Succulents Bloom! by Reneé Matarese

Hello Ai fans!

Today I'm sharing a card made with the new 5102 – Succulents Set.
I also used the 

5065 – Oval Double Stitched Dies.

This is such a pretty set and with all the colors you can use and the combinations of flowers, the possibilities are truly endless!

I used foam tape to pop up the flowers at different heights to give the card a lot of dimension.

I love the way the flowers look with the gingham paper.

There are several fun verses that come with the set besides the one I used as well.  

Copics used:

B39, B41, B95, BV02, BV34

R81, R83, R85, G08, G12, G40

Old Goat's Club by Jil Lebel

Hello Ai fans!

I needed to make several birthday cards and a few of them were for men.  I wanted to keep them fun and colorful without many embellishments.  I got out the Old Goat Set and stamped out a bunch of images and have been coloring them while we've been watching movies. Now I have the cards I needed and some extra cards on hand!

The images were stamped onto Copic X Press It paper with Gina K Designs Black Amalgam Ink and colored with Copic markers.  The colors used are listed at the end of this post. They were then cut out using an Oval Double stitched die.  Another oval was cut from the Rainbow Perfectly Plaid 6" x 6" patterned paper from Lawn Fawn. Another layer of the plaid patterned paper was cut with the Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies and attached to a white A2 card base that has some Lawn Fawn twine wrapped around it.

One of the cards is left plane for a masculine look.  The card with the cake has some added embellishments.  White Blizzard Nuvo Crystal Drops are added to the image and around the background.  Nuvo Crystal drops in Blue Babe and Bubblegum Blush were also added around the background.

Copic Colors Used:
Card 1
Far left Goat - W00, W1, W3, W5, R11
Middle left Goat - E31, E33, E35, E37, R11
Middle right Goat - C00, C1, C3, C5, R11
Far right Goat - E19, E31, E33, E35, E37, R11

Card 2
Goat- E19, E31, E33, E35, E37, R11
Cake- W00, W1, R81, R83
Plate - W1, W3
Candles - C1, C3, B00, B1
Purple - BV00, BV02, BV04
Green - G14, YG03, YG01

Thanks for stopping by and Have a Great Day!

Sending "Hedge-Hugs!" by Carol Hintermeier

Hell Ai Fans!

Today I have this sweet and quick-to-make card using the Hedgehogs Set.  I really love how this set can be used for more than one occasion and has so many different sentiments!

I stamped the happy little hedgehog in Copic safe ink and colored it with Copic markers (listed below).  I used a Oval Double Stitched die to cut it out.  I also used two of the oval dies taped together to cut out a coordinating frame from green cardstock.  I used the same green cardstock to layer behind the patterned paper.



I stamped the sentiment in black ink and cut it out into a strip with the green cardstock for a layer.  I popped up the sentiment with a few foam squares.  I also added some green enamel dots to two corners.

I just love this little hedgehog's smiling face!  Thank you so much for stopping by!  I hope you have a wonderful, crafty week!

Copic markers:

E34, E35, E37, E39, E50, E51, E53,

R14, R20, R35, R43,

YG03, YG17, YG25, YG67, T2, T0

Hedge-Hugs to You! By Crystal

Hi Ai fans! 

This week I played with this adorable Funny Farm stamp set Hedgehogs. They are just the cutest but I say that about almost ever set I use from Art Impressions. 

I started by die cutting an oval out of smooth card stock with an Oval double stitched die. I first stamped the cute little guy holding the balloon since I wanted him to be in the front. I then masked him off with a full stick post-it note. I then stamped the second hedge hog which is leaning on the cacti planter. I colored them in with alcohol markers. 

I die cut a rectangle using a Double stitched rectangle die. Matted the oval centered on the rectangle. I die cut a banner to fill in some of the blank space on the background. Then I die cut a A2 rectangle to matte everything on which I did off centered to the left. 

I stamped the sentiment bellow the two hedgehogs. I adhered the whole panel to a 5 1/2"x 4 1/4" card base. I thought their was too much white space above the hedgehop sitting down so I added a heart and a couple sequins and that finished off the card today. 

Spectrum Noir Markers: 

FS5, DG2, DG3,AP1, AP3, GB3, GB7, MB1, MB2, MB4, TB3, TB4, AB1, AB3, IG4, IG6, CR11

Happy Stamping!

O' Frap! Spring Chicken Set | By Jessica Shier

Hello Ai Fans!

With the release of those cute Hedgehogs and adorable Pandas, I decided to explore more of the cute critters in the Funny Farm line of stamps. I chose the Spring Chicken set and also the Oval Double Stitch die. It was not my intention to make the background the shape of a egg but it does work so well! 

