Cutest Pumpkin In The Patch!

Hello, everyone! I had so much fun coloring this little guy. Fall just makes me happy. :) For the stamped image, I used Art Impressions stamp #5507 Harvest Together. The sentiment is also from this set. I colored the image with Copic markers and ink blended a bit of blue ink in the background. I used paper from an Art Impressions fall paper pack, #5973. I added some epoxy dots from Spellbinders and Altenew. It all came together pretty quickly and is a fun and simple card. 

 Materials Used

#5507 Harvest Together Art Impressions Stamp set

#5973 Art Impressions paper pack

Epoxy dot from Spellbinders and Altenew

Pink Fresh Ink in Sky Blue

Copic Markers: YG99, YG95, YG93, YG97, YR15, E23, E57, E25, E59, E79, R59, YR16, E53, E50, E51, E93, E08, YR18, R08, E21

Classic Truck Foundation and Christmas Cars by Karen Day

 Hello Ai Watercolour fans!

I have one fall and one Christmas card to share with you today,  let's start with my favourite season:

This is the 6066 - Classic Truck Foundation set.  I went for the softer side of fall with this one.  I stamped my image with #N45 onto some Canson XL Watercolour paper, and pulled out the colour with a damp brush.  I used a wash of #177 with touches of #993 to paint in the hillsides, and shades of #992/969 for the dirt road, tree and fence.  The truck was painted with a mixture of #565/249 to create the washed out aqua shade, and all the trim was done in layers of #N45. The interior of the truck was painted with #565 to give a shadowed look.

I wanted a white barn, so only painted light shades of #N45 on the shadowy sides of the barn, and a darker layer of grey on the roof.  I used a pencil to add in the vertical barn boards.  The doors were painted in #837, and #565 was used to shade in the windows and under the eaves.  A wash of #493 was painted in the sky, leaving negative white space to suggest clouds, and I added in some areas of #N45 to add some shading to them.  I drew in the trees along the hillside directly with my #177 and 933 markers, and even though I used a tiny foliage stamp for the tree in the foreground, I wasn't happy with the look so used the markers directly on my paper to add in the leaves. 

The image was die cut with the stitched/rounded corner die from the 5809 - Decorative Journal Page 2 set which fits the Foundations perfectly!  I added a blue mat underneath it, and mounted it onto this pretty plaid from the 5832 Gnome Paper Pack.  I wanted to accent the barn door colour, so used the Fall word die from 5770 - Farm FB Fence Set, cut out three times from some warm pink cardstock, and layered on top of each other to create a nice thick word.  I offset my panel slightly to the right of my card.

My second card is the start of my painted holiday cards!  

I used the sweet little truck from 5823 - Christmas Cars set, and stamped it in #N45 onto some Canson XL Watercolour paper.  After pulling out the colour, I painted the truck with several layers of #837 to build up the darker areas, leaving the rounded parts of the truck much lighter.  I masked off the back of the truck, and used my stamp positioner to stamp the tree from 5826 - WC Large Tree Set 2 in #249.  After touching it with a damp brush, I stamped it a second time to add some of the detail back in.  I wanted a wreath on the front of the truck, and the little half wreath from 5830 - WC Mini Wreath Set worked perfectly!  I used #249 and my stamp positioner to get it in the right spot.

I used #565 to paint in a wintry sky wash, and also added the 'suggestion' of a person in the truck, and added a shadow under it.  I used white paint and a #1 brush to dab on some snow on my scene.  I used my red Twintone marker to draw a bow on the wreath.

My image is small!  So I made a busier background using the 5812 - Christmas S2 Paper Pack.  I used the 5724 - Nested Rectangle Dies to cut it out, and matted it with black cardstock.  I cut the 5132 - Tag Stitched Die from the woodgrain paper, and adhered it down to my background.  The sentiment is from 5566 - Christmas Sentiments Set stamped in Versafine Onyx Black ink.

Along Came a Spider! #10 October Monthly Guest Designer Challenge with Marianne Hansen

Hello Ai fans!

Welcome to our Monthly Guest Designer Challenge.

This month it's Along Came a Spider!

Our October Guest Designer is Marianne Hansen and she has a beautiful card to inspire you. Before we see what she created, let's see who won our September, We Don't Use Enough Purple Challenge.

We chose Simone Carr for her gorgeous fall card!

Congratulations Simone!

You will be the Art Impressions November Guest Designer.

Simone,  please contact me at Renee@artimpressions.com

so that we can discuss your challenge theme and to claim a free stamp set of your choice.

Now for the Lucky Random Winner of a freebie stamp from me.

#7 April J.

Please contact me at Renee@artimpressions.com with your address to see what freebies I have and claim your free stamp.

Now for our October Guest Designer.

Let's see what Marianne has to share.

