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!
Just love your cardinal over the hand drawn snowflakes! Fun shaker card too!!
Both the cards are really gorgeous. Thanks for the inspiration.
You really put that background stamp to excellent use. It provide such interest on both these cards and allows for focal points to shine dramatically. Both are so gorgeous…and look at you, ready with two more Christmas cards. Kudos.
The shaker card was hands down my favoite….thank you so much for sharing..hugs
Beautiful cardinal card.
WOW!!! love the use of color and the silver snowflakes. Love cardinals and this card is no exception. The message for the season is terrific!
The cards are beautiful, love your backgrounds on both.
Love the embossing – gorgeous card!
How beautiful. I really love the snowflake shaker card!
Really beautiful cards! I love the background stamp! Tfs
Very nice cards – the cardinal was my favorite.
Beautiful cards and I love that background stamp.
Love your cards…most especially the snowflake ones. Thanks
The snowflake shaker card has an incredible background. Love it!
Love your cards
Love your cards and I really like that teal background!
Wonderful cards! Thanks for sharing your talent in this blog hop!
Nice backgrounds. I really like the cardinal.
Wonderful cards….
Lovely cards!
Wow!! Gorgeous cards, Jessica!! I love the aqua/teal shaker with the snowflakes.
Absolutely beautiful! That background is so pretty & I love what you’ve done with it. Thanks.
Both of your cards are beautiful. The snowflake background really adds to their elegance.
Love all the sparkle! Thanks!
What a gorgeous background that snowflake stamp makes! I love the shaker card. All that shine and sparkle, very festive.