I started with stamping the 2 chickens with Gina. K. Amalgam ink then coloring them with Copic Markers. I do have the list of markers I used below. This time I used maily cooled tone grays to match the same tone of the gray cardstock. After I was done coloring them, I fussy cut the pair out and inked the edges with a Memento black marker. 

For my fun egg shape I trimmed a piece of Gina K. Lemon drop cardstock with the Art Impressions Oval Double Stitch die. I believe I used the second from largest. To get the rays I ink blended 

Distress Oxide Ink in Tumbled Glass, through a radiant rays stencil. It didn't quite reach the bottom of the oval. But I easily remedied that with the green cardstock, which was a scrap and already had a curve. I use the same oval die on the green cardstock so that the stitching would continue all the way around. 

I've also been using some colored craft foam to create dimension lately. I cut some of the orange foam with a Art Impressions Circle Double Stitch die and also a darker yellow cardstock. I layered those so that the cardstock was on top and the orange craft foam is only glimpsed from the side. 

I cut two colors of gray cardstock with two different types of edge dies, just to mix it up and add more texture. 

For the sentiment I used a Distress Oxide ink in Abandoned Coral. I love this sentiment, I am not a morning person and only coffee will get me up and going. To create the speech bubble I sketched a oval around the sentiment and added a point. Then fussy cut it out and erased the pencil marks. I popped this up with some foam dimensional squares. 

The inside I used another fun sentiment from the Spring Chicken set, which I paired with the party hat wearing chicken. 

Copic Markers Used:

W6, W3, W1, W0

C5, C3, C1

E77, YG63, B00,

R05, R02,

Y38, Y35, Y21

That's it from me! Thank you for stopping by today. Happy Stamping!

Heard It's Been Ruff | By Jessica Shier

Hello Ai Fans!

Today I'm sharing this card I made using the Doggie Kisses set but focusing more on using those smaller stamps. I've been trying to write down color combinations that interest me and this one uisng; Coral, Blue, Mustard, Lavender and Gray really captured my attention, so I knew I had to make something using those specific hues.

I started off with cutting the oval in the center using the Double Stitch Oval dies. The one I used is one of the smaller sizes that comes in the set, but I wanted something that would just barely show the dog. Luckily clear stamps make it very easy to see how things will look before you stamp and die cut!

To stamp the bandage, I used several Gina K Inks in the colors mentioned above, exact colors listed below. I do stamp in clusters and in threes at first then fill in from there. Through out the process I just kept in mind that I also wanted larger white areas so that I could add a few more elements.

In those larger areas is where I stamped the lavender paw print and the sentiments for the front. It was fun just stamping instead of stamping to color. It's like making your own pattern paper. I did go over the bandages with a W1 and W0 Copic marker just to give them some depth. Totally optional step though. 

Now for the inside I was able to line up the dog where I wanted him to show through on the front of this card. After that I simply closed the lid of my stamp platform and used a piece of 80lb Neenah Solar White cardstock to stamp on to. Then I colored a simple scene with Copic markers. I thought the sentiment mentioning the dog cone was hilarious, so I used that on the inside with the coordinating image. Then adhered that to the inside.  

I've always liked making window cards and I love the way it looks with the pattern stamping using the smaller stamp images on the front. It's also a great way to experiment with some color combinations. I usually search by season or sometimes you just see a color combination that inspires you.

Copic Markers Used:

Card Front - W1, W0

Inside - W6, W3, W1

C5, C1, E74, E77

E31, E3, RV91

Thanks so much for stopping by today and Happy Stamping!

Good Shepherd Watercolor Cards by Jil Lebel

Hello Ai fans!

For today's card I wanted to use the Good Shepherd Set from the Bible Journal line of watercolor stamps.  I used it with the Watercolor Sentiment Set 2 to make two everyday cards.

I used the Ai watercolor method to color my stamped images.  I've listed the Tombow marker colors I used at the end of the post.  I kept the main image the same but changed up everything around it.  I added a barn to one of the watercolor panels and a fence to the other.  I also changed up the flower placement.  I kept all of the colors the same.

Once my panels were complete, I cut the using my Double stitched dies from Ai and added them to the dry embossed background.  I used a seam binding bow and a button to embellish the top of the embossed layer. The sentiment is stamped with Versafine Claire Nocturne ink and cut into a banner. I attached everything to a teal A2 card.

Tombow Dual Brush Colors Used:
177 Dark Jade, 526 True Blue, 565 Deep Blue,
725 Rhodamine Red, 969 Chocolate, 993 Chrome Orange,
N25 Lamp Black

Thanks for stopping by and Have a Great Day!

