Monday, August 18, 2025

Vacation Vibes featuring Art Impressions Cruisin' Carol

 Hello AI Fans!

I know I probably sound like a broken record, but oh my gosh...I can't believe August is more than half way through! To me it feels like summer has just begun but the kids are already back in school! Wow! My card I'm showing you today fits right in with the current challenge "Sports and Leisure". I'm featuring #6075 Cruisin' Carol.  I stamped her with Memento Tuxedo black ink onto a Copic friendly cardstock and then colored her with the markers listed below. Do you love staycations as much as I do? Carol is definitely on a staycation in her own backyard in this card! That's me...give me a cocktail and my awesome patio, and I'm in heaven just relaxing in my chair! This was so easy to make! I just inked a cloudy summer sky using a stencil and then added a strip of die cut grass. Unfortunately, my fence kind of blends into the sky, I should have used a different color of cardstock instead of white. 




So that's it for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit and until next time - stay crafty!!

Copic markers used:
E000, 00, 04, 11, 33, 50, and 53
R01, 02, 35, 81, 83, and 85
B000 and 00
BG11, 13, 15, 45, and 49
YG13 and 17



Thursday, August 14, 2025

Interactive Pickleball game featuring Pickleball Patty from Art Impressions

 Hello AI Fans!

I'm super excited to be able to introduce you to our brand new Challenge #410 - Sports and Leisure!! The recently released AI People are all perfect for this challenge!! And actually so are a LOT of other Art Impressions Stamp Sets. But I chose to use the beautiful #6074 Pickleball Patty along with her twin sister Peggy!! LOL! I created Peggy by stamping a reverse image of Patty. Before stamping, I removed the ink from the ball. After stamping, I just used one of my Copic multiliner pens to finish the lines of the paddle. I'll tell you a little tidbit about Patty and Peggy, they actually believe that Serena and Venus doesn't hold a candle to their own sportsmanship and talent! There's nothing better than a confident and kind woman!! 😁 I'll be very honest, this one took me a few (cough, cough)  hours of my brain power and gluing talent. There were quite a few "rip it off and start this one again" moments. But I must admit that I love how it turned out.  I knew the type of card I wanted to make, but wasn't quite sure how I was going to go about getting it. So that's a big reason for all the trial and error. The first thing I knew I wanted to do was make a center stairstep card. If you would like to know the dimensions of the cuts and folds, just ask. I'll be happy to supply them. 💛 Please just message me an email for a reply.  

I'll start you out with a picture of the finished card, and then I will break down the process for you. There is a pull tab that will pull Peggy (the one on the far left in the yellow cap) across the front of the card so it looks like (with a little imagination that is) that she is running up to the net in defense. At least that was my goal. LOL! 



In the image below, you can see the center stairstep card after I'd added some decorative paper and the net across the center opening. To make the net, I simply ordered some netting material from Amazon and then cut a strip about the width I was looking to make the net. I then cut two strips of paper 1/2" wide and 6" long and scored it down the center at 1/4". I simply folded over at the score and added a healthy amount of Art Glitter Glue, pressed the netting up into it keeping it fairly straight, and then put a heavy weight on it until it dried. I used a heavy weight cardstock for it as I wanted it to be nice and sturdy.  Once that  side is fully dried, do the exact same to the bottom of the net. The slide channel that is cut at the bottom of the card front is the part of the mechanism that will allow Peggy to run across the front of the card. It is hidden by the green grass panel that is popped up in order to give the mechanism the room to work. 




Peggy is attached to the pull tab by using a strong piece of acetate. 



Patty is getting ready to slam one over to Peggy! LOL! 


Peggy is sensing what Patty is about to do, so she's ready to move over to the other side of the court to be ready!  I added a tree and fence die cut to both sides of the stairstep card. 



And there she goes!! 


Now I did find that with all the weight that was added to this card, it did not want to stand up straight. So I came up with an easy fix for that.  I decided about how far I wanted the card to spread out and measured the distance. I figured I wanted a two inch spread about half way down the card. So I cut two pieces of heavy weight cardstock four inches long. I scored it at 1", 2" and 3". So fold it as mountain, valley, and mountain. Burnish your folds, then glue them inside the card where you want them. These pieces will fold flat with the rest of the card, but it also keeps the card from splatting flat on the table. 



So that's it for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit and until next time - stay crafty!!


Copic markers used:
E000, 00, 04, 11, 17, 33, 97, and 99
BV000, 01, 02, and 04
RV32 and 34
Y26, 32, 35, and 38
G24
T1, 2, 4, and 6
R02 and 20

Monday, August 11, 2025

Swinging Through Retirement featuring Art Impressions Stamps and dies

 Hello AI Fans!!

