Category: Hero Arts

Die cutting, Hero Arts, Ink Layering, Winter Wonder

Kriky it’s a Pink Robin…

Erika L Hayes
Hero Arts – Color Layering Robin

I want to talk about robins. I received my much-anticipated Color Layering Robin in the mail a few days ago and couldn’t wait to rip it open and get started. Of course, I opened the package, grabbed the stamps, and flipped it over for the recommendation of colors. I always like to season my stamps when I get them, so I figured let’s use a scratch and stamp the image. I grabbed the suggestions. (See below) and stamped it out.

Sample colors of Color Layering Robin from package.

I liked the colors, but I didn’t have all the Hero Arts colors, so I had to substitute. I know it’s hard to believe but I don’t have all the HA inks — someday I will but that day is not today. It was okay but of course if I had the same inks, it would have been better.

I almost always start a project by doing a photo reference check, it helps me to have color schemes that work with the focal image. In this case the robin. I went to the mighty GOOGLE and typed in Robins. I got some great images for the red-breasted robin.

These are the three I found that I liked. Just because I am me, I scrolled a little further cause I like many color choices. Well in doing so look what I found.

Pretty in pink: the male pink robin
Australian Male Pink Robin

YEAH, cute, right? Well, you can imagine I had to use this photo reference. I loved his pink tummy and that blue grey top. I also thought what a great way to encourage people to looks at reference photos before they set out to create. I love the American, Red-Breasted Robin but I adore this little fella.

Next time you see a package suggestion for color scheme, remember it’s a suggestion. Pop on the googles and see if there are some other alternatives you may end up with this little mate.

Oh, for reference, my bird ink choices were 1. Taffy (Hero Arts Reactive), Weathered Wood (Ranger Distress Ink Tim Holtz), Eiffel Tower (My Favorite Things).

art supplies
Keeping Creating!
Blessings, Erika
Christmas, Christmas Cards, Colored Pencils, Copic Markers, Foiling, Hero Arts, Paper Art, Prisma, Spellbinders

Monday Crush – Hero Arts

Erika L Hayes
Shop Box release – Available only in stores currently

Hey, Hey, Hey! Well, I mentioned that Hero Arts in support of local stores (YAY!) has a “shop box” that is only available in said local stores. When it came in to the best LSS (Scraps Of Love) the girls let me know as I am crushing hard on most everything Hero Arts right now. I pretty much purchased everything available from the box. I went ga-ga over this amazing stamp set (Holly Berry) then I added the Spellbinders Elegant Holiday Glimmer Sentiments and the Essential Duo Lines using my Glimmer machine.

I enjoyed coloring this Holly Berry so much and love how it came out. I hope you enjoy it too! Please feel free to leave a comment below. It helps me know if I should continue this content.

UPCOMING: I have the instructions for the “Flippin’ Awesome” Lawn Fawn interactive die cut almost ready. I will add a page to my blog for the interactive die written instructions.

I hope you have a most excellent day!

Erika

have the best day ever
Die cutting, Heat Embossing, Hero Arts, Ink Layering, MFT, Stencils

Be a HERO, with a little Dad joke!

Erika L Hayes

Okay, this sentiment is what made me buy this set. Honestly I was watching the Sunday Fun Day live at Scraps of Love when they showed this adorable set. They card they showed as an example had the dad joke “whale, whale, whale I heard it’s your birthday.” I laughed out loud. I knew I had to have this set for three reasons. 1. I love orcas most of all animals with the exception of Dash. 2. Dad joke. My kids are so funny they really love dad jokes–lucky for them, their dad has plenty. 3. Hero Arts has been my jam lately.

I paired the Color Layering Orca the Hero Arts Underwater Pillar die, made a watery background with the My Favorite Things perfect pool stencil and the Hero Arts school of fish background set to make this fun little card. I hope you enjoy it.

Please, leave a comment if you are so inclined.

Keep Crafting

Erika

Heat Embossing, Hero Arts, Hero Arts Blog Challenge, Ink Blending, Interactive Cards, Lawn Fawn, My Monthly Hero Kit

Hero Arts meets Lawn Fawn

Erika L Hayes
Hero Arts – My Monthly Hero JULY 2021

I recently undertook the daunting task of making refrence books for my inventory of independent dies. While doing so,I realized I have a lot of interactive dies I have NEVER used. (Those suckers aint cheap). I think because they don’t come with written instructions, so I kinda don’t use them.

After this process of die cutting ALL my independent dies — I didn’t do the coordinating becuase they are all housed in the sleeves with the stamps and I would never get that task done. I took to task that I need to learn to use them and make some interactive cards.

I started with the reveal wheel – I have it, but didn’t take time to use it. As the days have passed, I have used many of these wonderful dies and have really enjoyed the time making fun interactive cards.

Well, Hero Arts July 2021 monthly kit release combined two things I really like. 1. GNOMES (I loved them before they were cool) 2. Interactive dies. When I got my kit I knew just which interactive die I wanted to use because it would allow me to add EVEN more cute images to the card because it is the magic double slider surprise from Lawn Fawn. (YouTube Video, if you need it.)

