Art Impressions Blog: Spotlight on Simone

Hello Ai fans!

Welcome to our February Monthly Challenge.
We have a gorgeous LOVE themed card from Guest Designer Simone to inspire you.

As always, this challenge has no theme so anything you want to create is fine as long as you use something from Art Impressions on it. You might be the next winner of a free stamp set from Art Impressions. Winner is chosen randomly so all skill levels have a fair chance of winning. One lucky winner will also receive a freebie from me.

After admiring Simone's beautiful work, be sure to scroll down to see the winners of our last challenge.

Then, be sure to read our very special announcement.

Hello Friends,

February is the perfect time to celebrate love, warmth, and a little creative joy, and I’m excited to share today’s card with you. I began on Canson Watercolor Paper by tracing the 4th largest heart-shaped die, then lightly penciling in the bow and stem to guide my layout.

I stamped both the sitting gnome and the standing gnome using Archival Ink Shadow Grey. The sitting gnome was first stamped onto masking paper and fussy cut, then placed over the stamped image. Using a stamp positioner, I inked the flower pot with Tombow 565 + 969 directly onto the acrylic plate, then stamping it off twice for a softer look. Once I had the placement just right, I removed the acrylic plate and stamped the pot onto the paper.

After removing the mask from the sitting gnome, I began coloring. I colored the bow first, then covered it with masking tape before stamping foliage inside the heart. With a #4 brush and a touch of water, I gently dabbed the foliage to soften the look. Once the mask was removed from the bow, I stamped a few additional foliage pieces so they slightly overlapped the bow for added depth.

After painting the pot and gnomes, I placed the mask back over the sitting gnome to stamp flowers and grass inside the pot. I also stamped grass around the pot and near the standing gnome to ground the scene. To finish, I used Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White to paint delicate white flowers within the heart and grass, and added tiny white hearts to the bow for a sweet final touch.

I hope you give this project a try and have fun creating your own cozy, love-filled scene.

Materials Used

Stamps

Bible Foliage Set – Small Grass (5073)

Ornate Container (4870)

Dies

Nested Heart Die – 4th Largest (5721)

Paper

Canson Watercolor Paper

Valentine’s Patterned Paper (5741)

Inks & Coloring Mediums

Archival Ink – Shadow Grey (for stamping gnomes)

Tombow Markers:

933 – Gnome shirt, flowers

856 – Bow, pot, flower centers

245 – Gnome hat

555 – Gnome pants

942, 912 – Gnome nose and hands

027 – Pot

947 – Gnome shoes, shirt

N55 – Gnome beard

177 – Grass, heart

526 – Sky

969 + 565 – Stamped pot

Other

Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White

Lovely Simone. Thank you so much for your inspiration.

Now, let's see who won our January 2026 challenge.

The winner of a free stamp set from Art Impressions is:
#10 Ellen M and the winner of the free stamp set from me is #8 Julie W.

Ellen,

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!!

Julie,

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.

Congratulations to both of our January winners. We LOVED all of the entries and we hope you'll continue to enter. We can't wait to see your beautiful art each month.

Now for our special announcement.

Though we've loved having Simone as a special Guest Designer, it's time for her to move on.

Don't be too sad though...

She's moving on to become a full time Watercolor Design Team member!!

You'll now get to see her on a more regular basis!
She'll have her own Watercolor Weekend posts as well as participating in one of our Bi-Weekly challenges each month. Are you as excited as we are??

We're very excited for all of the new changes coming soon and of course, all of the new releases!

See the rules below and then be sure to come back and enter your crafty creation. You might just win a free stamp set!

✻ 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.

✻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!

Hello Ai fans and welcome to the first Monthly Challenge of 2026!

This year, Guest Designer Simone Carr will be providing you with inspiration each month.

The rules remain the same.

You MUST use Art Impressions products on your creation.
This can be stamps, dies or paper.
(of all of the above!)
There is NO theme so anything you want to make will qualify.

There will be one random winner who will win a free stamp set from Art Impressions and one random winner that will receive a freebie from me. I'm going to attempt to send the freebies internationally this year if I can get them sent cheap enough.

Now, let's see what Simone has created.
Personally, I was blown away when I saw the texture and the icy water.

AMAZING!

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Hello crafty friends!

As we step into a brand-new year and reflect on the joy of the holiday season just passed, I’m excited to share this peaceful winter card with you. Scenes like this are especially wonderful when you’re looking for masculine card ideas—something calm, nature-inspired, and perfect for the men in our lives, which can often be a challenge to create.

Using watercolor paper, I stamped the rocks and water with Tombow 565 + 969, stamping off once before stamping onto the paper for a softer impression. I stamped the deer the same way, then masked it so I could stamp the trees behind it. With a #4 brush, I pulled color out from the stamped lines on both the rocks and the deer.

I used N52 as a base color for the river, mixing 565 + N25 to deepen the color toward the far end of the water. Tombow 969 was used to add depth to the rocks, while the deer was colored with 947 and shaded with 969 on the antlers. After all the coloring was complete, I stamped in the grass using 026 and colored the sky with N60. Once everything was dry, I used 565 to create soft shadows on the rocks and trees.

To finish the scene, I added more definition to the rocks and river using TwinTone markers in brown, black, and blue. I then added a snowy effect using Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White on the trees and rocks, before lightly splattering the same color to create extra snowy detail.

Using the 3rd largest die from the Scalloped Oval Dies set, I cut a window into a 5 1/16” x 3 7/8” card panel. Then, using the 2nd and 3rd dies, I created a layered frame and added foam tape for dimension. The finished card is a standard A2 size.

I hope this card inspires you to create your own winter scenes, bringing a little calm, nature-inspired beauty into your crafting projects. Whether for a masculine card or simply a serene holiday keepsake, this design is perfect for spreading peaceful vibes in the new year!

Materials used:

Stamps:

WC Snow Globe Set (5791)

Large Tree Set 2 (5826)

Water of Life Set (6055)

Dies

Scalloped Oval Dies (6046)

Paper

Canson Watercolor Paper

Christmas S2 Patterned Paper (5812)

Inks & Coloring Mediums

Tombow Markers: