Yesterday we announced the new theme for September, and it’s a fun one!  But before we get too carried away with our fall festivities, let’s take a moment to look back at all the goodness that was shared on Flickr during the month of August, shall we?  You dazzled us during the first half of the month.  And you just kept pumping out fabulous creations during the second half of the month.  So how about we award some prizes!  Sound good?

Let’s start with our Fresh Face winner, somebody who’s never won our monthly contests.  This time the prize goes to mish.b, who shared this adorable stationery set!  We love the details with the buttons and rick rack, and the ruler from Just a Note makes such a fun border!

Our Digital category winner is Scrapper43, who created an adorable hybrid scene featuring the bus from the Kiddie Conveyance DigiKit.  So cute and happy! Almost makes me want to go to school again.  Almost.

And now onto our Fab Five - five fabulous projects, presented in no particular order. Just like our Digital and Fresh Face winners, every member of the Fab Five will receive a $50 Hero Arts shopping spree.

Let’s start things off with a stunner, shall we?  This purple creation from Agata Dag had us gasping at it’s beauty.  We especially love the watercoloring on the Large Flower. **swoon**

Next is an absolutely adorable little card from michellesielman.  Michelle thought outside the box to create this card,  in more ways than one - there’s her cute little balloon literally going out of the box on the card, and also the fact that she used the Monster Fun set without including a single monster. 

This next card from debstamps is guaranteed to make you giggle.  It features a pun.  Can you see it?  The inside of the card says “Let’s catch up!”.  Hee hee!!  So stinkin’ clever!  And those little nets?  They are handmade from bent paperclips and the netting from a vegetable sack!

Let’s go ahead and keep the theme of “cards that will make you smile” going for another one!  Could this card from krolski (Kathy) be any more bright and cheery??  We love how she created such a colorful Silly Scape.  And the touch of shine on the hot air balloon is perfection.

Our final card from Heather Maria is so lovely.  From the faint stamping of Wild Flowers on the canvas to the cracked glass on the butterflies to the pretty color scheme to the hint of gems - just beautiful.

A big congratulations to all the winners!!  Please contact us at winner@heroarts.com with your address and phone number, and also include your list of $50 worth of product!  You can look through the Hero Arts online store to create your list.  Please include “August2010B Winner” in the subject line. There are also blog blinkies available for all the winners - if you’d like one, please let us know in your email!

A reminder that our September contest has begun and the theme is Everything Autumn!  Check out all of the contest details and get your card submitted for round one by 11:59pm PST on September 16th!

And one more thing before we go - let’s check in with our sweet hostesses and see what they’ve been up to this month!  Click on the snippets or the names below to visit their full cards on Flickr and leave them a little love, just like they spend so much of their time doing for everyone else!

Cards created by bdengler4(Barb), weememories(Jenny), joytaylor1975, sugarbuffet, nancyljk, and “card”rageous(Robin).

Happy Stamping,

Hi everyone! As you know, a new month brings a new theme here on the Hero Arts blog, and we’re excited today to announce the September contest theme: Everything Autumn! This includes anything Fall-related — Harvest, Halloween & Thanksgiving, to name a few. And for some added fun, our featured technique/project for the month is Simple Gift Bags (of any theme.) Be sure to check out Lisa’s technique article and accompanying video where she shows how to create a gift bag from an envelope.

The first round of entries for the September contest are due Thursday, September 16th. Upload your creations to the Hero Arts Flickr Group with the tag September2010A for your chance to win one of several $50 shopping spree to the Hero Arts Online Store. Below is a calendar with all the important dates for the month. View the complete contest details here!

Now, let’s continue on with some more masking inspiration. Jennifer McGuire created a video using Glossy Accents as a permanent mask. Yep! A permanent mask. The technique is much like resist, but gives the results of masking with some added shine.

Card by Jennifer McGuire. See the complete supplies and instructions.

What an amazing card — thanks Jennifer! I can’t wait to try this technique on some holiday ornament images.

Did someone say “holiday”? The moment you’ve been waiting for has arrived — all Jingle All The Way Holiday 2010 catalog stamps and accessories are now shipping! Click on over to the Hero Arts Online Store and start shopping the latest in clear, cling, and wood mounted stamp designs! For those of you who already placed a pre-order, orders will start shipping today. Now there’s a reason to be merry!

