Hero Arts | Hero Studio August 2025 Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello there, I am delighted to be joining Hero Arts today for a fun blog hop to celebrate the Hero Studio August 2025 release. The theme this month is Ichabod's Study. The Card Kit of the Month, Stamp & Cut of the Month, Dies of the Month, Layering Stencils of the Month, and Cling of the Month are all releasing today. You can also purchase the Whole Studio which includes all of the kits and a free gift. Today, I am focussing on the Card Kit and the Layering Stencils of the Month. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

HERO STUDIO CARD KIT OF THE MONTH

The Card Kit this month is a fun one! There are lights and special film in the kit so that you can add pictures into the frame. You cannot see them when you add the film on top but then if you light them up, the image appears which is super cool! I went in a different direction with the card I am showing you, but I did want to mention that that is the main idea for this kit. 

I started off my card by stamping the cobweb image from the Hero Studio August 2025 Card Kit of the Month stamp set onto a panel of Spellbinders Lilac ColorWheel Cardstock using Hero Arts Clear Embossing & Watermark Ink. I applied Hero Arts White Detail Embossing Powder and heat set. 

I then added ink blending around the edges of the panel using Hero Arts Amethyst Core Ink, followed by Hero Arts Purple Galaxy Reactive Ink and finally, a little Hero Arts Pitch Black Core Ink. I splattered on Hero Arts Pitch Black Core Inker and then mixed a little Hero Arts Black Hero Wax with water and splattered that on too, before setting aside to dry. 

I die cut four frames from the Hero Studio August 2025 Card Kit of the Month die set from Hero Arts Pitch Black Cardstock. I layered them up so that I had two frames, each two layers of die cuts high. I then die cut three bats from Spellbinders Onyx Metallic Glitter Treasured Cardstock. They were adhered to the card using liquid glue. 

I stamped a sentiment from the kit stamp set onto Hero Arts Pitch Black Cardstock using Hero Arts Clear Embossing & Watermark Ink. I applied Hero Arts Detail White Embossing Powder and heat set. It was die cut out using the coordinating die and adhered to the card. To finish, I embellished with Hero Arts Black Enamel Dots. 

WHAT’S IN THE KIT?

The Hero Arts August 2025 Card Kit of the Month includes:

Abraham and Katrina 6x8 Stamp Set

Abraham and Katrina Coordinating Dies

Stamping Guide for stamp set

Victorian Frame Die Set

Pear Blosson Press-One Light 2 Pack

10 Sheets of Cardstock- 1 of each color, 5.5" x 8.5" (Cinnamon, Terra Cotta, Carrot, Coral, Bellini, Tuscan, Mint, Waterfall, Blue Spruce, Raven)

Holographic Rainbow Film, 1 sheet - 5.5" x 8.5"

Acetate, 1 sheet - 5.5" x 8.5"

HERO STUDIO LAYERING STENCILS OF THE MONTH

For my stencil card, I started off by taking the Hero Studio August 2025 Layering Stencils of the Month and placed the first one onto a panel of white cardstock. Using an Ink Blending Brush, I blended on Hero Arts Purple Galaxy Reactive Ink. I removed the stencil and placed the next one down, for this layer I used Hero Arts Pitch Black Core Ink. 

The third layer uses Hero Arts Green Hills Core Ink and the final layer uses Hero Arts Papaya Core Ink. I cut the panel down to 3.5" x 5.75" and then die cut it using the Hero Arts Bat Infinity Dies. I bent the wings up slightly and then adhered them in the same place that I cut them from the stencilled panel, onto a black card base. 

I stamped a sentiment from the Hero Studio August 2025 Card Kit of the Month stamp set onto Hero Arts Pitch Black Cardstock using Hero Arts Clear Embossing & Watermark Ink. I applied Hero Arts White Detail Embossing Powder and heat set. It was die cut out using the coordinating die. I cut the die another three times from black cardstock and layered them up one on top of another before adhering to the card. To finish, I embellished with Hero Arts Black Enamel Dots. 

