Hero Arts Blog

Hi! Where do you find inspiration for your card designs? Sometimes when I make cards, I simply start with two things - a color palette that I love and a handful of my favorite stamps and stencils. So, today I'm sharing a pair of "hello" cards that I made with a few summery inks and some of my most loved stamps. I started by selecting...

Hello! It's time to announce the winner from our August My Monthly Hero Release Day Blog Hop. Thanks so much to everyone who participated, checked out the cards on the designers’ blogs, left lovely comments, and made this month’s kit a smashing success! Even though the kit is sold out, some of the add-on products remain available. Our randomly selected winner will receive a free August kit (or...

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 detailed watercolor background with more layers for my August MMH blog hop project last...

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...

Today's card is a simple one, but involves something a little unique - water! Not just for the watercoloring, but as part of the card's design! Here's how I did it. I started off by taking the jar from the [hero_product_link sku="CL960" text="Let's Get Fresh"] set and stamping it onto my watercolor cardstock panel. Instead of inking the entire image and stamping on the cardstock, I "shrunk"...

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 HI in [hero_product_link sku="AF234" text="Navy Shadow...

Release day is here! We hope you’ve enjoyed all of the peeks leading up to today’s launch of our [hero_product_link sku="MH0816" text="August 2016 My Monthly Hero"] kit! Be sure to scroll down to the end of this post – we have an amazing list of bloggers joining us today as we introduce this month’s kit. And we’re giving another kit away, too! The August kit...

The launch of My Monthly Hero is only a few short hours away! As promised, we have one kit to giveaway to a lucky blog reader, selected from comments left on our Countdown to Creativity posts. We sure have enjoyed reading your wonderful comments, and we're excited that you're loving what you've seen of the kit! We’ve randomly selected a comment from our Idea #1 post ~ congratulations to carol!...

Release is almost here! We're on our final countdown post, and it's a fun and happy card from May! Be sure to come tomorrow, August 1st at 1pm eastern/10am pacific when we launch the August My Monthly Hero kit. Now let's join May... One of my favorite cardmaking techniques is stamped background. When I saw the whimsical images in the August My Monthly Hero kit and add-on stamp set,...

Welcome back for our final day of sneak peeks, leading up to the release of the August My Monthly Hero kit tomorrow, Monday August 1st, at 1pm eastern/10am pacific! Yana is starting us off today with another gorgeous card. Hero Arts August My Monthly Hero kit will have you daydreaming in no time! Delicately beautiful fairies, stars and star dust, whimsical clouds, timeless quotes - you name it! You...

We are back with another look at the August My Monthly Hero release! The kit will be available on Monday, August 1st at 1pm eastern/10am pacific. We’ll be sharing ideas for using the main kit and the optional add-on products all weekend long, so stay tuned for more inspiration! Now let’s join Mariana, who is sharing another look at the beautiful optional add-on border die, available on Monday! Pretty fairies, soft colors...

Welcome to Day 2 of our countdown, leading up to the release of the August My Monthly Hero kit on Monday, August 1st at 1pm eastern/10am pacific! If you love Shakespeare quotes as much as we do, the optional add-on stamp set that Yana is featuring this morning is going to be a must-have addition to your stamp collection! Hero Arts August 2016 My Monthly Hero Kit is full...

Hello and welcome! Today begins the countdown to the release of our August My Monthly Hero kit. We were inspired by "A Midsummer Night's Dream" when creating this kit, and we think you'll enjoy this adventure into fairyland. Stay with us throughout the weekend as our artists show off projects made with this month’s kit. And remember to comment on each and every post – we’ll be giving away...

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 flower. Doesn't...

The Bold Prints cling stamps are such a huge help to create backgrounds for your cards and other projects. The designs are fun and their size is very convenient. Today I am sharing a fun stamped card that I made using the [hero_product_link sku="CG688" text="Pearl String Bold Prints"] stamp. For my project, I wanted to show how pretty this background is, and how fun it can look when you combine it with...

We are back with another look at the August My Monthly Hero release! The kit will be available on Monday, August 1st at 1pm eastern/10am pacific. We'll be sharing ideas for using the main kit and the optional add-on products all weekend long, so stay tuned for more inspiration! Now let's join Clare and see what she made with this beautiful kit! I've always loved the intricate look of...

Hello! Today I'm back to give you a look at another project using the [hero_product_link sku="AF356" text="Kelly's Flowers"] set of Color Layering Ink Cubes. With the addition of [hero_product_link sku="AF249" text="white pigment ink"] the two pink inks in this pack work great for our popular [hero_product_link sku="CL962" text="Color Layering Flamingo"] set. The bottom layer is stamped with Ultra Pink ink, the second layer with Unicorn...

I am a big fan of Hero Arts dye ombré ink pads so when I spotted two new pigment metallic pads from Hero a bunch of stamping ideas rushed through my mind and I was lucky to jot down a few. I love both dye and pigment inks; dye - for how fast they dry and how they overlap and pigment, as silly as it...

