Today's post introduces the latest challenge from our friends over at A Blog Named Hero. We are so thankful for the support they give us, and the amazing creations the team creates. If you're looking for a fun challenge to play along with, check them out! Today team member, Anne-Laure, is sharing a gorgeous card for the September challenge!

Hello here crafty friends! It’s Anne-Laure from A Blog Named Hero team, alias @art_of_albara on Instagram. I feel so honored to be on the official blog today to introduce you to our new challenge on A Blog Named Hero. Thank you to Hero Arts and A Blog Named Hero for giving me this chance. People who know me, do know how much I love Hero Arts since I discovered them in 2017. Great products, great people behind the scenes, great values. Everything that I cherish!

September’s new challenge arrived on A Blog Named Hero (Facebook and Instagram) and the theme is: Clean & Simple. I’m used to making complex cards, as I love brainstorming and finding details to add on my cards, but it was fun to try a more simple style, and clean & simple cards are so quick to make, I often forget I could do that to make more cards. What about you? Do you love to make multiple cards or one per day? We are already excited to see all the beautiful cards you’re going to make for our challenge! Thank you to all of you who participate, we appreciate seeing your creativity and talent. The nice thing is that we all inspire each other. 


It’s time to talk about this card I made for our challenge. I wanted something quite simple to achieve but with a beautiful blending with only three colors. The base is Dove White cardstock (I really love Hero Arts cardstock because it’s thick and very good for blending inks). First of all I masked the sides of the card with some masking tape and made a rectangle shape. I used the Reactive inks (my favourite ones) in those colors: Taffy, Lemon Drop and Splash and blended them with an ink blending brush to make an orange between the yellow and the pink, and a purple between the pink and the blue. It made a perfect sunset effect.


Then I placed the stamps I wanted on the rectangle and I stamped them with Intensi-fied Black ink. I chose to use the sun from the stamp set Sky’s the Limit Balloons, the lighthouse and waves and stamps from the set Seas the Day Seagulls, and the fish from the set Color Layering Orca. Then I cut the rectangle panel with my paper trimmer, placed it on my new white base cardstock to find where I would stamp the sentiment from Seas the Day Seagulls, stamped it and put foam tape behind the rectangle to give some dimension. I added a gold embellishment that I got in February kit 2019 (it’s sold out, but you can place a sequin from the Champagne sequin mix and it would look awesome too!)


I hope you like this card and that you’ll get some inspiration (my team shares a lot of beautiful inspirational cards to motivate you to participate to our challenges). The most important rule is to have fun! Thanks to our generous sponsor, Hero Arts, who gives two gift cards each month to our challenge winners.

Have a great day and take care!

- Anne-Laure (@art_of_albara)

Click on products to shop:

CM276 Seas The Day Seagulls - Hero Arts
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CM325 Sky's the Limit Balloons - Hero...
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CM536 Color Layering Orca - Hero Arts
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MI003 Ink Blending Brushes - Hero Arts
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AF420 Taffy Reactive Ink - Hero Arts
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AF423 Lemon Drop Reactive Ink - Hero...
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AF428 Splash Reactive Ink - Hero Arts
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AF435 Intens-ified Black Ink Pad -...
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CH306 Champagne Sequin Mix - Hero Arts
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PS400 Hero Hues Dove White Top Folded...
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PS325 Hero Hues Dove white - Hero Arts
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  • Lori Spitzer

    Hi, HA and Anne-Laure -
    This card is CAS and really gorgeous!
    L in PA

  • Brenna Garcia

    What a beautiful simple card. You’ve done wonderful blending. I’ll have to get those reactive ink pads. Never tried them. I have shadow and standard mini cubes and now ombre. I like your use of a variety of stamps. Love the seas the day gulls.

  • Stacy Tiffin

    Beautiful!