WHAT’S IN THE KIT?

The Hero Arts Layering Stencils of the Month called Sunnyside Manor includes four mylar stencils that layer up to create a pattern. 

BLOG HOP:

For the hop, you should have arrived here from Mindy Eggen. Next on the hop is Michelle Lupton. If you get lost along the way or want to start the hop from the beginning, please head over to the Hero Arts Blog. 

GIVEAWAY:

Hero Arts will give away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Tuesday, August 5th at 11:59pm PT, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week. Leave a comment on all stops for more chances to win!

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the projects. 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 marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful time on the rest of the hop and a great day! 

Simon Says Stamp | Hello, Friend

Hello there, I am delighted to be joining Simon Says Stamp today to share inspiration using their new Happy Camper release, which is out now! My card today uses the beautiful new Blossom Burst Embossing Folder, as well as a new sentiment die. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

I started off my card by adding ink blending to a panel of white cardstock. Using an Altenew Small Blending Brush, I applied Altenew Baby Pink at the top, followed by Fuchsia, Hydrangea, Ultraviolet and then finishing with Crystal Violet at the bottom. I placed the panel inside the new Simon Says Stamp Blossom Burst Embossing Folder and ran it through my die cutting machine. 

Once I removed it, I then went over the panel with the same inks. This grabs on to the raised areas and makes them slightly darker. I then splattered on Tim Holtz Distress Spritz in Wilted Violet and Picked Raspberry. There wasn't enough shimmer for my liking, so I spritzed on a light layer Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Spritz on top too. 

Finally, I mixed Spellbinders Splatter White with a little water and splattered that over too before setting it aside to dry. Once dry, it was adhered to an A2 sized white card base using tape runner adhesive. I took the new Simon Says Stamp Nuvelli Script Hello Die and die cut it four times from white cardstock. 

They were adhered one on top of another (for dimension) and then adhered onto the card. I stamped the 'friend' from Simon Says Stamp Tiny Words (masking off from a larger sentiment) onto white cardstock using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink. It was cut into a strip and adhered under the hello with thin foam tape to finish. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. 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 marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

I do have another card to share with you using the release on Saturday, but in the mean-time, I hope you will check out the release! Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful day! 

VIDEO | Layered Hydrangeas

Hello there, today I have a card (and video) to share using the Hero Arts Layered Hydrangeas Etched Dies from the new Seaside Blooms Collection which released last week. This set is so pretty! There are different layers to the hydrangeas and you can customise them as much or as little as you like! 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

I started off my card by die cutting the Hero Arts Layered Hydrangea Etched Dies from Spellbinders Windy ColorWheel Cardstock for the flowers themselves. I used this colour for all three layers. The leaves were cut from Spellbinders Peridot ColorWheel Cardstock. 

I added ink blending to the flowers using a Small Blending Brush and Hero Arts Core Inks in Dusty Blue, Cornflower and Passion Flower. For the leaves, I used Hero Arts Kiwi, Green Hills and Bermuda Core Inks. I adhered the leaves first onto a US A2 sized white card base with liquid glue. I then adhered the base layer of the hydrangeas on top, cutting off the excess from the bottom of the card with scissors. 

I adhered the second layer of the hydrangeas with thin foam squares, followed by the third layer. Whilst you can do, I did not add the third layer to all the flowers, so that I had varying heights throughout the bloom. I stamped a sentiment from the Hero Arts Summer Bouquet Stamp & Cut onto white cardstock using Hero Arts Intens-ified Black Ink. 

It was die cut out using the coordinating die and then I die cut another of the die and adhered it behind the stamped one for added dimension. It was adhered onto the card using liquid glue. I added Hero Hues Translucent Purples Enamel Dots around the flowers and then finished off by adding Hero Arts Neutrals (white) Enamel Dots to the centres of some of the flowers. 

VIDEO:

Here is the video showing how I made the card:

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

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. 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 marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

I really love those hydrangeas! And I love that you can use them in different ways! Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful day! 

