gina k and brutus monroe

Hello everyone! I hope you all had an amazing weekend and are excited to get going with a new week. One of my favorite things is when two companies get together and decide to do a collaboration release of super fun products. That's what's going on today and we have an awesome collaboration release from Gina K. Designs and Brutus Monroe to share with you.

For my card I've used the gorgeous new floral design called, Seeds of Joy Stamp Set. Now, I chose to use the main floral image but it's also got a really fun seed packet image that I can't wait to use as well. I heat embossed the flowers using the new Wisteria Land Embossing Powder (hello, gorgeous purple!). Then I masked the image off using Masking Magic Sheets. I inkblended over the top of the masking paper in tones of yellow using a darker tone closer to the flowers. Then, I peeled off the masking paper revealing a crisp, clean floral image.

Next, I pulled out my copic markers I added some drop shadows in yellows and oranges before adding a little shading to the flowers (Purples and pinks). After I was done with my markers I stamped the sentiment in Onyx Black ink. I added a black mat behind my image piece and I think the black really helps the colors pop.

Ok, that's it for today you guys! Have an amazing day. Normally I say I'll see you back here soon but I probably won't be back on the blog this week as I'll be at Creativation in Florida! Take care!

Maria

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Hero Arts My Monthly Hero Release and a little bit of Steampunk Grunge!

Hey everybody! The wait is over! It's time for the Hero Arts October My Monthly Hero release and this month's kit is a festive holiday kit (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 November 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!

This kit has an absolutely gorgeus, A2 sized window die. It has beautiful, etched details and a perfect spot at the top for adding a sentiment. I die cut it from white cardstock and lightly ink-blended it with Splash Reactive Ink. Then, I heat embossed the sentiment using Onyx Pigment ink and Clear embossing powder. I also ink-blended a second panel in Lemon Drop ink, splattered it with Midas Touch and set it aside to dry.

Next, I heat embossed the tree, candelabra and champagne glasses in silver. I colored them all with my copic markers and then die cut them using the coordinating dies the come in the MMH kit. 

I used foam tape to put my card together. I turned the candles upside down to create a chandelier and tucked the champagne glasses inside one of the windows. The final step was to add the Christmas tree to the front of the card.

For my next card I went the complete opposite of my first card. This time I went for a metallic, grungy look by combining the new Gear Clock Boldprints with the new Steampunk Holiday set. I started by ink-blending a piece of Aegean cardstock with Blue Hawaii ink (around the edges only). Then I heat embossed the Gear Clock background stamp with Sand embossing powder. After that I used the Novel Prose background stamp to do some taco stamping (fold the stamp like a taco and stamp with it) and heat embossed that with white puff embossing powder.

To finish off the background, I heat embossed the sentiment and some gears in Onyx ink and clear embossing powder. I used two different sentiments to do this and I used washi tape to cover up the part of each sentiment that I didn't want to use. I also took a black posca pen and marked up the background a little bit.

Last, I heat embossed the little steampunk owl and key in brass on Pitch Black cardstock and then cut them out using the matching dies. I attached them to my card using foam tape and positioned them so that the owl was perching on the key.

Every once in a while I like to make a single layer card that's easy to mail so I decided to do that with the gorgeous Christmas Tree stamp. I heat embossed the image and sentiment onto Cherry Cardstock using Gold Glitter Embossing Powder. I decided to color the image with my colored pencils but I wasn't able to get the contrast I was hoping for so my coloring just looked, "blah." I basically never throw anything away (I try to fix everything) and this card was no exception.

I grabbed my fine tipped, colored Posca Pens (acrylic paint pens) and decided to try coloring the tree with those. Because the paint is opaque I was able to get bold colors and make the tree standout on the red background. It was a little hard to color perfectly because the pen tips were larger than some of the tiny details of the stamp but I ended up being happy with how it turned out.

After that all I had to do was to glue my panel to a cardbase and my card was done!

Ok! That is it for today but please make sure to enter our fabulous GIVEAWAY and continue on with our BLOG HOP for tons of amazing inspiration! 

Have an awesome day!

Maria

GIVEAWAY:

We will give away ALL OF THE OCTOBER ADD-ON PRODUCTS, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, October 10th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

BLOG HOP LIST:

Hero Arts
Channin Pelletier
Daniel West
Debi Adams
Emily Midgett
Ilina Crouse
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Libby Hickson
Lydia Fiedler
Maria Willis
Michelle Short
Mindy Eggen
Seeka
Jennifer Kotas
Meg Brooks
Nichol Spohr
Rebecca Keppel

And visit on Instagram: 

Kailash Naidoo

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Hero Arts Spring Catalog 2021 Release and Giveaway!

Hi everybody! The day so many of us have been waiting for is finally here! Today Hero Arts is releasing their new Spring Catalog and there is so much good stuff in it I cannot even tell you! You can click here to check out all of the new products if you're itching to see them right away. I've got five cards to share with you today so let's get to it!

My first card features the new Hero Florals Poppy Combo. These poppies are so gorgeous and I love them even more because they are the state flower here in California. I colored my poppies with copic markers, die cut them and set them aside.

Next, I ink blended a background panel in Splash and Blue Hawaii reactive inks. Then I heat embossed my background using the Script Bold Prints background stamp and White Sating Pearl Embossing Powder. I also splattered my background with white metallic ink. I heat embossed my sentiment from Handwritten Messages in white detail embossing powder on black cardstock and cut it into a rectangle.

