Hey everybody! The wait is over! It's time for theHero ArtsJune 2022My Monthly Hero release and this month's kit is an underwater dream! It's got a gorgeous mermaid and other underwater beauties, coordinating dies, an ombre ink pad, a water color paint brush, and pearls (affiliate links may be used at no extra cost to you)!
Before I get to my cards, if you aren't familiar with the My Monthly Hero kit, it's a kit that is released by Hero Arts on the first Monday of every month. It always has a fun, themed, collection of stamps, dies and other goodies. The cost is just $34.99/month and the value is always much greater! This month's kit is valued at $72!
You have the option to subscribe (subscribing now means your first kit will be the July release), or, to buy your favorite kits as one-off purchases. Be aware that once these kits sell out they are gone for good. If you see a kit you like make sure to snatch it up quickly! There are also a ton of amazing add-on products! You can buy the add-ons as a bundle at a discounted rate or just pick up your favorite products.
For my first project I could not resist coloring the gorgeous mermaid (and some shells and a sea star)! I stamped the mermaid in Onyx Pigment ink and heat embossed it in clear (I also did my sentiment on Mist cardstock at the same time). Then, I colored with my copic markers, die cut my mermaid, and set her aside.
Next I took a piece of Hammermill cardstock and sprayed it with sprays I made from Hero Arts Liquid Watercolors. I used Teal, Leaf and Indigo as well as Grape Slush Reactive Spray. I let the background dry before adding to the background using my Cobblestone Stencil, Hero Pearls in Silver and Hero Wax in Gold and Black. Before the Gold Wax could dry I sprinkled some Sand Embossing Powder onto it and heat embossed it to give it a gritty, sand-like texture. Finally, splattered my background with White Glimmer Metallic Ink.
I wound some gold thread around the left side of my sentiment piece, stapled it and added a shell and sea star for fun. I attached the sentiment and mermaid with foam tape. Then I used glue dots to attach a sea star to her hair and one on the sea floor. The final touches were made by adding gold to the mermaid using a gel pen and Hero Pearls in gold. I also added some Hero Pearls in Pewter to the background and to give the mermaid some pearls for rings.
For my next card I used a couple of the new add-ons: Mermaid Wishes and Tide Stencil. Before I go any further I need to let you know that this Tide stencil is uber delicate. If you pick this one up please know that you will need to be very gentle with it and that Pixie Spray is a good idea. Ok, I started this card off by using the Tide Stencil and Hero Wax in Gold to create my background on Mist cardstock. I set it aside so that it could dry.
Next, I stamped my mermaid image in Onyx Pigment Ink and heat embossed it in clear embossing powder. I colored with my copic markers and had fun adding a lighter shade of green to the bottle trying to show that the mermaid's tail was behind the bottle. I added some extra detail to the image using white and gold gel pens before cutting it out with the coordinating die.
I attached my stenciled background piece to a black cardbase. Then I heat embossed my sentiment in white on black so that it would match the base. I attached the mermaid and sentiment using foam tape before adding a few enamel dots as a final touch.
Just in case you missed it here is another card that I made using this month's kit. Instead of focusing on the mermaid I used the fish as my focal point. If you'd like more detail about this card, CLICK HERE.
Ok, that's it for today you guys! I hope you love this kit as much as I do. If you do, I recommend snagging one now because I'm predicting a quick sell out for this one. Remember to leave me a comment below to enter our giveaway and keep on hopping along with us for a ton of inspiration!
Have an awesome day!
Maria
GIVEAWAY:
We will give away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, June 12th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.
Hey everybody! It's that wonderful time of month again when the countdown to the new My Monthly Hero kit is on and we get to share some sneak peeks! If you aren't familiar with the MMH kits from Hero Arts then here's the scoop... On the first Monday of every month Hero Arts releases a new kit full of all kinds of amazing supplies. These kits are hugely discounted! The value can be as much as $70 or $80 and they only cost $34.99. There are only a limited number of kits available so your choices are to subscribe and never miss a kit, or, to try your luck at getting a kit before they sell out. If you'd like to subscribe to future kits just click here.
