanted wild grass along the bank in more than one height, so I used a tall cattail from Kim’s bird set (KH5820) and a tall grass from Foliage Set 4 (#5126). With the fine tip of my violet marker (#8), I added some dots to the tops of the grass stems for a few wildflowers. Then with Dr PH Martin’s white, I added daisies and some dots for wildflowers. I also added some white lines in my water to look like ripples. Once the daisies were dry, I added centers with the fine tip in brilliant yellow (#43). In the left upper corner of the tag, I stamped leaves to give the impression of a tree using Foliage Set 4 (#5126). I used an embossing folder to emboss the blue paper for the top of my tag. I then used the same tag die to cut the top of the tag and then a border die to cut the decorative edge. I used Art Glitter glue and glued the tag to my card base and then positioned the frog so he was just off the right edge of the tag, giving him a 3-D look. I glued him to the tag and also glued the heart button. I still use Marvy Le Plume markers for my projects.  Most of these can be converted to Tombow colors, but choose colors that work for you. These just happen to be 

some of my go-to colors for any project I work on. 

Here is the link for the Tombow conversion chart:

 https://www.artimpressions.com/shop/art-impressions-most-loved-color-conversion-chart/

 I hope you’ll give this project a try and please be sure to post your project so we can all enjoy it! I adore this little frog! Also, don’t forget to enter the Monthly Challenge for a chance to win a free stamp set! Enjoy the beginning of summer and happy stamping! 

Now let's see who won our May Challenge!

Our Lucky Random Winner was: #4 Diane Z.

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!!

The first winner of a freebie from me is #17 Licia B.

The second winner of a freebie from me is #9 Pat S.

Please email me at Renee@artimpressions.com
with your full name and address and I'll send you a photo of the freebies I have available for you to choose from.

Now for our new monthly challenge, here are the rules.

 ✻ Please make a new card or handmade crafty creation using either stamps, dies and or designer paper from Art Impressions. You can make any item you wish; this is not limited to cards! (unless specified)

✻ Limit two submissions per person.

One random winner will receive a free stamp set from Art Impressions and one random winner will receive a freebie stamp from me.

 ✻Please include your first name and last initial on your submission. You may include your entire last name, but it's not necessary.

✻We love to comment on your entries, but keep in mind if you use a private group or a platform that you need to sign up for, we probably won't be able to.

✻ The Ai Challenge is open to everyone, international submissions are welcome!

✻ Include a link back to the Ai Blog or grab our button on the top right of our sidebar!

✻ Share the Ai love if you can, by clicking and commenting on your fellow crafters.

✻ Make sure to get your link up by the deadline to enter your creations.

✻ Good luck and happy stamping!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Keep your head up by Reneé Matarese

 Hello Ai fans!

Welcome to my second Highlights Challenge card post.

This time I have a sweet fox card.

She fit nicely in this frame with the exception of her tail so I used some scissors to trim up either side of her tail so that I could slide the frame under it. This way, the frame cuts around her but doesn't cut her tail off.

Once she was die cut, I created a mask for her. I splattered gold paint around her to give it some shimmer.

I also tried my hand at making a wax seal to go on my card. It started out being three colors to match lil miss fox. Unfortunately, it took me about 7 tries to get one I was happy with, therefore it wound up being one solid color. I really liked this color with the fox so this one was a winner.

This was one I wasn't initially happy with but the organic look is growing on me.

While I had my supplies out, I decided to try another snowflake that I have. I liked this one on the first try and it's stashed away for another day.

I watched a video that said keeping your wax supplies iced during the process helps the wax release easier. It seemed to really work for me so I'll continue to do this in the future.

I added some sentiments and more foxes to the inside of my card. I liked the "keep your head up" verse because of the image on the front.

I thought it would be sweet to place a tiny snowflake on her nose. My snowflakes all have some Diamond Stickles on them to give them some snowy sparkle.

My card was made for the current Highlights challenge. You can enter your crafty project using a white gel pen or white paint for the chance to win a free stamp set from Art Impressions.

