Hi there! Today, the fabulous folks at Hero Arts are officially releasing their new Holiday 2022 Collection! This collection features the sometimes beautiful, sometimes whimsical, sometimes creepy (think zombies!), always creative images that you have come to associate with Hero Arts! AND! I am super excited that Hero Arts has released their own hot foil plates! These new plates are absolutely fantastic, filled with classic images, some of which you can use year round for non-holiday projects. You should have arrived here from Daniel West, and your next stop is Ilina Crouse. I have two watercolored projects to share with you today using some of the new goodies, so let’s get started with the details!
My first project features the stunning new Finch Greetings stamp and die bundle. I stamped the image on some Arches cold press watercolor paper using Contour Ink, then watercolored the images using the Hero Arts Daniel Smith watercolor palette. I die cut the images with the coordinating dies included in the bundle.
For a subtle background for my winter birds, I used the oldie-but-goodie Greenery Fancy Die, cut from the center of a white A2 card base. I popped it up with foam tape on a solid white A2 card base to add some subtle texture and interest to the background while still keeping a relatively “nature-esque” theme. I love how the foam tape adds so much extra oomph to the background-even the white-on-white! Easily one of my most favorite techniques.
I popped up the birds with some more foam tape, creating a double layer of foam tape in spots for tons of height. For the greeting, I used one of the beautiful scripty greetings included in the Finch Greetings stamp set, which I heat embossed in gold on some of Hero Arts’s Heavyweight Vellum cardstock. I tucked it behind the watercolored bird die cuts, sneaking dots of adhesive in the areas that would be covered by the solid watercolored die cuts.
I have some more watercoloring for my second card, featuring one of the gorgeous, brand-spanking-new hot foil plates: Ornament Border Hot Foil Plate! I first hot foiled the image (I love how detailed and enormous this image is!) onto some hot press watercolor paper using gold foil. The smooth surface of the hot press watercolor paper makes it perfect canvas for the hot foil!
I taped down the hot foiled image to my watercolor board to try to minimize the warping, then added lots of vivid color in muted shades of teal and green, with a few tiny pops of deep berry red for the berries! The hot foil behaves similarly to embossed images, creating a kind of resist technique. So fun to use with so many mediums!
Once I had finished the watercoloring and allowed the image to dry completely overnight (allowing it to dry naturally while taped down rather than forcing it to dry with a heat tool also minimizes warping!), I added a greeting created using the new Christmas Words Fancy Dies. I die cut the top layer from some Holiday Sparkle Glitter Paper, then cut two more layers from plain white cardstock. I adhered all three layers together to create dimensional die cut greetings. Very simple, but very effective, and so sturdy- they would hold up great in the mail!
Well, that’s all for my projects today! Now for some fun giveaway information:
Hero Arts will give away *THREE* $50 gift cards, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Wednesday, August 31st at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.
Your next stop is Ilina Crouse. You can also start at the beginning at the Hero Arts Blog. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!
Love the bulb that says merry Christmas
your cards are amazing!
Your cards are both stunning! LOVE them both, but wow, the finches stand out as being so super impressive — lots of gorgeous details you included! Also, thanks for introducing me to the contour ink, which looks so useful. I will have to try that!
I have to agree with Amy Solovay, the card with the finches is absolutely beautiful. I love the effect with the vellum cardstock sentiment. I must invest in it soon.
How beautiful!! I LOVE the birds, and how you colored them. And the ornament card is just gorgeous
Amazing cards!
You did a great job! Love your cards!
Love the foiled ornament card!
I absolutely love both of these beautiful cards! I think I have to have that new hot foil plate! And I love the Christmas finches. Thanks for sharing!
Stunning designs! LOVE the ornaments and birds!
Emily, your holiday cards are pure magic! Love them, thank you for sharing.
I absolutely love the birds
Your bird card is so beautiful – such nice work!
Beautiful cards. Your coloring on those birds is amazing.
Both cards are beautiful, but the finches are my favorite from the whole blog. Amazing!
What you did with those finches is seriously gorgeous! Great work!! The ornament border card is also a beauty! TFS – Your work is always brilliant!