For my sneak peek at the October kit I'm giving you a look at two stamps (image and sentiment) and the sweet little tree dies. I started off by watercoloring my background with liquid watercolors in Pink and Indigo. Then I splattered the background with white metallic paint to give it a wintery look.
Next, I heat embossed the silhouette stamp in black embossing powder. I love how bold it looks against the background. Before stamping I did make sure that the stamp was placed in the center of the square I cut from a piece of white cardstock.
I stamped my sentiment using my Misti in black ink onto the card face. Then I added foam adhesive to the back of the panel and adhered it to the watercolored background. I die cut some little Christmas trees from white sparkle paper and added them to the bottom of my winter scene. I finished my card off by adding a few clear sequins and attaching the whole thing to a top-folding card base.
Now for some super exciting news! The Hero Arts My Monthly Kits come at a huge value every month and have never before gone on sale... until now! For the month of October only many of the kits are being sold at $5 off! If you're interested in checking out what's on sale just click here. There are some really good kits so I hope you find one you love.
If you're interested in winning a kit before you can buy one make sure you head over to the Hero Arts Blog and leave some comments to get yourself entered to win!
Ok you guys, that is it for today! I'll be back tomorrow to share more of the fun I've had with this kit. See you all then!
Hello everybody! I am so excited to have you here for the launch of the new Stamp Club from Tonic Studios! This is the first in what will be a monthly release that will launch on the last Friday of every month (with the exceptions of holidays). This month's release is called Heartfelt Corsage and it is a beauty (it's a stamp and die bundle plus an add-on stamp set)! Oh! There's also a $100 Giftcard Giveaway! The info for the giveaway is at the bottom of my post so make sure you enter before you go. Now, here's a peek at some of the many cards I've made with this release...
Before I get excited and get ahead of myself I want to give you more info about the release. So, to know everything there is to know head on over to Tonic Studios to check it out. If you're in the UK Click Here, and if you're in the USA Click Here. In case you've noticed that my face and name are on the banner below... Yup, that's me. I got to help design these products which makes this release even more exciting for me!
I've made a little video to walk you through the products that are available in this release so here's that video to start you off. Heads up that I've actually got three videos for you today so make sure to keep reading until the end.
Now that you've had a good look at the Heartfelt Corsage stamps and dies we can get into my first cards. I've used one of the main floral stamps to create some popped up shaker cards. This stamp is perfectly sized to be the focal point of your card and it also works to decorate your envelopes with.
Here's a video sharing how I made these shaker cards...
To make these cards I started by ink blending the background with a stencil. Then, I cut multiple die cuts out of cardstock and an acrylic sheet.
I layered the die cuts on top of each other and adhered them to create a focal point with a hollow center.
I filled the center with shaker guts (glitter and sequins) and sealed it up with an acrylic window.
The floral piece in the front was watercolored before I glued it on to the front of the shaker.
Next I added a sentiment and finished the cards off with some dream drops.
My next card and envelope set started out with some fun inkblending. I used pink, orange and yellow to create these vibrant card backgrounds. On these projects I used the largest floral image from the Heartfelt Corsage bundle.
To see exactly how I did all of the stamping on this card and envelope set check out this video...
This card was heat embossed with white embossing powder. Then I added a sentiment in black.
The stamping on the envelope was done in black...
Did you notice that fun little sentiment on the flap of the envelope? That's from the Happy Mail Envelope stamp set and I love it. There's another stamp that says, "Licked. With my spit." If I'm being honest that second sentiment is more my style.
Now, if you watched the last video you know that there is another card in that video. Let's take a look at that one...
This card was very easy to make and it still manages to be very soft and beautiful. I stamped the large floral image from the Heartfelt Corsage stamp set in Clear Mark ink on light blue cardstock. This gave a tone-on-tone stamped look. I die cut the image out and adhered it to a background that was lightly ink blended with purple ink.
The sentiment is a custom sentiment that I put together using stamps from the Happy Mail Envelope set. That stamp set is great for decorating your envelopes in a variety of ways. It's also great for the backs of your cards and creating custom sentiments. I finished the card off by adding dream drops.
