Valentine Pop-Up card by Dori Mendiola

 Happy Thursday AI Friends!

I have another Valentine card for you today that also fits the current blog challenge - "Highlights".  I used the darling #5005 - Valentine Bears stamp set for my card along with the easel and label dies from the #5902 - Mini Scallop Frame die set.  This is a pop-up card with a lot of dimension but lays flat when put in the envelope.  

I began by stamping the bear and sentiment with memento black ink onto copic friendly paper and colored with my copic markers listed below.  I die cut the sentiment with the label die and fussy cut the bear.  I then added highlights to the bears cheeks, nose, paws and the banner hearts, with a white paint pen.    

I used a set of stitched nesting heart dies that I had in my stash, however you can use any nesting die sets for this pop-up card technique.  I first cut two of the largest hearts with heavy cream colored cardstock.  I took one of those cream hearts and scored at 3/4 inch on the rounded edge of the heart.  Fold on the score and place glue on the top flap.  Adhere to the other cream heart to create the card base.  It should open so that you can add your sentiment to the inside.

I used seven consecutive nesting hearts and cut every other nesting heart from the red cardstock and pattern paper from the other three nesting hearts.  I also die cut several smaller hearts for decoration.  To make the pop-up mechanism, cut three red panels 1" x 2 1/2" and score along the longest side at 1/2", 3/4", 1", 1 1/2", 1 3/4" and 2".  Fold these score lines as MVMMVM (mountain, valley, etc.).  Glue the two ends together by overlapping.  This will create a spring pop-up piece.  Place each of these pieces between the layers.  

Lastly, since the card will not stand on its own due to the point at the bottom of the heart, I die cut an easel using the #5902 - Mini Scallop Frame die set and adhered it to the back of the card, just above the point, where it meets the sides of the heart and then I trimmed off the point just below the easel.

That's it for my card today.  Hope you enjoy it.  Keep creating!

Copics used:  E50, E51, E53, E55

R20, R22, R24, R27

R81, R83, R85

A pink bear??? by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans!

I don't know about you, but I am all up into Valentine's Day!! I have had a blast this week creating with pink and red and lots of hearts. LOL! So the current challenge for a free Art Impressions stamp set of your choice is Monochromatic. So that's exactly what I did. Who the heck wouldn't love a pink bear!! LOL! I know I sure do! For this challenge I used 5005 Valentine Bears Set and colored those little cuties in different shades of reds, pinks, and violets. I also used 5721 Nested Heart Dies and 5741 Valentines PP for my project. These cuties are perfectly enough for the front of my card. I simply added a heart and a bow and called her done. The image was stamped using Memento Tuxedo black ink onto a Copic friendly paper and then I colored them with the colors listed below. In the coming weeks, you'll see I've used the rest of these adorable images for some other projects. 

Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit today! Until next time - stay crafty!!

Copic markers used:

R22, 24, 27, 81, 83, and 85

BV02 and 04

W1, 2, and 3

B00

Love You Slimline Card by Nina

Hello Ai fans, Nina here with a Valentine’s Day themed card using Valentine’s Bears Set, Slimline Double Stitched Dies, Valentine’s Paper Pack and Block Letter Die Set.

As usual I started by stamping my images on Bristol Smooth White Paper using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and my Mini Misti which I them colored later with my Copic Markers.

Copic Shades I used:

Reds: R59 R29

Browns: YR24 E99

Light Yellow: YR24 YR21

Pinks: RV12 R22

Grey: C1

I then used my scissors and cut all around the images and backed them with foam tape.

I cut slimline background using the Double Stitched Slimline Dies with my Big Shot die cutting machine.

To create the background I used a stencil from my stash and lightly blended light purple and light pink Distress ink shades to give a light color behind my vibrant colors of the bears. I used Shaded Lilac and Spun Sugar Distress Inks.

I used Block Letter Die Set to cut letter Y and U and glued them on the sides of the single bear for the whole card to read LOVE YOU, isn't it cute!

To ground my images and to give my little bears something to stand on, I cut a strip from the Valentines new release paper pack that’s full of fun colors and patterns perfect for Valentine’s cards. I glued the strip to the bottom of the card with tape runner.

I decorated all around the images with red and pink enamel dots and glued the whole panel to a slightly bigger red card stock.

Baby Boy Journal pages 7 and 8 by Reneé Matarese

 Hello Ai fans!

Today I have the next two pages in my Baby Boy Journal.
These are the 7th and 8th pages that I've made.



Some of this book is based on my son.  I honestly can't remember when he first sat up without looking in his baby book. He was obsessed with dinosaurs from about 2-8 yrs. old though so notice the "dinosaur" book in front of the mouse.  He loved to be read to.  I can remember him being about 3 years old and correcting my husband's pronunciation of the dino names...lol! He's an avid reader now as an adult. 

