It's Raining Cats and Dogs Challenge #376 Week 2

  Hello Ai fans!

Welcome to week #2 of our It's Raining Cats and Dogs challenge!!

We all love animals and this week we're honoring the Cats & Dogs.

Last week I was the featured artist and I made a dog spinner card.

5780 FB Sitting Dog

 5734 Friend Sentiment

 5543 Journal Template Die set

5811 Gift Card Pocket Dies

5592 – Harvest Journal Die Set

5588 – Journal Oval Frames Die Set

Janet used:

5341 - Black Cat GCH Set
5344 - Envelope GCH
5873 - Mini Birthday PP

Tasha used:

5101 – Dog House Cubbies

5832 – Gnome Paper Pack

5797 – Little Things Sentiment Set

Lynn used:

Small Easter Tulips (5894)

FB Sitting Dog (5780)

Birds and Bugs Set (5561)

Mini Birthday Sentiments (5866)

Decorative Journal Page 1 (5768)

Nested Rectangle Dies (5724)

Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies (5063)

Bookmark Dies (5223)

Journal Template Die Set (5543)

Easter S2 Paper Pack (5892)

She also has a video tutorial for her card HERE.

Sharon used:

5798 Gardening Girlfriends

5817 Potting Garden Shed Set

4959 WC Dogs Set

5137 and 5138 Tombow Sets

5009 WC Mini Flower Set

And now, making her Design Team debut, we have Dori!

If you scroll down to the previous post you can see her tutorial for how to make this adorable card!
There is also a video so you can see the little dog floating along.

#SC0649 - His and Hers Flying High

#SC0651 - His and Hers Campers

5062 – Rounded Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies

✻ 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! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Swinging Pup by Dori Mendiola

Happy Thursday!

Welcome to my first Design Team post.  

I had fun making an interactive card to fit with the current challenge "Raining Cats and Dogs".  

It's pretty simple and fun to make.

I began by stamping the dog images from AI sets #SC0649 - His and Hers Flying High and #SC0651 - His and Hers Campers onto cyrogen white cardstock and colored with copic markers (colors are listed below).   I then fussy cut both of the pups out.  This step is optional:  I stamped (but didn't color) a second one of each on heavy cardstock.  I fussy cut those out as well just inside the black lines and glued them behind the colored ones.  I like the stability and dimension.  

For the background, I stenciled clouds with Distress Oxide Broken China ink onto a piece of white cardstock and used the largest #5062 - Double Stitch Rounded A2 rectangle die.  I die cut three cloud panels and inked the cloud edge with the same ink.  I die cut each of the cloud panels with the rectangle die as well so that the edges would match up when layered all together.  

For the mechanism - I glued a 3/4 inch wide piece of acetate to the back of the parachute and punched a hole at the top where the pop dot will adhere through to create the swing effect.  I then trimmed up the acetate so that it won't show when the pup swings - see picture below.  I adhered one layer of the clouds directly onto the base cardstock and measured where I wanted the pup to fall.  Then I adhered a pop dot onto the base through the hole.   Place foam tape on the back side of the next cloud layer, leaving space for the swing mechanism.  Before adhering to the card, test the mechanism by holding the cloud layer over the pop dot and make sure your image swings freely.  Remove the pop dot release paper as well and the foam tape and place onto the card.  Lastly, add the last cloud layer over the top of the others. 

   

To finish my card, I added two layers of hillside with patterned paper to the bottom after cutting the bottom/side edges with the AI Double Stitched A2 Rounded rectangle die.  

 

Hope you enjoyed my initial post as an AI Design Team member as much as I enjoyed creating it.  

Have a great day!

Copics used:

E51, E53, E55, E57

B000, B02, B05, B06

Y32, Y35, Y38

R22 & R24

Spring Tulips Frame Card by Lynn Dionne

 Hello and Welcome!!!

Watch video tutorial here!!!

One day recently, I just couldn't get my creative juices flowing so I sat and colored and cut out several of the Ai Small Easter Tulips (5894). I colored many more than I needed for this card, but it did help to get me out of my slump. Sometimes I find that I just need to do something easy and calming...which for me is coloring and fussy cutting with my detail scissors. Once these tulips were all colored, I added some Wink of Stella Clear Glitter and set them aside to dry. I came back to these a few days later and they inspired me to make today's card!

Next, let's stamp the pup using the Ai FB Sitting Dog (5780) and the little bees from the Ai Birds and Bugs Set (5561) and then we can do some quick coloring.

All of the coloring today was done using the Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens in the following colors: Blender, Lt Green, Green, Yellow, Bright Yellow, Lilac, Lt Violet, Deep Red Grape, Haze Blue, Lt Pink, Beige, Mid Brown.

To make the images really pop I thought we would create a beautiful frame using the Ai Decorative Journal Page 1 Set (5768). However, this die was a solid die, so we need to cut out the center using the rectangle dies. I will show you exactly how to do this in today's video. This is a great way to extend the use of your dies in a new and fun way!

For paper today we will be using the brand-new Ai Easter S2 Paper Pack (5892). To die cut these backgrounds we will be using the Ai Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies (5063) and to cut out the rectangle frame in the center we will be using the Ai Nested Rectangle Dies (5724).

