Hero Arts | Stay Crafty With Hero Challenge #18

Hello there, I am over on the Hero Arts Blog today sharing a card made for the Stay Crafty with Hero Challenge #18. This month the challenge is to create a card inspired by a Hero Arts Creative Team Member. For my card today, I was inspired by Debi Adams. 

She created this beautiful Christmas card (see below for photo) using aqua, pink and gold with the Paper Layering Poinsettia Dies. For my card, I kept the same sort of design but omitted a few things to fit with my clean and simple style. 

I started off by taking a panel of Hero Hues Mist Cardstock and blended on Hero Arts Pool Party Reactive Ink at the top. It was cut down in to strips and added to a top folding card base with tape runner. I then cut the Hero Arts Paper Layering Poinsettia Die from Hero Hues Peony Cardstock, the centre was cut from silver glitter paper and the leaves from Hero Arts Classic Layering Vellum Paper. 

The poinsettia was added to the card with Hero Arts Precision Glue and the sentiment from the Hero Arts Floral Nativity Stamp Set stamped and heat embossed. It was cut out and added to the card with foam tape. To finish off, I added a few sequins. 

And here is Debi's card so that you can see how I was inspired by it:

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.

For more information on how I made the card, please head over to the blog post. Thank you so much for visiting me today, I really appreciate it. Take care :) 

Sending Christmas Joy

Hello there, so if you have been following me for a while, you will know that I do not mass produce cards very often. And when I say mass producing, my limit is about 10 cards of the same design anyway, so hardly en masse! I did make about 5 of these cards though, because I really liked the design and I could change up the design of the patterned paper used. 

I started off by die cutting the MFT Sending Christmas Joy Die-namics on the front of a panel of white cardstock. I popped out all of the letters but kept the inside pieces of the D and the R (I didn't bother with the A!). I then cut down paper from the MFT Very Merry Paper Pad and added it on the front of an A2 card base with tape runner. 

I added foam tape on to the back of the cut out panel and adhered it on top. Then added the insides of the letters with little pieces of foam tape also. I took the largest of the MFT Sweet Snowflakes Die-namics and cut it from red glitter cardstock. It was popped inside the O with liquid glue and a jewel added on top. 

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.

They were pretty quick to make. The most time consuming part was adding the foam tape to the back of the panels! Thank you so much for stopping by today. I really do appreciate it. I hope you are staying safe and keeping well and have a lovely day!  

VIDEO | Card Making Haul - December 2020

Hello there and welcome to my last haul video of 2020! This video ended up being a lot longer than I originally thought it would. I had planned on making a video a month or so ago but didn't get time so I have lumped all the products I have bought since August in to one video. I am sorry about that but if you like haul videos (I know some of you don't and I apologise for that too!), I hope that you will enjoy!

I purchased a variety of products in the last few months - ink pads, cardstock, stamps, dies, embellishments, mediums etc. I did get a few Christmas products that I haven't managed to use yet. I am a bit disappointed in that but I do still have a few Christmas cards to make, so I might still end up using them this year. Here is a look at what I got:

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 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.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, once again, I know that haul videos aren't for everyone. I will be back to sharing cards soon! I hope you have a lovely day! 

Spellbinders | December 2020 Clubs Inspiration Blog Hop

Hello there, today we are celebrating Spellbinders Club Kits with a fun blog hop. If you didn't already know, Spellbinders have a number of different monthly subscription kits - Large Die of the Month, Small Die of the Month, Glimmer Hot Foil Kit of the Month, Stamp of the Month (plus lots more!) so there is something for everyone! Today I am sharing another look at the wonderful December 2020 Small Die of the Month Kit. More on the hop below!

For my card today, I started off by taking a panel of white cardstock and die cutting the two window dies from it. I then die cut the windows again, from more white cardstock (so that I had two layers for the frames). I added FSJ Clearview Acetate Sheet on the back of the panel and then added the window pieces on the front. I also added the other layer, for some more dimension. I took a panel of FSJ Huckleberry Fusion Cardstock and blended FSJ Huckleberry Fusion True Color Ink at the top, fading the colour down towards the bottom. 

