Hello Folks! Scott here with my 10 cards created using the My Monthly Hero August 2022 Kit! “Adventure lies ahead” with this desert southwest themed kit that creates beautiful vistas and detailed landscapes with the kit’s layering stencils. A plethora of possibilities await.

Once again… we have what feels like a pretty limited kit…! Thankfully there are frame cuts for the five cacti, so that does extend the usefulness of the layering stencil… but the stamp set is only sentiments… a great deal of sentiments…

I figured I’d start by putting these stencils and inks to the test. On a piece of the Watercolor Paper from the kit, I stenciled layer “a” with the Sand ink cube, layer “b” with the Caramel ink cube, layer “c” with the Pine (cacti) and Tangerine (sun) ink cubes, and layer “d” with the Caramel ink. Really nice Southwestern scene… the stencils line up easily and the vista is actually quite eye-catching.

Of course, the layering stencils leave the sky and the base of the two cactus swatches blank – in this case, white. I reached for my Pebbles Chalk palette to add some color to these un-inked areas – a little light green for the bottom cacti, light blue for the second row (water? oasis?) and light yellow for the sky. These chalks are nicely suited for providing a little background color behind stenciled (or stamped) images.

I stamped the sentiment using Hero Hues Root Beer Reactive ink and embossed that with some clear embossing powder. I die-cut the panel with the next-to-the-largest HA Rectangle Infinity die and glued that down to a White card base. Basically, a one-layer card! I think the wash of blue provides a good justification for this sentiment. Now, saguaro cactus (the ones with “arms”) only grow in the Sonoran desert, which is in southern Arizona, but this scene reminds me more of Monument Valley (Utah) than of Arizona.

Did I mention that I lived in Phoenix, Arizona for seven years after college (before I moved to NYC)?

In an effort to avoid patches of white sky and landscape, I thought we might get away with stenciling this scene on some very light blue card stock – in this instance I used Hero Hues Arctic card stock.

I used the same (included ) inks for this card, in the same order, and I like how the blue card stock darkens all the inks making for a little bit more of a dramatic presentation. Sentiment stamped and embossed the same as the first card, the panel is die-cut to size and glued to a White card base. That’s an easy way to avoid the white spaces..! I bet Kraft card stock would be an interesting background color..!

Of course this kit includes a die that cuts the sky away from the buttes, and you can stencil the sun and clouds on a different background, but I was interested in something a little more radical.. and ultimately very simple!

I used Embossing and Watermark ink through stencil layer “a” on some HA Pitch Black card stock, and covered all of that sticky ink with the Bronze PealEx powder. Remember, there is no binder in this powder so you do need to seal it with some hair spray or fixative to make it permanent. I die-cut the buttes before I sealed the powder, so I lost a little bronze-ing to my die-cutting plates (it washes off easily!) but I kind of like the texture that was left! (THEN I sealed it!)

I die-cut a background panel (4″ x 5.25″) and covered the top of that with some Altenew Galaxy Wide washi tape and glued that to a White card base. I trimmed the sides of the die-cut buttes (the die cuts it at 4 1/8″) to 4″ and attached it to the card front with thin foam tape around the edges of the buttes and liquid glue on the bottom. I embossed the sentiment on a scrap of Pitch Black card stock using Copper Rose (Love From Lizi) embossing powder and die-cut that with a Lawn Fawn Everyday Sentiment Banners die and attached that to the card front with more foam tape. Very striking and Very easy! I love the cactus silhouettes!

When we get a stencil (or die, or stamp) in a particular orientation (here, portrait) I always try to see if I can use it in the other (landscape) orientation. Some creative mask cutting was involved…!

I reached for my TH Distress Oxide inks for this card – Antique Linen (a); Frayed Burlap (b); Peeled Paint (c); and back to the Frayed Burlap for “d”. The stencil ends on the right under the “in” of the sentiment, so I laid a piece of masking on the right side of the card base, sketched in more buttes and washes (following the contours of the layering stencils) cut out the mask where I wanted to ink and continued our vista to the right. Then I placed another piece of masking over the newly inked portions, and sketched and cut the contours – again, imitating the contours of the stencil, and inked those details as well. When I removed the mask, we suddenly have a landscape view! But the seam where the plastic stencil meets the masking stencil is very apparent.

I can hide that seam with more cacti! I stenciled the two right cacti so the saguaro cactus covers the seam… had to lay on the ink pretty heavily, but I think it’s a terrific job of camouflage! I stenciled the sun with the Tangerine ink, added a larger circle mask over the top of that, and ink blended Splash Reactive ink on the top for some friendly blue skies. I removed the mask and lightly blended the Tangerine out for a bit of a corona! Pebbles Chalk palette returns to add some color to the leftover white washes (yellow and a brown), and I stamped and embossed the sentiment(s) with Root Beer Reactive ink and clear embossing powder. I added the birds (from the MMH April 2019 Venice kit) to camouflage a little heavy inking (Root Beer Reactive ink) – that actually adds a nice touch of LIFE to this landscape!

I really like that this orientation gets rid of most of the lowest (unadorned) portion of the stencil, and this landscape view certainly feels a lot more expansive…! Now THERE’s a vista!

Since we got LUXE watercolor paper in our kit I thought it was only appropriate that I try to make a watercolor card!

Since I’m not relying on the stencils, I can do just about anything! I die-cut a piece of the watercolor paper with the buttes die and realized that the top and bottom could work together for a multi-layer vista! And I didn’t have to include any cacti! I painted both of the die-cut layers with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers – shooting for a loose watercolor-y feel – that Luxe White Watercolor paper holds up well to a good deal of water! I cut a background panel to 4″ x 5.25″ and ink blended the sky with HA Creamsicle, Fruit Punch and Purple Galaxy Reactive inks and glued that down to a White card base.

I dug out the Adirondack chair stamp from the MMH June 2018 kit and stamped two of them with the Root Beer Reactive ink and added a touch of shadow under them with my markers. The sentiment is stamped and embossed exactly the same (Root Beer and Clear embossing powder). I attached both layers to the card front with thin foam tape along the edges and liquid glue along the bottoms. This is so completely different from the stenciling… and I like it a great deal… I think this actually feels like a watercolor painting and it certainly drives home the sentiment! This is a great way to expand on the design possibilities of this kit!

No cacti on that last card got me to thinking… what if I just outlined the stencils to make a “color by numbers” type image? Would I be able to excise the cacti by just not outlining that part of the stencils?

Sure…! Yet another way to use these stencils. I outlined the stencils using an .05 Pigma Micron pen and avoided all the (essentially) vertical lines of the cacti, connecting the contour lines where the cactus one stood. I like the look… it does look like a page from a coloring book! I grabbed my TomBow markers to color this image, but I have to admit that the bottom half of our vista got a little boring with no plant life…! So I decided to get rid of the lower half by limiting our view through a window!

I don’t have a specific window die, so I created this window opening using three HA Square Infinity dies. The window is 3.75″ square and the panes are 1.5″ square. I trimmed the colored background to fit behind the window and glued those to a White card base. I stamped the sentiment(s) using Intense Black ink and embossed them with clear embossing powder. At first glance you hardly notice the outlines, but I do think they give this card a fun coloring book or paint-by-numbers quality! And no cacti!

Having the fancy die for the buttes lends itself to a classic easel card! On Pitch Black card stock, I used Distress Oxide inks again in Antique Linen (layer a); HA Unicorn White (layer b); Bundled Sage (layer c) and Walnut Stain (layer d). I thought those colors worked great for a desaturated night time feel. I die-cut the buttes and trimmed a top folding card base to 4 1/8″ wide – matching the width of the die-cut. I stamped the sentiment using Unicorn White ink and embossed that with White detail embossing powder.

I added some Altenew Watercolor Nebula Wide Washi tape to the top two-thirds of the card base, and scored and folded the bottom of the front at 2 3/8″ to make the easel. I glued the buttes to the bottom of the card front. I stamped the inside sentiment using Intense Black ink and embossed that with clear embossing powder, trimmed it to size, added a second layer of card stock behind the sentiment, and glued that to the inside of the card in position to hold the easel up. I do my best to use all the stamps in a kit and this card brings my stamp total to 10 out of 13…! I think that’s pretty darn good!

All right… enough with the sentiments provided for us in this kit… I think it’s time for some PUNS!

This card makes me giggle! I stenciled a set of cacti using the Pine and Caramel inks included in the kit, and die cut them all with the included frame cuts. I also added a little sparkle with a gold gel pen tracing the contours. I started looking or an appropriate flower pot stamp in my stash when I realized that the planter shouldn’t have a black outline because the cacti don’t have a black outline. I ‘drew” this pot using my Zig markers and fussy-cut it out leaving a (matching the die cuts) white border. I arranged the three cacti in the pot and glued them all together.

I printed the sentiment on the card base using my Silhouette Software and the Brady Bunch Remastered font. I thought we needed a little more of a background to help reinforce the ‘valentine’ aspect, so I lightly stenciled a heart on the card front using Tattered Rose Distress Oxide ink. I don’t own a heart stencil, so I made my own using a HA Nesting Heart Infinity die and a scrap of white card stock. That adds some nice color to the background, and supports the theme as well! For a final touch, I die-cut a tiny bloom from Red card stock using the Dress My Craft Mini Daisy die set #2 and added that to the Hedgehog cactus (I think that’s right… though it could be a prickly pear…). A tiny drop of HA Pink lacquer pen for the center of the flower finishes this card with a nice touch of detail. These just might be the first set of cacti images (stamp or stencil) in my stash! Excellent!

There are lots of cactus puns out there… I was trying to come up with something you might not have heard before…

What a fun encouragement card! I stenciled the saguaro on the front of a White card base with the Pine and Caramel inks from the kit. Cacti 2 and 4 are reversed just by flipping the stencil over and bending through the back. I did have to make sure I cleaned the stencil every time I flipped it over, but I got a pretty clean image! I printed the sentiment with the Brady Bunch Remastered font, and created a little blue ribbon with two of the mini daisy die cuts, one circle punch and a couple of fussy cut tails. I’m not sure exactly what that center saguaro did to get that ribbon, but it must be something pretty special! Cactus makes perfect!

I do still have a die-cut saguaro cactus… and saguaros do have “arms”… I can’t resist this one!

This makes me laugh out loud! And it works on so many levels…! This is done exactly the same as the “prickle” card with the exception that the (terrific!) pun sentiment is printed using the Impress BT font. The protest sign is printed with the Abadi MT Condensed Ex Bold font (that”s a mouthful!). I colored the sign with my Zig markers and fussy-cut it out. I did extend the die-cuts on the cactus all the way down the arms just to even everything up. I die-cut the main panel with a Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle die (2.75″ x 4″) and added a thin green mat behind that and glued them together down to a White card base.

And before you know it, we’ve covered all my cards made with the My Monthly Hero August 2022 Kit. Lots of deserts this month, but I think we’ve got a nice variety of looks here! And I am happy to have some real cacti in my stash now!

I did manage to use almost all of the sentiments in the stamp set. I really like the Luxe Watercolor paper, and the new core ink cubes, and I even used that PearlEx powder almost all by itself! I’m thrilled I was able to use the stencils in a landscape mode, and I really like doubling up the buttes on the watercolor card. Much fun to be had this month!

This kit is still available at Hero Arts! If you’re hankering for a little western hospitality, looking for a drier climate, or just like a good cactus, grab a kit for yourself before they all sell out. If I’ve managed to inspire you, please use my links when you go shopping at Hero Arts. It is always gratefully appreciated and helps support this page! Thank You!!

My Monthly Hero August 2022 Kit: http://shrsl.com/3nweb

Hero Arts August Release: http://shrsl.com/3nwee

It is an honor and a pleasure to have you spend some time with me here today! Please remember to Like me, List me, Pin me, Post me, Friend me, Follow me, Share me with all your crafty friends (and enemies!) remember… Don’t run with scissors! I send Love and Light to you and yours, and, as always, Happy Crafting!

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Hello folks! Scott here with my next batch of cards featuring the My Monthly Hero July 2022 kit! We are treated to a Flamboyance of Flamingos this month with a beautiful HeroScape layering stamp set and coordinating inks in the new Core Ink line as well as dies and new embellishments. (a group of flamingos can be referred to as a “flamboyance”!)

Whenever we get a kit that features only one main image, I get a little antsy about coming up with 10 different cards. Initially, I had some concerns, but figured I’d start by seeing how easily these stamps layer up!

I am so happy to report that these stamps line up very easily! I stamped the solid layer stamp on a Neena Solar White 80# card stock panel with Peony ink… these Core Inks smooth out beautifully as they dry… then the feather layer with the Cotton Candy ink and the leg layer with the Azalea ink, and finally the beaks and eyes with Intense Black ink. Absolutely Beautiful! I admit I was surprised at how great these flamingos come out! I stamped the solid water stripe with the Arctic Core ink, and the detail water strip with Paradise Core ink and added the two plant stamps in Paradise as well. I finished out by stamping the clouds in the sky using HA Contour ink.

Hmmmm… So… do I reach for the dies and cut these fellows out, or try to add a background behind them? Since I already stamped the water over their legs, it seemed logical to create a background for the whole panel. I ink blended HA Soft Sky ink around the top and sides of the card avoiding the flamingos, and ink blended Arctic Core ink around the bottom. I reached for my Pebbles Chalk set and lightly blended a couple of yellow chalks behind the flamingos. These chalks are light enough that they don’t really affect the stamping, so it’s quite a bit easier to fill-in some background colors.

I stamped the sentiment using Intense Black ink and embossed it with Clear embossing powder before trimming the panel down to 4 3/16″ x 5 7/16″. I glued the panel to a 4.25″ x 5.5″ White card base so we have a thin frame around the scene. I did look to see if flamingos had pink legs, and they do…! I really love this Flamboyance of Flamingos!

Okay… let’s work on the sentiments in this stamp set. I always try to use every stamp in a kit, and am often inspired by the sentiments… there’s really only 4 sentiments in this set so I thought that was a good place to start… and we do have one pun…so I thought I’d go for the pun first!

I do have one caveat! If you want to use the frame cut die to cut-out this flock, then you do have to be a little careful when you line up these stamps… the design of this layering stamp is very forgiving for stamping, but is completely unforgiving if you want to die-cut these fellows out…! I did readjust my initial layering to account for the die, and I think these guys are a little more accurate. I added little party hats to all the flamingos by just coloring little triangles with markers and cutting them out to glue them atop their heads. I wish I could have given them all martini glasses!

The background is blended Arctic and Paradise Core inks through a Stampendous Flourishes stencil cut to 3.74″ x 5″ and glued to a 4″ x 5.25″ black Glitter mat and then down to a White card base. I stamped the sentiment again with Intense black ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder. I die-cut three more blank flocks and glued them together with he stamped flock on top, and then down to the card base. I added small gems to the hats and some of the HA Pearls on the background.

