Hero Studio for December: Soup There It Is

This will be my last post as an influencer for Hero Arts.  It was such a thrill to come full circle with them, as their Flickr group were the ones to teach me and encourage me to start a blog way back in the early 2000s.  Many thanks to Kelly for this final honor! 

It's time for a new month of  Hero Arts Studio Kits!  This month our theme is Soup There it Is.  The kits are available now for subscription, through the 27th.  Be sure to read all the way down my post to the end, where I quote some changes coming in 2026 to the Subscription Program.

My first card shows you the layering stencils, Pop Art Cans.

supplies: white cardstock, Decemer Studio Pop Art Cans stencils, Citrine, picked raspberry, peacock feathers, and white pigment ink, sentiment from Card Kit stamp set, (retired) Sizzix swiss dot embossing folder

The first thing I thought when I saw this stencil set was Andy Warhol, so I did a google search and settled on this piece of art.  I used these same colors for my card.

So I used the main colors here, hot pink, turquoise, and bright yellow.  Each of the first 3 stencils were done in 1 of these colors, and then I used a white pigment ink for my 4th layer.  It was interesting to see the colors that resulted when layering the 3 colors.  I really liked the dots on the original art, so I followed suit, using an old swiss dot embossing folder after my stencilling was complete.   The sentiment is from the Card Kit set this month.

The Card Kit this month consists of a large stamp set and matching dies, called You're Super, plus another set of dies called Big Squishy Hugs.  Here's the stamp/die combo card I made.

supplies: white and aqua cardstock, December Card Kit You're Super stamps/dies

The stamp set has 2 sizes of soup pots, the vegies and accessories you see here, and a total of 9 different sentiments.  And there are dies for everything in the matching die set.  Sick or not, I love home-made soups, so this was fun to put together.

The Big Squshy Hugs dies are next.

supplies: colored cardstocks, December Card Kit Big Squishy Hugs dies and sentiment

This die set contains dies to make the card front in 2 halves, dies to detail the arms, and a large heart to tuck in between them.  I used another of the sentiments from the stamp set from this month, along with matching dies.  In essence, you make 2 slightly different halves for your card front, and then nest them together.  I left my arms loose so that I could tuck in the heart.  Quite a clever design!

The Studio Collection is available now through the 27th of the month.  Currently the Studio includes 5 separate kits: a Card Kit, Layering Stencils, Fancy Dies, a Cling stamp, and a Clear Set of Stamps and matching Dies.  You can also get The Whole Studio, which includes all of the kits at a discount, plus a bonus item each month.  

Before I go, I wanted to direct your attention to an announcement from Hero Arts regarding changes coming in 2026 to the subscription program.

"We want to share a quick update about exciting changes coming to our subscription program. In January 2026, My Monthly Hero is back! We’re returning to two simple, value-packed plans—My Monthly Hero for $45/month and My Monthly Super Hero for $75/month—both offering the inspiring designs you love at better pricing than ever.

As part of this transition, individual Cling, Die Set, Stamp & Cut, and Layering Stencil subscriptions will be retiring. And as an early thank you, December’s Hero Studio pricing for the Card Kit and Whole Studio already reflects the new 2026 rates.

For more information, please check out our My Monthly Hero section on our FAQs page."

Here Comes Christmas!

 I've got all my assignments finished, so now I can play!  I need to get my act in gear and make some Christmas cards.  Here is one that mixes some new (to me) goodies with some oldies.

supplies: cream, 2 greens, tans, and Lipstick Red cardstock, vellum, Honey Bee Stamps Lovely Layers Vintage Reindeer, Simon Charming Berry Branch, Taylored Expressions (retired) Winter Flurry embossing folder, Hero Hues Sunset enamel dots, Spellbinders Handwritten Holiday Sentiments dies

I've had this "Bambi" on my list since it was released, and decided I'd better grab it now before it disappears.  It also has lots of acessories for the deer: a scarf, Christmas lights, holly, and tiny ornaments.  The Berry Branch is fairly new - Jen McGuire made me buy it to make wreaths.  And the smallish "Merry" sentiment fit in just right after everything else was glued down.  It's nice that each word in that sentiment set has a shadow die to match; makes a smaller die easier to get straight on your creations.  I can't seem to make a card anymore without an embossed background, and I like the spacing and size of the snowflakes here.

Thank you for stopping by today!

Woodblock Wednesday!

 Here's my card for this month's Woodblock Wednesday.  I used a stamp from a company called Outlines; I believe they were sold here at Archivers.  This one's called Split Layering Collage Autumn, and has no date..

