September My Monthly Hero Countdown: Idea #3 + GIVEAWAY!

Jessica Frost-Ballas

We are back for another countdown post, leading up to the release of the September My Monthly Hero kit! Release day is Tuesday, September 4th at 1pm Eastern/10 am Pacific. We'll be sharing ideas for using both the main kit, as well as new optional add-on products that will be available on Tuesday. And don't forget to leave a comment on this and every post as we will be giving away a kit on Tuesday. Now let's join Jess who is sharing another look at this gorgeous kit...

Good morning! Jess here with a clean and simple watercolored card featuring the gorgeous Chinese lantern plant stamps from this month's kit!

I love the autumn feel of these stamp and decided that a simple ombre wash would show off the delicate stamps perfectly! I used our liquid watercolors in Strawberry, Dandelion, and a new color coming as an add-on this month! ;) First I wet the watercolor paper with clean water and then I brought the paintbrush to the paper to get that pretty blend! I set that aside to dry while I stamped the sentiment on black cardstock with Versamark. I heat-embossed it with gold glitter embossing powder and trimmed it down to a label.

Once the background was dry I trimmed it down to and adhered it to a black card base. Then I stamped the Chinese lanterns onto the wash with Versamark and heat-embossed it with gold glitter embossing powder. Next I added a tiny bit of the Gold Glimmer metallic ink from our Season of Wonder release to the orange and yellow shades I used for the wash and added a lot of water to lighten the color. I used these lighter shades to paint the Chinese lanterns and leaves and give them some shimmer. Finally I added the sentiment with foam mounting tape and a sprinkling of gold sequins for a little metallic shine!

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 the countdown posts, and announce the winner first thing Tuesday morning, September 4th, before the kit launches at 1pm Eastern time. The more you comment, the more chances to win! Good luck!


  • Carmen Banks

    Lovely colours, lovely design. So clean and fresh.

  • Judy Sander

    Yum, those colors are fall favorites. I love the Chinese Lantern.

  • Sudhamathi

    The background is absolutely gorgeous…. love it … so much in love with this card….

  • Diane Rizak

    Absolutely gorgeous!

  • Annette Reed

    Lovely CAS card! Simple yet colorful and pretty.

394 Responses

Karen L Hetherington

Karen L Hetherington

Sep 01, 2018

Lovely design. Thanks for sharing.

Jackie Price

Jackie Price

Sep 01, 2018

What a beautiful card!! Love the colours you chose. They make a gorgeous background for that image. The gold glitter embossing and the gold sequins are perfect finishing touches! I’m curious to see what is all in the kit.

Dana M

Dana M

Sep 01, 2018

Lovely card! Love the clean design and gorgeous colors.

Judy

Judy

Sep 01, 2018

I love the chinese lantern image and Jess’s CAS design really makes it shine!

Deb Hardy

Deb Hardy

Sep 01, 2018

Jess, your card is beautiful! Love your water coloring and that stamp is swoon-worthy.

CathyL

CathyL

Sep 01, 2018

I love the color washed background and the gold embossing on this lovely card, Jessica!

merryf

merryf

Sep 01, 2018

Stunning stunning stunning! Wow! This kit is going to be gorgeous! I can’t wait to try this technique myself

Jan Castle

Jan Castle

Sep 01, 2018

Oh sooooo PRETTY!

Erika Rusch

Erika Rusch

Sep 01, 2018

While summer is my favorite season, I love the reds, oranges, and golds of fall and this card emulates that all beautifully.

Lindar C

Lindar C

Sep 01, 2018

Lovely card, I love the colors of Fall.

Juana Vega

Juana Vega

Sep 01, 2018

Love the water color combination and the gold of the stamped image.

Tanya Boser

Tanya Boser

Sep 01, 2018

Wow. Just wow. You are all really rocking this kit!

JoAnn Ferguson

JoAnn Ferguson

Sep 01, 2018

Simple yet effective. I love the ink dragging.

Mary Holshouser

Mary Holshouser

Sep 01, 2018

Love the simple designs. Less is often more.
The method of coloring is great.
thanks for sharing
txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com

Victoria Milam

Victoria Milam

Sep 01, 2018

I love the way you watercolored the background and the gold embossing is a perfect compliment to the colors! Great job!

mary ann

mary ann

Sep 01, 2018

beautiful colors.