The little hats add a nice touch of whimsy to this pun-y birthday card, and I like how the flock sticks out a little bit on both sides. If you know anyone with yard flamingos, then I think this “Bird day”card would be perfect for them.!

I noticed a couple of the HA designers and blog posters were adding reflections of the flamingos on their cards… easily done by stamping the legs on acetate and then flipping that over and pressing it to your paper… since it’s a reflection, you don’t have to worry about it being stamped perfectly… a great idea for any sort of reflection stamping!

Once I had figured out the perfect alignment of these stamps, I went ahead and stamped a few panels with the pink flamingos to have on hand… I did a couple with lighter pink legs, and I even started embossing the beaks and eyes with clear embossing powder. That adds a nice touch! I kept marveling at how wonderful this flock looked all by itself on a white panel, when I thought it might be interesting to add some reflections… no water, nothing in particular that is reflective… I stamped the legs on a sheet of acetate with the Cotton Candy ink (could have used the Peony ink) and flipped that over, lined it up and pressed the ink onto the panel. The illusion is complete!

Personally, I don’t call anyone “darling”, so I performed some stamp surgery to remove the “stand tall” from the “darling” and stamped and embossed the simpler sentiment on the card front. I trimmed that panel to 4″ x 5.25″, glued it to a thin black mat and down to a White card base. This is really fetching…! You know how much I like my white space! I do think that this fairly simple card is quite stunning… really focuses down on the intricacies of the stamp! Definitely one of my favorites!

One more sentiment to go… would it be possible to pull a single flamingo away from his flock…?

The flamingos on the far right and left of the flock appear to be in front of the other birds, so I fussy cut the far right bird away from the flock – I thought his bent leg added little more authenticity. The legs are pretty thin but not impossible to cut around. I stamped the sentiment on a scrap of white card stock using the Azalea ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder and then ink blended some Key Lime Fizz Reactive ink over the white card stock before fussy-cutting it out.

The background is a piece of plain Green card stock embossed with the new Spellbinders Leafy 3D embossing folder and some Lucky Clover Distress Oxide ink applied to the flat side of the embossing folder. Pink and Green are always perfect partners! I trimmed the background to 4″ x 5.25″, glued that to a thin pink mat and down to a green card base. I glued the flamingo leg to the sentiment and added them to the card from with foam tape. The green background makes this pink flamingo pop right off the card! This one tickles ME!

That covers the four sentiments in our stamp set… and most of the stamps… there are still two dragonfly stamps… a small school of fish and the small (and smaller group) of shrimp to use… hmmmmm…. are they too small to be featured?

This card is completely inspired by the “you’re one in a krillion” pun! After all… krill are basically just small shrimp…and they generally hang out in huge numbers…! Kind of putting a magnifying glass on a single critter here…! I stamped the little group of ‘krill’ all over a white card base using Peony and Contour inks, and die cut a shrimp hole in the center and stamped the big shrimp on the inside of the card to match the die-cut hole. I did add detail to the larger shrimp with a .05 Pigma Micron pen.

I printed the sentiment on the inside of the card base using my Silhouette Software and the Black Jack font. The big shrimp was still getting a little lost among all the little ones, so I added a glossy black circle die-cut over the shrimp die-cut on the front of the card. That really highlights the single shrimp when viewed from the front. A little Clear Stardust Glitter Gelly Roll pen adds a little sparkle to the hundreds of ‘krill’ on the front. It IS possible to make a card JUST using the shrimp stamps… I couldn’t resist using this perfectly appropriate pun for this fun encouragement card!

Then I started thinking about other colors besides pink, that we could stamp these flamingos in… hmmm…

Blue flamingos anyone..!? These guys are stamped with HA Reactive Early Dawn, Summer Sky, and Blue Reactive inks – and of course Intense Black ink for the beaks and eyes. Those three blues worked really well together! I added the two water stamps at their feet in Arctic and Paradise inks and then partially die-cut the flamingos so I could keep the water attached.

I printed this sentiment on the front of an Ivory card base using Silhouette Software and the Dream State font. I die-cut a yellow circle using a HA Circle Infinity die, glued that to the card front and glued the flamingos and water on top. A few of our Hero Arts Pearls highlight the sentiment, and, considering how much heat we’ve already had this year, “stay cool’ is a perfectly appropriate greeting for the dog days of summer! I really like these blue flamingos!

I have a number of Palette Ink pads from MMK kits from over the years… Could we use one of those for the flamingos?

I used the Rainbow Reactive Palette ink pad from the March 2021 kit for flamingo stamp layers two and three. I stamped the first solid layer with HA Contour ink. I did clear emboss the beaks and eyes as well. I doubled up the water stamps and added some fish and shrimp at the flamingos’ feet with Hickory Smoke Distress Oxide Ink. I grabbed my Pebbles chalks again for the background and added the clouds with Contour ink. I printed the sentiment on the panel using my Silhouette Software and the Black Jack font. I trimmed that panel to 4″ x 5.25″ and glued it to a 4.25″ x 5.5″ black mat and then to a white card base. A gem from the kit highlights the sentiment and the rainbow flamingos are delightful!

I have one more color combination that might be fun… inspired by the main sentiment in this kit..!

How about some fiery flamingos!? I stamped this flamboyance with Lemon Drop Reactive ink for the first solid layer, Creamscicle Reactive ink for the feather layer and Fruit Punch Reactive ink for the leg stamp. Cool! These colors work great! I stamped the water stamps at their feet, and stamped the sentiment below (the “BE” was surgically removed from the “BEAUT” sentiment stamp in the MMH April 2020 Australia kit) using the same inks and clear embossing. I masked off the water before ink blending Intense black ink over the sentiment. The embossing resists the ink perfectly and makes for a fiery sentiment! I fussy cut all of the flamingos using a craft knife, and trimmed the sides to 4″ wide. I cut a 4″ square of black glitter card stock and glued that to the back of the flamingos, and then down to a 4.25″ square top-folding card base. This flock is certainly FLAMAZING!

The small stamps in our set this month are tough to highlight because they’re simple silhouette stamps – no detail just a shape. I thought some fun embossing powder might be one way to get some mileage out of these dragonfly stamps.

On a piece of Hero Hues Arctic card stock, I stamped this flight of dragonflies using Embossing and Watermark ink and embossed them with WOW Cloud 9 embossing powder – quite sparkly! I filled in around them with some die-cut holographic stars and trimmed the panel to 2″ x 5.5″. This is one of my favorite (non-attributed) dragonfly quotes printed on the card front using the Dream State font. I glued the dragonfly panel to the card front and added some Silver Holographic peel-off stickers to the top and bottom edges. This is a nice mellow break from all the riotous colors of the flamingos so far, and a touching encouragement card!

This last card came about when I noticed how many extra flocks of colorful flamingos I had sitting on my desk!

A slimline card with LOTS of flamingos! I had a couple of pink flamingos stamped, die-cut and ready to go, and I had one flock of purple flamingos stamped with HA Reactive Thistle, Grape Slush, and Grape Juice inks. That’s another fun color combo! I glued the two pink flocks together, then fussy-cut the last flamingo from the purple flock and glued him over his matching pink flamingo in the center of the crowd. This one put a smile on my face!

This is a 3.5″ x 8.5″ slimline card, so I printed the sentiment using my Silhouette software and the Paprika font on a 7″ x 8.5″ white card base. I ran a strip of thin pink Washi tape from my stash along the bottom of the card front, and glued a 1/4″ strip of black glitter card stock over that. That gave me a place to anchor these flamingos which are simply glued to the card front. A pink gem highlights the sentiment for a final bit of sparkle. When you consider that flamingos do travel in flocks, and they generally ARE all pink (comes from eating mostly shrimp) it does seem courageous to flaunt your purple-ness in front of everyone else! Go ahead… dare to be different!

That’s my 10 cards using the My Monthly Hero July 2022 kit. Man… that’s a lot of flamingos! Call me a little obsessed but I got the biggest kick out of the simple ease and excellent results of these layering stamps. I think you can tell… eight of these cards are flamingos! Short of one “Bird day” card, most of these cards turned out to be encouragement oriented. I do think that was in line with the general theming they were going after… Of course, when you have a large group of identical critters, my mind does tend towards encouraging non-conformity!

I did manage to use every stamp in this set… except for the “darling” part.. and I really like the “krill” and dragonfly cards that highlight a couple of the minor stamps as well. I really like the new Core Inks… our cubes in this kit are nice and juicy! And it’s great to be able to play with some of the new Hero Pearls as well. Very pearlescent! I did have more fun with this kit that I initially thought I would… and I do have a few more ideas that I didn’t even get to…

This kit is still available at Hero Arts. If you like what you see and want your own flamboyance of flamingos in your stash, please use my links to grab a kit for yourself. My Monthly Hero kits are always a great value!

My Monthly Hero July 2022 Kit: http://shrsl.com/3m7r2

Hero Arts Monthly Release July 2022: http://shrsl.com/3m7r8

I did create a lot of my own sentiments with this kit. If you would like to get some of these sentiments for yourself, just send me a request at cardcutups@gmail.com and let me know what format you’d like the sentiments in – I can share them with you in a Silhouette file or a PDF file.

Thank you so very much for sharing your time with me here. I am always thrilled to hear from you! Let me know which card(s) is your favorite, and remember to Like me, List me, Pin me Post me, Follow me, Friend me, Share me will all your crafty friends… don’t run with scissors… and, as always, I wish you and yours Love and Light and Happy Crafting!

DISCLOSURE: This site contains some affiliate links to products. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links (at no cost to you). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you!

Hello Folks! Scott here with my new 10 Cards 1 Kit post using the latest My Monthly Hero June 2022 Kit! It seems we’re heading under the sea this month with a large mermaid stamp (with even bigger hair!), assorted underwater accessories and even a bad pun!. I do have a mermaid silhouette stamp in my stash, but I believe this is my first detailed mermaid stamp. Looks like I’m in for some serious coloring with this kit!

That Palette ink pad is made up of Reactive inks in Berry Smoothie, Grape Slush, Blue Hawaii, Splash, and Blue Raspberry – so they work especially well as watercolors… thus the water flow brush…! When I see a stamp set like this I automatically start thinking about creating a scene, so, first things first, I stamped the mermaid on some masking paper and made a full mask to cover the whole mermaid.

I stamped the mermaid on some Bristol Smooth card stock with Intense Black ink, masked her off, and stamped the seagrass, coral and one of the starfish “behind” her. I stamped the clams and an extra starfish without needing the mask. I colored everything (but her tail) using Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers, and I used the Mermaid Palette inks to color her tail. The sentiment is stamped with Intense Black ink and embossed with Clear embossing Powder. I used a Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle die to die-cut the painting to 4.25″ x 5.5″, glued that to a White card base, and added a Pearl gem – the only touch of dimension on this single layer card. I did use a little White gel pen for some highlights in the sand, and I’m terrifically pleased with this scene… It did take me a couple hours or so to paint, but I think it’s worth it!

The jellyfish stamp in this kit must be the largest jellyfish stamp in my stash… I do have others but much smaller…!

I stamped the jellyfish on some Pitch Black card stock using Embossing and Watermark ink and embossed them all with Underwater embossing powder (MMH May ’21) – nice sparkle in that! I ink blended some water lines in the background using Broken China Distress Oxide ink and a small blending brush, and colored the jelly fish using Hero Arts Red, Purple, and Blue Glimmer Metallic inks (more shine!). I added some glimmer ink dots in the water along with some White gel pen highlights, and stamped and embossed the sentiment with Ultra fine White embossing powder. I die-cut the panel with another LFSRDie, added a dark blue pearlescent mat behind that, and glued those down to a White card base. You can get a nice underwater background with Pitch Black card stock and some simple “waves”!

We don’t always get a pun in our sentiments, but this month we are treated to not only a pun… but a groaner at that!

If they’re “having fun” then maybe they’re dancing! All featured in some fantastic underwater chorus line! HA! On Canson Mixed Media card stock, I stamped all the clams in three rows using my MISTI and Intense Black ink. I colored them all with my Zig markers, stamped and clear embossed the sentiment, die-cut the panel with a LFSRDie, added a glitter holographic mat behind that and glued them to a White card base. I embellished the front with some Love From Lizi Circle peel-offs in pink and added the pearl gems inside all the clams. I was actually able to CUT the pearl gems (two ends of the center row) using my 7″ Tim Holtz snips! The only way I think you could improve on this bad pun is to make it worse: “pearls just want to have pun”!!??!! Yup… that’s even more of a groaner!!

Is ALL THAT HAIR really necessary for our mermaid? You can actually give her a substantial haircut very simply!!

I stamped our mermaid using Intense Black ink on Bristol Smooth card stock and embossed her with clear embossing powder. I colored her with my ZIG markers (I used the Palette ink for her tail) and fussy-cut her out following the fourth line of hair at her scalp. That still give us quite a healthy head of hair, but pulls it back into a bit more of a realistic realm… I know… what’s realistic about a mermaid…!!? Embossing this stamp is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – she sparkles ALL OVER! And giving her a haircut might help make coloring her seem less daunting…!

The background is an old Jelly Plate print using Broken China Distress Oxide ink and a wave stamp… we have gotten a lot of underwater themed stamp sets from Hero Arts (is that because they’re located in the San Francisco area?) so I do have a number of underwater backgrounds patiently waiting to be used! I stamped the seagrass and coral on the background using HA Contour ink and softly colored them with the Palette inks. I stamped the bubbles with Hickory Smoke Distress Oxide ink and clear embossed them for even more shine! For the sea bed, I used some of that terrific HA Sand embossing powder on the bottom of the panel. I cut the front panel to 4″ x 5.25″, added a thin Black Glitter mat and glued those down to a White card base.

Okay.. here come the puns! The “Happy Birthday” and “Hello” sentiments weren’t quite doing it for me this month!

This makes me giggle! A little 3-D box card with three layers of kelp and the whole thing folds flat at 4.25″ x 5.5″ so it fits in an envelope with no problem! I cut a piece of white card stock to 5.25″ x 5.5″, and printed the sentiment using my Silhouette software and the Black Jack font. On the 5.25″ side I scored at 1/4″, 3/4″, 4.5″, and 5″. Fold on all the score lines and you have a 3.75″ x 5.5″ center panel with 1/5″ sides and 1/4″ tabs for attaching to the back. I used a 3.25″ x 4.5″ Nesting rectangle die to cut out the window.