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 My Ai Friends,

I am absolutely delighted to have been chosen as October’s Guest Designer.

October is extra special to me because exactly two years ago, I stumbled upon a Bonnie Krebs Video Tutorial .  Since then, life has never been the same.

I have been a crafter since my first box of crayons, kiddie scissors and yellow Elmer’s glue.

I have been making cards since 2004 and since then have been published 6 times, won several Design Contests and last year, over a course of a 12 month voting process,  a design of mine was voted “2023 Card Of The Year” by Creative Scrapbooker Magazine.

Since discovering “Watercolour the Art Impressions Way” I never imagined in my wildest dreams the journey this would take me on.  Not only have I found my passion, but the friendships I have made through this wonderful site has brought great inspiration, creativity and joy into my life.

After 35 years in the Legal Field with one of the largest Law Firms in our city, I am now retired and have the blessing of being full time care giver for our 86 year old mom who lives with me.  Ai and the friends I have made here is the salve that nourishes my soul.

I love making wreath cards.  The versatility is endless.  Seasons, Holidays, Birthdays, Birds, Nature, and any other theme can be made into a wreath card.

For my “Along Came A Spider” card I made an Autumn themed wreath with fall foliage, pumpkins, a squirrel and a Spider dangling down from a branch.  

For depth and texture, I painted the pumpkins and squirrel separately,  and then popped them up with foam dots.  …….(ok…I did that because I messed up on the pumpkins…so had to improvise…..).  C’mon…we’ve all been there……right??

I hope you like it and that it inspires you to think of a wreath card for your next special design.

I lightly drew a 3” circle using a steel die as a guide, then after painting was done, erased the pencil marks.  I mounted the painting on co ordinating orange cards stock.  I ran brown card stock through die cutting machine with a deeply embossed Woodland Tree Embossing folder.  Finally mounted it on a card and it is ready for giving.  Don’t forget to sign your painting!!

Sets Used.

5946   Fall Bench Set

4964   Branches Set

4052   Flower Set 1

5828   Poinsettia Set

4963   Fall Foliage Set

4867   Foliage Set 2

5126   Foliage Set 4

5059  Harvest Set

And of course some “Kendra Dots” that are in Bible Journal Set 5418

Markers Used.

993,  933,  925,  946,  969,  947,  636,  

Brown Twin Tone 

Dr. P.H. Martin’s Bleed Proof White

For as long as I have duplicate stamps I will choose a random winner.

These will be for U.S. residents only since these will be mailed by me personally

and not Art Impressions.

If you are selected as the freebie winner I will send you a photo of what I have

and you can choose from that.

Here is the fine print...

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

✻ Limit two submissions per person. 

✻You MUST use Art Impressions stamps or dies! You may use other companies products but the main focus should be on Ai items.

✻If you win, you will receive one free stamp set of your choice. In return you will create a brief write up explaining how you made your item and email it to me. (Reneé) 
We will share your creation on Art Impressions social media.
✻If you would like to participate in the challenge but not be
considered to be a guest designer please place an X after your name.

 ✻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 crafting!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

My Trust Set and Fall Harvest Card

 

Hello Watercolor Weekend Friends!  I hope everyone is enjoying the long, hot summer days.  It has been beautiful here in Ohio but rather hot for me and I am ready for fall to arrive as you will see in my second card.

For my first card I received the beautiful 5937 - Bible Journaling My Trust Set, and when I saw the stamp set I knew immediately that I wanted to try and make an oval card using a technique that Bonnie demonstrated about a year ago using fall pumpkins.  I started by first drawing an oval in pencil on my watercolor paper to use as my outline.  I stamped 5 roses and painted them using Tombow 761, 772 and 817 markers.  To cover the painted roses I stamped the images on masking paper and fussy cut them.  Next after covering the painted roses with the masks I used various stamps from the same set to add the foliage and blue flowers.  The final addition was the beautiful blue bird.  I painted the bird using Tombow 401, 526, 947, and 969 markers.  I also made a mask for the bird as well and then added the foliage, flowers and the tiny dots.  I love those dots!  When I die cut the oval out I kept the next size oval die attached and when I cut the painting out it gave me the tiny oval ring on the outside.  I used this same technique for the fall card.  Lastly, I embellished the card with some ribbon and blue gems.

After the hot summer we've had I am so ready for fall!  I am already working on Christmas too!  

