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

PRODUCT SUPPLY LIST (Affiliate Links may be used at no extra cost to you):

VIDEO: Tonic Studios Stamp Club Release Blog Hop & Giveaway- Monsters

Hello everybody and welcome to this month's Tonic Studios Stamp Club Monsters release! Now this set is so fun and quirky and it has totally stolen my heart! It is available in limited quantities so if you love it, run to the store fast! You can shop at Tonic USA or Tonic UK.

This set has a bunch of fun little monsters and some fun little accessory stamps to go with them (think potion bottles, eye balls and birthday cakes)! The die set is also fantastic as it has not only coordinating dies but word dies, a stitched star background die and a great dotted coverplate as well! You can check it all out in my VIDEO HERE!

On my first card I colored in one of my favorite monsters (he's so happy with that huge smile) with copic markers. Then I cut him out with the coordinating die.

I ink blended the background panel using a stencil that I made by cutting the circle dot die plate two times, side by side. I gently inkblended soft primary colors through the stencil and I love how the background came out.

I combined a die cut "hi" with one of my favorite sentiments and popped all of my elements up using foam tape to finish off the card.

Now, I mentioned a made a video so before I get too far along here it is...

 

If you are having trouble watching this video please click here to view it on YouTube.

For my next card I used a monster that I've nicknamed "Grumpy." The poor little guy looks so bummed out that I just can't help but love him.  I stamped him straight onto a white cardbase, added a flower to his hand, and colored him with my copic markers. I used a sharpie to add some grass so he had something to stand on.

I combined two of the sentiments on the front of my card.

And then I used an adhesive foam sheet to pop up the front of my card before adding a few sequins.

This next card is all about getting that party started! I stamped two little party monsters clinking their drink potions together on watercolor paper. I watercolored them using my Nuvo Aqua flow pens.

I heat embossed my sentiment in black. I also stamped the inside of the card with "We'll have a monster of a good time!"

The final step was using foam adhesive to pop the watercolored panel up onto a black background.

Now, if you're not one for coloring then this card is for you. I heat embossed my images in white on white cardstock. Then I used a blending brush to ink blend over them in pink, yellow and blue inks. I wanted there to be a little more contrast so I grabbed my copic markers and darkened up the background (behind the monsters only) a little bit to make the monsters look like they were in the foreground. I also used a black gel pen to add dots to their eyes.

For the next step, I used the stitched stars detail die to add some really cool detail and texture to my backgournd above the monsters. I also heat embossed my sentiments in black on white, cut out the sentiment strips and added them with foam tape.

I added some striped washi tape to the top of a white note card. Then, I added strips of black cardstock at the top and bottom of my monster panel and mounted it to the card base.

 

My final card is a slim-line card. I used the circle dot die from the bundle to create a white, holey background panel. I put that on top of a watercolored background from my stash.

I added the layered panels to my black, mini-slimline cardbase then set to work coloring and die cutting my monsters and the two-layer cake.

After heat embossing my sentiments I added them and the monsters to my card front using foam tape.

Ok you guys that is it for today! I absolutely love this Monsters release and I hope you will too! Before I go I want to show you what the full Monsters release looks like and of course we've got a blog hop and a giveaway too (scroll down for details).

Bye everybody and have and awesome day!

Maria

GIVEAWAY:

-One lucky winner will win a £50/$50 Giftcard to Tonic Studios and the Monsters bundle!

-To enter, comment on every blog in the hop by 11:59pm PST on September 29, 2021/ 7:59am GST on September 30, 2021

-Winner will be announced on October 1, 2021 on IG and FB so make sure you're following all of the Tonic Studios social media accounts!

BLOG HOP LIST:

Maria Willis: You are here.

Jen Kray

Erica Andersson Burke

Ilda Dias

Channin Pelletier

Ilina Crouse

Alberto Gava

Daniel West

Lydia Fiedler

Koren Wiskman

PRODUCT SUPPLY LIST:

Picket Fence Studios STAMPtember Release

Hi everybody! I'm popping in with a fun card from the lates Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember release! Now it's Picket Fence Studio's turn to join the fun with an adorable cat stamp set called, Sarcastic Kitties. You can get just the stamp set, or, go big and get the stamp and die bundle.

I decided to go with a mixed media look for my mini-slimline card. I grabbed a watercolored, galaxy background from my stash and then added some gold mousse through the SSS Circle Dots Stencil to add a little texture and shine.

Then I watercolored on of the cats from the set using my Karin markers. I only used two colors ( a gray and a pink) but I was able to mix them to achieve a range of shades.

I heat embossed my sentiment in black  and added some extra detail to the background with a black posca pen. Then I adhered the cat to my card with foam tape, attached the background to a black cardbase, and called it good!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have an awesome day and I'll see you all back here soon!

Maria

Hero Paste: Adding Texture to your Cards!

Hey everybody! I hope you had an awesome weekend! I am popping in to share a bunch of cards with you and to let you know that I am up on the Hero Arts blog and YouTube channel today sharing a video on how to use your Hero Paste and how to get the most out of it. I share a bunch of techniques and I hope you'll enjoy it.

Here's a look at the cards I create in the video (well, I make the backgrounds in the video anyhow)... This first card was made by creating custom colors of Hero Paste using reactive ink re-inkers.

I paired my colorful Hero Paste with the Fall Leaves Stencil to create this beautiful fall colored background.