I cut a piece of Silky Sky Mirror card stock to 3.75″ x 5.5″ for the back, and stamped and die-cut 11 clumps of kelp using some Altenew Gradient card stock and HA Fresh Lawn, Forest, and Forever Green dye inks. I also gave all the kelp some Alcohol marker shading a nice layer of glitter with a Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen. I cut three strips of white card stock to 4.75″ and scored both end at 1/2″ to use for the three layers of kelp. I glued the die-cut seagrass pieces to the strips and staggered their end tabs to give them depth – the front row has just under 1/2″ tabs, the middle row has 1/4″ tabs and the back row has 1/8″ tabs.

I glued the blue mirror back to the left side tab and staggered the kelp strips on the left side using the tabs. Then it was easy to fold the whole card flat and attach the back and the tabs to the right side of the card. Only thing left to do was add another 3.75″ x 5.5″ piece of White card stock to the back to cover up the glue tabs – that also gives us a perfect place to write a personal message of thanks to any pun-loving friend!

That was fun, but I have more puns just waiting!

This one tickles me too! There is a very nice fish stamp in our kit… large enough to be a focal point and detailed enough to encourage some fun coloring. This fish is stamped with Intense Black ink on Bristol Smooth card stock and clear embossed for that terrific underwater shine! I did use the palette ink pad to color this fish, and die-cut it out with the included die.

This background is a saved background I made using Nuvo Shimmer Powder in Green Parade. I stamped and White embossed some bubbles on that background (they didn’t take to that shimmer powder too well) and die cut the background with a LFSRDie, added a TRUE Black Mirror card stock mat and glued this to a white card base. I printed this sentiment on a piece of matte photo paper (still nice and reflective) using the Raustila font and die-cut that with a Circle Nesting die. I didn’t care for a white mat cut with the next size larger circle die, so I just die-cut 5 matching circles from white card stock and glued them all together for a subtle frame around the sentiment. A few HA Clear enamel dots help some of the bubbles, and the fish is mounted with thin foam tape. I think YOU are some-fin special!

I’m not finished yet…! I’m actually surprised this pun wasn’t included in our stamp set… it does seem perfectly obvious…

If you’re going to do “pearls just want to have fun” then why not go all in with “you go, pearl!” I couldn’t resist!! I stamped this vignette on Bristol Smooth card stock using a 4″ Gina K. designs Wreath Builder stencil. Those stencils and your trusty MISTY make short work out of precision stamping like this! After stamping, I printed the sentiment using my favorite Brady Bunch Remastered font. I colored all with my ZIG watercolor markers and die-cut the panel with a LFSRDie. I added a thin Black Glitter mat behind that and a thicker Yellow Metallic card stock mat (cut with another LFSRDie!) behind those and glued them all down to a white card base. All that’s left is a Pearl gem in the center!

I was thinking about different ways to use that mermaid stamp without having to color the whole thing, when I came upon the idea that no one has ever really seen a mermaid, so they must be adept at blending into their background…

I think this is SO INTERESTING!!! And I used something I have never used before – Pebeo drawing gum / liquid frisket – basically a paint-on mask! On a piece of Canson Multi Media card stock, I stamped the mermaid using the Mermaid Palette ink pad and embossed her with Clear embossing Powder. Then I painted the frisket over her fleshy parts and let that dry.

I ink smooshed the whole panel using the Palette ink pad and let that dry. Then I blended some Splash Reactive ink over the whole background through my water ripple stencil. When that was dry, I splattered some water droplets on the reactive inks and sopped them up with a paper towel. I stamped and clear embossed some bubbles, and stamped the sentiment with Grape Slush Reactive ink and clear embossed that too.

Then I wiped the frisket off her skin and colored her with my Zig markers. – That liquid mask came off so easily and kept all the ink off so well… I am definitely going to have to play with this Pebeo Drawing Gum some more! I die-cut the colored panel with a Rounded Rectangle Infinity die, and glued that to a Dark Blue Shimmer mat cut with the next size larger die and glued those to a white card base that had its corners rounded with my corner chompers. A few Clear Enamel dots highlight the sentiment. I love the whole idea behind this card and the mermaid came out magically ethereal with minimal coloring! One of a kind, indeed!!!

Okay… I do have one more pun for you this month… this seems like another obvious pun to me…!

I stamped one fish and reverse stamped the other on some Bristol Smooth card stock using a silicon mat and VersaFine Onyx Black ink. Here’s a quick look at my reverse stamping method:

I colored both fish with my TomBow markers and die-cut them with the matching die. I watercolored the background on a panel of Canson Multi Media card stock using TomBow markers, and when that was dry, I printed the sentiment using my Silhouette Software and the Black Jack font. I stamped the bubbles on the background and glittered everything up with some Sheer Shimmer Spritz.

I created the Card base using the largest HA Oval Infinity die and two pieces of White card stock – the top of the back piece is folded at a quarter of an inch and that flap is glued to the front piece. I used the next smaller Oval die to die-cut the colored panel and glued that to my card base. I attached the fish with foam tape and am totally thrilled with this oval shaped card – unique and colorful with a really good pun!

Using all these Hero Arts Infinity dies led me to my final card this month… MORE hair but LESS mermaid!!

I stamped the top half of our mermaid stamp on some Neenah Solar White card stock using Intense Black ink. I did have to wipe away the top of her tail to keep it from appearing on this stamping. Then it was easy to connect the hair lines where the missing tail was and I kept adding hair lines to the top of her head to fill in the whole circle. I colored her with my Spectrum Noir alcohol markers (TN4, TN6, TN7, BG5, BG7, BG9, PV1, PV4) using simple dots of color for her hair, and even added some sparkle to her hair with a GellyRoll Stardust glitter pen. I die-cut her out with a 2.75″ Circle Infinity die and added a 3″ die-cut white mat behind.

The background is an old background stamp from my stash stamped with Hickory Smoke Distress Oxide ink, die cut with a LFSRDie, matted to more TRUE Black mirror card stock and glued to a white card base. I trimmed the “you are” away from the “you are a pearl…” sentiment and stamped that with Intense Black ink and added the “Amazing” (from the MMH April ’22 Kit) die-cut from that Black Mirror card stock. Finally, I added the matted circles with some foam tape. I knew what I wanted to do with this card when I started, but I was actually taken a bit by surprise after die-cutting the stamp into a circle and realizing how much it looks like a perfectly retro Afro! There certainly aren’t any mermaids here…! This is truly some fun “out of the sea” stamping on this card… I hope you love it as much as I do!

That wraps up my 10 cards using the My Monthly Hero June 2022 Kit. I was certainly wary about coming up with 10 cards with what (at first glance) seems like a fairly limited batch of supplies, but I think I managed to get a nice variety!

I did use every stamp in this stamp set – except the “Hello ” and “Happy Birthday” sentiments (snore) and I used the Palette ink pad a great deal as well as a few of the dies and plenty of the Pearl gems. And LOTS of puns this month! Once I started working with this kit, the ideas started to flow and I am thrilled with some of the unique looks I achieved.

This kit is still available at Hero Arts! If I’ve caught your imagination or inspired some ideas of your own, and you’d like to grab a kit for yourself, please use my links when you go shopping at Hero Arts. It is supremely appreciated and it truly does help support this page! Thank you!!!

My Monthly Hero June 2022 Kit: https://shrsl.com/3kxmt

June 2022 MMH Kit additions: https://shrsl.com/3kxn4

Thank you so very much for sharing your time with me here… I am always appreciative of your attention! Please remember to Like me, List me, Pin me, Post me, Follow me, Friend me, Share me with all your crafty friends… don’t run with scissors… and I send you and yours Love and Light and Happy Crafting!

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Hello Folks! I’m just back from a lovely vacation on Cape Cod and have my 10 cards inspired by the My Monthly Hero May 2022 kit all ready to go! We’re moving into the kitchen this month with a unique kit featuring a Kitchen Cover Plate die, a cling background stamp grid, and lots of cooking and baking themed sentiments – including some puns!

For some reason, my mind immediately went to paper piecing as a fun way to colorize the Fancy Kitchen die. I do bemoan the fact that I think my Spectrum Noir Alcohol markers don’t have a small enough point to accurately color tiny little appliances, necessities and adornments, so, instead of coloring, I opted to paper-piece!

I do have to mention from the outset that I do not care for open shelving in a kitchen. They are a nightmare to keep clean – not to mention keeping everything stored on them clean – open shelving is just more countertops to clean! I guess that concept is reflected in my goal to get all my craft supplies stored away behind closed doors…! I do live in NYC… and it’s a dirty town…!!! And I am definitely NOT the most avid of dusters…! (Aye! There’s the rub!)

I thought it would be fun to play with a little dimension with this big kitchen die, so I die-cut it from a 4.25″ x 5.5″ 110# White card stock (the die does not cut the perimeter). I colored the handles and knobs on the toaster and coffee pot, and the knobs on 3 items on the top left shelf with a black gel pen. I colored the ‘cork’ on the purple bottle, the ‘spoon’ in the sugar bowl, and the stove ‘grates’ with a silver gel pen. Then I grabbed my collection of paper scraps, and it was s simple matter of putting small pieces of card stock behind the individual items on the die, then die-cutting and trimming them to glue on top of the original white die-cut. I just trimmed away the handles and knobs from the colored card stocks to expose the handles and knobs on the original layer. The pepper grinder, lid, bowl, and sugar bowl were cut from real wood sheets from my stash – love that detail! I did die-cut another hood from matching silver card stock and glued that to the original layer as well.

I die-cut another 4.25″ x 5.5″ complete kitchen from 110# White card stock, trimmed away the hood and everything on the shelves (and the ‘grates’ on the stove), and glued that to the original layer. I do think that helps the items on the shelves look like they are ON the shelves… again my obsessive need for layers with these cover plate dies! I die-cut the oven from some Mint pearlescent card stock from my stash, trimmed off the ‘grates’ and glued that on top. I die-cut and trimmed out six more drawers, glued them in place, and die-cut all the handles and knobs from silver card stock and glued those last pieces on top.

I stamped the cling stamp on an A2 card base using Hero Arts Contour ink to give us a subtle tile wall for the background, and stamped the sentiment using Hero Arts Intense Black ink. Finally, I glued the layered die cut assemblage on the front of the card base. I considered adding some shadows or other type of coloring to the paper-pieced objects, but decided that they were completely charming without any added fuss. The die details and layering were plenty! Surprisingly, the paper-piecing actually feels a little retro as well… perfect match!

I put that Cover Plate Fancy die to some hard labor with that first card… let’s do something with the cling stamp!

My paper-piecing groove is still going strong! You might think that I embossed the cling stamp on five different colors of card stock, then trimmed and attached them together… Oh, no… I had to make it more complicated. I trimmed five pieces of card stock to 15/16″ x 5.5″, taped them all together and THEN stamped (the Embossing and Watermark ink cube) and embossed (HA Fine Detail White Embossing powder) the cling stamp. I did trim the stripes to size with a Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle die and glued them to a 4″ x 5.25″ Pitch Black mat and then down to a White A2 card base.

I stamped and embossed the sentiment on a scrap of Pitch Black card stock, die-cut it with another LFSRdie, added a thin white mat and mounted that to the card front with foam tape. A few small primary colored crystals around the sentiment adds a little bling, and we have a colorful birthday greeting! I was really pleased that I managed to get that cling stamp lined up on the strips of card stock almost perfectly…! If you can cut consistent 15/16″ strips, then this is a pretty quick and easy card – in ANY color!!

Okay… back to that Kitchen die! One of the more unique items I have in my craft stash is Aluminum HVAC tape. Tape it to card stock and it embosses like a dream! I kept thinking of the diamond-plate walls in a professional kitchen…!

I wish my Aluminum Tape was wider than 2″… but since it’s not, I do have to take a little care in lining up the edges as cleanly as possible… And then just a simple diamond embossing using my Score-Pal gives us a nice diamond plate feel for our background. I die-cut the Cover Plate die and trimmed away all the shelves and glued that to the embossed background. I made cabinets to replace the shelves… 1″ wide by 2.25″ tall, glued them in the open corners and added doors cut an 1/8″ smaller. The pots and pans are paper-pieced just like the first card, I die-cut one more Cover Plate die and trimmed the shelves away and added that layer to set the cabinets back a touch. The hood and oven are die-cut from some Black Mirror card stock and glued in place, and the handles and knobs are die-cut from silver card stock and attached.

When we get a Cover Plate die in our MMH kit that has a specific orientation (this die is a ‘portrait’ orientation) I like to see if it’s possible to change the orientation of the die for some variety – can we use this die for a landscape card?

Sure!! With some simple partial die-cutting, and the fact that this die doesn’t cut the perimeter, it’s easy to add a couple lower cabinets to our kitchen. This is four layers of 110# White card stock cut to size and glued together with the extra cabinet piece(s) die-cut on top.The backsplash is cut from a piece of pattern paper from my stash and glued in place to the Pink card base, and lined with a couple Love From Lizi Peel Offs. the cabinets are glued in place, the bowl of apples and the cupcakes(?) are paper-pieced, the oven and hood cut from Rose Gold metallic card stock (an extra black hood glued behind the gold hood), and the handles and knobs are die-cut from the Black mirror card stock. The counter is just a strip of that thin wood sheet from my stash glued to the top edge of the cabinets.

We do have a “Bun in the oven” sentiment (and a ‘bun’ die-cut) so I figured we should do a congratulations card!

I stamped the Cling Stamp using the Embossing and Watermark ink on some white card stock and embossed that with the Cast Iron Embossing powder included in the kit. I colored the pink and blue spaces as randomly as possible with Spectrum Noir Alcohol markers and tried to keep the ratio the same between the pink and blue (no predictions, here)..! Using a LFSRDie I cut out the background, added a Pitch Black mat and glued those to a White card base.

The “congrats” is an old Lawn Fawn “Scripty Congrats” die cut from one piece of Pitch Black card stock, and one piece of Black Mirror card stock and glued together. I die-cut the oven three times – twice from 110# White and once from Silver card stock. I colored the stove ‘grates’ on the first white one, removed them from the second white one and the silver one, removed the oven door on the two white ones, and glued them all together. Yes… another opening oven here!

Okay… I need a little break from the kitchen… and I’m starting to yearn for some good old-fashioned white space…!

Ahhhhhh… A bit of fresh air! On a White card base (using the card stock included) I ink blended the sunburst using my own sunburst stencil and some Lemon Drop Reactive ink. I stamped the sentiment and embossed it with clear embossing powder. The pie is paper-pieced with Kraft card stock for the crust and Red metallic card stock for the filling – love that shine! I did manage a light touch of shading on the crust with alcohol markers. Great pun! Great White Space!

I turned the Cover Plate die on it’s side, what happens if I turn the Cling stamp on it’s side! I’m loving this one!