 

I Find You Ribbiting by Reneé Matarese

Hello Ai fans!

Today I'm sharing the card that I made for our current Highlights challenge.

We're using white gel pens and paint to add highlights to our projects.

I adore this frog set and thought it would be perfect for this challenge and this time of year.

Not everyone loves red for Valentine's Day. This yellow and black card may be non-traditional but the I Find You Ribbiting sentiment makes it a perfect Valentine.

The little frog on the sentiment tag looked like he was sleeping and floating when I first stamped him so I drew in a flower for him to hold and changed his eyes with my micron pen. I love the way it perked him up for this card.

We hope you'll join our Highlights challenge. You may just win a free stamp set.

Copics used:

YG06. YG09, Y13, RV17, RV55

 

Farm Fresh Challenge #388 Week #1

Hello Ai fans and welcome to our newest challenge on the Art Impressions blog!

Farm Fresh!

We're looking for your projects that take us down on the farm...hay bales, animals, barns, wagons, wheelbarrows, trucks, tractors, chicken coops, produce/veggies etc.

Before we see what our Featured Designer Lynn has created, let's see who won our last challenge.

For our Top Spot we selected #10 Meghan Kennihan

She used: 5565 – Cheers My Deers Set

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!!

Also, be sure to grab our badge to display on your blog, Facebook or Instagram!

Our Lucky Random Winner was: #21 Consuelo G.
She used 5339 – Santa GCH Set

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!!

Also, be sure to grab our badge to display on your blog, Facebook or Instagram!

Congratulations!

Now for Lynn's fabulous Farm Fresh inspiration! She created a gorgeous diorama card and has a video tutorial to walk you though everything step by step. Sit back and enjoy. We hope you'll give this challenge a try. You may be the next lucky winner of a free stamp set.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Watch video tutorial here!!!

Today I am the Featured Artist for the brand-new Art Impressions "Farm Fresh" Blog Challenge! I'm really excited to be asked to create a card that includes anything farm related such as, hay bales, animals, barns, wagons, wheelbarrows, trucks, tractors, chicken coops, produce/veggies etc. So, I thought we would create this fun, interactive, diorama card!

I'm calling today's card the "Christmas on the Farm" diorama card and we will be using the Ai Christmas Truck Set (5457) which includes a truck, tree, Christmas lights, presents, a candy cane, and a cute little signpost. We will also be grabbing the hay bales from the Ai Harvest Set (5598).

Let's go ahead and stamp, color and cut the pieces that we will be using today. To do our coloring we will be using the Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens in the following colors: Blender, Lt Pink, Wine Red, Orange, Yellow, Mustard, Ice Blue, Persian Blue, Lt Green, Deep Green, Lt Gray, Warm Gray 4, Beige, Mid Brown.

To create the diorama card base we will be using the Lawn Fawn Ta Da! Diorama! Set. This die set will cut and score all of the pieces that we will need to create this fun design. For paper we will be using the Ai Christmas S2 Paper Pack (5812). I'll give you a detailed demonstration in the video for how to easily assemble this fantastic and fun diorama.

For the little signpost we will add a "Joy" sentiment using the Ai Christmas Sentiments Set (5566). This just looks so cute on our woodgrain sign!

Again, I will show you the assembly of the card base and all of the dies needed in this video! The end result is just so cute and interactive!

I hope you will join us in this new challenge! We would love to see what you create! It is a great opportunity to dig through your stash and combine some of your stamp sets to create your own "Farm Fresh" project!

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

Ai Christmas Truck Set (5457)

Ai Harvest Set (5598)

Ai Christmas Sentiments Set (5566)

Ai Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies (5063)

Ai Christmas S2 Paper Pack (5812)

Steel Die Cutters (5765)

Dr. Ph. Martin's Bleed Proof White Ink

Post-it Labeling and Cover-up Tape

WC Brush Mini Angular

Thank you SO MUCH Lynn for that amazingly cute card and wonderful tutorial.

