Hi everyone, it’s Lisa here, and oh do I have a week for you! You see, last week at CHA, the BIG craft and hobby trade show, Hero Arts released THREE new catalogs for spring: Hero Arts Spring 2012, Hero Arts-BasicGrey Spring, and Hero Arts-Studio Calico Spring! I’m going to introduce you to each one, starting today with the Hero Arts Spring 2012 Catalog!

This catalog features new Add Your Message Sets, new clear stamps, new cling, and new Art of the Card! Check them all out right here in the digital Spring 2012 Catalog.

See those two cards on the cover? Sally made both of them — love what she did with the Frame Cuts and stamps, don’t you? Did you know that stamps are marked to show which stamp goes with which Frame Cut? Find a handy guide on the last page of the Spring Catalog or on the Frame Cuts page.

Since die cuts are the technique for the monthly contest I just had to create a card using the OTHER cupcake stamp that goes with the Frame Cut — the Zig Zag Cupcake! (Pssst, have you entered the contest yet? There’s still plenty of time!)

Card by Lisa Spangler. Click for complete materials and instructions.

Here are the two NEW clear sets that I used: Be Happy (CL606) on the right, and Together (CL607) on the left:

These sets are really fun! I used the friends message from the Be Happy set, and I stamped the zig zag stamp with the new Unicorn ink repeatedly to make the background, then embossed it in clear for a subtle texture that goes with the cupcake. Oh and the doily under the cupcake? It’s the frame from the Together set! Love it when you can use the same stamp many ways.

Wondering when you can get your hands on these new stamps? Well, they’ll start arriving in stores starting February 15th, and will be in the Hero Arts online store starting March 1st! Why the delay? Because Hero Arts supports local stores: orders placed in the Hero Arts online store are fulfilled by local stores!

See you tomorrow when I’ll be back to share another new catalog,

Hello, and welcome to a new week on the Hero Arts blog. It’s Lucy here, and I have a week of very different cards to share with you this week. Plus, later in the week I will be announcing the February contest details… so stay tuned!

For today, I have created a fun and simple Valentine card using the new Sweet Hearts stamps. Aren’t they just too cute! And I just LOVE the new Newspaper Background stamp - I am pretty sure this will go with any card! Such a versatile stamp - definitely a new favorite.

Card by Lucy Abrams.  Find complete supplies and instructions here.

I stamped the hearts on some Blush Designer Paper then had fun masking and mixing up the sentiments and inking the edges with Distress Ink.

On Friday’s post we asked you all to confess how much ribbon you own for a chance to win more from May Arts.  The responses had us smiling all weekend long!  No matter how much you have, there was one common consensus - it’s impossible to ever have too much ribbon, and there’s always room for more!

And the randomly chosen winner is comment #39, Karen Lee, who said:  “I have 82 rolls of ribbon plus a lot of scraps and coils of it in two jars. YIKES!”

Congratulations Karen, send us an email at winner@heroarts.com and we’ll get you hooked up with the ribbon!

I’ll be back tomorrow with a card featuring our new stamp of the week. See you then,

Hello, friends!  This week we are doing something fun here on the blog.  We’re playing with ribbon!  And of course not just any ribbon - we’re sharing cards made with glorious, yummy May Arts ribbon! And that’s not all, over on the May Arts blog, their designers are working with our stamps! What fun!  Oh, gee, and did I mention there will be giveaways, too??  But more on that in a bit, first let’s look at today’s cards!

The first card comes from the sweet and talented Kelly Rasmussen.  She combined two wonderful ribbons - Lace (390-38-09) and Brown Satin Pleats (379-58-33) - to make a super sweet Valentine.  Here’s a little more about the card from Kelly:

“I couldn’t decide whether to use the brown pleated satin ribbon or the white lace on this card…so I used them both! :)  I love the layered look of the two ribbons together and they seemed perfect for a love themed card. The sentiment from the You and Me clear stamp set was also fun to create…with all the different words and ampersands, the possibilities are endless!”

