ATC Cactus

 It was so much fun to get inky in creating these ATCs! I had just returned from my trip to Phoenix, so obviously there were cacti on my mind :)

I started with Strathmore Mixed Media Paper cut to 2.5" x 3.5". With Distress Watercolor Pencils, I painted the base orange and blue. Then I used Hero Arts Paste over the Stripes stencil and the Nordic stencil.

Next I loosely painted parts of each ATC with Distress Paint in Twisted Citron. Later, I sort of covered up this color with Cracked Pistachio because the green cactus blended in too much.

Next I added some of the new Hero Arts Transfers Collage Backgrounds.

Now it's time for the cactus! With Strathmore Mixed Media Paper I die cut the saguaro and the prickly pear dies from the Sizzix Funky Cactus collection. I painted them with various shades of green Distress Watercolor Pencils, glued together with Precision Glue, then inked over the edged with Walnut Stain.

Then I pulled out some Dina Wakley stamps, Text and Scribbles, and stamped those with Distress Watercolor Pencils in pink and blue shades. I did this to help break up all the Twisted Citron in the center of the ATCs.

As mentioned earlier, I then covered up the green with Cracked Pistachio paint...

The final step of the background is here... Gold Leaf! I used some gold leaf from the Hero Arts March Kit... this is my first time using it and I held my breath the whole time :) 

The finishing touches - I used foam tape to adhere the cactus pieces. The sentiments were stamped with Versafine Ink from the Tiny Text stamp set.

Are you team saguaro or team prickly pear?

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Spread Kindness - Sending Peace

Today I have a couple of groovy cards to share featuring the February releases from Hero Arts. It's all about peace and love today!

This card starts by creating the background. I lightly spread Hero Arts Paste over a panel of Watercolor Paper. While the paste is still wet, I pressed the Words of Peace bold print rubber stamp on top. Lightly lift up the rubber stamp and allow the entire background to dry completely. I then sprayed the background with Fuchsia + Gold metallic spray and Yellow + Copper metallic spray. I set that aside to dry and then lightly inked the Peace Daisy stencil in similar colors of Plum and Papaya ink.

I used the same Words of Peace bold print to stamp the entire card base in the same ink colors again - Papaya and Plum. Then I die cut the Dove and Olive Branch fancy die and very lightly colored it with copics.

The 'sending peace' sentiment is from the "Sending Peace" mini stamp set and stamped in Granite Ink. The finished panel is die cut from Scallop Infinity Dies and popped on the card base with foam tape.

My next card was a fun one and continues the super rad theme!

I started by cutting a Tag Infinity Die from watercolor paper. First I randomly stamped the peace sign and dove (also from the Sending Peace mini set) with Embossing Ink and heat embossed in White. Then I loosely watercolored the tag with Hero Arts liquid watercolors in Bright Yellow, Bright Pink, and Dark Teal.

Then I grabbed another piece of Watercolor cardstock and sprayed it with Ocean Blue + Gold and Blue + Shimmer Metallic Sprays. Once completely bone dry, I heat embossed the heart image and "spread kindness" sentiment in white - these stamps are from the Peace and Love Bundle.

Finally, the black card base is dry embossed with the Peace Daisy Stencil by just running the cardstock and stencil through my die cutting machine. I then very lightly inked the embossed panel with Unicorn Ink to help the pattern pop out.

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Hero Arts Spring Catalog 2024 Blog Hop!

 It's here!!

It's the Hero Arts Spring Catalog 2024 Release Blog Hop! I'm so excited for this hop (I have 8 of my cards in the catalog!) and we have two $50 Hero Arts gift cards to giveaway! Leave comments on all the blogs for more chances to win. You will have until February 21st to enter.

It's time to start thinking about bunny season :) I had so much fun creating this card. Most of the dies used for this bunny card are brand new: Peeking Bunny Die, Fancy Fence die, and the Butterfly Foliage die. All pieces are cut using Hero Arts cardstock and I was sure to ink the edges of each piece using a variety of Hero Arts inks to help give the die cuts more dimension.

In the close-up you can see some more of the shading to add dimension. The sentiment is from another new Hero Arts bundle, the Spring Bunny bundle.

This was a fun card to get inky! This card features the Vintage Stamp and Ledger set in the background, and the I Appreciate You bundle for the sentiment. The background is Watercolor Cardstock that I painted with Hero Arts Reactive Inks in Taffy, Lemon Drop, and Pool Party. Once dried, I randomly stamped and heat embossed the Vintage Stamp images in gold.

I stamped one of the images from the set repeatedly onto Vellum and heat set to dry. I then stamped the sentiment in Pool Party reactive ink and die cut it to pop up in the center of the card.