I blended Tim Holtz Scattered Straw Ink on to white cardstock and cut the stars and moon from it. I also die cut the clouds from white. These were added to the blue panel with glue. The panel was then added to a white A2 card base with tape runner. The window piece was added on top with foam tape. I cut the windowsill twice from white and layered them up below the window. 

The cat, plants and plant pots were cut from white cardstock also and then blended with ink. They were added to the window with foam squares. I took the sentiment from the Spellbinders Everyday Sentiments II Glimmer Hot Foil Plate Set and foiled it on to FSJ Black Licorice Cardstock with Silver Foil. It was cut in to a strip and added to the card with foam squares. To finish off, I added white gel pen highlights to the plants. 

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:

As mentioned, this post is part of a fun blog hop. For the hop, you should have arrived here from the wonderful Jenny Colacicco and the next stop is the fabulous Virginia Lu. If you get lost along the way, please head over to the Spellbinders Blog. 

GIVEAWAY:

To celebrate the club kits release, Spellbinders are giving away a $50 gift certificate to three lucky blog hop readers that comment on the Spellbinders Blog. Giveaway closes 13th December 2020 at 11.59pm MST. The winners will be announced on the Spellbinders Blog the following Tuesday. The winner will be responsible for any shipping costs, duties and taxes. Store credit/gift certificates cannot be applied to Club Subscriptions. 

Thank you so much for stopping by today, I hope you have a wonderful day! Take care! 

Simon Says Stamp | Introverts Unite

Hello there, today I have a card to share with you using the new Love You release from Simon Says Stamp. Although this is a more Valentines Day type release, there are a few sets in the release that are not love themed, like the Introverts Unite set that they sent me. 

I started off my card by creating the background. I took a panel of Tim Holtz Watercolor Paper and sprayed it first with water. I then dropped on Spellbinders Mermaid Markers in Deep Sea, Jellyfish, Blue Bottle and Byron Bay. I spritzed it again with water and let it sit to dry. Once it was fully dry, I ran it though my die cutting machine with the Simon Says Stamp Stained Glass 1 Stencil to emboss it on to the panel. 

The panel was cut down to size and then I took the sentiment from the new CZ Design Introverts Unite Stamp Set and stamped it on top with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink. It was adhered on to an A2 white card base with foam tape. I then took the accompanying sentiment and stamped it on to black cardstock with Versamark Ink. I applied white embossing powder and heat set. It was cut out using a Simon Says Stamp Sentiment Label Die and adhered on the card with more 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.

I hope that you will check out the rest of the fun release. Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a lovely day!

MFT | Sending You Hugs

Hello there, today I have a card to share with you using new products from the My Favorite Things December 2020 release, which is out now! I fell in love with these cute foxes from the Let's Curl Up set so I couldn't resist inking one up for my card today. 

I started off by creating the background. I took a panel of white cardstock and placed the MFT Micro Cloud Edges Stencil on top. Using an ink blending brush, I blended on Tim Holtz Mermaid Lagoon Distress Ink, moving the stencil down the panel as I went to cover it all. I then die cut two MFT Grassy Fields Die-namics strips and blended Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn Distress Inks on to them. 

I took the MFT Sending You Hugs Die-namics (which is free this month when purchasing over $60 of products) and die cut it from the top middle of the cloud piece. I then die cut it a further two times from white cardstock. I placed mounting tape on the back of the cloud panel and then pieced in one of the white layers of the letters. I then adhered the other white layer plus the cloud layer on top, using MFT On Point Precision Glue, for a popped up inlay look. 

