April MMH Release

4/1/2024

Celebrate the whimsical charm and timeless tradition of folk art with our April My Monthly Hero kit.

Classic Kit Contents & Description $74 Value for $36.99

• 3 Color Layering Floral Butterfly Stencils, 5.25”x 6.5“
• Coordinating Cover Plate Die
• 16 Coordinating Frame Cuts
• Clear Stamp Message Set, 4”x 6”
• 3 Reactive Ink Cubes (Blue Hawaii, Splash, and Taffy)

Premium Kit Contents & Description(Premium Elements in Bold)$109 Value for $49.99

• 3 Color Layering Floral Butterfly Stencils, 5.25”x 6.5“
• Birds & Flowers Clear Stamp Set, 4”x 6”
• Coordinating Cover Plate Die
• 16 Coordinating Frame Cuts
• 13 Coordinating Dies
• Clear Stamp Message Set, 4”x 6”
• 3 Reactive Ink Cubes (Blue Hawaii, Splash, and Taffy)
• 16 Washi Stickers

I used the Classic kit to create this delicate and shimmery card. I used the stencils and reactive inks in Taffy, Lemon Drop, Creamsicle, Berry Smoothie, and Key Lime. I used blending brushes and a VERY light hand to create this light and delicate blend. I sprayed a light layer of Iridescent white shimmer spray over the entire panel.

The sentiment is from the kit and heat embossed with gold embossing powder.

I used the Folk Art add-on to create this second card. It is mostly a one-layer card except for the mat and sentiment. It is very flat and would be easy to mail. My inspiration for this card was the brightly colored embroidered shirts and dresses from Mexico.

I lined up the stamp at the center of a white card panel and placed it in the Misti. The stamp positioner is key for this card! I used ink cubes to stamp color block and stamp portions of the image. The leaves and stems were done with Key Lime and Green Apple reactive ink. The flowers were stamped with Taffy, Lemon Drop, Fruit Punch and Berry Smoothie. The birds were stamped with Splash. After all the colored ink was stamped I cleaned my stamp and used Embossing & Watermark ink with clear embossing powder. I used coordinating Tombow dual brush markers to color the image.

I stamped the sentiment with black ink and heat embossed like I did with the main image. I trimmed that down to a small strip and added it to the panel. Then, I matted the entire panel on Azalea cardstock. Thanks for hopping along!

Kits will begin shipping will begin Friday, April 5th and will continue the following week. We will give away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, April 7th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

Hero Arts
Hero Arts Creative Team:
Channin Pelletier
Heather Ruwe
Ilina Crouse
Jennifer Kotas
Karen Brown
Mindy Eggen
Pocono Pam
Rosie Lopez
Seeka <——-NEXT STOP
Special Guests:
Jennifer McGuire
Nichol Spohr
Emily Midgett
Essie

April 2024 MMH Countdown

3.30.2024

You are going to LOVE this month’s My Monthly Hero kit! There are so many ways to use it.

I went a little rogue with my Classic Kit countdown card. I used the stencils to blend Lemon drop, Creamsicle and Key lime inks. I barely used any ink, mostly ink that was already on the blending brushes with a very light hand. On the last stencil I used White Pearl Hero Paste. After it dried completely I die cut with the cover plate die and snipped out the butterflies and flowers from the panel.

I used the cover plate die to emboss a Deluxe White card panel and adhered to a card panel. I heat embossed the sentiment from the classic kit on Vellum with Gold embossing powder. I adhered the large butterfly and tucked the sentiment under. Then I tucked in a couple butterflies, few leaves and tiny flowers.

Don’t forget to comment on all the blogs during the countdown for a chance to win a gift card from Hero Arts! The April kit will be released on Monday, April 1 at 10 AM PT! Set your alarm, this one will go fast!

Cherry Blossom Shaker

3/25/2024

A few weeks ago I traveled to central California and drove through miles of cherry blossom orchards. It was a windy day and the blossoms were being blown from the branches making it look like snow. It was so beautiful and that was my inspiration for this card.

I remembered I had these blossom shaker bits from a previous My Monthly Hero kit in my stash and thought it went perfectly with this Cherry Blossom cover plate die. I started by die cutting the cover plate from Bristol Smooth cardstock and then colored it with my Tombow markers. I gave a light spritz of Shimmer Mist to an Arctic card panel and then heat embossed the sentiment from the Premium MMH kit.

I attached the cover plate panel to an acetate sheet and then built up some walls for the shaker bits. I adhered a few shaker bits to the back panel so the loose bits will plunko down (anyone remember that game from The Price Is Right?) when tilted.

I filled the shaker well with a good bit of shaker bits and some iridescent confetti from my stash and carefully adhered it to the back panel. I did not move it for 24 hours just to give everything enough time to dry. Then I tested it out with a shake, shake, shake!

There are few days left of this special discount code on MMH subscriptions. You can use my link and code to get 15% off! This is the first time Hero Arts has offered subscriptions at a discount. When I tell you my craft room was built on MMH kits , it’s true. This card is a perfect example of how something from an old kit can come in handy later on.