An old-school LED Audio Level Indicator! The Cling stamp is stamped with Intense Black ink on 110# White card stock and embossed with Clear embossing powder. I trimmed that in half and colored both panels with alcohol markers. There are only eight full rectangle rows on the stamp (and two half rows) so I added one of the half rectangle rows to the right side of one panel to give us nine columns (odd numbers are more visually appealing) (I know I’m crazy!). I trimmed the ‘indicators’ to size, added black mats behind both and a a Baby Blue mat to unite the two, and then a Black Mirror card stock mat behind all. I glue those to a white card base (included) at a jaunty angle and trimmed off the excess.

The “YOU” is stamped using the “You bake me happy” sentiment and embossed with clear embossing powder. The “ROCK” is die-cut once from Pitch Black card stock and once from the Black Mirror card stock using an old alpha die in my stash, and glued together for a little dimension. Add that text to the card front and we have a terrific encouragement card for almost any occasion… and especially suited to any audiophile on your list!

I’m still on my paper-piecing tear… and still looking for new ways to use this Cover Plate die… This card was inspired by one of the sentiments in our stamp set, and is yet another interesting way to use the cover plate die in this kit!

Once again, since this Cover Plate die doesn’t cut the edges, you can die-cut two kitchens back-to-back! I marked the center of a 4.25″ x 5.5″ panel of white card stock and lined up the left side of the die to the center – die-cut that – and then lined up the right side of the die to the left side of the panel and die cut that half. Of course, I got rid of the open shelving…! Some pattern paper from my stash provides the backgrounds for our two kitchens – both cut 2 1/8″ x 5.5″ and glued to another White card base. I paper-pieced everything in exactly the same fashion with the cabinets settling in at 1″ x 2″ and I fashioned a different “hood” for the wooden kitchen. I even added a piece of toast to the toaster! I realize this sentiment may be more applicable to a gift tag accompanying some delectable goodie than a card, but who says you can’t include a whole card with your kitchen treats!? I think this is the PERFECT illustration of this sentiment!

I haven’t use the Turkey Fancy Die yet… and wasn’t too keen on just shoving it into an oven – how bout more puns!?

Another double pun! And another Birthday card! the background is ink blended using Splash, Lemon Drop and Fruit Punch Reactive inks blended through an old Stampendous “Flourishes” metal stencil. You can see the green and orange bits where those terrific HA inks blend together. This is one of my favorite multi-purpose stencils in my stash! I trimmed that panel to 3.75″ x 5″ and glued it to a White A2 card base. I die-cut the turkey a few times from Kraft card stock (and silver tray) added some color with my alcohol markers, and layered all the pieces together for a bit of added dimension to the simple turkey die-cut.

I created the sentiment using my Silhouette software and the Huxley Vertical BT font for the “bird day” and Architect font for the “basted”. I printed the sentiment on a scrap of White card stock and die-cut it out with another LFSRDie and added it to the card front with foam tape. Another fun double-pun just begging for a roasted bird! A little Glaze Pen on that bird adds some juicy shine as well!

I used a lot of the Tim Holtz Metallic card stocks this month… I thought they worked especially well on the ovens…

Red, Blue, Orange and Black ovens for our last card. Each oven is die-cut twice – once from 110# white with the stove ‘grates’ colored in silver gel pen. And the second time in the metallic colors with the ‘grates’ cut off. The handles and knobs are die-cut from grey pearlescent card stock and glued in position. I split all the ovens in half and glued them in position with the black one in the center.

And just like that we’ve covered all 10 cards I created with the My Monthly Hero May 2022 Kit. I really enjoyed all the paper-piecing and that Kitchen Cover Plate die held up to some rigorous use! It is also really easy to convert the open shelving into cabinets if you don’t want all the fuss…! (and dust!) I used ten of the thirteen sentiments in the stamp set, I used all the White card stock and one of the Pink and part of a sheet of the Baby Blue. I didn’t make any foodie gift tags, so I didn’t use any of the bakers twine, but I did use all the dies and some of the embossing powder. Almost everything..!

Certainly a colorful bunch of cards! I think I gave this kit a good work-out and was actually impressed with the versatility of these stamps and dies! Always a good thing when you can stretch your supplies in a few directions…!

This kit is still available at Hero Arts… that surprises me..! If I’ve managed to give you some ideas or captured the closeted kitchen designer in you and you want to grab a kit for yourself, please use my following links! It is always supremely appreciated and it actually helps support this page!

My Monthly Hero May 2022 kit: http://shrsl.com/3iylq

My Monthly Hero May 2022 Collection: http://shrsl.com/3iylt

Thank you so very much for joining me here today! Your support continues to inspire me! Keep an eye out for a new video tour of my new craft cabinet set-up in our ever-evolving Office/Craft Room/Guest Room. You might be surprised at how much we can stuff in one little room…! Please remember to Like me, List me, Pin me, Post me, Share me with all your crafty friends… don’t run with scissors, and as always, I send you and yours Love and Light and Happy Crafting!

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Hello Folks! Scott here with this month’s 10 cards featuring the My Monthly Hero April 2022 Kit! We are back from the museum and tending to the garden with this kit featuring springtime flowers just in time for Mother’s Day!  This kit features a big 6″ x 6″ cling background stamp with flowers and bees. Three layering stencils make the coloring process easy; simply pair them with the inks and blending brush included in the kit, and you’ll quickly have cards in fresh spring colors. Combine the “amazing” word die with the mix and match messages in the stamp set for expressing thanks, celebrating birthdays, sending Mother’s Day greetings, and more. There are also 3 dies for highlighting select images from the background, and a sheet of enamel embellishments that complement the ink colors perfectly.

Obviously this is all about that big cling stamp. I figured I’d try coloring that stamp using a variety of different mediums. I’d stencil one as recommended, try some no-line watercoloring with one, maybe colored pencil on Kraft card stock for another. I recently got some new TomBow Dual Brush watercolor markers so let’s try those out on some Bristol Smooth card stock, and, of course, some simple gold on black embossing should work well! That might cover 10 cards!

This card is stamped on some Neenah Solar White 110# card stock using HA Intense Black ink and colored using the three stencils with the included inks and blending brush. I colored in the bees with my Spectrum Noir alcohol markers, die-cut the panel with a Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle die, and glued that to a white card base. I did add just a touch of light blue to the background using my Pebbles Chalks – light enough to tint the background but not interfere with the inking. I stamped the sentiment with Intense black ink on a scrap of card stock, embossed that with some Clear embossing powder, trimmed it to size and mounted it with foam tape. A few of the enamel dots add a touch of shine!

That is a really nice background cling stamp! So many options to color it with the stencils or by hand or just emboss it!

Gold on black is always a classy combination! I stamped this on some Pitch Black card stock with Embossing and Watermark ink and embossed it with HA Gold embossing powder. I did add a little white colored pencil to the flowers to soften the black just a touch. I cut out a 2 7/8″ square and added a 3″ square mat behind that for our centerpiece. The vertical band is cut to 1 3/4″ x 5 1/2″ and I added a thin (1 7/8″) mat before gluing them down to a white card base. I added two 1/4″ strips of Gold card stock down the sides and mounted the square with foam tape.

I die-cut the “Amazing” from the same gold card stock and the shadow from more Pitch Black card stock and glued them together and then down to the square. I stamped and embossed the sentiment on a scrap of Pitch Black, trimmed it to size, and mounted it with some foam tape. I just might use this one for my Mother’s Day card this year! Amazing!

I stamped the cling stamp on some watercolor paper using HA Contour ink and tried a little no-line watercoloring using my Gouache watercolors… I kept vacillating between wanting a soft, watercolor-y feel and my inherent desire to color everything realistic… and then I went and added black to the bees… big mistake… Let’s try the die-cuts on this one!

Okay… I think this is a fairly decent example of no-line watercoloring… This card grows on me every time I look at it! The leftmost flower is die-cut from the panel with the matching frame die, and I just fussy cut the other two flowers (and one extra leaf) to complete my arrangement. I added the flower centers using a black Pigma pen and a White gel pen. I used a blending brush to add a little Cotton Candy ink to a white card base, stamped and embossed the sentiment, and mounted the flowers with foam tape. A few of the enamel heart embellishments tie everything together and we have a nice flower-y Valentine!

I think this was my favorite coloring adventure with this cling stamp. Intense Black ink on Kraft card stock colored with my Prismacolor colored pencils.

Though the coloring took me about an hour, this one makes me quite happy! I stamped the cling stamp on a white card base with Contour ink lining up the left edge of the stamp to the left edge of the card front. That made it easy to trim off the left half (2.5″) of the colored Kraft panel and match it to the pattern on the card base. I stamped and embossed the sentiments in gold and die-cut the “Amazing” four times from Kraft card stock and glued them all together. I added some of the new Tim Holtz Gilded Foundry Wax to the bottom of the stacked die cuts and applied some heat for a shine that almost matches the gold embossing (in a “distressed” sort of way!). I die-cut the shadow from some 40# vellum, glued the “Amazing” on top of that and glued those flat to the card front. I love my colored pencils more every day!

I still have the other half of the colored pencil stamping and I’m not going to let that go to waste!

There was just over 3″ left of the colored pencil cling stamp so I split that in half (close!) and glued both panels to a white card base with a half inch gap between them. I stamped the sentiment using Walnut Stain Distress Oxide ink and embossed it with some Clear embossing powder. Some Love From Lizi Brown Mirror peel-offs edge the panels and add some terrific shine while a green enamel heart highlights the sentiment. If there can possibly be such a thing as a masculine card that features flowers, then I think this one just might foot the bill!

I also stamped a 4.5″ x 6″ piece of Bristol Smooth card stock with Intense black ink and used my new TomBow Dual Tip markers to do the coloring. The TomBow markers moved beautifully on the Bristol Smooth card stock and I was brave enough to go for some vibrant colors on this background.

Another Mother’s Day card with a bit of a riff on an eclipse card…! I die-cut the colored background with a 3.75″ x 5″ Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle die making sure I could die-cut the “Amazing” in the center without any purple flowers. I die-cut the word right from the center of the background, and added a 4″ x 5.25″ black mat behind the panel and glued both to a white card base. I die-cut the word shadow from more Pitch Black card stock, glued that to the back of “Amazing” and glued those back in place taking care to match up the background pattern. I stamped and embossed the sentiments on some scrap white card stock, trimmed them to size and added them to the card front with foam tape. I did experiment with vellum for the shadow but the busy pattern made it hard to read so I went with the black. Now I can’t decide which card to sent to Mom this Mother’s Day!

One of the sentiment stamps inspired this card. I’ve never done a legit 4Bar (A1) card before… this is 3 1/2″ x 4 7/8″.

Just a little card…! Cut your card base to 7″ x 4 7/8″ and score at 3 1/2″ to make a 4Bar card. I cut a piece of mustard yellow linen textured card stock to 4 1/2″ x 3 1/8″ and added a thin mat (4 5/8″ x 3 1/4″) using some Black mirror card stock. This is Tim Holtz Metalliques card stock and the black color has a slight purple-ish tint when reflecting the light just right. I glued those to the card base, stamped and embossed the sentiment, and die-cut the “Amazing” twice from Pitch Black card stock and once from the Black mirror card stock. I glued those three layers together and down to the card front. A few clear enamel dots anchors the sentiment, and this becomes all about that Fancy Word Die! Amazing!

I still have some of the gold on black background, and some of the watercolor background, but I thought I’d try using the stencils one more time… but this time without the stamp!

I was pleasantly surprised at how nice this turned out! I did take care to do some detailed ink blending – taping off areas on the main stencil to get three colors of flowers and a little dark to light ink blending. The yellow flowers are HA Lemon Drop Reactive ink and Wild Honey Distress Oxide ink. The Blue flowers are HA Splash and Blue Hawaii Reactive inks, and the pink flowers are Cotton Candy with a touch of Rose Madder. The leaves are just a couple layers the Green Apple ink. This is definitely worth the extra time devoted to detailing these stencils. I cut a 2 3/4″ strip of the background, matted that on a 3″ strip of Hero Hues Kiwi card stock and glued those to a White card base.

I stamped the sentiment using Blueprint Sketch Distress Oxide ink and embossed that with clear embossing powder. I die-cut this “special” die from my stash four times from some plain blue card stock, stacked and glued those together and added some light glitter to the top with a Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen. I guess I was getting a little tired of the “Amazing” die…! I glued the chunky “special” to the card front and I am completely taken by this soft spring-y card! I just might like this better without the stamping – especially those big flowers! They are really pretty like this!

I simply have to use the other half of that no-line stenciling – and there is enough left to do a Mini-Slimline card!

This is a standard 3 1/4″ x 6 1/4″ Slimline card. I cut the background to 2 3/4″ x 5 3/4″ and added a thin mat of Hero Hues Canary card stock and glued both to a White card base. I stamped the sentiment using Blue Hawaii Reactive ink and embossed that with some embossing powder. Who needs to be amazing when I am thankful that you simply exist?! This abbreviated sentiment really makes me giggle while also being slightly profound and a little bit thoughtful!

After all those busy backgrounds, I was starting to pine for some vast expanses of white space to let some air in!

I stamped the bees on scraps of Bristol Smooth card stock and colored them with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers and die-cut them all with the matching frame die. I ink blended a little ombre on some White card stock using Lemon Drop Reactive ink and Wild Honey Distress ink and die-cut the “Amazing” from that. I glued that to the shadow die-cut from more Pitch Black card stock and glued that to a white card base. I bent up the bees’ wings a little bit and mounted them on the card front with foam tape… looks like they’re all buzzing around…!

And that wrap up my 10 cards using the My Monthly Hero April 2022 Kit. The cling stamp is lovely and quite versatile… you could emboss that stamp in multiple colors for simple backgrounds or the stencils make it a breeze to color!

We have a bright colorful assortment of cards this month – I only used the “Amazing” die on five cards… the cling stamp got quite a workout from me appearing on all but one of my cards, and I had a great time playing around with different ways to color those flowers. And we even managed to get a little bit of a pun this month!

I hope I’ve managed to pique your imagination or inspire some fun coloring from you with this post. This kit is still available at Hero Arts…! If you’d like to grab one for yourself, please use my links listed below… it is always appreciated!

My Monthly Hero April 2022: http://shrsl.com/3hm9s

Hero Arts April 2022 Collection: http://shrsl.com/3hmg3

It was a bit of a push to get 10 cards out of this kit, but I think I managed a good variety of looks and I only doubled-up on that cling stamp twice…! I suppose I should always expect some flowers in our MMH Kits this time of year, and it was nice to get back to some basics after a couple months of uncommonly “artistic” offerings!

