Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Hero Arts Summer 2016 Release Blog Hop

Hello! Today we are celebrating because the products from the Summer 2016 release are now available in the Hero Arts Online Store! And what better way to celebrate than with a blog hop featuring lots of talented stampers and new products!

My card features a couple of products that you may have seen before. The Prayers Stamp & Cut was previously released at Simon Says Stamp, but now it will also be available in the Hero Arts store. Yay!


I also used the Happy Mother's Day clear stamp set, which features some beautiful floral images and great messages for mom. I heat embossed the flower onto vellum with Brass Embossing Powder, which is such a stunning color! And to bring in even more of that gorgeous brass color, I heat embossed a strip of cardstock to add along the left side.
 

The subtle textured background was created with the Floral Pattern Stencil and white embossing paste. I thought the petals of the stencil perfectly mimicked the petals of the embossed flower.

Now how about a giveaway! Hero Arts will be giving away three $25 shopping sprees, drawn from comments left across all blogs in the hop. Please comment by Sunday, May 15 at 11:59pm PT and the winner will be announced the following week.

Here's a list of all the stops along the hop:

The Hero Arts Blog
Amy Tsuruta
Clare Prezzia
Debby Hughes
Jennifer McGuire
Jenn Shurkus
Joan Bardee
Julie Ebersole
Kathleen Graumuller
Kathy Racoosin
Kelly Rasmussen (you are here)
Kimberly Crawford
Laura Bassen
Libby Hickson
Lori Craig
Lucy Abrams
Lydia Fiedler
Mariana Grigsby
May Sukyong Park
Nichol Magouirk
Sandy Allnock
Teri Anderson
Wanda Guess
Yana Smakula

Have fun hopping! :)

 

Monday, May 2, 2016

May My Monthly Hero Blog Hop



Hello and welcome to my stop on the May My Monthly Hero Blog Hop!

This month's kit was inspired by Jennifer McGuire and her wonderful Share Handmade Kindness campaign. The kit contains everything you need to say thank you, make someone's day or spread a little kindness. I am extra excited about this kit because I got to design the stamps, dies and a super fun backer card that's included in the kit. You can purchase the kit in the Hero Arts Online Store now!



THE KIT CONTAINS:
4x6 clear stamp set • gift card envelope die • 
four half sheets of cardstock in tiffany blue and green apple • 
four half sheets of vellum in turquoise and iridescent white • 
ten white tags • .5 oz silver embossing powder • Glue Dots • gray twine • gems

I have two projects to share with you today -- one using the gift card envelope die in the main kit and another using the Thank You add-on die.


I die cut the gift card envelope from watercolor paper and taped off a border on the front panel with painter's tape. Then I used Distress Inks to watercolor a background and dried it using my heat tool.

Next, I stamped the message with VersaMark ink and black heat embossed the image. The stamp set is designed to be able to use the handwritten thank you message together or just the word "you" like I did here. The smaller coordinating messages are also great for the insides of cards!


The backside of the envelope has a v-shaped flapped that folds over and tucks into a 1" slit. I used one of the images from the Happy Mail add-on to create a seal for the envelope. But you do not need to use any adhesive to close it -- the whole envelope can be assembled with no adhesive!


I easily attached the gift card with a glue dot that are also included in the kit. And you can see there is even space to write a message on the bottom flap. I love how simple and quick this gift card envelope is to pull together!


I also wanted to share a couple add-on's that are being offered with the kit because I think I love them just as much as the kit! There is a 4x6 clear set called Happy Mail and a Thank You Pair Fancy Die.


The word die is the same size as the "thank you" message in the kit stamp set and the words are separate so you can easily use one or both.  I love how delicate this die is and that it can be the focal point of a card.


I've covered the die in some gold glitter and adhered it over a subtle watercolor background. And I've included one of the coordinating messages from the kit stamp set.

 
Hero Arts is giving away one kit as a prize to one blog reader - selected from the comments across all of the blogs in the hop. So be sure to leave a comment on each of these fabulous ladies' blogs:

The Hero Arts Blog
Jennifer McGuire
Kelly Rasmussen  <-- are="" br="" here="" you="">
Yana Smakula
Lucy Abrams
Kathy Racoosin
Mariana Grigsby
Wanda Guess
Clare Prezzia
May Sukyong Park
Joan Bardee
Amy Tsuruta
Lydia Fiedler
Libby Hickson

Thank you so much for stopping by today and I can't wait to see what all of you create with this kit! Remember this kit is available for a limited time only - once it's gone, it's gone!