HeroScape images are such a big part of my Hero Arts collection! This card uses the Stone Bridge HeroScape to put this sweet scene together. First I lightly inked some Mist Cardstock with Mist Ink over the Cloud Pattern stencil. The rest of the HeroScape is stamped with a variety of Hero Arts inks over Dove White Cardstock. And I just had to die cut that cute little turtle to add him over the bridge :)

Thanks again for hopping! You can also order the catalog for more inspiration and ideas.

Continue the hop now and remember to leave comments for a chance to win a $50 gift card!

Hero Arts
Hero Arts Creative Team:
Mindy Eggen
Natasha Vacca
Ilina Crouse
Charlene Madrid
Lydia Fiedler
Heather Ruwe
Natasha Polite
Seeka
Jeannie Lieu
Dana Joy
Pocono Pam
Rachel Kleinman <---- YOU ARE HERE
Michelle Short
Jennifer Kotas
Rosie Lopez
Karen Brown
Kailash Naidoo
Channin Pelletier
Special Guests:
Nichol Spohr
Ralph Tyndall
Laurie Willison
Cathy Zielske
Laura Bassen
Caly Person

Simple Sympathy Cards

 Click here for the Hero Arts My Monthly Hero February 2024 Blog Hop and Giveaway

Sympathy cards are something we never look forward to sending, or honestly, making. It's a great card to make ahead of time so one can be handy when needed. The new Cosmos and Lavender bundle from Hero Arts is a great set to have on hand.

The images were stamped on Dove White cardstock with Intense Black Ink and colored with Copic markers. The bundle comes with all the die cuts needed, so I cut those with my Compact Cutter. The background panel is stamped in Butter Bar (my first ever Hero Arts ink... a classic) with the Burlap Bold Prints background stamp (another essential... add it to your collection asap!). 

The Burlap stamped panel was die cut with Scallop Infinity Dies. All elements were glued onto a Mustard cardstock card base.

Copics used in this card: RV11, RV24, R85, RV19, RV69, YG17, BG18

The lavender card uses many of the same elements as the card above, just with a different color scheme. The Burlap is stamped with Passion Flower ink. The sentiment was layered with Fresh Lawn ink first, then Green Hills ink on top. All elements are glued on to a Meadow cardstock card base.

Copics used in this card: V15, V17, YG17, BG18, YG03

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My Monthly Hero February Blog Hop and Giveaway

 Happy Hero Arts February 2024 My Monthly Hero Release Day! Make sure you leave comments throughout the hop and a chance to win! We will give away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, February 11th at 11:59pm PT, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

This colorful card focuses on the elements in the Premium Kit, which includes the beautiful sentiment stamps and the stencil. 

I started by ink blending over the stencil in Reactive Inks Pool Party, Taffy, and Thistle. Then gave a light mist of water to help the color bleed. Once dried, I spread Hero Paste White Pearl over the stencil again using my palette knife. I only spread paste over some parts of the stencil so it didn't look too pristine :)

 

All of the sentiments are stamped with Nautical ink and I fussy cut the cloud images to glue around the card. The card is layered on Passion Flower cardstock. For a finishing touch I splattered the panel with Ocean Blue + Gold Metallic Spray.

The Classic Kit this month is beautiful and perfect for spring, so I had to make a card with the classic kit as well!

This kit is full of possibilities whether you want a clean and simple card or something more complex. There are also great matching dies and sentiments for multiple occasions. The card above was quick to put together. The images were stamped with Intense Black Ink on Dove White Cardstock, colored with Copics and die cut in my Compact Cutter.

The background panel was misted with Bright Yellow + Copper Spray and then splattered with Orange + Shimmer Metallic Spray. The wheat stamps were inked with Fawn Ink and die cut. I placed the finished panel on the gorgeous Meadow Cardstock.

But wait, that's not all!! Along with the My Monthly Hero kit, there are tons of beautiful add-on items! I am very excited to share my card using the stunning Peacock Cover Plate...

This card was a labor of love... and completely worth it. It starts with Watercolor cardstock that I loosely painted with Bright Liquid Watercolors in Purple, Indigo, and Green. I sprayed the whole panel with White Iridescent Shimmer to give it a shine.

The Peacock Cover Plate was die cut in 3 different cardstock colors: Pitch Black, Passion Flower, and Adriatic. I glued the Pitch Black peacock directly on top of the watercolored panel. I then pieced back in the background with the bits from the Adriatic cardstock. The flower pieces were filled in with the Passion Flower. I left the tail open to show off the bright watercolors. It's important to add that my Hero Tweezers were absolutely essential in piecing this card together!!!

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to leave a comment for a chance to win a $50 gift card. You should have found me from Pocono Pam and your next stop is Mindy. Happy hopping and happy shopping!