On a personal note… we did install all the IKEA cabinets around the desk/bed in our Office/Guest Room/Craft Room this month! I will put together a quick tour of our cabinet install and a little look at the new organization in my craft room as soon as possible, so.. Stay Tuned!!

Thank you so very much for sharing your time with me here! Please remember to Like me, List me, Pin me, Post me, Share me with all your crafty friends… and remember… don’t run with scissors! I send you and yours Spring Blessings, Warm Hugs, and Happy Crafting!

DISCLOSURE: This site contains some affiliate links to products. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links (at no cost to you). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you!

Hello Folks! Scott here with a new 10 Cards 1 Kit video featuring the March 2022 My Monthly Hero Kit. Looks like we’re going to the Art Museum this month! I suppose all the Surrealist art last month, was just a harbinger of more art!

I couldn’t wait to die-cut this window die… in fact, I figured I’d start by using almost everything in the kit!

I die-cut the cover plate die using 110# card stock and did a second die-cut of the patrons and floor in the same White card stock. It was easy to trim out the patrons, bench and floor from the die cut, and I glued those on top of the original (full) die cut – that gives them both a touch of dimension and pulls them away from the painting. I stamped the bigger splatter stamp with the Embossing ink cube and embossed it with the Purple embossing powder. I stamped and embossed the smaller splatter using the Goldenrod powder. I thought those looked great together, so I trimmed the stamped piece to size and glued it behind the frame.

The more I looked at this card the more I realized that the two-color splatter needed some help… but I had already glued the “painting” to the frame. Aha! I grabbed a Versamarker pen and added the Orange (looks red to me!) and the Blue embossing powders with a little freehand splatter drawing. That filled in our art piece perfectly. And those four colors go together brilliantly.

So lets see how many pieces of art we can come up with using this kit… I think a better picture frame may be called for!

Well! This is inherently more dramatic than the first card. I die-cut the cover plate die using some 110# Neenah Solar White card stock and started coloring the frame with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers. That’s all okay… but of course I couldn’t color the thin strips on the edges without making a mess… so I colored the inner thin “mat” the same as the frame, and ended up completely trimming away the outer thin edge.

I die-cut two more pairs of patrons (w/bench), stacked them together and glued them in place on the card front and added touches of shading with a light grey alcohol marker (on the floor as well) I stamped and embossed the big splatter stamps in Orange (red) and Goldenrod, and the smaller splatter in the Blue and Purple on some Pitch Black card stock.. I do think the more colors the merrier…! Go ahead and fill up that space! I glued the “painting” in the frame, trimmed the die cut panel to 4 1/8″ x 5 3/8, and glued that to a 4.25″ x 5.5″ panel of Pitch Black card stock. That gives us the black outline on the frame!. I reached for some Love From Lizi Black peel-offs from my stash to line the inner edges of the frame as well.

How about some other colors of embossing powders? I have some fun colors in my stash… let’s experiment!

This “painting” embosses the big splatter with HA Red and Yellow Prisma embossing powders, and the smaller splatter is HA Green Gold (MMH 11/18 kit) embossing powder. The Yellow Prisma (from the MMH 12/20 kit) is a bit translucent and adds a little sparkle as well! The cover plate is die-cut from some Grey card stock and I cut a second pair of patrons from slightly darker grey card stock and added some shading on them with my alcohol markers and glued them in place. Everything is glued down to a Grey card base. I stamped the sentiment on a scrap of matching Grey card stock using Intense Black ink and embossed that with some clear embossing powder. I fussy-cut the sentiment and added it to the front of this card with some foam tape. I think those splatter stamps will work with any colors you’d like!

That’s a good idea… let’s get away from embossing and do some good old-fashioned stamping!

Now ANYONE can make a splatter painting! When I first moved away from my hometown, (1,000 miles away..!) money was tight and in order to communicate with hometown friends, (way before computers and smart phones) I’d grab a sheet of poster board at the drug store and use whatever paints were available (yes, even house paint) to do a big splatter painting covering the whole poster board. When the paint dried, I cut the poster board apart into postcard-sized pieces and would get a bunch of “original art” postcards for very little money! I used Arteza acrylic paints for this splatter art…

I used similar colors to the embossing powder we got in the kit to splatter paint this art on a piece of the thin canvas texture paper. I did add a little gold ink splatter as well…! The great thing about splatter painting is you can let the splatters fall where they may (to coin a phrase) or you can get a little controlling and paint your splatter on dot by dot..!

Cover plate-die cut from 110# Neenah card stock, the frame is also die-cut from some textured grey card stock in my stash, then trimmed away and glued over the white frame. I noticed a lot of folks on the inter-webs were coloring their museum patrons so I thought I should color at least one couple – I die-cut and trimmed out the pair two times, colored one layer with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers, and glued all three layers together on the card front. I’m not very thrilled with that… the patrons seem to compete a little with the art…! However, I think the size of the splatters on this “art” feels a little more in line with the scale of the frame and the patrons. I think it has a nice Jackson Pollock feel!

Of course you don’t have to use the cover plate die to use the splatter stamps. One advantage to these stamps is you can create something seemingly random in no time at all! These stamps should come in handy for some arty backgrounds.

This is stamped and embossed with Peony Purple embossing powder (from Love From Lizi) on Pitch Black card stock and the sentiment is embossed in white. That panel is die-cut with a Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle die (3.25 x 4.5), glued to a thin white mat and then to another black mat cut with a LFSRdie (3.75″ x 5″) and glued to a white card base. Now here’s a hot pink I can actually live with! Nice touch of purple in there!

Due to the simple fact that we have a “You’re a Masterpiece” sentiment meant I HAD to do one of these cards…

I created my own frame for this card using two HA Infinity Square dies cut from some textured grey card stock and then filled in with my new plastic mirror sheets – I’m loving those mirror sheets! I die-cut and trimmed away the patrons and the floor from 110# card stock, added two more 110# layer of patrons and bench, and slipped my framed mirror in behind them. That left me with enough space to stamp the sentiment over the “painting”. HELLO!! You can see how nicely that plastic mirror works! This one seemed a little like a no-brainer to me… and I LOVE it!

When was the last time you were searching for something on the internet and this suddenly comes up on your screen:

In the context of an Art Museum this tickles me SO MUCH! I don’t think you can get any simpler and say quite so much!

That card got me to thinking about the new ways we interact with art – especially in the last couple of years…!

This is my Black counterpoint to my previous White card! I do love the simplicity of this! And the QR Code works too! Cover plate die-cut from Pitch Black Card stock – the QR Code and sentiment were printed on the canvas texture paper and all is glued to a white card base. The gold frame highlights are Love From Lizi peel-offs again – clear with gold outlines – those thin black pinstripes are SO classy! The patrons are die-cut and trimmed out of more gray card stock and highlighted using HA Sea Salt reactive ink applied with micro-applicator brushes. Let me know if you decide to take the plunge and follow the QR Code! I hope so!

As you can tell, I was die-cutting A LOT of “patrons with bench” for this batch of cards. In an effort to conserve card stock, I would cut them out of either end of a 4.25″ x 5.5″ panel of card stock using partial die-cutting to preserve the second half of the panel. Without planning for this at all, I suddenly got a panel that was double cut PERFECTLY.

This one was a complete surprise for me, but when I saw it, I knew I had to make a card from it! Now, granted, you could view any of the splatter paintings right-side-up or upside-down, but my “staircase to nowhere in two directions” card from last month was still fresh in my mind, so I naturally thought of MC Escher! This, of course, is probably his most famous piece – “Relativity” with staircases goin in all directions as well as the people traversing them. And some Silver Love From Lizi peel-offs give some perfect definition to the frame

And just like that, we have wrapped up all 10 of my cards created using the My Monthly Hero March 2022 Kit. Those splatter stamps are perfect stash-builders, and the cover plate die is just as versatile and I’m sure will get lots of use!

It kind of looks like I went into a deep depression as I worked on this card kit… everything’s bright and colorful to begin with, but it soon devolves into blacks whites and grays! I promise I’m okay! I think this is a terrific set of encouragement cards with a couple thoughtful notes along the way! It’s been a long time since I’ve had all ten cards from a kit all in the same portrait orientation! I do really like keeping the museum patrons monochromatic and really focusing on whatever art you might like to showcase! I did consider using many different images as the “art” on these cards – from last months’ Dali rip-off to my colored City Cling stamp from the December kit, to actual pieces of recognizable art – how about a card with the Mona Lisa that says “Smile” on the inside!! The possibilities are almost endless! I easily used all the stamps in this kit as well as all the embossing powders… and I gave that die quite a work-out!

This kit is still available at Hero Arts! I hope I was able to inspire the artist in you and give you some fun ideas on how to use these stamps and dies! If you’re ready to start framing your artwork, and want to grab a kit for yourself, please use my links when you order from Hero Arts. It helps support this channel and keeps me stocked with paper! Thank you!!

My Monthly Hero March 2022: https://shrsl.com/3fic3

Hero Arts March 2022 Release: http://shrsl.com/3ficc

Thank you so very much for sharing your time with me here! I hope I was able to bring a smile to your lips and share a little inspiration as well. Please remember to Like me, List me, Pin me, Post me, Share me with all your crafty friends (and enemies!) remember don’t run with scissors… and I send you and yours love and laughter, warm days and restful nights, and as always… Happy Crafting!

DISCLOSURE: This site contains some affiliate links to products. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links (at no cost to you). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you!

Hello Folks! Scott here with another 10 Cards 1 Kit post featuring the My Monthly Hero February 2022 Kit. This kit is inspired by the art of the Surrealist masters and the magical imagery of dreams. We have stamps reminiscent of the surrealist artists Dali and Magritte with lots of dream-y sentiments and assorted bits and pieces.

Though I am pretty familiar with some of the Surrealist Masters – my Alma Mater has an original 30′ x 50′ Joan Miro mosaic decorating the front of the art museum – and I once did a children’s show exploring the art of Magritte – I was a little intimidated at the prospect of making 10 cards with this kit. I figured the DS watercolors were a good place to start.

I took a half sheet of the Black Watercolor paper and painted some spacey cosmos using the DS Dream Dot card. I did use some Permanent White Gouache from my stash to get some brighter highlights and spatter in some stars. The pearlescent watercolors on the Dot card worked quite well on the black watercolor paper!

I stamped the door on a 110# White card stock A2 panel in the middle of the upper portion and colored it with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers. I thought I would just put the night sky in the open doorway (in place of the stamped clouds) but decided that the cosmos should come through the door and towards us. I fussy-cut the door out and continued the cut from the door opening to the bottom corners of the panel.

I took a matching A2 card panel and masked off the bottom ‘floor’ portion and ink blended that with HA Berry Smoothie Reactive ink and a little Vintage Photo Distress oxide ink at the seam, reversed the mask and ink blended the sky with Broken China Distress Oxide ink with a little more Berry Smoothie at the seam. I spattered the background with some water for a little reactive texture, and I took the cut-away (negative) portion of the door and used that to cut the opening in the background leaving a little extra around the doorway to glue the fussy-cut door onto.

I die-cut the ink blended background with a Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle Die and glued that to the water colored galaxy panel and trimmed all the edges to match. I added a plain Black mat behind the assembled backgrounds and glued all to a White A2 card base. Then it was a simple matter of gluing the fussy-cut door in place. I did add some thin foam tape to the right edge of the door for a little touch of dimension.

I stamped the sentiment on a scrap of Black card stock with HA Embossing and Watermark ink and embossed that with fine White Embossing powder. When it was cool, I fussy-cut the sentiment and added it to the card front with some foam tape. Something was missing, so I stamped, colored and fussy-cut the apple from the stamp set and added that with some foam tape in the middle of the doorway. That’s what we needed here… a little something to focus on… and the apple helps reinforce the “seeds” aspect of the sentiment. This feels pretty surrealist to me!

I noticed that the melting sky stamp was the same width as the umbrella, so I decided to pair them up with this card.

On some Bristol Smooth card stock, I stamped the umbrella and melting sky together using HA Intense Black ink and colored them with my Zig Real Brush markers. The moon is painted with the DS Iridescent Gold. I did some partial die-cutting on both the ‘sky’ (not cutting the top edge) and the umbrella (not cutting the bottom) to make the two images a single piece.

I grabbed an old Darice Cloud embossing folder and added Broken China ink to the background side of the folder using a brayer and ran that through my die cutting machine for our background. I was very pleased a how using a brayer really helped me get a fairly even layer of ink on that embossing folder! I cut that panel down to 4″ x 5.25″, added a thin black mat and glued those to a White A2 card base. I added the umbrella piece with some foam tape.

I st amped the sentiment on a scrap of white card stock and, using a MFT Mini Cloud Edges stencil, sketched a cloud outline around the sentiment, fussy-cut that out and mounted that to the card front with more foam tape. If you notice, this sentiment is not in the stamp set. I cut apart the “beautiful things await you” and the “you’re magical” sentiments to come up with “magical things await you” which seems a little bit more appropriate for this card! Fun!

I was enjoying the Black watercolor paper in our kit and thought I’d try one more bit of spacey cosmos for this next card.

I painted another cosmos on the Black Watercolor paper using the DS dot card and a little Permanent White Gouache. This is a little more subtle that the galaxy on the first card. I die-cut that cosmos with a LFSRdie, added a thin white mat and a thin black mat and foam-taped those to a background made from the Altenew Galaxy Washi Tape and die-cut with another LFSRdie. The four layers are glued to a White A2 card base.

I stamped the ribboned moon and the eye on some Bristol Smooth card stock and colored them with my Zig markers. I fussy-cut the moon and die-cut the eye, gluing the eye flat to the card front and adding the moon with foam tape. (there’s some tiny slivers of foam tape behind those trailing ribbons!) I stamped and embossed the sentiment directly on the watercolor background… the iridescent paints do not provide the best surface for embossing – probably a little too slick – but I was able to get a decent embossing after several tries. I wasn’t too sure about the “surrealist” thoughts behind the ribbon-wrapped crescent moon, but I thought adding the eye pulled them both into the same surrealist realm. I love the eye and the moon together!

The staircase stamp caught my eye, and I could only think about M.C. Escher and his never-ending staircases. Now, Escher was probably considered more of an existentialist than a surrealist, but I thought this was perfectly appropriate!

I stamped the staircase(s) on some Stonehenge card stock (very easy to match up the bottom of the steps), then masked around the top opening and stamped the clouds from the door stamp inside the opening. I colored this with my Prismacolor colored pencils and stamped the sentiment with Intense black ink. I die-cut that panel with a LFSRdie, added a thin black mat and glued them down to a White A2 card base. I thought this was the perfect marriage of image and sentiment! I did use a White gel pen for some stars in the galaxy, and this card feels very M.C. Escher-like! I did consider stamping the sentiment upside down as well so the card could be read from any direction..!