 

It is just a wee bit too long for an A2 card, so I selectively colored some of the blocks and cut them out, matting each in a different solid color, then grouping them around my sentiment, which is a Simon/Clearly Besotted collab set from 2014 called Autumn Blessings.  The panel is cut with a PinkFresh Studio Folk Edge rectangle die.

You can see more cards using woodblock stamps at Amy's blog HERE.

Thanksgiving Wreath

 Today's card is a mix of 2 wreath builder stamp sets.

supplies: white and Doll Pink cardstock, Concord & 9th Harvest Wreath Turnabout stamps, oxide inks in picked raspberry, vintage photo, ripe persimmon, and mermaid lagoon, sentiment from Gina K. Autumn Wreath Builder, circle die, Winnie & Walter Audrey's Cutaways scalloped retangle die

The Turnabout stamps are always a joy to work with, beautifully designed, and fun to choose new colors each time.  I had to cover up the center of the design, but this little sentiment is too perfect, so be it.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Thanksgiving Blessings

 I was going through my old wreath dies, and decided to play once again with this Stitched Leaf Wreath from Simon Says Stamp, from maybe about 2015.  I pulled out some bright fall colors of cardstock for the leaves. 

supplies: cream and colored cardstocks, Simon Says Stamp Stitched Leaf Wreath and Chisolm Wreath, sentiment from Taylored Expressions Handlettered Thanksgiving, small adhesive foam squares, twine, a tiny heart sprinkle

This die is unique because it has a stitched line outlining the wreath on the inside and all around the outside, and gives the leaves some stitched details.  So I cut it out first from a panel of cream cardstock, then from the colored cardstock just to get some leaves.  I filled in the leaves, securing them on the backside with tape, then added a Chisolm twig wreath and finally popped some more of the leaves atop everything, using only the maple ones.  I like a twine bow on these, and added a tiny gold heart to its center.

I would guess that everything I used is retired; that will probably be the case going forward into the New Year.  I intend to make everything old new again!

Thanks for stopping by.

For Thanksgiving

I haven't played with Altenew's Garden Picks dies in a long while, and thought they'd make a nice card for Thanksgiving.

supplies: ivory, Memory Box Sunny Orange and Fresh Aqua Collections cardstock, Altenew Garden Picks dies, sentiment from Simon/Clearly Besotted Autumn Blessings stamp set, Spellbinders Hemstitch Rectangle die

Each of these lovely flowers is at least 4 layers deep, so I'm so glad I invested years ago in the Memory Box 6" paper pads of solid cardstock!  

I've decided going forward not to link any of my supplies anymore; getting lazy in my old age!  Most of them are retired anyway.  You can just google them if you're interested.  

Thanks for coming by today - enjoy it!

Fanciful Flowers stencils

 Remember when I ordered from Memory Box back around Labor Day?  One of the free goodies they included with my order was this set of floral stencils from Poppy Stamps called Fanciful Flowers.  I'm just now getting around to playing with it; wish I hadn't waited so long, because I love it!  It makes the perfect ditzy flowers background.

supplies: white, black, and Doll Pink cardstock, vellum, Poppy Stamps Fanciful Flowers stencil set, distress inks in picked raspberry, carved pumpkin, mustard seed, vintage photo, cracked pistachio, mowed lawn, and rustic wilderness, Just Because posh script dies

The stencils are 7 pieces, 4 for flowers, and 3 for leaves.  I used a favorite old color combination.  I like this sentiment because it's cursive, somehow more feminine to me.  

Hope this helps to brighten your day a bit - have a good one!

The Wonder of Oz!

 Spellbinders kindly sent me 2 products from their latest release with Graphics 45, called The Wonder of Oz!  Here's what I did with them.

supplies: white cardstock, The Wonder of Oz Field of Poppies 3D embossing folder, Wonder of Oz Silhouette die, red and black markers, teal ink, sentiment from Fish Parade BetterPress plate, adhesive foam squares

I embossed the poppies on a white A2 panel, then turned it over to the reverse and colored in the poppies, stems, and flower centers with markers.  Then I swiped Evergreen oxide ink over the whole panel.  I cut out the silhouette, leaving a bit below the image to ground it, and added my sentiment.  Then I popped the whole silhouette panel above the card base.

There is a Wonder of Oz Sentiments betterpress plate, but I didn't get that, so I went looking in my stash for something appropriate, and came up with this one from a Club Kit earlier this year.  

I hope you'll take a look at the whole collection!  Thanks for stopping by today!

Spellbinders November Club Kits: Charmed Life

 The Spellbinders Club Kits for November are now available, through November 27.  The overall theme is Charmed Life - all things girly!

