Down on the Boardwalk

 I know I'm not the only one that was completely in love with this month's Concord and 9th release. The moment I could purchase that Boardwalk Stacks die I hit the buy now button and never looked back.

I'll be honest - this die set is very intimidating at first glance. There are SO many little dies. So I used one of my Color Cube cards to help me stay focused on my color scheme while I was cutting out the vast variety of pieces. It also made the process go by quicker because I wasn't stopping to pick out "the perfect cardstock color".

The cardstocks used today are all from C9.

To my pleasant surprise, Concord and 9th cardstocks were almost an exact match to my Color Cube card. My inspiration for both of these cards was the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. It's only 90 minutes away from me and is just such an iconic beach stop.

I first just die cut and built multiples of all the elements. I had no card design in mind (as usual). This Ferris wheel turned out so stinking cute that it needed to be the star of its own card. It is simply surrounded by the little merry-go-round, a popcorn cart, and the boardwalk railing. 

The background is a cover plate by Kristina Werner for C9, but it was only available during last year's summer camp. The wheel is cut from white glitter paper and I also added some gold foil paper for the railing and center star.

This card was fun to put together because it's that true, classic, beach boardwalk theme. The bottom portion was heat embossed with Sand powder (a MUST have) and then I built the scene up from there. Complete with beach umbrellas, ice cream stand, ticket booth, toy booth, white wooden roller coaster (of course), and a little merry-go-round. 

I want to go to there!

Thanks for stopping by! Some links used are affiliates at no charge to you. All products used in today's post were purchased by me. Thank you for supporting rwkrafts, I hope you've been inspired!

New Reel - Candy Cane Season

 I can't get enough of the Candy Cane Season collection from Hero Arts! Perfect for all those Christmas in July crafting needs.

You can watch the youtube short here: https://youtube.com/shorts/PSkwU5SPIV8?feature=share

Thanks for watching the short/reel! 

Supplies used:

Candy Cane Season Etched Dies - https://tinyurl.com/bdzfxrf7

Candy Cane Swag Stamp & Cut - https://tinyurl.com/3w67kky3

Candy Cane Toss Up Stencils- https://tinyurl.com/3mv5jpy6

Platinum Scout Die Cutting Machine - https://tinyurl.com/mr2vcmf6

Mini Misti - https://tinyurl.com/ppcfbc9x

Arctic Cardstock - https://tinyurl.com/3x53mf4h

Cherry Cardstock - https://tinyurl.com/4pf6w2zm

Antique Ivory Core Ink Pad - https://tinyurl.com/4akn4ryk

Arctic Core Ink Pad - https://tinyurl.com/2ne28p2e

Peony Core Ink Pad - https://tinyurl.com/3z7fk9v3

Pale Tomato Core Ink Pad - https://tinyurl.com/46zvwxcw

Moss Core Ink Pad - https://tinyurl.com/3a3zhunu

Pine Core Ink Pad - https://tinyurl.com/34zhersv

Blending Brush Small - https://tinyurl.com/3j7yxphw

Happy Christmas in July

 Happy Christmas in July! I'm sharing two cards that feature the Spellbinders July Small Die of the Month. It is such a great set that can actually make three different styles, but I only got around to two today.

I love this little penguin mug! All of the cardstock used is part of the new Spellbinders ColorWheel collection. 

The penguin card is paired with the beautiful Layered Noel Foliage Stencil that I actually purchased many many months ago and just finally got around to using it. I used a variety of Distress Inks to blend out the stencil with blue-greens and pinks and reds. 

The simple 'season's greetings' sentiment is from a Hero Arts set called Holiday Season Messages stamped with Nautical Ink. And lastly, the stencil panel was cut with my favorite Postage Infinity Dies.

I'm very drawn to this reindeer mug because ten years ago I owned a holiday mug that looked exactly like it! This card combines a big mix of products. The white panel was embossed with the Plaid Company embossing folder. I then stenciled the panel with the new Candy Cane Toss Up layering stencil, blended with Distress Inks.

I then die cut the candy cane panel with the Postage Stamp Frame from PTI. The pink panel is die cut with the Candy Cane Frame, also from PTI. The sweet sentiment is from the new Hero Arts A Little Merri-Mint set.

Have a great weekend and enjoy your Christmas in July!

Some links used are affiliates at no charge to you. I only use products that I love! Thank you for supporting rwkrafts!

Peppermint Skies

 There are so many amazing new releases this month at Hero Arts. on Monday I shared 4 cards in this post showcasing the Crackin' Christmas collection and the Candy Cane Lane collection. But I saved this one for you all to share today!

