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Hey everyone! I'm back after a brief post-Creativation break. That whole SeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberCreativation thing is like a black hole, for real.
But like a Star Trek character, I have emerged unscathed and am here to bring you a little entertainment today.
UNRELATED - does anyone use a truly unscented all purpose cleaner? Most of them are so overly scented I feel ill. I mostly clean with vinegar and rubbing alcohol but if a truly unscented cleaner exists, I'd love to know about it. Share it with me in the comments.
Today is the day of the newest Hero Arts release and it's probably the most all-year release they've ever done - it's all about birthdays! Tons to choose from.
But, because it's my compulsion - I wanted to use even the birthday themed images for non-birthday uses to stretch them a bit further, and so my first card features my favorite add-on of the month - this adorable fox-themed set.
The fox is actually wearing a birthday hat in the set, but I fussy cut him out, omitting the hat. He looks like a little rocker - like he's at a KISS concert or something. So I went with that.
Then I took this crazy cute banner alphabet set and cut the Hey out of white, and then cut it again with black to pop the letters in. I cut two thin strips of brushed gold cardstock from a previous kit for poles, and tied twine between them. Then I popped the letters up with foam dots.
The fox is colored with Copics, and then I used these awesome fineliners in three colors to add fur details - I'll show you these in my video below, and I'll also have a coupon code for you. They're really fun and very inexpensive.
The background is a piece of cold press watercolor paper that I sprayed with water and dropped chartreuse watercolor onto for a sort of grungy background for my rockin' fox!
The main kit comes with two beautiful background frames. Here's what comes in the kit, so you can see what I did with one of the frames - the one at the top right - that one is card front sized, and the other is half sized. Tons of great dies in here.
I love the detailed images, and I wanted to make a more vintage style card. So I stamped the frame in Acorn, and then over stamped it in my MISTI (PS - have you seen the new black Hero Arts co-branded MISTIs in the 2020 catalog?) in Vintage Photo - then I just painted water on it to activate the distress ink and stain the watercolor paper that warm brown while not moving the image at all, since that ink is waterproof. I actually have a video on this concept here. You can do this in the order I did it in the video, or like I did here, stamp in your waterproof ink first, with distress ink on top and then add water. The end result is the same.
I then took the rightmost balloon at the top of the frame and did the same, and die cut it, leaving the balloon open for some bright red watercolor. I accented it with a white gel pen. Simple, sweet, unisex, ageless birthday card.
I then took the rightmost balloon at the top of the frame and did the same, and die cut it, leaving the balloon open for some bright red watercolor. I accented it with a white gel pen. Simple, sweet, unisex, ageless birthday card.
Then I HAD to make a card with the adorable doxies! They're so cute. The owner of my retreat center has the cutest little long haired doxie girl - literally the sweetest, most bonded dog I've ever seen.
I just did simple two-marker coloring on them with Copics, and then used the fineliners again for the itty bitty hat bits - you just can't do that with a brush marker. I was going to go with multicolored hats, but that vibrant red looked so pretty with white, I had to leave it.
I cut them out with the matching dies, positioning the balloon die cut behind the one pupper's tail. The sentiment is from the same set.
Then I used the fineliners again with this amazing Happy Birthday negative die. You'll see how I made this in the video below. Then I just added some sequins for a clean & simple card. This would also make a great shaker card, which is why a package of birthday shaker elements are included in the kit.
If you like these fineliners, stay tuned for a coupon code below the video, and a chance to win a $50 shopping spree at Hero Arts!
But before the video - my fridge died today. UGH. It had a good run - 17 years with only one service call. So do you have a fridge you love and hasn't had an icemaker that flooded your house? If so, I'd love to hear about that in the comments too!
So if you love the fineliners as much as I do, you can see the set here, and I opted for this awesome case - which holds a TON more than the fineliners in the set I got. You can use coupon code UnderstandBlue5 through March 6th for 10% off sitewide.
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Need more inspiration? They've got you covered!
Loveyameanitbye.
So stinkin’ cute! And Kirkland baby wipes (thanks to you)
ReplyDeleteCute!! I am surprised that you didn't use a black fine liner to add a bow to the balloon onto the dog's tail!! I am eagerly waiting for the unscented products that come up here...
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your creations, both on paper and in word. Stinkin cute, rocker fox tee hee. Love your video, always learn something!
