Another card for the Round & Round Challenge by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans! 

I've got another card today that works for the current Round & Round Challenge that is going on right now. Here's a link so you can enter your project if you haven't already. Just click HERE.  I started out by using the adorable bear from #6103 Baby Keepsake Set. I stamped it onto a Copic friendly paper with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and then colored it with the markers listed below. Then I just grabbed some circle die sets. So I used #5064 Double Stitched Circle Dies, #5726 Nested Circle Dies, and also #6045 Scalloped Circle Dies. That pretty patterned paper is from #6057 Baby Girl PP. To embellish the card a bit, I used some hearts from #5721 Nested Heart Dies, stamping the sentiment onto the larger white one. I also added a set of those adorable booties from the set as well. 

So that is it for me today! I sure hope you're joining in on the challenge for a chance to win a free stamp set! Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit today and until next time - stay crafty! 

Copic markers used:

E51, 53, and 55

R81 and 83

V12 and 15

RV91, 93, and 95

Stadium Wave Pop up card by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans!

We have a new challenge that started last Thursday and it's to make a 3D card or project. I love anything popped up or 3D, so I definitely had fun with this one! I had seen a fancy fold card called a stadium wave pop up card and knew I was going to use it for this challenge. If you do a search on You Tube, you will find several free videos on how to create this, and I also added a link in my post below. I did my own size as I didn't want a huge card, so I will give you the measurements of what I did. They really are not difficult to make at all, but boy what a presentation it gives! So real quick, let me show you a video of the card, then I'll explain how I made it. 

So to begin with, I cut my card base to create a 5 1/2" square card and added my layered mats to it including the front and inside. The pattern paper used is from #6052 Mother's Day Cover PP and #6057 Baby Girl PP. I then created the strips for the inside. You need a total of eight of these strips. so I needed two pieces of the paper from the cover pack. I cut one full piece to measure 6" x 8", then took another piece and cut it to  measure 2" x 8". With the 8" side along the top of your score board,

score at 3", 6", 6 3/4", and 7 1/2". 

Do this to both the 6" piece and the 2". You will then turn the paper and cut it in one inch strips which will give you a total of eight 1" x 8" strips that are scored at the measurements above. Fold and burnish your strips, then add glue to the 1/2" edge of the strip and attach it to the other end so that the strip ends up looking similar to a long heart. Here is a link to an instructional video. Just remember that mine is a different size. 

https://youtu.be/Lj7C2RltYB0

I really wanted to make a baby card with it, so I used #6106 Spring Keepsake Set and #6103 Baby Keepsake Set for the adorable little animals they both have. To spell out the word BABY, I then used #5910 Large Letter Die Set and cut them each out with pattern paper and then the lavender cardstock so I could offset the letters a smidge to help them stand out better. I stamped, colored, and cut a LOT of beautiful daisies from Baby Keepsake Set. And now that I am typing this post, I don't know why I didn't think of adding some adorable pieces using #5338 Baby Mini Dies!  DOH!!!  Maybe if you make one of these, you will use them to help decorate! For the card front, I added a large heart from #5721 Nested Heart Dies along with that adorable frog, then scattered some open hearts from the same die set. After adding a sweet bow, the front was finished. 

Making my strips shorter than what is stated on the instructional video gave me more room to add a sentiment panel for your message and signature. But it did not take away from the "wow" factor when the card is opened. 

So that's it for me today! I sure hope I was able to inspire you a little with creating a 3D project for our new challenge. You never know when you might win a free set of your choice! Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit and until next time - stay crafty!!

Copic markers used:

E00, 30, 31, 33, 35, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 51, 53, 95, 97, and 99

C00, 0, 1, 2, and 3

YG01, 03, and 05

B00 and 01

R11, 12, 20, 22, 81, and 83

YR20 and 21

Y00, 11, 21, 23, 32, 35, and 38

Love-ly Lavender Floral Card by Lynn Dionne

 Happy Wednesday Ai Fans!

Watch video tutorial here!

Today we will be using the Ai Floral Bouquet Set (5917) which contains four beautiful floral bouquets! Let's begin by stamping with some clear embossing ink and embossing the image with some detail white embossing powder onto some white cardstock.

Next, we will color the floral image using the Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens in the following colors: Blender, English Lavender, Deep Violet, Turquoise Green, Persian Green.

Once the coloring is complete, we will spatter this panel using the Deep Violet pen and a spritz of water.

Now we can die cut the heart layers using the Ai Nested Heart Dies (5721) and some pattern paper from the Ai Encouragement PP (5955) and let's also add some sparkle cardstock.

Next let's create the background panel using the beautiful Lawn Fawn Quilted Heart Border. We will die cut this a few times using some patterned paper from that same paper pack and add a backing on each of the borders with some sparkle cardstock.