So far you've seen the Happy Mail Envelope set used as something of a sidekick to the Heartfelt Corsage set... but guess what?! The Happy Mail set can hold it's own! It's a great sidekick stamp of course but check out how amazing the set is for decorating your envelopes! I stamped the wooden sign in brown ink, masked it off and ink blended it. Then I took a colored pencil and dragged those detail lines towards the center a little bit. I added silver gel pen to the nails.
The sentiment was custom built from the set. To finish the envelope off I added a tiny "to," and, "from" to the card before ink blending and splattering with Glitter Gloss.
Now I just have to decide who to address it to and send it off with something fun inside. Honestly though, even if I got a bill in this I would still be so happy to find this in my mail box.
Ok, you all, that's it for me today. I really hope you've enjoyed the release and hope you'll continue on with our blog hop. Next up on the hop is the amazing Michelle Short! Head over to her blog and see what beauties she's made for you to feast your eyes upon!
Before you go let me tell you about that Giveaway I mentioned...
GIVEAWAY!!
Tonic Studios will be giving one lucky winner a $100 gift card ( £100 if you're in the UK!)! That is such a fantastic giveaway and someone is going to be so happy! To enter the giveaway you need to comment on every blog in this blog hop (the list of blog hoppers is down below). Get your comments in by 11:59 pm PST on September 30, 2020. The winner will be announced on the Tonic Studios Instagram and Facebook accounts on October 2, 2020 (so make sure you're following the Tonic social media accounts). Good luck to you all!
Ok, the blog hop list is below (or just head over to Michelle's blog right now). I've also linked most of the products that I've used today in case you'd like to check anything out.
Have an awesome day (or evening if you're on the other side of the Earth from me)! Bye for now.
Hi Everybody! Today I've got a fun and easy card to share using the Bare Branched Tree Bold Prints stamp from Hero Arts. This beautiful stamp is so versatile and can be used for so many different types of cards from nature loving to holiday cards. For today's card I decided to use it to make a holiday card.
I started my card by ink blending a piece of Dove White cardstock with Key Lime Fizz and Green Apple Reactive Inks. I used a lighter hand with the ink as I knew that I'd be ink blending again. Next I heat embossed the tree image on top of my ink blended background using clear sparkle embossing powder. This trapped a layer of ink beneath the embossing powder. After that I was able to ink blend the background again with the same colors but adding a heavier/darker layer of color this time. I used a towel to wipe the excess ink off the embossed tree and that revealed the contrast between the tree color and the ink-blended background.
I wanted to add a bold sentiment that would still let the background shine so I chose to use this "Happy Holidays" die. I cut it out three times from white cardstock and once more from glittery white stock cardstock. I glued all four layers together with the glittery layer on top so that I had a thick die cut sentiment to adhere to my card.
It needed just a little something more so I added a pop of color by stringing an ornament down from the "y." I thought that was a fun finishing touch and decided to leave it just like that.
That's all for today you guys but I'll be back soon.
Hey Everybody! This month's My Monthly Hero kit from Hero Arts is almost here and that means the countdown is on! This month the kit is going live on Tuesday, September 8 so mark your calendars (Monday is Labor Day so it's going live a day later than normal)! The kit goes live at 10am Pacific and once it's sold out it's gone for good. If you want to make sure you never miss a kit you can subscribe here-subscribers are guaranteed a kit!
Today I've got a sneak peek of the kit for you. I've used the main image from the kit to create a fun pumpkin patch. I also had fun ink blending the happy sky with what I'm calling a harvest moon (or harvest sun?).
The sentiment is also from the main kit and was the perfect finishing touch for this pumpkin card.
Alright you guys-that's all you get for today! I promise to share more details on how this card was made on Tuesday when the hop goes live! Plus, I have a totally different take on this kit to share with you for the launch as well. I can't wait to share it all with you soon!
Oh! I almost forgot... Hero Arts is doing a giveaway and one lucky winner will be winning the September My Monthly Hero kit. All you have to do to enter is go HERE and leave a comment to win. Good Luck!