ReplyDeleteI love the fox! And the doxies! Don't tell me that about a fridge/icemaker! For 20 years we didn't have water and ice in our fridge. Then, 7 or 8 years ago we remodeled the kitchen, put in wood floors, and bought a fridge with an icemaker and water dispenser. Last year, we had a "mishap" with our dishwasher, but were fortunate enough not to have to replace the floor. I don't want to deal with that possibility again!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great kit from Hero Arts. I love the main A2 size stamp. I've seen it colored and it's beautiful. The card Lydia did with this stamp is another great look.
ReplyDeleteHello to my favorite Blue person! Those cards are adorable!! All of'm.
ReplyDeleteI use blue Dawn dissolved in water with a glycerin conditioner pellet.
I have to say your fox made me giggle!!!!! It is really fun!!! Thank you for all your amazing cards.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh!! I’m loving your rocker fox! So fun. I’m loving this new release too...cha ching.
ReplyDeleteI do not know of a completely unscented cleaner... but I hope someone has a suggestion for you.
These cards are so fun!!
ReplyDeleteI love how varied and different your cards are. Brava.
ReplyDeleteWonderful, unique cards. My favorite is the second one -- your background is stunning.
ReplyDeleteI love the vintage look of the one card but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the doxies!! Reminds me of my baby Cooper!! So excited for all these wonderful items just in time for my birthday 2/20!!
ReplyDeleteI love your cards! The one with the fox is great! My favourite unscented cleaning supply is unscented baby wipes to wipe my stamps clean.
ReplyDeleteAdorable cards! The pens are amazing! Always need birthday cards. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou got me with the single red balloon - just love how that popped out!
ReplyDeleteReally love the card with the cute dogs and the blue cake card. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteall your cards are adorable, but my goodness, that fox is fabulous, as is the background
ReplyDeleteI do love your vintage card. You can be sure I will be borrowing this technique!
ReplyDeleteYour cards put a smile on my face. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAwesome Kit and add-ons! Wonderful creations! I especially love your kraft background card!!!
ReplyDeleteI like the fox and his banner. I thought the cake was a patterned paper. I like the little details with the pens.
ReplyDeleteI love both the fox and the dog. Now I want to order both sets.
ReplyDeleteLove your projects. My go-to cleaner is plain water and microfibre cloths
ReplyDeleteYou did an awesome job on all your cards.
ReplyDeletenatgodfrey4@gmail.com
gorgeous!!!!! so so fun!
ReplyDeleteHey yourself...these are very cute and Hero Arts does it again!. Love all of them and I have a set of Fineliners that I love but from another company and there aren't 102! So I will have to check these out.
ReplyDeleteYour cards are so stinkin cute! Since I make more birthday cards than anything, I immediately purchased the kit. Can't wait to get it.
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful cards.. looking great .. thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteSuch great cards! I almost ordered the fox and then changed my mind. Poop! Now I want him! Lol
ReplyDeleteP.S. I hate my new fridge too, but at least it works. Seems like I have to stand on my head to see what is on the bottom shelf. That being said, my next one will have the freezer on the bottom.
ReplyDeleteWow!!! These are all fantastic! I think the fox is definitely having a blast so I really need to hang out with him! Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLove the rockin fox!! All are great.
ReplyDeleteWow, all of your cards are amazing! I'm torn as I love that fabulous fox but the sepia tone card really captured my heart - it reminds me a bit of wood burning. Love them all!
ReplyDeleteFun cards! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt is not possible to have too much lime green! Great cards. I put about half vinegar, few drops of eucalyptus oil, few drops of detergent and then fill with water in a sprayer.
ReplyDeleteThe fox is just the coolest! Love your take on a more rocky fox!
ReplyDeleteAnd the little dogs are just the cutest!
Thank you so much for the amazing inspiration ❤️
Cute cards. Love the paw-tying doxies. But that fox really rocks. So cute.
ReplyDeleteSo cute! That Fox is adorable. I appreciate the review on the pens! Love how you colored the cake and those pups are adorable!
ReplyDeleteGreat cards showcasing this super new release, Lydia! I love the idea of using your stamps and dies for different projects and your little fox is a perfect example! Great video with lots of helpful hints! Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThe card with all the dogs just made me smile. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI only use scented cleaning products - mostly hand sanitzers on my glass mat. Makes my craft room smell really clean.