March 2024 MMH Release

3/4/2024

Hi! Welcome to the March MMH blog hop! What a great release at the perfect time. All the cherry blossoms trees in my area are blossoming. It is wonderful inspiration to create cards.

Experience the breathtaking beauty of misty mountains and tranquil waters with our March My
Monthly Hero kit. Featuring a 6″ x 8″ clear stamp, a generous number of coordinating dies, and
a stunning patterned gate window die, this kit offers a glimpse into the wonders of nature and
beyond. The Rub-on Transfers and 3 ink cubes, complete this serene and elegant Classic kit.

Classic Kit Contents:

Clear Stamp Set, 6”x 8”
17 Coordinating Frame Cuts
Cover Plate Window Die
2 Rub-On Transfer Sheets
3 Ink Cubes (Cherry, Periwinkle, Deep Ocean)

The Premium Kit includes additional elements to extend the potential for more cards and
techniques – even more Creativity In The Box! In addition to all the Classic Kit components, the
highlight of our expanded kit is a beautiful floral stamp set filled with everyday messages that
you will repeatedly use, 10 coordinating dies, and our new Translucent Pinks Hero Hues
Enamel Dots.

Premium Kit Contents:

Clear Stamp Set, 4”x 6”
10 Coordinating Frame Cuts
Translucent Pinks Hero Hues Enamel Dots

I used the Premium kit to create this project. I stamped the image on Bristol smooth paper using Contour Ink. I colored the cherry blossoms with my Tombow Dual brush pens and a Waterbrush. I am still new to the no-line watercolor technique but I was pleasantly surprised with the results. For the background I die cut the cover plate die with Pine Cardstock. I also die cut a circle slightly larger than the circular opening from Peony Cardstock. I ink blended the edges with Azalea ink and adhered it to the Pine panel. I die cut the blossoms using the coordinating die and heat embossed the sentiment. For a finishing touch I used the Translucent Pinks Hero Hues Enamel Dots that came in the kit.

For my Add-On card I used the Bonsai Fancy die. I die cut with Pesto, Peony, Cup o Joe, and Charcoal cardstock and then added a little ink blending in coordinating colors to highlight the intricate die. For the background I used the cover plate die (with the center removed) from the Classic kit. I did some more ink blending with Peony and Cotton Candy inks around the edges of the panel. The sentiment is from Friendly Messages bundle.

When I saw this kit it reminded me of a Japanese Brush Painting class at the art center where I work. The students create these beautiful and elegant monochromatic pieces. I wanted to represent that inspiration with stamps on a card.

The inks I used were Contour Ink for the water, Granite ink for the mountain, an old MMH kit ink (dark grey/blue) for the shadows on the mountain, Charcoal for the moon and reflection. I used Intensified Black for the crane, pagoda sentiment. I wish I had heat set in between each color because there was some bleeding. For the background used the cover plate die on Charcoal cardstock and then used the Hero Transfers from the kit in just a few areas.

We will give away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by
Sunday, March 10th at 11:59pm PT, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog
the following week. Thanks for stopping by!

Hero Arts

Hero Arts Creative Team:

Heather Ruwe —–Next Stop

Special Guests:

Lunar New Year 2024

2.10.2024

Happy Lunar New Year!

A little story about me….My grandpa was born in China and as an adult I’ve been trying to connect more with my Chinese roots. My grandpa passed away about 20 years ago so that connection isn’t there but, I think of him often during Lunar New Year and other holidays. I try to ask questions and make connections with people I meet that are also Chinese. I was born in the year of the Dragon so this is my year! 🐲

My card today features some new and old products, kinda fitting for a New Year’s card. I started with a Mustard card panel and ink blended Fawn core ink then sprayed with Orange metallic spray. I die cut a Canary card panel with the Parquet cover plate die. This is a new product from Hero Arts Spring Catalog that will be released on February 14! The cover plate die is part of the Shop Box program where independent retailers are given the opportunity to sell a select few products before the big catalog release.

Back to the card…I lightly sprayed that panel with Fuschia and Royal Purple metallic spray. I adhered the die cut piece to the solid shimmer piece and it reminded me of the beautiful screens in China.

I didn’t have any accent pieces so I created my own. I used the cover plate from he November 2018 My Monthly Hero kit. It has a die with ornaments that I turned into lanterns. I basically cut a bunch of ornaments, added the ornament topper to the bottom and then decorated with a gold string ‘tassel’ and hanger and some gold flake highlights.

The sentiment is a transfer from Holiday Message Strips. I put it on matte gold cardstock and trimmed down to leave a wide mat. I popped the sentiment and lanterns up with foam tape and then adhered them to the base. I wrapped the hangers to the back before putting the panel on the card base.

I don’t have any dragons or Chinese themed stamps but I transformed a few products by creatively altering them.

Happy Lunar New Year!