Good morning! I am so excited to be hopping along with the Hero Arts Creative team and other special guests for their Winter 2016 Release! There are SO many gorgeous and adorable stamps and products in this release! You should have arrived from Jenn Shurkus’ blog but if not, you can head to the Hero Arts blog to start at the beginning! I created two cards using some of my favorite Christmas stamps from this year and last year’s Winter releases! My first card uses the new Color Layering Cardinal with one of my favorite holiday background stamps from Hero Arts.
Isn’t that cardinal gorgeous!? It’s really easy to line up the stamps and you get that great layered look just by using different inks! I stamped the cardinal, branch, and pine sprigs and then die-cut them with the coordinating dies. Then I inked the background stamp with versamark and pressed a piece of kraft cardstock over the stamp. I heat-embossed it with white embossing powder and then trimmed it down to an A2 card base. I stamped the sentiment on vellum and heat-embossed it with white embossing powder. Next I trimmed it down to a fishtail banner and layered it over red cardstock. I adhered them to my kraft base and then tucked my cardinal and branch around the sentiment. I finished the card by adding a little spectrum noir clear sparkle to the vellum.
I decided to make a shaker for my second card using one of the tag dies from last winter’s release. I die-cut it from white cardstock and then added a layer of acetate and foam mounting tape behind the cardstock. I filled it with a mixture of silver and sparkling clear sequins and beads and then sealed it with a white cardstock backing.
Next I stamped the same snowflake background stamp onto white cardstock and heat-embossed it with silver embossing powder. Then I blended Cracked Pistachio, Evergreen Bough, and Peacock Feathers distress ink over the background. I adhered the distress inked background to a white card base and then adhered the shaker over it. I am really becoming fond of nontraditional colors for Christmas cards and I love the sparkle and shimmer from the embossing powder and shaker!
To celebrate the release Hero Arts is giving away three $25 gift certificates to comments selected from 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 comment by Sunday, August 28 at 11:59pm PT and we’ll announce the winner the following week. Your next stop on the hop is the wonderful Joan Bardee! Here’s the full hop list in case you get lost!
The Hero Arts Blog
Jennifer McGuire
Kathy Racoosin
Wanda Guess
Lydia Fiedler
Alice Wertz
Amy Tan
Cheiron Brandon
Debbie Olson
Laura Bassen
Debby Hughes
Heather Ruwe
Ilina Crouse
Isha Gupta
Jenn Shurkus
Jessica Frost-Ballas —> YOU ARE HERE!
Joan Bardee
Karin Akesdotter
Yana Smakula
Kelly Rasmussen
Amy Tsuruta
Clare Prezzia
Mariana Grigsby
May Sukyong Park
Libby Hickson
Thanks so much for visiting and have a wonderful day!
So lovely.
While I don’t make shaker cards, I think yours is lovely. But the cardinal card is my favorite. I have the stamp on order and just love the way you used it. I’m getting so many good ideas.
I am in love with the shaker card, and can’t wait to make something similar 🙂 I like the non traditional colors also. well done!
You definitely have an eye for color. I noticed it on your sneak peek, too.
Such lovely cards. Thanks for sharing!
Both Gorgeous cards but love that shakers cards. Thank you for sharing.
Well, I THOUGHT I liked the white snowflakes on kraft until I scrolled down and saw the silver ones on that awesome background… Yowza!!
Beautiful cards!
Love your Winter Cheer card. Absolutely stunning!
Your cards are so elegant.
Such beautiful cards Jessica! That cardinal is so gorgeous, and I love the sentiment you paired with it. I also love the 2nd card with the silver snowflakes against the beautiful background you created, and or course the awesome shaker element too with all the shimmer and sparkle.
Love your cards, the shaker card is to die for so beautiful”
Tour cards both have especially lovely backgrounds.
Wow! Both cards are stunning! I love the way you displayed them too.
Gorgeous snowflake backgrounds!
Gorgeous cards. I love the ombre ink blending for your background. I want everything in this new release. How will I ever choose?
Love your embossed backgrounds and the cute shaker front. You are very creative. Thanks for sharing!
I love your cards! That background stamp is gorgeous!
Glitzy, very nice.
Your cards are wonderful. I love how you use color!
Pretty!!! Going through your entire blog now too! So much awesomeness.
The backgrounds you created on each card are absolutely beautiful!
Your shaker card is absolutely beautiful! Love the distress colors you used for the background and those snow flakes……..Wow!
BEST backgrounds ever, I love your cards. Outstanding. TFS
I love both of these cards! Very creative and you can never go wrong with a cardinal!