Thankful for Hero Arts + Happy New Year Card

Once my curiosity for the crafting world was ignited in 2009, my search for inspiration has always been endless. I remember sometimes going to the craft store and spending time there, looking at the stamps and thinking of all the things that I could create with them. It was at Archivers where I saw Hero Arts stamps for the very first time, and I fell in love with them. As you can imagine, I became a fan of them. I started checking out their blog everyday, and of course, I also started participating in their challenges. I recall the first time I was one of the winners of a generous prize with this card:

OMG! I was so excited! I might of had a big smile for days or weeks. I thought of how fortunate the talented team members were to be part of the Hero Arts family and how nice it would be to be one of them (sigh). Obviously, I continued participating, and every single time I received a prize, the happy dance certainly took place in my house 🙂

Anyways, I don’t like to brag about this, but two of my cards were selected to be on the cover of Paper Crafts Magazines back in 2011, and I used Hero Arts products on them (Peacock Card (left) & Butterfly Card (right). I loved that!  Some other cards were also selected for other issues using Hero Arts products as well.

The prizes, the publications, and the joy of doing something that I really like, kept feeding my love for card making. One of my favorite cards that wasn’t intended for any publication is this one:

I have to confess that in 2014 I was a little bit unmotivated. My mojo was down, and I had reached that point when you ask yourself if you should keep creating. I have always thought that when you wish with your heart, things come true. I was at that stage, when I received an email from sweet Libby Hickson, to invite me to be part of the Hero Arts Creative Team. The happy dance started again! I felt so honored to received such an unexpected and amazing invitation.

This was a great incentive for me to continue on the path of creativity! I am so grateful for Hero Arts, and for all their help, guidance and trust that they have had in me. I loved that my cards have been included in many of their catalogs (including covers) and besides that, they even gave me the chance to select a couple of color combinations with my name on them!

Color Layering Bird and Branch Bundle

For two years it has been a pleasure to work with the Hero Arts Creative Team members, and learn from them too. All these ladies have always amazed me with such a great talent that they have. I love their different styles and creations.

I know every card maker has a different story, but I can say that it’s always a good motivation to have access to different sources of inspiration,  that makes you want to create more and more. I have belonged to different design teams along the way, always grateful to have the time to help these companies to showcase and promote their products. However, I am a firm believer that changes are good. Sometimes you don’t have a choice but some others, you do. Since last September, I took the opportunity to become a part timer as a crew member of  Fun Stampers Journey and I have committed to work exclusively for their brand. Today, my term with Hero Arts has come to an end. This is bitter sweet.  The Hero Arts family will always remain in my heart and will have my gratitude. I am very thankful for having had the chance to work with them.

Definitely, I can not conclude this post without sharing another Hero Arts card featuring one of the My Monthly Hero of December add-on products called Happy New Year Stamp and Cut.

Please be sure to see who the new Hero Arts team members are… I can say that Hero has chosen right. These ladies are very talented, so I am sure they will make the HA products shine even more. Click >>>HERE<<< to meet them.

So I hope 2017 brings to all of us the chance to fulfill all of our new year’s resolutions, as well as love, health and prosperity.

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Thanks for stopping by 🙂 Have a wonderful crafty 2017!

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Today’s Card: Christmas Wishes

This is the time of the year that I start  gathering the Christmas cards that I have made so far, in order so send them to my friends. In past years, I have selected a card design that I really like and I have mass-produced it. Well,  for the last couple of years I have been busier than normal,  so I have opted for sending only  the cards that I have. I like selecting the cards I believe my friends would like, and then I write a few lines for each of them. Anyway, today I am sharing a simple card that I made using some Hero Arts products.

To create the background I used the Calendar Bold Prints stamp using Unicorn Pigment Ink over a Blush Mix Layering paper panel. I adhered this panel over a card base.

To create the main panel, I used a very pretty  stamp set  called Vintage Christmas Wishes. I simply stamped the images using different colors of ink over a Snow Layering paper panel (Moss Hybrid Ink, Caramel Hybrid Ink, Soft Granite Shadow Ink, and Intense Black ink). Then, I tied a Bakers twine bow, and I matted the panel with Kraft card stock. I adhered the panel over the card base, and after that,  I simply embellished the card with gemstones, sequins and  Glossy Accents.

Hopefully this year I can send my cards by the end of the second week of December. How about you? Do you like to make different designs  or only one? Are you still in the process of making your Holiday cards?

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Well, that’s all from me for today, I’ll be back soon to share another project.

Thanks for stopping by:) Have a wonderful crafty rest of the  week!