My first card shows you the Large Dies of the Month, Charmed Life.  It makes a partial purse with some fun charms attached: a teddy bear, cherries, and a flying pig!  I mixed it with the Glimmer Plate, Luxe Links, foiled with Blush glimmer foil.

 

supplies: cream, tans, browns, and pinks cardstock, rose gold metallic cardstock,  a dotted pink dp, Charmed Life dies, flying pig from the Caboodle Bonus, Luxe Links glimmer plate, Blush glimmer foil. foiled sentiment from Paws in the City BetterPress kit

I started by foiling a piece of chocolate cardstock with Blush glimmer foil (included in this month's kit), then used a die in the Charmed Life set to trim it into a partial purse shape.  That was affixed to a cream A2 panel, then I made my charms, tied a scarf around the handle, and added a sentiment from the BetterPress kit, Paws in the City.  There are more charms to choose from, as well as ways to hang them.  The little flying pig is the Caboodle Bonus for this month!

Next up is another purse, much smaller this time, that doubles as a puppy carrier!  It's made from the Stitching dies, Fur-ever Fabulous, and I popped it above the 3D folder, Petite Tuft, and added another sentiment from the BetterPress kit.

supplies: white, black, tans, brown, pinks cardstock, Fur-Ever Fabulous stitching dies, camel embroidery floss, 3 strands, Petite Tuft 3D embossing folder, sentiment from Paws in the City BetterPress kit

The stitching kit this month has very little stitching, only on the purse, to give it some dimension.  I popped the whole thing above my background, and used yet another BetterPress sentiment.

The Clear Stamps and Dies are called Go-To Girl.

supplies: white cardstock, aqua printed paper, Go-To Girl clear stamps and matching dies, Nested Tree Frames rectangle

This kit contains what you see here, plus another girl, some accessories, and 3 more sentiments.  And there are matching dies for the main images and all of the sentiments.  

I always enjoy the stencils each month; here's my card to show you them.  They're called Cherry Chic, and I had to use the cherries from the Charmed Life set, of course!

supplies: white, red, green, aqua, and a red gingham patterned cardstock, Cherry Chic stencils, inks in 2 aquas, red, and green, cherries from Charmed Life, sentiment and die from All Seasons Summer press plate/die set, (retired) Postage Edge Rectangle die

As always, there are 5 stencils in the set, 2 for the stripes, and the remaining 3 for the cherry details.  I used a sentiment from last year.

Almost done!  Here are the Dies of the Month for November, Let's Do Brunch, and the embossing folder, Luxe Lattice.

supplies: colored cardstock, Let's Do Brunch dies, Luxe Lattice embossing folder, swiped with white ink

This fun die set contains brunch foods! (I didn't include toast or champagne). And the little arms and legs are a fun addition.  There are 2 other sentiments included, too.  I used the Luxe Lattice swiped with white ink as a kind of tablecloth for them.

And finally, here is my card using the BetterPress kit, Paws in the City.

supplies: white and red cardstock, black and white diagonal stripe dp, Paws in the City BetterPress Plate (includes sentiment), Perfect Touch Rectangle die

The set includes an acetate registration sheet to help you place the images.  And there is a die that will cut out all the sentiments at once.

You can look HERE for information on Spellbinders Clubs.  Each is available for new subscribers only from the 6th until the 27th of each month.  If you click on my links under each card, you can see the specifics of each product.  You can subscribe to each of our10 kits separately, (and you can "unjoin" a subscription at any time without any penalty), or you can get them all, plus a free bonus item each month, and save 60% by choosing the Deluxe Caboodle!

Hero Studio for November: One More Chapter

It's time for a new month of  Hero Arts Studio Kits!  This month our theme is One More Chapter; all about books!  The kits are available now for subscription, through the 27th.

I've been a reader all my life, so I think this is a great theme!

My first card uses the Stencil Kit, called On the Shelf.  The 4 stencils make a little library!

supplies: white cardstock, On the Shelf stencils, brown, aqua, and green inks, Hero Wax in gold (included in the Card Kit), sentiment/dies from Card Kit Professional Bookworm

I used 3 colors of ink 1 for each of the first 3 stencil layers, then Gold Hero Wax for the 4th layer.  This was my first time using the wax, and I was pleasantly surprised how creamy and easy to spread it was.  I threw my stencil and tools into a bin of water when I was finished, and it cleaned up easily, too!

I added one of the many sentiments and matching dies from the Card Kit, popped up with some adhesive strips.  

Next are the Fancy Dies: Book Bag.

supplies: white and colored cardstock, Book Bag dies, another sentiment from Card Kit Professional Bookworm stamps

Isn't this one cute? Love that bookworm that's included!  Because there are little flowers here and there, I used an old retired embossing folder with little flowers, too.