Now, here is YOUR chance to enter and win...

✻ Please make a new card or handmade crafty creation. You can make any item you wish; this is not limited to cards! (unless specified)

✻ Limit two submissions per person. You will receive extra votes if you use Art Impressions stamps!

 ✻Please include your first name and last initial on your submission.

✻We love to comment on your entries, but keep in mind if you use a private group or a platform that you need to sign up for, we probably won't be able to.

✻ The Ai Challenge is open to everyone, international submissions are welcome!

✻ Include a link back to the Ai Blog or grab our button on the top right of our sidebar!

✻ Share the Ai love if you can, by clicking and commenting on your fellow crafters.

✻ Make sure to get your link up by the deadline to enter your creations.

✻ Good luck and happy stamping! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Snowman Thank You by Reneé Matarese

Happy Tuesday everyone!

 It's February and still VERY much winter where I live.

I needed a thank you card and pulled out some fairly new sets and also used a
 BRAND NEW die from the 5811 – Gift Card Pocket Dies.

This smiley little snowman is a front and back so he can be used in window cards as well. I used Dr. Ph Martin's white paint to add details to his clothing.  This paint is AMAZING and so versatile.

All Art Impressions products that I used are linked below.

Copics used:

R00, R02, R37, R81, E31, E40, BG0000

BG02, BG34, W3, W4, N2, N4

Buggy Valentines, Bunnies and Bees by Jami Steiger

Watercolor Weekend January 28, 2024

Hello everyone!  I hope everyone is having a great weekend.  

For my first card I wanted to make a Valentine card using the Ai set #5455 Birthday Buggy Set.  I love vintage VW Bug cars so I painted the car using Tombow marker #312 because that would be my dream color.  The balloons were each painted using Tombow marker #835, 817 and 772.  It is hard to see in the photo but I also added Wink of Stella in clear for a pretty shimmer.   For the red balloon I popped it up for added dimension. The heart balloons also came from set #5455.  I added the mouse from set #5425 WC Peeking Animals.  I wanted to add some more heart elements to the design so the heart garland was used from set #5493 Front Porch Valentine Set.  It is always fun to look at your stamp sets and dies to see if an element can be used to add interesting detail and texture to your card designs. The final touch was adding some flowers from set #5475 WC Flower Set 6.  The flowers were painted with Tombow #526, 817 and 177.  When all of the elements were painted I then die cut some clouds and the words "I love you".  To complete the card I used die set #5063 Rectangle Double Stitched to cut out my watercolor paper and then matted onto red cardstock.

 I am thinking ahead to spring!  It has been a cold, wet winter here in Ohio! 

 If you don't know me my favorite color is pink so this card was really fun for me to create.  I first started by painting the bunny in multiple colors.  I used shades of gray and added some rust color for added depth.  The bunny is from set #4874 WC Bunnies Set.  Next it was time to paint the stump from set #4871 WC Rustic Container Set.  I first stamped off the stump twice after coloring the stamp with Tombow markers #969 and 569.  Then I pulled out the color for shading and then I used Dr. PH Martin's to give the stump a more weathered look by brushing on the white using a "dry brush" technique meaning to not have much water on the paint brush and just lightly going over the image with the paint brush.  All of the flowers came from set #5475 WC Flower Set 6 which was perfect because there is a matching left and right directional flower.  I wanted to draw the eye towards the bunny in the center.  For the flowers I used Tombow markers #526, 025, 772 and 177.  The small grass from set #4051 Foliage Set was used to complete the setting.  For the final touch I added a bee from set #5561 Birds and Bugs Set.  I used the gorgeous pink gingham from the #5742 Easter paper pack.  

For the inside of the card I had a piece of paper left over so I took a paper punch and punched the edge of the paper to add design.

• Thank you for taking the time to read my long posting.  As usual, if anyone has any questions please ask.  I am more than happy to answer any questions.  I hope you all have a wonderful day!