Closing a Chapter - Impression Obsession

Friends, this post is so hard to write! After over 20 years as a customer, 16 years as a design team member and 12 years of creating stamps, dies, stencils and papers under their brand, it's time to say farewell to Impression Obsession. I'm so grateful for the opportunities to attend trade shows, create catalog samples, teach classes... for the platform to share my heart and enable others to use my artwork to encourage and cheer their loved ones... for the opportunity to work with such amazing artists and designer friends week after week - we have watched each others' kids grow up, laughed and cried together, walked through a lot of life together, and made so many beautiful projects to share. It's been a wonderful ride.

I have lots of favorite projects - most of them were made using products that are now gone, so I'll save them for another reminiscing post. If you haven't shopped the sale yet or need another run-through to make sure you didn't miss anything, the site will be open until Monday midnight Eastern time. The discount is set at 70%, and there are still lots of beautiful products to choose from! 

This little guy is still in stock, along with his matching dies - I think he's so sweet! And this card sums up my sentiments today - so glad this whole IO thing happened. This stamp set comes with a flag pole, an American flag and a blank flag, but you can trim around the trunk like I did above  to have him hold just about anything.

IO Products:

Extra Fun clear stamp set

Extra Fun coordinating dies

Be sure to visit my friends for more inspiration and heartfelt messages - 

Impression Obsession Blog
Anna Wight
Dina Kowal
Giovana Smith
Jeanne Streiff
Laura Fulcher
Laura Williams
Robin Clendenning
Angela Bode

Mitra has been THE best to work with - she was always endlessly patient with my creative blocks and missed deadlines (sorry!!), very generous with mentoring and guidance in the industry, and always encouraged and believed in me. I had a few opportunities to work with her in person, and my kids still remember staying in her house with the fire pole when we were on an extended road trip. I learned so much from her - so resilient, open, and adventurous. I wish her the best in whatever she jumps into next! 

Thank YOU too, for being on this journey with me - my days have been full with work at Jostens and making memory bears, a necessary transition as other creative doors have closed. This blog has been my space for 18 years, so I'll have to think of something else to fill its pages now! We'll see what happens.

When you shop through the affiliate links used here, the company sends a small commission my way at no cost to you as thanks for the referral.
It's a lovely way to partner with these companies that mean so much to our creative community. Everybody wins!

Impression Obsession - heads up!

Remember to check the IO site when you have a chance - the discount has gone up to 70% off remaining stock and there are some special products left! I might need to go back through myself!
 

When you shop through the affiliate links used here, the company sends a small commission my way at no cost to you as thanks for the referral.
It's a lovely way to partner with these companies that mean so much to our creative community. Everybody wins!

Impression Obsession - November color challenge

The Impression Obsession team has some projects to share today with a beautiful color palette - we hope we inspire your crafting and your IO shopping!  Enjoy 50% (or more!) off your order, and remember that once these products are gone, they're gone!

Here are the colors we're working with today! I couldn't resist one more Pooh card, and I had some fun with a new liner brush.

The paper pack I used is sold out and I apologize for tempting you with it, but it matched so perfectly! I may need to find a new home for those designs, or add them to my Etsy shop. One day I'll figure out how to balance life and work and work!

IO Products: 

CS1329 Pooh Pleasures clear stamp set (just a few left!!)

PP054 Pooh paper pack (sold out)

Be sure to check out the other designers' blogs for inspiration - see the I.O. blog for all the details!  It's hard to believe that IO will be closing in just a few short weeks.

When you shop through the affiliate links used here, the company sends a small commission my way at no cost to you as thanks for the referral.
It's a lovely way to partner with these companies that mean so much to our creative community. Everybody wins!

Impression Obsession - More Christmas Cards

Today the Impression Obsession Team is back with more projects to inspire your holiday crafting! Don't forget the discount on remaining IO stock - enjoy 50% off your order, and remember that once these products are gone, they're gone!

I'm sharing this card because I was so tickled with the design - this paper from the Vintage Christmas paper pack made such a perfect background for my bird! He's listed as a penguin but his little cowlick has a sort of cardinal crest quality to it, so I colored him red and it works. If you have (or need!) this set, now you have a fun little way to make it stretch.

IO Products:

CS1387 Penguin clear stamp set

PP082 Vintage Christmas paper pack

DIE1195 Rounded Rectangle Layers die set

You can find a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog each day through the event. Here are the links to today's projects:

Impression Obsession Blog
Anna Wight
Dina Kowal <<<<<<< that's me!
Giovana Smith
Jeanne Streiff
Laura Fulcher
Laura Williams
Robin Clendenning
Angela Bode

When you shop through the affiliate links used here, the company sends a small commission my way at no cost to you as thanks for the referral.
It's a lovely way to partner with these companies that mean so much to our creative community. Everybody wins!

