Hero Arts Digital Freebie

Just in time for Valentine's Day Hero Arts is giving away for free this cool set:

To get yours run quickly to Papercrafts Magazine to snag yours1

OWH Veterans Day Blog Hop and Hero Arts

The nice folks at Hero Arts are asking cardmakers to submit cards for OWH. As an incentive they are giving away an awesome prize of new stamps made in collaboration with OWH! If you'd like to join the fun check links in the post below or visitHero Arts blog or upload photos at Hero Arts Flickr Group by November 14th.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Operation Write Home! Whenever I feel like I need to energize my creative batteries I sit down and make a few cards for them. I feel like it's my little way of giving back to those who sacrifice so much for us. Thank you, veterans everywhere...especially my uncles, friends, and father who passed away in 1987. Bless you all!!

Here's my card...

Hero Arts Holiday Card Challenge

This fun was a simple card to make but looks so elegant! I'm looking forward to making more of these for this year's batch of special handmade Christmas cards.

Hero Arts challenged us to make a holiday card with a non-holiday stamp. I chose my Blossom Art set of clear stamps and used only the leaf to create this wonderful poinsettia flower. I stamped and heat embossed 7 petals in silver on white vellum and fussy cut. I found it easiest to glue the petals to a punched green Bazzill CS star with Glossy Accents. A punched hole made quick work of assembling the poinsettia with a yellow crystal brad center.

The background is layers of: recycled corrugated cardboard; cream cardstock which was stamped using MS sentiments in aqua & clear heat embossed, 2 faux crystals separate words; 4.125" green Bazzill cs; 4" Pink Paislee Butterfly Garden dp were pop-dotted for some fun dimension; and finished with a tie of aqua netting.

Be sure to check out the fun, upcoming Hero Arts Challenges and Hero Arts Flickr group.

Hop Over to the Lily Pad to Win Hero Arts

I became a Member of Lily Pad Cards today! Go become a member for a chance to win a collection of Hero Arts stamps. Contest closes at 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, July 15.

This is a new site I've grown to love. The little blue guy is a hoot and there are lots of fun videos and challenges to enjoy. I hope you check it out...you can click on the blue frog and it will take you there. Easy peasy!

ABC & Hero Arts Fabulous Flowers Challenge

I've finally taken the time to use the wonderful Blossom Art Flowers CL495 set of Hero Arts stamps I got from ABC Crafts a long while ago. The combo of the daisy flower and my leftover parts of a digital image of Emerald Faerie Boo from my tutorial seen below. Sentiment is PTI.
(See Copic colors on the faery in tutorial below.) I haven't had much experience coloring flowers with Copics yet!

The daisies & leaves were colored with RV00, RV21, RV23, RV25, RV29, G20, G83, YG00, YR21, & YR23.


I used several fun techniques on the card, first being masking of the trio of HA flowers. To do this stamp a flower on paper, cut it out, lay/secure it over a stamped image, & stamp another. I then fussy cut the lower border of the flowers, sewed around the sides without flowers, matted it in pink and pop-dotted it over a trio of pink, green, & gingham layers. The faerie was fussy cut with an extra head and wings which were pop-dotted to the faerie, wings were coated with Stickles and Glossy Affects. I also covered the flower centers with Glossy Affects and sprinkled them with gold seed & bugle beads for some fun texture. The paper is all from my stash, with DP by Basic Grey & pastel pink embossed floral by Bazzill. This layer was sanded to make the embossing pop with a little white chalk around the edges. I added a little distressing here & there for interest and topped it all with a pink bow and vintage white organza ribbon.

I often admire the wonderful cards made by the Hero Arts designers but don't often join their challenges. It will be fun to enter this easel card.




Other challenges I'm honored to enter:
ABC DT Challenge - May Flowers(ends 5/21)
Word Play Weekend #3 - "Wing" challenge
Crafty Catz - Anything Goes(ends 5/26)
Crafty Creations #119 May Flowers(ends 5/25)

Kissing???????

Hmmm...just needed a break today to do something without Copic coloring or little human figures! I've spent hours coloring lately though there are no cards on the blog to show for it. They will appear someday :-)

I enjoyed this video at Hero Arts showing the "kissing" technique recently and thought I'd have a little fun trying something new and while I was at it, entered it in their February challenge.

Check out the stamps I used...
The inexpensive foam fleur de lis stamp was purchased years ago for a New Orleans album I made for my daughter who volunteered in St. Bernard Parish after Hurricane Katrina. It was the only stamp I could find in my stash that seemed appropriate for the technique so it basically dictated the direction of the card. So much for inspiration! Hey, but at least Paris is the city of "love"...right!?!

To achieve the "kissing" one must use 2 stamps which are pressed or kissed together to share ink from both stamps. I inked my fleur de lis stamp in black Memento and "kissed" it with the larger background stamp which was inked in white Brilliance ink. Lastly, the fleur de lis was stamped on gold matte metallic cardstock and voila'!

You can clearly see both images plus the added interest of the metallic finish to the cardstock. (Click image at right for a better look.)
I LOVE the look! I assembled the tag pocket from kraft cardstock, black brads reinforce the pocket edge which was folded down twice. I punched a hole at the back of the pocket and added a length of my brand new prize May Arts ribbon I won for my Valentine banner in an earlier post.
The ribbon was antiqued with black & walnut ink as was the kraft pocket. The double-layered image and pocket cardstock were distressed slightly as well. The fleur de lis was stamped twice so I could add some fun dimension. To finish things off I added 3 royal blue faux crystals which I colored with black Copic marker.

This technique was so much fun. I can't wait to try it again.

More Soldier Cards...

How's this for timing?? I got this wonderful information today from the folks at Hero Arts and was wowed at the timing! I'll be looking to make more cards asap and wanted to pass along links to anyone interested in making their own cards for our own American heros serving the USA far from home. This drive is for blank cards the troops can send home. What a great idea!! I plan to donate some of my challenge cards that are piling up on my work table. How about you?

If you'd like to join Hero Arts for a weekend of cardmaking September 10-12, 2010 check out out the blog mid-page HERE.

Here are some great links if you'd like to join Operation Write Home (OWH):
- Operation Write Home
- OWH Birthday Bash
- Hero Arts Blog
- Important Guidelines
- OWH on Facebook

Hero Arts Challenge and a Day of Memories

(Click title above to visit the Hero Arts Flickr challenge and scroll through to see mine and all the great comments.)

Today, I felt as if I was channeling my inner Mom...my mother to clarify. I busied myself with making this card rather than allowing myself to feel sad on this the 6th anniversary of her tragic passing. Time does heal and this was the first year I can say I didn't feel down while remembering her. It seems like just yesterday when I saw her last and am so very thankful for the time and healing the years have provided.

My Asian card I have titled "Thank you with love!" The little charm was stamped with the Chinese symbol for love. My beading box tipped over today and it tumbled out...how perfect! I made the charm several years ago for a charm swap and it made the perfect, unexpected embellie for this sweet card.

Since I have travelled & worked in many countries in the Far East and am married to a long-time teacher & student of Tai Chi, this little set of Hero Arts stamps really spoke to me and I'm sure will get lots of use. I thought the SEI Dill Blossom papers had just enough Asian feel for the design I envisioned. Thanks for stopping by to see it!