So...do as I say and not as I do.  I realized too late that I began gluing the pages on the right side of the journal in backwards.  Oops. You can see I tried to peel it up and it started to tear. Oh well.  It still works but, lesson learned. 

I hope you've been enjoying my journal.  It's been so much fun to make and I can't wait to start a new one.  I haven't decided on a theme yet.  There are SO MANY possibilities! 

If you've missed earlier posts just go to the bottom of this post and click the Baby Boy Journal tag and all of the previous pages will pop up.  I hope you had a great weekend!

Copics used:

RV10, B21, B45, G20, G43, Y17, Y28, Y32, E00, E23,

E41, E97, N1, N4, N6 W1, W2, W3

Marvy 100 Sapphire

 

Black Tie Affair Challenge #323 Plus- a St. Patrick's Day Sale!!

Hello Ai fans!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Whether you're Irish or not, it's a fun day to celebrate and break out your green attire!

Art Impressions wanted to help you celebrate by having a sale.

Check out the website and be sure to enter the coupon code LUCKY when you order.

Today we're kicking off our latest challenge.

This will be Reneé's 300th challenge so stay tuned next week for a special giveaway!

Before we get started, let's introduce the winners from our "You Take the Cake" challenge.

For our Top Spot we've chosen Stephanie Serrano.
She used 4130 – Picture Perfect Set from the Art Impressions Girlfriends line of stamps.

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!

Also, be sure to grab your badge to display on your blog, Facebook or Instagram!

Now for our lucky, random winner.


Consuelo “Chelin” G

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!

Now for our new challenge and our adorable feature from Bri.

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Hi Ai friends - Bri here! Today I am helping to kick off the latest Ai challenge, "Black Tie Affair." The only requirement is to make a project that is mainly black and white. My challenge feature card features the adorable bear in a tea cup from the 5005 - Valentine Bears Set. Keep reading below for more details on how I made this monochromatic card. 

For this challenge, I decided to create a simple, contrasting card design. First, I cut a 4 1/8" x 5 3/8" black panel that is matted onto an A2 solid white piece of cardstock. Next, I used the Rounded Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Die measuring approximately "3 1/2 x 4 5/8" to cut the front layer. 

After ink blending the top layer with a Hearts and Dots stencil and Pumice Stone Distress Oxide ink, I stamped the sentiment with pigment black ink. 

To finish the card, I added black and gray rhinestones for embellishment. 

To color the bear and tea cup I used two different tones of gray Copic markers to create a contrast between the cup and the cuddly bear. The colors I used are listed at the end of this post. I used warm grays (W's) for the bear and cool grays (C's) for the cup. 

I used foam tape to attach the adorable image to the card front. 

Hope you enjoy this adorable challenge feature card. Can't wait to see what you create!

Ai Products Used:

5005 - Valentine Bears Set
5062 - Rounded Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Die Set

Copic Makers Used:

C10, C8, C6, C4, C2, C0
W7, W5, W3, W1

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Thank you Bri for the wonderful, challenge inspiration.

For our Black Tie Affair challenge we're looking for any crafty creation made with mostly black and white.  You may use a pop of color if you wish. 

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!
 ✻Please include first name and last initial on your submission.
✻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

Paws to Love by Bri Firth

Hello Ai Fans - Bri Firth here! Today, I am sharing Valentine's day cards featuring the Valentine Bears Set. The hearts on the bears' shirts make this project perfect for Ai's current challenge, "We "Heart" Hearts"!

 I made two clean and simple cards featuring the same image and sentiment. One card features adorable brown bear cubs while the other card features black bear cubs. I used my Copic markers to color the image. The colors I used are listed at the end of this post. I used my white gel pen to add a little bit of design variation between the two cards. Which card is your favorite?

The sentiment is also from the Valentine Bears Set. I used pigment black ink to stamp the sentiment in the bottom center of the card front after coloring the image.

For my first card I used my W0's to color the black bear cubs. I used YG41 to add color to their eyes. Once the image was colored I used a white gel pen to add the fun polka dots to the "LOVE" letters.

For my second card I used my E50's to color the brown bear cubs. I used B41 to add color to their eyes. Once the image was colored, I used a white gel pen to add polka dots to their shirts.

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

Ai Products Used

Valentine Bears Set

Copic Markers Used

C0, C2, C4
W7, W5, W3, W1, W00
E59, E57, E55, E53, E51, E50
R29, R27, R24, R22, R20
RV17, RV14, RV13, RV11, RV10, RV02, RV00, RV000, RV0000

V17, V15, V12, V01
YR27, YR24, YR23, YR21, YR20
B41, YG41

Java Gift Card Holder and Card by Jil Lebel

 

Hello Ai fans!