Karen Ba

Karen Ba

Sep 01, 2018

Beautiful card!

Dorothy C.

Dorothy C.

Sep 01, 2018

Pretty background for a beautifully designed card – I love these flowers and now there’s a stamp!

Karen Hale

Karen Hale

Sep 01, 2018

Beautiful piece! Love the look of watercolor. Looks like it’ll be an interesting new kit.

Beverly Robinson

Beverly Robinson

Sep 01, 2018

The gold glitter embossing powder makes this card pop. Love it!

Melinda Stearns

Melinda Stearns

Sep 01, 2018

I love Chinese lanterns and can’t wait to get this set! Beautiful card, I love the watercolor background.

Tess Redel

Tess Redel

Sep 01, 2018

Wow, I love all of the Autumn colors you used Jess! Great job on this card!

CaroleRenn

CaroleRenn

Sep 01, 2018

Lovely card! Thanks for the inspiration.

Toni L

Toni L

Sep 01, 2018

Jessica, you have truly brought out the beauty of this stamp set! I can hardly wait to see the rest of this kit.

Karen Brown

Karen Brown

Sep 01, 2018

This is a stunning card that I want to try myself!

Jeanne Beam

Jeanne Beam

Sep 01, 2018

Such a beautiful card. Love the background.
Thanks for sharing…

Janna

Janna

Sep 01, 2018

Love these colors! Such a wonderful card. Can’t wait to see the whole kit!

Jackie S

Jackie S

Sep 01, 2018

Love the colors on this fall card, and how beautifully it came together.

Carol L

Carol L

Sep 01, 2018

The Chinese Lanterns stamp is beautiful and makes for a great fall card with your color choices.

Melanie Jerome

Melanie Jerome

Sep 01, 2018

Really love the Chinese lanterns. I know I can make some special cards with this set

Lorianne Icalia

Lorianne Icalia

Sep 01, 2018

I love the gold for fall. Perfect.

GLenda M Sultan

GLenda M Sultan

Sep 01, 2018

Nice choice of colors. This stamp is nice for fall as well as spring. I like the ombre washed background best of all.

Kailash

Kailash

Sep 01, 2018

Gorgeous and so artsy, love the CAS design!

Brenda in IN

Brenda in IN

Sep 01, 2018

I love the Chinese Lantern stamp and your card is beautiful.

Jude

Jude

Sep 01, 2018

Love the kit so far!

Peggy S

Peggy S

Sep 01, 2018

Great design. CASEable layout for sure!

Denise Bryant

Denise Bryant

Sep 01, 2018

Gorgeous fall colors for this beautiful image!

Twylia Bell

Twylia Bell

Sep 01, 2018

Beautiful Card. I’m going to enjoy this stamp set!

Susan Huber

Susan Huber

Sep 01, 2018

Ohhhh, I love Chinese Lanterns…I’ve never seen them in a stamp before. Beautiful card!

Kathleen Ewing

Kathleen Ewing

Sep 01, 2018

Beautiful

Nicki Wong

Nicki Wong

Sep 01, 2018

Oh my, what a beauty. I really like the gold embossing on the Chinese lanterns. So pretty.

Tammi

Tammi

Sep 01, 2018

Gorgeous! I love this card!

Meghan Kennihan

Meghan Kennihan

Sep 01, 2018

Such a gorgeous card! I ADORE the colors and the simple design!

Ana A

Ana A

Sep 01, 2018

This is so beautiful ❤

Barbara-Jean

Barbara-Jean

Sep 01, 2018

What a beautiful card! Love the colors…

Gail O'Keefe

Gail O'Keefe

Sep 01, 2018

These get better everyday! I can’t wait for this release!!

Helen Gullett

Helen Gullett

Sep 01, 2018

This is a beautiful CAS card.
I love those color combo.
Thank you for the inspiration!

Jessi W

Jessi W

Sep 01, 2018

What a beautiful card! I love your watercolor blend, and your use of gold… so perfectly seasonal!

Lourdes Gonzalez

Lourdes Gonzalez

Sep 01, 2018

so love these beautiful fall colors!

Jean K

Jean K

Sep 01, 2018

Beautiful card. Love this new stamp.