Card by Kelly Rasmussen.  Find complete supplies and instructions here.

Next up is a bright and cheerful card from Jennifer McGuire.  We just love how she used the May Arts jute ribbon (408-05-10) to create the background for her stamped and die-cut Garden Flower.  More from Jennifer:

“I adore May Arts ribbons. They are all very high quality and unique! One great way to use them on a project without adding too much bulk is to create a background or background piece with them as I have done here. You can do this with any ribbon - just line them up and trim the edges.”

Card by Jennifer McGuire. Find complete supplies and instructions here.

And now, how about the scoop on that giveaway we promised at the beginning of this post?  Just leave us a comment and we will draw one random winner.  May Arts has generously offered up three spools of ribbon of the winner’s choice!  We’ll be announcing this winner on Friday morning, so please leave your comment by Thursday, January 26 at 9pm EST.

There will more giveaways throughout this week, so you’ll need to stay tuned!  And be sure to head on over to the May Arts blog as well, for lots of great ideas and more goodies up for grabs!

We’ll be back tomorrow with more designs featuring May Arts ribbon, see you then!

Hello! It’s Julie Ebersole and I’m tickled to be guesting here on the Hero Arts Blog this week. Today I have a love-dovey clean and simple design to share.

Sometimes, short, sweet and to the point just says it all, like this sentiment from Amour. After wetting and tearing the edge of some watercolor paper, I stamped the greeting with Punch Chalk Ink, and then wrapped the gutter crease with some metallic cord. The watercolor paper already has a beautiful texture, and the torn edge gives a hand-made paper look to the whole design!

Card by Julie Ebersole.  Find complete supplies and instructions here.

Thanks for stopping by! I’ll see you tomorrow with some more lovey-dovey goodness to go with this month’s theme of Love & Hugs & Kisses.

Julie Ebersole

P. S. - We’ll be back later today with the announcement of our blog hop winners!

Hello, friends! We’re thrilled today to welcome you to the 2012 Catalog Blog Hop with the Hero Hostesses!!

That’s right, 24 wonderful Hero Hostesses are back to kick off the new year with some creative fireworks by way of a week-long blog hop! For the next five days, these fabulously talented stampers will be sharing projects featuring some of the hottest new stamps from the Hero Arts 2012 Catalog.

The hop will begin right here (on the Hero Club Blog) each day this week, Monday through Friday. Consider this “home base”. From here, you’ll be able to journey to the blogs of 4-5 different Hostesses per day. It is our hope that this extended format will allow you to enjoy the inspiration at a more relaxed pace.

Here’s a delectable peek at just a few of the projects you’ll be seeing along the way today!

Wow, what a way to start a Monday, right?! And there’s much more where that came from.

But wait! Before you hop along, let’s take a moment to discuss PRIZES…

• Will there be prizes? Absolutely!
• What are the prizes? We’re giving away 3 fabulous assortments of wood, cling, and clear stamps from the new 2012 Catalog!
• How can I win? Simply comment on ANY of the stops along the hop on ANY day, including each day’s starting post here on the Hero Club Blog. (This post is your first chance!) The more comments you leave, the better your chance of winning.
• How will the winners be picked? At random, using random.org.
• When and where will the winners be announced? On Monday, January 16, right here on the blog.

So are you ready for some eye candy? Let the fun begin! First, click on over to Deborah Nolan’s blog and then follow the links to the other blogs, being sure to leave lots of “love” for our Hostesses along the way.

Happy hopping, everyone!! Enjoy and we’ll see you again tomorrow!

P.S. - If you happen to come across any broken links, you can always come back to this post and find links to all of today’s participating bloggers: Deborah Nolan • Suzanne Czosek • Donna Mikasa • Barb Engler • Kelly Booth

Hi there! It’s Lisa, and I’m so excited to kick off a whole new year of stamping here on the Hero Arts blog!

