Hero Arts Blog

When I first saw the new Origami Happy Holidays, I immediately knew I wanted to do a "stained glass" sort of card. As I was making the card, I realized how versatile images are!

As you probably know, my favorite cardmaking technique is creating my stamped background using small images from various stamp sets. It’s a great way to get more out of your small stamps. This time I pulled out three stamp sets from 2016 Winter Catalog: Holiday Mittens, Build a Wreath, and Color Layering Wreath. To add some […]

Our October My Monthly Hero Kit features some great (and timeless, too!) add-ons! Today I'm using one of them, Circle Confetti Fancy Die, to create a background for my Winter Wonderland Snowglobe card.

Stencils are a great tool to have in your stash to create backgrounds and there are so many ways you can use them. Today I created a stunning background that took less than two minutes using . To create the background I placed a piece of kraft cardstock in a cardboard box and laid the […]

Heat embossing is a fun basic technique that can make your projects literally shine. The [hero_product_link sku="PW118" text="White Satin Pearl Embossing Powder"] is quite unique, and it makes the stamped images look professional and outstanding. So today I am sharing how this product can be used easily to create beautiful backgrounds and to enhance die cut shapes to achieve fabulous results. Like any other embossing...

Today I'm featuring the [hero_product_link sku="LP403" text="Nature Mini Tub by Lia"] stamps. I picked out a couple different designs and had fun creating a background using [hero_product_link sku="AF236" text="Hero Arts Shadow Ink - Charcoal"]. TIP: I get the best results when I hold the stamps in one hand, rubber side up. I hold the ink pad in my other hand and pat the ink onto...

I think we can all agree - creating cards for guys is no easy task! However using the right colors and going with a simple flower-free design can make it much easier. Today I have a masculine Happy Birthday card to share featuring a bold stamped background and a fun watercolor cake. Do you remember [hero_product_link sku="CL982" text="Luggage Tag Alphabet"] add-on stamp set from Hero's...

I'm getting more comfortable using watercolors on my projects. I just love watercolors because it is unpredictable - a very friendly medium for any beginner that doesn’t require much fuss. Paper Layering Lotus Card | Fairyland Themed Card As part of my learning process, I shared a video tutorial on how to create a simple watercolor wash background last month (left). Then I created a...

Today marks the start of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games! Sparked by this event, I thought it would be fun to include gold, silver and bronze all on one card, and also represent the symbolism of the Olympic rings with the Circle Graphic Background. This stamp has three circular sections that are perfect for highlighting each of the Olympic medal colors. I started by stamping...

I'm a big fan of using sets in full as a background. Today's card uses the [hero_product_link sku="CL982" text="Luggage Tag Alphabet"]. I used an A2 panel that I cut from the [hero_product_link sku="PS621" text="Sunshine Mix Layering Paper"] pack. I inked up the alphabet with [hero_product_link sku="AF207" text="Butter Bar Shadow Ink"] and pressed the [hero_product_link sku="PS621" text="Sunshine Mix Layering Paper"] panel on top. I stamped the...

It's been six months since I actually started enjoying watercoloring. I used to feel intimated by using watercolors on my projects for the last few years. So today I decided to share some quick and easy techniques for some of you who want to try watercoloring but don't know where to start. I used the watercolor wash technique to highlight the "clean and simple" lotus...

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...

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...

Today I wanna share a pair of cards and a video showing several different ways to spice up your die cuts. Watch the video below to see how I made them! [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRRzuxwlL5o] If you have a problem viewing this video, please try watching it HERE on YouTube. For this first card, I stamped a background using the anchor from the [hero_product_link sku="CL957" text="Hipster at...

I'm a big fan of clean and simple one layer cards. It’s really fun focusing on the basics of cardstock, stamps, ink, and very little else to create cards. But CAS one layer card doesn't mean that it's easy to make sometimes but requires attention to detail, right? For today's card, I created a fun summer card with non-traditional summer colors. I tried to mimic...

