Dancing Santa Tag by Dori Mendiola

 Happy Thursday AI Friends!

Have you seen the new Art Impressions Christmas release?  Wow, what a bundle!  Two cute stamp sets, a die set and two beautiful paper packs.  I decided to play with the #5931 Santa Puppet die set and boy, did I have fun making several versions of this Santa.  I have several more that aren't christmas so I'll save those for another post.  Stay tuned.

For my first Santa, I made him a dancing tag.  His body and legs move.  Check out the video below.

I partial die cut the pants (cut up to top of pant and then hand cut to make pant waist higher - see Pic 1).  I die cut all of the other pieces as well as an extra jacket and hands and decorated accordingly (see Pic 1 below).  The oval white piece on the right is a rough cut of the back of the head as you will need a base piece.  I then punched a hole in the three pieces as seen in Pic 1.  To put them together so that Santa dances, hold the leg piece where you want it to fall under the finished jacket.  Turn this over and adhere a foam dot into the hole (Pic 2).  Layer the extra jacket behind the back of the other jacket and adhere with the foam dot (see Pic 3).  Next hold the face over the front of the jacket, turn over and place another foam dot into the hole on the back of the jacket (see Pic 4).  Adhere the head base piece onto the foam dot in the jacket.   Your dancing Santa is ready for decorating with a pompom on the hat and a string to hang from the tree or present.

       Pic 1                                                                                      Pic 2

    Pic 3                                                                                           Pic 4

     Pic 5

     

My other variations using the 5931 Santa Puppet die set:

Cut my Santa in half and made two tags, one of which using the 5132 Tag Stitched Die.  I popped up the chimney and placed the body of Santa upside down into the chimney.   The second tag, I scored the arms before putting the cuffs on and folded them in half, then put the cuffs on the outer side so he was wrapping his arms around the star.  I also added google eyes to him for fun.  I cut several snowflakes from the 4804 Snowflake dies and the icicles on the chimney are from the 5407 Birthday Cake gift card die.  The sentiment is from 5350 Animal Nativity set and the candy canes are from 5457 Christmas Truck cubbies and the 5187 Gingerbread cubbies.

For the following tag I decided to make him a gnome santa.  I shortened his arms and legs and placed the hat lower on his face.  For his beard, I cut two but I cut one differently, by cutting half and then moved the die to stretch his beard and make it wider.  Another thought, you could use the 5223 Bookmark die and cut the top tab off to make a smooth beard.  He actually fits perfectly, but I wanted a fuller beard.  The die used for the santa sack is included in the 5931 Santa Puppet die set.  I believe it is actually to be used as the santa face base, however, I saw someone suggest a possible santa sack so I borrowed her great idea.  I wish I could remember who it was, so I could give her a shout out.   The candy canes are from the 5178 Gingerbread Cubbies and the banner is from 5722 Birthday Journal die set.  The sentiment is from 5192 Penguin Cheer set.

Sweet Resolution by Bri Firth

Hello Ai Fans - Bri here! Today I am sharing my creation for the Resolutions challenge! My resolution focuses on enjoying the sweet things in life! This projects features the Gingerbread Cubbies stamp set. This card is also featured on my personal blog, check it out here! 

First I used my Copic markers to color the gingerbread house, the candy, and the gingerbread people. The colors I used are listed below at the end of this post. 

I used retired holiday themed paper to decorate and layer the card base. I also used the patterned paper to matte the sentiment banner that I die cut with the Banner Double Stitched dies. I finished the card by adding coordinating sequins from the Rainbow Unicorn shaker mix from Buttons Galore.

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

Ai Products Used

Gingerbread Cubbies Stamp Set

Banner Double Stitched Dies

Copic Markers I Used

C: C00, C1, C3

E: E30, E31, E33, E35, E37, E39

R: R81, R83, R85, R89

G: G00, YG41, YG45

Y: Y21, Y23, Y26

B: B41, B52

Warehouse Sale Giveaway and Special Feature with Reneé Matarese!

  Hello Ai Fans!

Today is the last day of our Warehouse Sale, and we have a series of special blog features, for some fun inspiration this weekend!

Today, we have Renee Matarese, who is a part of our Design Team and manages our Pinterest Page! Make sure to check out her blog and social media to see more of her beautiful and exciting work!

Hello Ai fans!

Today for my special feature I'm sharing the incredibly cute 5178 – Gingerbread Cubbies.  There are nearly endless possibilities as to how to arrange this house and all its accessories.

I used 5133 – Flag Double Stitched Dies to stamp the verse on.

All of the Cubbies sets come with stamps and dies.  They all have interactive windows, doors, etc. that open and close to reveal hidden treasures!  How cute!

Happy Holidays everyone!!

Copics used:

NO, N4, W6, E17, E33, E34, G24, G46,
Y35, B04, B45, RV 29, RV34, RV55

Thank you Renee! 

Now, for the Giveaway! Want to win the Gingerbread Cubbies and a Memento Tuxedo Black Ink Pad?

Comment below with your favorite Critter Cubbies Set set by Art Impressions, and you will be entered to win! 

Winners will be chosen on Monday, November 9th, and only one comment per giveaway.

Challenge Challenge 267 Make It Sparkle WEEK 2!

Hello, Ai Fans!  We are back with the second week of our "Make It Sparkle" Challenge, featuring our new Critter Cubbies release! Hop over to the blog to learn how to enter the challenge for a chance to win stamps, and view inspirational projects from our design team!

