Mother's Day Florals

 I'm pretty proud of myself that I actually got Mother's Day cards out in the mail this year! I was able to create a few extra cards really quickly with some beautiful matching floral plates.

The flower image is from an old Spellbinders Glimmer of the Month plate, called Card Front Floral. I love a single image that can take up the entire card! It makes my job so much easier. There is also a matching stencil set that was used to color the image, but unfortunately it may be sold out. The image is large enough that any coloring option will work here.

This card uses the Glimmer Hot Foil system for the outline of the flower with a dark gold foil. The flower is colored by ink blending Distress Ink colors Kitsch Flamingo with Squeezed Lemonade. The leaves use a blending combo of Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, and some Cracked Pistachio on the edges.

The sentiment is put together from a Spellbinders set called Colorful Expressions Sentiments, which I paired with Champagne foil cardstock from C9.

The blue flower was ink blended with Salvaged Patina and Dusty Concord. I also switched the foil to be silver on this card.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you're able to get those Mother's Day cards sent in time.

Some links used are affiliates at no charge to you. Thank you for your support.

Bright Pattern Play Cards

 I have something bright and colorful to share today! I received the new Pattern Play dies and had to dive in immediately...

For my first card, I followed the pattern outline on the large plate.

I used my favorite bright colors with just a touch of light pink. All of the cardstock is from Concord and 9th's variety pack.

My second card was born with the leftovers from my die cutting session.

And even a third card, again born out of leftover bits that were cut...

All of the cards use the same sentiment. The 'hello' die is cut from champagne cardstock and is from the True Story die collection.

I hope I've brightened your day :) 

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

VIDEO - Flower Watercolor Wreath

 I have another quick reel to share! This time I'm showcasing the brand new May Hero Studio Stamp + Cut set, called Flowers Bloom.

Watch the YouTube Short Video Here!

Here is a list of the supplies used:

May Hero Studio Stamp + Cut Set

Spellbinders Die Cutting System

Mini MISTI

Wagner Heat Tool

Embossing Ink

Gold Embossing Powder

Reactive Glitz Naples Yellow

Reactive Glitz French Pink

Reactive Glitz Spanish Orange

Reactive Glitz African Violet

Reactive Glitz Egyptian Blue

Water Brush

Watercolor Paper

Pitch Black Cardstock

Fiskars Trimmer

Links used are affiliates at no charge to you. Thank for supporting rwkrafts!

Hero Arts Studio May Release Hop!

 I really can't believe how quickly April flew by - how is it already time for a new Hero Studio release?! This release is so very beautiful and I have a sneaking suspicion it just might sell out. Be sure to subscribe to the kit to guarantee you get it!

Hero Arts will give away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Tuesday, May 6 at 11:59pm PDT, 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!

There are so many dies and stamps AND stencils included in this month's kit, you will be blown away. My first card features the Hero Studio Card Kit of the Month.

The flowers are just from that gorgeous layering stencil that's included in the kit. I used a variety of purple inks and green inks to get those pretty colors. And there's even an outline die to cut out the whole bouquet! The background of my card uses an older cutting plate called Woodgrain Texture Plate.

My second card for the hop uses the ADORABLE May Die Set of the Month called Village Florist. Isn't that little shop so darling?!! I pieced it together with brand new Spellbinders ColorWheel Cardstock, and I used my handy Platinum Die Cutting Machine for all the pieces.

Since it was my first time using these dies, I kept my shop pretty simple. There are so many ways you can make this different every time, and it's even better when paired with the other elements in the May Hero Studio release!

Now it's time to hop!

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
Natasha Vacca
Rachel Kleinman *you are here*
Rosie Lopez
Seeka
Special Guests:
Rebecca Keppel
Nichol Spohr

And thank you for shopping through my links! These are affiliates are no charge to you and helps to support my site. Thank you!

The Lovely Letterpress Collection

 Some gorgeous new press plates just dropped over at Hero Arts! The best part about Hero Arts plates is that they can be used with your Glimmer Hot Foil Machine AND with your BetterPress Letter Press system - a twofer!