As long as we’re talking about artists, I started thinking about one of Magritte’s most famous paintings “The Treachery of Images” which features a painting of a pipe and the words “ceci n’est pas un pipe” or “this is not a pipe”.

We didn’t have a pipe stamp in our set, but we did have this bowler hat which Magritte used in some of his paintings, so I figured a chapeau would have to suffice! I stamped the hat on Bristol Smooth card stock and colored it with Zig markers and fussy-cut it out. I printed this sentiment on a scrap of Ivory card stock using my Silhouette software and the Arabella font, die-cut that with another LFSRdie, inked the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Oxide ink, and die-cut a frame from a scrap of Brown card stock. I looked through my patterned paper for some appropriate background paper and finally found this “art-y” background in my image files. I printed that on more of the Ivory card stock, trimmed it to 3.75″ x 5.5″, ink blended the top and bottom edges and glued that to a White card base. I added the frame and sentiment pieces with foam tape and mounted the hat with foam tape as well.

I turned my attention to the window stamp for this next card. This is one of the more truly versatile stamps in this kit.

I spent way too much time on this card… this is actually the third background I created for these three windows… a galaxy background didn’t work, nor did an ink-smooshed background…! Finally I just stamped a big sweep of stars across the card front. I stamped the windows on Bristol Smooth card stock and colored them with my Zig markers and fussy-cut them out. I started trying to color the stars in the windows but some of them are so small I wasn’t having much luck with coloring them… so I reached for a Lawn Fawn Starry Skies die which just happens to have stars (and dots) perfectly sized for the stars in this kit. I die-cut a bunch of stars from some silver holographic card stock and glued those over the stamped stars on the background and in the windows.

Now the stars were thicker than the window frames so I stamped six more windows, fussy-cut them and their panes out, glued two together and glued a pair on top of each of the painted stamps. That helps the stars recede a bit and gives our windows some real dimension! I colored the fish to match the windows, die-cut them with the matching dies and glued them to the card front. I stamped the sentiment with Intense Black ink and mounted the windows with foam tape. I really like the white on this card… it really makes those windows pop and the holographic stars are extra sparkly!

I was at a bit of a loss over what to do with the butterfly covered oval frame (mirror?) in our stamp set. There’s the Alice in Wonderland sentiment but I don’t really equate Alice with surrealism (and I do happen to have a dynamite Alice in Wonderland stamp set that has this same quote!). After careful consideration, I realized I could fussy-cut a number of those butterflies away from the stamping and possibly make this a ‘real’ mirror!

A Mini Slimline size seemed appropriate for this card! I stamped the frame on Bristol Smooth card stock and colored the fame with my Zig markers. I die-cut the whole mirror with the coordinating die and fussy cut the opening deleting five butterflies and leaving the two that were touching the frame. I stamped, colored and fussy-cut the single butterfly and glued it to the frame to round out the few butterflies that were left. I used some flexible plastic mirror in the opening which actually gives a terrific reflection – you can see me (and a touch of my phone) in the mirror!

This is a 3″ x 6″ Mini Slimline card – a 6′ x 6″ white card base scored at 3″. I took my homemade sunburst stencil and ink blended a little HA Lemon Drop Reactive ink in the middle and added a touch of shiny highlights with the DS iridescent gold watercolor paint. This sentiment is stamped using the cut away portions of the sentiments I used to make the umbrella card – perfect for a card where you can actually see yourself!! I like this plastic mirror stuff… great reflection without the distortion some mirrored card stocks have. And I DO think you are ALL beautiful!!

I haven’t used the door stamp with the clouds yet, so I thought the “have a beautiful day” sentiment would work well.

On a piece of plain grey card stock, I ink blended the clouds using the MFT Mini Cloud Edges stencil and Hickory Smoke Distress oxide ink. I cut that pane to 4″ x 5.25″, added a thin orange mat and glued those to a white card base. I stamped and embossed the sentiment with White embossing powder. I stamped the door using Intense Black ink on some Bristol Smooth card stock and colored it with my Zig markers. I fussy-cut the door (no white borders please!) and added it to the card front with foam tape. Looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day out there!!

I had an idea for that melting sky stamp and thought it would be another fun image to color with my colored pencils.

I stamped the melting sky in the center of an A2 panel of Stonehenge White card stock and sketched a couple of lines from the end of that stamp to the top corners of the panel. I stamped more stars in the triangle (and more by the moon) and colored all with my Prismacolor colored pencils. I LOVE how well colored pencils work with the Stonehenge card stock. When all was colored, I cut that panel to 3.75″ x 5″. I cut another panel of plain white card stock to the same dimensions, laid it over the colored panel and lined up the matching die with the colored image in the back. I partially die-cut the plain white panel (not cutting the top) and extended the two sides of the die-cut straight up to the top of the panel.

I created this sentiment (gotta love Carl Sagan!) using my Silhouette software, the Goudy Old Style Font and the Arabella font. I had to print that sentiment before I roll the edges! I glued the colored panel to a Black Glitter mat and then down to a White card base. I rolled the edges of the front panel to match the angle of the coloring and glued that on top of the colored panel. I did glue the rolled edges down as well.

You may notice that I haven’t used the melting clock stamp yet – that is patterned directly after Dali’s “The Persistence of Memory”, so… I chose to throw caution to the wind and try my hand at a full-on surrealist painting…!

I stamped everything using Intense Black ink on some watercolor paper. I sketched in a horizon line (matching the top step) and added the box for the clock to lay on. You may notice I also added 3 more steps to the bottom of the staircase. All of this is water colored with the DS dot card included in this kit. I have to admit I was a little intimidated when I started water coloring the first layer over all these large spaces – but I just took my time and added layer upon layer till I achieved the desired effect. I am loving this! I added the perfect Shakespearean quote on the front using my piggy-back printing method and the same two fonts. Those are really good matches to the fonts in the stamp set!

And that wraps up my 10 Cards created using the My Monthly Hero February 2022 Kit. I was a little flummoxed with this kit at first, but after digging in and working with everything, I came to appreciate the quirky nature displayed here.

I tried to stay true to the surrealist nature of this kit, and I think everything but the mirror sticks close to the theme. I guess all of these cards are basically kind of encouragement cards… I did manage to use every stamp in the stamp set with the exception of the Alice in Wonderland quote. WOO-HOO! It seems I spent most of my time with the water color dot card, Zig markers and colored pencils – certainly a colorful bunch of cards! There are a number of versatile stamps in this set – the window, umbrella, hat, eye, apple, etc. that can be used on a variety of different layouts. Truly a unique batch of cards from a very imaginative kit!

This Kit is still available at Hero Arts – including a bunch of featured products curated to go match this kit. If I have managed to capture your imagination or inspired you with some new ideas and you’d like to grab a kit for yourself, please use my links when you go shopping at Hero Arts. It is always appreciated and truly helps support this page! Thank you!

My Monthly Hero February 2022: http://shrsl.com/3eas2

Hero Arts February 2022 Featured Products: http://shrsl.com/3eayn

Thank you so much for sharing your time with me here… It is always a pleasure to be able to share some ideas and a few smiles with you. If you aren’t a follower of this page please consider adding your email to the follow link at the top of this page, and remember to Like me, List me, Pin me, Post me, Share me with all your crafty friends, don’t run with scissors… and I send you and yours all my best wishes for beautiful dreams, pleasant awakenings and Happy Crafting!

DISCLOSURE: This site contains some affiliate links to products. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links (at no cost to you). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you!

Hello dear folks! Scott here with my 10 cards inspired by the MMH January 2022 kit. According to the Hero Arts website, this kit was “inspired by a visit to Paris and the locks left by lovers and dreamers on the bridges there.” Hmm. I guess they are referring to Pont des Arts which is arguably the most popular “love lock” bridge in the world. Nice! Though I do understand you can no longer add a “love lock” on Pont des Arts due to the architectural danger that all the added weight could actually compromise the bridge… in fact, Paris has had to remove a number of the locks on Pont des Arts already. And though we have a key and keyhole in this kit, we don’t get any locks… those are in the add-ons…!

The focal point of this kit is a gorgeous cover plate die with ornate detail surrounding a keyhole. It can be used alone or layered over any number of beautiful scenes. The 6″ x 8″ stamp set includes a lovely Color Layering stamp set featuring a rope swing covered in inviting greenery. There are also ink cubes which work well with the stamps (Green Apple Reactive, Key Lime Fizz Reactive, Taffy Reactive and Cup O’ Joe dye ink). We get three coordinating frame cuts and a Key Fancy die, and the kit is rounded out with some iridescent red gems. We have some nice sentiments in the stamp set that could be used for valentine wishes or simple friendship and encouragement cards.

I wasn’t thrilled with this bi-colored image, so I thought I’d see if I could get a little more flowers going on in this tree… I’m still stuck on the notion of a wisteria!

This branch and swing is stamped with Cocoa and Cup O’ Joe ink (alas, too close in color to show much detail). The solid greenery is stamped with Taffy, and the detail foliage is stamped with the Green Apple. Now, that’s quite interesting! Almost starting to feel like a wisteria to me! The Green Apple ink got very dark on top of the Taffy ink… I didn’t allow the Taffy ink much time to dry… perhaps if I had, the Green Apple might have stayed lighter? I used the matching frame dies to die-cut the branch and swing.

I ink blended Lemon Drop, Key Lime Fizz and Green Apple reactive inks on a 4″x 5.25″ panel of White card stock, and sprinkled some water droplets on top for a little added texture. The sentiment is from the Hero Arts Many Everyday Messages Stamp set, stamped with Caramel and Cup O’ Joe inks and embossed with Clear Embossing powder. That panel is glued to an A2 card base, the swing is glued to the back of the branch, and the combined die-cuts are added using foam tape. I didn’t think any of this kit’s sentiments really embellished this image… nothing seems quite so lonely to me than an empty swing… this is one of my favorite “miss you” sentiment stamps… it’s gotten a lot of use lately…!

The Cover Plate Keyhole die is beautifully ornate, with hearts, vines and leaf embellishments. Fortunately, Santa was pretty good to me this year and I have some new Metallic Gilding Polish to experiment and play with!

I die-cut the Keyhole from a piece of Pitch Black card stock, and top-coated the die-cut with Creative Expressions Metallic Gilding Polish in Silver Dream, Gold Treasure, and Rich Red. That gilding polish is quite fun, and really brings a metallic look to the die cut! I die-cut the key twice from more Pitch Black card stock, glued them together and used the gold and silver polish on the top. I started out with a black keyhole, but that seemed too flat with this metallic die-cut, so I finally settled upon a piece of Silver mirror card stock behind the keyhole.

I stamped (Watermark and Embossing ink) and embossed (Gold Embossing powder) the sentiment on more Pitch Black card stock and fussy cut around the sentiment. I glued all down to a White A2 card base, glued the key to the center and added the sentiment with some thin foam tape. Those Gilding Polishes are kind of stunning and so easy to use, and add a real sense of antiqued metal to this cover plate die. And the hearts in the die cut are more than enough to carry this sentiment!

Let’s get back to the layering stamps and try stamping them as intended. But you know me…!

I thought this mirror stamping worked quite well! This branch is stamped in HA Sand Stone ink and the detail branch stamped in Cup O’ Joe. The solid foliage is stamped with Key Lime Fizz with Green Apple for the detail. I stamped this all on an A2 card panel using my MISTI, and just rotated the card stock ninety degrees to stamp the branch in the same spot on the top and bottom. I stamped the butterflies in Taffy and added a little detail with a Pigma Micron pen.

I ink blended the Taffy on the edges of the panel and stamped the sentiment with Green Apple ink before embossing it with some clear embossing powder. I die cut the panel with a Rounded Rectangle Infinity die and glued it down to a White card base. A few of the iridescent red gems highlight the sentiment. This feels like a big green hug to me!

I was also the pleased recipient of a bunch of different colors of Sizzix Texture Rolls this Christmas! These are kind of like leather paper… you can get them wet and distress and crinkle and emboss and die-cut and it just won’t tear!

I took a piece of Rose Gold Texture roll cut to 4″ x 5.25″ and crumpled it up and twisted it around and tried to give it as many creases as possible. Then I ran it through my die-cutting machine to flatten it all out, and then ran it through with a We R Memory Keepers Next Level Heart Embossing folder (unavailable anymore). Love those puffy hearts! And that texture roll does look like leather and holds that embossing perfectly! I added a thin black mat behind and glued both to a White A2 card base.

I die-cut the Keyhole along with the Key in the center from Pitch Black card stock, added Gilding Polish to the key and the heart, and inlaid those back into the Keyhole. I die-cut another Keyhole from normal Rose Gold card stock and cut away the keyhole frame. I inlaid the black Keyhole/Key with the Rose Gold frame and added the whole assemblage to the card front with thin foam tape. The sentiment is stamped on more black card stock and embossed with Silver Embossing powder, trimmed down to size and mounted with foam tape. I thought this was a nice way to illustrate this sentiment.

I try to remember to make Slimline cards part of my 10 Cards videos and I thought this was a fun encouragement card.

This is a standard 3.5″ x 8.5″ Slimline card. I cut a panel of white card stock to 3″ x 8″ and one blended the background with Key Lime Fizz, Green Apple, and Splash reactive ink. I stamped the branch with Sand Stone and Caramel ink and the foliage with Lemon Drop and Creamsicle ink. The falling petals are a stamp from the MMH March 2020 kit. I like using this layering stamp as autumn leaves! I stamped the stones with Hickory Smoke Distress oxide ink and added a little detail with Black Soot Distress Oxide ink. I drew in a touch of a shadow under each stone with a Light Grey Zig Watercolor marker. I also stamped the tufts of grass using the Green Apple ink.

I masked out the seat of the swing and stamped it with Cup O’ Joe ink and then drew in the “rope” lines with a Brown Pigma Micron pen – along with the help of a T-square ruler! I printed this sentiment on the front panel using my Silhouette software and the Shorelines Script Bold font. The thought of swinging on this rope swing gives me a little tough of vertigo, so this sentiment seemed like the perfect fit. Very unique encouragement card!

Since this kit encouraged us to make some Valentine’s, I thought I would try a heart shaped card just for the season!

I am very pleased with the results! The branches are Sand Stone and Caramel ink, the foliage is Lemon Drop and Green Apple. The right end of the branch is stamped on the left side of the heart and the left side of the branch is stamped on the right side of the heart – I did mask off the end of the branch on the right stamping and filled in the missing foliage with some disposable micro applicators and the matching inks. I stamped the sentiments with Fruit Punch Reactive ink and embossed them with Clear Embossing powder. I also added a little blue to the sky using my Pebbles Chalk Pallet. I do find those chalks are terrific when I want to add some soft colors to a background that’s already been stamped. Finally, I die-cut the stamped panel with the largest HA Infinity Heart die.