Now let's cut a plaid rectangle and add these borders by equally spacing them along this panel. I'll show you a little trick for lining these up perfectly in today's video!

Now it's just a matter of adding some additional layers in white, teal, and another piece of patterned paper.

We can pop-up the heart in the center of the card and add a few pretty sparkly gems for added dimension and interest!

This card was inspired by the current Art Impressions "Love, love me do!" Blog Challenge which is to create something Valentine's related. Please join us in the fun new challenge...we would love to see what you create!

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

Ai Floral Bouquet Set (5917)

Ai Nested Heart Dies (5721)

Ai Nested Rectangle Dies (5724)

Ai Encouragement PP (5955)

A Valentine for my granddaughter by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans!

If you've been affected by the widespread freezing temps, I sure hope you're starting to thaw out a little! And if not, what is better than crafting Valentines for your loved ones in your warm home? That's what I've got to show you today. Our new challenge is Love, Love Me Do (you know I love you...I'll always be true...so plee ee ee eese) Sorry...I got a little carried away with lyrics from my youth! LOL! So anyway, I decided to create a little Valentine for one of my granddaughters. I just love how it turned out, so I hope it inspires you a little. 

I just used a white gel pen to create the patterns on her hat and dress. 

I started by pulling out #5717 Little Girl F&B stamp set and stamping her onto some Copic friendly paper. I don't know about you, but I love using pinks and reds together for Valentine's Day projects. When I cut her out, I cut a slit in her basket so I could add some pink and red hearts I cut using the heart die from #5223 Bookmark Dies. After cutting my A2 card base and adding some pattern paper from #5741, I took #5721 Nested Heart Dies and cut out a window to the inside of the card. After doing that, I glued the inked cloud paper to the inside of the card so the sky would be continuous on the front. I then took a coordinating piece of pattern paper and cut a frame for the heart window using the window size heart along with the largest scalloped heart in the set. I love framing my windows as I believe it adds a nice touch of detail. That adorable fence is from #5807 Journal Fence Dies. I just cut it twice and overlapped the edge piece to make it seamless. Of course it's popped up with dimensional tape. Daisies are my favorite flower ( I have a huge bunch of Shasta daisies in my back yard), so I just can't resist using these cute stamps from #5925 Honey Bee Set.  I'm sure you notice I use them ALL the time. LOL! That set also contains those cute bees and the dies to cut them all out so they can be used exactly like this if wanted! 

So that's it for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit and until next time - stay crafty!!

Copic markers used:

E000, 00, 11, 33, 35, 40, 42, 44, and 51

Y32 and 35

R11, 22, 24, 27, 81, 83, and 85

G43 and 46

B00

A cute Valentine by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans!

It's getting close to Valentine's Day, do you know where your hearts are? LOL! I have a cute little Valentine card today to show you. I love using the reds and pinks after the Christmas season. Do you make Valentine cards for the loves of your life? 

I started by grabbing the cute elephant from 5219 Loveable Animals Set. I'm sure you've heard of pink elephants on parade (LOL). I told you I love the pinks and reds!! I colored it with Copic markers which are listed below. The dies are included with the stamp sets, so it made it super easy to die cut it. It also cuts around the paws so it can hold whatever you want to put there. I added a couple of balloons that were from dies in my stash. I wrapped the balloon strings around his arm too. The mat was created using #6047 Scalloped Square Dies and placed on the diagonal. I then grabbed #5721 Nested Heart Dies to cut several sizes of hearts. There's lots of dimension as I popped up just about everything from the layer underneath it. I placed a die cut heart into the hands of the pink ellie and tied the balloon strings to one of the arms. Finally, I used #5910 to cut out four X's and four O's (two each in red and then pink) and used them to finish the card. 

So that's it for me today. Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit and until next time - stay crafty!!

Copic markers used:

R24, 81, 83, and 85

YG13 and 17

C1 and 2

Something Sweet for you by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans!

I just love the Halloween season! It's just so fun! I am always sad to see the wonderful days of summer leave, but Halloween sure helps with the transition! I've always loved spooky ghost stories and the idea of ghosts and such! I've got a cute little "too cute to spook" tag to show you today. I just love the new Halloween sets from Art Impressions! All of the critters are so adorable! Today I chose to use #6112 Pumpkin Parade Set and that adorable ghost kitty!! I started out by grabbing #5132 Tag Stitched Dies and cut out my base, then #5062 Rounded Rectangle A2 Die Set to make couple of mats. I cut a second tag out using #5849 Halloween S2 PP, and then trimmed off the top using one of the dies from #5723 Journal Cover and Bookmark Die Set to add to the top of the gray base tag. I stamped the kitty and candy onto Copic friendly cardstock and colored them with Copic markers. When done with that, I used the included dies from the set to cut them out. I LOVE having matching dies to stamp sets!! It's really nice not to have to fussy cut the images out! I added a heart that was die cut with #5721 Nested Heart Dies and stamped the sentiment onto a circle die cut using #5064 Double Stitched Circle Dies. 