I adhered the grass pieces at the bottom with tape runner. I then took one of the foxes and the mushrooms from the MFT Let's Curl Up Stamp Set and stamped them on to white cardstock with MFT Extreme Black Ink. I coloured them with Copic Markers (the colours that I used are listed below the supplies area) and die cut them out with the MFT Let's Curl Up Die-namics. They were then popped behind the front piece of grass. 

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: Fox - E19, YR27, YR24, YR14, E42, E41, R01, R00. Mushrooms - E57, E55, E53, R89, R37, R27, R24, R14. 

Isn't that fox just adorable? I love him! Thank you so much for stopping by to see me today. I really do appreciate it. I hope you are well, staying safe and have a lovely day!

Hero Arts | December 2020 My Monthly Hero Release Blog Hop & Giveaway

Hello there and welcome as we celebrate the release of the Hero Arts December 2020 My Monthly Hero Kit. This kit has so much positivity to it, with sending sunshine and hope to others. Perfect for the times we are facing at the moment. We are celebrating with a fun blog hop. If you are following along in the hop, you should have arrived here from the wonderful Maria but if you get lost along the way, I have the full list of participants below. You can also see my countdown card here if you missed it. 

For my card, I wanted to use the Cloud Window Die from the kit to create a window looking out into the sun. I started off by taking a panel of Hero Arts Dove White Cardstock and die cutting the Cloud Window Die in the top middle. I then set that panel aside and took a top folding A2 card base. Using the window panel as a guide, I blended Hero Arts Reactive Inks on the card base. I used Lemon Drop and Creamsicle inks. 

I heat set them to speed up the drying and then took the sun rays stamp from the main kit stamp set and stamped it on top using Hero Arts Clear Embossing & Watermark Ink. I applied Hero Arts Sparkle Embossing Powder and heat set. I then stamped and embossed it again on the other side to create a circle. 

The window piece was adhered on to the card base with foam tape. I took the sunshine sentiment from the kit stamp set, along with the sending you sentiment from the Hero Arts Love Stamp & Cut set and stamped them on to Hero Arts Pitch Black Cardstock with Hero Arts Clear Embossing & Watermark Ink. I applied Hero Arts White Detail Embossing Powder and heat set. They were cut in to strips and added to the card with more foam tape. To finish of, I added Hero Arts Sunset Enamel Dots around 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.

THE KIT:

The Hero Arts December 2020 My Monthly Hero Kit contains a 6" x 8" Clear Stamp Set, Hope Fancy Die, Cloud Window Fancy Die, Cloud Fancy Die, 4 Reactive Ink Cubes (Early Dawn, Morning Mist, Yellow Chartreuse, Thistle) and Yellow Prisma Embossing Powder. 

The kit is valued at $78 but you can get it for $34.99 (approximately £28 depending on exchange rate). The kits are limited edition and often sell out quickly. You can subscribe here so that you never miss a kit. International subscribers also get a discount off shipping too. Kits begin shipping on 11th December. 

ADD-ONS:

There are lots of wonderful add-on products this month. Unlike the kits, these are not limited edition. They usually work well alongside the kit but can be used on their own too. You can purchase these from the Hero Store or from you favourite Hero Arts retailer. Here is a look at them:

BLOG HOP:

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

Hero Arts

Channin Pelletier

Dana Joy

Daniel West

Debi Adams

Emily Midgett

Ilina Crouse

Jessica Frost-Ballas

Lydia Fiedler

Maria Willis

Michelle Short - you are here!

Mindy Eggen

Pocono Pam

Seeka

Amy Kolling

Julee Tilman

Mariana Grigsby

Nichol Spohr

Rebecca Keppel

GIVEAWAY:

Hero Arts are giving away a $50 gift card to one lucky blog hop reader. To enter you need to leave a comment on the participants blogs. The more you comment, the more chances there is to win. Giveaway closes 13th December 2020 at 23.59 PT and the winner will be announced the following week on the Hero Arts Blog. 

Next on the hop is the wonderful Mindy. Thanks so much for stopping by to day and I hope you enjoy the rest of the hop! Take care! 