Whether it is someone's graduation or you just want to congratulate an accomplishment, greeting cards are always a fun way to express our excitement. Today I am sharing a card that I created using a woodblock stamp called [hero_product_link sku="H6128" text="Yay!"] along with [hero_product_link sku="AF241" text="Neon Inks"]. I began by creating the focal point. I stamped the sentiment with [hero_product_link sku="AF345" text="Intense Black Ink"] over...

One of my favorite techniques is creating a stamped background using small stamps. It's a great way to get more out of your neglected stamps. And here is what I came up with for today: To make a graduation card, I started by stamping small images from the following stamp sets: [hero_product_link sku="CL941"], [hero_product_link sku="CL954"], [hero_product_link sku="CL940"] and [hero_product_link sku="CL950"]. I used [hero_product_link sku="DI158"] to...

When I first saw the [hero_product_link sku="K6134" text="Mum Stem"] and [hero_product_link sku="K6133" text="Mum Flower"] stamps, the first thing that came to my mind was vintage wallpaper. With that idea in mind, I decided to create a quick and simple card trio. Aren't they so fun? You could use them as Mother's Day cards, or box them up and give them as a gift! I had...

Hello. Today I am sharing a simple ombre card, created with the gorgeous Foliage Bold Prints stamp. To create my card, I first stamped the Foliage Bold Prints on white cardstock with Ombre Lime to Forever Green Ink. Next, I splattered the panel with green watercolor paint to create a more messy and natural look. Once dry, I stamped the Happy Birthday Script on top...

Hello. Today I have a trio of cards to share with you, each one combining 3x3" clear sets from our Lia Griffith collection with simple watercoloring. My first card features the Enjoy Fruit by Lia set, along with a sentiment from Spring Hello by Lia. For this card, I stamped the fruits on some watercolor paper with Versamark, added White Embossing Powder and heat set....

Are you a fan of butterfly? To be honest, I'm not. But I really wanted to play with Butterfly Pair Stamp & Cut as it includes very interesting dies in the set. I started by stamping the butterfly images from Butterfly Pair Stamp & Cut and Mason Jar Bugs to create my own background. Here are the Bold Ink pads I used for my colored...

I love when I have stamps that can be colored using any of your favorite coloring techniques. Today's card features a pair of pretty stamps called [hero_product_link sku="G6130" text="Potted Succulent"] and [hero_product_link sku="E6140" text="Small Potted Succulent"], as well as their matching [hero_product_link sku="DI174" text="Frame Cuts"]. Please watch my video below where I shared how I made this card from start to finish. [fve]https://youtu.be/pMS4F1AueRw[/fve] If you...

Hello. Today I am sharing a fun card that I created with the cute Lunch Box Notes stamps and dies and a selection of Shadow Inks. To make this card, I first stamped the happy little bugs randomly on white card with Lime Green, Green Hills, Tide Pool, Mint Julep and Mint to Green Ombre inks. Next, I stamped the sentiments onto another piece of...

Heat embossing can be tricky at times and making one wrong "move" can ruin your entire project. I'd like to share 2 simple ways I like to use to fix heat embossing mistakes (and the actual mistakes I made when making a card) in this blog post and video. I often struggle with getting a perfect heat embossed image. I like to do heat embossing...

Have you checked out the background stamps? Today I'm featuring the [hero_product_link sku="S6144" text="Wave Pattern"]. I only used a portion of the image rather than the entire design: I inked up the [hero_product_link sku="S6144" text="Wave Pattern"] with [hero_product_link sku="AF310" text="Mint Julep to Emerald Green Ombre Ink"] and while it was sitting face up, I placed my Snow card stock panel directly onto the inked stamp....

Who said color layering stamp sets only have to be used for color layering, for creating one multi-colored image? Yes, they work beautifully for that (and always produce stunning results), but can also be stretched in a way. Today I am inviting you to try to use each color layering stamp individually. To be able to better explain what I have in mind I've filmed...

Birds are so pretty and one of the things that I like about them, is their vibrant colors which have always amazed me. Certainly, I can never have enough stamps of little birds, and coloring this type of image with markers can be a lot of fun. Today I am featuring a pretty set of woodblock stamps called [hero_product_link sku="LP409" text="A Little Birdie"]. This set...