And finally, we have one more big announcement — the winner of our September $100 Wish List Shopping Spree! Congratulations to Nancy Ward! She won with her August 20th comment, selected randomly from all of August’s blog comments. For a chance to win next month’s $100 shopping spree, simply comment here on the blog throughout the month of September. Each comment you leave gives you a chance at the prize!

Be sure to stop by tomorrow when we will crown the second group winners from our August contest!

Hi there! I’m back today to share one of my favorite masking techniques, reverse masking. This is where you cut out a shape and use the negative space to create a mask around an image rather than over the top of it.

On the card below, I first stamped the wire dress form image on a piece of white cardstock. Then I stamped it on a post-it note and cut out the top portion using a craft knife. Then I placed the negative part of the mask over the dress image so I could do some inking and stamping to make the floral pattern. How fun to create your own “fabric” for the dress…the possibilities are endless!

Card by Kelly Rasmussen. See the complete supplies and instructions here.

I also did a little masking along the outside edge of the card.  I used the straight stitch image from the Sew Artsy stamp set to create the white border. I once again used some post-its to mask off the corners, so they would all meet up just perfect.

Speaking of meeting up, how would you like to “meet up” with other stampers online and take part in a weekend-long Virtual Cardmaking Party? That’s right, we’re hosting a cardmaking party September 10-12 in the Hero Arts Flickr group! The occasion? Operation Write Home is celebrating their third birthday and we thought it would be fun to join in the festivities and come together to create some cards for this great cause!

Operation Write Home is an organization that sends blank handmade greeting cards for all occasions to deployed service members to write home on. They’ve mailed approximately 500,000 cards so far—and are still going strong! With your help, we can make that number grow. We would like to see our group create and donate at least 500 handmade cards to Operation Write Home.

Are you up for it? Stop by the Flickr group the morning of Friday, September 10 and you’ll find a variety of cardmaking challenges posted, as well as some fun games. You’re invited to participate in any and all challenges by creating and uploading your cards to the group throughout the weekend. ALL participants who submit/tag cards and send them into Operation Write Home will be entered to win some fabulous giveaways too (more details on that during the party!)

Here are some links to Operation Write Home — lots of great info here!

• Main OWH Website
• Birthday Bash Page
• Guidelines
• OWH on Facebook

So, we hope you’ll mark your calendars for September 10-12 and join us for challenges, games, prizes, inspiration and FUN — we can’t wait!!

Before I go, here’s some good news for all of you who are anxious to get your hands on some of our newest stamps — all of the products from the Jingle All The Way catalog will be shipping tomorrow, September 1st! You can find all holiday stamps and accessories in the Hero Arts Online Store by clicking on the “Shop by Catalog” category and then selecting “Jingle All The Way” from the list of catalogs. Feel like browsing the catalog? Just click on the image below!

I’ll be back tomorrow to announce the new monthly theme for September along with a fun video from Jennifer!

Happy Monday everyone! This week is going to be all about masking! I’ll be sharing cards with you each day about different ways to use masks to create some fun looks on your cards and layouts.

To introduce masking this week, I started off with a very simple masking technique. First, I stamped the apple image on some white cardstock.  Then I stamped it on a post-it note, cut it out and placed this mask over the top of the other apple image. Next I stamped the Friend Definition image over the top. Remove the mask and there you have it…an easy way to create a layered look with a little less bulk.

Cards by Kelly Rasmussen. See the complete supplies and instructions here.

Tip: When creating a mask it works best to use a very thin paper, such as post-it notes or copy paper. There are even companies that make sticky-back paper designed specifically for creating masks.

I’ll be back tomorrow to share my favorite masking technique!

Have a great day!

My granddaughter Jasmine, who is 6, has been cooking up a storm with her parents this summer. She makes pizzas, cupcakes, and all things food. Maybe a future Top Chef!?

So I decided to make her a potholder using our set of a-peeling apples to keep with our Back to School theme. I started with unbleached muslin, red and green dye ink pads, and our LP125 Four Apples stamp set. I randomly stamped the apples and let them dry. Then I heat set them with a hot iron. Next I cut Insul-bright (mylar batting for potholders, etc) and the backing. I “quilted” each apple by hand stitching around them.  Lastly, I attached some red seam binding to finish it off. Pretty hot (as in potholder!), huh?? LOL!