I used the Java Gift Card Holder and the Valentine Bears stamp set to make a card and a gift card holder.  The Gift Card Holder series is great because they look great on a card.

I started by stamping the images onto Canson XL Watercolor paper with Versafine Clair Nocturne ink and colored them with Daniel Smith watercolors.  I then cut them out. I also stamped the sentament and cut it out with the circle from the gift card holder set.  

 I cut out the coffee cup with paper from the Kaisercraft Magenta 6"x6" paper pad.  I cut the lid from white sparkle paper.  The band of the cup is cut from Kraft cardstock.  Once everything was cut, I put the coffee cup together with glue and added the bear with foam tape. For the gift card, I cut out a gray piece of cardstock with the Envelope Gift Card Holder die and attached one of the coffee cups to it.  I cut an ombre layer from the patterned paper using the A2 Rectangle Double Stitched Dies.  I also cut a piece of gray paper with the Banner Double Stitched Dies.  I attached those pieces and a coffee cup to an A2 card.  The final touch ws to add some Crystal Stickles to the coffee cup and greeting.

Thanks for stopping by and Have a Great Day!

Happy Valentine's Day Best-Tea | By Jessica Shier

Hello Ai Fans!

It's Jessica. Happy Valentine's, Galentine's or Friday! However you are spending today, I hope it is a good one. Today I'm sharing a cute little card using the new Coffee Gift Card Holder set, Small Alpha stamps and the Valentine's Bear stamp set. I decided to use the Coffee dies as just die cuts instead of a gift card holder. I'm also making this one a tea themed card!

For this card I did do lots of stamping, coloring and inking. I have a video tutorial to share. So you can see exactly how I went about creating this one. 

Copic Markers used listed below.

I love the versatility of the Coffee Gift Card die set, there are just so many fun stamp images that you can pair with to create something similar to this one! Plus the Small Alphabet stamp set has been a fun addition to creating my own sentiments on cards, like I did here. By simply stamping U and R at the top and adding the sentiment from the Valentines Bear set "Beau-tea-ful" I created the perfect sentiment for this tea themed card.

That is all I have to share with you today. I hope you enjoyed the video tutorial! Thank you for joining me and happy stamping. 

I like you a LATTE! by Sharon Caudle

Hello AI Fans!!


Today's card features one of the adorable bears from #5005 Valentine's Bear Set from Art Impressions. Isn't he so cute peeking over the top of the cup? I stamped him out onto Cryogen white paper and then colored him with Copics (colors listed below). I also used #5134 Banner Double Stitched Dies to create a frame for him by putting two of the dies through my machine together. I love using pink and red colors together for Valentine's day!

thanks so much for stopping by for a visit today, and until next time - stay crafty!! Enjoy the Super Bowl!! Go 49ers!!! :) 

Copics used:

E33, E35, E37, E51, E53
RV32, RV34
R22, R24, R27
G43, G46

Challenge 262 Coffee Cards WEEK 2! PLUS Fall Stamp SALE! 15% Off Halloween/Thanksgiving Coupon Inside!

Hello, Ai Fans!

We are back with week 2 of our Coffee Cards challenge, but FIRST we are ready to announce the winners of last week's Win It before You Can Buy It giveaway! This lucky winner has won our entire new summer release of stamps! WOW!

The lucky winner is...

Jade Stewart!

Congrats! We have emailed you to congratulate you on your prize and arrange for shipment.

Now, let's see what our design team has made for more cards to inspire your challenge entries this week! You can click the designer's name for more information on their personal blog, and the stamps used are available at artimpressions.com! Let's take a look!

Carol with Coffee BFFs

Crystal with Hot Java Mama

Jessica with Valentine Bears Set

Jil with Sloth-some Set

Niccole with Coffee BFFs

Renee with Office Party Set

Sharon with Spring Chicken Set

If you are coffee lovers like us, then you'll likely have a stash of coffee-themed stamps that would be great for this challenge! Are you more of a tea-drinker (or hot chocolate)? That's okay, you can join us, too! Let's see your creations in this fun challenge! We always love to see what you create!

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

Fall is on the way, and many crafters are already starting on Halloween and autumn cards! Now is the perfect time to shop, as Art Impressions is offering 15% off everything in our Halloween & Thanksgiving category! Grab your favorites quick, last day to shop the sale is Monday, August 12!

Shop Here with Coupon Code FALL15

Details: Must enter coupon code FALL15 to receive 15% off items in Halloween/Thanksgiving Category. Valid on retail orders only, not valid on wholesale orders. Not valid on previous purchases. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Expires August 12, 2019 at 11:59 PT.

Happy Stamping!