New Ink Euphoria + Giveaway

*Compensated affiliate links used where possible at zero cost to you. No posts are ever sponsored or paid.*

Happy Monday! I'm here today with some ink news - Hero has revamped their ink line and added some new colors and you are going to see some really beautiful inks today. 

One of the new colors is a very, very pale ivory color that I played with today for sort of a vintage look. 

I stamped my favorite text stamp onto white cardstock and kraft cardstock so that you could see how pale it is. It's so subtle and fun. It's REALLY nice for sponging/ink blending edges - look at the white torn cardstock just below and above the bear with that nice warm ink blend. 

Next, I blended the reinker - YAY FOR REINKERS - (we now have those for all the Core colors now - so if you're like me and never buy an ink pad without a reinker, you will be rejoicing with me) - into some glitter Hero Paste for a warm colored glittery 3D pattern with this stencil across the collaged cardstocks in the background. It's really fun to be able to dye the pastes with the inks you're using on your card.

I put a little strip of gold glitter paper across the card base when it was dry, and then tore out a little piece of music paper a bit bigger than the bear from this cooking set. 

I stamped the bear on hot press watercolor paper and colored it with liquid watercolor - I toned down each color with coffee watercolor to give it a vintage feel.

I glued that down and stamped the sentiment from the same set.

Who wouldn't want a little bear bringing them carrots and fresh bread in his little apron? Come on now.

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You know you love animals with pink cheeks - don't even lie about it. :)

SB317 Animal Cooks Bundle | Hero Arts [ HA ] CG830 Script Bold Prints | Hero Arts [ HA ] Ink Labels [ HA ] Color Week [ HA ] Antique Ivory [ HA ] PD128 Coffee Liquid Watercolor | Hero... [ HA ] NK353 Hero Paste Glitter | Hero Arts [ HA ] SA049 Floral Filigree Stencil Pair |... [ HA ] HT215 Hero Tools Palette Knife | Hero... [ HA ] PS779 Glitter Paper Fall | Hero Arts [ HA ] Floral Glass Craft Mat — Glassboard... [ GLS ] MISTI Stamping Tool [ MSP | ELH ] Scor-Buddy Mini Scoring Board 9x7.5 -... [ ELH ] MIS-T Rulers [ MSP ] Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -... [ BLIC ] Understand Blue Bundles Specials for... [ CTC ] Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC [ ELH ] Storage Envelopes, Medium 25pk,... [ ELH ] CheckOutStore Stamp & Die Clear... [ CHC ] Extra Large -50 pk, Avery Elle Stamp... [ ELH ] Airtable: Organize your stamps & dies [ ART ] Hero Arts Blog [ HA ]

So want to see all the inky goodness and maybe win one set of the six NEW colors of ink - Core Ink Pads and Inkers - to one lucky commenter. So leave me a comment before Sunday, June 26 at 11:59pm PT, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

And WAIT - they also have LABELS! If you buy the new bundles you can get them free, and they are also available for purchase here. 

Now there's a TON of inspiration with the new colors waiting for you, so see the list below - the more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!

CURRENT COUPON CODES
20% off anything at Glassboard Studio  - UNDERSTANDBLUE.
15% off anything at Marker Universe or any of their other sites - Understandblue15.
10% off at Sweet Sentiment with code UNDERSTANDBLUE
10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10
5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5
Arkon Mounts - 20% off sitewide with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

Hero Arts
Mindy Eggen
Seeka
Michelle Short
Lydia Fiedler
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Ilina Crouse
Channin Pelletier
Pocono Pam
Daniel West
Emily Midgett
Maria Willis

Simple Sympathy + Giveaway

*Compensated affiliate links used where possible at zero cost to you. No posts are ever sponsored or paid.*

I like to make sympathy cards when I do NOT need them. There's too much pressure when you do. And you're not usually feeling happy and inspired to create when you need one, so I just make them when I find an image I think is perfect for one.

This week, I pulled out an older botanical die and decided to experiment with Hero Wax on it - I wanted it to be very elegant and simple. 

I cut the florals out of black cardstock and then hand rubbed them with gold Hero Wax (on sale right now here) until it looked like metal.

I used my powder tool to prep the cardstock and then stamped the sentiment from this set in embossing ink, and embossed it with gold embossing powder for a simple finish.