Hey Everybody! I'm just popping in to let you know that I'm up on the Hero Arts blog today sharing this card using the beautiful Bare Branched Tree Background stamp. To get all the details head on over to the Hero Arts blog. For now, here are a couple of pics...
This was such an easy winter card to make and I was inspired to make more cards using this Bare Branched Tree stamp so be on the lookout for those soon.
Ok, guys. That's it for today but before I go I'll link to the products I've used below in case you'd like to check any of them out.
Hello Everybody! It's so nice to have you back here and I hope you are having a wonderful day. Today I am back as party of a blog hop featuring the new Unity Products from Hero Arts. This is a wonderful collection of products that focuses on inclusion and unity. It is important for people of color to be represented in our stamping/art community not just within the products that we use but in the positive messages that we put out into the world as well. These new Unity products are perfect for doing just that.
For my card I decided to use a new set called Kids United. It has adorable images of children being kind and loving and it has a die set (Kids United Frame Cuts) to go with it too. I chose the image of the two boys. They just look like they are such good buddies and I really wanted to color them. I used my copic markers to color them in and then I cut them out by hand so that there wouldn't be any white space around them. After that, I heat embossed the "Lead With Love," sentiment from the Power to the People stamp set in white onto black cardstock. This sentiment is my favorite out of the whole set. I think it's such a good reminder of how we can all choose to live.
I wanted the boys to be on a fun background so I grabbed a gel print from my stash and cut it down to 4"x 5 1/4". I adhered that with foam tape onto a black A2 sized card base. Then, I popped my boys and the sentiment up with foam tape on the gel print background.
That's it for today you guys. If you have any questions please feel free to ask in the comments below. Also, be sure to check out the giveaway info. All you need to do to enter the giveaway is drop me a comment. I hope you will keep hopping along with us to check out all the inspiration we have to share using the Unity Products. Next up in the hop is my super talented friend, Mindy Eggen. You can head over to her blog or navigate the hop by using the links below. Enjoy!
Have an awesome day!
Maria
GIVEAWAY:
Hero Arts will give away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by leaving a comment between now and Sunday, September 6th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.
Hey Everybody! Happy Wednesday and welcome to the release of the Hero Arts Winter Catalog! If you haven't had a chance to browse through the catalog yet then this is the hop for you because it is jam packed with inspiration from so many talented crafters.
For today's card I decided to use a new set called Gift Peek-a-Boo Infinity Parts. It coordinates with the Square Peek-a-Boo Doors dies and sets you up to make an easy, interactive card (it cuts a square that swings open like a door). I stamped one of the larger gift boxes onto a piece of white cardstock in my Hero Arts Intense-ified Black ink. This is one of my go-to inks because it works well with both copic markers and watercolors. I also stamped this fun sentiment from Snarky Christmas Messages.
I colored the image in with my copic markers and then die cut it to create a door around the gift box.
So, today my card is a little bit of lie... but a good lie, right? How could I not put an adorable puppy inside of the gift box after a sentiment like that?!
To add the puppy I stamped the image from the new Fawn and Friends stamp set onto a separate piece of white cardstock. To line it up perfectly I placed the clean stamp on top of the gift box in my Original sized, Black Misti. When it was in the right place I picked the stamp up with my Misti door and then stamped it onto the white paper.
I colored the cute puppy with my copic markers and then adhered that piece of cardstock behind the gift box. After that, when I opened the gift box door I had a cute puppy inside! I glued this whole piece onto a piece of black cardstock so that I would have that black strip at the side. Then, that whole deal got added to a top-folding A2 sized, white card base.
Ok, you all, that is it for today! I'm so glad you stopped by and I hope you'll keep cruising along on this blog hop with us. Next up on the hop is the incredibly talented Michelle Short. You can head on over to her blog or you can use the list below to navigate the hop. Before you go, I want to make sure you know we're having a giveaway (details below) and all you need to do to enter is leave me a comment below.
Have an amazing day and enjoy the hop! I'll be back tomorrow with another Hero Arts hop featuring the new Unity stamp sets. See you then!
Maria.
GIVEAWAY:
Hero Arts will give away three $50 gift cards, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by leaving a comment between now and Sunday, September 6th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.