The Card Kit has 3 die sets and 2 coordinating stamp sets, plus cardstock and that wax I used on my first card.

My card features one of the Card Kit die sets called To Be Read Pile.  It has a stamp set to match.  This one was really easy and fun to put together!

supplies: cream, beige, kraft, and darker colors of cardstock, To Be Read Pile dies and matching stamps for book bindings, embossing powders in gold, silver, pewter, and clear, a sentiment from the Card Kit Professsional Bookworm sentiment stamps

This die set consists of 1 large die that forms the stack, and 8 smaller dies, 1 for each of the books.  Then I used the matching stamps and various embossing powders to put a design on the spine of each book.  How clever!  The stamps also include ones with sentiments on them, but I kept only to the patterned ones, and finished my card with yet another of the Professional Bookworm sentiment stamps in the Kit.

Lastly, here's the other set of the die in the Card Kit: Happy Place.

supplies: colored cardstock, Happy Place dies and sentiment from Professional Bookworm stamps, both in Card Kit

There are lots of other dies in this set that I didn't use here: sleeves for her arms, more flowers, and a  head of hair for a boy.

The Studio Collection is available now through the 27th of the month.  This is subscription-based, discounted from retail, and includes FREE shipping (for US customers)!

You can subscribe anytime and cancel hassle-free.

Currently the Studio includes 5 separate kits: a Card Kit, Layering Stencils, Fancy Dies, a Cling stamp, and a Clear Set of Stamps and matching Dies.  You can also get The Whole Studio, which includes all of the kits at a discount, plus a bonus item each month.  

A really nice perk is that, once you subscribe to any of the kits, you also will get free shipping on all orders that you make at Hero Arts between the 1st and 5th of each month!

Another Fall Birthday

 Here's my second birthday card for this month.

supplies: cream and black cardstock, Clearly Besotted (retired) Autumn Flowers, My Favorite Things DieNamics (retired) Happy die, Honey Bee Stamps Bitty Buzzwords die, adhesive foam

On an A2 panel of cream cardstock, I repeatedly stamped the maple leaf in reds, golds, and oranges, then cut out the big "happy" from it about 2/3 of the way down.  Next I glued on my birthday setiment, then added lots of adhesive strips and dots to pop the panel above the card base.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Oak Leaf Thanks

Here's a card I made with a freebie I got from a Poppy Stamps order I placed in late August.  This is a set of 2 dies called Adornment Oak Leaf, and contains a large oak leaf outline and another the same size with veining details.  It would make a lovely paper-pieced design, but for my first card with it, I just cut out the leaf from an embossed background, and used the second die to add the leaf details. 

supplies: cream, 2 krafts, and rust cardstock, Birch Press Design Adornment Oak Leaf dies, Spellbinders Oak Forest 3D embossing folder and (retired) acorn dies, sentiment from (retired) Sugar Pea Designs Fall Fox stamps, twine

Oaks were my Dad's favorite tree in the fall, preferring their duller colors to the maples.

Thanks for stopping by today - have a lovely one!

Woodblock Wednesday!

It's time for Woodblock Wednesday!  October means pumpkins, so I pulled out these Hero Arts 2009 stamps and paper-pieced them this time.

supplies: cream cardstock, patterned papers in orange, aqua, and brown, Hero Arts Traditional Pumpkin and Tall Pumpkin, Darice (retired) embossing folder, sentiment from Spellbinders All Seasons Autumn Press Plate/die set, die-cut leaves

You can see more cards using woodblock stamps at Amy's blog HERE.

I'd like to enter this into the Love Those Pretty Papers challenge for this month.

For a Fall Birthday

 We have 2 birthdays this month for which I send cards - both of them are Davids, both have last names beginning with B, and now both of them live in Georgia!  I'm a broken record, but I always make them a card that uses autumnal tones and subject matter.

Here's my first card of the 2 for this year.  

supplies: cream and orange cardstock, a dotty orange printed paper (Amuse), Rosewood Canada/FrogsWhiskersink (retired) cling stamp called Bittersweet Wreath, (retired) MFT Dienamics Spring Wreath bow die, sentiment from Simon Says Stamp (retired) Joys of Spring set, Spellbinders Perfect Touch rectangle die

Bittersweet has always been a favorite of mine, and I chose this wreath way back in 2011 or so when I was part of the Lily Pad Designs team.  I wanted to use some orange nuvo drops to make the berries dimensional, but I don't have the strength in my hands anymore to squeeze them out of the bottle.  Darn!  

We've been seeing Bittersweet vines here and there on our daily walks in the parks here.

Thanks for stopping by!