Sarah Mix

Sarah Mix

Sep 01, 2018

Love the colors and simplicity of this card! Just beautiful!

Marie Stuart

Marie Stuart

Sep 01, 2018

I’m in love with this kit already. There’s nothing more colorful than fall leaves. I can’t wait to get started!

Betty

Betty

Sep 01, 2018

perfect CAS card for fall, Jess – and the gold glitter is the perfect accent!

Dee Earnshaw

Dee Earnshaw

Sep 01, 2018

love the rich colors and simplicity of this sweet card – thanks for the ideas:)

Debbie Rumpza

Debbie Rumpza

Sep 01, 2018

Lovely fall colors, Jessica! It goes well with the gold embossing.

Rhonna Blatt

Rhonna Blatt

Sep 01, 2018

With each peek I am more anxious to see the entire kit. Love the fall colors on this card.

Ellie

Ellie

Sep 01, 2018

Love the watercolor background with gold embossing. A beautiful clean and simple card!

Jessica Barker

Jessica Barker

Sep 01, 2018

I love the ombré wash you used with this stamp. The style could have an outdated appearance if done wrong, but you made it modern and lovely with your color choices.

Lynn

Lynn

Sep 01, 2018

That is a very unique stamp. I like how you emphasized that with your clean & simple design. Looking forward to this autumnal themed kit.

Erika

Erika

Sep 01, 2018

gorgeous! Love the wash.

FD91354

FD91354

Sep 01, 2018

I like chinese lanterns. Good start for the new kit. Excited to see what else is included. It would be nice if there was a water color to sample.

Kelsey Thomas

Kelsey Thomas

Sep 01, 2018

Love the look of this card! :)

Susan Keiser

Susan Keiser

Sep 01, 2018

Chinese Lanterns, suspended above a watercolor-autumn day. Brilliant. Just brilliant.

kathy wade

kathy wade

Sep 01, 2018

Love this card, it’s gorgeous!

Cindy C.

Cindy C.

Sep 01, 2018

Beautiful watercolored background and image!!! Thanks for sharing.

Karla McCully

Karla McCully

Sep 01, 2018

I like the clean, simple look of this card

Susan Lang

Susan Lang

Sep 01, 2018

Love that stamp. Beautiful card!

Cheri

Cheri

Sep 01, 2018

I love the Chinese Lantern stamp…. perfect for Fall. Your CAS card is beautiful!

Kathy A

Kathy A

Sep 01, 2018

Very simple but very elegant

Amy Schrock

Amy Schrock

Sep 01, 2018

Absolutely stunning!!

Kam

Kam

Sep 01, 2018

Love this design!!!

Melanie Parnell

Melanie Parnell

Sep 01, 2018

Love the fall colors. Thank you for the inspiration.

Janice E Bryant

Janice E Bryant

Sep 01, 2018

I always relate chinese lanterns to autumn. My mom always grew them and would bring them indoors for decoration. Love this card!

Michelle Hackett

Michelle Hackett

Sep 01, 2018

I love the way you have the one leaf on the left that hangs off the watercolor. Little things like that really make me think outside the box when I’m creating. Thank you for the inspiration with this beautiful card.

Arianna Barbara

Arianna Barbara

Sep 01, 2018

Amazing watercolouring!!! Gorgeous card!!!

Stephaney

Stephaney

Sep 01, 2018

This is beautiful. Watercolor is one of my favorites to do on cards. I love the gold embossing it just matchings nicely, but also stands out.

marjorie travers

marjorie travers

Sep 01, 2018

stamping and embossing it looks very plus it should make the watercoloring easy

Lauren Z.

Lauren Z.

Sep 01, 2018

A very elegant card. The fall colors are so pretty and the gold detail is perfect!

KARI MANO

KARI MANO

Sep 01, 2018

beautiful colors, I love this card! excited to see the whole kit

Jessica Williams

Jessica Williams

Sep 01, 2018

This is a great CAS card! I really like the ombre watercolor wash. Thanks for sharing.

Stephanie Lanzalotto

Stephanie Lanzalotto

Sep 01, 2018

Fall is my favorite season. I can’t wait to se this kit in its entirety!