For the fall harvest card I drew the outline of the oval on my watercolor paper in pencil and then stamped in the floral branch at the top and bottom of the oval from set 5191- Feast Mode Set.  I used 5492 - Front Porch Harvest Set for the sunflower basket, corn husks and apple basket. The sunflower basket was also stamped onto masking paper and fussy cut.  After stamping the sunflower basket on the card, I then used the mask on the sunflower basket and stamped in the corn husks behind the basket.  The apple basket was added next and then it was time to paint!  I used the following Tombow markers:  565, 969, 992, 025, 026, 856, 933, 177 and 491.  I used the same oval die with the attached die to die cut my painting except this time I did an extra green oval to go around the watercolor painting to give my painting added dimension.  The stamped sentiment is from 5797 - Little Things Sentiment Set using Pebble Beach Archival Ink.  I finished the card with ribbon from my collection.  The ribbon is actually beige bias tape that my mother and I dyed years ago using spray inks.

I hope you all enjoy the cards for  Watercolor Weekend and if you have any questions, please ask.  Have a nice Sunday and I will see you again next month.

Have a FabBOOlous Halloween Card by Tasha!

 Happy Friday Ai Fans! 

Tasha here sharing a Fall card featuring the new 5506 – Peek-a-Boo Set! I LOVE this set and the little witch is so much fun to color!

I wanted this card to be Halloween-themed, but not scary, so I used orange and pink colors to keep it bright and happy! I used a cloud stencil and pink ink for the sky and made the grass orange instead of green. I also added sequins to the sky for extra sparkle! 

This set includes several greetings, but the "Have a FabBOOlous Halloween" one is perfect for this design. I stamped it with pink ink and layered it with black card stock to keep it from blending into the background. 

Lastly, I stenciled black bats to the background and added four enamel dots before attaching the card to Halloween bat pattern paper. I like all the bats!

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Thank you for checking out today's project and I hope you are having a wonderful day!

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Hello Fall Card by Tasha!

 Happy Friday Ai Fans!

Tasha here sharing a Fall themed card featuring the 4849-Celebrate Spring MFT and 5369-Feline Set.

The Celebrate Spring Set is an Easter themed set, but I love this interactive door and wanted to use it for a different season. I stamped the door with black ink and colored it with Copic markers. I used the included die to cut the door opening and used a stencil to create the brick detail. 

For the background, I used the 4964 -WC Branches Set and markers to create trees full of colorful leaves. I also added a golden sky using Distress Oxide Ink and a cloud stencil; I love all the yellow and orange colors!

Lastly, I added a sweet little kitty to the inside of the doorway and attached a "Hello" die cut to the bottom of the card. The cat looks so peaceful sleeping on a pile of leaves!

Thank you for checking out today's project and I hope you are having a wonderful day!

New Release - Peek-a-Boo Set Halloween Card by Tasha!

Happy Friday Ai Fans!

Tasha here sharing a new Halloween card created with the super cute 5506 - Peek-a-Boo Set! 

The set includes several Halloween-themed characters and the coordinating dies. It also has this cool window stamp that can pop open to allow a character to peek out. I love how this little kitty looks peeking out of the window!

For the greeting, I stamped "Happy Halloween" with black ink on to a white banner and cut a larger banner with the Ai 5133-Flag Double Stitched Dies. I also added a sparkly web and spider for extra detail! These spider webs are so awesome and come a variety of sizes.

All of the characters were stamped with black hybrid ink and colored with Copic Markers. I couldn't decide which character to use, so I used them all on this festive card. I love these not-so-scary characters!

Lastly, I added purple glitter paper, bright green cardstock, and a star pattern paper to complete the card. I think this interactive card is really fun and will be perfect to send out this Fall!

I hope you enjoyed a peek at the new Ai 5506 - Peek-a-Boo Set!

Have a great day!

Happy Halloween Cards by Tasha

Happy Friday Ai Friends!

Tasha here sharing two Halloween cards created with the super cute Happy Hauntings Stamp Set from Art Impressions! This set has quickly become my new favorite Halloween stamp set!

I started by stamping these cute critters with black ink and I covered the images with masking paper. I used Distress Oxide Ink to created the background. I wanted it to look like they were trick or treating in the woods on a fall night. I also added the grass border to make the card more interesting and frame the design.

The sentiment was embossed with white on black paper. I love the look of white embossing and it fits perfectly between the trees!

 

Lastly, I added orange glitter paper before attaching the card to a black card base. This orange glitter color is really pretty and you know I love sparkle!

Since I love this stamp set so much I made a second card to share today. I used the haunted house to make a little not-so-spooky Halloween slimline card!

This design used masking paper again to block off the house before ink blending the background. After I colored the sky, I used a star stencil and white Distress Oxide Ink to add stars. I love having bright stars on cards!

For the ground, I used a grass stencil and black ink to continue with the haunted house vibe. It's fun to think of new ways to use your stencils and try out different color combinations!

Lastly, I stamped a the greeting "Spooky Salutations" and attached several enamel dots. I also added polka dot pattern paper and orange card stock layers before attaching the card to a lime green card base to complete the project. 

I hope you enjoyed today's cards and are inspired to create some Halloween projects with the fun Ai Happy Hauntings Stamp Set!