Spellbinders | Warm Winter Snowman

Hello there, today I have a card to share combining different sets from different Spellbinders collections that have been released this month. The snowman is from the North Pole Friends Collection (by Simon Hurley), the background plate is from the Merry Moments Collection, and the sentiment is from the Wonderland Collection. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

I started off by creating the background. I took a panel of Spellbinders Cascade ColorWheel Cardstock and hot foiled the Spellbinders Petite Criss Cross Press Plate on top with Spellbinders Opal Foil and the Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil System. This foil gives a lovely tone-on-tone look with a little sparkle! Using blending brushes, I added Altenew Lapis Lazuli Fresh Dye Inks (Eastern Sky & Ultramarine) around the sides. I removed any ink from the foiling with a dry cloth. It was adhered to a US A2 sized white card base. 

I then created my snowman using the Spellbinders North Pole Sentiments Etched Dies. I die cut the snowman's body from Spellbinders Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock, die cutting the pieces to go behind for the mouth, eyes and coal buttons from Spellbinders Raven ColorWheel Cardstock. The nose was cut from Spellbinders Carrot ColorWheel Cardstock and the cheeks from Spellbinders Chiffon ColorWheel Cardstock. 

The arms were cut from Spellbinders Acorn ColorWheel Cardstock. I assembled and adhered the parts together using Bearly Art Glue. I then cut the hat, scarf and mittens from Spellbinders Cascade ColorWheel Cardstock and added ink blending to them with the same inks that I used on the card base. I cut the fluffy bits from the glitter cardstock in the Spellbinders Antique White Assorted Treasured Cardstock Pack. 

I adhered them onto the snowman and then adhered the snowman onto the card base using thin foam tape. I hot foiled the Spellbinders Merry Messages Plate onto white cardstock using Spellbinders Silver Foil. It was die cut out using the coordinating die. I cut the die another two times from white cardstock and adhered them behind the foiled one before adhering onto the card. I felt like something was missing, so I die cut the holly and berries from the Spellbinders The Causes Etched Dies from Spellbinders Tutu and Peridot Cardstock and adhered them onto the snowman's hat to finish. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. 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 marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

I used the Clauses from the North Pole Friends set for a step-by-step tutorial over on the Spellbinders Blog. You can see that HERE. Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a great day! 

Spellbinders | Classic Pooh Accessories

Hello there, today I have a card and tag to share using new products from the Spellbinders Say Cheese Classic Pooh Collection. This collection released in February and I shared two cards using it HERE. There are now new additions to the collection releasing today - sentiments, accessories, an embossing folder background, plus Rabbit & Owl. I am using the accessories and sentiments today. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

As you will be able to see from the photo above, I created a card using Pooh and a tag using Piglet, both using the same pose! 

For the card, I started off by die cutting Pooh from the Spellbinders Classic Pooh & Piglet Etched Dies. I cut him from Spellbinders ColorWheel Cardstock - Beeswax for his body and Raven for his nose, ear and eye. I assembled the base of him first, leaving off his left arm. 

I die cut the largest present from the Spellbinders Classic Pooh Accessories Etched Dies from Spellbinders Lilac and Fairy Tale ColorWheel Cardstock. The hat was cut from Lilac and the cake cut from Lilac and Fairy Tale. The candle was cut from Seaside and Beeswax. The accessories were assembled and adhered first using Bearly Art Glue and then adhered onto Pooh. His arm was then adhered on top to hold the present. 

I took two panels of cardstock and cut them using one of the Spellbinders Perfect Touch Arches Etched Dies. I scored a line on one of them about 0.5" down from the top to create a hinge. I added adhesive to the hinge and adhered it to the back of the other one to create an arch shaped card base. I cut a strip of Spellbinders Raven ColorWheel Cardstock and adhered it to the front of the card, cutting off the excess with scissors. 

I then adhered pooh and accessories on top using thin foam tape. I took the Spellbinders A Very Happy Birthday Sentiments Press Plate and hot foiled it onto white cardstock using Spellbinders Opaque Black Foil and the Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil System. Once foiled, the sentiments were die cut out using the coordinating die. 

