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Hero Arts Winter 2020 Release Blog Hop + GIVEAWAY


Hi friends! I'm so excited to be part of an amazing blog hop celebrating the release of the Winter 2020 Catalog from Hero Arts! There's a host of fabulous stamping inspiration in store along the hop, plus there will be THREE comment winners! Yay! If you're just popping in, be sure to start from the beginning, so you don't miss a thing. If you've been hopping about already, you probably arrived from the incomparable Jennifer McGuire's blog. The full hop list can be found later in this post.

The winter catalog is absolutely gorgeous! Swoon! I had a hard time narrowing my choices down, but finally settled on two new stamp/die combos and a fancy die to highlight today.


My first card features the adorable Cozy Town Stamp & Die Combo. Aren't these little buildings just the cutest? I decided to stamp them all out and color them in a pastel  palette for a fun look.  After die cutting, I added a little "snow" to the roofs and steps with precision glue and Icicle glitter. Love the sparkly look.  I couldn't decide which of all the fabulous building to use, so I went for a slimline design so I could fit in as many as I could.  To give them a snowy backdrop, I cut one of the Tri-fold Edge Winter Pine Fancy Dies twice from white cardstock and then lined them up on adhesive foam tape.  I then glued my stamped and colored buildings, being sure to cover the seam where the two fancy die cuts met.


Next I took a panel of arctic cardstock and lightly sponged with soft pool ink and then flicked with white glimmer metallic ink for a snowy look.  The sentiment is stamped in black and I added a thin mat of pitch black cardstock to frame the scene.


For my second card, I chose the Stocking Bouquet Stamp & Die Combo. I just love this little stocking and all the little accoutrements.  This would be a perfect wreath building set, too.  I stamped out all the images, colored, and then cut with the coordinating dies.  I added a few accents with a crystal clear lacquer pen and then layered together, making a slit in the stocking top with my x-acto knife to tuck them in.


The sentiment is embossed with red embossing powder onto a white circle die cut and framed with the gorgeous new Snowflake Medallion Fancy Die.  Isn't it spectacular? I accented with a few swarovski crystals and set aside to work on the background. I started with cherry cardstock, and stamped the Graphic Snowflake Bold Prints in clear embossing & watermark ink.  I wanted a kind of blizzardy look, so I poured the embossing ink over the whole area, then brushed away unevenly around the edges and embossed.  I then added embossing powder to the areas I had brushed away, and since my brushing had smudged the ink a little I achieved the blizzardy effect I was going for. A super fun, easy way to get a snowy look.


For my final card, I just had to make a snowglobe shaker.  When I was little, I always asked for snowglobes for Christmas.  It was so magical watching the snow "fall".  I had one with a little church scene, so I thought the church from the Cozy Town set would be perfect paired with the Snowflake Medallion Fancy Die for a little shaker.  I removed the outer circle frame from the fancy die and taped together with a larger die from the Infinity Circles set to create a thick enough border to be able to hide the foam tape when I made the shaker.  I then added a piece of acetate and filled my shaker with icicle glitter and then backed with vellum.  I love the way it looks laying flat, so I'd suggest if you make on like this, you add some glitter to the backing so that there will be glitter when it stands.  I worked around this after the fact by adding some dots of precision glue to the top of the acetate and sprinkling with more glitter.  It's super sparkly!



I added some trees and the church to accent my snowy scene.  Then I simply cut a couple of strips of pitch black cardstock and rounded the top corners of each.  I embossed the sentiment in white on the bottom panel, then smudged unicorn pigment ink with my fingers to tone down the black.  The card base is embossed with a swiss dots folder for a subtle snowy effect.

Well, there you have my first few Christmas cards of the season. This release is so much fun, and I hope you were inspired by my makes.  Be sure to check out all of the fabulous designers below for their creations, and leave a little comment love for a chance to win!

Next on the hop is Lisa Stein.


GIVEAWAY:  Hero Arts will give away three $50 gift cards, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by leaving a comment between now and Sunday, September 6th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week. Here's the hop list:


Compensated affiliate links are used where possible. When you place an order after clicking one of my links, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks so much for using my links and supporting this blog. 💙

118 comments

maria said...

I love the village card!!!!!!

Cari said...

Your cards are beautiful but the one with the church on the snowy swirl background is amazing! Absolutely love that one!

Connie said...

Great cards examples, Julee!

PatriciaD said...

Love the cards! I especially like long cards like the first one. Very nice.

Flo said...

Love all your cards especially the snowflake die and red embossing powder!!!

Val p said...

Very lovely cards!

Kristy Tyra said...

I'm loving how you got a blizzard effect on the snowflake card. :)

Carole Anne Patterson said...

Fabulous cards...snowglobe shaker is my fav!

Caitlin said...

Beautiful! Love the idea of using the Pine die as a background for the Cozy Town - so cute!

Patty said...

