Hi everyone! I have so much to share with you today — including a giveaway! — so I’m going to jump right in!

First off, have you seen the new Hero Arts-BasicGrey spring catalog yet? It’s chock full of delicious designs! Check it out right HERE!

There are four new lines total, love them all! Here’s the scoop on when they are arriving in local stamp stores and when they’ll be in the Hero Arts online store:

• Konichiwa and Plumeria will arrive in local stamp stores starting February 15th and will be in the Hero Arts online store starting March 1st
• PB&J and What’s Up will arrive in local stamp stores starting April 5th and will be in the Hero Arts store starting April 19th

Why the delay in putting the stamps in the Hero Arts online store? It’s so that local stores have time to get the stamps in stock — you see, orders placed in the Hero Arts online store are fulfilled by your local stamp stores! Just one way that Hero Arts supports local businesses.

Now then, today is Wednesday and that means it’s video day! Woo! For today’s video I just had to use two new BasicGrey Plumeria stamps — love them so! Here are the stamps I used!

That’s BasicGrey Pattern Hearts & Flowers (CL596) on the left and BasicGrey Garden Borders (CL601) on the right — both from the new Plumeria collection.

And here’s the card that I came up with, using a sketch from the monthly challenge!

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

One of the many things I love about BasicGrey is how their 6×6 paper pads always include papers that are mostly solid with a bit of printing or color to them, so I tried to incorporate that in my card base! So, want to see how I made that BasicGrey style background and watercolored the flowers? Check it out in the video!

Wow, you made it all the way to the end of the post, and the best part: it’s time for a giveaway! Yay! One lucky stamper will receive a $75 shopping spree for the Hero Arts online store! To enter, just leave a comment on any post this week and let us know what your favorite stamps are from that day’s catalog! Here’s a recap of the posts:

• Monday: Hero Arts Spring 2012
• Tuesday: Hero Arts-Studio Calico Spring 2012
• Wednesday: Hero Arts-BasicGrey (THIS post!)

A random winner will be picked from all comments left on these three posts and will be announced on Friday. The more posts you leave comments on, the more chances you have to win!

Come join us tomorrow when we have our Social Club — it’s full of yummy treats!

It’s Wednesday, and it’s the first of the month, which means it’s time to announce our new February contest!

This month we want to see all sorts of creative Friendship and Hello cards! We also have three great sketches for you to try, and our featured technique is die cutting. Projects created for the sketch and die cutting portions of the challenge can be of ANY theme. You’ll want to pop over to our contest information page to find all the details. As you’ll notice on the calendar, the deadline for the first round of entries is quickly approaching — next Thursday, February 9th, in fact. So break out those stamps and have fun! We can’t wait to see what you all create this month!

Now, we have a new die cutting technique article and video from our fabulous Shari Carroll. Check out what she’s done with our new Frame Cuts dies in the video below…

Card by Shari Carroll. Full supplies and instructions here.

Finally, I thought I’d create a card featuring die cutting. I chose the Hero Arts-Sizzix Frames with Sprigs set, and combined it with some gorgeous patterned paper from the Basic Grey Picadilly line. Yum!

Card by Lucy Abrams. Full supplies and instructions here.

Tomorrow, it’s time to announce our February contest winners. So join us then for some fabulous eye candy!

Bye for now,

Welcome to Day 3 of our week of teaming up with May Arts, makers of some of the most fantastic ribbon on the planet!  We’ve been enjoying all of the wonderful creations using our stamps created by the May Arts team this week - be sure to visit the May Arts blog to check them out for yourself, and leave comments while you’re there for a chance to win some of our stamps! Yay!

We have a couple more fabulous designers combining Hero Arts stamps and May Arts ribbon here on our very own blog today, too!  First up, Lisa Spangler!  Lisa was happy to get an opportunity to try out one of our new Add Your Message stamp + preprinted card sets.  She chose Eiffel Tower Cards with Messages and combined it with a delightful garland made with May Arts ribbon!  What fun!

Card by Lisa Spangler. Find complete supplies and instructions here.

Next is a gorgeous card from Kandis Smith. She used the flower from Sweet Threads Thank You for her elegantly stamped background.  And we just love how she used the ribbon to create the borders on her message panel.

Card by Kandis Smith.  Find complete supplies and instructions here.

Kandis also created a helpful video to show the creation of this card from start to finish.  For those of you who are coming back to view it, we think you’ll agree it was worth the wait! 