I added a little tag using the CL408 Cute Uppercase Letters alphabet set… love kraft paper with red and green!

Project by Sally Traidman. See the complete materials and instructions.

Of course it wouldn’t be Friday without including a few more bonus ideas for you! All of these stamps and supplies are from the new Holiday Catalog. You can flip the pages of the digital catalog here and pre-order the new stamps and accessories in the Hero Arts Online Store.  Pre-orders will begin shipping September 1.

• Season’s Greetings
• Very Merry Christmas
• Merry & Bright
• Holiday Greetings
• Merry Christmas Card
• Season’s Greetings Tree Card

And finally before we go, a couple of fun announcements!  First, a prize pack of new holiday goodies will go to Linda Trace, who displayed our holiday blinkie on her blog!  You can grab a blinkie (or badge) for your own blog over on the right sidebar. You never know when we’ll be out looking for blinkies so be sure to let us know you added one by posting a link here in the comments, on our Facebook page, or even send us a message on Twitter!

And the lucky winner of a fabric flower pin handmade by me, who left a comment on Wednesday’s post, is #42 SLachan, who said:

What a great project, can’t wait to make one myself - thanks for sharing! I love to sew pillow cases. I know it’s simple but it comes in handy when you have just a few yards of fabric left over from other projects.

Congratulations ladies! Send an email to winner@heroarts.com with your address and we’ll get your goodies right out to you.

So, I hope I have inspired you this week to delve into your fabric stash and play and experiment! I’d love to see what goodies you come up with!

Welcome to Social Club, where we share some of our favorite creations we’ve found while looking through the Hero Arts Flickr group pool.  Today we’re inspired by the clean and simple designs.  Isn’t it a little funny that keeping a card simple can be such a struggle for some of us?  It sort of defies logic, but it happens to stampers all the time!  Well the ladies featured here today don’t seem to have any trouble with it, and they show us just how beautiful simple can be.

One problem some of us have with clean and simple is that we overthink it.  All you really need to do is take a white note card, stamp it with an image or two and add a greeting.  Maybe add a small embellishment, or maybe not.  The result is simple perfection.

Card by mbelles.  Visit her card to leave her some love.

Another idea - instead of layering on lots of paper, layer your stamps in a clean design.

Card by nancyljk.  Visit her card to leave her some love.

These cards can be made so quickly, why not create a whole set of them while you’re at it?

Cards by AnitaRex.  Visit her card to leave her some love.

Of course clean and simple cards don’t have to be on a white background - any color will do.  How about kraft?  And a little sparkle as a finishing touch?

Card by Lucy Abrams.  Visit her card to leave her some love.

Mass producing holiday cards would be so much easier if the design was clean and simple, wouldn’t it? 

Card by paperellla.  Visit her card to leave her some love.

So what do you think? Are you already a clean and simple master?  Or are you going to give it a shot for the first time?  We’ll be keeping an eye out for your creations on Flickr!

And a big thanks to the wonderful stampers who were featured here today.  If you’d like a blinkie for your blog, send a quick email to winner@heroarts.com and we’ll get that right out to you!  And please keep sharing your beautiful work with us!

And finally, a quick reminder - our current contest ends tonight at 11:59pm PST!

Get your projects uploaded - we can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with!

Happy Stamping,

I love keeping busy while riding in a car, riding in a plane, or watching TV… it is the multitasker in me.  So let me show you a fun way to do that.

Project by Sally Traidman.  See the complete materials and instructions.

I’ve been making these flowers for a while now.  This summer batch was made from a lightweight neutral fabric rather than fall’s felt. Any fabric will work as long as it accepts the ink.  Complete drying is important so the ink doesn’t rub off.  A quarter of a yard will make TONS of flowers.  Watch how simple it is in this video:

I love giving these away as little tokens of my love and watching the smiles on people’s faces when they receive them! So, if you leave me a comment about what you love to sew, I will pick a lucky winner to receive one of my fabric flowers. Comments must be received by Thursday August 26 at 6pm PST!

Join us tomorrow for another Social Club Thursday - will one of your cards be featured?

