It's kit release day! The September My Monthly Hero kit and optional add-ons are here!

It's a season full of color, and we've set out to capture its beauty and variety in this Autumn-inspired My Monthly Hero kit. The 6x8 clear set features the uniqueness of a Chinese lantern plant, and includes a set of coordinating dies to use with the stamps. There's also a gorgeous maple leaf-edged window die, maple leaf translucent sticky notes, a watercolor dot palette from Daniel Smith in the colors of the season, and mini brushes to use with them.

This month's kit includes:

• 6" x 8" Clear Stamp Set
• 18 Coordinating Frame Cuts
• 1 Window Fancy Die with Frame
• 1 Daniel Smith Watercolor Dot Card (6 Autumnal colors)
• 5 Mini Watercolor Brushes
• 30 Translucent Leaf Sticky Notes

This kit is valued at $73, but is an incredible deal at $34.99. It is available in limited quantities - be sure to get yours before they are gone!

There are several other new products launching this month, which work nicely with the kit or are fabulous all on their own. Inspired by the Chinese lantern plant in the main kit, most have a beautiful Asian flair.

First up and perfect for autumn, here's a look at the Textured Leaves stamp set and coordinating Textured Leaves Frame Cuts.

Chinese painting is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. Traditionally done with a brush dipped in black ink similar to calligraphy, Ink Painting Scene helps you achieve that classic look with stamps. Ink Painting Scene Frame Cuts are also available.

Ready for some cuteness? We present to you the Color Layering Red Panda and the Color Layering Red Panda Frame Cuts!

Autumn Moon is a set of beautiful fall-themed Asian icons. The handy Autumn Moon Frame Cuts are also available.

Pairing well with the Autumn Moon stamp set above, or great all on its own, a stand alone die this month is the Cloudy Moon Fancy Die.

The Autumn Bounty Stamp & Cut set is sure to put you in the mood for all things fall harvest-related!

There are a couple of new options for beautiful backgrounds this month that you'll be able to use year round. The first is the Patterned Lanterns Bold Prints, which pairs so well with many other items this month!

The Ornate Floral Stencil is a gorgeous 6x6 stencil that is sure to be an often-used addition to your collection.

Red Embossing Powder? Yes, please!

And last but not least, the latest addition to our line of liquid watercolors, perfect for fall - Orange Liquid Watercolor.

Love all of these fabulous new add-ons? You can Get Them All in a bundle for roughly a 10% savings!

A note for our kit subscribers: You have the opportunity to shop and add items this month without any additional shipping charges. Simply log in to your account and place your order by Thursday, September 6th at 11:59am Pacific in order to take advantage of this offer. Your kit may ship in a separate box than any extras and add-ons, but no additional shipping costs will apply. Kit shipping begins Friday, September 7th and continues throughout the following week.

Now let's take a look at some of the projects created with this month's kit and add-ons. They were created by the designers of the stamps at Hero HQ!

For this first card, we began by embossing the Chinese lantern image in Silver Embossing Powder and colored it in with this month's specially curated watercolor dots from Daniel Smith. Once we finished coloring the lantern plants, we die cut them out and placed them behind the vase we also embossed with Silver Embossing Powder, this time on Classic Vellum Layering Paper. As an added touch we used the same frame cuts for the lantern plants to die cut from silver glitter paper and placed the cutouts behind the plants to make a glittery cast shadow. For the thankful message, we embossed that in White Embossing Powder on black cardstock and hand cut it out. For the background we stamped a portion of the new Patterned Lanterns Bold Prints on white cardstock with Charcoal Mid-Tone Shadow Ink to tie it all together.

Next, a card featuring the new Color Layering Red Panda add-on stamp set.

For the red panda card we carefully selected a combination of colors to really make that panda pop. When stamping the Color Layering Red Panda we found it easiest to stamp the outlined detail layer first in Intense Black Ink to be the guide for the other layers. Next for the base layer we wanted something really vibrant so we chose Tangerine Bold Ink to stamp with. Then finally we used Strawberry Bold Ink for the details of the panda's face and tail. For the background we stamped again in Intense Black Ink to make a bamboo scene and colored it with liquid watercolors in Moss, Indigo and Dandelion. Once the base of the card was finished we die cut the panda with the coordinating Color Layering Red Panda Frame Cuts and popped him on up to give the card dimension.

For even more ideas with this month's release, we've asked our talented Creative Team and crafty friends to help us introduce this kit. Please be sure to visit all of their blogs – and leave a comment at every stop along the way. One reader will be randomly selected to receive a free September kit (or reimbursement if you have already purchased your kit!) Leave your comments on all of these blogs by Sunday, September 9th at 11:59pm Pacific, then look for the winner announcement here on the blog the following week.

The Hero Arts Blog (you are here!)
Ilina Crouse
Lydia Fiedler
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Libby Hickson
Janette Kausen
Amy Kolling
Kelly Latevola
Jennifer McGuire
Emily Midgett
Caly Person
Michelle Short
Jenn Shurkus
Yana Smakula
Nichol Spohr
Julee Tilman

Thanks for stopping by!