Spooktacular Fun Halloween Cards | Hero Studio September 2024 Release and Blog Hop

September 3, 2024September 4, 2024 Karen Brown17 Comments

3 fun handmade Halloween cards created with the September 2024 Hero Studio release.

Halloween is creeping around the corner, and it’s the perfect time to brew up some crafty magic with die-cut Halloween scene cards! The September Hero Studio Release is bursting with fun new products + an exciting Blog Hop, so hop along and gather tons of inspiration from some incredibly talented crafters. Let’s dive into the cauldron of creativity and get started!

Witch’s Kitchen | Monthly Mini Clear Stamp and Die Set

Witch's Kitchen scene card | Hero Studio September 2024 | Monthly Mini Clear Stamp and Die Set Kit.

I always love a good scene card, so I had a great time playing with the September Clear Stamps and Dies of the Month. The set is called Witch’s Kitchen and there are so many fun elements to customize your project.

I started by masking 1″ at the bottom of my card. For my floor, I ink blended Granite Core Ink over the Cobblestone stencil. For my wallpaper, I ink blended Thistle Reactive Ink over the Sparkle Weave Stencil.

Next, I stamped all the stamp elements, colored with alcohol markers and then die cut. Then, I played around with layouts until I liked my spooky little scene. A little magic potion anyone???

Witch’s Kitchen: September Clear Stamp and Dies of the Month:

$27.50 with Subscription + FREE SHIPPING
$29.99 One-Time Purchase, While Supplies Last

Magical Halloween stamp and die cut Scene card created with Hero Arts September 2024 release called Witch's Kitchen.

September 2024 Card Kit of the Month

This month’s card kit is so fun! I conjured up a little trick-or-treat scene with stamps and dies included in the kit.

Silhouette Halloween Scene Card with a spooky house, trick-or-treaters and a flying witch with a purple ink blended background.

September 2024 Card Kit of the Month

I started by ink blending my background with Taffy, Thistle and Purple Galaxy inks. On a different white card panel I stamped my elements using Intense Black ink. I stamped the black several times for a dark silhouette. I stamped the moon with Lemon Drop and Creamsicle, blending a bit on the stamp before stamping. To “light” my windows, I used a yellow and pale orange alcohol marker. After I completed my little scene, I decided my card needed a frame, so I die cut one from Pitch Black cardstock using my Wood Frame Infinity Dies.

What’s Inside the Kit?

Curious about this month’s kit? Let’s take a peek inside the September Hero Studio Card Kit:

Kit Cost:

$46 with Subscription + FREE SHIPPING
$49.99 One-Time Purchase
While Supplies Last

5 Wonderful Kit Options:

For this blog post, I created with two kits and two Extraordinary Extras, but there there are 5 kits plus 5 Extras available. You can also buy the Whole Studio, which includes all 5 kits at a wonderful savings.

The Whole Studio ($120 with subscription or $138.95 one-time purchase price)
Hero Studio Subscription Options
Hero Studio Card Kit of the Month
Clear Stamp and Die of the Month
Cling Stamp of the Month
Fancy Studio Dies of the Month
Layering Stencil of the Month

Halloween Words Stencil + Haunted Romance Fancy Dies | Extraordinary Extras

Hero Arts Halloween Words Stencil + Haunted Romance Fancy Dies handmade Halloween Card.

Key Products Used:

I created a sparkly background by spraying Bright Yellow + Copper and Orange + Shimmer Spray on Luxe Watercolor Paper. I spritzed extra water on the panel and tilted it from side to side to get my color moving and blending.

Once the orange panel was dry, I stenciled Intense Black Ink over the fun Halloween Words Stencil. Using my Rounded Rectangles, I die cut my background and a Pitch Black mat.

I added a Vellum element die cut with a Postage Stamp Infinity Die and added a spider web and bats from The Haunted Romance Fancy Dies. I die cut these from Glitter Black Cardstock. The sentiment is from Witches Kitchen (clear stamp set).

Fun orange Halloween card with die cut spider web and bats + stenciled shimmer spray background.

Join the Blog Hop!

Now it’s time for the Blog Hop! What’s a Blog Hop, you ask? It’s a fun, crafty event where you can hop from one blog to another, gathering inspiration, tips, and tricks from different crafters. Each blog in the hop will feature a Halloween project (or two or three!), so you’re sure to leave with your cauldron overflowing with ideas!

Hero Arts will give away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, September 8th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

Here’s how to join:

Visit the Next Blog in the Hop: Check out the list of participating blogs (links below), and hop to the next one – Lydia Fiedler – to see what spooky creation she has brewed up!
Leave a Comment: Show some love to your fellow crafters by leaving a comment on their posts. It’s a great way to connect and share the Halloween spirit!

Karen Brown You Are Here!

Special Guests:

Final Thoughts

Creating die-cut Halloween scene cards is a fang-tastic way to get into the spooky spirit and share some handmade love with friends and family. Plus, participating in a Blog Hop is the perfect way to find inspiration and connect with the crafting community. So, grab your dies, fire up your die-cutting machine, and let’s make this Halloween a crafty one to remember!

Happy crafting, and don’t forget to join the Blog Hop! 🎃👻

Hero Arts | Sparkle and Shine: Mastering Metallic Shimmer Sprays in Your Cardmaking

April 26, 2024June 5, 2024 Karen Brown1 Comment

Metallic Shimmer Spray + stamping: A trio of handmade cards in rainbow colors.