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Today’s Card: Happy Haunting

Hi! Here is a little card that I created showcasing some fabulous products by Hero Arts.

Round cards are fun, they are super easy to make and they can perfectly fit in a square envelope.

To create front and back of my card, I used the Circle Infinity dies along with Aubergine Layering Paper (Floral Mixed).  Then, I die cut a smaller circle from Poppy Layering Paper (Sunshine Mixed). To make the color a bit brighter, I applied Dandelion and Tangerine Hybrid Inks  with the help of a sponge dauber over the circle panel.  Additionally, I used one of the Add-On products from the last MMH release called  Star Confetti Fancy Die  to die cut a Black Layering panel . After that, I die cut  again  the black panel into a circle. I layered the yellow and black panel over the card base. I want to point out that I love the Infinity dies set  because it includes  many different sizes of circles, eighteen total!

Next, I simply stamped the cute ghosts and sentiment from the Kelly’s Spooktacular set with Intense Black ink onto a piece of Snow Layering Paper.  I colored the sentiment with a purple Copic Marker, and I fussy cut all the pieces. I adhered them over the card with foam tape. To finish off the card, I added Glossy accents details along with Glitter and gemstones.

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Well, that’s all from me for today, I’ll be back soon to share another project.

Thanks for stopping by:) Have a wonderful crafty rest of the  week!

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HA 2016 Planner Catalog Blog Hop

Hello and welcome!

Today I am joining the launch of the Hero Arts 2016 Planner Catalog! This catalog is full of fun designs by both Hero Arts and talented Kelly Purkey! There is a a lot of great stuff to make planning fun, as well as to use it on cards and other projects! The products have been shipping to retailers for a couple weeks now, so you may have seen them out and about. But this blog hop marks the launch in the Hero Arts online store.

I created a few projects for the catalog, and I had a lot of fun mixing and matching different stamp sets to decorate some planner pages. This is not as difficult as it seems.  I promise!  You can make your planner pages as simple or as complex as you wish, and there is not such a thing as making mistakes!

The other thing that you can do with this type of stamps, is that you can use them to make cards as well as other projects (tags, notes, etc.)

To create the card above, I used the Calendar Bold Prints stamp to create the background over a Snow Layering Panel. I adhered it over a card base. Then, I used one of the dies included in the Everything Smiles Stamp & Cut set, to create the text bubbles. I used three different colors of Layering Papers and I stamped a”hello” sentiment with Intense Black ink. This sentiment is from another set called: Fun Day Planner.

I adhered three pieces of decorative tape over the card, and then I arranged the text bubbles. Additionally, I stamped some Emoji Icons over Snow Layering Paper. The Emoji Icons come in a Mini Tube, and they are one of my favorite HA products! I colored them with Copics, and I make them into a circle with a punch. I adhered the emojis over the card and I embellished the card with some enamel dots.

Hero Arts will be giving away three $25 shopping sprees, drawn from comments left across all blogs in the hop. Please comment by Wednesday, October 19 at 11:59pm PT and Hero will announce the winner the following week. Here is the list of participant blogs:

The Hero Arts Blog
Kelly Purkey
Jennifer McGuire
Yana Smakula
May Sukyong Park
you are here>>>Mariana Grigsby<<<you are here
Amy Tsuruta
Amy Tan
Wanda Guess
Lydia Fiedler
Jen Carlson
Barbara Picinich
Brooke Takara
Krista Wells
Jamie Waters
Nadia Azni
Kari Stiles
Libby Hickson

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Thanks for stopping by:) Have a wonderful crafty week and GOOD LUCK to all!

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HA • Holiday Cardmaking Challenge

Hey there! I like this time of the year because is just perfect to start working on your Holiday cards. Today is the kick off  of the Holiday Cardmaking Challenge at the Hero Arts blog. I love that they do this, because it is a fun way to motivate you to start creating.  I created a card for today, using some of the products included in the 2016 Winter Catalog.

I used a stamp set called Winter Scene + Die Combo to create the jar scene. I started by die-cutting the jar from Pool Mixed Layering Paper. I stamped the pine tree with Moss Hybrid Ink, and then I White-embossed the snow on the ground. I also Sparkle-embossed the falling snow. I stamped and die-cut the house and deer (Red Royal and Soft Brown Shadow Inks). I adhered the little deer with a glue dot, and the house with foam tape. I added sequins and  beads details.

