Lakeside Living with Hero Arts July Kit

Hi guys!

I have a couple of cards to share using the latest My Monthly Hero kits from Hero Arts.  The minute I saw the peeks for this set, I knew it would be so much fun to work with and I was soooo right!  Did you all pick it up too?  

I love the stamp of the girl jumping into the water and I pictured her jumping from a tire swing.  So I used inner tube stamp and added a "rope" made from burlap twine that I braided to make thicker.  

The background is just a mix of Distress Inks blended over a masked sun.  Just some tips for those using this set.  I stamped the tree first and then blended ink over them.  The blended ink gives the trees a sun-kissed look.  Another tip is that the tree and mountain stamps are slightly narrower than A2 width, so you have to stamp twice to cover the full width.  It's super easy to do, and you can't tell it isn't one stamp.  I love the layered stamps for the pier and the trees.  They look so awesome stamped together!

I couldn't put the set down, so I made another card.  This time I wanted a more sunset feel.  For the most part, this card is the same as my previous card.  When I saw this lake kit, I knew that I wanted to add a stamp from another previous Hero Arts kit that I also LOVE!  Doesn't that Adirondack chair look perfect on the pier?  (P.S.  The old kit is sold out, but you can get the stamps here)

The sentiment with the beautiful font is from The Greetery and I can just imagine someone sitting at the pier and thinking of a loved one.  

The MMH kit is the only kit that I'm subscribed to right now, and I just have to say how much I love ❤️each kit!   The designers really get us stampers and I love how the kits are so versatile.  If you haven't checked them out, definitely take a look!  

Thanks for stopping in today!  Have an awesome week!

JJ

Waffle Flower July 2019 Release Blog Hop

Hi everyone!  This month is chock full of goodies because Waffle Flower has a regular collection AND a Back-to-Basics collection this release!  That means that you will see new releases from your favorite designers (just like every other month) as well as a collection of versatile stamps, dies, and texture plates that can be used with all the stamps you already own.  Who doesn't love that?

For our regular release, you will find the stunning Zinnia set (stamp,die,combo), illustrated by Karla Jodoin, with gorgeous details and the Bouquet Builder 4 set (stamp,die,combo), illustrated by Oana Befort, featuring large, modern flowers that you can mix and match to create your own floral arrangement.  This month's stop on our world tour with illustrator Kamo is France with the Bonjour set (stamp,die,combo).  Waffle Flower is also looking ahead to cooler weather with Fall Dreams (stamp,die,combo), illustrated by Big Bear & Bird.  Our cute mice, illustrated by Liz Mytinger, are back for a day on the beach with Fun in Sun (stamp,die,combo).  We also have a 3"X4" set, Favorite Hobby (stamp,die,combo), that features the cutest crafty images and cheeky sentiments.  

The Back-to-Basics collection this month includes the Go Girl Summer die set that pairs with the Sisterhood stamp set; Oversized Merry stamp and die combo (stamp,die,combo) for those who love to get a jump on Christmas cards in July; Cloudscape Panel die for quick and easy scene building; and Circle Texture die for subtle backgrounds.  There are also two full panel dies, Micro Grid 1 die and Micro Grid 2 die, that cut backgrounds with micro squares that can be used alone or as a base for all kinds of techniques.  You will also find the Horizontal Stripes die and Vertical Stripes die for creating bold, graphic, and easy striped backgrounds.  Last but not least, there is the Shutter Panel die that turns an A2 card into a faux shutter with five perfectly cut slats.  

Whew!  Like I said, this month is FULL!  Now that you know what's in the release, let's see it in action!  

My first 3 cards use the new Sisterhood Combo (with the Go Girl Summer dies and the Sisterhood stamps).  The Go Girl Summer dies coordinate with the previously release Go Girl sets.  Maybe because I grew up in the time of paper dolls and fashion plates (remember that toy?), I L-O-V-E making Go Girl cards.  With the new die set, you will get  dies for faces/bodies and more options for hair, glasses, and outfits.   And the Sisterhood stamps have lots of fun sentiments for the sister, bestie, and crafty pal in your life. Great to use with or without the Go Girl dies.  

The background for these first two cards were made with the Vertical Stripes die and the Horizontal Stripes die.  The Vertical Stripes die cuts 6 identical strips that are 5.5" long.  The Horizontal Stripes die cuts 10 identical strips that are 4.25" long.  These dies make it so easy to make a striped background or sentiment strips.  

For this next card, I've got more stripes but this time I used the Shutters Panel Die for the background.  I made this card for a friend of mine who is, how can I say this, not shy;) . I glammed her up with some earrings and necklace made of faceted jewels.  The sentiment (from the Sisterhood set) was too perfect.  

This next card was made using the Favorite Hobby combo.  Let's be honest, we all love organizing our crafty supplies as much as creating with them, right?  This set has a variety of crafty supply stamps that are so much fun to color.  I paired the die cuts with the new Circle Texture die and a sentiment from the Sisterhood set.  The Circle Texture die is perfect for highlighting small die cuts without making things too busy.  

These next two cards use the Micro Grid 1 panel die.  This die can be used alone as a background panel, but it can also be the base for all kinds of techniques.  For example, in this card I inlaid colored pieces back into the cut grid for a multicolor background.  I love how it looks behind the flower from Bouquet Builder 4.   

I also used the Micro Grid 1 die to make a kind of stained glass effect.  I backed the die cut with acetate and filled in the "wells" with translucent Nuvo dots.  I didn't back the panel with cardstock, so when the card is standing, the light shines through the back.  So much fun!   

The last card I'm sharing today uses the Fun in Sun set and the Cloudscape panel die.  The Fun in Sun set is sooooo cute!  This I actually made this card for my dad for Father's Day (sentiment is from Be Him).  The Cloudscape die makes it easy to make a scene background because it cuts all the pieces in one die.  All it takes is some strategic ink blending or splattering and you've got the perfectly cut background.  Tip for blending the clouds: blend ink along the lower edge of the cloud die cuts only.  This will make the clouds pop even more!  

I wasn't able to get all the projects I made this month into this post, so I'll be sharing more on IG (@ribbongirls) including these cards...  

That's it for me today!  (Bless you if you made it through the whole thing!)  I'm the last stop on the hop but here's a list of everyone hopping today just in case you missed someone!  

Waffle Flower (Nina) ~ Amy Rysavy ~ Jessica Frost-Ballas
Emily Midgett ~ Nichol Spohr ~ Channin Pelletier
Rebecca Keppel ~ Keeway Tsao ~ Alix Davis ~ Kelli Cool 
JJ Bolton (you are here!)

To celebrate the blog hop, Waffle Flower is giving away $25 gift certificates to THREE lucky winners. You can leave a comment on this blog and along the hop by 11:59pm ET on 7/8/19 for your chances to win. Winners will be chosen at random from the comments left on any of the posts in this blog hop and will be announced on the Waffle Flower blog on 7/9/2019.  

Mahalo and aloha!

JJ