Hero Arts 2019 Catalogue Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello there and welcome to the Hero Arts 2019 Catalogue Blog Hop. Today we are celebrating the release of the new products going in to the Hero Arts store. What a fantastic release! There are so many amazing new products and I am using a few today, including the fantastic new heavyweight cardstock. 

If you are following along in the hop, you should have arrived here from the amazing Jessica, but if you get lost along the way, I have the full list of participants below.

My first card uses the new Garden Fancy Die. I adore these dies for creating simple scenes on cards. I started off by taking a panel of the new Dove White Hero Hues Cardstock and die cut the die from it. This piece was then set aside. I took a panel of Bristol Smooth cardstock and blended inks on to it using oval makeup brushes (I wanted a soft blend). I used Mint Julep, Soft Pool, Pool and Passion Flower inks.

 

I added the piece to the front of an A2 white card base and then added the die cut panel on top with foam tape. I took the sentiment from the Color Layering Sea & Sky stamp set and stamped this on to Hero Hues Pitch Black Cardstock with Versamark Ink. I applied White Detail Embossing Powder and heat set. This was cut in to a strip and added to the card with foam tape and tape runner. To finish off, I added a few Raindrops.

 

My next card uses the gorgeous new Color Layering Monarch Butterfly set. I stamped the outline layer on to white cardstock with Intense Black Ink. I then coloured the butterfly with Copic Markers. This is a layering set, however, so if you do not like colouring, you can add the other layers in with stamping. I love that you can use it in different ways, though! It was then cut out with the Color Layering Monarch Butterfly Frame Cuts.

 

I took a piece of the new Hero Hues Mist Cardstock (what a beautiful colour!) and stamped the Ocean Waves Bold Prints on to it using Versamark ink. The ink does take a while to dry so I set it aside before cutting it down in to a panel. I took the sentiment from the Birthday Cake Stamp & Cut set and stamped this on to the panel with Intense Black Ink. The panel was then added to a 4" x 5.5" card base with foam tape. I made the card smaller so that the butterfly could hang off the edge but still fit in a standard envelope.

 

I added the butterfly on top with tape runner just on it's centre so that I could bend the wings to give it some movement. To finish off, I added Aqua Shimmer Pen to the butterfly and I also added a few Sparkling Crystals around the card.

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the card. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except those from Clearly Besotted, Hero Arts or those marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

BLOG HOP:

Here is the full list of participants in the hop today:

 

The Hero Arts Blog

Caly Person

Emily Midgett

Ilina Crouse

Janette Kausen

Jessica Frost-Ballas

Michelle Short - you are here!

Nichol Spohr

Yana Smakula

Amy Kolling

Debi Adams

Jennifer McGuire

Julee Tilman

Kathy Racoosin

Kelly Latevola

Laurie Willison

Lydia Fiedler

Maria Willis

Libby Hickson

GIVEAWAY:

Hero Arts are giving away four $50 shipping sprees! The winners will be drawn from all of the comments left across all of the stops in the hop. The more you comment, the more chances to win! Entries close on Sunday 17th February 2019 at 23.59 hrs PST. The winners will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week. Good luck!

Next on the hop is the fantastic Nichol. Thanks so much for stopping by today, have a great time on the rest of the hop and a wonderful day!

This Little Piggy Says ...

Hello there, today I have a card to share using the adorable Pig Day stamp set and dies from Hello Bluebird. I kindly received these as a gift from a friend and of course, I love them! I coloured the pig as part of The Daily Marker 30 Day Challenge, I am sharing my progress with that over on Instagram, if you are interested.

 

I started off by stamping the pig from the Pig Day set onto white cardstock with black ink. I coloured it with Copic Markers and cut out with the coordinating die. He was then set aside while I worked on the background. I took a piece of Yupo paper and first added some Alcohol ink Blending Solution to it. I then added drops of Amethyst and Cool Peri alcohol inks, followed by more blending solution. This was then set aside to dry.