I stamped the jar image over acetate with StazOn ink, and I die-cut the piece with its matching die. I stamped the lid part over Blush Mix Layering Paper, and  I fussy cut it. I adhere the lid over the acetate piece. After that I adhere the acetate jar over the jar scene with foam tape behind the lid.  This creates dimension and it kind of simulates a real jar (according to me)  🙂

The rest of the card were a few layers of stamped backgrounds over a Snow Layering Paper card base:

• Pool Mix Layering Paper+ Hand drawn Snowflakes Bold Prints +Soft Olive Shadow Ink.
• Blush Mix Layering Paper + Berry Background + Pale Tomato Mid-Tone Shadow Ink.
• Snow Layering Paper + Candy Stripe Bold Prints + Tide Pool Mid-Tone Shadow Ink.
• Snow Layering Paper + Holiday Greetings Stamp Set + Intense Black Ink.

And the final touches: gemstones, pearls, sequins and hemp.

Of course Hero will be giving FIVE $50 Hero Arts shopping sprees awarded. The challenge runs October 10 – November 15. So you have plenty of time to create and participate. You can find more details by clicking >>> HERE<<<

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Well, that’s all from me for today, I will be back soon to share another project.

Thanks for stopping by Have a wonderful crafty week!

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My Monthly Hero Blog Hop: October

Happy Monday everyone!

Today is the release day for the My Monthly Hero kit of October! This new wonderful kit will be available TODAY October 3rd  at 1pm (Eastern time) at the Hero Arts store. Be aware that this kit is available for a limited time only – once it’s gone, it’s gone.

The main kit contains: A 4″x6″ clear stamp set, dies for creating a snowglobe, snowdrifts and other background elements, seven coordinating Frame Cuts dies to match the stamp set, three pigment ink cubes in White, Silver and Baby Blue, eight white cards and envelopes, Polar White Flower Soft, Buttons Galore shaker mix, acetate sheets in 4″x4.5″ (7) and 4″x6″ (1) for creating a shaker card, light blue gemstones. The kit value is over $60, an amazing deal at $34.99.

There are several fabulous optional add-on items: CM119 Holiday Cheer , CM120 Winter Time Fun, DI328 Skylines Fancy Dies (D),  DI329 Snowy Drifts Fancy Dies (C), DI330 Circle Confetti Fancy Die (F), DI331 Star Confetti Fancy Die (F), DI332 Holiday Cheer Frame Cuts (D),  DI333 Winter Time Fun Frame Cuts (E)

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All the products included in the kit and the add-ons are amazing,  perfect for your  Winter projects . So here is the card I made using a couple of stamps from the main kit, and the Skyline add-on set:

To create my card, I simply silver-emboss the falling snow stamp over a Snow Layering paper panel. I die-cut the skyline shapes using silver cardstock and I layered them over the white panel.

I adhered the panel onto a card base and I stamped a sentiment over a strip of snow layering paper. I matted it with a strip of a darker blue cardstock strip underneath. At the end, I embellished the card with a few sequins and blue gemstones.

Well, as part of this release, Hero Arts is giving away one kit as a prize to one blog reader – selected from the comments across all of the blogs in the hop. Here is the list of bloggers so you can get lots of inspiration:

The Hero Arts Blog
Alice Wertz
Amy Tsuruta
Clare Prezzia
Debby Hughes
Heather Ruwe
Jennifer McGuire
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Kathy Racoosin
Kimberly Crawford
Laura Bassen
Lydia Fiedler
me >>> Mariana Grigsby <<< me
May Park
Virginia Lu
Yana Smakula
Libby Hickson

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Thanks for stopping by Have a wonderful crafty week and GOOD LUCK to all!

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STAMPtember® Exclusive: Hero Arts

Happy Friday, everyone!

Today is the STAMPtember® Exclusive release of a fun set by Hero Arts for Simon Says Stamp. As part of the festivities I was kindly invited to play with this FABULOUS stamp & die combo called Happy Thanksgiving (available while supplies last).

This stamp & die combo is just perfect to create Thanksgiving cards and other Fall projects.  I love that you have different additional words that you can mix to create different messages, and it also includes a die-cut sentiment  and a few cute images:)

I used the Crossing Waves Stencil and Tangerine Hybrid Ink to create a background on a Snow folded card. I stamped the words “thanks giving” over a piece of Snow Layering Paper using the Ombré Autumn ink. I complemented the sentiment with the word “happy”which I stamped with Intense Black ink. I die cut this panel into a circle using the new Circle Infinity Dies.

I adhered the circle onto the card base with foam tape, and I complemented it with some of the small images colored with Copics. To finish off my card,  I embellished it with a few gemstones and some sequins.

