Wishing you and yours a joyous holiday full of family and fun - and perhaps a little creativity!

Hello there, stampers.

It’s Jennifer here with a fun take on our Color Challenge. Instead of a card, I thought I would share an idea for a creative way to spice up a holiday package.

These can be so much fun to make! And they can be reused - fantastic. Check out the video to see how to make them…

Project by Jennifer McGuire. Get full supplies and instructions here.

Hope this inspires you to make your holiday packages extra special with paper and stamps.

Happy Holidays!

Hello, stampers! It has been a long time since I have posted on the blog… and boy, have I missed it! I am really loving the sneak peeks and hope you are, too. Honestly - cross my heart - the stamps in this upcoming catalog are Hero’s best yet. (No, my boss didn’t tell me to say that. I just REALLY mean it.

Hopefully you will get some new stamping goodies under you tree this holiday season. And, if you do, you will need a winter thank you card, right? Here is an idea for you. This features a marker resist technique. I stamped the Starry Night stamp with VersaMark Ink on some yummy Basic Grey paper. I then colored over the stamped image with green and brown Memento markers. While I am doing this, I wiped it every so often with a dry cloth to remove the marker from the embossed area. You will be amazed at how nicely the embossed area resists the marker, leaving it just in the un-embossed areas! So fun…

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

Before I go, I also have a sneak peek for you from the 2011 Hero Arts Catalog!

Any guesses as to what’s hiding in the file folder?  We’ll be back later this afternoon for the full reveal.

I hope you have a wonderful Monday. See you soon!

As I was making this video in my warm sunny family room (you can see the light rays coming through the blinds), I thought about how much fun I was having combining new products with the items I already have. I can’t bear to throw away a single gemstone or sizeable piece of paper so here are some ways I found to use gemstones. I hope you have as much fun as I have making use of all your supplies.

And yes, Monday’s card used the message from this same set, the background Starry Sky, Frost White Pigment Ink and the Azure Folded Cards too. I wanted to use really tiny gemstones for the angel to sprinkle from her wand and we didn’t have any small enough so I used some of the tiny stones from the ornament gems…they were perfect.

Card by Nancy Taylor. Get full supplies and instructions here.

Video Oops…I mistakenly used the snowflakes from last year for the tiny gems to make the angel’s stardust; however, the Ornament Gem Shapes work just fine.

In case you missed the post yesterday about the 2011 Catalog Debut Preview Parties…check it out for a chance to win some exclusive stamps!  And check out the new blinkies on the right side of the screen. Add one to your blog for the holiday season or to spread the word about the upcoming Catalog Preview Parties. We’ll be awarding a random blinkie prize next week so be sure to let us know if you’ve got one on display!

I loved this adorable image the minute I started this card, and oh so easy. You can add a little blush on her cheek and a necklace of tiny pearls, which would make a perfect holiday luncheon invitation if your friends have a good sense of humor. This card can also be made in multiples, like Monday’s card, because the Red Metallic Décor comes in a single pack. You will have to use red ribbon purchased separately because our selection of blush has a variety of shades.

Card by Nancy Taylor. Get full supplies and instructions here.

As a special holiday surprise, just in time for stamping over the Thanksgiving weekend (with football playing in the background) we are giving away our stamp of the week, Winking Reindeer (25% off in the store for this week only!) and a packet of Red Metallic Decor to 5 lucky winners chosen randomly from those of you who leave comments on today’s blog and answer the question “What is your favorite Hero Arts stamp from 2010 and why?“…so start thinking about which stamp is your favorite!

And that’s not all! The 2011 Catalog and brand NEW stamps will debut at participating stores on December 11th, and you’re invited to join in the fun!

Just look for a participating store near you right here on our party page. More stores are being added everyday! Don’t see your favorite store listed? Tell them to sign up and win prizes! Read more right here.

We can’t wait to hear what are the favorite images from this year (and we can’t wait until you see the all NEW 2011 stamps, too!). I would have a hard time deciding my favorite from this year, but I think I would say Fabulous Flourish…oh, but I love so many more.

See you tomorrow,

Good morning everyone, guess what it’s me again, bet you were not expecting the same person. You never know what we will come up with, and next year is full of even more surprises! Who will you see next week? Hmmm…

The Hero Arts blog keeps changing as you give us comments and feedback so keep giving your input — we do listen.

