Showing posts with label watercolor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label watercolor. Show all posts

Sunday, March 5, 2023

Hero Arts Countdown to Creativity: March 2023 My Monthly Hero Release

Hey everybody! It's almost time for the March 2023  Hero Arts My Monthly Hero release and this month's kit is a fabulous kit for creating some colorful fruit and veggie themed cards and projects!

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! 

BIG NEWS!! Starting with the February 2023 release Hero Arts will now be offering both a Classic Kit and a Premium kit every month! The Classic kit will be what you're familiar with and will stay priced at $34.99. The Premium Kit will include everything from the Classic Kit plus some fabulous extras! If you are already a kit subscriber you will receive the Classic Kit unless you upgrade your subscription to Premium.

You have the option to subscribe (subscribing now means your first kit will be the April 2023 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! 

Today is Day Three of the Countdown to Creativity and I've got a card featuring a large background stamp that is included in the March 2023 kit (it's in both the Classic and Premium kits). I used the new Neon Brights Liquid Watercolors to color the image and I love the colors so much! I started by stamping my image in Onyx Pigment Ink on Luxe Watercolor cardstock. I covered the pigment ink in clear embossing powder and heat set it. This gave the image a glossy, raised look.

 Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, My Monthly Hero March 2023, cards, cardmaking, stamps, stamping, heat embossing,mixed media, watercolor

Next, I used my Neon Brights Liquid Watercolors (and a couple of the regular colors) to watercolor the background. For the grapefruit I added some of the white liquid watercolor with the neons to get a more muted color. 
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, My Monthly Hero March 2023, cards, cardmaking, stamps, stamping, heat embossing,mixed media, watercolor

To finish the card off I added the background to a black cardbase and a sentiment from the kit (heat embossed in white on Pitch Black cardstock).
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, My Monthly Hero March 2023, cards, cardmaking, stamps, stamping, heat embossing,mixed media, watercolor

Ok you guys, that is it for today! Tomorrow is the full release so make sure to come back here at 10am Pacific time to see the whole release! And, if you'd like a chance to win a kit before you can buy it then leave a comment below and head to the Hero Arts blog to see posts from the other team members.

Have an awesome day!
Maria

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Let That Shitake Go!

Hey everybody! It's Maria here and I am really happy to be here to share a mixed media card that I had so much fun making. I started out wanting to focus on the beautiful new Leaf Circle Stencil (so great for Autumn cards, right?) and when I saw how magical it looked in gold I decided to go with more of a nature/woodland theme. I know this card looks like a lot but it's actually easy to make so let me walk you through it step-by-step.


BACKGROUND:

  1. Cut a piece of Luxe Watercolor Cardstock to 4.25" x 5.5"
  2. Spray the background with liquid watercolor sprays of your choice (I added liquid watercolor and water to a spray bottle to create my own sprays). I used Leaf, Jungle Mist, Indigo and Art Print Brown. Allow to dry.
  3. Spray the same watercolor colors onto your work surface and smoosh your dried background into the color. This will add unpredictable visual texture and some extra color to your background. Allow to dry.
  4. Place your Leaf Circle Stencil over your background piece. I secured mine from the back with washi tape so that it would stay in place. Use your palette knife to spread Gold Hero Wax through the stencil. Don't worry about perfection- partial stenciling will add character to your background.
  5. Remove the stencil (put it in water so it will be easy to wash later) and immediately sprinkle some Sand Embossing Powder over the wet wax (a couple of pinches should do the trick). Make sure not to completely cover the wax so that you can still see the gold.
  6. Heat the embossing powder and wax to set them. This will melt the Sand Embossing Powder and it will also bubble the wax for extra texture.
  7. Splatter the background with White Glimmer Metallic Ink for extra magic.