Happy Tails Slider Card | By Jessica Shier

Hello Ai Fans!

I've been really enjoying the Art Impressions Stacker sets and knew I wanted to play with the dog stacker. Honestly anything with a Dachshund and I want to color it, but this is truly a fun dog pile! I also made the paw print with dies, so easy!

I started with die cutting the slider mechanism, per the instructions on the back. A good dry adhesive is what I used. Some quick measuring and I cut the slider pull with a watercolor paw print pattern paper. Then attached a small piece of black ribbon in a loop using the Tiny Attacher and ink blended the slider frame with a distress ink. Gradually blending out to the white cardstock.

The last two details took some trial and error. I used a small blending brush to flick a Distress Oxide reinker  and water mixer on to the white back panel. So messy! A random brown box does well to keep most of the spray contained, plus reusable!

So those tiny little dots took some time to dry even after heat setting. While I waited I started on the paw print. For this I was able to use 2 dies, the smallest from the Double Stitched Oval die set and the tiny oval from the Double Stitch Tag die set. It's a little oblong and if I had a nice heart shape I could have used that as the large pad, that would be super cute. This is when I also chose to stamp my sentiment. This one says "Happy tails to you my pal" . Using a clear sitcky ink and white embossing powder.

The fun part was coloring the dogs, using Copics, my plan was to have 3 different shades of dogs . Once again I was inspired by the packaging art! But, I didn't see the little guy at the top! So he's the only one in grays. lol. Which I thought worked and made a second one just like the first! The copics I used are listed below. 

Copics Used.

Beige - E81, E43, W3

Tan - E31, E35, W3

Dark Brown - E77, E74, E59

Gray - W6, W3

Tongue - R14

Thank you for stopping by today! Happy Stamping!

Hop Till You Drop | By Jessica Shier

Hello Ai Fans!

The challenge #254 has started for the release of the new Girlfriends clear stamps sets. Perfect time to break out this Art Impression Hop Hop set! I thought these ladies looked like they were up to some spring picnic shenanigans with all their fun hopping objects. 

I stamped the ladies with Versafine Clair Nocturne ink on Arches watercolors paper. Using my Koi watercolor set I water colored these ladies and the background, adding in a bit of a finish line in white to seem like they are racing to win! 

Once my piece was dried I trimmed it down to attach to a A2 card base. I added a black and white stripe of pattern paper on the left and some lovely jewels that match the colors of the hopping ladies clothes. 

For the sentiment I die cut the smallest Double Stitched Oval die on white cardstock. Then stamped the sentiment from the Hop Hop Set with Distress Oxide ink. Placing on the top left of the card, then trimming off the top that overhangs.

That is it from me guys! Thank you so much for joining me today. Happy Stamping! ❤

Watercolor Garden Window MTF by Carol Hintermeier

Hello Ai Fans!

Today I have a sweet notecard that can be used for many occasions, or just because, to send to a friend. I've used the Garden Window MTF (mini TryFold) for this card.

Since I wanted to watercolor this, I used Strathmore Bristol Smooth paper and created my card base following the directions on the back of the packaging.  This is a smooth paper (as opposed to the texture of watercolor paper) that can take some water which is just right for this technique that doesn't require a lot of water.

I stamped the images in Versafine Onyx Black ink as that will take water without bleeding.  I also used a stamp from the WC Wall Texture set to add a bit of detail around the window.  I added my color with my Zig and pulled out a bit of the color--you know--watercolor the Ai way!  :)  I used Tombow and Zig Clean Color Brush markers to color everything.  I've listed the colors at the end of this post.

Here's a tip for you.  Follow the directions on the back of the package for die cutting and lining up the next stamp.  However, before you stamp it, put a piece of acetate down and stamp on the acetate.  If you click on the photo you will see it closer and see my pencil lines.  I adjusted the stamp just a bit to have the curtain more centered over the pencil lines (see the arrows).



This is the view when you open the top panel.

Now, as you can see here on the inside view, I didn't stamp the image directly onto the base card.  Well, actually I did.  In spite of my best efforts, I still didn't get it lined up to my satisfaction, so here's another tip for you.  If you don't get that last image lined up just right, stamp it again on some scrap paper and die cut it, then glue it in place.  I didn't want to totally start over, so I'm glad I thought of this!  I think it actually adds a pretty touch to the inside!

Thank you so much for stopping by!  I hope you have a fabulous crafty week!

Watercolor markers:

Tombow numbers: 177, 565, 636

Zig Clean Color Real Brush:  Yellow, Bright Yellow, Pale Violet, 

English Lavender, Brick Beige, Gray Brown, Mid Gray