Clean & simple, shaped easel, and vintage mixed media—all from one My Monthly Hero kit.
Part of my Monthly Card Kit Series
Years ago, when I first started making handmade cards, I wanted one kit that would let me experiment with lots of different techniques without buying dozens of individual products. The Hero Arts My Monthly Hero Kit became my very first subscription, and it’s still one I look forward to every month.
One of the things I enjoy most about monthly kits is challenging myself to look beyond the obvious first idea. Rather than making three similar cards, I like asking, “What else could this become?” Sometimes that question leads me in completely unexpected directions.
This month’s challenge was simple:
Create three cards from one kit that don’t look anything alike.
The result was three completely different styles—a clean and airy die-cut design built from tiny accent dies, a book-shaped easel card that becomes a little keepsake, and a vintage-inspired mixed media thank you card.
If you’ve ever wondered how to get more from the supplies you already own, I hope these projects encourage you to look at your next card kit a little differently. Sometimes all it takes is one creative question to uncover an idea you never expected.
Looking for the right monthly cardmaking kit?
I’ve compared my favorite subscriptions in my Best Cardmaking Subscription Kits (2026 Guide), where I share what each kit includes, who I think it’s best suited for, and why I continue subscribing to several of them.
What You’ll Learn
In today’s post I’ll share:
- How I created three completely different cards from one Hero Arts kit.
- Hero Arts Monthly Kit ideas.
- Why the smallest dies in a kit sometimes make the most interesting focal point.
- My favorite approach for creating a shaped easel card.
- A simple recipe for beginner-friendly mixed media.
- Color palette ideas for each project.
- The design decisions that helped each card come together.
- Practical tips you can use with almost any cardmaking kit.
Let’s head over to the craft table and get started!
Creative Idea #1
Small Die-Cuts Can Create Big Impact
When I first opened the kit, the tiny library immediately caught my eye. It would have made an adorable card, but before I started die-cutting, I found myself wondering,
“What else could these little dies become?”
That simple question completely changed the direction of my first project.
As I spread the tiny flowers, hearts, bees, leaves, and that adorable little bookworm across my craft table, I stopped thinking about building a miniature library and started thinking about building a heart. One by one, the little dies began finding their place until they formed a cheerful heart-shaped cluster that felt fresh, playful, and completely different from what I’d originally imagined.
It ended up becoming my favorite card of the three.
I probably spent three times longer arranging these tiny die-cuts than I did gluing them together.
I knew I wanted a heart-shaped focal point, so I used one of my Heart Infinity Dies as a temporary layout guide while I experimented with placement. Once I was happy with the arrangement, I lifted the die away and stepped back to take another look.
That’s when I realized something.
The cluster was pretty…but it wasn’t quite reading as a heart.
From across the room it looked more like a lovely collection of die-cuts than a recognizable shape.
That little observation changed the entire card.
Originally, I wasn’t planning to die-cut a heart panel. But after seeing the arrangement without the guide, I realized the design needed more structure. Die-cutting the heart gave the silhouette clear definition while still allowing all of those tiny embellishments to remain the stars of the show.
Moments like this happen all the time while I’m designing cards. Very rarely is my first idea my final idea. There’s a lot of inner dialogue, tweaking, stepping back, and asking, “What if I tried this instead?” Those little pivots are often where my favorite designs are discovered.
Before anyone notices the tiny flowers, cheerful bees, or the little bookworm wearing glasses, they recognize the overall heart shape.
That’s intentional.
Strong silhouettes help the eye understand a design immediately. The individual details become delightful discoveries that reward people who stop for a closer look.
The heart also creates a beautifully contained focal point. Instead of tiny embellishments wandering across the card front, everything works together as one cohesive design surrounded by generous white space.
Finally, a few thoughtful pops of black—from the bees, the bookworm’s glasses, and tiny die-cut circles—keep the soft yellow, yellow-green, and pink palette feeling fresh and modern instead of overly sweet.
For this card I stayed with colors that sit next to one another on the color wheel: sunny yellows, fresh yellow-greens, and soft pinks. Colors that are close together naturally create a harmonious, cheerful feeling.
The small touches of black act like punctuation marks. They add just enough contrast to define the smallest details and keep the finished design from feeling washed out.
- Don’t overlook the smallest dies in your kit. Sometimes they make the most memorable focal point.
- Try using a nesting die as a temporary layout guide before you commit to glue.
- Arrange everything first. Glue second.
- Step back every few minutes and look at the overall silhouette rather than the individual pieces.
