Boy oh Boy Challenge Diaper Bag

 Hello Ai fans!

Today I have a little experiment to share with you.
I was wanting to make a baby card for the Boy oh Boy! challenge
and I got the idea to use the tool bag as a diaper bag.

I'm pleased with how it turned out.

The die that cuts out the bag also cuts slits to place the tools in. The tools

are smaller than the baby items I included, so I cut some of the slits open

a little larger with a craft knife. It worked perectly.

I used the new silver paint to add accents to the bag and to paint

the pin so it would look more real.

So far, this card is for no one in particular. The only baby on the way

in my life is the next door neighbors daughter and she's having a girl.

I know it'll come in handy at some point though.

Enjoy your day!

You CAN add sparkle and bling to masculine projects!

Hello Ai fans!

You have just about a day left to enter our We 💚 Dads! challenge. Make a Father's Day project or something masculine. You might win a free stamp set! 

Today I've made a dies only card that shows you CAN use sparkle
and bling on a masculine card too!

I used Platinum Stickles and Diamond Dots in several different shades,
to add interest to my card. I also used gold paper on the #1 and the trophy,

and Wink of Stella on the sailboat.

I LOVE the new scalloped square dies to frame the nested squares and stitched squares.
They're so pretty!

The waves were created using a border die from 5543 – Journal Template Die Set.

I love this sort of rustic Americana color theme for guys. Especially since Father's Day usually falls near Flag Day which was my grampy's birthday. (Just so you know...Blogger wanted to autocorrect grampy's to grumpy's! lol!) My grampy was not grumpy!

 

Just a Mermaid and Her Treasures!

 Hello Ai fans!

I've loved this little mermaid since the moment I saw her.

How precious is this card for a little girl's birthday?

Or a big girl...we can all love mermaids!

I know we often hear about octopuses collecting little trinkets and sparkly things but I kind of feel like mermaids probably do that too. I made sure to deck out her space with all sorts of shells and treasures.

Even though my card has a lot going on, I feel like she is still the star. The dies that come with this set cut a little opening in her arms to hold her beloved conch shell or treasure chest or anything else you might think she'd enjoy.

I recently did an Easter craft at school and took one of my chalk palettes. It reignited my interest in them. I used them to add some subtle color to my embossing folder and die cuts.

Do you repurpose items from around your house for your cards? For the fish netting here, I used a sleeve that 3 heads of garlic came in.

This last photo is just for fun. When my daughter saw my card she remarked that it looked like our tissue box.  LOL! Maybe Joel uses Kleenex too and was inspired by the box for his paper! 

P.S. Let me tell you! I DID NOT SPEND ALMOST $9.00 on this tiny bag of shells that I added to my card. Over 10 years ago, these were gifted to me by a co-worker. I can't believe they're still available and I can't believe how expensive they are. Thank goodness for Art Impressions VERY reasonably priced 5329 – Beach Mini Dies. I can color those however I like and make as many as I want.

I made a second, slightly different version because I remembered that I had the nautical wax melt stamper and wanted to add that. I like this version too.

Copics used:

G40, BG02, BG07, E34, RV42, RV52, R000, R85, Y04, Y15

Marvy LePlume:

R810 IVORY, R812 APRICOT, OR821 BEIGE

Livin' that Lake Life! from Art Impressions

Serenity is found when you escape to your favorite place.

My father-in-law has been having a bit of a rough time lately.

His happy place was always the lake where he built
 a home for his family in the 1980's.
For the past 20+ years we've rented a cottage on that lake so he could "come home" each summer.  No one rents their cottage anymore and he can no longer travel from Florida so it's the end of an era.

I used 5093 – Dock Circlet MTF and 5064 – Circle Double Stitched Dies.

I made him a card that hopefully brought back some happy memories for him.

He's a retired "IBMer" and decided it was worth an hour commute each way Monday through Friday to raise his family on a peaceful, serene lake.  I jumped outside my comfort zone and watercolored this image.  I didn't do it the Art Impressions Way but I did use Tombow Markers.

Tombows used:

856, 679, 528, 158, 126, 526, 992, #4 Brush



As a bonus,  I also have a card that I made to thank my online friend Ruthan Plant who has sent me several, wonderful, cards and gifts over the past few years!

I used a retired Sailboat exclusive (one of her favorites) along with dies from the 5325 – Sail Mini Dies.

Come Sail Away Thank You card

Hello and happy Sunday.

Our son took up sailing last fall with a friend of his and has really enjoyed it.  He recently went to a 3 day tournament in Canada and stayed with a couple his friend knows.  He wanted me to make a sailing themed thank you card for them.

The catamaran is from MS97 Full Plate from I Brake for Stamps.

The seagulls and sailboats on the inside are from Art Impressions and are from the  5325 – Sail Mini Dies.

He was able to get a picture of his friend on a boat he sailed in a race.  His friend is Canadian and we're American so I loved that the two countries were neck and neck here.  

On the card, I was sure to put Canada in the lead as an extra thank you...lol!

I added 3 other non-descript boats because you can't just have two in a race! 

I hope his friends like it!

Lighthouse Journal cards from Art Impressions

 Hello Ai fans!

Today I'm sharing two cards made with the template from the new 5543 – Journal Template Die Set

I cut the window panes out of the rectangular window and glued them on the back of the ornate frame.
I used 5466 – Lighthouse Set, 5465 – Cliffs Set and 5473 – Seagull Set for the images on the front of my cards. I also used two dies from 5325 – Sail Mini Dies.

I liked that when I folded the card you could see part of the inside.  It gives you a sneak peek about what's inside.  I used one of the border dies on the inside edge.

The sentiment, flying gulls and little anchor are from 5399 – Gull-Friends Set and the rest of the images are from the Seagull set.

The sailboat is from 5184 – Baby Boy Set.

For this card I went bolder with the colors on my lighthouse.

I often work at my kitchen table when I'm coloring and I love these Grid-Lined Placemats – 10 Sheets to protect my work area.  I'd be so upset if I got marker or glue on my table. There are 3 different designs to choose from.  I chose the design that matches my Ai Queen of Craft Mug – 15oz.

Copics used:

R83, RV34, G21, G82, B0000, B34, B91, C1, N2, N4, W00, W2, W3, W5, E31

Marvy:

Yellow No. 5

Brownish Grey No. 40

Sepia No. 45