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Penelope Meraki Flora Para-Dies |... [ CRF ] Altenew - Clear Photopolymer Stamps -... [ SBC ] Juicy Clear Embossing & Watermark Ink [ INK ] Hero Arts - Hero Wax - Gold [ SBC | HA ] Cottontail Embossing Powder Tool –... [ THR ] Hero Arts Gold Embossing Powder [ SBC | HA ] Floral Glass Craft Mat — Glassboard... [ GLS ] MISTI Stamping Tool [ MSP | ELH ] Scor-Buddy Mini Scoring Board 9x7.5 -... [ ELH ] MIS-T Rulers [ MSP ] Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -... [ BLIC ] Understand Blue Bundles Specials for... [ CTC ] Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC [ ELH ] Storage Envelopes, Medium 25pk,... [ ELH ] CheckOutStore Stamp & Die Clear... [ CHC ] Extra Large -50 pk, Avery Elle Stamp... [ ELH ] Airtable: Organize your stamps & dies [ ART ]

The giveway is taking place on my Instagram account so check that out HERE.

Hope you enjoy your Sunday. Loveyameanitbye.

CURRENT COUPON CODES
20% off anything at Glassboard Studio  - UNDERSTANDBLUE.
15% off anything at Marker Universe or any of their other sites - Understandblue15.
10% off at Sweet Sentiment with code UNDERSTANDBLUE
10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10
5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5
Arkon Mounts - 20% off sitewide with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

VIDEO: Paper Quilting Made Easy!

*Compensated affiliate links used where possible at zero cost to you. No posts are ever sponsored or paid.*

I can't sew a lick, as they say. But I admire everything sewn, especially clothes and quilts. My mom and sister got the sewing gene. I got the cooking, and true crime genes. 

I have a theory about weighted blankets, which are very popular right now. Since I've been alive since the mid 1900s, I have a lot of life experience. 

In my childhood, and much BEFORE my childhood - many of us slept under handmade quilts. Also, notably, with hand embroidered sheets and pillowcases - embroidery is absolutely a gene I got. 

Handmade quilts are HEAVY. SO much heavier than anything you could buy in a store WITHOUT weights. You could barely move under one of those things. 

As life got busier and more "convenient" (we'll save that argument for another day), those were replaced by light, decorative comforters, duvets etc. I think for a while, people didn't realize how much more poorly they were sleeping, until someone came up with a way to get that sleep back - with weighted blankets. 

I have many handmade quilts - one stunning black and white one made by my friend Mel, and others handed down over many years. You want to treat them like museum pieces, but they are so unbelievably durable, and as Mel told me - that is NOT what the quilter wanted. Use them. 

There are a lot of different ways to do paper quilting, but I have a real preference for anything that looks stitched and so today I have a video for you on an easy way to do that with this coverplate die. The sentiment is from this bundle. In the video you'll see me cut the prints with infinity dies and this adorable fold up die cutter. Next month, I'll show you how I did the Gel Press part of this card. 

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Here's the video. 

Here are all the supplies I used today:

Rainbow Pierced Cover Plate [ HNB ] Gel Press Petite Printing Plates -... [ BLIC ] DI199 Nesting Circle Infinity Dies... [ HA ] Birthday Wishes | Honey Cuts – Honey... [ HNB ] Birthday Wishes | 4x6 Stamp Set –... [ HNB ] Bee Creative | Bitty Buzz Cutter Die... [ HNB ] Floral Glass Craft Mat — Glassboard... [ GLS ] MISTI Stamping Tool [ MSP | ELH ] Scor-Buddy Mini Scoring Board 9x7.5 -... [ ELH ] MIS-T Rulers [ MSP ] Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -... [ BLIC ] Understand Blue Bundles Specials for... [ CTC ] Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC [ ELH ] Storage Envelopes, Medium 25pk,... [ ELH ] CheckOutStore Stamp & Die Clear... [ CHC ] Extra Large -50 pk, Avery Elle Stamp... [ ELH ] Airtable: Organize your stamps & dies [ ART ]

What are you up to this weekend?

I have some crafty work to do and I'm basically just trying to eat cold food and hope our grid survives this insane heatwave. 

I hope you get some time just for you!

Loveyeameanitbye.

CURRENT COUPON CODES
20% off anything at Glassboard Studio  - UNDERSTANDBLUE.
15% off anything at Marker Universe or any of their other sites - Understandblue15.
10% off at Sweet Sentiment with code UNDERSTANDBLUE
10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10
5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5
Arkon Mounts - 20% off sitewide with code UNDERSTANDBLUE