This card features the new Floral Border plate. I inked the plate with Hero Arts Intense Black ink and used Hero Arts Watercolor Paper as my letterpress paper. It works like a dream in my BetterPress!

I did simple Copic coloring (no shading, just one color per image) which looks so rich and vibrant on this Watercolor paper.

I added some very light splatter with Royal Purple + Gold Metallic Spray and also Bright Yellow + Copper Metallic Spray. I then used the 'hello' sentiment from the new Hello & Thank You plate. I inked up the 'hello' in Fresh Lawn ink and ran it through my BetterPress, then fussy cut to add it to the center of the card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Some links are affiliates at no charge to you. I really appreciate your support!

It's Your Special Day

 When I excitedly purchased my BetterPress machine many many months ago, I was so intimidated by it that it stayed in the box for weeks (months). I have no idea why, because it is SO EASY to use! I think the beautiful results made me assume it was complicated but that's not the case at all. 

Hero Arts creates the most beautiful plates for BetterPress, and the best part is that their plates are specially created to work with your Glimmer Hot Foil Machine, too! You'll see this Floral Frame plate in many of my cards in the future :) Once you pop you can't stop!

I inked up the Floral Frame in Hero Arts Intense Black Ink. I used Hero Arts Watercolor Paper because it's thick like letter press paper - and cheaper to buy! I colored the image with Copics and added the sentiment from Special Day Butterfly Stamp Set (also brand new!).

Look at that beautiful letter press indentation - swoon! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Some links are affiliates are no charge to you. I appreciate your support of rwkrafts!

Mixed Media Tag with Hero Arts

 I'm over at the Hero Arts blog sharing my process creating this fun mixed media tag. You can all the step outs over at Hero Arts. Here, I have the quick video for you! It's only 1 minute and 45 seconds... enjoy 😀

Watch the short on YouTube by clicking here.

Here are all of the supplies used:

Spellbinders Platinum Die Cutting Machine

Hero Arts Watercolor Paper

Liquitex Gloss Gel

Hero For You Stamp & Cut

Intens-ified Black Ink

Bright Yellow + Copper Metallic Spray

Bright Green Liquid Watercolor

Tag Infinity Dies

Fuschia + Gold Metallic Spray

Orange + Shimmer Metallic Spray

Hero Paste White

Floral Garden Stencil

Palette Knife

Thanks for stopping by! Some links are affiliates at no charge to you. I appreciate the support!

Hero Arts Studio April Release Blog Hop

 It's time to hop! The April Hero Arts Studio release is called Tranquil Terrarium and I'm pretty certain you're going to looooove it.

The April Card Kit has so many incredible elements to build gorgeous scenes... but me? I just want the dang frog!...

I want to adopt that dang frog and give him all the hugs he wants on his sad rainy day!

This kit card came together so quickly and just uses kit stamps and dies, that beautiful arch die (also included), clear enamel dots (included!), and I colored the images with my Copics.

Be sure to subscribe to this kit because that's the only way to guarantee it makes it to your mailbox!

My second card uses the April Stamp and Cut set, which is truly full of endless possibilities and patterns.

This set comes with a print out of the final mandala pattern you can create with this set. I did a similar interpretation for my card...

I used a big variety of Hero Arts inks to match up the perfect layering combos: 

Lighter green leaves: Key Lime Fizz + Green Hills

Darker green leaves: Fresh Lawn + Pine

Blue leaves: Paradise + Bermuda

Purple flowers: Thistle + Purple Galaxy

Yellow leaves: Lemon Drop + Butter Bar

There are so many unique ways these stamps could be aligned. I can't wait to see what others create with this great set!

Now it's time to hop! Leave comments throughout the hop list for a chance to win a $50 Hero Arts gift card! 🎉 The more comments you leave, the better your chances to win. Remember to sign in or sign your name so your comment isn't anonymous.

