Hero Arts Blog

Hello and welcome! This week we are excited to share sneak peeks of the new 2016 Winter Catalog, leading to the full catalog reveal on Monday, July 18! Every day this week we'll share a different photo from our new catalog, as well as several giveaway opportunities. Let's get started with a holiday classic – the poinsettia! The Antique Poinsettia (K6176) is one of many...

Using large background stamps for your cards can be so convenient, especially when you are making more than one card. However, it is always fun if you play with ink colors and paper to achieve different results. Today, I am sharing how I created an easy double step background using the [hero_product_link sku="S6141" text="Circle Graphic Background"] stamp along with some other Hero Arts products to...

I rarely use a stencil on my cards. That doesn't mean I don't like the effect of stencils. Ever since I saw Mariana's amazing cards made with Waves Stencil, I've wanted to give it a try myself. Then here is what I came up with: I placed the stencil over the grey panel and sponged over the stencil using Versamark watermark ink. I almost added...

There are currently thirteen Ombré Inks available in the Hero Arts Online Store that are a dye ink formula. But now Hero Arts has added to their Ombré line with two new pigment inks in the colors of [hero_product_link sku="AF346" text="Vintage Metallic Rust"] and [hero_product_link sku="AF347" text="Vintage Metallic Steel"]. Both of these inks offer a gradation of three complementary colors that blend across an image...

Release day is here! We hope you’ve enjoyed all of the peeks leading up to today’s launch of our [hero_product_link sku="MH0716" text="July 2016 My Monthly Hero"] kit! Be sure to scroll down to the end of this post – we have an amazing list of bloggers joining us today as we introduce this month’s kit. And we’re giving another kit away, too! This month's kit...

Under the sea... under the sea... darling it's better, down where it's wetter, take it from me...! Who else has been humming this song all weekend? We have, as we've read all of your wonderful comments on our countdown posts! After all of the gorgeous previews from our Creative Team, it seems fair to say that you are extremely excited about this jelly good kit!...

We've made it to our final countdown post before the launch of the My Monthly Hero kit at 1pm eastern tomorrow, July 5! We'll be announcing our countdown winner first thing in the morning before the kit goes live, so be sure you've commented on all of the posts for more chances to win! For our final sneak peek, Clare is sharing another gorgeous card...

The launch of our My Monthly Hero kit for July is almost here! There's only one more day of ideas before we release the kit at 1pm eastern/1oam pacific tomorrow, July 5th! This morning Libby is showing you the other optional add-on to the kit, and then Clare will be here later today to share another idea for using the main kit. Make sure you're...

We're back with another look at the fabulous Color Layering Octopus set - an optional add-on item when the July My Monthly Hero kit launches on Tuesday, July 5th at 1pm eastern/10am pacific. Here's Jayne to share how she used this fun and unique set. Until I started stamping with the new Color Layering Octopus set, available as an add-on stamp set during the July...

Today Yana kicks off another day of July My Monthly Hero countdown posts, leading up to our release on Tuesday, July 5th at 1pm eastern/10am pacific. She's introducing you to another fun add-on to this month's kit! Who would have thought there would be a color layering octopus for us to stamp and use on cards? You can find this super fun deep sea image...

We're back with our next peek at the July My Monthly Hero kit, leading up to the launch at 1pm eastern/10am pacific on Tuesday, July 5th! This morning we told you all about the beautiful Ombre Dolphin ink pad created for this kit. Well ink lovers, we have more good news for you! Here's Libby with more... If you've been following the blog this weekend,...

Hello! We're back with another look at the July My Monthly Hero kit! This wonderful kit launches at 1pm eastern/10am pacific on Tuesday, July 5! Today Clare shares a beautiful idea for using the kit. Do you see what she used to create her background? It's a kit exclusive, and we'll tell you more about it tomorrow! Stay tuned! For my card today, I used...

Hello and welcome! Today marks the beginning of our countdown to the launch of our July My Monthly Hero kit! This one is a beauty, and we cannot wait for you all to see it! The release will be on a Tuesday this month, a bit different than our usual Monday launch due to the Independence Day holiday. But that's a bonus for you -...

In today's world of texting and email, it's easy to send out a quick invite to a group of people. But I'm still a huge fan of receiving tangible invitations through the mail. And Hero Arts has two clear stamps to help you create invitations for any occasion! The [hero_product_link sku="CL974" text="Invitation Themes"] and [hero_product_link sku="CL975" text="Party Themes"] sets include a huge variety of messages...

I had so much fun watercoloring and creating a scene with the [hero_product_link sku="CL973" text="Road Trip"] stamp set for the catalog release blog hop, that I decided to do another version for the blog today! I made a video showing how I did the watercoloring for the blog hop, but here's a short explanation: - I sprayed the watercolor cardstock lightly with water, so that...

Today I had the fun task of playing with my ink cubes - [hero_product_link sku="AF358" text="Libby’s Purple Garden"]! I'm not gonna lie, it's pretty darn exciting to have an ink cube pack with my name on it! Purples and greens were my ink choices, and I know I will be using this combo often! For today's card, I paired them with one of my very...

I was super excited to see the [hero_product_link sku="DI188" text="Fruit Salad Fancy Dies"] in the Summer 2016 catalog and after I got them in the mail I decided I wanted to decorate a couple jumbo paper clips to use as dividers in my planner and also as colorful bookmarks for the books I'm reading. I mostly use my planner at home and I rarely take...

Here's a bright and cheerful birthday card that comes together in minutes. Balloons work for everyone! I think one of the best things about handmade cards is being able to personalize them for the recipient. I've stamped the birthday girl's age onto one of the [hero_product_link sku="CL940" text="balloons"], using the numbers from the [hero_product_link sku="DC136" text="Alpha Tabs Stamp & Cut"]. A few tips on the...