Lori S in PA
Charming cards, I especially like the first one!
I love your cards. The one with the bulb is so Christmassy . 🙂 tyfs
Love how you created a background with the cut out wreath!
Gorgeous birds on the “finch” card and your ornament card is SO pretty as well, Emily. Your artistic ability is incredible!
TFS –
Lori S in PA
Your coloring technique is beautiful and those finches are my favorite!
Emily, these cards are beautiful! 💕
Gorgeous as always
Beautiful! I am in love with the darling birds!
Finch Greetings is one of my favorites from this release and you’ve showcased it so beautifully! But I also love the second card with that beautiful background and sparkly sentiment!
Your cards are elegant and beautiful!
These are gorgeous! I love the beautiful birds and the die you used for their background! I love the foiled ornament design too!
Beautiful cards as always
Gorgeous cards. Love that Finch card! Thank you for sharing.
Beautiful cards, That ornament image has been a favorite of mine since it started appearing in my emails, but ai also love the finches mounted on that gorgeous greenery die.
The card with the finches is just beautiful!
Love love love the finch greetings card!
Both cards are lovely! I especially like that wreath die in the first card! It’s so elegant!
Love how you coloured the birds. Both cards are great.
Absolutely stunning cards. The ornament is my fav.
Your cards are beyond gorgeous! Love them!
Beautiful cards!!! I love Hero Arts and all this new crafty goodness. Thanks for sharing❤️
Love the blue on this ornament!
Your blue foiled ornament card is beautiful, I’d love to make that as a gift set!
Your cards are beautiful!
These cards are simply amazing! The finches and the ornament cards are painted very beautifully!
Your cards are so inspiring!
Beautiful cards! The colors are wonderful! The birds are so cute! Thanks for sharing.
Absolutely lovely cards!
Your cards are always so beautiful.
Wow. I am in love with that ornament border hot foil plate! Stunning!
Beautiful cards. Love the cardinals.
thanks for sharing. txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com
Loving all the details on your first card! Really lovely. Thanks for sharing your creativity!
Wow! Your cards are gorgeous, beautiful watercoloring! I love the birds!
Your Finch card was just breathtaking. Coloring amazing. Of course, I like the Ornament Cover Plate with the foiling. Have that one on my wish list. Thanks for sharing your lovely cards with us.
Gorgeous cards as always. I love thise Finches, I love birds on holiday cards.
Beautiful cards!!!
Thanks for sharing such gorgeous cards. Love the finches and the gorgeous ornament border…
Stunning cards!
Thanks for sharing.
The Ornament Border card is gorgeous.
Wow!! These are so elegant and beautiful. I love the die cut wreath with the bird.
Beautiful watercoloring. Love the finches!
These are gorgeous!! I LOVE the first one with the birds; stunning!
All beautiful cards. I especially love the birds, beautiful art.
Beautiful cards! I love those sweet little birds!
Very Merry! How beautiful are those birds with that die cut greenery in white?!? Gorgeous!
Fantastic cards, Emily! I will have to get those birds for sure!
Beautiful cards Emily. Love the coloring, especially on the cardinal card! Thank you for the inspirations!
Gorgeous! I love those birds!
Love those little finch, so festive
Beautiful cards!! Thanks for inspiring!
Enjoyed the cards very much, the red birds are lovely.
Beautiful cards! Very elegant!
Oh my! That hot-foiled ornament card is gorgeous!
Love the watercolor and the color teal is my favorite. Beautiful card..
I like the finches. I have to pause the hop to go look at that set.
My mother adores these
Pretty cards. Love the birds.
Thank you for sharing, I love the blue
I had no idea you could hot foil on watercolor paper, thanks for the tip I will certainly try that. Your watercoloring is beautiful and I love what you created with that Ornament Hot Foil Border Plate.
Wow!! These cards are amazing! I love your coloring!!
So, so beautiful!!!
Stunning cards. I love them all but the finch card is extra special. 💕💕
Beautiful cards Emily. Your work is so inspiring.
So, so beautiful cards!
Oooo beautiful watercoloring with these sets! Love how elegant the bird card looks.