Spellbinders | Small Die of the Month - Daydreaming

Hello there, today I have a card to share with you using the Spellbinders December 2020 Small Die of the Month Kit. This month is called 'Daydreaming' and it works for lots of different occasions. The kit consists of a window and you can create different scenes inside of the window. For my card today, I went with a sunset look but later in the month, I will share a night scene with you too.

I started off by ink blending on to a panel of white cardstock with Distress Inks. I used Abandoned Coral, Dried Marigold and Mustard Seed. I then cut the rectangle window from the panel and set it aside. I also cut the window a further two times from white cardstock. The white window frame was adhered on to a panel of white cardstock and then the inside pieces (the sunset) were added inside, like an inlay. I then added a second window frame on top for more dimension. 

I also cut two clouds from white and added them in to the windows. The cats, plant pots and plants were cut from white cardstock also and then ink blended also. The plants were added to the window flat and the cats popped up with foam squares. I cut the windowsill from black cardstock and then the word panel from white. They were adhered under the window frame. The panel was then adhered flat to an A2 white card base. To finish off, I added a Doodlebug Heart Sprinkle to the larger cloud. 

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.

If you haven't already heard of the Spellbinders Small Die of the Month Kit, it is a monthly subscription where you receive a kit each month. If you do become a member, you will receive other Spellbinders benefits too. For more information, please see here. You can also purchase previous kits here. There are lots of other kits available too, so I hope you will check those out as well. International shipping has also changed on these kits, making them more affordable. 

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend so far! Take care :) 

Hero Arts | December 2020 My Monthly Hero Countdown

Hello there and welcome to the Hero Arts Countdown for the December 2020 My Monthly Hero Kit. Release day is Monday but the Creative Team is sharing inspiration all weekend long using the kit. Be sure to head over to the Hero Arts Blog for more inspiration. 

For my card, I wanted to use the beautiful hope die that is part of the main kit. This is a stand alone die that can be used in lots of different ways. As you can see, I went with a very CAS look for my card today. I started off by die cutting the hope die (it comes as two layers already attached but you can cut them apart of you wanted to) twice from Dove White Cardstock, with Stick It Adhesive on the back. 

I then die cut it from a panel created using Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink Pearls on Silver Sparkle Alcohol Ink Cardstock. For this, I just wanted the inside pieces. I took a Dove White Top Folding Card and adhered the frame part of the die in the top middle. I then adhered the little pieces of the alcohol ink piece inside to create an inlay effect. I then adhered the other white outline on top of the other one for some more dimension. 

I took the sentiment from the Hero Arts Love Stamp & Cut set and stamped it on to Pitch Black cardstock with Hero Arts Clear Embossing & Watermark Ink. I applied White Detail Embossing Powder and heat set. It was cut in to a strip and adhered over the hope using foam tape. There is a cursive sentiment in the main kit stamp set but I wanted a more typed font for my 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.

For more inspiration using the kit, please head over to the Hero Arts Blog and be sure to leave a comment over there for a chance to win a kit! Thanks so much for stopping by today, I really appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful weekend! 

Merry & Bright

Hello there, today I have a card to share with you using stamps from Purple Onion Designs that were released recently. I fell in love with this trio of cuties and I couldn't resist inking them up! 

I started off by creating my background. I blended Distress Inks on to a panel of white cardstock using ink blending brushes. I used Mermaid Lagoon, Blueprint Sketch, Chipped Sapphire and Seedless Preserves. I then sprayed on Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Spritz, followed by Tim Holtz Picket Fence Distress Spray Stain. This does cover up a lot of the ink blending but it gives a lovely frosty look to the sky! 

While the panel was drying, I took another panel of white cardstock and stamped the Purple Onion Designs Sweet Snow Friends Stamp at the bottom with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. I then extended the lines of snow at the bottom and fussy cut around the image, leaving a small white border. I coloured the critters with Copic Markers (the colours that I used are listed below the supplies area). 