When designing a holiday card you have to take into consideration the amount of time you have for being creative and the supplies you will be using. We all know how little time we have during Christmas. This photo card was created in minutes and the “mess” was kept to a minimum by using only a single color of ink. So before deciding on your design, think (honestly) how much time you will have to create, there is nothing worse than adding another deadline to your “holiday have-to’s”. You will notice I used packs of Pearl Accents and White and Cream Art Flowers because I can mix and match the different sizes and colors to create many cards using the same design, another thing to consider.

When you have a picture that makes you smile each time you see it, that’s the one to use on your holiday card. This picture certainly made me smile, so I designed a card for my niece. Knowing how little time she has to color, cut and stamp I came up with this easy sketch which can be adapted to the background colors in your photo. The card shown on Wednesday will use the additional stamps in the Sprinkle Your Holidays set.

Card by Nancy Taylor. Get full supplies and instructions here.

Thanks for joining me today. I will be back tomorrow with more holiday inspiration.

Today’s video gives you some ideas for creative inking. There are times when you wish you could magically ink a stamp in two colors or ink an image without the message. I hope this video will help you with some practical and easy ways to maximize each stamp you purchase. The video shows how to make the card shown today in multiple colors. I know you all have lots of ideas on “creative inking” and we would love to hear them.

I also added an idea that can help you keep that “invisible end of packing tape” so you can find it easily. If you are like me, you are trying to tape up packages 10 minutes before the post office closes while in your car with dinner getting cold in the back seat.

Project by Nancy Taylor. Get full supplies and instructions here.

Watch the video and you can get a tiny glimpse of the good things to come in 2011.

Did you find the sneak peek?

Come back tomorrow for a “notable” Social Club post,  then on Friday for the first official 2011 Catalog peek!

It’s never fun to see a package under the tree that cannot be opened until Christmas; but this package tag gives you some pretty little ornaments to hang on the tree until Santa comes. You can also add photos, money or gift certificates and cards inside the pouch. If the gift card is part of the present you can wrap it to match the present as well.

Card by Nancy Taylor.  Get full supplies and instructions here.

This little guy also happens to be our Stamp of the Week! Now through Sunday in the Hero Arts Online Store, you can add this adorable fellow to your collection at 25% off (just $4.88.) No promo code required — simply add CG213 to your cart and the discount will be taken!

Join me tomorrow for a video!

It’s hard to believe that the unveiling of the Hero Arts 2011 catalog is just around the corner…and yes, you will get to see a sneak peek later this week. We are all so excited to share our new products with you…this is not just any new catalog; but an exquisite range of images everybody will fall in love with. So bear with me through some fun holiday samples and get a sneak peek of things to come.

When I got out my holiday supplies to start Christmas card making, I remembered why I love the holidays. I found Jennifer’s holiday cards, (since before she was married) and Shari’s cards when her boys were just toddlers. Christmas is about memories laughing over the funny times, remembering the loved ones who are no longer here, and making new memories to share with future generations. So, break out your holiday supplies and let’s get started stamping for Christmas!

I had so much fun wrapping this tiny package. It reminded me of the cards by Hanko Designs. Hanko uses fabric backing to make “paper quilting” cards that are beautiful. Using foam core to create packages in many different sizes and styles is a definite contender for this year’s holiday cards. I will be interested in all your comments and ideas on “repurposing” all my small pieces of foam core.

Card by Nancy Taylor. Get full supplies and instructions here.

Join me again tomorrow for more holiday inspiration!

Hello, everyone!I am here to announce the winners of the holiday challenge from last week.  We all picked our favorites and then randomly picked the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.  And, of course, we have a few honorable mentions!But first, I wanted to quickly remind you that you have until September 30th to send in your Cards for Heroes cards to ship overseas to the troops.  We are collecting holiday cards, but you can also send others.  You can find more details HERE.  Anyone and everyone is welcome to contribute for this good cause… and a chance to win some stamps! Now for the prizes…First place ($50 gift certicate and catalog) goes to Susanne Nilsson for these adorably adorable tags.  What clever use of masking!Second place ($25 gift certificate and catalog) goes to kiaraleestudio for this super clever card.  We just loved the combination of embossing, stamping and circles.Third place ($10 gift certificate and catalog) goes to krolski for this great clear card.  We loved the floating snowflakes on the acetate card!  Great design.And we couldn’t stop there.  We have three honorable mentions who will each receive a pack of notecards, gemstones and a Holly Bird stamp.The first honorable mention is to judy1223 for this classy card.  We loved the touch of the candy cane.The second honorable mention is to sifullerton for this simple yet fabulous card.The third honorable mention goes to ethel769 for this elegant masterpiece.To all the winners, please email us with your address so we can get your prizes to you.Thanks again to everyone for playing along!