Cardbomb,Maria Wills,Hero Arts,mixed media,Hero Wax,stencils,heat embossing,die cutting,mushrooms,leaves,stamping,handmade, cards, diy, watercolor

FOCAL POINT:
  1. Stamp the text stamp from the Sending Love Mail stamp in Granite ink onto vellum.  Cut this piece to 2.5" x 3.5" and set it aside.
  2. Use the Mushrooms and Ferns Fancy Dies to die cut mushrooms and ferns from Luxe Watercolor Cardstock. I left the ferns white.
  3. Using Liquid Watercolor sprays, spray the tops of the mushrooms Orange and the stems Art Print Brown.
  4. I used Tomato ink (ink-blending) and Copic markers to add a little bit of extra color and shading to my my mushrooms.
  5. Stamp the sentiment from Zen Messages in Aquamarine Pigment ink, heat emboss it in clear and cut it into a strip.

Cardbomb,Maria Wills,Hero Arts,mixed media,Hero Wax,stencils,heat embossing,die cutting,mushrooms,leaves,stamping,handmade, cards, diy, watercolor


ASSEMBLE:

  1. Add your background to a cardbase. I used Precision Glue to do this.
  2. Adhere your sentiment strip to the vellum piece then layer the ferns and mushrooms on top using either foam adhesive or glue dots to create dimension.
  3. Add foam adhesive to the vellum making sure to hide it behind the sentiment, ferns and mushrooms. Attach the focal point to the background.
  4. The final step is to splatter the focal point with White Glimmer Metallic ink. I covered my sentiment with a piece of washi tape to protect it. 


Cardbomb,Maria Wills,Hero Arts,mixed media,Hero Wax,stencils,heat embossing,die cutting,mushrooms,leaves,stamping,handmade, cards, diy, watercolor

Now you've got a finished card with tons of color and eye-catching texture! I hope some of you might have fun recreating this card or using some of the techniques I've shared today.

I hope you all have an awesome day today, but if your day is feeling hard, try to just let that shitake go!

Crafty hugs,

Maria



Monday, August 1, 2022

Hero Arts My Monthly Hero Release August 2022: Blog Hop and a Giveaway!

Hey everybody! The wait is over! It's time for the Hero Arts August 2022 My Monthly Hero release and this month's kit is a stencil lovers dream! It's got a set of four layering stencils to create a beautiful desert scene. There are also a sentiment stamp set, some coordinating dies, four ink cubes, five sheets of Luxe watercolor paper and bronze PearlEx (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 $70!

You have the option to subscribe (subscribing now means your first kit will be the September 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. 

HOT TIP: Ok, so here's something I quickly figured out with this kit... I am someone who struggles with leaving white space on a card (especially in a landscape scene like this where white space within the design would really break it up). If you are like me then I suggest the easy solution of starting either with colored card stock and ink blending on that, inkblending a background in the colors of your choice before using the stencils, or, grab a background from your stash and have fun with that!

For my first project I decided to grab a watercolored background from my stash and be inspired by the vibrant colors. This panel was created with DIY Liquid Watercolor sprays and I believe I used Pink and Dandelion but it looks like I could've sprayed a little Creamsicle Reactive spray in there too. I decided to put the pink up top for a magically hazy sky and the yellow/orange tones worked well for a desert floor. I used the stencils from the kit and inkblended in Taffy reactive ink to add the gorgeous skyline and some sandy pits. For the next layer I used a sponge dauber to gently add in highlights with Gold Glimmer Metallic Ink. If you decide to do this make sure to go easy so that the gold doesn't run under your stencil and you can get some crisp highlights. I wanted more gold so after the first layer dried I went back with a paintbrush and thickened it up.

Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, My Monthly Hero August 2022, cards, cardmaking, stamps, stamping, stencils, art, color, watercolor, diy, handmade, desert

I wanted to give the mountains a little bit more definition since doing pink mountains against a pink sky didn't provide a lot of contrast. I grabbed a pink colored pencil and traced around the edges of the mountains and added a little shading where I thought it would look good. That was an easy way to make the mountains pop. I wanted to add to the sky as well so I masked off the bottom part of the card (coordinating dies make this easy) and splattered it with White Glimmer Metallic Ink. Before moving on, I heat embossed my sentiment onto the panel using Onyx Pigment ink and clear embossing powder.
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, My Monthly Hero August 2022, cards, cardmaking, stamps, stamping, stencils, art, color, watercolor, diy, handmade, desert