I sure hope you're enjoying your summer! The weather here has been remarkable and I have truly loved sitting outside and enjoying the breezes!! The card I've got for you today is for those golfers we have in our lives. I am very recently retired, so I am just getting to realize the joy that comes with it. I will say though, that the days just seem to fly by!! Nothing like when I was working and the work day seemed to be two days long! LOL!  I used one of the brand new AI People #6080 Birdie Betty!! I can't even begin to tell you how much I ADORE Bonnie's characters!! She amazes me with her talent! I am having soooo much fun coloring up these beauties!!  I stamped her onto a Copic friendly paper and then colored her up with the markers I've listed for you below. I then cut her out using #5727 Nested oval dies and then matted that with #6046 Scalloped Oval Dies.  The sentiment was stamped onto white cardstock cut out using #6045 Scalloped Circled Dies and then mounted onto a mat cut with the same set. I added the striped panel matted with a piece trimmed using the scalloped edge die from #5543 Journal Template Die Set. I almost forgot to let you know that I used #5955 Encouragement PP. Isn't this paper just gorgeous??!! 




So that's it for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit and until next time - stay crafty!!

Copic markers used:
E000, 00, 02, 04, 11, 13, 53, 55, and 57
BV000, 00, 01, 02, and 04
BG13, 15, and 18
R20
Y26
V04
C1, 2, and 3
N2, 3, and 6






Monday, August 4, 2025

Lie about my age?? NEVER! :) featuring Art Impressions stamps and dies

 Hello AI Fans!!

Ok, who is really honest about how old they are? I must admit, I am. LOL! I've earned every one of my gray hairs in my 68 years on this earth and I'm proud to say it.  I love Bonnie's funny stamps and sentiments and used a great one for my card I'm showing you today. It also happens to fit right into the new challenge Stitches and Scallops! I started with #5114 Never Too Old set from Art Impressions Laugh Lines. After stamping her with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, I colored her with Copic markers which I've listed for you below. At the end of this post, you will find a list of links to the products I used to create the card. It's kind of hard to see, but I swirled my Copic blending pen around on her dress to try and make it look like a brocade. I just thought she looks like she would wear a brocade dress. :) 




So that's it for me today. Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit and until next time - stay crafty!!

Copic markers used:
E000, 00, 11, 21, and 23
B00, 93, 95, 97, and 99
R02, 20, 81, 83, and 85
YG61 and 63
W3, 4, and 5




Monday, July 14, 2025

Art Impressions new Corner Bookmark Die Set

 Hello AI Fans!

If you haven't seen the new Corner Bookmark Die set from Art Impressions, I think you're in for a real treat!! These are so beautiful and look amazing when you slip it into your book to mark your page. Just grab a few pages in your book and slip it right over the corner.  They go together so easily and I think they make a big impression when you see them. They're beautiful either painted with your water colors or with Copic markers as these are. I just had fun and chose some cute images from the Mushroom Cubbies to use on this batch.  But I really love the one I made just using the flower dies that come with the Bookmark Set. I think a set of these would be a perfect gift for that book lover in your life!! 







 




Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit today and until next time - stay crafty!!




Monday, July 7, 2025

Rusty Bucket of Flowers featuring Art Impressions

 Hello AI Fans!!

I hope you've had a wonderful weekend and a safe and happy 4th of July if you celebrate! So, who doesn't love old rusty buckets, daisies, and gnomes?! LOL! I created a cute summer scene for you today using several different sets from Art Impressions. I started out using the bucket from 5597 Harvest Wheelbarrow Set. When I stamped it onto my Copic friendly paper, I also stamped another one onto masking paper. After applying the mask, I stamped one set of the daisies from 5918 Floral Long Stem Bouquet Set and also created a mask for that stamp.  That allowed me to stamp another set of them on the other side of the bucket to fill it up. Have you seen the new Winsor & Newton Gold Paint that Art Impressions is carrying now? Gorgeous and so easy to use! I grabbed it and a butterfly from 5981 My Joy Set. I messed one of them up (sad face), but I still love the way they look! I also added the paint to the centers of the flowers, the leaves, and the belt and button on one of the gnomes! I love the glimmer it added to the card! 






So that's it for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit and until next time - stay crafty!!





Monday, June 30, 2025

Hello card featuring Art Impressions Dies

 Hello AI Fans!! 


Today I have a card to show you where I didn't touch a single Copic marker! A highly unusual circumstance for me LOL!! I created it using several die sets from Art Impressions and some of their beautiful paper. There are no stamped images, but there is lots of dimension. For the flowers, bee, and ladybug, I used #6041 Flower and Bug Dies. I just cut the flower out of two different complimentary papers for each individual flower and offset them. The fence is from using #5807 Journal Fence Dies. I cut three of them since two didn't quite fit all the way across my paper. So I cut the center plank out of the third die cut leaving the cross planks attached to it and glued it in between the other two fences, right in the center of the card. The "Hello" die cut is from #5408 Shadowbox Window Die. This die works perfectly with all the Windows to the World stamp sets! 