I arranged all of my pieces and adhered them to my background using foam adhesive. I used the sentiment piece to hide the bottoms of the flower stems. To finish the card off I used white enamel dots.

My next card features both the Hoppy Day and Lily Pond HeroScape stamp sets. The Hoppy Day set is such fun and laid back set and it's also a lot of fun to color. The Lily Pond HeroScape set is perfect for building gorgeous scenes and worked perfectly with these zen frogs. I started out by coloring the frogs and the lotus flowers with my copic markers. Then I glued them together to create this zen-yoga tower of frogs. I saved a few flowers for the bottom of the card.

I used the Lily Pond HeroScape and reactive inks to ink up the background scene on the bottom of my card. Above that I ink-blended Splash and Thistle inks to create a soft background which I spritzed with shimmer spray. I also used the shimmer spray to cover my clouds which added a lovely, subtle sheen.

I used foam tape to add my background to a slim-line card base. Then I added my clouds, frogs, flowers and sentiment to my card to finish it off.

This card shares the Butterfly Garden Background Cling. This stamp set is so gorgeous and if what you're looking for is stamp one image only and end up with hours of mindless, fantastic coloring... then this is the stamp for you! I stamped it in INTENS-ified black ink so that I could use a variety of coloring mediums without having to worry if my ink would smear.

I spent a long, happy time coloring this and it was such a great escape to focus in on all of the tiny details as I added layers of color. I watercolored, copic colored, pencil colored, sharpied and gel penned all over this card until I was happy with it.

I finished it off with the new Big Hugs Stamp & Cut die. I cut it out of white cardstock three times, and, one more time out of sparkly white cardstock. I glued the layers together with the sparkly layer on top and then added it to my card. It was a great way to add a sentiment because after all the time I spent coloring I didn't want to cover up the background too much. Some sequins were the final touch for this card.

I used a new die for my next card. It's called the Sun and Waves Window Fancy Die and I cut it out of black cardstock. I used glimmer metallic inks in gold, white, blue and purple to paint the sun and waves. I was really impressed with how bold and metallic these look on the black cardstock. I heat embossed my sentiment in white onto my black cardstock and put this piece aside.

I ink blended a background using reactive inks in Lemon Drop, Creamsicle and Fruit Punch. Then I stamped some birds and a palm tree and spritzed it with shimmer spray. 

Finally, I added a strip of amethyst cardstock to the side of a white card base. I glued my inkblended background so that it would be visible through my die cut piece. Then, I added my black, die-cut pie card front to the card using foam tape for some extra dimension.

My last card for today shares a fun and colorful background with a bold die cut sentiment that pops right off of it. I started by stamping the Script Bold Prints stamp onto my background using Taffy, Creamsicle and Lemon Drop inks. After I was happy with the amount of color I had layed down I stamped again with VersaMark ink and heat embossed the background in clear embosssing powder. This sealed the ink in and allowed the color to show through. 

Next, I ink blended the background in Splash and Blue Hawaii inks. I went right over the top of the my heat embossed background which resisted the ink. I added this panel to an A2 sized card base.

To finish my card off I added the Love You Stamp & Cut XL to the front of my card. It was cut three times and glued together to add dimension to my card. I polished the whole thing off with some black enamel dots and called it a day!

Thank you guys so much for stopping by today! This catalog is so amazing and you can see even more of the new product if you continue on with our blog hop. You can either head right over to Mindy's blog or check out the full list of bloggers below. Remember to enter the giveaway for your chance to win! I've also got links below if you'd like to check out any of the products that I've used today.

Have an amazing day!

Maria

GIVEAWAY:

Comment on the hop by Wednesday, February 24th at 11:59pm pst for a chance to win one of three $50 gift certificates to the Hero Arts store. The more blogs you leave comments on, the more chances to win!

BLOG HOP LIST: 

Hero Arts
Channin Pelletier
Dana Joy
Daniel West
Debi Adams
Emily Midgett
Ilina Crouse
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Libby Hickson
Lydia Fiedler
Maria Willis
Mindy Eggen
Pocono Pam
Seeka
Amy Kolling
Jennifer McGuire
Julee Tilman
Laurie Willison
Mariana Grigsby
Nichol Spohr

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Copic Coloring a Magical Unicorn

Hey guys! Happy middle of the week to ya! Today's card is one I made a while back but never shared. Some of you may know that my family moved in June/July and my craft supplies were put away for far too long. When I finally had my desk set back up all I wanted to do was color! This gorgeous unicorn was perfect for what I wanted. It's from a set called Kylee's Unicorn from Picket Fence Studios and all of the images are sweet and filled with magic.

I love coloring images like this unicorn where I can mix and match copic markers from different families until they just look like magic together. I will list the colors that I've used at the bottom of my post in case you'd like to try the combos out for yourself. I did add a little extra shading with my pencils as well as highlights with a white gel pen.

After coloring the scene I stamped the sentiment in black and added some gray splatters. Then I took a sparkly Sakura gel roller in silver glitter and added some stars to the background. Sequins were the last magical touch to this card front.

I added a strip of silver foil below the colored image piece. Then I foam mounted the whole thing onto a black card base. After having too much time off of crafting this card was so much fun to make. It's amazing how sitting back down at your craft desk can make you feel like you've come home (even in a new home).

Ok, that's all I've got for today but I'll be back soon with more crafty fun! I'm linking to the products that I've used below in case you'd like to check them out.

Have an amazing day!

Maria

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