I took the same die to a folded A2 card base and die-cut the heart card base by not cutting the very top of the heart on the two sides. Then, when I glued the inked heart to the front of the card base, the card hinge is hidden. Now I had the challenge of finding flowers for this bountiful bower. I couldn’t find any die-cuts in my stash that were tiny enough to work with these trees, but finally remembered I have an American Crafts Knock Outs border punch that punches out tiny hearts. Those would work perfectly! I punched out a number of hears from some red glitter card stock and glued the hearts upside-down on the greenery. I did trim a couple hearts to appear as if they are partially behind the branch, and covered as much real estate as I thought plausible! Lastly, I trimmed off a little of the point on the back panel of the card so it will stand up for display. I really like this! The sentiments work perfectly arranged together like this, the flowers add just the right pop of color and sparkle, and a shaped card is always fun! Happy Valentine’s Day!

The “You Make Me Smile” sentiment made me think of one thing… a shaker card always makes me smile! Back to the Keyhole die again, but this time I wanted to try some pearlescent watercolors on black card stock.

This feels very Folk Art to me! I die-cut the Cover Plate die from 4.25″ x 5.5″ Pitch Black card stock and used my Yasutomo Pearlescent Watercolors to paint all the details. This is an extremely inexpensive set of pearlescent watercolors and I think they work terrifically well! Plenty of color on top of this black card stock! I stamped and Gold embossed the sentiment on a scrap of black card stock glued to the front of a White card base. I added a piece of acetate behind the keyhole, added a double layer of foam tape behind the whole card front, added some colorful sequins in the opening, and glued it all together. Maybe shaker cards engender smiles because we still identify with a child’s rattle!!

Okay… I have used this pun before (it’s been a few years) but I simply couldn’t resist!

I die cut this key two times from some distressed Silver Sizzix Texture Roll and glued both die-cuts together. That looks an awful lot like a metal key! The background is an image file that I had in my stash which I printed out with the sentiment in the Brady Bunch Remastered font. I trimmed the background down to 3.25″ x 4.5″, added a black mat and glued those to a White card base.

I have to admit, the conceit of looking through a keyhole, bugs me a little… makes me feel like I’m eavesdropping on someone or something… but I did keep imagining the possibility of seeing the cosmos through the keyhole.

I just happen to have these two Altenew Wide Washi tapes in my stash. I kept going back and forth over which one to use in the keyhole when I realized it would be fun to use BOTH of them together. This reminds me of the opening to The Twilight Zone!! I used the Galaxy Washi Tape to cover the front of an A2 card base. I covered a scrap of White card stock with the Watercolor Nebula Washi Tape and die cut the keyhole from that. I went back and forth over what color to use to frame this card, and finally settled on simple White – it matches the stars on the washiest tapes! The outer frame is cut twice from two LFSRdies, and the keyhole frame is cut twice and glued together for a touch of dimension. The sentiment is printed on some scrap White card stock using the Copperplate Gothic Light font, and die-cut (twice!) with a LF Everyday Sentiment Banners die. I glued the two banners together and glued all down flat to the card base. Talk about an expansive encouragement card!

Now I haven’t actually used the Cover plate die and the layering stamps together yet… How about a fun-fold card?

I die-cut the Cover plate die from some of my new Gold Sizzix Texture roll and covered the front with VersaFine Onyx Black ink. I let that dry for a bit and then took a dry rag and buffed off a lot of the black ink leaving this nicely antiqued finish on the front. I think this one looks the most like real metal. I die-cut the keyhole from some White card stock and ink blended some Splash ink for the sky. I stamped the branch a couple of times using Sand Stone and Caramel ink, and stamped the foliage with Lemon Drop and Fruit Punch Reactive inks. I added a few floating leaves using the stamp from the March 2020 kit and stamped the birds using a stamp from the MMH July 2019 kit. Inviting!

I took a gate-fold card base (5.5″ x 8.5″ scored at 2 1/8″ and 6 3/8″) and did a light ink blending of Splash ink on the left gate fold, and glued the gold cover plate die on top of the left gate fold. I cut another piece of white card stock to 4 1/8″ x 5 1/2″, fussy-cut the keyhole opening in the center and glued that behind the cover plate die and the left gate fold. I closed up the card and glued the stamped keyhole piece to the exposed left gate fold. An interlocking gate-fold! That was fun!

I stamped the sentiment on the inside using Intense Black ink and added one of my leftover gold hearts from the Key Fancy die. This is a friendly, thoughtful card with an inviting image behind the keyhole, and a fun interlocking gate-fold design. I grew to love this layering stamp set and the giant keyhole Cover Plate die is certainly unique and ornate!

That wraps up my 10 cards 1 kit post featuring the My Monthly Hero January 2020 kit. I think we have a pretty good variety of cards this month – and I did manage to use every stamp except the “hello” sentiment.

That cover plate die gives us a wide range of uses, and a Fancy Key die is always handy (though I don’t believe I’ve ever lost my keys)! I do like the ease of trimming away the keyhole frame from the cover plate die, and the layering stamps can be used in a variety of ways. I really like them stamped in autumnal colors. All in all a very useful stash builder!

This kit is still available at Hero Arts! If I’ve managed to catch your eye or spark your imagination, I would suggest grabbing a kit for yourself! When you do go shopping at Hero Arts, please use my links! It helps support this channel and is always supremely appreciated!

My Monthly Hero January 2020 Kit: https://shrsl.com/3cr31

Hero Arts: https://shrsl.com/38def

Thank you so very much for sharing some time with me today! I am always thrilled to hear from you and hope I have provided you with a little inspiration and maybe a few smiles! Please remember to Like me, List me, Pin me, Post me, Share me with all your crafty friends, don’t run with scissors, and I send you and yours my best wishes for a healthy, harmonious New Year, featuring lots of love and laughs, and, as always, Happy Crafting!

DISCLOSURE: This site contains some affiliate links to products. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links (at no cost to you). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you!

Hello Folks! So nice to be here and share my 10 card creations using the My Monthly Hero December 2021 kit.

That is an amazing cityscape cling stamp and the cover plate die is absolutely stunning. As a city dweller, I really appreciate this kit – I don’t have anything quite like it in my stash! Let’s go to town! (pun intended!)

Naturally I started with the Cling stamp and the cover plate die! I stamped and embossed the cling stamp on Pitch Black card stock with HA Embossing and Watermark ink and HA White Detail embossing powder. I die cut the cover plate die three times from some 110# white card stock and glued those layers together. I ink blended the top of my A2 White card base using the included Reactive inks, and stamped the sentiment with HA Intense Black ink and embossed it with some Clear Embossing powder. I fussy-cut the top edge of the cling stamp and trimmed it down to glue on top of my card base. I added the stacked die-cuts on top of that and we have a fun “reverse silhouette” card. That city stamp is incredibly detailed and I have to admit I LOVE this cover plate die!

I just happened to have a piece of Pearlescent Blue card stock hanging out on my desk… that inspired this card.

That die works perfectly well all on it’s own! I covered an A2 White card base with the Pearlescent blue card stock and embossed the sentiment with HA embossing ink and Fine Detail White embossing powder. The die is cut twice from that Pitch Black card stock (I swear this is the absolute BEST black card stock out there – LOVE IT!) and the two pieces glued together before gluing them to the card front. Some Nuvo Simply White Crystal Drops on the die-cut ‘lights’ brings another touch of white to our card and pulls it all together. Love the beautifully detailed embossed sentiment and the simple shimmery sky on this card! And I think the Nuvo Drop “lights” really make this card pop!

I also love the fact that the Cover plate die doesn’t have a square outline frame cut – that presents us with LOTS of possibilities! Top of my list was the possibility of a Slimline card that might enhance the vertical aspects of a city.

This is an 8.5″ x 3.5″ Slimline card (8.5″ x 7″ white card base). For some reason, I was totally enamored with the “guy leaning on his fire escape” portion of the cover plate die. So I die-cut the cover plate die in the middle of one of the Pitch Black card stock sheets, and fussy-cut all the extraneous bits away to leave me with just the one fire-escape on a long black edge.

I stamped the cling stamp on a piece of plain grey card stock using Intense Black ink, fussy-cut the top edge, trimmed it to 2.5″ wide, and ink blended some Pumice Stone Distress Ink from the bottom edge. I took another 2.5″ piece of the same grey card stock and ink blended the Berry Smoothie ink along the top where it will show behind the city stamp. I glued both grey pieces together to make a 7.5″ background and added some thin foam squares behind the fussy-cut edge. I glued that to a 3″ x 8″ Pitch Black mat and glued those to center of the card front. I stamped the sentiment with Intense Black ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder.

I mounted the die-cut piece on the card front using foam tape (double thick behind the fire escape) and now we have what appears to be a little context for why our character is gazing out over the rooftops…! Maybe it’s that graceful arch under the fire escape that I am so enamored with… LOVE the sense of height this card conveys!

I thought of another way to give our gent something tangible to be gazing at… yet another way to trim out this die!

I took two HA Square Infinity dies (3.25″ and 3″) taped them together to die-cut two Pitch Black frames. I ink blended a 3.25″ square of white card stock with the included inks and glued one frame to the background. I die-cut another cover plate die from Pitch Black card stock and fussy cut the two occupied fire escapes leaving just enough of an edge to glue to the frame. I stamped and embossed the sentiment as usual, and added a few birds (from the MMH April ’19 kit) to help round out this “meet cute” vignette.

I’ve been neglecting the rest of the stamps in our stamp set, and, though I have every intention of coloring that City Cling stamp, I am still putting that apparently immense chore on the back burner… Maybe just ONE house!

And here we have a Mini-Slimline card! This card is 3.25″ x 6.25″. I stamped, colored and fussy-cut one of the houses from the bottom of the cling stamp on white card stock using Intense black ink, and colored it with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers. Using the Infinity Square dies, I cut a 2″ square from white card stock and a 2.25″ square from Kraft card stock and glued them together.

Some of the sentiments in this stamp set were more oriented towards friendship – this makes sense to me!

I stamped and embossed the silhouettes and sentiment as usual on a scrap of white card stock and die-cut it with a 2.25″ Hero Arts Infinity Circle die. I die-cut the next three larger circle dies from more white card stock and the fourth circle from Pitch Black card stock. I ink blend the three middle circles with the inks form the kit, glued them all together and down to an A2 card base. I rounded the corners of my card base with my Corner Chomper and we get a nicely colorful and graphic friendship card!

We have another set of silhouette stamps in our set with our cat and dog in profile – basically looking at each other.

A fun vignette using the cling stamp and another friendly sentiment! I stamped the cling stamp on three shades of purple card stock from my stash (Recollections (Michael’s) Purple Passion Card Stock Pack) using the Berry Smoothie Reactive ink, fussy-cut the front and middle layers and ink blended more Berry Smoothie on the bottoms of the middle and top panels. I lined those panels up together and die-cut them all with a Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle die. I glued all the layers together with thin foam tape along the fussy cut edges and stamped the silhouettes with Intense black ink, and stamped and embossed the sentiment as usual.

I took two of the Stitched Rectangle dies taped together and cut two frames from Pitch Black card stock and glued them together before gluing everything down to a White A2 card base. I really like this little scene… THROUGH IT ALL (the big, crowded, scary city) I’m here for you (dog and cat). This makes me smile..!

I was looking at that cover plate die and trying to figure out if there was yet another way to cut it that I hadn’t thought of.

Some partial die-cutting gave me this terrific landscape die cut using just the top third of the die – I stopped the die-cut right at the top of the seated woman’s head and then hand cut the bottom edge of the frame. I ink smooshed the background using the inks from the kit – keeping the smooshing fairly light, and glued that behind my die-cut. I stamped and embossed the sentiment as usual, and added a dark purple mat. I also added a couple of “racing stripes” to the top left and bottom right when I glued everything to a White A2 card base. Some tiny yellow gems brings some sparkle (and light) to this scene, and again, I LOVE that guy on his fire escape! You CAN use that die on a landscape card!

You may know that one of my goals with these kits is to try to use every stamp in our stamp set… that’s eight cards already and I haven’t really spent much time with the stamps… Let’s remedy that now!

Eight stamps used on one “congrats on your new home” card! I stamped the two flower arrangements on the left in a repeating pattern on top of my White A2 card base, and colored them with my Zig markers. I stamped the repeating sentiments on the right with Intense Black ink, stamped and embossed the key stamp with Silver embossing powder, stamped the heart with Fruit Punch Reactive ink and embossed the hearts with clear embossing powder. I stamped the speech bubble on scraps of Pitch Black card stock, embossed those with Detail White embossing powder and die-cut three with the matching die. I mounted those with foam tape and added two tiny little keys (from the MMH September 2019 kit) to finish out the pattern. A couple of Red Glitter peel-offs pull this card together and add a little more sparkle! This would be the perfect card to accompany a gift of a potted plant to someone moving into a new home! Very graphic!

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you probably saw the post of my watercolored City background cling stamp.

Oh my heaven’s I love this! This took me three evenings to paint this stamp (using my giant Daniel Smith watercolor dot card (thank you, Pat) and my Zig watercolor markers for fine details) and I believe it was worth every minute I spent! I’m particularly proud of the stained glass on the church, and the big picture windows (and awning!) on the shops in the lower center. Initially, I thought that I could simply cut this in half and make two cards from it, but I was extremely hesitant to chop this up in any way. Not after I spent so much time coloring it! I solved that problem with this card.

Joel is the one who actually suggested the possibility of using the entire image on the inside of a card… and I realized that by simply folding the 6″ x 6″ panel in half, it would give me a Mini-Slimline card! Fortunately, the back of my watercolor card stock was nice and clean (no idea how I managed that!) so I stamped the left side of the cling stamp on the right side of the back of the image using HA Contour ink – the lightest grey ink I have in my stash. I found this Thoreau quote on-line and printed it over the stamping using my Silhouette software and the Lucida Grande font. My piggy-back printing method helps my printer (Canon Pixma MX922) handle this 140# watercolor card stock with no problem! Then it was a simple task to score and fold the watercolor card stock to make a 3″ x 6″ Mini-Slimline card!

“I’m so lucky to have you” is the absolute PERFECT sentiment to go along with the Thoreau quote from the front of the card. I cut the “”in my life” portion away from that stamp and stamped the remaining sentiment on a scrap of White card stock using Intense black ink, and stamped the heart with Fruit Punch ink. I trimmed that to 3″ x 5/8″ and fussy-cut the right edge of the heart to make this simple pop-up greeting. I folded the strip at the center of the heart and 1/4″ from the end of the right side (that leaves us 1/2″ from the center of the heart to the 1/4″ fold.) and folded a 1/2″ from the left end of the strip. The 1/2″ fold on the left gets glued to the left side of the card at the fold, and the right 1/4″ fold is glued down at the appropriate space on the right side. I absolutely love this card!

