You Are Fabulous

I wouldn't exactly call myself a Francophile by any means. I vividly remember getting kicked out of my 8th grade French class for taking the opportunity to learn a few French curse words and sharing them with a classmate. I was never so happy to be out in the hall, because even though I LOVE languages (I have a Master's degree in Slavic languages, and loved the Italian, Russian and Czech I learned and found them easy) - I couldn't stand French. It just sounded wrong coming out. Romance languages and Slavic languages were so much more natural for me. For the record, German falls into the unnatural category as well, which is odd, since English a Germanic language. I love the little meme that says "Tell someone you love them today, because life is short. But also, SHOUT it at them in German, because life is also terrifying."

But I wish that French had come easier to me, because I love the IMAGERY of France, and would love to be able to go and feel like I could converse. I love all French cooking shows that had as their background the beauty of southern France, or Paris. I love Jacques Pepin to the moon and back.

My friend Dana and I together probably have the world's largest collection of Eiffel Tower stamps in North America. I simply cannot resist buying anything with Parisian imagery, as you will soon see. Everything about it speaks to me - the little poodles, the glamorous women, the bakeries and cafes, the nighttime city scenes - it makes for great, fun and uplifting cards. You can see why so much incredible art came out of, and into France.

So what you are about to see (and I know I say this all the time, but dang it people keep coming out with my favorite things!) is my favorite Hero kit EVER. I squealed so loudly when I saw it that I'm pretty sure they could hear me at Hero HQ.

Not only is it a French set, which I'd have to have, but it's a FASHION PLATES SET!! You can interchange heads, bodies, legs, outfits of the girls to build the scene you want - OH EM GEE.

Remember my Fashion Plates card? Those things will always have a place in my life. I bonded so hard with that particular art supply as a kid that we will never be separated! So I felt like a kid again when I got this kit.

Here's the first card I made with it.

InLinkz.com

SERIOUSLY - don't you love that??? Oh my word. Here's what I did. I took a white Prismacolor pencil and highlighted the right side of the Eiffel tower die cut. I wanted the light on that and on the girl to be coming from the right. Then I watercolored a background with Daniel Smith watercolors. I watercolored my girl - who I dressed like the French Flag - and fussy cut her out, lifting color around her knees with my Absorber while it was still left. Doesn't that ultramarine make your eyes happy? I used my itty bitty Silver brush for those details - I love that thing.

Then I stamped the sentiment from one of the addons (with  Audrey Hepburn builder stamps in it - squee! and a cat! squee!) onto the background. This is cold press watercolor paper so both the girl and the sentiment had to be stamped multiple times in the MISTI.

I had so much fun doing this it was ridiculous. I love stamp sets that I play with the second I get them in the mail. This was most definitely one of them.

So speaking of France and art, this paper layering ballerina add-on just screamed Degas to me!

I colored it with Luminance pencils after die cutting it - with paper layering dies, you can leave the shape as part of the card front, and then just pop up the dimensional parts - so much fun.

I did it on pastel paper and just kept it simple with no sentiment. It will just be a thinking of you card.

InLinkz.com

I enjoyed that process so, so much. You can buy these pencils in open stock (link above) if you want to slowly buy them - they are AMAZING. So buttery and pretty. The colors I used on this are: Middle Cobalt Blue, Turquoise Blue, White (I always layer the colors on top of white), Anthraquinoid Pink, Golden Bismuth Yellow, Apricot, Burnt Ochre 50%, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Ochre 10%, Sepia, Genuine Cobalt Blue.

Jana was nice enough to let me in their kit hop today, and of course they're giving away a kit as well. They do have a subscription option now, so you don't have to worry you'll miss one anymore.

Here's what comes in the kit - everything else is add-ons which means they will be available after the kit sells out.

I'm excited to see what everyone has done with this. I've deliberately avoided peeking before today because I wanted to be surprised. So I'll be hopping with you. Be sure and leave comments for your chance to win! These are all incredible artists.

The Hero Arts Blog
Jennifer McGuire
Wanda Guess
May Park
Yana Smakula
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Amy Tsuruta
Lydia Fiedler
Ilina Crouse
Heather Ruwe
Libby Hickson
Michelle Short

Loveyameanitbye.