So that's it for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit and until next time - stay crafty!!

Valentine Bear tag by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans!

As promised last week, here's another card using those adorable bears from #5005 Valentine Bears Set and I wanted to make a tag. So I grabbed the large tag die from 5132 Tag Stitched Dies and went to work. I stamped the image onto a Copic friendly paper and colored them with the markers listed below. I just had to add the honey pot and bee. I mean....what bear can resist a honey pot??!! LOL!  For the frame I used 5768 Decorative Journal Page 1 and for the small tags, 5543 Journal Template Die Set. The papers are from 5741 Valentines PP. The adorable bee and honey pot are from 5925 Honey Bee Set. Tucked in behind the sentiment tag is a heart that was cut using 5721 Nested Heart Dies.  These are all linked below for your convenience. 

So that's it from me today! Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit and until next time - stay crafty!!

Copics used:

RV32 and 34

R01, 20, 22, 24, and 27

C3, 4, and 5

BV00 and 02

Y00, 32, and 35

B000 and 00

E30, 31, 33, 35, 37, 41, and 43

Friendship Birds by Reneé Matarese

 Hello Ai fans!

Today I'm sharing two bird cards with you.
They're very similar but I did one in the portrait layout
and one in landscape. I also changed up the sentiments
and border color.

I used both the new 5937 – My Trust Set and 5936 – My Hope Set.

The sentiments are both from 5734 – Friend Sentiment Set.

The dies and paper are all linked below.

There are so many beautiful images in these two

stamp sets. I love them both!

Copics used:

RV13, RV14, RV52B02, B91,
E13, W1, YR23, Y13, V09

Valentine Rosette's by Reneé Matarese

 Hello everyone!

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Every year, I'm in charge of decorating my elementary school. It's a huge undertaking but it's fun.
I discovered some paper bag snowflakes that I fell in love with.  I tweaked the design a bit to make them a little more "Valentinsy." lol...

I apologize for the dark photos.  It's January in upstate NY and the sun RARELY comes out. 
These were far too big for my light box so I did my best.

Here's a step-by-step photo tutorial for how I made these.

You need 8 paper bags. Any size, any color.
Lay the first bag down with the flap underneath.

Place glue in an upside down T pattern and glue the second bag on top, pressing to secure.
Repeat until you have 4 bags glued together.

Once I had 4 bags glued together, I used 5721 – Nested Heart Dies to trace the heart pattern on.

I did this on both sides.

I used a larger heart from the set on top to create a finial.

Next, I cut along the lines I had drawn. Then I glued the last 4 bags on in the same fashion, flap side down and cut those out following along the shapes I had already cut.

I did the same thing on my larger white bags but used a scalloped pattern on the top.

I cut more hearts out of 5812 – Christmas S2 Paper Pack and 5741 – Valentines Paper Pack and created centerpieces for the rosettes as well as adding some little hearts to the white rosette.

I don't usually get too into Valentine's Day but for some reason, this year I can't seem to get enough. Last week I shared a garland that I made for my fireplace mantle.  You can find that here.
Check back later today for week two of our Clean Slate (anything goes) challenge.

My Mushroom Cubbie was PUBLISHED!! by Reneé Matarese

 Guess what??

I had my Mushroom Cubbie card published!!

I'm in the current issue of Creative Scrapbooker Magazine.

I entered it into the Valentine category because, how perfect is that sentiment for your Valentine...
There's Gnome-one like you! Besides using the 5728 – Mushroom Cubbies I used one of the hearts from 5721 – Nested Heart Dies.

I added little accents with the Dr. Ph Martin's Bleed Proof White paint.  I like that it's a little non-traditional in its colors and theme.  There's a heart and embossed hearts but it's not predominately hearts.  Not that there's anything wrong with that!!  lol!!  I just like things to be a little non-traditional. 

There's a digital copy of the magazine online or you can purchase a paper copy in most craft stores. It's a wonderful magazine.  You can also subscribe.

Happily Ever After by Reneé Matarese

 Hello everyone!

Today I'm sharing two wedding cards that I made.

The first one was for my husband's friend's daughter and her new husband.  My husband wanted me to put their names on it to make it more personal.

On the front I used 
5835 – Mini Journal Paper Pack
5063 – Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies
5543 – Journal Template Die Set
5721 – Nested Heart Dies
5562 – Journal Letter Die Set

On the inside I used a pocket from 5589 – Journal Pocket Die Set to hold a gift card.

I made a second version that wasn't personalized in case another wedding pops up.

On the inside of this one I used 5556 – Journal Clasp Die Set.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!