Christmas

 The final challenge for 2022 at Art Impressions is called "That's a Wrap".  I can't believe that we are at the end of another year.  This year has flown by and I remember my mother always telling me that the older you get, the faster the time goes.  Boy, she was right again!  The only thing is:  I didn't think I was getting older.  😁

  Anyway... back to the challenge.  I chose to use the Art Impressions Chubby Snowmen stamp and die set.  I am a sucker for snowmen and this has got to be the cutest set ever.  Love the fact that it comes with dies for the images.  Huge plus!  

I stamped the images on cryogen white cardstock and colored with copic markers.  I then die cut the images out and also cut a blank out of heavy cardstock to mount behind the colored image.  I make many Christmas cards so this was a time saver instead of using foam tape (cost savings too).  I used a birch tree die cut, from my stash, for the background and framed it with a stitched rectangle die from Art Impressions.  I also cut the snow hill using the inside piece of the rectangle.  I made the snowy background from a trick by Jennifer McGuire.  Using a laminator, sprinkle a dusting of embossing powder in between the laminating envelope and run it through the laminator.  As it runs through, it melts and creates the snow effect.  Genius!  I then glued the birch tree die to the laminated sheet and onto a blue cardstock for the background.  Mounted it all onto a gray mat and then onto a red mat and finally onto a white A2 card.  Lots of layers, but I love it!

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!  

Happy Halloween

 The two-week challenge at Art Impressions is "Stencils or Mask".  This was a fun challenge for making backgrounds.  Especially at Halloween since my go to is to mask a moon for a night sky.  Always love the way this turns out, slightly different every time.

I used the witch, pumpkin and sentiment from the Art Impressions Peek A Boo stamp set as well as used several dies from various other Art Impressions sets - Fence dies and a couple bat dies from two other AI stamp sets.  The haunted tree die was from my stash.  I used a circle die to create the moon mask and inked my background with distress oxide inks then removed the mask and used mustard seed distress oxide ink for the moon, leaving a little of the white to create a glow.  I also spattered diluted white paint over the whole background.  I die cut two fences and pieced them together to create a wider fence.  The witch and pumpkin were stamped on cryogen white cardstock and colored with copic markers then cut out with the corresponding dies that come with the set.  I also die cut both images with heavy cardstock and glued to the colored image for more stability.  I popped the pumpkin up with foam tape and put the witch on a wobble.  

I love making Halloween cards, hope you do too!  

Masculine card

 This week the challenge at Art Impression is "Let's hear it for the Boys".  Today is my husband's birthday so the timing was perfect for this challenge.  He loves to golf so I picked the Art Impression's Golfer Gordon stamp set to make his card.  This image is soooo darn cute, he just makes me smile.  My husband got a good chuckle out of the sentiment.

I stamped the image on cryogen white cardstock and colored him with copic markers.  Masculine cards are fun to make because they are so simple, although I rarely make them.  Why is that?  Guess women just seem to enjoy them more than men and probably appreciate them more too.  Either way, I like making both.

Hope you decide to create a masculine card so that you can enter the challenge with me.

Have a great day!

Buttons and Bows

 This week's challenge at Art Impressions is Buttons and Bows.  I choose to use a golden oldie stamp set of Art Impressions called Golden Gramma.  This is an old stamp set and, unfortunately, it is discontinued, but it one of my favorites.  She is the true depiction of a granny, with the curlers from years past and all.  Picture your gramma running after you to give you one of those best gramma hugs ever.  Those were the days! 😂

I stamped the image on cryogen white cardstock and colored her with copic markers.  Since I love shape cards, I decided to get out my silhouette machine.  Such an easy way to create any shape you want and then make it into a card.  I used a punch from my stash to make the border.  

Hope you enjoy my card and it makes you think of your gramma.

Dynamic Duo

 Art Impressions is having a great and fun challenge this week.  It's called "Dynamic Duo" and the point of the challenge is to combine multiple stamp sets into one creative project.  What a fun way to see how your stamps can work together.  

I utilized an oldie but a goodie stamp, Eunice is her name.  I just love her!!  I also utilized the banner from Holiday Mansion Birthday set #5097, the wine hat from the Mrs. Set #5405 and the saying #F3472.  

Both the Mrs. Set and the Holiday Mansion Birthday Sets come with coordinating dies.  Eunice was a old stamp that I had to fussy cut so that the hat would fit over her hair.  Art Impressions stamps are easy to fussy cut so that's a simple task.  This hat, as well as the others in the Mrs. Set, will work with many of the Art Impressions ladies.  You may just have to fussy cut the lady or at least the top of the head to make the hat fit.  That is what makes this challenge so fun, gets your creative juices flowing and the end result will give you good laughs as well as a nice way to change your images.  

I stamped the images on cryogen white paper and colored with my copic markers. I also paper pieced Eunice's shirt.  I stamped the saying on cardstock and cut with the Art Impressions Double Stitched Banner die #5134.

Now that I have tried Eunice with the hats, I'm ready to try some of the other AI ladies.  For example, the Be Happy Laugh lines lady.  This challenge has sparked a monster in me!  Yikes!

Try out this challenge with your stamp sets.  Bet you'll have fun creating! 