Many of you already know that you can make stamps from your dies. But for those of you that don’t, here’s an easy way! I took our [hero_product_link sku="DI181" text="Paper Layering Daisy"] and a circle die and cut “stamps” out of children’s foam sheets that you can find in any craft aisle. Then I took my favorite new ink pack - [hero_product_link sku="AF348" text="Sally's Tropical...

I live in the beautiful state of Washington and naturally, I'm a big fan of anything Seattle or Washington. Today I'm featuring [hero_product_link sku="CL910" text="Kelly's Seattle"] set. It truly does include all of the major attractions that the city has to offer! I wanted to include as many of the images as possible and managed to do a pretty good job! If you've been following...

When I was blessed with the opportunity to select a custom set of ink colors that I would use with the [hero_product_link sku="CL886" text="Color Layering Fall Trees"] set, I knew immediately that I would choose inks that reflected the changing colors of autumn leaves - Lemon Yellow, Tangerine, Strawberry, and Pumpkin Pie. However, what I love most about these warm colors is that the coordinated...

Pineapple Palooza continues today with another fantastic batch of cards using the [hero_product_link sku="CL976" text="Color Layering Pineapple"] stamp set! And just like yesterday, our Creative Team is showing how you can pair the set with some unexpected ink colors to create some really unique designs. Here's Jayne to kick things off: "Sometimes it's fun to break the rules! So, even though I love beautiful fruit...

Last month we introduced you to our Color Layering 2016 catalog, and today's the day you've been waiting for - products from this release are now available in our shop! You've loved all of the Color Layering stamps and coordinating dies we've released over the past year, but the question we've gotten time and again is "What colors of ink should I use?" With this...

Sending cards for holidays and birthdays are great, but I think the best cards are the unexpected ones! Today's card is perfect for that special person who simply makes your heart happy. The [hero_product_link sku="DI181" text="Paper Layering Daisy Die"] makes for a stunning focal point! This die includes the Paper Layering die, which is the portion that has the leaves popped up, as well as...

Background stamps, especially Bold Prints 6x6 Clings are always fun to use! Be it a portrait or a landscape A2 card - they work perfectly. Today I'm using [hero_product_link sku="CG695" text="Irregular Grid"] stamp and making only a partial impression to create map-like backgrounds for my cards. There's a fantastic card example in [hero_product_link sku="PS916" text="Summer 2016 catalog"] where dark brown ink is used over light...

Flamingos are fabulous birds! They have beautiful pink feathers, long slender legs, gorgeous S-shaped necks and amazing balance. Plus, they live by the water with their equally fabulous friends. Today I'm using the new Color Layering Flamingo stamp set to create images of this extraordinary bird for a pair of fun and feminine cards. To make my first card, I created a leafy frame by...

Today I'm sharing some stamps from the summer release that just plain make me smile. Say "hello" to the emojis!! There's a little tub full of them. So cute! The little tub is, of course, my eight year old daughter's favorite thing in the summer release, too. [hero_product_link sku="LP407" text="Emoji Icons Mini Tub"] also comes with a fun little sticky pad of thought bubbles, and...

When you travel to a new city, what do you love to do? I'm a regular tourist in New York since my son goes to college there. We tend to always, among other things: have coffee eat donuts go to museums So with my own tourist habits in mind, I designed this super clean + crisp card: I love the [hero_product_link sku="CL977" text="City Adventure"] set!...

Making cards for the men in your life can be quite fun when you have in hand a stamp set apt for that purpose. Today I am sharing a card using a stamp set named [hero_product_link sku="CL948" text="Dapper Dad"], which is perfect to create Father's Day cards or other masculine projects. I thought a simple card design would be right to showcase this fun set....

Release day is here! We hope you’ve enjoyed all of the peeks leading up to today’s launch of our [hero_product_link sku="MH107" text="My Monthly Hero June 2016"] kit! Be sure to scroll down to the end of this post – we have an amazing list of bloggers joining us today as we introduce this month's kit. And we're giving another one away, too! This month’s kit...

We don't know about you, but after all of the fun travel-themed ideas this weekend, we are ready to take a trip to someplace fabulous! :) The launch of My Monthly Hero is only a few short hours away, and we’re super excited to share our June kit with you! As promised, we have one kit to giveaway to a lucky blog reader, selected from...

This is our final countdown post before the launch of our My Monthly Hero kit tomorrow, June 6, at 1pm eastern/10 am pacific! We hope you've enjoyed all of the inspiration shared by our Creative Team this weekend! Be sure to leave a comment on each and every Countdown to Creativity post - we'll be announcing the winner of a kit tomorrow morning, before the...

I've had so much fun playing with this month's My Monthly Hero kit! You know me, when I get some new goodies on my craft desk, I go crazy with all the fun new ideas!! So I couldn't resist making a bunch of projects for this post. There are so many cute stamps in the set included in the kit. My favorites? Not going to...

The June My Monthly Hero kit has a fantastic eco-friendly journal that I can hardly wait to begin filling out during my family's next vacation. I can see myself writing down some notes, adding tickets and maps, little bits of this and that - turning it into an old fashioned scrapbook. I've kept journals like this in the past and by the time our vacation...

One of the new items available this month, both included in the kit and as an add-on purchase, is [hero_product_link sku="661149" text="Sizzix tan Paper Leather"] sheets! How cool is that? Seriously cool - durable paper leather that simulates the look and feel of real leather! I was so anxious to work with this new material that I used it to create a pair of fun...