- A sticky mat, fine-tip glue bottle, tweezers, and a Crystal Ninja pickup tool make assembling tiny die-cuts much easier.
📸 Behind the Scenes
Building a Strong Silhouette
Sometimes I use nesting dies as temporary design tools instead of permanent parts of the finished card. Here, the heart die helped me establish the overall shape before I committed to the layout.
Tiny Pieces, Big Impact
The sticky mat inside my MISTI kept the heart die-cut stable and exactly where I wanted it while I glued the pieces into place. It made working with all of those little flowers, bees, and leaves much more relaxing.
Ready to Become a Card
By the time I reached this stage, all of the designing was finished. The only thing left to do was attach the completed heart to the card front and enjoy seeing the project come together.
You might also enjoy my 3 Quick and Easy Thank You Cards.
Creative Idea #2
Stand-Up Shaped Cards Become Little Keepsakes
Every time I give someone a shaped stand-up card, it ends up displayed on a desk, bookshelf, or kitchen counter instead of being tucked away in a drawer.
That’s one of the reasons I love making them.
They become little keepsakes instead of simply greeting cards.
I’ve also noticed that shaped cards have been especially popular with readers here at Kenny’s Cards this year, so if you’ve never made an easel card before, this is a wonderful place to start.
This month’s Hero Arts Super Hero kit includes everything needed to create a charming little book, and I couldn’t resist turning it into a thank you card with the beautiful sentiment: The Little Book of Many Thanks. The realistic book shape, layered stenciling, and standing easel design all work together to create a card that’s as fun to display as it is to give.
🩷 From My Craft Table
One of my favorite moments happens after I’ve finished making an easel card.
I set it on my craft table, step back, and smile because it suddenly feels less like a greeting card and more like a tiny piece of décor.
I think that’s why recipients enjoy shaped easel cards so much.
They’re not just opened and read.
They become part of someone’s home for a little while.
This little book made me smile the first time it stood upright on my coffee table, and I knew right then it was going to be one of those cards people would leave on display.
❤️ Why This Works
The familiar shape of a book immediately supports the library theme while making the card feel playful and unexpected.
The easel design adds height and dimension without making the construction complicated, transforming a simple thank you card into something that invites a second look.
Four layers of soft stenciling create beautiful depth across the book cover while still allowing the large sentiment to remain the focal point.
Sometimes the most memorable interactive cards aren’t the ones with moving parts.
They’re the ones that invite someone to display them long after they’ve finished reading them.
📸 Behind the Scenes
From Book to Easel
Sometimes it’s fun to pause for a moment before the final assembly. Even at this stage, I could already imagine this little book standing open on someone’s desk.
Let’s Talk Color
Most of this project stays comfortably within neighboring colors on the color wheel.
Soft yellows, fresh greens, and creamy neutrals create a peaceful, welcoming palette that feels right at home with the garden-inspired stencil design.
The small touches of orangey-red flower buds provide just enough complementary contrast to keep the cover lively without overwhelming the softer colors.
It’s a combination that feels cheerful, natural, and timeless.
✔ Karen’s Tips
- Keep your cardstock and ink colors close together for beautifully blended stencil layers.
- A simple scored hinge is all you need to create an easel card.
- If you’re making a shaped card, think about where it might be displayed after it’s opened.
- Interactive cards don’t always need moving pieces. Sometimes standing up is interaction enough.
Ready to Display
This is my favorite way to photograph easel cards because it shows exactly what makes them so special. Once opened, they become part of the room instead of disappearing back into the envelope.
You might also enjoy my Pink Lemonade Stand Easel Card or my Interactive Spinner Card for Kids.
Creative Idea #3
Mixed Media Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
For my final project, I headed in a completely different direction.
After creating a clean and airy die-cut card and a cheerful shaped easel card, I wanted this last design to feel vintage, layered, and full of character.
Mixed media often looks complicated, but my approach is surprisingly simple. Instead of trying to do everything at once, I build one easy layer at a time. Before long, those individual layers begin telling one cohesive story.
For this library-inspired thank you card, I combined soft stenciling, vintage stamping, distressed edges, paint splatters, and layered die-cuts to create a project that feels rich without becoming cluttered.
🩷 From My Craft Table
One of the biggest misconceptions about mixed media is that it’s messy, complicated, or requires lots of special products.
I’ve found just the opposite.
When I build a mixed media card, I rarely think about the finished project all at once. Instead, I simply ask myself,
“What’s the next layer?”