 

Once dry, I die cut the alcohol piece using a Hero Arts Nesting Hearts Infinity Die and added this to an A2 white card base with tape runner. I cut off the part hanging off the card and then took the sentiments from the Pig Day set and stamped them on to black cardstock with Versamark Ink. I applied super fine embossing powder and heat set. These were then cut in to strips using the SSS Nesting Banners Dies and added to the card with foam tape. I added the pig on top with more foam tape. To finish off, I added a few Pink Moonstone Sequins and then Crystal Glaze on the pig's nose.

 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the card. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except those from Clearly Besotted, Hero Arts or those marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.
 

 

COPIC MARKERS: E02, E01, E00, E000, E0000.

 

I just love that little piggy! Thank you so much for visiting me today. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Tone-on-Tone Stamping

Hello there, I am over on the Hero Arts blog today looking at tone-on-tone stamping with the new Arch Pattern Bold Prints. I used Versamark ink to get the tone-on-tone look and I think it works perfectly for a subtle background. To complete my card, I used the new Deco-rations set for the beautiful butterfly, along with the new Diamond In The Ruff set for the sentiment.

 

 

 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the card. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except those from Clearly Besotted, Hero Arts or those marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.
 

 

COPIC MARKERS: BG15, BG13, BG11, BG10. R85, R83, R81. V17, V15, V12, V01.

 

For more information on how I made the card, please head over to the blog post here. Thanks so much for stopping by today, I hope you have a great day and fantastic weekend!

No-Line Floral Spray

Hello there, today I have a card to share that I showed in my Clearly Besotted February 2019 Release video. I had originally made it for the release but wasn't sure about it. I had positive comments about it so I thought I would share it here too.

 

I started off with a piece of Fabriano Extra White Hot Pressed Watercolour Paper and stamped the corner floral  image from the Clearly Besotted Floral Spray Stamp Set on to it with Antique Linen Distress Ink. I then taped the paper to a board and water coloured the image with a combination of Winsor & Newton and Daniel Smith watercolours. The colour combination was inspired by Debby Hughes. Once coloured the piece was set aside to dry.

 

 

The panel was cut down and added to a 3.75" x 5.25" card base made from SSS Slate Cardstock with tape runner. I then took the sentiment from the Tiny Type set and stamped this on to more Slate cardstock with Versamark Ink. I applied Detail White Embossing Powder and heat set. This was cut in to a strip and added to the card with foam tape. To finish off, I added a few Lucy's Pink Moonstone Sequins.

 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the card. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except those from Clearly Besotted, Hero Arts or those marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.
 

 

I am still not sure about the card, I do not know why but after spending over an hour water colouring, I would still like to send it out! Does this happen to you too? Thank you so much for visiting me today. Have a great day!

VIDEO | Card Making Haul - January 2019

Hello there, I am popping in today to share a look at what I purchased in January. I didn't get a huge amount as you will see but I picked up a few dies, a stamp set, some pens and the Concord & 9th jigs.

 

 

As of when I am writing this post, the Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens are on sale at Pirika UK for 50p a pen, which is a huge saving. As you will see in my video, I did purchase 19 from there (and one from eBay as I love the colour!). Since the UK will no longer have a supplier of them, I wanted to grab some before it becomes difficult to get hold of them.

 

Here is a look at everything I got:

 

If you are viewing this post via email subscription, you can watch the video on YouTube here.

 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have shared in the video. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except those from Clearly Besotted, Hero Arts or those marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.
 

 

Thanks so much for stopping in to see me today, I really do appreciate it. I hope to be back tomorrow with a card. Have a great day!

Hero Arts February 2019 My Monthly Hero Kit Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello there, today we are celebrating the release of the February 2019 My Monthly Hero Kit from Hero Arts. It has a wonderful Art Deco feel to the kit this month, so perfect for lots of different occasions.

If you are following along in the hop, you should have arrived here from the fabulous Jessica, but if you get lost along the way, I have the full list of participants below.

As always, I kept my card very clean and simple. I love the simple colour combination of crisp black and white. I started off by stamping the woman and man dancing from the main stamp set on to a panel of white cardstock, with Intense Black Ink. I used the Mini MISTI and stamped it a couple of times to get a nice dark impression. I then stamped the sentiment below.