To get things started, I’d like to introduce the January Contest: Love & Hugs & Kisses plus a Color Challenge! Check out all the details to find out how you can win prizes!

For those of you who’ve never entered a contest before, I’d like to challenge you to enter! We have a special category for those who have never won before, plus you’ll get to meet the wonderful community of stampers in the Hero Arts Flickr group! So, what are you waiting for? This is your year!

And for those of you who have already won before, keep those entries coming! We love seeing your entries, and you can win again. After all, who couldn’t use a shopping spree for all the NEW stamps in the Hero Arts 2012 Catalog?

Now on to my card for the day! It uses some of the new Hero Arts-BasicGrey stamps and papers from the BasicGrey Kissing Booth line! I added a hint of lilac to make it perfect for the monthly theme:

Card by Lisa Spangler. Click for materials and instructions.

Aren’t those birds just darling? I can just imagine them giving each other hugs & kisses, can’t you? And I love how the Newspaper Heart goes so well with the BasicGrey Kissing Booth line, and how the Painted People Background really gives it that vintage feeling.

Sally will be here tomorrow, and then don’t forget that this Thursday, January 5th is the big day when the 2012 Catalog goes live in the Hero Arts Online Store! Woo!

Happy New Year hugs! Wishing all of you a year of stamping fun,

Hi everyone! It’s Lisa here, with a Christmas pocket card that I made for my Dad. He really is dear to me — and he loves to watch the deer playing in the woods all around his house, too!

Card by Lisa Spangler. Click for materials, instructions, and tips!

I just love how this turned out! And! Did you notice anything NEW? Well have a look at the background! It’s the new cling Dot Flower Pattern (CG335)! I think it almost looks like snowflakes when it’s stamped in Soft Pool, don’t you?

This stamp has a blank border around the edges — I think it’s the perfect place to add stitching with silver metallic thread — and sew on the stamped Winter Scene for the pocket, too! Of course I had to add a little glitter — you know me! This time I used Rock Candy Distress Stickles. I love how it looks like sweet sugary snow!

If you were lucky enough to go to a Hero Arts 2012 Catalog Debut Party then you’ve probably seen the new Dot Flower Pattern (CG335) stamp already. (Check for a party near you, parties started last weekend and are continuing until January 5th!) If you haven’t seen this stamp yet or there are no parties near you then I have some great news to share: the Hero Arts 2012 Catalog goes digital tomorrow, so you’ll be able to view it and see ALL the NEW stamps for 2012! Woo!

And don’t forget, besides the December Contest of Card Sets, a Sketch Challenge, and Pocket Cards we also have a 2012 Catalog Debut Photo Contest where you can share photos from a debut party and  win lotsa prizes! We love seeing your photos!

A merry merry Christmas to all of you, my “deers”!

Hugs,

Hi everyone!!! It’s Shari Carroll here.

I am so excited to show you one of my NEW favorite stamps… the BIG EYES Owl. How cute is he??? Or she???  This Owl is whimsical yet can be vintage, suits any occasion and is just plain ol’ FUN!!!  To follow the December Challenge theme, I used the owl to adorn a pocket card.

I designed it so the actual tag that gets pulled out looks like the tag portion that is affixed to the card. It looks cute either way…don’t you think?  Oh and shhhhh… I snuck in an extra peek… check out the green ink I used to stamp the background. It’s one of our NEW Mid-Tone Shadow inks.  See how smooth it looks? Total YUM!

Card by Shari Carroll. Instructions and materials can be found HERE.

Did you all have a chance to go to a 2012 Catalog Preview Party this past weekend? Our social network has been all a buzz with photos of parties, cards made with new stamps, wish lists being posted, it is SOOOO exciting!!!

Don’t forget about our Catalog Debut Photo Contest.  Plenty of prizes will be awarded.  You can find all the information HERE.  The contest began Saturday, December 10, 2011 (when the parties started!) and continues through Wednesday, January 4, 2012. All winners will be selected randomly and announced on the blog on Thursday, January 5, 2012.