I finished the card off by adding a sentiment from the Autumn Messages stamp set.

This second card was put together using a scrap piece of Pitch Black cardstock and some Hero Paste that I covered with Brass Embossing Powder.

I stamped a Sand cardbase in Versamark ink with the Ocean Waves Bold Prints stamp.

I added a sentiment from the Sea You Soon stamp set, a sea star from the Sea Shells Fancy Dies and put it all together using foam tape.

For my last card I started out by spraying my DIY Liquid Watercolor Sprays onto a piece of cardstock to give it some fun color. Then, I used the Mermaid Sea Stencil to apply my paste.

Once the paste was dry I sprayed more liquid watercolor onto the background and allowed the color to pool in the spaces between the embossing paste. 

To finish the card off I add a white frame using the Nesting Rectangle Infinity Dies. Then, I added a white shell from the Seashells Fancy Dies and topped that with a gold sea horse from the Paper Layering SeaHorses dies. The final touch was to add a sentiment from the Sea You Soon stamp set.

Ok, that is it for today you guys. For all the hot tips please head on over to the Hero Arts YouTube channel and watch the video!

Have an awesome day!

PRODUCT SUPPLY LIST (Affiliate links may be used at no extra cost to you):

VIDEO: Hero Arts September 2021 MMH Release

Hi everybody and happy Hero Arts release day! The September My Monthly Hero Kit is here and it is such a magical kit! 

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 $87!

You have the option to subscribe (subscribing now means your first kit will be the October release), or, to buy your favorite kits as a 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 always a ton of fantastic add-on products offered. You can choose to buy your favorites or buy them all at a discounted rate.

We also have an awesome GIVEAWAY and a BLOG HOP with tons of inspiration going on so please make sure to check the info for those at the bottom of my post! And, I have a VIDEO today sharing a really fun foiling technique where no heat is necessary to foil (see below)

Ok, on to my first card! This kit has a gorgeous sunflower stamp with five coordinating stencils for adding perfect layers of color to your project. I used the stencils to ink blend the flowers and then I added a little extra color with a red copic marker.

Next, I used Deco Foil Transfer Gel Duo to add some foil accents to my flowers. Here's the video so that you can see exactly how I did all of that...

If you are having trouble watching this video CLICK HERE to view it on YouTube.

After foiling the flowers I cut the image out with the coordinating dies and set them aside. I took a piece of Paradise cardstock cut to 4.25" x 5.5" and partially inkblended it using Blue Hawaii ink. Then, I heat embossed the "so much" from the Message Strips Stamp &  Cut XL onto my card front leaving enough space above to add the "thanks" die cut.

I added my sunflowers using foam tape and then splattered my card with both gold and white glimmer metallic ink. After the ink dried I added my thanks dies to front of my card with liquid adhesive. These dies were tripled up and I have a trick for perfectly aligning the dies and doing it without messy adhesive in my VIDEO.

This next card is another card with foiled accents and it was put together in much the same way as the first card. I did use a different color combo on the flower petals and centers (Creamsicle and Fruit Punch) But I didn't end up loving it so I again added red marker and then went in with a fine tip sharpie to add a bunch of scribbles and lines to make it my own.

I splattered my black background with gold glimmer metallic ink and then popped the sunflowers up in the center of the card using foam tape.

I added the "thanks" die to my card on an angle and using foam tape. This time instead of just using the detailed word die I also used the shadow background so that my sentiment would pop and be easy to read.

If you haven't seen the add-ons this month you have got to check them out! I made this card by combining three of them: Autumn Leaves Fancy Dies, Fall Leaves Stencil and a sentiment set called, Autumn Messages. I started off by grabbing a background I made using my DIY Liquid Watercolor sprays (How-to VIDEO HERE).Then I used gold Nuvo Mousse and the stencil to quickly create the background. I splattered it in both gold and white glimmer metallic ink and set it aside to dry.

Next I used the Autumn Leaves Fancy Dies to cut a whole bunch of leaves from the Fall Glitter Cardstock and some gold, metal sheets. I stamped the sentiment, cut it with my rectangle dies and popped it up using foam tape. I made sure only to apply foam tape in the center of the sentiment so that it was easy slide the leaves under the sentiment to embellish it.

I added all of my leaves using glue dots which made it easy to secure them without adhesive being visible.

I was also able to lift and curl the edges of some of the leaves to add even more dimension. If you decide to do use the metal sheets for your leaves or die cuts be aware that they can crease or bend in a very different way than paper does (because they are literally made of metal).

Now, Just in case you didn't see my blog post on Sunday with my sneak peek card for this release, here ya go. If you want more info on how to make this card you can head to my blog post HERE.

Ok, that's it for me today you all! I hope you love this Sunflower release and this month's add-ons as much as I do and will join the giveaway and continue hopping with us for even more inspiration.

Have an awesome day!

Maria

GIVEAWAY:

We will give away one $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, September 12th 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
Dana Joy
Daniel West
Debi Adams
Emily Midgett
Ilina Crouse
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Libby Hickson
Lydia Fiedler
Maria Willis: You are here.
Michelle Short
Mindy Eggen
Pocono Pam
Seeka
Jennifer Kotas
Meg Brooks
Nichol Spohr
Rebecca Keppel
Wanda Guess
Jennifer McGuire
PRODUCT SUPPLY LIST (Affiliate links may be used at no extra cost to you):