This card features the more modern-looking stamp set from the Candy Cane Season collection called A Little Merri-Mint. I love the simple designs that are easy for layering your ink colors. There are also matching dies for all the sentiments!

This color palette is also one of my favorites for holiday cards. Gotta have that little touch of blue!

Just a quick share from me today. Have a great rest of the week!

Some links are affiliates at no charge to you. I only use products I love and truly appreciate your support! Thank you!

4 Brand New Releases!

 Happy Monday! Hero Arts has FOUR BRAND NEW COLLECTIONS that just dropped! We have a little bit of summer vibes and a little bit of holiday cheer to make your July a bit happier. If you're reading this before July 25th, then be sure to comment along the IG hop for a chance to win some prizes!

The first collection I'm sharing is the Crackin' Christmas sets!

My first card features the Big Mouth Nutcracker Die. It comes together surprisingly easily and the best part is that this die will cover your entire card! So there's nothing else you have to think about!

I used some of the beautiful new ColorWheel Cardstock from Spellbinders. You can see that it cuts like buttah, especially when using my Platinum Die Cutting Machine!

My next card is also from the Crackin Christmas collection, this time using the A Little Nuts Bundle.

I colored the stamped images with my Copic Markers, and used more traditional Christmas colors for this one. The Nutcracker is in a little frame that was die cut using the Wood Frame Infinity Dies.

There's one more holiday themed collection to share, called Candy Cane Season.

This card uses two sets: Candy Cane Swag Bundle and the Candy Cane Season fancy die.

My intention was to create a wreath with the swag stamps and the sentiment in the middle.

This card uses the same two sets as my last card. I tried to focus more on the lovely candy cane stamp, and again used more traditional Christmas colors here.

Thank you, as always, for stopping by! Some of my links are affiliates at no charge to you. Thank you for your support!

More July Hero Studio Creations

 I have some more cards to share that showcase the July Hero Studio releases. It's a super fun kit that mixes and matches very well, all with a summer appropriate Road Trip theme!

Don't you love this cassette tape?! This is the card I created live during the latest Craft Lounge Live. I had so much fun crafting along with Charlene and Channin. You can watch the replay here!

This card uses the July Die of the Month paired with the Perforation Cover Plate. All of the paper used is Hero Arts premium cardstock.

My next card features the July Layering Stencil of the Month. I started with Periwinkle cardstock and ink blended the stencil with Splash, Blue Hawaii, and Pool Party inks. I also added Glitter Paste to the parts that were inked with Blue Hawaii.

The little starbursts were added with two different colors of blue wax: Icelandic and Wintergreen. I added some blue enamel dots to complete this simple card.

Lastly, I have this fun grid card using some of the smaller dies included in the July Card Kit of the Month. This card is giving me total Road-Trip-to-Vegas vibes! 

Thanks for stopping by! Some links used are affiliates at no charge to you. Thank you for your support!

July Hero Studio Blog Hop - ROAD TRIP!

 It's time for a ROAD TRIP! The July 2025 Hero Studio release is perfect for your summer travel projects and I even think this will make a great scrapbook page layout. Hero Arts will give away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Saturday, July 5th at 11:59pm PT, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week. Leave a comment on all stops for more chances to win! Make sure you log in or sign your name so your comment isn't anonymous!

I've already made five cards with the July Hero Studio kits but today I'll be sharing only two. The first card uses the Hero Scape stamp set from the July Card Kit of the Month.

The stamped image was paired on gorgeous Pesto cardstock (I thought it was a good cactus color!). My goal for the image was to look like Sedona to the best of my ability! How do you think I did? 

(my dad and I in Sedona a few months ago)

My second card today uses the July Cling of the Month called Cobblestone Courtyard.

I really love this kind of cling stamp that has a repetitive pattern that can be used for anything. For the background, I heat embossed the July Cling Stamp with Brass Embossing Powder on Nautical cardstock. I paired this card with the Whole Studio Bonus which is that fun car freshener pine tree.

I also stamped the July Cling in different green inks on Kiwi cardstock before die cutting the tree. I also heat embossed the sentiment in White.

Enjoy the rest of the hop! Leave your comment below for a chance to win a gift certificate to Hero Arts.

Hero Arts

Hero Arts Creative Team:

Anna Mahtani

Channin Pelletier

Charlene Madrid

Jeannie Lieu

Jennifer Kotas

Karen Brown

Lisa Tilson

Michelle Lupton

Michelle Short

Mindy Eggen

Natasha Polite

Rachel Kleinman *you are here*

Rosie Lopez

Seeka

Special Guests:

Nichol Spohr

Lea Lawson

Sheri Gilson