It's been a while since we devoted a post to all of the wonderful work our team is sharing on their personal blogs - welcome to our Creative Team Rewind! We'll start with this happy card from Jayne! Jayne shares on Flickr, and her work is always impeccable. Her pink camper from the [hero_product_link sku="CL973" text="Road Trip"] set certainly makes *us* happy campers! She spelled out the...

Hello! Today I'm sharing a card using one of my new favorite crafting color combos - orange, pink, and tan! Of course, this combo may not appeal to everyone, but I think it looks downright tasty when used with the [hero_product_link sku="CL950" text="Birthday Cake Layering stamp set."]  For today's card, I started out by embossing the cake, candles and platter images in [hero_product_link sku="PW100" text="gold"] onto some watercolor cardstock....

I'm a huge fan of the Hero Arts Bold Prints, how about you? You don't have to use them in their entirety, you can easily use just a portion of the image: Today's cards uses the [hero_product_link sku="CG691" text="Garden Bold Prints"] stamp. I stamped them out on different layering  paper A2 card panels. My first trio have been teamed up with the [hero_product_link sku="CL954" text="Many Everyday Messages"] set. The  [hero_product_link...

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month, recognizing ice cream as a fun and nutritious food enjoyed by much of the nation's population. He suggested that the people of the United States observe the month with "appropriate ceremonies and activities". The best way that I can think of to observe this occasion is to send unexpected cards, perhaps with ice...

It's one of our favorite days of the year – the day we get to share the Winter Catalog with all of you! Click HERE or on the image below to see everything that’s new. There are more than 90 new items from cover to cover! Within these pages you’ll find designs for every style, from the beauty of a wood block poinsettia with coordinating 3-D dies,...

We're happy to see you here for day 5 of our 2016 Winter Catalog sneak peek week! Today we're sharing a look at some gorgeous new Paper Layering dies... The intricate snowflake on this card was created with the Paper Layering Snowflakes with Frame (DI196) die set. This 6-piece set (3 snowflakes + 3 frames) makes it so easy to bring elegant dimension to your holiday...

Welcome back! If you're ready for a cool down of remarkably cute proportions, our next 2016 Winter Catalog sneak peek is for you... The Warm Hugs (CL989) set is sure to warm hearts with adorable Arctic images including an Eskimo, polar bear, seal, penguin, walrus, igloo, trees, snowflakes, and of course sentiments to match. Matching dies are sold separately. These stamps are so much fun to color...

Hi stampers! We're just five days away from the full reveal of our 2016 Winter Catalog and have another sneak peek to share with you today. This one is a total classic... Included in our Winter Catalog are a host of new stamps with timeless designs that will help you capture the beauty of the season. Vintage Christmas Wishes (CM101), featured on the card above, is...

Welcome back to our week of 2016 Winter Catalog sneak peeks! Next up is a look at an addition to our popular line of Color Layering stamps... Check out the depth you can easily achieve by layering inks along with one of our "dearest" sets yet – the Color Layering Deer (CL985)! Pair the image with a favorite holiday greeting, or use one of the everyday...

Hello and welcome! This week we are excited to share sneak peeks of the new 2016 Winter Catalog, leading to the full catalog reveal on Monday, July 18! Every day this week we'll share a different photo from our new catalog, as well as several giveaway opportunities. Let's get started with a holiday classic – the poinsettia! The Antique Poinsettia (K6176) is one of many new woodblock offerings...

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 make a Thank...

I rarely use a stencil on my cards. That doesn't mean I don't like the effect of stencils. Ever since I saw Mariana's amazing cards made with Waves Stencil, I've wanted to give it a try myself. Then here is what I came up with: I placed the stencil over the grey panel and sponged over the stencil using Versamark watermark ink. I almost added some Perfect Pearls, but...

There are currently thirteen Ombré Inks available in the Hero Arts Online Store that are a dye ink formula. But now Hero Arts has added to their Ombré line with two new pigment inks in the colors of [hero_product_link sku="AF346" text="Vintage Metallic Rust"] and [hero_product_link sku="AF347" text="Vintage Metallic Steel"]. Both of these inks offer a gradation of three complementary colors that blend across an image to create depth in your stamping....

Release day is here! We hope you’ve enjoyed all of the peeks leading up to today’s launch of our [hero_product_link sku="MH0716" text="July 2016 My Monthly Hero"] kit! Be sure to scroll down to the end of this post – we have an amazing list of bloggers joining us today as we introduce this month’s kit. And we’re giving another kit away, too! This month's kit...

Under the sea... under the sea... darling it's better, down where it's wetter, take it from me...! Who else has been humming this song all weekend? We have, as we've read all of your wonderful comments on our countdown posts! After all of the gorgeous previews from our Creative Team, it seems fair to say that you are extremely excited about this jelly good kit! The launch...

We've made it to our final countdown post before the launch of the My Monthly Hero kit at 1pm eastern tomorrow, July 5! We'll be announcing our countdown winner first thing in the morning before the kit goes live, so be sure you've commented on all of the posts for more chances to win! For our final sneak peek, Clare is sharing another gorgeous card made with the jellyfish...