So that's it for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit and until next time - stay crafty!!




Monday, June 23, 2025

Leon Day Challenge at Art Impressions

 Hello AI Fans!

So have you ever heard of Leon Day? I just recently learned myself, so I wouldn't be surprised if you have not. It's actually Noel spelled backwards, and since June 25th is half way to Christmas, Art Impressions is having a Leon Day challenge. Make anything you want for the holidays and get a head start! As you know, Christmas will be here before you know it!  So I created a little decoration that is perfect to put in a small space in your home or on your desk at work. I love that this can be tucked just about anywhere to bring that festive feeling to life! I started out by using 5902 Mini Scalloped Frame Dies cutting the frame out of a heavy weight cardstock. I then cut a piece of 5853 Christmas Magic PP to layer on top. Instead of using the oval dies that came with the Mini Scalloped Frame set, I grabbed 5727 Nested Oval Dies and used those to layer it up.  I used one size smaller to place inside the top layer, and to create some dimension, I popped it up with a layer of foam tape from the bottom. The adorable images are from 5459 Christmas Mice Set. I stamped them onto a Copic friendly paper using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then colored them with Copic markers. The Christmas Mice set comes with matching dies, so it was so easy to cut them out and place them into the frame. I wanted it to look like he was singing, so used the Jingle Bells sentiment from 5566 Christmas Sentiments Set, and just repeated it below, offsetting it a bit. I just used a black marker to hand draw some musical notes (sorry, I didn't do a very good job with those). 







So that's it for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit and until next time - stay crafty!!





Monday, June 16, 2025

Happy 1st Birthday featuring Art Impressions

 Hello AI Fans!

I have a card today that celebrates someone turning one year old. That precious little girl is from 5185 Baby Girl Set. It's an older set, but is so dang cute!! I stamped the image onto a Copic friendly paper with Memento Tuxedo black ink and then colored it with Copic markers which are listed for your convenience below. The sentiment is from 5866 Mini Birthday Sentiment Set. I just cut it out with my trimmer and popped it up onto a tag from 5132 Tag Stitched Die Set. That beautiful paper is from 6057 Baby Girl PP, and the word ONE was die cut using the new 5910 Large Letter Dies. 





So that's it for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit, and until next time - stay crafty!!


Copic markers used:
E000, 00, 11, 21, 23, 33, 51, and 53
BV00, 01, 02, and 04
RV32 and 34
G43
B00
BG11 and 13
R02 and 20
T1 and 2








Monday, June 9, 2025

Hi Friend featuring Art Impressions

 Hello AI Fans!!

I have a card for you today that goes along with the current challenge Blossoms & Blooms. If you haven't checked out Dori's amazing creation for her feature for this challenge, please do yourself a favor and click HERE to see it. It's jaw dropping gorgeous and so creative!

I don't know if you've noticed I've really been using a lot of Girlfriends images for the past several challenges! And here I am again, LOL! This time, I used 5798 Gardening Girlfriends Set. I stamped the image onto a Copic friendly paper, and then again on a piece of masking paper. After carefully placing the mask over my Girlfriends, I inked up 56361 WC Gazebo Set, and stamped it offsetting it a little behind the ladies. I love this technique cause it never fails to amaze me how it looks when I remove the mask. After I colored up the image, I chose a couple flower bunches from the Front Door Line of stamps and colored them. After fussy cutting them out, I placed them on the image so it looked like they were in the pots the Girlfriends are holding. I also placed an extra pot in the lower corner of the image. 




So that's it for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit today and until next time - stay crafty!! 
Copics used:
E000, 00, 04, 11, 19, 33, 35, 37, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 97, and 99
R02, 81, 83, and 85
G24, 28, 43, and 46
V20, 22, and 25
BG45 and 49
Y26, 32, 35, and 38
B00
W2, 4, and 6
C1 and 2






Monday, June 2, 2025

Say Cheese featuring Art Impressions

 Hello AI Fans!


I sure hope you enjoyed your weekend and that the weather is cooperating with you wherever you are! I had to break down this weekend and turn on the air conditioning for a bit! My favorite times are when it's in the 70's and there's a nice breeze and I can open up the windows and doors! 

My card for today features another one of the fabulous sets from the Girlfriends line! This is #4130 Picture Perfect Set. I started by stamping the image onto a Copic friendly paper and then coloring it with Copic markers. I cut them out using 5725 Nested Square Dies and then backed it with 6047 Scalloped Square Dies. I used a "say cheese" die from my stash and cut it out four times to make home made chipboard sentiment. I love doing that! It creates wonderful dimension on  your card! 




So that's it for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit and until next time - stay crafty!!