Kimberly Lee

Kimberly Lee

Sep 01, 2018

Thank you for the sneak preview. Love the colors

Louise Coviello

Louise Coviello

Sep 01, 2018

Such a beautiful card! I love the warm colors with the gold glitter embossing powder. So pretty.

Becca Yahrling

Becca Yahrling

Sep 01, 2018

Such pretty Fall colors. And I love that very different kind of flower.
Beautiful card.

Retta Lutte

Retta Lutte

Sep 01, 2018

Oh my, I have a million flower stamps, but nothing like this branch. Can’t wait to see more. I love your watercolor was behind gold embossing. So stunning!

Anne Roberts

Anne Roberts

Sep 01, 2018

Loving the way you used Hero Arts watercolors and Chinese lanterns stamp on this card. I can’t wait to see the new watercolor! Thank you for sharing this simple and elegant card.

Cynthia Cole

Cynthia Cole

Sep 01, 2018

Lovely CAS watercolor card!

Karthikha Uday

Karthikha Uday

Sep 01, 2018

Such a beautiful card!! Love the colors and the simple design :)

Tani

Tani

Sep 01, 2018

Very ptretty card. The colors are so beautiful.

Cindi Lynch

Cindi Lynch

Sep 01, 2018

Great CAS design. perfect stamp!

Breina Burgin

Breina Burgin

Sep 01, 2018

Lovely card! I love the colors and composition!

Kelly W.

Kelly W.

Sep 01, 2018

Gorgeous card Jess! The autumn hues and gold embossing are wonderful and showcase the pretty Chinese lanterns beautifully!

Toni F

Toni F

Sep 01, 2018

Love the fall color wash. Is a great background to the Chinese Lanterns.

Karen

Karen

Sep 01, 2018

How perfectly gorgeous!

Denise

Denise

Sep 01, 2018

Love the colors and the simplicity of this card.Can’t wait to see the kit.

Dawn CHRISTENSEN

Dawn CHRISTENSEN

Sep 01, 2018

Can’t wait to try this technique! ❤️

Karen Nelson

Karen Nelson

Sep 01, 2018

Love the simplicity of this card and the colors. I have a faux plant in my home that is just like the stamp on this card, I just learned the name of the plant from your tutorial!! Great tutorial

Felicia C

Felicia C

Sep 01, 2018

Just wonderful! Every day I get more excited to see the gorgeous possibilities this kit will offer!

CherriB

CherriB

Sep 01, 2018

Very pretty card – I especially like the gold glitter embossing on the black cardstock. Can’t wait to see the entire kit!

Dawn Keene

Dawn Keene

Sep 01, 2018

Simply beautiful. A nice understated touch.

Ang

Ang

Sep 01, 2018

Very striking card. Chinese lantern stamp very cool.

 Carol

Carol

Sep 01, 2018

Love this type of card, just a beautiful watercolor background & an elegant image. Lovely card.

Michele W

Michele W

Sep 01, 2018

Beautiful card, Jessica! I love Japanese lanterns but don’t think I’ve ever seen them as a stamp before. I’ve got all kinds of ideas for using these on fall projects.

Marilee DeMars

Marilee DeMars

Sep 01, 2018

Beautiful! Water-coloring can add so much beauty to a card – your ideas are very inspiring, thank you!

candgmom

candgmom

Sep 01, 2018

This is beautiful! Chinese lanterns have always been a favorite of mine. I can’t wait to see what is in the rest of the kit.

Stormy

Stormy

Sep 01, 2018

Love the color combo! Great way to use the stamp…please keep the wonderful ideas coming. Thank you.

nancy f

nancy f

Sep 01, 2018

Great card can’t wait to get the kit.

Jenna Batik

Jenna Batik

Sep 01, 2018

Love this gorgeous stamp and this beautiful color palette. Can’t wait to see the entire stamp set.

isabel z

isabel z

Sep 01, 2018

What beautiful creations.

Carol Krup

Carol Krup

Sep 01, 2018

I love this water-colored background with that stamp. Beautiful!

lynn Wallick

lynn Wallick

Sep 01, 2018

OMG! This just may be the very “bestest” LOL kit ever!!! I will be stamding by the mailbox! 😊

Christy Malone

Christy Malone

Sep 01, 2018

I love the clean and simple design of the card. I’m sure this is going to be another great kit.