I took a ruler and pencil and drew a line across the panel for a guide of where to cut. I cut along the line with a craft knife, keeping the bottom of the images attached to the card base. I then fussy cut around the images. This can be done with the coordinating dies with partial die cutting, but I thought it might be easier with scissors (I am not sure that it was!). Once cut, I erased any pencil lines.

I took a piece of black cardstock and embossed this using the stencil in the kit. I love the pattern on this stencil! The panel was then added to the front of an A2 white card base with tape runner. The image panel was then added on top with foam tape.

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the card. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except those from Clearly Besotted, Hero Arts or those marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

THE KIT:

The February 2019 My Monthly Hero Kit contains a 6" x 8" clear stamp set, 7 coordinating Frame Cuts, 4.25" x 5.5" Fancy Die, 4.5" x 5.75" stencil, Art Deco Mirror Confetti, 1 5.5" x 8.5" sheet of reflective silver cardstock, 1 5.5" x 8.5" sheet of gold reflective cardstock. All of this is worth $72.00 but you can get it for $34.99! (approximately £28 depending on exchange rate). The kits are exclusive to Hero Arts and often sell out quickly. You can subscribe here so that you never miss a kit. International kit subscribers get a discount of shipping too!

ADD-ONS:

There are also some fantastic add-on products this month. These are not exclusive and can be purchased from you favourite Hero Arts retailer, or added to you order with the kit. Here is a look at them:

BLOG HOP:

Here is the full list of people participating in the hop today:

The Hero Arts Blog
Caly Person
Emily Midgett
Ilina Crouse
Janette Kausen
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Michelle Short - you are here!
Nichol Spohr
Yana Smakula
Amy Kolling
Debi Adams
Jennifer McGuire
Julee Tilman
Laurie Willison
Lydia Fiedler
Libby Hickson

 

 

GIVEAWAY:

Hero Arts are giving away one kit to one lucky blog hop reader. The winner will be selected from all of the comments left across all of the blogs in the hop, so the more you comment, the more chances  you have to win! The giveaway closes on February 10th at 11.59pm. The winner will be announced the following week on the Hero Arts blog. Good luck!

Next on the hop is the fantastic Nichol. Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you enjoy the rest of the hop!

VIDEO | Cute Koala - Simple Copic Colouring + Favourite Colour Combos

Hello there, today I have a card to share using the adorable Koala Friends stamp set from Pretty Pink Posh. I was kindly gifted this from a friend at Christmas and I fell in love with it straight away. I thought this would be a good opportunity to talk about some of my favourite colour combinations with Copic Markers too, and how I go about choosing which ones to use.

 

I am very much a creature of habit when it comes to colour combinations with Copic Markers. I have been colouring with Copics for about 10 years now and I still use the combinations that I used back then! I often use the Copic Colour Chart to see which Copic Markers might blend well with each other. This free chart from Copic can be printed out and filled in with which Copics you have. It uses the numbering system to place colours/shades next to each other. For the most part, the colour above and below another colour will usually mean that it will blend nicely together, but not always!

 

I do also use the Hex Chart from Sandy Allnock. This chart can be purchased from Sandy's website, printed off and filled in with the Copic Markers that you have. She has laid the colours out by what she feels blends with each other and not by the numbering system that Copic uses. This is really great as you can find some colour combinations that you never even thought of! I share a look at both charts in the video below.

 

To start my card, I stamped the koala image from the Koala Friends stamp set on to white cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. I then grabbed my favourite Warm Grey Copic Markers and coloured the koalas. For the leaves I used my favourite green colour combination for leaves and foliage. This is a really nice bright green. This colour combination does not use colours next to each other on the Copic chart, it is just a combination that I found and love! I then used browns for the tree trunk/bark (all of the colours I used are listed below the supplies section). Again, this is one of my favourite combinations for colouring wood. Once the image was coloured, I used the coordinating die to cut the image out.