Maybe it’s a little background stamping.
Maybe it’s distressed edges.
Maybe it’s a few paint splatters.
Each layer is simple by itself.
Together they create depth, texture, and personality.
That’s exactly why I developed my own three-step mixed media recipe. Breaking the process into manageable pieces makes mixed media much more approachable—and a lot more fun.
❤️ Why This Works
Even though this card includes several techniques, every layer has a purpose.
The softly stenciled ink-blended background establishes the setting.
Vintage stamping adds visual interest without overwhelming the design.
Distressed edges give each element age and character.
The bold red window frame anchors the composition while drawing your eye directly toward the library pocket and sentiment.
Because each layer contributes something different, the finished card feels rich rather than busy.
Let’s Talk Color
This project uses a much more restrained palette than the first two cards.
Warm creams and soft browns create a vintage foundation while the aqua background adds freshness and keeps the card from feeling too heavy.
The brick-red window frame provides the strongest visual contrast and immediately becomes the anchor for the entire design.
Even with several techniques and layers, limiting the color palette keeps everything feeling cohesive.
✔ Karen’s Tips
- Build mixed media one simple layer at a time.
- Distress only the edges for a subtle vintage look.
- Save leftover die-cuts—they’re wonderful additions to future mixed media projects.
- If a layer doesn’t add something meaningful, leave it out. Every layer should have a purpose.
📸 Behind the Scenes
Layer by Layer
One of my favorite process photos is seeing all of the major pieces before they’re assembled. It reminds me that mixed media isn’t created all at once—it’s simply a collection of thoughtful layers waiting to come together.
Karen’s Mixed Media Recipe
If you’d like to learn more about my approach to mixed media, be sure to visit my Mixed Media Made Simple series, where I walk through my favorite three-step recipe and the techniques I use on many of my handmade cards. And you can check out my favorite mixed media supplies on my Go To Supplies Page.
If you create one, use the hashtag #karensmixedmediarecipe
If I Could Only Keep One…
People occasionally ask me which card is my favorite.
Most months, it’s the last one I make. By then I’ve experimented, solved a few design problems, and learned something from the earlier cards that makes the final project a little stronger.
This month surprised me.
If I could only keep one card from this collection, it would definitely be the heart card.
Ironically, it almost didn’t happen.
When I first opened the kit, I naturally thought about creating the adorable tiny library. But before I started die-cutting, I found myself wondering,
“What else could these little dies become?”
That one question completely changed the direction of the project and ultimately led to my favorite design of the month.
I love its clean white space, cheerful color palette, and the way all of those tiny die-cuts work together to create one strong focal point. It’s the kind of card I could send for a birthday, a thank you, encouragement, or simply to brighten someone’s day.
But here’s the fun part…
When I showed all three finished cards to my husband, Mark, he immediately chose the book-shaped easel card as his favorite.
He liked all three, but there was something about that little standing book that made him smile.
It was a wonderful reminder that one of the joys of handmade cards is how differently people respond to them.
The card that speaks to me isn’t always the one someone else falls in love with.
And I think that’s one of the best parts of creating.
You might also enjoy my newest mixed media post: Vintage Lady.
The next time you open a new card kit, give yourself a creative challenge.
Instead of making three cards that all look similar, see if you can create three completely different styles.
Change the color palette.
Change the mood.
Change the layout.
Use the smallest dies instead of the largest ones.
Or simply ask yourself,
“What else could this become?”
You may be surprised where that one question leads.
If you enjoy making humorous cards you might like to read my trio of Halloween cards and my dog themed post featuring darling wiener dogs.
🧰 Karen’s Toolbox
A few of the supplies that made today’s projects easier.
Featured Hero Arts Monthly Kits
Dies & Cardstock
Tools I Reach For Again and Again
- Spellbinders Platinum 6
- MISTI
- Sticky Mat
- Fine-tip tweezers
- Crystal Ninja Pickup Tool
- Fine Nozzle Glue Bottle
You’ll find links to all of these, plus many more of my favorite supplies, on my 14 Best Cardmaking Products and Supplies for 2026.
I hope today’s projects inspire you to experiment, trust your creative instincts, and enjoy the process just as much as the finished card.
I’d love to hear from you.
Which of these three cards would you keep?
Or perhaps your favorite is different from both mine and Mark’s!
Let me know in the comments below—I always enjoy hearing which designs speak to you the most.
Happy crafting!
4 thoughts on “3 Completely Different Cards from One Hero Arts Kit”