Happy New Home | Hero Arts December 2021 Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello and happy Monday, I’m so glad you’re here! It’s release day at Hero Arts and we’re celebrating the December release with a blog hop full of inspiration and a giveaway. If you’ve arrived from visiting the wonderful Pocono Pam, you’re right on track. If you’d like to start from the beginning, head on over to the Hero Arts blog.

My first card today features this month’s My Monthly Hero kit. This month’s kit is a reminder that no matter where we live, near or far, in cities or in neighborhoods – through it all we’re here for each other. The kit includes a lively cityscape cling background stamp, a beautiful new cover plate die, and a clear stamp set containing useful messages for welcoming new neighbors, or letting friends and family know you are thinking of them. The images in the clear set have coordinating dies as well. Rounding out the kit is Pitch Black cardstock, ink cubes (perfect for blending a gorgeous sunset) and adorable clothespin embellishments. It’s a fabulous value at only $34.99!

To recreate this card:

1. Stamp the background stamp in Onyx pigment ink onto a 4.25″ x 5.5″ panel of Dove White cardstock; trim 1/8″ off each side of the panel and set aside
2. Stamp the background again, then use clear Ultra Fine embossing powder to heat emboss the image
3. Trim 3/8″ off each side of the heat-embossed panel
4. Use blending brushes to blend the three colors of ink (Berry Smoothie, Fruit Punch, and Lemon Drop) included in the kit over the heat embossed panel, blending the colors where they overlap
5. Use Clear Embossing & Watermark ink and white embossing powder to heat emboss the sentiment onto Pitch Black cardstock and trim into a small rectangle
6. Adhere the sentiment to a slightly larger rectangle of vellum layering paper
7. Assemble the card by adhering the black and white panel to a white card base, then use foam tape to adhere the ink-blended panel and sentiment

My second card features the adorable Open Windows die set. I love this arched window and shutters and the additional small dies, including a window box, leafy stems, flowers, flower pot, a small bird, and even a freshly-baked pie!

To recreate this card:

1. Die cut the window four times from Dove White cardstock
2. Die cut just the shutter areas of the window from three colors of cardstock: Kiwi, Paradise, and Bermuda (you may need more than two shutters for each color)
3. Trim away any part of the window frame that may have been cut along with the shutters in step 2
4. Glue the color cardstock shutters to the white window frames then set them aside
5. Die cut the window area several times from Pebble cardstock and set aside the pieces; these are the window panes
6. Die cut the window box from Dove White cardstock, leafy stems from Palm cardstock, and flowers from Azalea cardstock
7. Spritz a 4.25″ x 5.5″ panel of Canary cardstock with Mustard Seed Distress Oxide spray (this step can be skipped, it just helps to deepen the color of the yellow cardstock and to create a bit of visual texture, like stucco)
8. Glue the window frames to the background, then piece in and glue the window panes
9. Glue the window box, leafy stems, and flowers to one window
10. Use foam tape to adhere a heat embossed sentiment (this one is from the new Wherever You Go stamp set)

Thank you so much for visiting! Your next stop is the wonderful Jennifer Kotas! Be sure to read below for giveaway details.

Giveaway

Hero Arts will give away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, December 12th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.