Such a sweet village card. Just darling. Thank you for the inspiration!

Susie, Athens GA said...

Super festive cards

Christi Conley said...

Adore that slimline village card!! Beautiful & so peaceful :)

vickie said...

Each card is awesome! Love them all!

Cheryl H said...

Snowglobes are my favorite, too... so I absolutely love that card. <3 The other two cards are great too!

Isabel Z said...

These would look beautiful lined up on the mantle!

Bernadette said...

That snowflake medallion makes a great card even better! Thanks for the inspiration.

The Sleepless Crafter said...

Great set of cards. The village card is such a great idea.

Unknown said...

Love the snow globe card. Snow globes were my favorites as a young child. It's always great to bring back a happy memory anytime,
but especially on the holidays.

MadeByMeghanK said...

Darling slimline scene and I LOVE the red stocking one!

anni said...

I love all your cards! Gorgeous!! Love the little village on your slimline card and the way you made the stocking card "blizzardy" is brilliant! Thank you for sharing!

Margot said...

I love the village slimline card!

Dawn J said...

Love these cards! So bright and cheerful. Can't decide which I like better, but am leaning towards thed village slimline.

Talitha said...

Your cards are so beautiful!! Thanks for the explanation for making a blizzard look. I love all of these cards.

AmberJoy said...

They’re all fantastic!

Sunshine HoneyBee said...

The backgrounds and scenes are putting me in a Wintry/Christmas mood. Like all the creativity with detail.
Melissa
"Sunshine HoneyBee"

Whiteibis said...

Winter wonderful cards, the snow globe is awesome. Love the layouts used. So many good ideas for the stamps and dies. Thanks for sharing.

Darcy Shelstad said...

Great Snow globe and love the tree line village cards.

Sheri L. Waddell said...

Pretty cards!!!

jeannieob said...

Beautiful cards! Love this release.

Queen Mary said...

Love how you made the circle die into a snow globe!!

Cherry Blossom said...

Great cards!

SmilynStef said...

love that sweet little village

Janet D. said...

My, my these are wonderful! Love your slimline village card!

Judy Inukai said...

Great cards. I love the stocking with the snowflake background.

Carol Wortman said...

I have mixed emotions when it comes to the slimline craze..... I LOVE YOUR SLIMLINE!! that village is so beautiful!

peaches234 said...

Like how you used Cozy Town and Snowflake Medallion in different cards. Pretty cards. Thanks.

Cindy said...

Great cards; I really like the way you added the color against the white on the Village card.

Phyllis said...

You have created some gorgeous cards here, Thanks for sharing your creativity.

Kailash said...

Absolutely gorgeous card designs!

craftingaplannedlife@gmail.com said...

These cards are all so beautiful!

Ashley Cortez said...

Beautiful cards great job on all of them

Sandy said...

Such great cards! Thanks for sharing!

craftingaplannedlife@gmail.com said...

These are so incredibly beautiful...TFS!

Jacinda said...

Beautiful!!!

Carol said...

Such a fun and festive release. Thanks for all the inspiration!

Carol B

Lisa Henning said...

All three of your cards are gorgeous!

Quiller's couch said...

Great cards. The village one is just mind blowing.♥️♥️ Thanks for sharing.

Holly's Handmade Card said...

Pretty! Great cards and great designs!

Chantal said...

Such a great cards.
Hufs, Chantal S

Joanne Hoffmann said...

What a release! Absolutely delightful card projects! Love your color palettes and card designs!! Awesome!!

sabbycat said...

Love all your cards but the church snowglobe is my favorite.

Alice Zimmer said...

Beautiful cards! Let the holiday crafting frenzy begin...

Moira said...

Great cards. Thanks for sharing your creative talent with us.

Renee V said...

Yes that ornament die is stunning! Love your beautiful cards and especially the blizzardy look you created with ep!

Debi said...

Beautiful cards, love your style.

Lindar C said...

Lovely cards, wonderful release.

Irishtiger06 said...

Love your slimline card, looks like, so pretty & cozy looking!

Tammy Shackleford said...

So hard to pick a fav from these three. Love them all.

Purple Princess said...

wonderful cards

Mary G said...

The little town houses are so nice with the trees in the background. And the Church looks so lovely with an edged shaker behind it. So pretty.

Lisa said...

Love that snow globe!

Sunnyk57 said...

I love the Christmas village on a slimline card! And that snowglobe--awesome!

Prentzess said...

I always appreciate new ideas for slimline cards. Thanks!

northernchica said...

Your cards are lovely! Hard to pick a favorite, but who doesn’t love a snow globe to bring back all the magic of Christmas? Thanks for sharing!

joni said...

Your cards are absolutely gorgeous!!! Your out of the box designs are fantastic...along with the patterns and colors and wow...I really love your work!!!

Preeti Rodricks said...

LOVE the slim line card. what a great idea!