Next, I used a separate piece of white paper to stencil my cacti in Key Lime Fizz and Green Apple Reactive Inks. I used the coordinating dies to cut them out and adhered them with foam tape. I finished my card off by adding it to a black mat and a card base. 
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, My Monthly Hero August 2022, cards, cardmaking, stamps, stamping, stencils, art, color, watercolor, diy, handmade, desert

I made this next card using a new stencil called Desert Road Stencil. I used some Pixie Spray to lightly adhere it to my cardstock before working with it so that I could get clean lines. I inkblended everything above the dark brown section using Dandelion, Pale Tomato, Sand, Caramel, Cup O' Joe, and Espresso inks. It was too hard to keep the colors separated by section as I had originally planned so I blended over the tops of the stencil lines and ended being happy with the look
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, My Monthly Hero August 2022, cards, cardmaking, stamps, stamping, stencils, art, color, watercolor, diy, handmade, desert

By the time I was halfway down the card I was tired of inkblending and started wondering if it would work well to use my copic markers with the stencil. I decided to try it out and this technique allowed me to get some nice shading in my gray road and to move quickly down the rest of the card. I do think the ink blending at the top looks smoother though. 
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, My Monthly Hero August 2022, cards, cardmaking, stamps, stamping, stencils, art, color, watercolor, diy, handmade, desert

I added a sentiment from the Seaside Highway HeroScape set and a black mat to finish off this card.
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, My Monthly Hero August 2022, cards, cardmaking, stamps, stamping, stencils, art, color, watercolor, diy, handmade, desert

Here's another card I made using the kit. This one has a watercolor look that was easy to achieve. If you'd like the details for this card you can find them by clicking here
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, My Monthly Hero August 2022, cards, cardmaking, stamps, stamping, stencils, art, color, watercolor, diy, handmade, desert

Ok, that's it for today you guys! I hope you have an amazing week and that you'll keep hopping along with us for more inspiration. Remember to comment below to enter yourself in the giveaway!

Maria


GIVEAWAY:
We will give away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, August 7th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

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Friday, July 29, 2022

Hero Arts Countdown to Creativity: August 2022 Release!

Hey everybody! It's almost time for the August 2022 Hero Arts My Monthly Hero release and this month's kit is a fun one especially for all of you stencil lovers out there!

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! 

You have the option to subscribe (subscribing now means your first kit will be the September 2022 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! 

Today is Day One of the Countdown to Creativity and I've got a card with an faux-ish watercolor technique to share with you. This month's kit comes with a set of four stencils that allow you to create a gorgeous desert scene. The kit also comes with Luxe Watercolor cardstock so I took that as my que to create a watercolor scene using my stencils as the guide. 

Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, My Monthly Hero August 2022, cards, cardmaking, stamps, stamping, stencils, art, color, watercolor, diy, handmade, desert

I used my DIY liquid watercolor sprays with the stencil to create layers of color. All I did was place my stencil down and then spray my color over the top. Once that layer had dried I added the next layer of color. The colors that I used were Cocoa, Mulled Wine, Leaf, Jungle Mist and Teal. Once I had the full desert scene I added color to the sky by masking off the scene (there's a die that makes this easy) and spraying it with White Iridescent Shimmer Spray followed by a splatter of White Glimmer Metallic Ink.
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, My Monthly Hero August 2022, cards, cardmaking, stamps, stamping, stencils, art, color, watercolor, diy, handmade, desert

The final steps were to stamp my sentiment in Onyx Pigment ink and heat emboss it in clear, then add my scene to a Nautical mat.
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, My Monthly Hero August 2022, cards, cardmaking, stamps, stamping, stencils, art, color, watercolor, diy, handmade, desert

Well, that is it for today folks! I hope you've enjoyed this little sneak peek. If you'd like a chance to win this kit before you can buy then head on over to the Hero Arts blog and enter for your chance to win!

Have an awesome day and I will see you back here on Monday for the full (super amazing) release!

Maria


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

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Sending Peaceful Vibes Your Way!