And finally, if you haven’t had a chance to check out Friday’s 2012 Catalog Blog Hop, you still have time! You have until midnight PST tonight (December 12th) to leave your comments and be entered to win fabulous prizes!

Thanks for joining me today!

Hi there, it’s Lisa here! Pull up your chairs and get cozy because I have so much to share with you today!

Joining me today on the blog is the one-and-only Todd Mullins, our VP of Sales! He did one of his famous behind-the-scenes videos with lotsa sneak peeks! Take it awaaaaaaay, Todd!

So, what did you see? Any stamps you *have to have*? Well, you’ll be able to find them starting this Saturday, December 10th, at a participating stores! Woo hoo! Join the fun and excitement! Find a store near you right HERE on our Party Page.

No stores near you? Well never fear! You can pre-order a 2012 Catalog Stamp Kit right HERE in the Hero Arts Online Store. Each of the five kits contains a stamp or stamp set plus a copy of the Hero Arts 2012 Catalog! 

Won’t they make the perfect present for all the stamers on your list? (Or even yourself?) No worries about your stampy friend already having THESE! Kits start shipping on December 9th. AND! Did you know that orders placed in the Hero Arts Online Store are fulfilled by local stores? Yes, it’s true! Just one way that Hero Arts supports local stores!

Here they are so that you can see them larger! Just look at all that NEW stampy goodness:

And that’s not all! Before I go today I have one last sneak peek to share with you: a card I made using the Newspaper Tulips (K5576) that comes in the Woodblock Kit (CK212)!

You know how it is when you get a brand new stamp and you just can’t wait to get it all inky? Well, that’s how I was with this one! I didn’t want to wait around until spring when the tulips start blooming, so I decided to make a Christmas card with it, and use one of the sketches from the Sketch Challenge! I just love these sketches that Kelly did so much, don’t you?

(Card by Lisa Spangler. Click for materials and instructions.)

Well that’s it for today! Thanks so much to Todd for his super fun video! (Let’s leave him some comments and give him a round of applause!) And thanks to all of you for joining me! Jennifer will be here tomorrow, so see you then!

Stamping hugs,

Monday greetings everyone!  It’s Sally, and I’ll be spending the next few days with you here on the blog.  Now that Thanksgiving is over and we all need to go on diets (!), it’s time to put away the pumpkins and get out the trees!  Today I’m showing you how to use your stamps to make some great Christmas ornaments.  I always like to add a few new ornaments each year, just because there are so many cool ones out there!  And even better when I make them myself. 

Ornaments by Sally Traidman.  Click here for supplies and instructions.

I have both fabric and paper ornaments to share today, since I know some of you don’t have sewing machines. First off, the paper ornaments.  They are so quick and easy to make!  Just cut out four trees using Basic Grey paper with the die from 657781 Joy Snowman, fold and glue dot them together for a 3-D ornament.  Easy peasy!

I pulled out CL554 Christmas Tags for the next ornament.  The fabric tree is cut with the same Joy Snowman die as I used above. I zigzag stitched it with metallic thread and blinged it up with some Red Small Blossoms.

Speaking of diets, the tree from CG398 Color Your Own always makes me hungry because it looks a bit like a Christmas cookie to me!  But not when I turn it into a felt ornament! It’s stamped in black and sewn, stuffed and decorated with gems or colorful pearls.

And finally, the last ornament.  Yes, I cross-stitched on it!  This may scare some of you, but when you begin by stamping the “JOY” from CL547 Happy Holidays, it’s easy as can be to just stitch right over it!  Finish it off with one of our precut Felt Trees and it comes together very quickly!

Hope this inspires you to get out your supplies and make some new ornaments!  And wouldn’t a set of these make a wonderful handmade gift?  Do let me know if you’re going to give it a try!