Impression Obsession - Christmas Card Hop Day 1

November 1st and 2nd the Impression Obsession Team will be sharing projects to inspire your holiday crafting! Don't forget the  discount on remaining IO stock - enjoy 50% off your order, and remember that once these products are gone, they're gone!

I love how this card turned out - I had cut the base to figure out an answer for a newsletter question on Splitcoast, so it was ready to go, and the focal panel was just perfect for this image! (Tutorial is here if you want to make one too!) The image is watercolored with the typical added details using pencil and acrylic pens. When the panel was dry, I stenciled the stars around it lightly with coordinating ink. I love that added touch! 

IO Products:

CS1389 Unto Us clear stamp set

CS1386 Holiday Greetings clear stamp set

PP082 Vintage Christmas paper pack

STEN068 Stars stencil

You can find a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog each day through the event. Here are the links to today's projects:

Impression Obsession Blog
Anna Wight
Dina Kowal <<<<<<< you're here!
Giovana Smith
Jeanne Streiff
Laura Fulcher
Laura Williams
Robin Clendenning
Angela Bode

When you shop through the affiliate links used here, the company sends a small commission my way at no cost to you as thanks for the referral.
It's a lovely way to partner with these companies that mean so much to our creative community. Everybody wins!

Impression Obsession DT Theme - Color Challenge

The Impression Obsession team has some projects to share today with a beautiful Fall color palette - we hope we inspire your crafting and your IO shopping!  Enjoy 50% (or more!) off your order, and remember that once these products are gone, they're gone!

Many of the newer and more popular products were recently restocked for your benefit, so if you were interested in any of the Pooh sets, they are in again. Here's a set I designed last Fall - I used the color palette from the inspiration photo to warm up the view through the windows in this little scene.  I love this sentiment, and the way it fits with the image.

I used watercolors to color in the little scene, adding a little more shading with a brown colored pencil. The white lines on the windows were added with a paint pen - I intended them to look like reflections on the glass but they look a little more like rain instead. Oh well!

Speaking of bears, I completed my first custom memory bear order and he will ship off tomorrow! Isn't he the sweetest?

IO Products:

CS1138 Pooh Window clear stamp set

Be sure to check out the other designers' blogs for inspiration - see the I.O. blog for all the links and  details! 

When you shop through the affiliate links used here, the company sends a small commission my way at no cost to you as thanks for the referral.
It's a lovely way to partner with these companies that mean so much to our creative community. Everybody wins!

Impression Obsession - September Team Favorites

The IO Team is back today to share a favorite card from this month's release, so here's mine! Head over to the Impression Obsession Blog for all the links so you don't miss anything. All the newest releases can be found HERE.

This card ended up being a little showcase of quite a few different products! After several hours of cardmaking I had strips of paper on my desk and these 3 wanted to stay together. I used the colors to inspire my focal panel - the mittens are loosely watercolored, and the sleeves are actually made from the scarf of the large snowman set, just flipped and cut in half. 

IO Products:

DIE1359 Snowman in Scarf die set

DIE1365 Mittens & Stockings die set

DIE1353 Primitive Snowman die set

PP081 Nordic Patterns paper pack

PP068 Heart Gingham paper pack

PP019 Basics 11 - Greens paper pack

CL1362 Winter Hello clear stamp set

Hope you are staying cool wherever you are today! Be sure to check out the other designers' blogs for inspiration - see the I.O. blog for all the details! 

When you shop through the affiliate links used here, the company sends a small commission my way at no cost to you as thanks for the referral.
It's a lovely way to partner with these companies that mean so much to our creative community. Everybody wins!

Impression Obsession - Final Release Day 3

We've got even more projects from the new release from Impression Obsession today! If you haven't seen the new release, you can find it all HERE - go check it out! 

This poinsettia frame actually released in August, but I intended it to be released with this sentiment set so I saved it to share this month. The mix-and-match sentiments are designed to fit in this opening but you can obviously use them in alone or in any layout of your choice. The main sentiment can be matched with any of the single words, and there is also a large ampersand so you can combine them too.

The die is designed to cut out the frame, but it outlines the poinsettias in broken lines which allow them to stay in the panel. If you want, you can pop up certain portions or you can leave them flat on your card panel. On my first card I just cut the die and left the cuts alone. I  used watercolor markers to color the petals, then misted to let the color bleed out. When it was dry, I added more shading and details.

For my second card, I cut the poinsettias out and popped them up as an embellishment.

 I love the loose strokes on this iteration. I colored some of the bracts (never stop learning!) green to add some contrast to the panel.