Once the panel was dry, it was adhered to an A2 white card base with foam tape. I then added the image piece on top with tape runner. I took the sentiment from the Purple Onion Designs Holiday Messages Sentiment Set and stamped it on to black cardstock with Versamark Ink. I applied white embossing powder and heat set. It was cut in to a strip and added to the card with foam tape. To finish off, I added  a few Lucy's Bubbles around 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: Penguin - BV29, BV25, BV23, BV20, YR23, YR21. Scarf - BG49, BG15, BG13, BG11. Snowman - BG11, BG000, BG0000. Hat - C10, C8, C7, C6, C5, V17, V15, V12. Nose - YR18, YR15, YR12. Scarf - V17, V15, V12. Rabbit - W5, W4, W3, W2, W1, W0, R01, R000. Scarf - V17, V15, V12. Hat & jumper - BG49, BG15, BG13, BG11. 

Purple Onion Designs currently has 25% off all stamps (some exclusions apply) until 6th December 2020. If you have been wanting to order from there, now is the time to do it! Thank you so much for stopping by to see me today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a lovely day! 

VIDEO | Clearly Besotted December 2020 Release Preview

*This is my second post of the day, please see below for my Simon Says Stamp post*

Hello there and welcome to Clearly Besotted release day! The December 2020 release will be available to purchase today at 8pm GMT. There are six new sets releasing today which you can purchase individually, or as a bundle with free gifts and a discount off the price if you were to buy them all separately. 

The sets can be purchased from the Clearly Besotted shop or at Simon Says Stamp (the bundle is exclusive to the Clearly Besotted shop). There is lots of variety this month - New Year sets, stars, puppies and hippos! Here is a look at all of the sets: 

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.

Thank you so much for popping by to day, I really appreciate it. I hope that you will check out the release, it is super cute! For more inspiration using the sets, please head over to the Clearly Besotted Blog, Keren and our wonderful guest Francine. Have a wonderful day! 

VIDEO | Simon Says Stamp Paper Hugs

Hello there and welcome to the start of Diecember! Simon Says Stamp always celebrates the month of December with Diecember. There is a fabulous die release out today and they usually have special events and extras running through the month too. 

Today I am using the wonderful new Paper Hugs Die, which is perfect to send to crafty friends. I thought it would look nice simply paired with bright alcohol ink backgrounds, with a touch of metallic from the Alcohol Ink Alloys. 

I started off my cards by creating the backgrounds. I wanted to use alcohol inks, along with the Alloys that I purchased a few months ago. This is the first time I have managed to play with them since I purchased them and I wanted to see how they differed to the Metallic Mixatives. They do give a lightly different look, depending on how you use them (I share more about that in my video). 

I used Cobalt, Laguna, Mermaid and Sterling Alloy on one panel and Boysenberry, Vineyard, Raspberry and Mined Alloy on the other. I first applied either Isopropyl Alcohol or Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink Blending Solution to Yupo Paper first and then added the inks on top, I moved the inks using the Alcohol Ink Air Blower and then added more of the blending solution on top, followed by some splatters for more interest. 

The alcohol ink pieces were left overnight to dry and then cut down in to 5.25" x 4" panels. They were added to A2 card bases with foam tape. I then cut the Simon Says Stamp Paper Hugs Die six times from white cardstock. They were layered up three high with liquid glue and then added to the cards.

I took a sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp Tiny Words Support Stamp Set and stamped it on to black cardstock with Versamark Ink. I applied white embossing powder and heat set. They were then cut in to strips using the Simon Says Stamp Sentiment Labels Dies and added to the cards with tape runner. 

VIDEO:

Here is the video showing how I made the cards:

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.

Thank you so much for visiting me today, I really do appreciate it. I hope that you will check out the rest of the Diecember release, it is always a fun one! I will be back later with my Clearly Besotted release video. Have a good day!