 

 

I took an A2 white card base and blended clouds on to the front using the MFT Cloud Stencil and Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide Ink. I then stamped the sentiment from the set using the same black ink. I cut down two pieces of white cardstock to add to the front of the card, above and below the clouds. These were adhered with foam tape and the koala image added with a combination of foam tape and tape runner. I finished off by adding black glaze pen to the koala's eyes.

VIDEO:

Here is the video, showing how the card came together:

 

If you are viewing this post via email subscription, you can watch the video here on YouTube.

 

 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the card. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except those from Clearly Besotted, Hero Arts or those marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

 

COPIC MARKERS: Koalas - W8, W6, W5, W4, W3, W2, W1, R12, R000. Tree trunk - E59, E57, E55. Leaves - YG67, YG17, YG23, YG01.

 

How about you? Do you stick to the numbering system with colour combinations or do you just pick colours and see what happens? I would love to hear! Thanks so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a great rest of the weekend!

My Monthly Hero | Cheers!

Hello there, I am over on the Hero Arts blog today sharing a look at the February 2019 My Monthly Hero Kit which releases on Monday. It has a fabulous Art Deco feel to it this month. I kept my card very simple using one of the images from the main stamp set coloured with Copic Markers. The sentiment is from the new Deco Celebration set, which is an optional add-on this month.

 

 

COPIC MARKERS: Skin - E13, E11, E00, E000, E50. Hair - E27, E25, E23. Hat - C9, C8, C6, C5, B79, B69, B66, B63. Outfit - C5, C3, C2, C1. Earring and bracelet - Y26. Martini olives - YG99, YG97.

 

Head over to the blog post to see how I made the card and if you leave a comment over there, you will be entered into a draw to win a kit. Thank you so much for stopping by today, hope you have a great weekend!

VIDEO | Clearly Besotted February 2019 Release Preview

Hello there, today is THE day! It is release day for the Clearly Besotted February 2019 release. All of the new products release tonight at 8pm GMT/3pm EST. The release is a wonderful mix of beautiful florals, cute characters, great sentiments and a fantastic stencil too.

 

You can purchase the new products from the Clearly Besotted Shop (UK based) and Simon Says Stamp (US based). Here is a look at all of the new sets and a recap of the samples I have made:

If you are viewing this post via email subscription, you can watch the video here on YouTube.

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have shared in the video. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All the products from Clearly Besotted were kindly sent to me to use as part of being on the Design Team. You can read my full disclosure here.

 

What has caught your eye? I would love to know! Thank you so much for visiting me today. I do very much appreciate it. I hope you have a great day!

Clearly Besotted Teasers | Blossoms In Bloom

Hello there and welcome to day four of the teasers for the February 2019 release from Clearly Besotted. The new products release tomorrow. I have one last teaser to share with you today using the new Blossoms In Bloom stamp set.

 

I started off by stamping the larger of the two floral images from the set on to white cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. I then coloured the image with Copic Markers (the colours I used are listed below the supplies area), adding some shading around the image with blue. I then went in with a green and pink colour pencil to add some details in. I also added a few dots to the centres of the flowers with a white gel pen.

 

 

The panel was cut down using an MFT Stitched Rectangle die and added to an A2 white card base with foam tape. Although the Blossoms In Bloom stamp set has lovely sentiments in it, I wanted a tiny one for my card, so I used one from the Tiny Type set. I stamped it in Versamark Ink on to black cardstock, applied white embossing powder and heat set. This was cut in to a strip and added to the card with more foam tape. To finish off, I added a few Pink Moonshine Sequins.

 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the card. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except those from Clearly Besotted, Hero Arts or those marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.
 

 

COPIC MARKERS: Flower petals - R85, R83, R81 + 142 Polychromos pencil. Leaves and stem - YG17, YG23, YG03, YG01 + 247 Polychromos pencil.

 

With these images, I am so ready for spring! For more inspiration using the new sets, please head over to see what my teamies Stephanie, Keren and Lisa have been up to. There are a few sets that I haven't shared during my teasers, I will be taking a look at them tomorrow in my release video. Thanks so much for stopping by, I really do appreciate it. Have a great day!

