Feeling Blue Challenge Week #1

Welcome to week one of our newest challenge,

Feeling Blue.

Don't worry.  We're not sad.  We just want to see all of the blues for the next two weeks!

Maybe you prefer powder blue, maybe midnight blue...maybe all of them?

We just want you to use lots of blue on your project.
Blue paper, blue ink, blue paint, blue embellishments...

whatever you like!

Our Featured Designer for this challenge is Nina and she has two FABLULOUS cards for you.

Before we see what she's made, we need to announce the winners of our All Wrapped Up challenge.

For our Top Spot, we selected De F.

She made the cutest birthday card using 5455 – Birthday Buggy Set!

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!

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

Now for our Lucky Random Winner.

#7 Kathy A.

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!

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

Now for the MAIN FEAUTURE!

Nina often uses blue and does it very well, so we knew this challenge would be perfect for her!
She did NOT disappoint! Let's see what she made...

 Hello Ai fans, Nina here with fun projects for our new challenge "Feeling Blue". It is such an inspiring challenge. I had so many sets that would fit perfectly for it. I choose two main sets to create two projects and then decorated them with more sets.

I started with this Miss You Card where I used the Boy Front and Back set from the new release and stamped the front image of the boy with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and my Mini Misti.

I colored the image with Copic Markers using these shades:

Yellows: Y06 Y08

Oranges: YR68 Y17

Jeans: B45 B21

Boots: E99 YR24

Bench: E27 E29

Red: R27 R29

Blue Green: BG13 BG15

To create the sky background I used a scrap of paper and blended Mermaid Lagoon and Speckled Egg Distress inks using my ink blender. For visual texture I then sprayed it with water to make some spots of ink to react with water.

I die cut the leaves frame from the Leaves Die set from white paper and glued it to my sky background.

I also die cut the leaves and mushrooms that came with the same set and colored then with same Copic shades I used for the boy image and glued them here and there around the frame.

Our boy needed a bench to sit on so I used the wooden plank die from the mini Fence Set to die cut it from white paper and I colored it with E27 and E29 Copics.

I attached the boy to the bench with foam tape to give dimension behind the boy and attached it to the sky background.

I then used enamel dots to decorate here and there. I then attached it the little card to a blue card base and added alphabet stickers to write "Miss You" t the bottom.

 

I also creatd another project for this fun challenge using Birdhouse Neighborhood set to create a new page for my Friendship Polaroids Art Journal.

I stamped the lovely image of the birdhouses and colored them with these Copic shades:

Yellows: Y06 Y08

Oranges: YR68 Y17

House 1: B45 B21

House 2: BG10 BG13 BG15 

House 3: B06 B04

House 4: B04 B02

House 5: B28 B24

Brown: E99 YR24

Greens: YG17 YG23 YG68

Greys for the fence: C1 C3 C4

Sky Blue: B01

I cut all around my image and placed it on a bigger white scrap of paper to make it like a polaroid picture and attached it with foam tape on a background that I cut using the Double stitched round rectangle die set.

To decorate all around my polaroid photo I cut and colored flowers, tabs and banners using journal dies, Journal rectangle frames dies and journal oval frames from white, teal and blue colors.

With this cute bird waiting on the roof of his little birdhouse I thought of a fun sentiment that says: I'd climb rooftops for you :) I printed it from my label maker and attached it to a white paper which I colored its edges with E99 to match with the image and attached on the tag.

After Nina's inspiration, we hope you're feeling blue, in a GOOD way!
Link up your blue project below for the chance to win a free stamp set of your choice.

Good luck!  We can't wait to see what you make.

✻ Please make a new card or handmade crafty creation. You can make any 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 your 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!

Join our challenge by linking up below.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Blessed & Grateful by Niccole

Hello Ai fans!!

I am stopping by today to share a card I made using the Birdhouse Neighborhood, the WC Sentiment Set 2, and the Circle Double Stitch Dies. 

I started by stamping my Birdhouse Neighborhood stamp set on the middle of my kraft card base. I colored my image with my Polychromos colored pencils. I moved on to my watercolor piece. I started by blending my ink onto the watercolor paper.  I only used two colors and blended them to make the middle color. I cut a circle with my Circle Double Stitched Dies and glued it so it was centered onto my card base with my Birdhouse Neighborhood image showing.    

 I added Wink of Stella to the whole colored area.  I wanted to make the image pop and I figured what better way than to add Wink of Stella to it ... I mean who doesn't love a little sparkle?

As you can see in the picture above I stamped my Blessed & Grateful sentiment to my one inch banner strip I made using the WC Sentiment Set 2 . I glued down the left side of my sentiment strip and I raised the banner side up with one layer of foam tape.  I absolutely love when I can do this to an image or sentiment.  It give so much dept to the card and to my sentiment strip with hardly any effort. What do you think?  Like it? 