Hey there, crafty friends! Karen here and today, we’re diving into the magical world of metallic shimmer sprays and how you can incorporate them into your cardmaking and papercrafting projects. Whether you’re a seasoned crafter or just starting out, these shimmer sprays are sure to add a touch of fun and sparkle to your creations.

Today I am sharing several colorful cards. It was a play day for me as I experimented with ink sprays and a fresh new background stamp called Abstract Feather Bold Print .

Rainbow Color Shimmer Cards

Rainbow watercolor look handmade card created with metallic shimmer sprays + stamping.

My Process:

I added 6 colors of Metallic Spray to the wells of my paint palette. I’ve listed the colors used below. Add more water for a softer more water-color look.
Metallic Sprays Used: Fuchsia + Gold, Orange + Shimmer, Bright Yellow + Copper, Green + Shimmer, Blue + Shimmer, Royal Purple + Gold
I put my Abstract Feather Bold Print background stamp in my stamp positioner with a piece of Luxe White Watercolor Paper.
With my Flat Water Brush, I brushed paint onto my stamp and then stamped on my watercolor paper. For the “Smile” card I wanted a softer watercolor look so I brushed water on the stamp and then brushed on 6 colors of pigmented spray.
I let my panels dry and then trimmed with my Rounded Rectangles Infinity Dies.
I finished by adding my sentiments and embellishments, which I detail below.
All of my die cut sentiments were cut 3 times, stacked and glued together.

As I stated above, I wanted to try a softer watercolor look for my “Smile” card and in person, this card seems to have the most shimmer and shine. After trimming my card, I lightly ink blended the edges with Amethyst Core Ink and added my sentiment, which was die cut from Amethyst cardstock. I added Translucent Pink Enamel Dots for a little added interest.

Bold rainbow card created with Hero Arts metallic shimmer ink sprays.

Card #2 was made the same way as Card 1, except I did NOT brush water on my stamp before painting my stamp. You can really see how the amount of water used can change your project.

I finished my card with a Nautical sentiment die cut with the Smile Friend Stamp and Cut XL set plus a few Clear Hues Enamel Dots.

Minimalist Mixed Media Thank You Card

Minimalist mixed media card created with Hero Arts metallic shimmer spray, Hero Gold Paste and Hero Transfer rub-ons.

I wanted to play a bit more with my final card. I added some rub-ons from Collage Backgrounds Part 2 Hero Transfers set and then, with my Palette Knife, I added Gold Hero Paste in spots through the Leaves and Abstract Shapes Stencil. You can see a stencil process photo below. Remember to soak or wash your stencil and palette knife before the Hero Paste sets.

I stamped and die cut a sentiment from the I Appreciate You Stamp and Die Bundle set. Finally, I added a few black Neutrals Hero Hues Enamel Dots.

PRO TIP: Protect your work surface with a piece of deli paper when working with messy media. It makes for a quick and easy cleanup.

What are Metallic Shimmer Sprays?

Metallic shimmer sprays are versatile crafting tools that contain finely milled metallic pigments suspended in a liquid base. They come in a variety of metallic shades and below, you can see the six I used on my cards today. When sprayed or brushed onto paper, these shimmer sprays impart a beautiful shine and metallic sheen, adding depth and dimension to your projects.

Don’t you just love this shimmery rainbow of metallic sprays? I can’t decide which is my favorite!

Final Thoughts

Stamping with metallic shimmer sprays is a fun and easy way to elevate your cardmaking projects and add a touch of shine to your designs. Whether you’re crafting for a special occasion or just because, these metallic sprays are sure to make your creations shine bright. So, grab your stamps and start sparkling!

I hope you found this tutorial helpful and inspiring. Happy crafting!

Mixed Media · papercrafting · Tutorial

Colorful Cityscape Mixed Media Card | Hero Arts

February 11, 2024February 9, 2024 Karen BrownLeave a comment

I recently attended Hero Arts Mixed Media Stamp Along and found it so informative! This card was inspired by @cheiron and her wonderful class. I used different products and colors so my card doesn’t look anything like Cheiron’s, but her class gave me the creative spark for my card. Sometimes it is fun to get inky and messy!

For this card, I was trying to simulate a Dove flying over a city at sunrise. I knew I wanted a bold background to contrast with the white Dove.

My Process:

I put 5 sunrise colors of reactive ink (colors listed below) on my craft mat and spritzed with a bit of water and then painted bands of vertical color all over my watercolor cardstock panel. There is no right or wrong way just start painting! I dried and repeated two more times. During the process I also added drips of color.
I love Hero Rub-On Transfers and I added parts of the city map from Collage Backgrounds to three spots on my background.
Using Indigo and Splash Inks, I stamped the city grid from the Mixed Textures stamp set.
I added texture with the Cobblestone Stencil. In some places I used just Gold Hero Paste and on others I rubbed just a bit of Black Hero Wax on the Stencil and then added Gold Hero Paste. I really love the black wax and gold paste combined together.
Using a splatter box (for me a repurposed cardboard box) I added three layers of splatters and dried in between each color. White, Blue Shimmer and Orange Shimmer. I love the complexity the shimmer splatters add!
I trimmed my background using the Rounded Rectangles Infinity Die set and then lightly inked the edges with Indigo Core Ink.
I die cut my Dove and sentiment 3 times and then glued the components together.

Handmade Card with Dove and Olive Branch Die - DF192

Supplies Used:

This card has LOTS of layers, but it did not take as long to complete as I would have guessed….60-90 minutes.

What do you think?