Clearly Besotted Teasers | Spring Plushies

Hello there and welcome to day three of the February Clearly Besotted teasers. Not too long to wait now, the new products release on the 1st February. Today I am using the new Spring Plushies set. This little set is filled with cute spring animals, Easter eggs and a fabulous sentiment.

 

I started off by stamping the bunny, daffodil and tulip from the Spring Plushies set on to white cardstock. I coloured them using Copic Markers (the colours I used are listed below the supplies section) and fussy cut them out with scissors (but there are dies available if you would like them). I set these aside and worked on my background. I took a panel of watercolour cardstock, masked off the bottom portion and blended Distress Inks on to the top.

 

 

I used Picked Raspberry, Dried Marigold and Squeezed Lemonade. I then splattered on water droplets and left to dry. Once dry, I stamped the sentiment from the set on to the top right hand corner with black ink. The panel was added to an A2 white card base with tape runner. I then added a strip of MFT Black & White Stripes patterned paper, as well as a black cardstock strip to ground my images. The images were then added on top with foam tape. To finish off, I added black glaze pen to the bunny's eyes.

 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the card. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except those from Clearly Besotted, Hero Arts or those marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.
 

 

COPIC MARKERS: Bunny - C5, C3, C2, C1, C00, R01. Tulip - V17, V15, V12, YG17, YG23, YG01. Daffodil - Y17, Y15, Y13, Y11, YG17, YG23, YG01.

 

A bit of a different design for an Easter card but I love the vibrancy of that background with the black and white paper and images. For more inspiration using the new release, please pop over and see my teamies Stephanie, Keren and Lisa. Thank you so much for stopping by today, see you tomorrow for day four. Have a great day!

Clearly Besotted Teasers | Spring Bouquet

Hello there and welcome to day two of the February 2019 Clearly Besotted teasers. Today I am using the beautiful new Spring Bouquet set. There are two bouquets in it, along with lots of wonderful sentiments.

 

I started off by stamping the bunch of tulips from the set on to white cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. I coloured them with Copic Markers (the colours I used are listed below the supplies section) and then fussy cut them out (but there is a die set available too). I simply adhered the bouquet to a white A2 card base and snipped the bottom off that overlapped the edge. I used tape runner at the bottom and foam tape at the top.

 

 

I took the sentiment from the set and stamped this with Versamark Ink on to black cardstock. I applied detail white embossing powder and heat set. This was then cut in to a strip and added to the card with foam tape. To finish off, I added a few Ice Cube jewels around the image. When stamping and colouring the image, I did an extra one, as I wasn't sure whether to put two on the front of the card or not, so I added this one to the inside of the card.

 
 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the card. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except those from Clearly Besotted, Hero Arts or those marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here. 

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink Pad [ SSS | CST ] Copic Sketch Markers [ CLT | CST ] Versamark ink Pad [ SSS | CST ] Hero Arts White Detail Embossing Powder [ HA | SSS | SVN ] Little Things from Lucy's Cards Ice... [ SSS | LCS ] PTI Stampers Select White Cardstock [ PPR ] EK Success Honey Bee Scissors [ SSS | AMZUK ] Jewel Picker [ SSS | AMZUK ] Ranger Multi Medium Matte Glue [ SSS | AMZUK ] Woodware Ultra Fine Glue Tip Applicators [ CST | SSS ] Mini MISTI [ SSS | HA | DST ] 3M Scotch Mounting Tape 19mmx33m [ AMZUK | AMZUS | SSS ] Tombow Mono Dot Adhesive [ SSS | AMZUK ]

COPIC MARKERS: Flowers - V09, V06, V05, V04, V01. Leaves - YG67, YG17, YG23, YG03, YG01. Bow - BG15, BG13, BG11, BG10.

 

I was inspired by the colour of the tulips by some that we planted in our garden a couple of years ago. They are the most gorgeous deep purple colour! For more inspiration using the new release, please head over to see what my teamies Stephanie, Keren and Lisa have been up to. Thank you so much for visiting me today, see you tomorrow for day three. Have a great day!