Hey everybody! I'm just popping in to let you know that I am up on the Hero Arts blog today sharing a bright and cheerful card. My card showcases the new Mermaid Cove stamp set as well as the Zen Messages stamp set (sentiment). 

I started off by spraying a piece of Luxe watercolor cardstock with my DIY liquid watercolor sprays. Then I heat embossed my images in Onyx Pigment ink and heat embossed them in clear. 

Cardbomb,maria willis,Hero Arts, cards, cardmaking, stamping, stamps, art, diy, handmade, color, watercolor,heat embossing,Mermaids,

I splattered the background with White Glimmer Metallic Ink to add a little magic.
Cardbomb,maria willis,Hero Arts, cards, cardmaking, stamping, stamps, art, diy, handmade, color, watercolor,heat embossing,Mermaids,

Finally, I heat embossed some of the tall kelp in white onto Pitch Black cardstock and cut it out by hand. I added the kelp using foam tape to give it a little bit of extra dimension and that was it!
Cardbomb,maria willis,Hero Arts, cards, cardmaking, stamping, stamps, art, diy, handmade, color, watercolor,heat embossing,Mermaids,

For all of the details please head on over to the Hero Arts blog!

Have an awesome day!
Maria
 

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Hero Arts Summer Catalog and Mixed Media Release: Blog Hop & Giveaways!

Hey everybody! I'm so glad you are stopping by today because is release day for the brand new Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2021! For this release we have a really cool combination of things to share. We've got brand new products, brand new mixed media products (waxes, pearls, paste and a fabulous palette knife!) and we are even putting a mixed media style twist on some products that you may already know and love. Fun! The new catalog is absolutely gorgeous so if you'd like to get a copy for yourself click here.

Today I'll be sharing some of the projects that I made for the catalog as well as a look at the new mixed media products so make sure to stick around until the end of my post (especially if you want to enter the GIVEAWAY). For my first two projects I used exactly the same products to create two very different looks. I used liquid watercolors (as DIY sprays), the Togetherness Flower Bouquet Stamp, the Newspaper Bold Prints, the Diamond Stencil and the Luggage Tag Alphabet Frame Cuts. For my first piece I tore a piece of Strathmore watercolor paper out of a notebook and left the holes on the left side. I cut the piece down and sprayed it DIY sprays made from both liquid water colors and Reactive Ink Inkers. Then, I stamped the floral stamp repeatedly in Onyx Pigment ink and heat embossed it in clear. 
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2022,mixed media,stamps, stamping, cards, cardmaking, art, color, handmade, craft,watercolor,Hero Paste,heat emboss,texture,technique,dies,die cutting

On the left side of the piece I added dark shadows behind the flowers using a black watercolor pencil and a sharpie. This made the flowers pop forward more. On the right side of the background I stamped the Newspaper Bold Prints into the background in Splash Reactive Ink. Then I used the Diamond stencil and Unicorn White ink to create more subtle background interest. I heat embossed some of the sentiments from the new Art Journal Messages onto the background in white. 
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2022,mixed media,stamps, stamping, cards, cardmaking, art, color, handmade, craft,watercolor,Hero Paste,heat emboss,texture,technique,dies,die cutting

After splattering the background with both gold and white Glimmer Metallic ink I added a black sentiment die cut using the Luggage Tag Alphabet dies. I love the bold font of these dies and the fact that I can make any sentiment I want with them. To finish this piece up I add highlights with a white posca pen and a few black enamel dots for accents.
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2022,mixed media,stamps, stamping, cards, cardmaking, art, color, handmade, craft,watercolor,Hero Paste,heat emboss,texture,technique,dies,die cutting

