Birthday Couple by Reneé Matarese

Hello Ai Fans!!

Today I'm sharing one of my all time favorite images from Art Impressions.

This "fun-loving" pair are called BIRTHDAY COUPLE.

The phrase is GF HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

Inside I used the hilarious verse TEETH FLEW OUT.

I also used Stickles on my card which I forgot to include on my Inlinkz.  Sorry.

I'm pretty sure the colors were Christmas Red, Gold and Peacock Blue.

InLinkz.com

Bear Hug Valentine set by Reneé Matarese

Hello Ai fans!

Today I'm sharing a very versatile Valentine's Day set from Art Impressions.  The set is called Bear Hug Set (Sku#4361).    When I first saw this set I immediately thought that it really isn't Valentine specific which is a GOOD thing!  I can picture using this as an anniversary card or, as you can see below, a birthday card.  The more uses for an image the better!

There's a very unique feature of this set.  There's a main image and a stamp of just the torso and head.  You can pop up the upper portion of him on an action wobble and watch him bounce!!

Here's the inside of the Valentine.

Now...here's my other version.  This one is a birthday card for my 7 year old niece. I always tease her because her 9 yr. old sister always runs to give me hugs when I see her.  Brynn, on the other hand, struts by with a "hey" and that's about it.

Born to be Wild (Sku#C4091)

Speaking of versatile...the paw prints are actually dog prints from the Mouthfuls Dog set.  I added the claws with a black marker to make them bear tracks.

I also used Block Birthday Wishes (Sku#F2867) and Gimmie Hugs (Sku#F4365).

InLinkz.com

Challenge 111 - "Use Brads or Eyelets" Week 2! Eyelet Outlet Product Swap!

Hello Ai Fans! Glad you're back for the second week of our challenge!

Last Thursday we started our product swap with Eyelet Outlet and it has been so fun! We hope you've enjoyed the fun cards with EO product on our blog every day! They are so fun to work with and can be perfectly paired with Ai stamps as well!

Today is our last post for the swap, but we'll be looking for your challenge cards all week! Make sure to share you crafty projects with us for a chance to win 6 of our most popular Golden Oldies stamps! Our two honorable mentions will win one each as well!

Here are the challenge rules ...

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

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

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

✻ Share the Ai love by clicking and commenting your fellow crafters.

✻ Make sure to get your link up by Wednesday, June 11 at 5:00 p.m. PST to enter your creations.

✻ Good luck and happy stamping!

Now it's time for the fabulous cards from our design team! Keep an eye out for all the added brads and eyelets!

Crystal (Check out her tutorial from last week here)

Crystal

 Kerry

 Reneé

Trena

Zora

We also have a little contest for this week! Head over to Eyelet Outlet's Facebook page and let them know Ai sent you. Make sure to like them as well! One winner will receive a prize pack of Art Impressions and Eyelet Outlet products! We will announce the winner next Thursday on our challenge post! Good luck!

Wiggle Your Toes in the Sands

Hello Ai Fans! 
This week I'm working on more graduation cards! We know so many young people graduating from high school and college.  

 This is also my final post as an Art Impressions Design Team member. I have had such a wonderful time with Bonnie, Kate, and all my lovely DT sisters! I'm very grateful for the opportunity to share with you all on behalf of Ai.

Now, to share what I made!!  I know what you're thinking - that doesn't look like a graduation card. When you read the words on Island Window (Sku#M3178), you see that it is - Wiggle your toes in the sands of the Sea, dream of tomorrow and all that can be. I love those words!  A dream is where it all starts - our ambitions, the choices that we make - they are driven by our dreams and that's why I dig this image for a graduation card! To color this image, I chose Tombow Dual Brush pens. They work great on smooth coated card stock.

 I love the bright colors of the image at the Ai website and used it as a color guide.  Using the guide and the color chart I created with the dual brush pens on Cryogen cardstock, I jumped into coloring. I colored direct to paper and also used a palette to achieve a smooth blending of colors. For palette blending, I scribbled a brush pen of darker value down and picked up color with a pen of lighter value.

After coloring the image, I trimmed around the words. 

Those beach chairs needed some shade, so I added a Beach Umbrella Brad. Once I figured out the placement for the umbrella, I used a push pen to make a hole so I could see exactly where I was placing it. I could then see that the umbrella should be behind the flowers in the foreground . I used a craft knife to cut around the flowers.

There's still time to get in on the "Use Brads or Eyelets" Eyelet Outlet Product Swap! challenge!!



It has been such a pleasure sharing with you all the last year here at the Ai Blog!!  Have fun creating!! I hope you will come visit me at Trena's Stampin' Headquarters, where I'll continue using Art Impressions images in my designs. I'm hooked on Ai for life!!

 Please come back tomorrow to see what creative project Crystal has to share!

Thanks for visiting!

Take care and STAY POSITIVE!

InLinkz.com