Amy J Kleinschmit

Amy J Kleinschmit

Sep 01, 2018

I love this card—sometimes I forget how a simple card design can be so much more appealing that one that is overdone!!

Christina Dauven

Christina Dauven

Sep 01, 2018

This is simply beautiful.

Denise Kitts-Wadlow

Denise Kitts-Wadlow

Sep 01, 2018

Very clean—very simple—VERY pretty!!! Love the fall-ish colors. Can’t really see the effects of the gold metallic paint, but I’m sure it makes the card pop! TFS—have a very blessed day!

Bo Chin

Bo Chin

Sep 01, 2018

Beautiful! Love how everything just blends together. Reminds me watching a beautiful fall sunset.

karen t

karen t

Sep 01, 2018

Wow, I love this card, Jessica! I’m loving this kit so far and the beautiful inspiration!

Amy mcCue

Amy mcCue

Sep 01, 2018

The image is beautiful, but your colors are so gorgeous!

Margie Manis

Margie Manis

Sep 01, 2018

Love the gold glitter embossing against the watercolor

Mary

Mary

Sep 01, 2018

I love the colors and the simplicity of this card.

Marilyn Massey

Marilyn Massey

Sep 01, 2018

Hero Arts monthly kits always bring so many options for card-making creativity! Floral stamps are a particular passion with me, so I really like the metallic treatment of this oval outline die.

Katie M

Katie M

Sep 01, 2018

Those bright colors would give any recipient a lift…..your card is so very pretty

Beth Canary-Lee

Beth Canary-Lee

Sep 01, 2018

Love the colors you chose for your card. So very simple but just perfect. Thanks for sharing your idea with us!

Linda Crowder

Linda Crowder

Sep 01, 2018

I love the card you made. It made me yearn for Fall with the rich colors. And the Chinese lantern plant! What an unexpected delight. Thanks for your post.

Robin P

Robin P

Sep 01, 2018

I’m loving the fall colors and theme of this kit. Fall is such a colorful time of year.

Essie

Essie

Sep 01, 2018

I love this simple, happy, elegant look! Jessica, you are such an inspiration (and i can’t wait to get my hands on this card kit!)

Susieq

Susieq

Sep 01, 2018

The fall colors complement the gold embossing…or is it the other way around. Regardless, this card is so pretty. Can’t wait for the kit release.

Sonya

Sonya

Sep 01, 2018

Beautiful! I love the soft fall colors with the gold embossing! Looking forward to seeing the rest of the kit!

Avra Williams

Avra Williams

Sep 01, 2018

Beautiful!

Sue Ritchie

Sue Ritchie

Sep 01, 2018

😍😍😍😍

Charly

Charly

Sep 01, 2018

Beautiful card for fall!

Deborah Ziadie

Deborah Ziadie

Sep 01, 2018

Really excited to try watercolor with this kit!

Sharon Brand

Sharon Brand

Sep 01, 2018

This is so pretty! Love the shades of colour!

Eva N

Eva N

Sep 01, 2018

Beautiful card! The simple colorwash is a great way to show off this delicate Chinese lantern plant.

Theresa P

Theresa P

Sep 01, 2018

Love the look of those liquid watercolors! Great stamp of the Chinese Lantern. Great design!

Joseph Bickerton

Joseph Bickerton

Sep 01, 2018

Counting down the days to the new release.

Amanda Reichard

Amanda Reichard

Sep 01, 2018

Stunning! I can’t wait to see the whole kit. 😊

Heidi H

Heidi H

Sep 01, 2018

Another beauty – such intense and stunning colors!

Joy Smith

Joy Smith

Sep 01, 2018

How simple but at the same time how elegant. Really looking forward to seeing the whole kit on September 4th.

Dottie Schwarze

Dottie Schwarze

Sep 01, 2018

Absolutely beautiful

Carrir

Carrir

Sep 01, 2018

Fall is my favorite season. Can’t wait for this kit!

Diane

Diane

Sep 01, 2018

Lovely way to color an image. Also love this graceful stamp for fall.

Cindy robinson

Cindy robinson

Sep 01, 2018

I love the colors you chose for this card! I struggle with making simple cards, I always think I have to add more. I will have to try this design!

Stefanie White

Stefanie White

Sep 01, 2018

Love the simplicity on this, beautiful!