IO Products:

CS1386 Holiday Greetings clear stamp set

PP081 Nordic Patterns paper pack

DIE1341 Poinsettia Frame die

PP068 Heart Gingham paper pack

DIE1304-YY Rounded Corner Stitched Squares die set

Two lucky customers who place an Impression Obsession order during release week (September 1-8) will be chosen and will have a very special Impression Obsession prize package added to their orders! 
September 1st, 2nd, and 3rd the Impression Obsession Team will be sharing new projects with the NEW clear stamps, stencils, papers and dies! You can find a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog each day through the event. Here are the links to today's projects:

Impression Obsession Blog
Giovana Smith
Jeanne Streiff
Laura Fulcher
Laura Williams
Robin Clendenning
Angela Bode
Anna Wight
Dina Kowal

Sale note: there are a few items listed as "Temporarly Out of Stock" ... they should be back in the store within a couple weeks.

When you shop through the affiliate links used here, the company sends a small commission my way at no cost to you as thanks for the referral.
It's a lovely way to partner with these companies that mean so much to our creative community. Everybody wins!

Impression Obsession -September Release Day 2

We've got more projects from the new release from Impression Obsession today! If you haven't seen the new release, you can find it all HERE - go check it out! 

I wanted to highlight my paper packs in this post - I have 3 in the new release. I used papers from 2 of them on this first card - the snowflake design is in the Nordic Patterns pack, and the children are in the Vintage Christmas pack. Vintage Christmas features imagery from vintage books as well as some of my silhouette designs. 

This image is from one of Nola's sets - such a cute snowman! Very sweet set.

The other paper pack is called Christmas Prayer, and the color palette and illustrations are from a small vintage book of the same name. You can read it here - it's basically a prayer of blessing for friends on different paths in life, and it's very sweet. I created a couple of collage sheets like this one for quick cards - you can crop to any side, and add embellishments or more layers of paint or paper as you wish. Here I added a snowflake die cut and sentiment, and the paper design did the rest.

IO Products:

CL1343 For You clear stamp set

PP082 Vintage Christmas paper pack

PP081 Nordic Patterns paper pack

DIE1195 Rounded Rectangle Layers die set

DIE837 Wacky Stitched Circles die set

CL1362 Winter Hello clear stamp set

PP079 Christmas Prayer paper pack

DIE893 Primitive Snowflakes die set (sold out)

Two lucky customers who place an Impression Obsession order during release week (September 1-8) will be chosen and will have a very special Impression Obsession prize package added to their orders! 
September 1st, 2nd, and 3rd the Impression Obsession Team will be sharing new projects with the NEW clear stamps, stencils, papers and dies! You can find a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog each day through the event. Here are the links to today's projects:

Impression Obsession Blog
Giovana Smith
Jeanne Streiff
Laura Fulcher
Laura Williams
Robin Clendenning
Angela Bode
Anna Wight
Dina Kowal

Remember the new releases are included in the closing sale! New items that have sold out will be restocked, so if you missed something that says "temporarily out of stock" don't lose hope.

When you shop through the affiliate links used here, the company sends a small commission my way at no cost to you as thanks for the referral.
It's a lovely way to partner with these companies that mean so much to our creative community. Everybody wins!

Impression Obsession - Final Monthly Release Day 1

It's time for the final monthly release from Impression Obsession. Haven't seen the new products? They're all HERE - go take a peek!  (It's hard to get excited about a final release, isn't it...? It is a beautiful collection and I hope you will love it, but I didn't love typing these words. Sigh...)

This is artwork that had been released as a red rubber stamp, so enjoy it in a clear format if you missed it before! I love this set combined with the Christmas Stars stencil. I did a simple layout here, masking off the image to do a little watercolor background and stenciled stars.

Here's another quick card with the stencil and a new mix-and-match sentiment set. This monochrome look would be so easy for mass production on my favorite kraft cardstock! I brushed Versafine ink through the stencil and did a little stamping through the lower part of the stencil while it was still in place.

Heat embossing remains my poorest stamping skill... but here's a closer look at the sentiment - there are a number of words that you can fill your holiday with, and a large ampersand so you can fill it with more than one thing!

IO Products:

CS1389 Unto Us clear stamp set

STEN056 Christmas Stars stencil

CS1386 Holiday Greetings clear stamp set

CL1362 Winter Hello clear stamp set

Two lucky customers who place an Impression Obsession order during release week (September 1-8) will be chosen and will have a very special Impression Obsession prize package added to their orders! 
September 1st, 2nd, and 3rd the Impression Obsession Team will be sharing new projects with the NEW clear stamps, stencils, papers and dies! You can find a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog each day through the event. Here are the links to today's projects:

Impression Obsession Blog
Giovana Smith
Jeanne Streiff
Laura Fulcher
Laura Williams
Robin Clendenning
Angela Bode
Anna Wight
Dina Kowal

When you shop through the affiliate links used here, the company sends a small commission my way at no cost to you as thanks for the referral.
It's a lovely way to partner with these companies that mean so much to our creative community. Everybody wins!