Sweet Girls Playing by Dori Mendiola

Happy Thursday AI Friends!

This card came together perfectly for the Mix & Match challenge, which calls for using two or more stamp or die sets.  I ended up pulling from several favorites to build a three‑dimensional scene that feels fun and playful.  I created a 3D effect by layering several die‑cut fences together, scoring them to pop forward. 

 

I began by die cutting the base from heavy cardstock using the #6114 - Box Village Template die.  I embossed this panel using a brick embossing folder that I had in my stash.  I then die cut the roof and window pieces from pattern paper using the #6159 - Flower Shop die set.  I die cut several fence pieces from heavy cardstock and layered together to double up and also to extend the fence.  I wrapped it around the base card on one end and over the front to the other side.  This fence stands out about 1/2" from the base panel.  

Using the #5578 - Little Angels set, I stamped two of the angels with Memento black ink and colored with copic markers listed below.  I fussy cut them out, cutting off the wings.  I die cut some balloons using the #5722 = Birthday Journal set and tied some string to the ends.  I placed some acetate behind them and attached to the back of one of the angel's hands. 

  To make the card base, take a standard A2 card base and place the Box Village Template die shape slightly over the card fold so that it will cut all sides but the folded edge.  Adhere the base panel to the card base.  Decorate as desired.

I hope you enjoyed my card today and thank you for joining me.  I hope you play along with our blog challenge.  We love to see your creations!

Have a great day and keep creating!

Copics used:  E000, E01, E11    R20

YR00, YR02, YR04

V12, V15      Y15, Y17

May 2026 Monthly Challenge: Girl Enchanted by Butterfly by Debbie Hedges

 Hello Ai fans and welcome to our May Challenge featuring Debbie Hedges.

Happy May everyone! Mother’s Day is coming up and summer is just around the corner!

For my May project, I created a small scene with a little girl in a meadow. I inked the little angel (#5578) without her wings (Shadow Grey Archival Ink) and stamped her slightly to the right of center. I painted her with a violet dress (#8) with a pink sash (#67). For her hair , I used sepia (#45), her skin in pale pink (#47), added a little bit of extra pink on her cheeks and added her eyelash with my Micron. I also used the fine tip of my sepia pen to add a few accent lines in her hair.

I added a hill in the background in pencil. I then painted the line in green (#15) and added a green wash, keeping it lighter at the bottom where I will stamp grass and flowers. Using the mini foliage set, I stamped bushes along my hill line, leaving some blank area near the little girl. I stamped the bushes twice on each side before re-inking to have some light and dark areas.

Using post-it- tape to protect her shoes and I stamped a grass line on either side of the little girl to create the foreground. I used the teeny tiny grass, but also randomly stamped a few of the grass from #5826 to use for wildflowers. The wildflowers are a mixture of daisies using Dr. PH Martin’s Bleed Proof White and also a flower from Bible Journal Flower Set. I used my stamp positioner and only inked one flower in aubergine (#93) to add to the top of a few of the longer grass blades. For the daisies, I dabbed white paint to make the daisies in different sizes. Once the paint dried, I added yellow (#43) centers. Then I added a green wash below the grass, leaving light and dark areas.

Sky was added next, leaving light and dark areas with sky blue (#75). In the left upper corner, I stamped leaves to give the impression of a tree near the little girl. The last step was to add the butterfly. It is simple to create by stamping a single heart flower (#4868) in the color you want your butterfly. Then with my Micron, I added the butterfly body in black.

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! Also, don’t forget to enter the Monthly Challenge for a chance to win a free stamp set! Happy Mother’s Day and happy stamping!

Now let's see who won our April Challenge!
Can I just say...It was a good day to be named Bev....lol!
We had 2 Bevs win this month.

Our Lucky Random Winner was: #9
Bev.O.

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!!

This month I decided to give away 2 freebies.

The winners of a freebie from me are #6

Bev. S.

and #4 Cindy P.

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

Watercolor Angels by Tricia

I am incredibly honored to have been asked to do a blog post for a recent set of paintings that I created with the new Angels set.  I originally wanted to challenge myself to think outside of the box and stretch my stamps. I thought I was creating Halloween costumes but it turns out after creating the backgrounds that is not necessarily what they turned out to be in the end. 

Here are the before and after pics in case you missed my Instagram and Facebook posts.

 

Let's get a closer look!

First, we have this little dragon with her new mouse friend surrounded by a sweet pumpkin patch. The NEW Harvest watercolor stamps have the best pumpkins I have ever seen!

This cute little witch continues our Fall/Halloween theme. I colored her up like the wicked witch of the west and created my own broom.  I love these night scenes when I can just keep layering color to get more and more depth and make little stars, of course.

I was really torn on what to do with the background for this sweet bee, but then my new stamps arrived just in time and these hay bales were perfect.  I am in LOVE with the sunflowers and I know they will be showing up on lots of my projects. 

I wasn’t really sure what to do with this sleeping angel so I decided to dress her like Minnie Mouse. I found a picture of Minnie’s house to hand draw her background. Makes me think that she must have been exhausted trying to get there.

Finally I have a snowy scene with this cute angel.  I extended her wings a little a placed her in a winter wonderland. Creating these trees is one of my all time favorite things to do in watercolor.  I should have gotten out the bleed proof white to add some snow to the branches.  Next time!

I had so much fun creating these scenes.  I was glad I didn’t rush through the process and just let the inspiration come.  Thank you so much for joining me and I am so blessed to be surrounded by such a talented, loving and encouraging community. I hope you all have a wonderfully creative day!

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