House Mouse Holidays

 I have some cutie House Mouse cards to share today - one for the holidays and one for Halloween. House Mouse stamps have been around for decades, and I'm almost certain my very very first stamp ever was a house mouse. I was probably around 10 years old and the woodblock stamp was a little mouse... anyways I would heat emboss it in silver using the heat from our stove (not recommended/advised) over and over again. Thus the stamp addiction began 😁

The sketchy look of House Mouse rubber stamps just calls for color pencils. I dragged my Faber Castell Polychromos pencils (the best!) out of hiding to color in this adorable House Mouse Sweet Twist stamp. He looks so cozy inside that warm stocking enjoying his candy cane.

The light blue panel of the card was just die cut from the Arches Infinity Die and then embossed with the Streamline 3d Embossing Folder. This adds subtle texture and interest to an otherwise simple card.

Another cutie house mouse! This card uses the new House Mouse Halloween Dragon rubber stamp set. How cute is that little baby mouse in his costume?! I also colored this stamp with Polychromos pencils because the sketchy stamp lends nicely to that style.

I heat embossed the Candy Corn Kisses in white and added some die cut little bats from the Haunted Romance die set. This is an older die set but so necessary for spooky season crafting!

Happy SummerWeen!

 An absolutely must-have adorable collection is dropping today at Hero Arts called Summerween! If you're new here, Halloween has always been my favorite holiday to craft for. I have a few cards to share today and a few more later in the week, so stay tuned!

How cute is this ghostie?! She's a whole vibe and I'm here for it. This fun beach card features the new set called Beach Boos. I wanted to put together a full scene with some of the fun images, so I paired these beachy stamps with this older Beach Floor stencil.

I just imagine her floating around the ocean meeting other floaty ghosts along the way, saying "Trick or treat!?" and getting handed a tropical cocktail. Queen ghost stuff right there 😂

This card features the Beach Boos set with the two ghosts and their darling accessories. I also used the new Flower Power layering stencil in this Summerween collection. I must assume they got tired from shopping on Rodeo Drive and grabbed a snack on their way to the beach 😁

This card features the new Ghoul Summer set and the Flower Power stencil. These poor flaminghouls don't have much of a story, as they're stuck in a front yard as Halloween decoration at a Los Angeles home (remember, all these ghosts are hanging out in Southern California). 🦩

Another card featuring the same Ghoul Summer set and Flower Power Stencil! The images really are so adorable you can just keep creating and creating. I used the final layering stencil alone, which is the center of the flowers. I thought it looked like fizzy bubbles and matched perfectly with the boo-bly tea! 

That's it for today! I'll have more to share with this Summerween collection later in the week!

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Season's Greetings!

 It's time to get those holiday cards prepped! A beautiful new press plate and foil collection just dropped from Spellbinders, and I'm excited to share my Season's Greetings card...

Since I'm using my BetterPress, I did use a die cut piece of watercolor paper which helps the plate absorb better. The Season's Greeting sentiment was inked in dark blue and I ran the BetterPress through my Platinum 8 die cutting machine.

I paired the lovely sentiment with this darling penguin from the October 2024 Small Die of the Month (which is still available!). I draped the lights throughout the sentiment and added some sparkle to each bulb with my glitter pen.

A super simple one today! Thanks for stopping by!

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Sketchy Outdoorsy Watercolor Cards

 I have something very different to share today and I can't wait! I was fortunate enough to get three of the gorgeous new sketchy stamp sets by Josh Griffiths. They are such a new-to-me item where the sets are filled with a variety of elements and you can really build your scene however you want. It made me put my creative brain to new use! Plus it was so fun to pull out my Distress Inks again... It has maybe been a year since I've used them?!

All 3 of my cards feature the new stamp sets, Into the Wild, Words for the Wild, and Wild Friends.

I was determined to keep everything as one-layer, so some simple masking was used for all of the cards I'm sharing today. To get a sense of what would be masked or not, I first put together a mock-up layout of how I'd want the stamps...

While this isn't the exact layout I used, it was close enough! I also highly recommend these fine point Sharpie pens, which helped to draw in grass lines or help extend some branches and rock lines. 

The sketchy look of the stamps is just screaming to be watercolored! Each card was watercolored using a variety of Distress Ink colors. I simply press the ink pad directly on my glass mat and use my favorite watercolor brushes by Winsor and Newton. I'll list the Distress Inks used at the bottom of the post.

This card has a simpler feel to it, and I really reeeally wanted to use the cute possum stamp! Similar Distress Inks were used to watercolor the scene. 

It is showcased using the Arches Infinity Dies to create the window, and the cardstock was embossed using a woodgrain embossing folder. That Sharpie pen came in handy to fill in the sentiment that couldn't stamp fully on the woodgrain.