ReplyDeleteI only use scented cleaning products - hand sanitizer on my glass matt. Makes my craft room smell clean and fresh.
ReplyDeleteThese are FAB! I Love the fox and that green background and the puppy!
ReplyDeleteI keep a spray bottle of vinegar, I sprinkle baking soda on what I want to clean, then spray it with the vinegar and let the fizzy do some of the work for me (also great for cleaning drains). I use Sal's Suds from Dr. Bronner's for everything, but it has a mild neutral scent. As for the fridge, they don't make them like they used to. I've never had one last more than 6-7 years, although installing a whole home water filtering system has helped tremendously. Our water is a 14 on the hardness scale and we had to replace our faucets every 2 years. I love your cards, you always add something that sets them apart, and I have the fine liners and they are fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI was wondering how to use those banner dies! I love the use with the fox!
ReplyDeleteSuch fun cards, I love the striped background on the Happy Birthday cake fancy die.
ReplyDeleteI clean with equal parts vinegar and blue dawn dish soap on almost anything. Sinks, tubs, counters, I even cleaned my toilet with it. It gets a little bubbly due to the soap. Spray and let soak in a few mins, work s like a charm especially on glass shower walls and doors, even the tiles on the bath walls.
ReplyDeleteCute cards-love the dachshund card-fun...my favorite is the vintage birthday card.
ReplyDeleteThat fox card is too cute!
ReplyDeleteOur fridge is going on 20 years now. I dread the day it dies. My husband used to manage a call/service center for online appliances. As a result, we will never have a built-in ice maker. They all eventually leak. I don’t even know if they sell refrigerators anymore without ice makers… but if I were you (and I will be soon), I would try to get one of those! I also use vinegar mostly for cleaning. And I like the smell!
ReplyDeleteI loved the card with the negative die! Super cute!
ReplyDeleteCOLORFUL, HAPPY, and FUN cards!!
ReplyDeleteSuch fun! I don't think I know of any unscented products.
ReplyDeleteLove, love, love your rockin" fox! My son would love this card! I don't know of any cleaners that have no scent & I usually use vinegar for most cleaning. I see that I need a set of fineliners so when my bday fun money gets here I will have to invest in them. Your cards are all absolutely fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI tried using vinegar in our shower to get rid of soap scum but it smelled SO BAD that I couldn't stand it! I do use alcohol a lot. The Fox is crazy cut but it looks like a cat to me. I love it any way!
ReplyDeleteAdorable fox card with the banner. This would be a hit for anyone's birthday. I don't know of any unscented cleaning sprays, but I do like Barkeeper's Friend" powdered cleaner.
ReplyDeleteAll of your cards are fantastic. The fox is adorable.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing...
Great cards! I really love the fox and the doxies!
ReplyDeleteCute cards. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool way to use fine liner pens! So pretty!! What a fun kit! Definitely a set that can be used all year long. Thanks for the inspiration!!
ReplyDeleteCrazy clever use of the fox! Love, love, love!
ReplyDeleteLove the cake! Great cards, great kit.
ReplyDeleteWow!! You were busy!! These are all fabulous!! Specially love the fun puppy card with that awesome sentiment!
ReplyDeleteSo cute! The fox is great.
ReplyDeleteCute and creative variety of cards. Love the rocker fox.
ReplyDeleteFun cards!
ReplyDeleteExcellent cards! The animal ones are so cute- make me laugh, so they are my favorites! Wild green background and wilder fox critter!
ReplyDeleteYou make it look so easy!
ReplyDeleteReally fun cards!!
ReplyDeleteLove your cute fox and the doxies are adorable! What a fantastic new kit and thanks for all the great inspiration! I too would like to find a good non-scented cleaner!
ReplyDeleteHi Lydia :) I love the "raise the woof" set and the way you used the finalizers on the negative from the birthday cake die!!! Such creative cards! Thanks for inspiring me :)
ReplyDeleteNice cards! I like what you did with that fox and all the happy dogs!
ReplyDeleteI commented before but forgot to say that in our household we use vinegar (highest acidic I can find), alcohol and baking soda. I always make sure I have as much ventilation as possible but it does get a little overwhelming sometimes. I just trust that what I'm being overwhelmed with scent wise is much less harmful than those 25 letter words I cannot even begin to pronounce!
ReplyDelete