Hero Arts 2017 Summer Catalog Blog Hop (+GIVEAWAYS!)

Good morning and welcome to the Hero Arts Summer Catalog Blog Hop!  All of the catalog products are now available at the Hero Arts shop and we’re celebrating with lots of inspiration from our creative team and special guests!  I went a little shaker crazy and here’s what I created for the hop!

I think this Color Layering Whale might be one of my most favorite layering sets ever!  Isn’t he fabulous!?  I started by stamping the whale with various Hero Arts inks and using the coordinating dies to die-cut him.  I used Cornflower and Navy ink for the bottom two layers and then stamped the top layer with versamark and heat-embossed it with silver embossing powder.  Next I stamped the waves from the Color Layering Whale set with Navy and Indigo ink across the top half of a card panel.  Then I used the Brushstroke Alphabet set to stamp out my sentiment with Navy ink.  Then I die-cut a shaker window from the panel using the Nesting Circle dies and adhered acetate to the back.

Then I blended Faded Jeans and Broken China distress oxides onto a piece of watercolor paper and spritzed it with water.  I blotted the excess water off and let it dry.  Once it was totally dry I pressed a versamark pad all over the watercolor paper and heat-embossed it with Sparkle embossing powder.  I repeated the process for a smoother, sparklier finish!  I built up a shaker frame with a double layer of foam mounting tape on the back of the card panel and then filled it with Ombre Ocean, Ombre Blue, and Sparkling Clear sequins.  Finally I adhered the watercolor paper to the panel and then added the whale on top!

My second card might look familiar as it is the graphics from the blog hop banner! 😉 I created this card in late March for the catalog and I’ve been waiting to share it!!  I started by stamping the Color Layering Parrot with Antigua, Aquatic and Navy inks and Intense Black ink for the overlay of the beak!  I also used Cup O’ Joe and Wet Cement inks for the parrot’s feet and then die-cut it with the coordinating dies.  I also stamped the Color Layering Hibscus and foliage from the Color Layering Parrot set with Emerald Green, Cup O’ Joe, Cotton Candy, Rose Madder, and Red Royal ink and die-cut those as well!

I stamped the Brushstroke Bold Prints background stamp onto white cardstock with Cotton Candy ink to create the background of my shaker.  I stamped the sentiment from the Color Layering Parrot set with Red Royal ink and then I used the Postage Stamp Nesting dies to die-cut my shaker window from a piece of white cardstock and adhered acetate to the back.  I built up a frame with a double layer of foam mounting tape and then filled it with Ombre Red sequins.  I closed up the shaker with the background panel and then arranged my parrot and foliage around the shaker.

Shakers will probably always be my favorite cards to make and these two bright, summery cards really capture the “Wild Things” feel of the summer catalog! 😉

To celebrate the release Hero Arts is giving away $25 shopping sprees to three lucky commenters randomly selected from the comments across all of the blogs in the hop so make sure you leave a comment at each hop stop for the most chances to win!  Please leave your comments by 11:59PM PT on May 24th, 2017!  Here’s a list of all the stops on the hop:

• The Hero Arts Blog
• Jennifer McGuire
• Laura Bassen
• Wanda Guess
• May Park
• Amy Tsuruta
• Cheiron Brandon
• Yana Smakula
• Lydia Fiedler
• Jessica Frost-Ballas —> You are here!
• Jenn Shurkus
• Clare Prezzia
• Tracie Pond
• Michelle Short
• Heather Ruwe
• Ilina Crouse
• Libby Hickson

Thanks so much for visiting and enjoy the hop!

Interested in the products I used?  To make them easy for you to find, I have listed them below. (Affiliate disclosure can be found here). Your purchases help keep my blog running and I thank you for the support!!