My last card required a full masking of the fox, so I stamped the fox on post-it tape, fussy cut the mask, and placed it on top of the stamped image. This allowed me to stamp the trees and the grass without stamping over the fox image.

This card is more simple so the lovely sentiment could be the star! 

SUPPLY LIST:

Words for the Wild stamp set

Wild Friends stamp set

Into the Wild stamp set

Winsor and Newton watercolor brushes

Versafine Clair Black Ink

Strathmore Watercolor Paper

MISTI

Sharpie Fine Point Pen

Spellbinders Platinum 8.5 Die Cutting/Embossing Machine

Bearly Arts Glue

Post-It Tape

Arches Infinity Dies

Distress Ink used for grass and trees: Shabby Shutters, Crushed Olive, Peeled Paint, Evergreen Bough

Distress Ink used for rocks: Hickory Smoke

Distress Ink used for wood: Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain

Distress Ink used for animals: Tea Dye, Scattered Straw, Aged Mahogany, Hickory Smoke

Distress Ink used for sky: Tumbled Glass

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Very Merry Reindeer

 The new Spellbinders Club Kits have dropped and it is Christmas in July! Today I'm sharing a card featuring the July Stitching Die of the Month, Sweater Weather Friend.

Cutest, coziest reindeer! I stitched his sweater with silver sewing thread to add to the fun Nordic design. You can also add stitching to his scarf, but I decided to keep it plain this time. The detail on the card panel is from using the Sweater Weather Embossing Folder.

I did add glitter pen to his holiday lights, but it doesn't show well on camera. The sentiment is from a very well loved sentiment stamp set called Holiday Greetings, which I find myself using for many many holiday cards. As usual, all cardstock used is from the ColorWheel collection.

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July My Monthly Hero - You're the ZEST!

The best day of the month has arrived! The My Monthly Hero kit this month speaks to me because it is all citrus themed! 🍋 I grew up with orange trees in my yard and we would make gallons and gallons of orange juice every year, so I always love when citrus is "on trend" in the crafty world. 

There are so many elements of this kit that are "must haves"... this border die is absolutely one of them! I made a card with an orange theme and another one with a lemon theme.

This is my lemon version! I actually attempted to turn this one into a shaker card, but I didn't like the end result. However, the glitter from the failed shaker didn't want to let go, and I actually like the end result of random glitter bits.

The border die is exclusive to the My Monthly Super Hero kit, as is the stamp set that features those big bold sentiments. It is definitely worth the upgrade!

Everything included in the Super Hero kit

Everything included in the My Monthly Hero kit

How cute is this darling vespa?! This is the second "must have" from this kit. The best part is that the die will fill an entire card front, so less brain use is needed for this one! 😁

How cute is this stamp set?! It is giving me old school Hero Arts vibes in the best way. I paired these sweet images with the beautiful background stamp so put this scene together. All images were colored with my Copic Markers.

Ok now this card showcases Must Have #3!!! A HERO ARTS EMBOSSING FOLDER!!!!!!! This is seriously a BIG DEAL and I freaked out when I opened this kit. Embossing folders are definitely trending back in style, and I am so here for it!

The card above and the card below both use the same lemon shaker dies. I just only turned one of them into an actual shaker.

The MMH kit includes some dies that cut mini citrus bits, so they are perfect for the shaker element. For the background, I used the Wavy Line Die Plate with various shades of light blue cardstock.

Did I already mention the EMBOSSING FOLDER?!!!! This little lemon basket is actually part of the vespa die set. It was so sweet on its own that I wanted it to have its very own card.

By the way, did you know there was an EMBOSSING FOLDER included in this kit?! For my final card today, I inked up the inside of the folder with Green Apple and then ran it through my machine with Rainforest cardstock. This card is also paired with another favorite die in my stash, Wood Frame Infinity Dies.

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Packed with Love

 Hello hello! I have a cutesy card to share quickly today... let's get to it!

This card showcases the darling Ready to Roll die set. My animals are always checking on my suitcases when I get pack, and they're also small enough to jump inside when they really want to stop me :)

I really love the sentiment, packed with love, which comes from the Partners in Brine set. I added some subtle detail with the Sweater Weather embossing folder. All cardstock is from the ColorWheel collection.

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Mahalo!

 I was lucky enough to get my hands on the June 2026 Small Die of the Month... lucky because many of the kits this month have already sold out! I just checked and this sea turtle is still available!

I paired the Small Die of the Month (Mahalo Sea Turtle) with the Stitching Die of the Month (Luau Beats), which included the Hawaiian flowers.

It was also super easy to turn into a shaker card with that window cut out (included in the Mahalo Sea Turtle set!). The solid cardstocks are all from the ColorWheel Collection. The lovely glitter teal cardstock is from a dear crafty friend!

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More Art Deco!

 In an earlier post, I was raving about this gorgeous art deco die plate... and clearly I didn't get enough of it because I have four more cards to share today!