Hero Arts

Hero Arts Creative Team:

Mindy Eggen

Anna Mahtani

Seeka

Channin Pelletier

Rosie Lopez

Charlene Madrid

Michelle Short

Rachel Kleinman *YOU ARE HERE*

Jeannie Lieu

Natasha Vacca

Jennifer Kotas

Natasha Polite

Karen Brown

Lisa Tilson

Michelle Lupton

Special Guests:

Nichol Spohr

Kelly Taylor

Some links used are affiliated at no charge to you. Thank you for your support.

Topflight Stamps 8th Birthday Blog Hop!

 It's Topflight Stamps 8th birthday!! To celebrate, I’ve teamed up with some great designers to showcase celebratory projects using the unique products available at Topflight Stamps. Please hop along with us and see all the beautiful talent from this group of amazing designers! There is a master list of hop stops on the Topflight Stamps blog! We are also Hopping on Instagram! You can start at the Topflight Stamps account @topflightstamps .

Did we mention there will be prizes?

Of course, it wouldn’t be a birthday celebration without prizes! Topflight Stamps is giving four lucky winners $50 Gift Certificates to the store. Two winners will be chosen from commenters on the blog hop and two will be chosen from commenters on the IG hop. For a chance to win, make sure to visit the stops on the hop and leave a comment by April 1st. Winners will be announced on the Topflight Stamps blog on Thursday, April 3rd. U.S.A winners only due to shipping issues. Good Luck!

I'm happy to share these two cards with you all today! I used the same color palette for both. One celebrates BIRTHDAYS (of course!) and the other celebrates SPRING... finally, it's spring!

How cute is this little birthday kitty?! All of the stamps used for this card are from Polkadoodles Sweet Birthday stamp set. I colored the images with my Copic markers and fussy cut each piece to put together this cute little scene.

The background uses a lovely stencil from Art by Marlene called Hexagon Stars. I blended over the stencil using Distress Inks in Abandoned Coral, Tattered Rose, and Wild Honey.

My second card is in honor of Spring, which has finally sprung in the Bay Area! I use the same background as the previous card. I used rubber stamps from Crafty Individuals, called Robin and Floral Abstractions Leaves. These were also colored with Copics and fussy cut.

Thanks so much for hopping! Make sure you're logged in, or sign your name in your comment so it counts towards the big prize!

Your next stop is Connie! Or visit the Topflight Stamps blog for all the hop links. Happy hopping!

Hello Friend Easter Card

 Happy Monday! The weather has been just perfect out here, and I wish the same for you, too! Since I'm in a very Springy mood, I have another spring-themed card to share today.

I had fun with all the woodgrain textures, as you can tell. I used a lot of new releases from the Hero Arts In the Garden collection. First, I have this sweet Rabbit Pair fancy die. They were colored lightly with Copic markers, mostly just to give shading. The lovely Flowery Vines Fancy Die covers the entire background. That die was ink blended with some greens and purples to match the border.

The border is the Wood Frame Infinity Die cut from Passion Flower cardstock. The sentiment is from Altenew Timeless Sentiments Die Set.

Thanks for stopping by!

Some links are affiliates at no charge to you. Thank you for your support!

Spring Instagram Hop with Hero Arts

 It's Instagram Hop Day with the Hero Arts Creative Team! Today there are THREE COLLECTIONS dropping! Join the hop here. 

My card uses items from the perfect-for-spring Blossoms and Birdsongs collection. 

This card uses the Spring Floral Cover Plate cut from the beautiful Azalea cardstock. For a bit of a subtle accent to the background, the Peony cardstock was ink blended with the Sparkle Weave stencil.

Aren't the birdies so cute?! The branch and the birds are from the Branches and Blossoms Die Set (which also comes with its own cover plate to match). 

Be sure to join the Instagram hop for a chance to win a $50 Hero Arts gift certificate!!!

Some links used are affiliates at no charge to you. Thank you for supporting rwkrafts!