Let's assemble the card and add a few cute little sentiments using the Ai Mini Birthday Sentiment Set (5866). Lately, I have really been trying to do something a bit special on the inside of my cards as well. For this card, I added a cute little envelope using the Ai Journal Template Die Set (5543) and that gave me a fun way to add the sentiment, some tulips, and a few bees!

For a finishing touch, we can add a few sparkly embellishments around our little pup!

Thank you so much for joining me today! Have a fun and crafty day!

Ai Small Easter Tulips (5894)

Ai FB Sitting Dog (5780)

Ai Birds and Bugs Set (5561)

Ai Mini Birthday Sentiment Set (5866)

Ai Decorative Journal Page 1 (5768)

Ai Nested Rectangle Dies (5724)

Ai Rectangle A2 Double Stitched Dies (5063)

Ai Bookmark Dies (5223)

Ai Journal Template Die Set (5543)

Ai Easter S2 Paper Pack (5892)

MB School Thank You for the Elks by Reneé

 Hello Ai fans!

Have you heard of the organization called The Elks?

My husband is a member (therefore I'm a member through marriage) and they
are a WONDERFUL organization. My local lodge runs food drives, delivers gifts at Christmas
to families in need, sends oversees troops care packages and so much more. When I was in just
before Christmas they asked if my school needed any books. Well, the answer to that question is
always YES!

They asked me for a wish list. I went back to our reading specialist and she gave me her dream
wish list thinking she'd be grateful to get even a little of it.  They didn't have the funds at that 
moment but said as soon as they did, they'd let us know.  Well, guess what? When the funds
came in they had more to share than they thought they would and offered to buy us TWO of every 
book on the list. Now we can spread the books out to more classrooms or give two of the same books to the same class for kids who like to buddy read.  We were stunned and so grateful to them.

I made them a card using a bunch of Art Impressions products.

I'm planning to take it to school and have a students sign it, then get a photo of them
with the books to send to the Elks for their bulletin board. 

The card is very large, 5.5"x 8" so that lots of students can sign it. Since I wanted a very large, sturdy card, I used the Canson XL Watercolor paper. I went heavy
on the red and blue since those are our school colors.

Copics used:

BV00, YG07, RV29, Y08, YR15, YR68, E31, B24, B28

Never too Old interactive card by Sharon Caudle

 Hello AI Fans!

I've got a fun interactive card to show you today that features a couple sets from the Art Impressions Laugh Lines. If you're not familiar with the Laugh Lines, they come with an amazing image along with a TON of great sentiments that match! I actually used two different sets for this card, and I put it together with a Give it a Whirl die set. FUN! Who doesn't love interactive cards!! This was actually the first time I've made one of these cards, and learned a few things that will help me a lot with my next one. But it really does go together quite easily. You just grab the tab and spin the image around and voila! There's a super short little video below the pics so you can see how it works. The images are stamped onto cryogen white paper with Memento ink and then colored with Copic markers which are listed below. 

You can see in the next picture I messed up my pearl drops trying to take pictures of the card. I was able to remove those and replace them without any problem. So it's all good now! :) 

Isn't that so much fun??!! I didn't line it up very well on the front, so I learned it's necessary to use a template to make sure it gets lined up correctly so everything is hidden by the top piece. But other than that, it was pretty easy to assemble and it works like a charm! So that's it for me today and until next time - stay crafty!!

Copics used

E000, 00, 04, 11, 33, 35, and 37

W2, 3, and 4

YG03, 05, and 09

V12, 15, and 17

B00

R20

Nursery Rhymes Journal By Tricia

Hey Watercolor Fans,

I am so happy to share my newest watercolor journal.  I am taking another stab at Nursery Rhymes.  I re-did "Mary Had A Little Lamb" with an actual lamb.  Otherwise, these are different nursery rhymes. I did shorten some of them as I couldn't image reading some of them to children, LOL.

This one was so much fun to create.  I hope you will give some of these a try. 

Here is how I created the paintings on the cover. 

Front Cover:

I planned out where I wanted the N and R, then I penciled in the words, and masked them off.

Next, I inked them up with yellow and pink  and stamped them onto watercolor paper positioned over the words – making sure to leave space for your cow and moon and star.

Cow Jumped Over the Moon

I painted in the moon using yellow. Make sure you make the sides darker than the middle.  Using my positioner, I inked up the cow in brown and stamped him over the moon. Add a small amount of water to the cow for depth.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

I inked up the star with Yellow and stamped it down. 

I pulled the color out of the lines (N & R and star) into the background instead of into the stamp leaving it white. I added additional color (wet in wet technique) and moved it around the cow, moon and star.  Once it was completely dry, went over the words with a black marker, erased the lines, and added some white gel pen marks around the star.

Don’t forget to sign and date (and not like me where it gets covered by the clasp, lol).