(I actually scanned this painted scene into my computer before assembling this card… now it’ll always be in my stash!)

And that completes my 10 Cards 1 Kit post featuring the My Monthly Hero December 2021 Kit! When I first looked at this kit, I was a little concerned that there was enough variety here to make 10 cards, but soon discovered how versatile the cover plate die and cling stamp are!

I LOVE that cover plate die and the City Cling stamp! There are lots of moving / new house / welcome to the neighborhood sentiments that will prove very useful in the long run, and I love the fun variety of cards this month. A couple of Mini-Slimline cards, a full size Slimline card, friendship, miss you, welcome cards in a fun variety of colors, sizes and styles!

This kit is still available at Hero Arts! If I’ve managed to catch your eye or your imagination, I would grab a kit for yourself before they are all sold out. Please use my links when you do go shopping at Hero Arts! It is supremely appreciated and helps keep this channel alive and kicking!

My Monthly Hero December 2021 Kit: http://shrsl.com/3b8zs

Hero Arts: https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=855179&u=1697228&m=65361&urllink=&afftrack=

I must take this time to offer you all my love and supreme appreciation for your support and encouragement. I have pared my postings back a little this fall, and am touched by your patience and humor. It’s not getting any easier at work here in NYC, but we are healthy and safe and looking forward to the holidays! I send you and yours my most sincere wishes for a delightful holiday and hope you can spend time with your families and friends and all the people who are important to you! Remember, YOU are important to me, and I”m send everyone Best Wishes for a thrilling New Year!

DISCLOSURE: This site contains some affiliate links to products. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links (at no cost to you). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you!

Hello Folks! Scott here with a fun batch of cards created with the new My Monthly Hero kit for November 2021. It wasn’t surprising that his character-building set sold out so quickly… another unique kit from Hero Arts with real versatility!

My goal is ten cards… I’m not much of a decorative tag person, so I’ll look at some fun ways to make cards with this kit! A snowman seems like the perfect place to start!

Is this snowman adorable or what!? I do enjoy paper-piecing, and these dies are perfect for that! The head is cut from White card stock, and I cut a smaller oval of black to glue behind that for the eyes. I die-cut the hat from Pitch Black card stock, the hat band from red card stock, and just hand-cut a couple thin White strips for the highlight. I cut away the tag loop on the top of the hat, glued the hat to the top of his head, and added the Holly decoration cut from a blue-green and red card stock.

I die-cut the scarf from some pattern paper, and cut a second one in a different orientation to give the top wrap of the scarf some distinct definition from the tails of the scarf. That works really nice… it also helps that I took a black marker to the cut edges of the scarf. I free-hand cut the carrot and glued that in place and added two pink “eyes” to his cheeks for some blush! White gel pen highlights his eyes, and we have a dapper snowman with a coy little smile!

I die-cut some HA Arctic card stock with a Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle die and stamped the sentiment using Hero Hues Blue Hawaii Reactive ink and embossed that with some clear embossing powder. I glued that to a Snow card base from the kit, added my snowman with foam tape and embellished the card with some HA Mini Clay Snowflakes. Nothing particularly fancy or labor-intensive, but this is SO CUTE! Surely an indication of the other characters too!

Santa has got to be next on the list!

OH YES! Just as cute as the snowman! Pink head, red hat (and nose)(tag loop trimmed away), white trim and beard, and another smaller black oval glued behind the head for the eyes. I took a Versa-Marker pen and drew in some sketchy swirls in Santa’s beard and the trim on his hat, and used the White Puff embossing powder to add some fun texture. I think that White Puff embossing powder works better when used sparingly instead of trying to use it to coat something completely. Really nice texture from that!

I die-cut the background from Black Tie Glitter card stock from my stash and a frame from the White Glitter card stock in the kit using an old LDRS Fancy Rectangles and Layers die. I stamped the sentiments on a Snow card base using Intense Black ink and embossed them with clear embossing powder. I glued the frame in place and added Santa with some foam tape. A little white gel pen for the highlights in his eyes, and some glitter on his hat using a Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen and Santa is ready to spread some love around! Love the die-cut details on his beard and his mustache!

Let’s tackle the Elf next! He actually has some hair and ears and a collar and a hat!

Head and hair/ears cut from some textured beige card stock, hair/ears cut from textured brown card stock, ears trimmed away and hair glued on the beige piece. Black oval cut for eyes and glued behind the head. Hat and collar cut from plain green and dark green card stock (I trimmed the tag loop away again), and paper-pieced together. Pink nose from the Santa die-cut. I did cut out the jingle bell at the tip of the hat from some silver mylar sheets I had laying around. I glued everything together and added a White gel pen highlight to his eyes, and used some Pebbles Chalk to add a little blush to his cheeks!

I stamped the polka-dot pattern on opposite corners of a 4.25″ x 5.5″ panel of white card stock using Candied Apple Distress Oxide ink, and die-cut that panel with a LFSRD and added a thin red mat behind that. I glued those to a Snow card base and mounted the elf with foam tape. Those points on his hat and collar were begging for some extra embellishment, so I added silver crystals to all the points. I stamped the sentiment on a scrap of White card stock with Lucky Clover Distress Oxide ink, embossed that with clear embossing powder, and die-cut it with a HA nesting oval die. I added the sentiment with foam tape and used a few red crystals to pull everything together. Love his pointed ears!

One more character to go… the Reindeer! So clever to have a “muzzle” die to change the whole shape of the head!

Head and ears/antlers cut from plain brown card stock with a smaller black oval glued behind for the eyes (and the tag loop trimmed away). I die-cut the ears from some pink card stock and fussy cut the bottom edges and glued the pink to the center of the ears, and glued the whole piece to the back of the head. The muzzle is cut from textured beige card stock, the nose from red, the scarf from blue-green card stock and the holly cut from plain green and red. Everything is paper-pieced and glued together. I did use the Sparkle Lacquer pen on his nose – lots of sparkle there!

The oval frame is cut from Dark-Brown textured card stock using a HA Oval Woodgrain Frames Infinity die and backed that with more Hero Hues Arctic card stock. I stamped the sentiment on the Snow card base using Walnut Stain Distress Oxide ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder. Then I glued my frame flat to the card front and added our reindeer with foam tape. More white gel pen highlights for his eyes and our cute reindeer is complete. I seriously was thinking of this as a portrait of a beloved reindeer, but soon realized that it kind of looks like his head has been mounted on someone’s wall! Truly not intended but it does makes me giggle! A good card for your favorite hunter?

I was seeing so many of the HA designers and followers using felt to make these characters, but I don’t have any felt in my stash. I did remembered that I have some Inkadinkado Flocking Powder in my stash. I bought this stuff on sale a long time ago and never spent any real time figuring out how to work with it. I figured this was as good a chance as any!

I fiddled around with that flocking powder for a while and finally arrived at some really great results. 1. You do want to flock on matching colored card stock. 2. I used Scor-tape as my adhesive – since the powder is SO fine, it will transfer any glue textures or irregularities directly into the flocking. 3. Instead of sprinkling the powder on to the Scor-tape, I dumped out a little powder on some wax paper and pressed (fairly hard) the adhesive into the powder. Once everything was adequately covered, I used a semi-stiff paintbrush to brush the excess away. Santa’s hat is completely flocked and, though you may not be able to see it in the picture, it is really nice and even and I can’t help but touch it! Excellent fuzzy flocking texture…! Now that I know how to use it, I will certainly be using it to add more fun texture to other cards!

This Santa is die-cut and assembled just the same as my first card with the addition of the flocking on the hat. And his nose is not quite so red here…!

I stamped the striped pattern on the center of a Snow card base using Candied Apple Distress Oxide ink, and added some large snowflake sequins to the sides of the card front. Finally, I attach the ornament to the card front using ZOTZ removable clear glue dots – they hold the ornament securely, but can be removed quite easily! This is my favorite way to include a decorative ornament along with a lovely card. No tags needed! And I am loving that flocking!

Naturally, I have to try that flocking on the one truly furry character in our kit – the reindeer!

The head die-cut from dark brown card stock and flocked (I didn’t flock where the muzzle would be glued on). Antlers / ears cut from dark brown card stock with scor-tape on the front. I removed the liner paper from the outside of the ears by fussy-cutting the liner away from the antlers and the insides of the ears. I flocked the ears in dark brown, brushed away the excess, removed the liner paper from the center of the ears and flocked those with some pink embossing powder. I cut one more set of antlers from brown card stock and glued those on top of the flocked ears piece, and glued the whole assembly behind the reindeer’s head. I think you can actually SEE the flocking in this picture! Very furry!

I die-cut the muzzle from pain brown card stock and cut the nose from some red card stock and (of course) flocked the nose before gluing it to the muzzle. I die-cut the scarf (twice from more pattern paper (I LOVE that there are Santa’s on his scarf), and glued all the head pieces together. The background is three Hero Arts Wood Frame Infinity dies all cut together from some Auburn pearl card stock and glued to a blue-green mat and then down to the Snow card base with a little jaunty angle.

I printed this sentiment on a scrap of white card stock using the Lucida Bright font, die-cut that with a HA Nesting Oval die, did a little ink blending on the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Oxide ink, and attached the sentiment and reindeer to the card front with foam tape. A couple of tiny copper gems add a little sparkle to the sentiment. And what about those eyes!? His eyes are the dark brown die-cuts from his head with drawn-in black pupils. I just put a piece of scrap white card stock behind his eye openings, and glued the eyeballs (just the eyeballs) to the white card stock. When dry, you can move the white card stock around behind the eye holes to make your character look in almost any direction! And a dot of white gel pen highlights his eyes and brings this fuzzy fellow right to life!

Wouldn’t you know it… I actually found a little White felt in my stash – crappy acrylic felt, but felt nonetheless!

This one seemed like a no-brainer for me! I glued a piece of my white felt to a piece of white card stock using more Scor-tape, and die-cut the head from the felt. I did add a light touch of pink chalk on his cheeks. I put scor-tape on the front of some Pitch Black card stock and flocked the hat (minus the band) with black. I die-cut the band from a practice piece of red flocking, and cut the white highlights from the white felt and glued those to the hat. I even flocked his carrot nose with orange flocking powder (it came in the set!). For his eyes, I clear embossed some Pitch Black card stock and die-cut his eyes from that – very shiny but still begging for some white gel pen highlights! I cut out a “collar” by hand, and tied a bow tie with some 1/4″ ribbon. I made the cane (about 3/8″ wide x 4.25″ long) with black glitter card stock and the white glitter card stock in the kit for the tips.

On a panel of Hero Hues Nautical card stock, I Deco-Foiled a simple snow stencil using transfer gel, Silver Shattered Glass foil and my laminating machine. I trimmed that panel down to 3.75″ x 5″ and added a Brushed Silver mat before gluing this to a Snow Card base. I printed the sentiment (Lucida Bright font) on a scrap of white card stock and die-cut it with a HA Circle Infinity die. The sentiment, cane and snowman are all attached to the card front with foam tape. I do think I actually like the flocking better than I like the felt! Fun and quite theatrical!!

I did have an interesting idea about maybe using Santa’s beard for something else… how about Mrs. Claus’ hair?

This makes me smile! Their heads are die-cut from that same beige textured card stock (Mrs. Claus is the back (smoother) side) and Pebbles chalk for their blush again. The hat and collar (part of the scarf die) are cut from Red Glitter card stock, and all the white pieces are cut from the card stock-backed white felt. That cheap felt was a little difficult to die-cut, but I love the detail it retained. I trimmed Mrs. Claus’ hair/beard from the smile to the sides for a smooth hairline, and rounded all the points into gentle curls. I colored white eyeballs with alcohol markers, added black pupils and white highlights for their eyes. The holly is accented with red gem berries, and I added some eyelashes and eyebrows to Mrs. Claus with a pencil.

The sentiment is printed on more Arctic card stock die-cut with a LFSRdie and matted on more Red Glitter card stock. That is glued to another Snow card base and the happy couple is mounted with foam tape. More Clay snowflakes add a little more embellishment, and this is a terrific Christmas card for a special loved one! You almost can’t tell that Mrs. Claus’ hair is actually Santa’s beard!

I was eager to try and get a little ethnicity going on at least one card this month. These kids worked perfectly!

Round off the elf’s pointed ears and they’re just normal kids! Very basic paper-piecing here, but I did do some partial die-cutting on the brown hair with the beard die – that works just as good as Mrs’ Claus’ hair! The packages are stamped with the pattern stamps using Candied Apple Distress Oxide ink and die cut with HA Square Infinity dies. I glued two squares together for each present so I could actually tie the ribbons around them. Sentiments are stamped with Intense Black ink and embossed with clear embossing powder on some old snowflake pattern paper which is die-cut with a LFSRD and glued to a Snow Card base. The kids and the presents are mounted with foam tape, and, since this is about “not peeking” I did do the fancy eyes for both! Darn near adorable!!

The simple fact that the Reindeer ears/antlers die were connected by a band inspired this wacky card from me.

Heaven knows my family is not above donning some silly reindeer antlers over the holidays! This whole character is die-cut from 80# Ninah Solar White card stock and colored with my Spectrum Noir alcohol markers. I partially die-cut the antlers and continued the “band” following the outline of the head. I added some brown baker’s twine for the chin tie and rounded this chap’s ears as well. The reindeer nose makes this fellow super-silly but it kinda grows on you!!

That wraps up my 10 cards using the My Monthly Hero November 2021 Kit. Already! Boy, that was fast! I think I could keep playing with these character dies all season! It seems like the possibilities are truly endless! I didn’t even get into much ornament or tag making..!

I did manage to use every die in this kit but didn’t use every single sentiment stamp. I used all the Snow card stock, a little of the lacquer pen and White Puff embossing powder and even a small piece of the baker’s twine. All in all, I think I gave this kit a pretty good work-out! Everything is pretty Christmas-y, but I think that’s the point this month!

And yet again, we have a My Monthly Hero Kit that sells out almost instantly! Hero Arts releases the My Monthly Hero Kits on the first Monday of each month, so if you’re hesitant to become a subscriber, at least subscribe to the Hero Arts blog for sneak peeks and that all important Kit Reveal!

Thank you so much for sharing your time with me here today! You inspire me and I hope I continue to inspire you! Remember to Like me, List me, Pin me, Post me, Share me with all your friends… don’t run with scissors… and I send you best wishes for a happy, healthy and hilarious holiday with your family and friends! And as always, Happy Crafting!

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