Think Pink

 This two-week challenge at Art Impressions is "Pretty in Pink".  These challenges are quite fun because they make you create outside your box.  This one, however, was on the easier side for me since I create a lot of feminine cards, not that you can't create a masculine card in pink.  Check out Sharon Caudle's (design team) card for this challenge.  Love the pink shirts on the men.  It's awesome!!

  I utilized an old Art Impressions stamp set, Little Princess, which I purchased at the AI warehouse sale a couple of years ago.  This stamp set made for a great baby girl shower card and isn't she 'pretty in pink'?  Such a little cutie!

I stamped this little cutie on cryogen white paper and colored her with copic markers.  Easy coloring, which is always a plus.  😀 The background die frame is from my stash.  

Hope you enjoy my card!  Have a great day!

Perfect Plaid

 This week's challenge at Art Impressions is "Perfect Plaid" - any plaid will do.  I went with a masculine card with a plaid background.  I created a card for my husband with the Art impression's Bummer stamp set.  Thought he'd get a kick out of the bottom half.  😁Check out the second picture below.  Who doesn't love an interactive card and a wobble bottom?  I also utilized the double stitch circle dies from Art Impressions.

I stamped the images and colored with copic markers.  I fussy cut his bottom half and placed it on an action wobble.   The card is a simple z fold card with partial die cutting of the circle.  You can watch a you tube video that shows how to do this.  I often watch Jennifer McQuire, Sam Calcott or Lynn Dionne (Pink Whispers Designs), who is a designer for Art Impressions.  They all have great inspirational videos.

Hope you enjoy my card for this challenge.  Make sure to check out the Art Impressions blog to see all of the entries and the design team creations.

Elephants are great

 This week's challenge at Art Impressions is "Zoo Crew" - any project with animals.  I can never have enough images of elephants.  Don't know why I'm drawn to them, but I just love them.  So, for this challenge I used the Art Impressions Elephant Twist Tie (#4985) stamp set.  This set is sooo versatile and comes with a die to partial cut the elephants to form the twist of the trunks.  By using the die, you can then fussy cut the remaining part of the elephants and use each of them individually.  Also, soooo easy to color.  I have used this stamp set for soooo many occasions!

I made this card for a friend's new baby girl.  This set is sooo cute for either a boy or a girl, just change the color theme from pink to blue (or any color of choice).  The twist tie cards create a trifold card with a heart shape window.  The twist of the trunks hold the card closed.  Such a cute creative card!  

Enjoy and Happy 4th!

Giggle

 Art Impressions is having a challenge this week called  "Tickle Our Funny Bone".  I love funny cards and sentiments so this will be fun to see the entries!  Art Impressions has great images that make you giggle just looking at their expressions. You can find such great sentiments to go with their expressions that will just bring a smile to your face.  

I made this card for a girlfriend of mine.  Four of us were on a trip and we had to call the paramedics.  Well, we sure enjoyed the view when they showed up and almost forgot what we called them for.  Haha!  We all joke about it now but we won't forget how cute they were.

I used a retired Art Impressions image that I purchased at their warehouse sale a couple of years ago.  I can't remember the name of this golden oldie, but loved her expression and thought it went great with this saying.

Hope this card makes you giggle!

Balloons, balloons, balloons

 Happy Monday!  Hope all the mom's out there had a wonderful Mother's Day!

This week's challenge at Art Impressions is "Up Up and Away" and I used my most favorite stamp set of Art Impressions.  It's called "Lifetime set - 4728".  I have used this stamp set for every man in my life at one time or another.  I just think he is hilarious and spunky.

I colored this image with copic markers and made the balloons with balloon dies I had on hand.  Attached twine to each of the balloons and tied them in a bow.  I then glued the bow into his hand to look like he was holding them.  The sentiment came from the Art Impressions stamp set "Birthday Hat" which has been discontinued.

Hope you enjoy my card.

Fun with Flowers

 Good Morning all!  Today I'm sharing my card for the Art Impression's challenge of the week - Fun with Flowers.  I used the Art Impression's "Got Style" stamp set.  I just LOVE the ladies in this image!  Who am I kidding?  I LOVE all the ladies in the AI stamp sets.  They just depict so much of myself and my girlfriends.  Crazy and fun!!

There are great sentiments from this set as well.  Two of which I utilized for this card.

Hope you enjoy!

Girlfriends

 This week's challenge at Art Impressions is asking to feature women.  How easy is that with all of the fantastic Girlfriends stamp sets by Art Impressions.  I used the "Comfy on the Couch" set which actually has 4 girlfriends sitting on the couch.  I eliminated one (by cutting her out and splicing the image together) so that it would reflect my friendship with two of my best buddies.  This actually went together pretty easily.  This was so perfect for us.  The saying is from the "Dance it out Laugh Lines" set.  Great saying!

I paper pieced the couch and colored the girlfriends with copic markers.  Created the rug by cutting the patterned paper with the edge die and rounding it off to look like a rug.  Always trying to be creative but not really sure how well it turns out.  😁  Guess it doesn't really matter as long as I have fun doing it.

Hope you enjoy my card and it gives you a little inspiration to try something different with your stamps and dies.

Have a great weekend.