I had another field day with the Gilded Glass bundle today. I'll be sharing two cards with some color variation, and two cards that are monochromatic.

This first card was inspired by a beautiful Talavera bowl that was gifted to me. The blue and white pattern was a perfect fit for this card.

This card features two of the newest colors from Concord and 9th, Capri and Bluebell.

My second card is alllll about the new Bluebell cardstock! I only added some white acrylic splatter pain and clear gems.

I had fun with this color combo! I used some of the Capri cardstock and paired it with Starfruit and silver. I did pop up the inner layer so there is a bit of dimension there.

My last card is another monochromatic version with Starfruit only. I did add some black speckle paint, used the Cheers to You sentiment from the Gilded Glass bundle, and finished it off with some black sequins.

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Luau Beats

 The new June club kits are now open to new subscribers! This month's kits give me complete Moana vibes; you definitely don't want to miss out! Today I'm sharing a card using the Stitching Die of the Month called Luau Beats.

The Luau Beats set actually has a lot of elements included with it. The drum, the flowers, and the cute guitar are all a part of the set! To create this scene, I added in some classic Hero Arts items. First I stamped the cardstock with the Leafy Background Cling Stamp and then die cut the frame from Arches Infinity Die.

I tucked in some grass some the Butterfly Foliage Fancy Die on the bottom and a fluffy cloud on the top from the Clouds Die Set (a must have staple!).

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Art Deco Perfection

 Another incredible die plate was recently released from Concord and 9th called Gilded Glass. These dies get me hooked and I end up making 5 of them at once. My dad often requests thank you cards, so I created this set that mimics the style and colors of the art deco tiles on his kitchen walls...

I started by cutting the die plate from the following cardstocks: Stardust, Buttercup, Rainforest, Oceanside, and Peacock.

Each card has the border outline in one of the 5 cardstocks listed above, and I glued in the other pieces from the remaining 4 cardstocks.

I did a couple cards with some white space in the design, and a solid color in the middle.

Now to just add some more photos of the others!...

I hope you've been inspired to add Gilded Glass to your collection!

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My Monthly Hero June 2026 - 10 Cards!

 Happy June! I am so very excited for this month's My Monthly Hero kits. It is so perfect for summer, and also reminds me a lot of my childhood where the neighbors and I would hop from pool to pool all day long.

My first card is inspired by my childhood pool! The Crackle Paint embossing folder (not part of the kit) is an exact recreation of my pool deck in my home growing up. We also had a kidney bean shaped pool! Every other element on the card is from the June MMH Kit. I absolutely adore that pool water stencil - you'll be seeing more of it on this post!

My second pool card is a bit of a peek-a-boo. I cut the pool from the front of the card and added the swimmers to the inside of the card...

I used acetate sheets to cover the front of the card. Every item on this card also just uses the MMH June 2026 kit. All cardstocks used are from the Spellbinders ColorWheel collection.

I really wanted to use the pool water stencil to create a  beach scene. The beach is created using Sand Embossing Powder. I also used some wave dies from past Hero Arts collections, Making Waves and the Partners in Brine set.

The June Kit also comes with a lot of fun little accessories and pool floaties. I die cut multiple watermelon floaties and the fun sentiment to create this simple but graphic card. It also showcases one of my favorite infinity dies, Postage Stamps.

My next card also features some of the fun pool floaties, but this time the popsicle! Another simple, yet graphic card. The sentiment and the sun are from the stamp and die set that are also included in the main June Kit. By the way, creamsicle orange pops are always the best.

As someone who lived in flip flops for a good 18 years of my life, to the point where it took 5+ years to remove the flip flop tan from my feet, I had to showcase this little stamp from the June Kit! I stamped a variety of flip flops in different colors to put this bold card together. Life really is better in flip flops!

My next group of cards features the June 2026 My Monthly Super Hero Kit. The Super Hero kit includes everything from the main kit, plus the girl in sunhat die set, the scripty sentiment stamps and dies, and the fun "hello sunshine" die set.

I really love how the pool floaties can be used in so many different ways. This card features a variety of floaties, plus the fun 'hello sunshine' scripty die from the Super Hero Kit. I also splattered the card with white acrylic speckle ink.

I just love this sweet die set! I have definitely owned a giant floppy sunhat with scripty words on it, so this resonated with me! 🤣 And I'd love to drink whatever she's drinking right now! The little soda/drink dies are also included in this large die set with the Super Hero kit.

The hat itself can also take over an entire card. I paired the floppy hat with some a scripty "happy birthday" sentiment. Just add some black speckle ink and it's done!

OK - last card!! I really wanted to do a full pool card so I just added a couple floaties, a girl in my favorite swim suit color, and the bold 'hello sunshine' sentiment. The Super Hero Kit is a great addition to your summer stash!

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