This card uses the same products for a totally different look. This time I used the Hero Arts watercolor paper (A2 sized) and sprayed it with Liquid Watercolor sprays (Indigo and Pink). Then I stamped Newspaper Bold Prints onto some deli paper with permanent ink. I glued a strip of this stamped paper to my card base before applying Hero Paste over the background using the Diamond Stencil and the NEW PALETTE KNIFE which I absolutely love! While the paste was still wet I sprinkled it with White Puff Embossing Powder and heat set it. While the embossing powder was still hot I sprinkled it with Sand Embossing Powder and heat set that to add more texture. I splattered the background with with both white and gold Glimmer Metallic Ink as well as black acrylic paint and set it aside to dry.
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2022,mixed media,stamps, stamping, cards, cardmaking, art, color, handmade, craft,watercolor,Hero Paste,heat emboss,texture,technique,dies,die cutting

I stamped the flowers in Onyx Pigment Ink and heat embossed them in clear embossing powder before cutting them out with the coordinating die. Then I watercolored them with liquid watercolors (Pink, Orange, Dandelion, Leaf and Jungle Mist). I added extra detail and shadows with black sharpie and gray copic markers before adhering them to my card with foam adhesive.  
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2022,mixed media,stamps, stamping, cards, cardmaking, art, color, handmade, craft,watercolor,Hero Paste,heat emboss,texture,technique,dies,die cutting

To finish the card off I added a "HEY" sentiment cut using the Luggage Tag Alphabet dies. I adhered the letters using foam tape and then added some black enamel dots.
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2022,mixed media,stamps, stamping, cards, cardmaking, art, color, handmade, craft,watercolor,Hero Paste,heat emboss,texture,technique,dies,die cutting


My next three projects again use the same products but combine them in different ways for different outcomes. For these projects I am using the Bug Collections Bold Prints Stamp, the Novel Prose Bold Prints Stamp, and, the Love Stamp & Cut. For this card I started out with an A2 sized piece of Paradise cardstock. I used a MISTI to stamp the Bug Collections BP in Canary Pigment ink and heat embossed it in clear. Then, I ink-blended around the edges of the card using Blue Hawaii Reactive Ink and a blending brush. This darkened up the edges and gave the center of the card a glow. Next, I stamped around the edges again using Versamark ink and the Novel Prose BP stamp. I heat embossed that in gold. To finish the background off I added splatters of black acrylic paint.
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2022,mixed media,stamps, stamping, cards, cardmaking, art, color, handmade, craft,watercolor,Hero Paste,heat emboss,texture,technique,dies,die cutting

Next, I stamped the Bug Collection Bold Prints stamp onto watercolor cardstock in Onyx Pigment ink and heat set it with clear embossing powder. Then, I cut out a little piece for the top, left of my card and a butterfly for the bottom right. I also cut out a couple specimen labels to add to the background. I watercolored the butterfly with liquid watercolors and outlined the other pieces in black sharpie. I layered the butterfly onto a black banner from the Love Stamp & Cut set. I also created my sentiment from this set. I placed all of my pieces onto the background and when I was happy with the layout I glued them all done and that was all she wrote!
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2022,mixed media,stamps, stamping, cards, cardmaking, art, color, handmade, craft,watercolor,Hero Paste,heat emboss,texture,technique,dies,die cutting

For my next two projects I used playing cards. There were two extra cards in the deck so I just grabbed those and I added a layer of both white and black acrylic paint as a backdrop to get started. On this first card I stamped Novel Prose randomly into the background using black ink.
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2022,mixed media,stamps, stamping, cards, cardmaking, art, color, handmade, craft,watercolor,Hero Paste,heat emboss,texture,technique,dies,die cutting

I added circles using bubble wrap and Aquamarine Pigment Ink that I heat embossed in clear. Then, I stamped Novel Prose again, this time using Versamark ink and I heat embossed that in Sand Embossing Powder. I splattered the background with white acrylic paint and Gold Glimmer Metallic Ink before smearing more gold and black acrylic paint around the edges. At some point in this process I also stamped some "XOXO" sentiments into the background.
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2022,mixed media,stamps, stamping, cards, cardmaking, art, color, handmade, craft,watercolor,Hero Paste,heat emboss,texture,technique,dies,die cutting

To finish this playing card up I added cuttings from the Bug Collections stamp and Love Stamp & Cut that I watercolored and outlined in black. I also added some gold string behind them and some enamel dots to add a little extra texture. 
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2022,mixed media,stamps, stamping, cards, cardmaking, art, color, handmade, craft,watercolor,Hero Paste,heat emboss,texture,technique,dies,die cutting