While attending our latest trade show, I was amazed by the activity across the booth from us.  They were using PAPER zippers to create little paper pouches!  “Hmm,” I was thinking, “how can I use that on the blog?”  Well, here’s how!

Card by Sally Traidman.  See the complete supplies and instructions.

I took one of the zippers (notice that the paper part is not the teeth!) and a sheet of our layering card stock.  First I selected the large melange of flowers from the CL443 Good Thoughts clear set to decorate the entire piece of card stock.  I then folded it to form a zipper case and stamped the stitching lines in green to simulate real stitching.  Next I glued the zipper to the paper edges. To seal the side edges, I used a real sewing machine to zigzag the ends together. I made some matching note cards with the same stamp set to go inside, creating a wonderful stationery set!  ETA: If you love these paper zippers, you can find them for yourself HERE.

Now how about you create a stationery set of your own?  It’s one of this month’s contest themes, along with Keeping in Touch and Back to School!  Whichever project you decide to make, you have until this Thursday, August 26 at 11:59pm PST to get it uploaded into the Hero Arts Flickr Group.  And don’t forget your “August2010B” tag!

Thanks for stopping by today.  Be sure to come back tomorrow - by popular demand - I’ll be showing you how to make my famous fabric flowers!

Hello and welcome to a week of keeping you in stitches!  Lately I have become obsessed with all things fabric and all things sewn.  So this week I’m getting out my fabric and showing you how to create stationery sets, fabric pins, felt pouches and maybe even some potholders.  We are going to have sew much fun!

My digital camera needed some protection in my purse, so look how I solved that problem!  By merely folding over a scrap of felt and zigzag stitching, I created a little “case” or pouch.  I embellished it by stamping CG133 Color Me Flowers on felt with my black dye pad - if you try this, just be sure to let the ink dry thoroughly before cutting the flowers out.

Project by Sally Traidman.  See the materials and complete instructions.

This project only took 10 minutes, so just think how many of these pouches you could make for all your little treasures… phones, jewelry, stationery sets, gift cards… you get the idea.  While I was stamping felt flowers, I went ahead and paired one with a little tag featuring our CL446 Sew Artsy clear set - in case I want to give a pouch as a gift.  See the top of the tag?  I sew love using fabric scraps as ribbons!

Before I go - how many of you are attending ScrapFest next month? We’ve designed a couple of printable badges to make it easier to find fellow Hero Arts group members in the crowd!  Just click on the image below to go to the full resolution image, then right click to “save image as”.  Once it’s on your computer, open it in your word processing program, size as desired, print and laminate!  You can pin or tie your badge right onto your ScrapFest lanyard.  Or print this badge onto a sticky label, cut it out and wear it on your shirt!

Thanks for stopping by today - join me tomorrow for a zippy stationery set!

I chose this Thank You So Much set from the summer 2010 Arts and Crafts Catalog to show you another version of “Marker Make Over”. On this card I blended the flowers with a Copic gray pen, using the brush end to allow a bit of the gray color to outline the images with a light shadow. Hero Arts new woven Lace Ribbon adds just the right amount of fancy detail. The decorative lace is easy to trim to size and lies perfectly flat.

Card by Nancy Taylor. See the card materials and detailed instructions.

And since today is Friday, here are six more “Idea Friday” bonus cards to inspire your weekend stamping! All of these cards feature stamps from the new Holiday Catalog. You can flip the pages of the digital catalog here and pre-order the new stamps and accessories in the Hero Arts Online Store. Pre-orders will begin shipping September 1.

Click any of the links below for larger views, supplies, and instructions:

• Holiday Wishes
• Joy of the Season
• Three Trees
• Joy
• Merry Christmas
• Season’s Greetings

Last but not least I wanted to thank everyone that commented on Tuesday’s blog post for a chance to win a  Jingle All The Way Holiday 2010 Catalog. The random generator chose these posts…

#31 Jacqueline
#56 Leni
#119 Deb Lorence
#124 Lauri
#136 Alice W.

The winner from the catalog blog post is…

#80 Natalie

Congratulations! Please email winner@heroarts.com with your address.

Thanks for spending the week with me on the blog. Sally will be here next week with some more stamping inspiration.