Preeti Rodricks said...

LOVE the slim line card. what a great idea!

Peg Frushour said...

Absolutely beautiful cards!

Janet said...

Fabulous cards! Love this new release. Thanks for the inspiration. :D

Debby Green said...

Amazing cards! Fabulous!

Giselle said...

Your cards are beautiful! I love sparkle too!

Kathy's Custom Cards said...

I love the idea of a snow globe card!

Grafx said...

Great Cards - Anyone would be happy to receive these :-) Thanks for sharing.

Chandhini said...

All the three cards look so cheerful. Love how you achieved the snowy effect with embossing powder. The pastel colours for Cozy town is a great idea

Kelsey Thomas said...

Such beautiful cards! :)

Darlene said...

Oh Julie these are all just fabulous! Thanks for amazing inspiration!

Sidelle Menon said...

Love these three cards! Each one is gorgeous

Cyndi said...

Gorgeous cards. I love the Snowflake Medallion die -- so many wonderful possibilities.

Joyce said...

Love your cozy and gorgeous town.

judy said...

Thanks for the inspiration--your cards are gorgeous!!

Karen said...

These cards are beautiful. Thanks for sharing

bluemoon said...

All of your cards are amazing. Wow! Love the cozy village with the snowy tress behind it.

Naghma said...

These are all beautiful!

Pam said...

Your wee street is just wonderful. Love the cards.

Patti said...

All your cards rock but the red and white snowflake medallion really caught my eye!

Cherry Robinson said...

Hi Jules...I loved all three of your cards but the village is my favourite. I like how you coloured each one and set the white trees behind. Thank you for the inspiration! 💗

Unknown said...

Love, love, love the whole collection. The village reminds me of a winter scene in the upper midwest in winter. Beautiful to bring back coveted memories.

Ida said...

Beautiful trio of cards. The dies you used are wonderful.

Carol McCready said...

Love the village card!

Nancy T. said...

Very pretty

sabell said...

Your cards are beautiful! I love all the details you put into each one. And I learned something new! How to make a blizzardy look on a card! So thank you very much for that tip, I’m going to have to try that! ♥️

Cy Lee said...

I love that village card!

Helen said...

Stunning cards, Julee! I love the slimline village card! Thanks for sharing this great inspiration! Take care! :)

Bonnie K. said...

Oh wow - I love all three of your cards so much, I don't think I can pick a favorite! Great ideas!

Betty said...

The slimline village card is my favorite, but all are beautiful.

DorothyA said...

Wonderful cards, especially that fun shaker card! The round die is so pretty vs. a plain circle. So many things can be done with it. A new must have?

Crafty Desert Girl said...

Such beautiful cards, especially love the village slimline card!

Unknown said...

Great cards. Thanks for sharing

April said...

I love how you even made a slimline card! It makes me yearn for Winter.

Lauryne Cunningham said...

Your cards are so pretty! I love the blizzardy look on your red card- great idea!

Ms. Tamp said...

Nice ideas for set use. I like the stocking card and the additional embossing around the edges.

Kerry G. said...

The cozy village card is a perfect way to bring our loved ones together! thank you for sharing your creativity and this new Awesome release!

Unknown said...

I'm so thankful for this HOP; I had not been to your site as of yet, and thankful to see all of your beautiful cards and ideas! I will be following you now to keep up with all of your new ideas! Thank you! :)

Jeanne Beam said...

Such beautiful Christmas cards!
Thanks so much for sharing.

Wendy said...

2 of my favorite things: little houses and snow!!! Thanks for the beautiful inspirations <3 <3

Karen L K said...

Wow such great cards! Love the Cozy Town scene! That stocking is so cute along with your blizzard look. The church with that medallion is just so elegant.

Barbara-Jean said...

That cozy town die set is great and I really like the shaker card. I bought a snow globe die set from HA last year and hope to use it this year! Thanks for the inspiration!

Julie W said...

I love how you stretched cozy town across the slimline street, and that sparkly snow globe shaker? Stunning. Thanks so much!

Jean said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jean said...

Simply darling!

Denise Bryant said...

Lovely creations with these pretty stamps and dies!

Stacy K said...

Love the snowflake medallion die. Your cards are so beautiful!

Sue D said...

Pretty variety of cards. I like the church.

Denise Kitts-Wadlow said...

All of your cards are gorgeous, and I can't really say I have a favorite, bc you brought some beautiful wintery detail to each one of them. So, I'll say I love them ALL!!!

Sherry Shelton said...

These cards look beautiful. I really like the village slimline card

Connie said...

Hi Julee :) Your cards are both dainty and elegant!!! Lov'em! Thanks for inspiring me :)

Dean H. said...

I really like the cozy town card. You’re an inspiration. Thank you!

karenajo said...

Wonderful cards ! Especially love the pretty red one with all the snowflakes and lovely stocking! Thanks for sharing!