For this Love Bug playing card I basically applied the same techniques as on the butterfly playing card. I heat embossed Novel Prose in white and then again with Sand Embossing Powder. 
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2022,mixed media,stamps, stamping, cards, cardmaking, art, color, handmade, craft,watercolor,Hero Paste,heat emboss,texture,technique,dies,die cutting

I wanted to add more color to the background so I smeared some Leaf and Jungle Mist Liquid Watercolor on with my finger. It worked better than I thought it would and I think it looks really cool.
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2022,mixed media,stamps, stamping, cards, cardmaking, art, color, handmade, craft,watercolor,Hero Paste,heat emboss,texture,technique,dies,die cutting

When I added the "Love" die cut I covered it in Clear Lacquer so that it would be shiny. I also added Clear Lacquer to the beetle so he looked three dimensional and to the "Bug" sentiment. I did the the "Bug" sentiment by hand since there wasn't one in the set. The final step was to add some white enamel dots.
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2022,mixed media,stamps, stamping, cards, cardmaking, art, color, handmade, craft,watercolor,Hero Paste,heat emboss,texture,technique,dies,die cutting

Ok! Now let's move on and check out some of the new and super awesome mixed media products that are launching today! We've got two brand new mediums and an addition to one existing product line. Here's what we've got:
   
        -Gold
        -Black
        -White (Pearlescent finish)
        -Buy them in a Bundle!

        -Gold
        -Silver
        -Pewter
        -White (Pearlescent finish)
        -Buy them in a Bundle!

        -Pearl
        -Buy them in a Bundle!

Now, here's a look at what we've got. These are swatches of all three colors of the new HERO WAXES. The waxes are a wax based product that dries permanent on most surfaces. They are great for doing a variety of techniques with. On these swatches I show that they can be applied smoothly with a palette knife (top left), textured (bottom left), heated with a heat tool to bubble them (top right), and applied with a dry brush to add texture (bottom right). They are amazing to burnish over texture on your projects, for use with stencils and for many other techniques. You can buy these waxes individually or as a bundle.
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2022,mixed media,stamps, stamping, cards, cardmaking, art, color, handmade, craft,watercolor,Hero Paste,heat emboss,texture,technique,dies,die cutting

Next up we have the new HERO PEARLS in four gorgeous colors! All four of these of a striking, metallic finish that is very eyecatching. As you can see from the swatches they can be applied in a variety of ways-here, I've used my finger, used the tip to draw a squiggle, and then made some pearls as embellishments. The colors all look stunning on both dark and light cardstock and are easy to make beautiful "pearls" with (no hershey's kiss look with these drops as they are self-leveling). You can buy these individually or as a bundle.
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2022,mixed media,stamps, stamping, cards, cardmaking, art, color, handmade, craft,watercolor,Hero Paste,heat emboss,texture,technique,dies,die cutting

Finally, we have the newest addition to our Hero Paste line with this gorgeous, new HERO PEARL PASTE. This paste is similar to others in our line (currently we have our original paste, glitter paste and now Pearl paste). It is white with a pearlescent finish and had great coverage on both light and dark cardstocks. You can add color this paste by adding a few drops of either liquid watercolor or Inkers. If you already have the two existing pastes you can pick up the Pearl paste by itself, or, if you want all three pastes you can grab the bundle. 
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2022,mixed media,stamps, stamping, cards, cardmaking, art, color, handmade, craft,watercolor,Hero Paste,heat emboss,texture,technique,dies,die cutting

Here's a look at all of the swatches for the new mediums together... Aren't they fun?!
Cardbomb, Maria Willis, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Summer Catalog 2022,mixed media,stamps, stamping, cards, cardmaking, art, color, handmade, craft,watercolor,Hero Paste,heat emboss,texture,technique,dies,die cutting

Before I go there are two new tools that I have to tell you about because you are going to need them!