I finished my card off with some Crystal Nuvo Drops.  This has been my go-to embellishment lately.   I added the same three colors as my card front, I just varied the color so red wasnt on red and so forth.

Here is one more look at the full card.  I love this card can be almost anything from a miss you card, a thank you card, a friendship card, or even a new home card. 

Thank you so much for spending part of your Wednesday with me.  Please come back again soon and see what we are up to here at Art Impressions.

Faber Castell Polychromos used:

All of these are the 9201 series
Red - 121, 217
Orange - 109, 111, 115
Yellow - 107, 184
Green - 165, 168, 171, 
Blue - 140
Gray - 233, 274
Brown - 176, 177, 180, 283

Until next time ... Hugs & inky fingers!

Challenge 165: Create a Card Set!

Hello Ai Fans!

It's a fantastic time for a challenge! Before we jump in, lets see how things went last week with the "In with the New" challenge winners!

Our Top Spot is awarded to...
AmyWho

Congratulations, Amy! We love how fresh you made summer with our Beach TF Set! Feelin' the ocean breeze... Contact annelise@artimpressions.com with your address to claim your prize pack!

Our Honorable Mentions go to ...

Karen Amidon

Kalla Walla

Congratulations to the both of you! What vibrant coloring work on the Birdhouse Neighborhood, Karen! And Kalla, this Buzzard looks like he needs some birthday cake! Be sure to contact annelise@artimpressions.com with your address and a set of your choice as a prize!

And now time for another challenge. Come join the fun!

Lets be honest--how many of us could make cards all day? Well here's your excuse! This challenge we want to see a set of cards! Lets see what Karen has been up to this week!

Hello Ai challenge fans!!  When I heard that we were making card sets for this week's challenge, I immediately thought of the Windows to the World collection of Art Impressions stamps, and came up with the idea of doing one for each season - so here are winter, spring, summer & fall:

Here are Lighthouse Window (Sku #M3175) and Christmas Village Window (Sku # M3184)

Here are Antiques Window (Sku #M4587) and Gazebo Window (Sku #M3174)

Whenever I make a set of cards as a gift, I like to make a little coordinating holder, so I made this fun little file folder that holds all four cards & their envelopes:

 I started with a  10 1/2" x 6"piece of kraft cardstock, scoring it 4 1/2" in from each side; and I cut a curvy shape off each upper corner.  The base piece is 7" x 2 1/2", scored 2" up from the bottom, with 1/2" flaps scored to fold and glue it together:

 Here it is decorated and ready to assemble (oh, and the best part is that all it takes is one piece of  8 1/2 x 11" cardstock and some scraps to decorate it:

So get crafting and show us your card sets! 

Lovely, Karen! I'm loving the consistency between your cards, yet each is unique! Okay, now it's your turn to make! We want to see you create a set of at least three similar cards. They can be similar in style or color, have a theme, or use the same stamp....use your creativity! The key to a good card set is cohesion. Join the fun and add a photo to our InLinkz below!

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 Wednesday, August 12 at 5:00 p.m. PST to enter your creations.

✻ Good luck and happy stamping!

An InLinkz Link-up

Birdhouse Neighborhood by Sherry Eckblad

Hello Ai Fans!

I recently added the Birdhouse Neighborhood (Sku#3312) to my collection of Ai Stamps and thought I better ink it up before it was too late and we were full into winter here in the states.

I love Clean and Simple cards and white cardstock is my go to item when I am making a card.

This image was perfect for just embossing and then using my distress markers to watercolor the entire image.

The finished card measures 4x4.

A really quick card that came together in about 15 minutes.

Birdhouse neighborhood	versamark	Distress markers	*Neenah Classic Crest 80 LB SUPER SMOOTH SOLAR WHITE Paper Pack 25 Sheets	Fine Black Embossing Powder	*Precision Heat Embossing Emboss Tool Gun Hero Arts PW200
Inkadinkado Embossing Magic Bag	*Pentel AQUASH BRUSH SMALL Fine Point Watercolor	Tracing Wheel

InLinkz.com

Fall CAS card by Kerry

Hello and happy Monday!  

I'm totally inspired by the beautiful fall weather and the leaves are starting to change their colors.

So, here is a CAS card using one of my favorite from the Windows of the World collection, this is called Birdhouse neighborhood (SKU# M3312).

I stamped the Birdhouse neighborhood with archival ink on watercolor paper and I colored it with watercolor pencils.  I used the fall leaves embossing folder and finished it up with a piece of twine.  

Viola!

Hope you like it and have a great day!

InLinkz.com