Category: Hero Arts

Christmas Inspiration II

12/18/2017

Make your homemade cards stand out...

With Christmas approaching, I wanted to make some final cards that sparkled like the season. I had purchased some Nuvo Glimmer Paste and wanted to try it out. As well some Black Friday purchases from Simon Says Stamp came in and I wanted to use these to make some shaker cards. So, join me as I show you how I made these sparkling cards just in time for Christmas....

Christmas Inspiration I

11/3/2017

One Layer Holiday Cards

On my continued kick to spread kindness, I thought that the holiday season was a great time to whip up some quick one layer cards with hand written from the heart sentiments to let people in my life know how much I appreciate them. I was looking for some simple designs as I needed to make a lot of these cards. I came up with 4 designs that I will share with you today.

Thinking Inking

10/29/2017

Texture play with ink and stencils

What I have been discovering in card making is a sense of freedom to try new things. I am more willing as a card maker to attempt a new technique or practice with a product with the understanding that I will mess up but each mistake is a step in the overall journey. To that end, I recently went to Jenn Shurkus' Creative Journey: An Art Retreat on Cape Cod. At that retreat, I was able to play with some stamps and techniques I do not normally try and get some ideas. My friend also won a Tim Holtz Plaid Layering Stencil which I am highlighting in today's card. I am also highlighting some techniques that may seem a bit daunting but I encourage you to try them and take a step forward on your creative journey.

A great background can sometimes be all you need to make your card. I started with a piece of Neenah Solar White 80lb paper cut to 5 3/4 x 4 1/2. I applied Distress Inks with my Mini Blending Tool by starting off the paper and moving in a circular motion onto the paper. This process takes patience as you build up the color layers. Wanting to create an ombre effect, I chose three pink colors: Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick and Picked Raspberry and three orange colors: Dried Marigold, Wild Honey and Carved Pumpkin. Visually dividing the paper into halves, I applied Spun Sugar to the top half, Worn Lipstick to the top third and Picked Raspberry to the top quarter of the paper. After drying the ink, I turned my paper 180 degrees and in the same manner created an ombre of Dried Marigold to the half, Wild Honey to the third and Carved Pumpkin to the quarter of the page making sure to blend between colors. I then used my lightest shade: Spun Sugar and Dried Marigold to go over their respective halves of the paper and blend them into the middle.

My Monthly Hero August Stamp Kit Ideas

10/13/2017

Stamp Kits

Hero Arts has been putting out monthly stamp kits that include: stamps, dies, paper and some embellishments for over a two years now. It is a great way to get a set of exclusive stamps and accouterments for a great price. The Kits sell out quickly so you need to either pay for a subscription or order quickly. I like ordering these because I come up with a ton of ideas of what to do with them quickly. Here are a few of my ideas using the August Kit highlighting: die inlay, stencils and watercoloring.

Color Study

10/8/2017

Using different colors with the same stamp

Savannah has this shirt with swipes of color that each contain a different phrase. I wanted to do something similar and thought Right At Home's Watercolor background stamp would be a great compliment to my idea. To give my cards a different look, I stamped the background with different colors of inks. Please read along for how I made 5 completely different cards using the same stamp.

Shaker wedding card

9/30/2017

Wedding or Engagement Card

Hero Arts has a monthly kit they sell which comes with a whole bunch of items. In April 2017, the kit was centered around stamps and dies resembling paper dolls from the 1950's. I purchased the kit because I didn't have any stamps like this although I was uncertain about how to use it. Recently, I was in need of a wedding card and felt that making a shaker wedding dress would be a different idea and a good use of the April stamp set.

Welcome, Baby card

9/17/2017

Using backgrounds as a focal point

Waffle Flower Crafts last release contained a stamp set made for me: Plaid Play. This stamp set features strips of stamps in various widths and textures which when combined, can create a plaid background. I also love the idea of using some of these solid lines as borders on my cards. I had to get this set immediately.

Erin Condren Planner Update

9/1/2017

I am updating how I am using my planner. I had hoped to do an update after a few months of really using the planner, but I came up with some handy inexpensive solutions using stuff from my stash and wanted to share them now.

Encouragement Cards

8/11/2017

I am a teacher and part of that job is about being a cheerleader for your students. My students are in high school and have been reporting to me the amount of stress they have been under for college, grades and all the other stuff that we had to go through too. I wanted to make cards for my students to let them know I'm in their corner. I was inspired by Jennifer McGuire's campaign to share kindness within your community.

Altenew July Challenge

7/27/2017

Over on the Altenew blog this month, the inspirational image really resonated with me. I love roses; absolutely my favorite flower. Roses remind me of summer and my grandfather who had an amazing knack for getting them to grow; his secret was composted manure.

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