I die cut the die another three times from white cardstock and adhered them behind the foiled one for added dimension before adhering to the card. To finish, I added a Spellbinders Prism AB Color Essentials Gems to the bow on the present and pom pom on the hat, and then embellished the card with Spellbinders Silver Mix Color Essentials Gems. 

You know me, I cannot resist a tag! This time I thought I would use Piglet since he fitted so well height-wise on the tag. I die cut Piglet from the Spellbinders Classic Pooh & Piglet Etched Dies from Spellbinders Blush & Tutu ColorWheel Cardstock, adding Raven behind for his eye. The present (this time the smaller sized one) was cut from Spellbinders Lilac and Fairy Tale ColorWheel Cardstock and the cake cut the same as the one for the card. 

I also cut the bunting from the Spellbinders Classic Pooh Accessories Etched Dies - the bottom layer from Spellbinders Waterfall ColorWheel Cardstock and the top layer from Spellbinders Seaside ColorWheel Cardstock. I punched the top of a 2.5" x 3.5" panel of white cardstock using the Spellbinders 3-in-1 Tag Punch. I then cut a piece of Spellbinders Raven ColorWheel Cardstock to go at the bottom. 

The banner was adhered first (cutting off the excess with scissors) with Bearly Art Glue, followed by Piglet and accessories with thin foam tape. The sentiment from the Spellbinders A Very Happy Birthday Sentiments Press Plate that I foiled at the same time as the card, was adhered on top. I added twine through the top of the tag and tied in a bow. To finish, I embellished with Spellbinders Prism AB and Silver Color Essentials Gems. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the projects. 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 marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

I was so happy to see accessories for the die sets that I already have! It is great to be able to customise Pooh and friends for birthdays and celebrations now! The card has already gone to one of my very best friend's for her birthday! Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a great day! 

Hero Arts | Summer Bouquet

Hello there, I am delighted to be joining Hero Arts today to celebrate the release of the July 2025 collections with a fun and inspirational Instagram Hop. My card today uses the Summer Bouquet set from the Seaside Blooms collection. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

I started off by stamping the main image from the Hero Arts Summer Bouquet Stamp Set onto white cardstock using Hero Arts Intensified Black Ink twice. I stamped it twice so that I could cut out the arms and bouquet to layer them on top of the body, but you do not have to do this as there is a die that cuts it out as one layer too. 

I coloured the images using Copic Markers (the colours that I used are listed below the supplies area for reference) and then I die cut one out as a whole and the other with just the arms and bouquet. I cut this die from white cardstock another two times as well. The bottom layer was adhered to a US A2 sized white card base with thin foam tape. 

I then adhered the white die cuts for the arms and bouquet behind the stamped one and then adhered it on top of the first layer. I then stamped the 'thanks a bunch' sentiment from the set onto white cardstock using Hero Arts Intens-ified Black Ink. It was die cut out and adhered to the card with another two die cut layers behind. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. 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 marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

COPIC MARKERS: Skin - E13, E11, E00, E000. Dress - V09, V17, V15, V12, V01. Shoes - C8, C6, C5, C3. Greenery - G28, YG17, YG23, YG01. Flowers: BV17, BV01/Y11, Y000, Y17/RV 66, RV55, RV52. 

In terms of hopping along to see the inspiration, that's happening over on Instagram. You can visit my Instagram here and Hero Arts here. Thanks so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a great day! 

Hero Arts | Mix Tape

Hello there, today I have a card to share using the Hero Arts Hero Studio July 2025 Die Set of the Month. The set is called Mix Tape and is so fun! You can create a cassette tape and although I didn't use it today, there is a die that spells out hello using the audio tape/film. So fun! 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

I started off my card by die cutting the Hero Studio July 2025 Die Set of the Month cassette tape using Spellbinders ColorWheel Cardstock. I used Raven for the main part of the tape, cutting the bits that you wind up (in our household with a pencil!) in the middle from Anchor, as well as the pieces in either corner. 