Middle:

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue

I used the Roses and the Pansies (throwback set – poppy set could also be used) sets.  Using the single bloom, I randomly stamped the rose in different orientations around the frame. I made a few masks for the rose so I could tuck some underneath each other. I made sure to leave white space to add my violets.  Once the roses were stamped, I inked up the pansies (I actually did this part twice because I got wrapped up in purple and forgot the violets are blue…LOL – easy fix.  Once it was completely dry, I just added a glaze of blue over it…VIOLA! I pulled the color out of the lines making sure to leave some highlights for depth.

Back Cover:

Little Bo Peep

Using the back of the Front/Back Girl I inked her with dark blue and stamped her into the bottom corner of the page. Next, I inked the mini cabin up and stamped it on the left side of her.  The perspective of the house will depend where you place it.  I chose to put it about waist high so you see mostly sky and the house appears to be off in the distance.  I pulled the color out of the lines where the shadows would be.  Next, I added some additional color to her hat, hair and bow from my palette.  I added some green below the house and blue to the sky using the wet in wet technique. Once the sky dried completely, I painted in her staff.

I cut the journal out and used various papers from the paper packs to match the painting.

That's it.  Be sure to sign and date your paintings.  Once I complete all of the paintings, I die cut the journal and assemble.  If you want to see the rest of the journal, check out my social media and blog. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

SUPPLIES: (for the entire journal)

Birthday Fishes by Janet

It's a birthday of fishes for a guy who likes to spend lazy days trying to get the big one. Masculine cards can often be more difficult for card makers. Art Impressions has a good selection of male hobby stamp sets. The images from this set is from 4900 Reel Great Guys Set. I've had the frame die in my stash for quite a while with the intent to use it like this. The small frames are perfect for smaller and medium sized images. I drew and colored in the backgrounds for the floating dog and the fish pail. They are very simple and easy to execute.

To do this card, I lightly drew the frames of the die on alcohol marker paper cut slightly larger than the frame. Then I stamped the images in the centers of the frames and colored them. I cut three frames with the die and glued them together to get a little more depth in it. I made an A2 card out of dark brown cardstock and glued the panel and frame to it. To finish it, I added sun, fish and reel brads and drew a thin line from the tip of the reel to the Birthday Fishes sign. The brads can be found at Eyelet Outlet.

Thanks for stopping by today to see an idea for a masculine birthday card. I hope it gives you some ideas of your own. Please visit the store to see all the things you need for your card, journal, and tag making projects. Have a GREAT Saturday!

Janet - YouTube - Blog - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest 

Little Hello Card by Tasha!

 Happy Friday Ai Friends!

Tasha here sharing a Spring pop-up card featuring the new 5870 - Peeking Bunny Set. This set has quickly become a favorite and I love how the bunny image can pop up in the little flower pot.

The bunny and tulips were all cut with the included coordinating dies and colored with markers. I also added some glitter to the tulips for extra sparkle; they look so pretty!

To allow the bunny to pop up or be removed from the flower pot, I used foam tape on the tulips and a thin layer along the Botton of the pot. I also made sure not the add foam to the center of the pot so the bunny would fit. 

The greeting used "Sending a little hello" is from the 5797 - Little Things Sentiment Set and the banner is from the 5809 - Decorative Journal Page Set 2. I like the stitched border on the banner and the tiny greetings fits perfectly!

Lastly, I added frames from the 5768 - Decorative Journal Page Set 1 and layers of pretty paper. I wanted to continue with the Springtime theme, so I used pastel shades and a layer of Art Impressions floral pattern paper. This paper is beautiful and brings in so much color; I love it!

I hope you enjoyed today's project and are having a great day!

It's Raining Cats and Dogs Challenge #376 Week 1

 Hello Ai fans!

Welcome to the newest challenge here on the Art Impressions blog.

This time It's Raining Cats and Dogs!!

No rain necessary. We get enough of that where I live.

Just use Cats and/or Dogs on your project. 

Who doesn't love animals?

Before we look and see what I've made,
let's announce the winners of our Pop It Up! challenge.

For our Top Spot we selected:

#9 Stephanie Serrano 

She used:
5114 – Never Too Old Laugh Lines and AICS28 – Chocolate Therapy.

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!

Our Lucky Random Winner was:
#12 Cynthia Olheiser

She used:

5283 – Frog 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 my feature, I have a dog "spinner" type card.

These are super simple to make and I have a little picture tutorial for you.
I began by cutting an opening with the largest plain oval from the 5588 Journal Oval frames. It easily cut through the card base, colored cardstock and designer paper.

Next, I cut the scalloped frame from the same set
and pierced a hole to put my safety pin through.

I used the smaller oval from that set to cut a matte for the adorable 5780 FB Sitting Dog.
You'll see his backside in just a bit.

I added a sentiment from 5734 Friend Sentiment set that I stamped on a 

die from 5543 Journal Template Die set. On the bottom, I added a bow from 

5811 Gift Card Pocket Dies.

As promised, here's his cute little backside.

I used some of the oval "scraps" from the other pieces I cut to create a frame for the 

inside of the card and added another sentiment.

I also used a streamer from 5592 Harvest Journal Die set simply

because I think it's so cute!

I hope you'll join our It's Raining Cats and Dogs challenge!

Copics used:

N1, T5, RV91

✻ 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! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter