June My Monthly Hero Countdown: Idea #2 + Giveaway

Ilina Crouse

It's time for our second countdown peek! The June My Monthly Hero kit will be available to pre-order on Monday, June 8 at 1pm Eastern/10am Pacific. Now let’s join Ilina, who is sharing another dose of creative inspiration using this month's kit! 

Hi everyone! Ilina here! I am loving the June kit and the first time I saw it my first thought was Northern Lights. I love the Bold Prints cling stamp that comes with it, it gives the background a special effect. 

To make the card start with a piece of Lavender cardstock measuring 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". Stamp the boat using Intens-ified Black ink a few times to achieve even coverage and quickly emboss it using Ultra Fine Clear embossing powder.

Using Navy, Grape Juice Shadow inks and Blue Hawaii, Berry Smoothie and Grape Slush Reactive inks, create the background using ink blending tool (brush or sponge). Once done, splash with some water and let it dry.

Once completely dry, stamp the background using Embossing and Watermark ink and apply White embossing powder. Using a small brush, carefully remove the embossing powder off the boat image and heat set it. Trim the panel down to 4" x 5 1/4".

Stamp sentiment on Pitch Black cardstock and emboss in white. Trim to size and adhere to the stamped panel. Add Black enamel dots and adhere to a note card created using Pitch Black cardstock.

*** Win a kit before you can buy it *** Just leave a comment on this (and every) Countdown to Creativity post. We’ll randomly draw one lucky winner from all the comments left across all countdown posts. The winner will be announced first thing Monday morning, June 8, before the kit launches at 10am Pacific. The more you comment, the more chances to win!

Thank you so much for stopping by and hope you have an amazing day! 


  • Nancy Pearce

    The bold colors in the background with the black sailboat makes this card standout.

  • Yvette Kerstens

    Fantastic

  • Becky Beyl

    Love the colors in this background!!

  • Katie Coggins

    Love the colours? Is there a stencil in this kit?

  • Karen L K

    Very nice colors on that pretty card!

360 Responses

Lisa Reber

Lisa Reber

Jun 06, 2020

Oh, I am loving the looks of this kit! Love the colors Ilina, and I must have that background stamp!

Theresa P

Theresa P

Jun 06, 2020

Love those colors! Great card!

Kimberly Wynne Jones

Kimberly Wynne Jones

Jun 06, 2020

Your card is just amazing! Love the ink colors you chose; just incredible use of the a technique I love. The embossing is the icing on the cake!

Emily Henry

Emily Henry

Jun 06, 2020

This is a stunning card-even my hubby agrees. We will probably never get to see this in person, but I do believe you have captured the essence of the event. Great job!

Tanya Boser

Tanya Boser

Jun 06, 2020

What a lovely blended sky, Ilina! This is going to be an interesting set to work with.

Schmidenkiwi

Schmidenkiwi

Jun 06, 2020

Powerful color combination. Bright and peaceful at the same moment.

Em

Em

Jun 06, 2020

What a beautiful background.

Ana

Ana

Jun 06, 2020

Wow!! I am already excited for this one!! Love anything nautical. I cant wait for the release. Looks like a sell out already!!

Ellie Uselton

Ellie Uselton

Jun 06, 2020

What a gorgeous card! I’m going to enjoy trying out this technique later.

Terri Bruin

Terri Bruin

Jun 06, 2020

Very nice.

Georgie

Georgie

Jun 06, 2020

This kit so far looks exciting. It will be fun to experiment with colors and embossing powders. Can’t wait for more samples from you all. Thanks for the inspiration.

Dawn N.

Dawn N.

Jun 06, 2020

I’ve waited my whole stampy life for this kit. Lighthouses are my favorite!!! 💙💙💙💙💙

Lizabeth Maldonado

Lizabeth Maldonado

Jun 06, 2020

Beautiful it reminds me of scratch art!

Michele W

Michele W

Jun 06, 2020

Wow! This looks just like pictures I’ve seen of the Northern Lights. It’s beautiful and looks like a good technique to use even if our blended backgrounds aren’t quite perfect. Thanks for sharing!

Nicole S

Nicole S

Jun 06, 2020

Oh my word! How stunning! I’m not very good at being patient…. excuse me while I drool and oogle until we get more sneak peeks! 😂

Nancy Deffner

Nancy Deffner

Jun 06, 2020

Beautiful card! The background stamp is amazing.

Karhy

Karhy

Jun 06, 2020

Wow! Beautiful card! Love the silhouette sailboat!

Kim Earhart

Kim Earhart

Jun 06, 2020

Ilina. Your “Northern Lights” are simply breathtaking! Amazing!

Nancy Knapp

Nancy Knapp

Jun 06, 2020

Wow! What a great card! Love the boat and how the black details are so striking! Looking forward to seeing what else is in this kit!

Charlotte

Charlotte

Jun 06, 2020

What a beautiful card. Those colors make the background even more interesting. I can hardly wait to see the reveal.

Alicia Mayo

Alicia Mayo

Jun 06, 2020

Love the background colors!

Beth Merrill

Beth Merrill

Jun 06, 2020

Looks like I’m going to have to add another Bold Prints stamp to my collection! Beautiful card!

Carole R

Carole R

Jun 06, 2020

Love, love, love that beautiful background! Absolutely gorgeous card.

Carla Hundley

Carla Hundley

Jun 06, 2020

This is gorgeous!
Love the effect and
awesome stamp.
Carla from Utah

Terrie

Terrie

Jun 06, 2020

Beautiful card! Can’t wait to see the whole kit!

MarySwearengin

MarySwearengin

Jun 05, 2020

Really different background. I love it!

Anushree Vaish

Anushree Vaish

Jun 05, 2020

Simply gorgeous Ilina!!

Kathy A

Kathy A

Jun 05, 2020

That background stamp is amazing. It looks like a lot of fun.

Jackie Lee

Jackie Lee

Jun 05, 2020

OMG. Gotta have! Ilina, I love it. As I do all your work. Thanks for sharing!

Patt H.

Patt H.

Jun 05, 2020

What a gorgeous card! Love that background especially!

Claudia N

Claudia N

Jun 05, 2020

Beautiful card! Love the color combination!

Seema Raja

Seema Raja

Jun 05, 2020

What a gorgeous card! Love the colors.

Juana Vega

Juana Vega

Jun 05, 2020

Beautiful colors, the whole setting make this card look dreamy.

Patsy

Patsy

Jun 05, 2020

I can hardly wait to see this kit. Your take on Aurora Borealis is so intriguing.

Rae Culak

Rae Culak

Jun 05, 2020

Such a pretty card. This kit has some fantastic options from what we’ve seen so far.

Shirley johnson

Shirley johnson

Jun 05, 2020

This is stunning. Live it. Can’t wait to start crafting with it

jayn converse

jayn converse

Jun 05, 2020

Very pretty sentiment. I really like the choice of colors too. Nice card for male recipient.

Dale C Edwards

Dale C Edwards

Jun 05, 2020

I love the ocean wish I could be on or in the water all the time. This card says sail away to a more peaceful place and that would be almost as good as being a dolphin. Thanks for the inspiration

KerrynM

KerrynM

Jun 05, 2020

This card is gorgeous. Love the colors.

SandyK

SandyK

Jun 05, 2020

This card is breathtaking, and so peaceful. I love it!

Josmary

Josmary

Jun 05, 2020

very interesting card.

Cas

Cas

Jun 05, 2020

This is so pretty. Love the mental escape. Beautiful card. Can’t wait for mine

Candi

Candi

Jun 05, 2020

Very interesting card, pretty!

Margaret R

Margaret R

Jun 05, 2020

Looking forward to seeing how that background effect is done – it’s gorgeous!

Kathy Benjamin

Kathy Benjamin

Jun 05, 2020

Wow, thats gorgeous. I love that northern lights effect. Thank you for sharing.

Lorraine

Lorraine

Jun 05, 2020

Lovely card. Your sneak peak has me wanting more now! It’s only a few days, but I can’t wait for full reveal.

MANETTA KANEFSKY

MANETTA KANEFSKY

Jun 05, 2020

wow do I love that card!! I can imagine it with other colors that would be so beautiful! wonder how it would work against a dark background? such a pretty card

Lindarub

Lindarub

Jun 05, 2020

Beautiful card!

Janet Durbin

Janet Durbin

Jun 05, 2020

This lovely, beautiful background!

Barbara-Jean

Barbara-Jean

Jun 05, 2020

Beautiful card. I like your background and like the sentiment. Looking forward to seeing more!

Fionna Wheatley

Fionna Wheatley

Jun 05, 2020

Ilina! Gorgeous! I love the background stamp and the ink blending! The sentiment is just inspirational! Thank you!

Rosemary D

Rosemary D

Jun 05, 2020

Lovely design!

Lynn Cyerr

Lynn Cyerr

Jun 05, 2020

What a lovely card! Love the sailboat!

Dawn

Dawn

Jun 05, 2020

So beautiful…

Jane A McBee

Jane A McBee

Jun 05, 2020

Thank you for the inspiration and new ideas. I am looking forward to this month’s release.

Lindar C

Lindar C

Jun 05, 2020

Beautiful background, I really like the background stamp.

Carol H

Carol H

Jun 05, 2020

Nice card. Love the colours 😊

Bo

Bo

Jun 05, 2020

Love the colors. So relaxing and peaceful.

Karen Lingel

Karen Lingel

Jun 05, 2020

Tricky technique, removing the embossing powder from the boat using a little paintbrush. Thanks for the opportunity to win.

Denise Kitts-Wadlow

Denise Kitts-Wadlow

Jun 05, 2020

How fun is this month’s kit!!! Love the gorgeous color palette blend you chose, and the whote embossed background reminds me of a hard rain. Beautiful card…I can hardly wait to get my kit.

Teri S.

Teri S.

Jun 05, 2020

What a glorious looking card Ilina! Love the colours & especially like the background stamp. Wow! I can see from the 2 sneak peeks that this kit will be another winner.

Melissa Keller

Melissa Keller

Jun 05, 2020

Wow!

Jodi Warren

Jodi Warren

Jun 05, 2020

That is a great card. You are right, the effects that stamp gives is totally believable as the northern lights. I can’t wait to see more.

Debbie McKelvey

Debbie McKelvey

Jun 05, 2020

This card is just beautiful! I love the colors and the background looks like the northern lights. I can’t wait to play with this set. Great job!

Judy

Judy

Jun 05, 2020

I love the colorful background!

Rachel

Rachel

Jun 05, 2020

I love this card too. The background is beautiful and shows off the sailboat perfect. Can’t wait for my own kit to arrive.

Sherri

Sherri

Jun 05, 2020

Love the northern lights effect. A very cool card…great color scheme.

Amy Kathryn

Amy Kathryn

Jun 05, 2020

Love this card. The sailboat against that backdrop is beautiful. Can’t wait to buy this month’s kit.

Linda W. (ScrappinBari)

Linda W. (ScrappinBari)

Jun 05, 2020

Looks like an amazing kit! Just love Ilina’s sailboat and the yummy background!!

Phoebe Cheung Karr

Phoebe Cheung Karr

Jun 05, 2020

Such a beautiful card!

Madeline L

Madeline L

Jun 05, 2020

Really cool background stamp! Love the colors in this card!

Linda

Linda

Jun 05, 2020

These colors are so pretty together … looking forward to playing with reactive inks AND the background stamp!
Thanks for sharing your ideas and the resulting lovely card.
Linda

Nan Brown

Nan Brown

Jun 05, 2020

Lovely, you can really see the detail of the stamped background image.

Amy Cooley

Amy Cooley

Jun 05, 2020

What a cool background and pretty colors! I can’t wait to see more of the kit.

Christy Malone

Christy Malone

Jun 05, 2020

Really beautiful! Love that sailboat and background.

Christine Eck

Christine Eck

Jun 05, 2020

Very fun design, Ilina! I look forward to more.

chris pochatek

chris pochatek

Jun 05, 2020

Another great evening background idea. I really like the colors used for the northern lights.

Stacey Kowbel

Stacey Kowbel

Jun 05, 2020

So beautiful! That background is amazing!

BECCA YAHRLING

BECCA YAHRLING

Jun 05, 2020

I love this beautiful color combo. Gorgeous card!

Lyndi

Lyndi

Jun 05, 2020

This is gorgeous. Love everything about it. Can’t wait to see the rest of the kit.

Laurelle

Laurelle

Jun 05, 2020

I think the background stamp in this kit is going to be awesome!

Naomi

Naomi

Jun 05, 2020

Very tranquil!

Karthikha Uday

Karthikha Uday

Jun 05, 2020

Wow! Fantastic colors for the blending!! The white heat embossing with black silhouette for the boat, awesome work! :)

Celeste

Celeste

Jun 05, 2020

This is beautiful!!!! I love the northern lights effect!!

Beverly Robinson

Beverly Robinson

Jun 05, 2020

The embossing makes a striking background. Beautiful card!

Art_of_albara

Art_of_albara

Jun 05, 2020

WoW. This background stamp look fabulous ! I already imagine some use of it. Beautiful card. So dreamy ❤️

Christina M Dauven

Christina M Dauven

Jun 05, 2020

This card is amazing and has a nice whimsical feel to it. This kit seems amazing and I can’t wait.

Carol Wortman

Carol Wortman

Jun 05, 2020

That is absolutely beautiful!! The shimmer, movement, and reflection makes you almost feel the sea breeze. I like this a lot. Beautiful release Hero Arts!

Tamra Barnes

Tamra Barnes

Jun 05, 2020

Stunning! Imm3xcited to try the use of reactive and shadow inks! I played with the reactive ink yes and I was happy to see the immediate effect.

Joan

Joan

Jun 05, 2020

That Bold Prints cling background stamp looks amazing. Can’t wait to see it in up close and personal!

Yolanda F

Yolanda F

Jun 05, 2020

That is gorgeous. I makes you want to hop on that boat. The scene is so serene and peaceful and magical.

Susan McRae

Susan McRae

Jun 05, 2020

What a cool background, so mesmerizing! I’m excited to see more from this kit!

Cindy Johnson

Cindy Johnson

Jun 05, 2020

Unbelievably beautiful! I’ve always wanted to see the northern lights, at least now I can make some, lol! Really can’t wait to reproduce this stunning card!

Dayle Shimamura

Dayle Shimamura

Jun 05, 2020

Love love love your card! That background is spectacular!

Avra N Williams

Avra N Williams

Jun 05, 2020

This is beautiful!

Dayle Shimamura

Dayle Shimamura

Jun 05, 2020

Love love love your card! That background is spectacular!

sandra h

sandra h

Jun 05, 2020

This is awesome – can’t wait to see some more sneak peaks!

Danyelle Dillon

Danyelle Dillon

Jun 05, 2020

Oh my goodnessI I love your card! It is so awesome. I love how you used white embossing powder in the background. I need to try this technique it really looks good and pops on your card! Thanks for sharing, it is so inspirational!

Karen L Hetherington

Karen L Hetherington

Jun 05, 2020

Ilina your card is so pretty. I love the blended colors and the black just makes it all so lovely.

Theresa Burns

Theresa Burns

Jun 05, 2020

Ilina – What a beautiful card. I can just see myself on that sail boat. I can’t wait to the kit. My favorite stamps are all things related to oceans or lakes. Thank you for sharing your lovely ideas for this card kit.

Marilee DeMars

Marilee DeMars

Jun 05, 2020

Very cool card — I’m excited to see this kit.

Sudhamathi Muthu

Sudhamathi Muthu

Jun 05, 2020

Wow this card is so stunning…. absolutely in love with the background you have created….

Celeste Casisno

Celeste Casisno

Jun 05, 2020

I love this! Such a dreamy summery feel!

KC Wong

KC Wong

Jun 05, 2020

Beautiful card! That background stamp is beautiful.

Golda

Golda

Jun 05, 2020

This is gorgeous! I can’t wait to see the whole kit.

Leanne in Cali

Leanne in Cali

Jun 05, 2020

Great card and that background is stunning! Looking forward to seeing the whole kit. Thanks for sharing your awesome ideas!!

Karen Jordan

Karen Jordan

Jun 05, 2020

I love the interesting colors you chose for the background blending. My head is swimming with lots of diverse ideas already! Can’t wait to see more! Thank you for sharing!

Susan Cadek

Susan Cadek

Jun 05, 2020

Love the northern lights!

Hilde Larsen aka. Tindaloo

Hilde Larsen aka. Tindaloo

Jun 05, 2020

Awesome card Ilina! It’s reminiscent of an artic voyage ♥ loving the theme of this new kit!

Kailash

Kailash

Jun 05, 2020

Gorgeous card design, love that sailboat!