Did you know that SSS is having a huge $5,000 Dream Craft Room Giveaway this month as part of the celebration?   All you need to do to register is enter your info here:  http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/giveawayrules/

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Well, that’s all from me for today, I will be back soon to share another project.

Thanks for stopping by Have a wonderful crafty weekend!

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Today’s Card: Happy, Happy Halloween

HI! Today I have a short post just to share a card showcasing some products included in the 2016 Winter Catalog by Hero Arts.

The stamp & cut set that I used is called Kelly’s Monster. I simply stamped the image and sentiment over a piece os Snow Layering Paper with Intense Black ink. The cute monster was colored the  with Copics and I die cut it with its matching frame. I die cut the sentiment as well.

I used the Spider Web stencil to create a background over a Gray panel. I used Wet Cement Ink and a sponge dauber to do so. I matted the panel with Grass Layering paper and I adhered the panel over a Black Folded card. I adhered the monster and sentiment with foam tape. I stamped a few bats over the background to complement the scene and finally, I embellished the card with Baker’s twine and a few Glossy Accents details.

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Well, that’s all from me for today, I will be back soon to share another project.

Thanks for stopping by Have a wonderful crafty rest of the week!

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My Monthly Hero Blog Hop • September

Happy Monday everyone!

Today is the release day for the My Monthly Hero kit of September! This new wonderful kit will be available TODAY September 6 at 1pm (Eastern time) at the Hero Arts store. Be aware that this kit is available for a limited time only – once it’s gone, it’s gone.

This month’s kit includes many beautiful products for the coming  Holidays season. Additionally, the stamps in this month’s kit feature talented Creative Team member Clare Prezzia‘s hand lettering 🙂 🙂 🙂

The main contains: A set of three Fancy Dies designed for building your own wreath,  4×6 clear stamp set, ten coordinating Frame Cuts dies, three ink cubes in Mustard, Rust and Deep Burgundy, six half sheets of cardstock (Kraft, Sunset Orange and Metallic Copper), Custom Freckled Fawn enamel dots in red, brown gems, Brown and Natural Jute twines. I want to point out that the kit value is over $65, which is an amazing deal at $34.99. Check it out:

My Monthly Hero September 2016

 

There are three optional add-on items: DC197 Halloween Trimmings Stamp & Cut , DC195 Christmas Trimmings Stamp & Cut , DI327 Branch Wreath Fancy Die (D)

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This kit is simply amazing. I love all the beautiful dies that are included in it and the endless possibilities for your projects! Today I am sharing a card that I created  using just a few of the items included in the kit.

I began by die-cutting the partial foliage branch from the Metallic Coper cardstock. Then I adhered it over a Snow Layering Paper card base. Then, I die-cut a tag shape (Infinity tags) from Kraft, and I layered it on top of the foliage with foam tape.

I  Gold-embossed  the sentiments over two thin strips of Sunset Orange card stock. I trimmed diagonally the left side of each strip, and  I layered them on top of the tag with foam tape.  I complemented the cluster with some small leaves that I die-cut from green card stock (I also  inked them a little bit directly with Pine Hybrid Ink). To finish off the card, I added twine, brown gemstones, gold and green silk sprinkles.

Well, as part of this release, Hero Arts is giving away one kit as a prize to one blog reader – selected from the comments across all of the blogs in the hop. Here is the list of bloggers so you can get lots of inspiration:

The Hero Arts Blog
Jennifer McGuire
Yana Smakula
me>>>Mariana Grigsby<<<me
Clare Prezzia
May Park
Amy Tsuruta
Laura Bassen
Lydia Fiedler
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Libby Hickson

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Thanks for stopping by Have a wonderful crafty week and GOOD LUCK to all!

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Today’s Card: Warm Wishes & Skimo Kisses

Hi everyone! Today I am sharing a card that features a pretty Hero Arts set called Warm Hugs. This set includes cute images that are perfect to color with markers, color pencils or watercolors…you name it!

I created the background of my card by partially covering a Snow Layering Paper panel with a sticky note. Then I used a sponge dauber and the Summer Sky Hybrid Ink to create a soft blue background. After that, I stamped the images with Intense Black ink over a piece of Snow Layering Paper and I colored the images with Copic Markers.

I die cut the images with their matching dies, and after that I adhered them over the background panel with foam tape. I stamped a sentiment with Intense Black ink, and I adhered the panel over a card base with foam tape as well.

I finished off this card with some Cristal drops details and  white thread. Please be sure to visit the Hero Arts store where allthe new Winter products are now available.

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Well, that’s all from me for today, I will be back soon to share another project.

Thanks for stopping by Have a wonderful crafty rest of the week!

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