I was right the results were fantastic. I just love how it finished up. I know you can’t see them, but the sky also has pretty little shiny stars. I would also point out that because this is an interactive card, the gnome poking out from the notch, is only adhered to the front of the flap. Be careful when adding him or you can get glue on the slider and well, don’t ask me how I know, but the slider will indeed fail to slide. (see in written instructions that would be a good WARNING)

I found out after posting online that this very month (July 2021) that Hero Arts had a challenge every month and this month it is interactive. (Totally a but happenchance thing). I do hope you enjoy this card and maybe are inspired to join me over on the Hero Arts blog to make an interactiec card this month (it doesn’t have to use the MMH kit – but HA products are probably the right way to go… I mean I know they are because well…. they are awesome stamps.) Let me know what you think in the comments!

Blessings

Erika

Hero Arts – July 2021 My Monthly Hero (images) -Open

SIDE NOTE FOR MAUNFACTURERS: UH manufacturers while many of us are visual and I totally appreciate the YouTube videos, we need the written instructions too! I do really well with written instructions and actually prefer them to YouTube. (I even volunteer to be the content writer of said dies if you provide the dies.)

Altenew LLC, Challenges, Colored Pencils, Copic Markers, Faber-Castell Polychromos, Hero Arts, Ink Layering, MFT, Paper Art, Self Challenge, Techniques, Uncategorized

Koi, Oh Koi – Mix it up with multiple stamp sets

Erika L Hayes
Stamps – Hero Arts -Lotus Flower, Koi Fish – Altenew Inks – Hero Arts ,Catherine Pooler, Tim Holtz, Copic Markers and Polychoromos colored pencils; Stencil – My Favorite Things

Have you ever had a moment when you get a new stamp set that you say, “Oh, Boy, I know what I want to do with that!” I love how this card did that!

I had two stamp sets show up on the same day and I had one of those moments. I opened my happy mail and set them out on my desk so I could put them in the storage sleeves and these two stamp sets, from Hero Arts and Altenew, popped an idea into my mind and Koi, oh Koi did I love it.

I did ink over the image of the koi to give it a look of being underwater. I thought it came out great when I used the “Pool” stencil from MFT to give the water a look of motion. Simply using an ink that is slightly lighter (TH Tumbled Glass) over the new Catherine Pooler Cummerbund ink that I used with the stencil. I did put the ink over the image of the koi. (Which made me nervous– but hey, it’s only paper right.)

It’s sometimes hard to imagine mixing stamp sets and stamp sets from different companies even more so when it comes to images. I try to stretch my stamps by mixing them with not only images from within a company line but look outside the company as well. In this example, it worked great.

I encourage you to make something and combine many companies images. It is fun and a great challenge.

Blessings,

Erika

30 day coloring challenge, Challenges, Copic Markers, Hero Arts, MFT, OCCStampHappy, Paper Art

Day Three of the Coloring Challenge

Erika L Hayes
Follow Me on Instagram: gzuswins

I am usually pretty pressed for time on Tuesday nights (I create mostly in the evenings) but when you have awesome products it helps. I love that Clearly Besotted gave me the cute backdrop with the stamps which of course extends it uses. I also just made the holly leaves in her hair into pedals. Finding the right sentiment was easy, just grabbed my Hero Arts bin of sentiments and these (which I got as part of a class on Online Card Classes) were perfect.

I used both Copic markers and Colored pencils to color in the images then inked the clouds using the My Favorite Things stencil. I think what I liked best was the use of grey on the mushrooms and rocks. I mixed cool and warm greys to achieve the depth. Anyway, that’s today! Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to leave a comment on your favorite coloring technique!

Challenges, Hero Arts, MFT, Paper Art, Stamps of Life, Uncategorized

Fri YAY!

Erika L Hayes

Life has kept me pretty busy but yesterday I was able to sit down and create for a little while.  Here is what I came up with.

First, the card I made for my hubby for our 24th Anniversary. It is special because I have been a member of the Stamps of Life club for almost a year and this is the first set I have actually used.  (Thinking I may need to cancel that subscription,but the stamps are so cute… Who we kidding I just need to create with them more.)

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Next, I tackled the My Favorite Things Color Challenge.  I usually do the sketch challenge but I mixed it up a little.

The colors were: Blue Raspberry, Blue Yonder, Red Raspberry and Black Licorice.  I added the yellow because I liked it AND there was a LOT of blues and it needed to be broken up a bit. I also used a Wink of Stella on the sentiment to add a little sparkle.

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Then I was feeling like, hey let’s play with some embossing powder.  I am prepping for a class and thought what is something fun they might not do every day.  (I am an out of the box creator after all.)  I decided to play with rainbows and black. It POPS!  So after playing with my Distress Oxide Inks, I pulled out a rainbow of embossing powder and WHA-LA  this card happened.  (Needs refining but I like the concept behind it.) IMG_20180706_184039

I was on a roll, so I pulled out some stamps from My Monthly Hero Arts subscription, another one I love getting but rarely use…  I am a die hard MFT fan but I am really trying to get outside of only using Copic markers and MFT stamps.  I have invested too much money in the other stuff I have to ignore it.  (BUT I do really love MFT.)  I sometimes miss my job at FSJ too, they have a fantastic new catalog.  More on that later — but over 200 new products and new COLORS of Ink & Cardstock– much-needed colors!  LOVE the new stuff.  ANYWAY here are two from the HERO ARTS Monthly kits.  The first is the current monthly kit  (JUNE 2018)  the second is I think March of 2018, I’m not 100 % sure but I love the dies that came with that set.  That font is fantastic.

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Well, that’s what I came up with.  It was overall a good day with the paper and ink!  Have a happy weekend.