So now that Lisa and Kandis have thoroughly inspired you to create with ribbon, how about another chance to win some for yourself?  Head on over to Facebook and “like” our Hero Arts page - then stay tuned to Facebook today for giveaway details! May Arts will be having a fabulous giveaway over on their Facebook page as well, so be sure to stop by and tell them Hero Arts sent you!

Tomorrow is Social Club, we’ll see you there!

Hello! It’s me again - Julie - with a card AND a video on this wondermous Wednesday!

Isn’t it fabby how all the sentiments in the XO clear set work on their own or together? Watch the video to see how this super fun effect was created. It is so easy you’ll definitely want to try it yourself.

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

Thanks for sharing a part of your day with me here on the Hero Arts blog!

Julie

Hi everyone! It’s Shari here. Well… I’ve got the Christmas decorations all packed up and I’m already looking at the next holiday…. Valentines Day!

As some of you may know, I had the honor of developing our NEW ink line called Shadow Mid-Tone inks. I had them made with the same formulation as our regular Shadow inks, but only with bolder colors. I have Aaron to thank for allowing me to take the bull by the horns, because honestly, these are some fabulous inks! They blend into the paper just the same and the colors are so rich!!!  You can see the comparisons in this months technique article.

I made a simple card for today, just to show off a few colors. I mixed a few tones together that I wouldn’t usually do, but as you can see, the inks are soft yet vibrant. YUM!!! Oh and the Untitled Hearts?  These are a MUST have for 2012.  LOVE them!

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

Since I’m all about these new inks, I’ve put together a video using clips so you can check them out.

Thanks everyone… Happy New Year and I’ll see you soon!

Hi everyone, it’s Shari Carroll here!

There are so many new stamps in the 2012 catalog and I’ve had a hard time deciding what to show you. So… I chose the Stamp & Emboss Stripes and Frame because of it’s versatility! They are easy to use, great for beginners as well as advanced stampers… and hey… who doesn’t LOVE stripes???

I just LOVE these colors together! Here’s a close-up.

Have you used the Stamp & Emboss sets yet?  I’ve put together a quick video for you to see how simple they are to use.

Card by Shari Carroll. A complete list of supplies can be found HERE.

Thanks for joining me today, I’ll see you soon!

Hello!

In celebration of our Catalog Debut, Hero Arts always sends card samples to stores to put on display. This year we needed over 3000 handmade cards! Desperate for help, we turned to some Hero Arts friends. Each person was assigned a card design created by a Hero Arts Artist… of which they had to create MANY duplicates. Together, our friends created the 3000 cards with such love and care. Want a peek at the amazing cards they made? Check this out…

Aren’t they lovely? If you are wanting a closer look at each card or are interested in the supplies used, stop by or contact one of the many awesome stores mentioned on our website.

And we want to again thank the incredible gals who helped us out! Your work was perfection and your efforts are very appreciated. Big hugs to you each!

• Kelly Booth
• Robin Kubasik
• Sarah Moerman
• Christy Wilkerson
• Candy Wilkerson
• Stephanie Klauck
• Virginia Lu
• Tracey Kuzniak
• Margaret Kapteyn
• Lin Brandyberry
• Sandi Neumann
• Mary Dawn Quirindongo
• Britta Swiderski
• Michelle Liimatainen
• Heather Ruwe
• Lisa Carroll
• Lisa Stein

We will see you tomorrow with the first round winners of our December contest! Happy Holidays!

Welcome to Watch It Wednesday! We have a fun surprise for you today. The Hero Artists got together to “Pass the Stamp” CG403 Large Flower Background!!

So are you ready? Here’s the girls!!!

If you love the Large Flower Background shown in the video as much as we do, good news! It’s now available as part of a special stamp kit! The kit includes both the Large Flower Background AND a new 2012 Hero Arts Catalog. For a limited time, this $22.00 value is just $17.00 here in the Hero Arts Online Store!

And now…

That’s right, it’s time to announce our giveaway winners from the 2012 Catalog Blog Hop! We randomly picked five comments from ALL of the stops along the hop. Drumroll…! Ready? Here are the lucky winners:

• Amanda Coleman (“Fantastic color combination! Your card is a beaut!” — from Kristina Werner’s blog, December 10, 2011 at 1:51 pm)
• Dee in N.H. (“These cards are fabulous!!! I must have this chevron stamp!!!” – from Lisa Spangler’s blog, December 9, 2011 at 10:37 am)
• Dana C. (“Yahoo! The day is finally here! Can’t wait to see what HA has up their creative sleeve for us today. Sally your card is so yummy and yes, just like bubble gum. I can’t wait to see the new ink pads too. If the colours are so bright and cheerful as your card than I can’t wait. Thanks for making and sharing this card with us all today. Hugs.” — from our blog, December 9th, 2011 at 9:55 am)
• Milly D (“Great cards, love the skyline. The newsprint stamp’s on top of my wishlist right now!!” — from Nichol Magouirk’s blog, December 9, 2011 at 10:38 pm)
• PiecesByEmily (“GORGEOUS card, Tami. I love them. Thank you” — from Tami Hartley’s blog, December 12, 2011 2:06 pm)