First we've got the new stamp Scrubbing Block! This is a block that is easy to hold in your hand and allows you scrub your stamps clean while they are in your MISTI! This tool makes it easy to clean your Bold Print stamps too! Check it out HERE!

We've also got a brand new Palette Knife! I absolutely love because it's made out of metal and wood. I love tools made of natural materials so much more than plastic tools. This palette knife is also really great because of the shape of the knife. It is shaped like an elongated diamond and has a narrow tip that is easy to dip into your product containers to pick up your product. Check out this awesome, new Palette Knife HERE!

Ok, you guys! That is it for today so I hope you'll keep hopping along with us to check out the new goodies and tons of creative inspiration from the Hero Arts Creative Team. Remember to enter our giveaway too (details below)!

Have an awesome day!
Maria


GIVEAWAY:



BLOG HOP LIST:





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Monday, May 2, 2022

Hero Arts My Monthly Hero May 2022: Blog Hop and Giveaway!

Hey everybody! The wait is over! It's time for the Hero Arts May 2022 My Monthly Hero release and this month's kit is a kitchen-loving dream! It's got a gorgeous fancy die, coordinating  small dies, a sentiment stamp set and a fun background stamp (affiliate links may be used at no extra cost to you)! It's also got a bunch of other fun supplies like cardstock, ink, embossing powder, and baker's twine!

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 $70!

You have the option to subscribe (subscribing now means your first kit will be the June 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 made a bright and happy, "Bun in the Oven" card. This card would be such a fun way to announce that a baby is on the way. The oven door opens so it would be easy to add a due date or a gender to the inside. I started out with an A2 sized piece of white cardstock and I masked off the window panes from the Open Windows Fancy die using masking paper. Then, I stamped the background stamp from the kit in Soft Granite Shadow Ink. Then I lightly ink blended the whole background with Soft Granite Ink to give it a little color. After that, I peeled the masking paper away and that left me with clean white, windows. I added some blue color using my copic markers to make it look like their was an outdoor view.

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To finish off the window scene I adhered the Open Window Fancy die cut out of white cardstock. It perfectly framed out the windows that I had colored in blue. Once I had the window frame glued down I decided to make the windows look glossy and I filled them with a layer of Crystal Clear Lacquer Pen. You may want to do this step last, or, be very careful not to smear the lacquer before it dries properly.
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Next, I cut the fancy die from the kit out of Paradise cardstock. I cut off the sides and top of the die cut leaving only the fruit bowl sitting on top of the counter. I added detail to the oven and fruit using a gold gel pen and some posca paint pens. I also stamped the sentiment onto the oven door using Onyx Pigment ink and then heat embossed it in clear embossing powder. Once that was done I glued the whole thing down using tape runner (I didn't want liquid adhesive to ooze through the gorgeous details of the die) except for the oven door which I propped slightly open with glue dots.
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For my next card I used the gorgeous new Olive Branch stamp and die set. I heat embossed the large olive branch in gold and watercolored it using my Hero Arts Liquid Watercolors (Leaf, Jungle Mist, Purple, Art Print, Black). Then, I used the coordinating dies to cut out the image.
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I used Jungle Mist Liquid Watercolor to quickly watercolor a background onto some handmade watercolor paper. Then I roughed up the edges with my fingernail and added some Gold Glimmer Metallic ink by rubbing it on with my fingers as well as splattering it with a paintbrush.
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I created a gold circle frame with my Circle Infinity Dies by stacking three layers of white cardstock behind one layer of gold metallic cardstock. I heat embossed the sentiment in Onyx Pigment ink and clear embossing powder and then cut the sentiment strip out and flagged it with scissors. I glued all of the pieces to my card front using liquid adhesive and foam tape. Then I finished the card off by adding gold drops.
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Here's a quick look at a card that I shared on Friday as a sneak peek for this kit. You can see more pictures and check out all of the details HERE.
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Ok, you guys, that is it for today! I hope you all love this kit and will continue hopping along with us for even more inspiration. The full blog hop list is below and make sure to leave a comment here to get yourself entered into our giveaway!

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, May 8th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

BLOG HOP LIST:
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