Click the designer's name to view more details over on the blog. You can find these stamp and die sets over at artimpressions.com! Carol with Gingerbread Cubbies Crystal with Autumn Owl Cubbies Jil with Happy Mailbox Cubbies Jessica with Barnyard Animal Cubbies  Niccole with Barnyard Animal Cubbies  Renee with Autumn Owl Cubbies Sharon with Happy Mailbox Cubbies Our design team knocked it out of the park with these bright and shiny cards! Love the extra glitter and glam they added to "Make It Sparkle" for our current challenge! We'd love to see how you make your cards shimmer by joining along with us! There are so many fun ways to add a bit of shine! Embossing powder, glitter, glitter spray and brushes, foil, and so much more! Let's see a twinkle on your cards this challenge! 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! ✻ 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 by clicking and commenting 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 We are excited to reveal our Watercolor Workshop 2020 projects! You can find this workshop at select stamp and scrapbook shows next year, but we are debuting this class at our Warehouse Sale! Visit our page to view all class available at the Warehouse Sale November 22-23, in Keizer, OR. Tickets are selling fast, so sign up quickly to reserve your seat! Let us know if you are coming to the sale with an RSVP on our Facebook Event. We hope to see you there! Art Impressions 2020 show schedule will be announced as the new year approaches. Stay tuned for updates in the coming months. Happy Stamping!

NEW Critter Cubbies for Holiday and Everyday! PLUS, Challenge Challenge 267 Make It Sparkle!

Hello, Ai Fans!

Peek-a-boo with the cutest images around - our new Critter Cubbies are now available! These unique stamp and die sets have a full die for the cubby image, including doors and openings for your adorable stamp and die pals in the set! The Autumn Owl Cubbies feature stacked pumpkin house with owls hooting hello and a witch hat to accessorize! For Christmas, you will fall in love with our Gingerbread Cubbies full of gumdrops, candy canes, and lollipops along with our playful cookie crew! Say "hay there" with our Barnyard Animal Cubbies full of chicks, a duck, a lamb, a pig, and a rooster crowing on the roof! Send some sweet wishes any time of year with our Happy Mailbox Cubbies. The carrier bird will help deliver all the envelopes, love notes, presents, and scrolls included! Find all four of our new favorite sets at artimpressions.com!

  

Let's take a look at what Carol has created to inspire your Cubbies creations!

Hello Ai Fans!  I'm so happy to be sharing this card using the adorable new Gingerbread Cubbies!  I certainly had fun making it sparkle and shine for this challenge!

As I've said before, these set are so fun and easy to use!  You get all of the coordinating dies to cut out the house and all of the other pieces.  There are six gumdrop dies so you can die cut several at once to save some time.  The die for the house cuts all of the little openings including the door and windows that are interactive.

I stamped everything with Copic safe ink onto some Neenah 80# cardstock and colored them with the Copic markers listed below.  I then die cut them with the coordinating dies.  I like to add foam tape to the back of the house--I think it makes it easier to add the pieces in the openings, and I like the dimension it adds too!  I also one of the Rectangle A2 Double Stitched dies to die cut some white glitter paper.  I added the layers to a top-folding A2 card base.

Now it's time to have fun and place the images all around.  I though it was funny to have the two gingerbread people sliding down the snowy roof!  Haha!  I stamped the sentiment, die cut it with a Tag Stitched die and added a brad from my stash to it.  I popped it up with some thin foam tape.  Once everything was adhered, I added some sparkle and shine with a clear sparkle pen and some clear glaze to various images.

All of these Cubbies are so fun and you can create your scene any way you like!  Thank you for stopping by, and I can't wait to see your card entered into the Make It Sparkle challenge!

Copic markers:

B24,  B26 B28, C0, C1, C2, C3, C5,
BV0000, BV11, BV31, E13, E31, E33, E35, E37,
R22, R24, R29, R59, Y11, Y13, Y15, Y21,
YG01, YG13, YG17, YG23, YG25, V12, V15, V17

Thanks, Carol! Love the sparkle on your Gingerbread Cubby house! Let's take a look at our NEW Challenge!

That's right, this challenge we want to see some sparkle on your cards! There are so many fun ways to add a bit of shine! Embossing powder, glitter, glitter spray and brushes, foil, and so much more! Let's see a twinkle on your cards this challenge!

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!

✻ 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 by clicking and commenting 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

Before we go, let's take a look at the winners from last week's challenge!

Top spot goes to...

Ca Sem!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ca Sem (@casem1982) on Sep 13, 2019 at 4:16am PDT

Congrats! We love how you created your own Circlet TryFold card with watercolor stamps! Email annelise@artimpressions.com with your address to claim your prize pack!

Honorable Mentions go to...

G.W!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by G.W (@neunzehnhundertsechsundfunfzig) on Sep 17, 2019 at 9:26pm PDT

Reetta!

Congrats, you two! G.W, your Lighthouse Circlet card is beautiful and we love the interactive element you added with third panel revealed! So lovely! And Reetta, your Girlfriend Christmas is perfectly framed in a snowy circle, and the dimension you added with layers and foam is a beautiful detail! Way to go! Email annelise@artimpressions.com with your address and select a stamp set as your choice for a prize!

We had SO many amazing entries, thank you!! Join us again for another chance to win in our Make It Sparkle challenge, we can't wait to see your cards!

Our class registrations opened last week, and we now have our Facebook Event up and running! Hop over to the page and RSVP for updates and giveaways leading up to the event!