Woohoo! Congratulations to the winners! Each of you will be receiving a fabulous prize package that includes lots of new 2012 Catalog stamps! Please send an email off to the winner’s address (located in the blog sidebar) with your contact information and we’ll get your goodies in the mail soon.

Thank you for hopping with us over the course of the past few days and for sharing so many lovely comments with our bloggers. We appreciate each one! We hope you had just as much fun as we did checking out all the inspiring ideas and new stamps!

If you saw a stamp on the hop that you “have to have”, check out our list of participating stores and find one near you right HERE!

If you’re near Peterborough in the UK, you’re invited to a special Catalog Debut Party event at Sir Stampalot!

Pop along to our very special Hero Arts 2012 Launch Party at Sir Stampalot, Peterborough, UK on Thursday 15th December anytime from 5pm to 8pm. This will be a great opportunity to be among the first in the UK to get your hands on the fabulous new goodies from Hero Arts.

There will be fab displays featuring all the new 2012 debut products and we will be offering you a FREE copy of the 2012 Hero Arts collector’s catalogue with every qualifying purchase of Hero Arts debut goodies. There will be a FREE make ‘n take project, door prizes, hot chocolate, munchies and more!

We look forward to seeing you there.

The Sir Stampalot Team!
www.sirstampalot.co.uk
tel: +44 1733 324 007
76 papyrus road, peterborough, cambs, pe4 5bh, UK

No stores near you? Never fear, all of the NEW stamps will be added to the Hero Arts Online Store starting January 5th. In the meantime, you can order one of five 2012 Catalog Kits! Each kit comes with a stamp and a copy of the catalog, and the catalog is priced at $5 instead of $10 — woo! Even better? Orders placed in the Hero Arts Online Shop are fulfilled by local stores!

Have a great day!

Hello, friends! Welcome to another special sneak peek episode of Watch It Wednesday! Anyone need a midweek hug? Today’s card is for you! The fabulous Julie Ebersole is here to share a card and video using CL586 XO, a new clear set from our soon-to-be-released 2012 Catalog. This set is filled with lots of messages that you can mix and match, perfect for sending a little love through the mail!

Card by Julie Ebersole. Click here for complete supplies and instructions.

Aren’t those itty bitty glossy hearts a fun touch? Thanks so much, Julie! We love how you used the new stamps!

Guess what? CL586 XO is one of our featured stamps for Friday’s blog hop — just two days away! (We hear XO is a favorite of Sally’s…wonder if she’ll be using it for the hop?!)

Before we go, we thought it would be fun to share a few photos that capture what a busy and exciting week it’s been at Hero Arts headquarters. The staff has been working hard to ship boxes, boxes, and more boxes of Catalog Debut stamps out to stores around the world! The stamps boxes are piled high, the card sample boards have been assembled, and the demo kits have been completed.

And here it is…the very last box of the 2012 Hero Arts Catalog Debut, signed by the team and ready to ship out to Simply Scrapbooks in Bakersfield, CA!

Now all that’s left is to wish the stamps safe travels to their Catalog Preview Party locations…it won’t be long now!!

Thanks for stopping by today! See you tomorrow for a special Catalog Debut contest announcement!

Today we’re excited so share another 2012 Catalog Sneak Peek video for Watch It Wednesday, this time from the fabulous Kristina Werner!  And not only does she show you a couple new stamps, she also shares a fun technique using embossing powder!

Thank you, Kristina! So what did everyone think of the two new cling stamps Kristina worked with? (CG422 Zig Zag and CG416 Border Messages.) Leave a comment and let us know!

And! We have a $50 Wish List Shopping Spree winner today! Every month we give away two shopping sprees, with winners pulled from comments here on the blog. To be in the running, just join the Hero Arts Club and start commenting. The next winner could be you!

Congratulations to Maureen Chandler who commented on October 17 with “What a pretty card - love that new collection!  Thanks so much for sharing!!!”.  Maureen, please send an email to winner@heroarts.com and we’ll get you set up to shop!

Thanks for stopping by today. We’ll be back tomorrow with more winners from our November contest!