For the label I used Classic White, Fairy Tale, Lavender and Lilac. I adhered the parts together using liquid glue. I took a white US A2 sized card base and rounded the corners using the Spellbinders 1-2 Punch: Corner Rounder & Notch. The tape was then adhered on top using thin foam tape. 

I stamped the sentiment from the Hero Arts On The Shelf Stamp Set onto white cardstock using Hero Arts Intens-ified Black Ink. It was cut into a strip and adhered to the card using foam tape. To finish, I embellished with Hero Arts Hero Hues Purples Enamel Dots. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. 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 marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

I thought that sentiment worked well with the tape, not that I think anyone that anyone in the era of tapes (myself included there!) is either old or retro, but I thought it was fun! Although, even CDs are clased as old now! Haha! Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really appreciate it. I hope you have a great weekend! 

Spellbinders | Cocoa Greetings

Hello there, I hope you are well. Today I have a card to share using the Spellbinders July 2025 Small Die of the Month Club Kit. The kit is called "Cocoa Greetings" and you can create three different cups with the set - a penguin, a reindeer and Santa. As you can see, I went with the penguin for my card today. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

I started off by die cutting the penguin cup from the Spellbinders July 2025 Small Die of the Month Club Kit using Spellbinders ColorWheel Cardstock. I used Raven for the main body, Classic White for the tummy and face, as well as the handle and the bottom layer of the cream. The beak was cut from Beeswax and the cheeks from Chiffon. 

The top layer of cream was cut from white glitter cardstock in the Spellbinders Antique White Assorted Treasured Cardstock set. I cut the candy canes from Classic White and Pomegranate. The scarf was cut from Lavender for the bottom layer and Fairy Tale for the top layer. The snowflake was cut from Lavender. I cut the heart thee times from Lilac and adhered them one on top of another. 

I assembled the body/cup first, adhering with Bearly Art Glue. I then adhered the scarf parts together before adhering on top. I adhered the top layer to the cream and then adhered both behind the top of the cup. The candy cane layers were adhered together and then adhered behind the cream. The snowflake was adhered on top. I took an A2 size card base made from Spellbinders Lilac ColorWheel Cardstock and added ink blending around the edges using Altenew Enchanted Garden Fresh Dye Inks. 

The penguin cup was adhered on top using thin foam tape. I hot foiled the Spellbinders Merry Messages Plate onto white cardstock using Spellbinders Champagne Foil and the Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil System. It was die cut out using the die and adhered to the card (adhering two more die cuts behind for dimension). The heart was then adhered to the cup. To finish, I embellished with Spellbinders Prism AB Color Essentials Gems. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. 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 marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

SPELLBINDERS CLUB KITS

To buy the kit - if you are a current subscriber to the Small Die of the Month Club Kit (or any kit), you do not need to do anything. You will be charged as normal on the 5th of the month and your kit will be shipped to you. If you are a new subscriber, you can purchase the kit from the 6th - 27th July 2025. Members can cancel their membership at any time. If you are not keen on subscribing to the kit but still want it, you can purchase it individually (without a subscription) on the 10th of the following month but the price will be higher. 

Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful day! 

Spellbinders | Wonderland

Hello there, I was delighted to be over on the Spellbinders Blog on Tuesday sharing three cards using the new Wonderland Collection. This fabulous collection features dies and press plates all with a Christmas/winter theme. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

My peek today shares a card I made using the Spellbinders Cocoa Wishes Etched Dies. This set features a fun Santa cocoa cup that you can adorn with trees, ornaments and presents inside (as well as the cream!). 

I used the fabulous new Treasured Cardstock (metallic cardstock with different finishes) packs - Ruby and Antique White, as well as the Gold for the star on the tree. I went with a teal, pink and red colour combo with a lot of white space! The sentiment is from the Spellbinders Merry Messages Plate & Die Set that I hot foiled using Champagne Foil. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. 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 marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

For more information on the card, as well as the others I made with this collection, please head over to the Spellbinders Blog. Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful day!